a bit unplanned rally for me - decided to go to hungary and visit Mikulas Rally. Unfortunately my camera didnt work for more than 30 minutes, so i missed most of the front runners on the first stage - now that is annoying! Just standing there with your broken camera and watching the action :/ guess its high time to look for something new

http://rallyphotos.cz/photos/mikulas_rally/

Cutting edge photos Don! As usual.

I really laughed my ass off at the photographer with his mobile phone camera you see on some of your shots... getting really close to the cars for some tight action footage, only to discover at home that his phone made blurry, compressed little postage stamp photos that look a bit like cars in a brown blur.

Cant w8 for my first rally next year with my 30d just noticed i also have a couple of the same lenses as Don Sigma and Canon EF-S 18-55mm Usm. So atleast i know what i can achieve if i have the skills . Great photos again Don awsome work

naaah, i rarely stand up, i usually kneel or nearly lie on the ground

Hey, a few i took down at my local pier Please tell me what you think.

How is that D90, mickyc? It's the talk of the town on the photo forum with it's high ISO quality.

Great color with that setting sun. Using a slow shutter speed would smooth out the water in those shots and make it look all silky.

Wish I could get some good sunset shots and some good light like that. Too many hills and too many trees around me to get the good light. The sun is gone for me when it's the perfect time for photography.

the D90 is magic, worth its weight in gold.. i was just taking some casual happy snaps and didnt worry about shutter speed to much. I live right next to this beach, so its my prime target

Great pics Don. Love the one of the Cossie, 2nd from the bottom!

I've attached a couple I took by hanging an EOS 10D out the car window, using a remote trigger and hoping for the best!

Uuummm.... Something is wrong with your 10D. All the images are mirror images....

I like them. Pretty impressive for just hanging out a car window.

Here are a few more from me. Keep the shots coming guys they are really good!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com ... 98430669_0839459c0b_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com ... 657166_283c77538d.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com ... 2298800963_7fe085c42a.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com ... 822691_73fcf61c3d.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com ... 382847_74d3e947c4.jpg?v=0

Very nice, love the fire works and the bird.

I sold my dSLR (i know ). Don't have enough time to do it serious. Can you guys give me some tips for some nice shots on a bridge camera? (Fuji Finepix S1000FD)

Pretty much the same if you used your dSLR to it's potential, Scrabby. There's no need to learn the basics of exposure or composition if you already know that, so it's just a matter of learning the limitations of the camera.

I would suggest either limiting yourself to ISO 400 or get a really good noise reduction Photoshop plug-in or extra software. Nah, I suggest getting good noise reduction plug-in no matter what ISO you use, hehehe.


One of these nights, I'm getting off my lazy rear end and heading out a dusk for some "night" shots. I say "night" in quotes because I am limited to maximum of 4 seconds on the shutter. I'll have to keep it pretty close to just after the sun sets I am thinking. I'd love to be able to do 20 or 30 seconds as I have loads of industry area I'd like to visit at night.

Does anybody have some good tips for taking pictures in the snow?

I go snowboarding from time to time and thought about taking some pictures in the forest. However, i think all that white will be a little tricky to get some good shots regarding colours...

Quote from jibber :

Does anybody have some good tips for taking pictures in the snow?

I go snowboarding from time to time and thought about taking some pictures in the forest. However, i think all that white will be a little tricky to get some good shots regarding colours...

For bright daytime either spot meter from the snow and expose to the right, if you enjoy spinning the wheels, or use aperture priority with -0.7 to, say, -2 exposure compensation if (and quite possibly) most of the frame is filled with the white substance.

If you want to freeze action, change to S priority and crank the shutter speed to 1/500 or faster.

Someone (I think it might have been in this thread) has mentioned the "zone system" before. It's a brilliant approach to getting excellent exposures in all conditions, including snow scenes.

http://sergykalstudios.blogspo ... el-adams-zone-system.html

I've always read you want to overexpose and go with + exposure compensation. The reason is because of the expanse of white in the shot, the camera meter will try to expose the snow at 18% grey, thus the snow will be grey and underexposed.

Just what I've read though. I haven't had much experience with snow. I normally have my camera compensated at -1.0 and my shots in the snow are always very dark (For a good normal scene exposure with my camera is fine at -1.0)

Quote from mrodgers :

I've always read you want to overexpose and go with + exposure compensation. The reason is because of the expanse of white in the shot, the camera meter will try to expose the snow at 18% grey, thus the snow will be grey and underexposed.

Just what I've read though. I haven't had much experience with snow. I normally have my camera compensated at -1.0 and my shots in the snow are always very dark (For a good normal scene exposure with my camera is fine at -1.0)

You do have a point with the 'exposing for the 18% gray'. However it's the same situation with bride and groom shots (white dress vs. black suit... which one will your camera expose if the dynamic range is too much for it?). Snowboarding version could be your buddy filling most of the frame and the +2 stop compensation punches the background to pure white?

Shoot RAW, that's all I know, sorry.

Actually, if it's a nice bright clear sky sunny kind of day, I stick it in manual, point at the sky, and read the meter and set the settings to that. This is how I shoot my kids when they are playing out in the yard and I'm playing with the camera. I meter the sky and I leave the settings alone and shoot all day. Well, you have to double check every now and then as the light changes.

Another trick is to meter your hand and set the camera. I've done this one as well. These 2 tricks of metering the sky or your hand work well when you have a wide range and nothing in the middle such as bright snow, then a dark main subject and you want them both reasonably exposed.

If there is alot of snow in your shot you will need to "Add exposure comp" Or your snow will be grey.

just been having a look through the thread, love the pics, hopefully i can contribute soon as in january im finally getting myself a dslr.

probably gonna get a canon 450d

Awe you bandwagoner, James. Everyone gets the Canon 450d. Go for something Nikon!

lol i was gonna get a 400d originally but i can get the 450d cheaper belive it or not and there are several features that make it better for what i want to do with it, as for going with nikon, maybe, but tbh i like the canons and they seem a bit more user freindly in that someone who knows naf all about cameras can use one (my dad). and also im already aquanted with the canon style as i have used a freinds canon 400d before

Went out to the lake not far from my home today and shot some photos.

f/5.3 - 2.5s exposure for the silky water effect. Minor color alterations to bring more life into the shot.


f/5.0 - 15s exposure. Dark foggy hill with a streetlight on the pavement creating a surreal atmosphere I couldn't help but capture.


More to come!