Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse
©JP Parmley


The solar eclipse tonight created an opportunity to capture a rare event.  Steve had spent the last week or so investigating the proper settings and filters required to get picture without harming our eyes as well as the equipment.

With a Canon 7D mounted on a tripod and connected to a 75-300 IS lens and a 1.4x multiplier (effective 672mm), we added two Vivitar adjustable ND filters that could be set from 2-8 stops.  Setting each to about 6 stops and starting with an aperture of 45 and 1/1000th we were able to get some fairly cool pics of the sun and its spots.  As the sun set and the eclipse started, we had to open the lens up and drop to about f5 to keep up with the light loss.  We lost additional light as the sun set into the clouds.

To help reduce camera shake we used the mirror lock up and a Mac Pro with the Canon Utility to remotely trigger the shutter.  This along with the IS lens greatly reduced the blur from the movement of the sun.

Special thanks to Tara Hastings of WDTN Storm Team 2 for showing the first pic on her weather segment tonight.

Tears of Joy

Tears of Joy
©JP Parmley



Here is an image we took in 2007.  This shot was captured just before the bride and father walked down the isle.  This was a difficult shot to get right because of several factors.  First, the bride had her back to a brightly lit window and second it was shot through a window pane from inside the church.  

Everything could go wrong with this once in a lifetime (for this bride) shot opportunity.  But with a few very quick adjustments we were able to capture this moment.  First, in full manual mode, the metering was set to "spot" vs. "evaluative".  This made sure the face was properly exposed. Second, a mounted speed light was set to a manual mode at 1/8th power to give just a little fill light.  And lastly, the shot was taken at a slight angle to the glass to eliminate a reflection of the flash in the glass.  

I had actually forgotten about this picture, but when the bride recently reached out for a reprint of different image, I ran across it in it's original color version.  With a few edits in Lightroom 3.6, we get this soft and intimate moment.  If you are not using Lightroom, you should be!  If you are, try playing with negative clarity settings on images that have bright lit backgrounds.  You can create some wonderful effects. 

Enjoy.....JP

Canon 5D, 1/60th, f3.5, ISO 800, 70-200mm 2.8L IS

 

Creating the Pics for "Drops in Motion"

Creating the Pics for "Drops in Motion"
©JP Parmley


Well I got several emails asking for me to create a video on how to create the water drop pictures.  

A few notes: 

• Even if you don't have an external speed light flash, you can use the build in pop up flash that is standard on most consumer grade DSLRs.   Just make sure to turn down the power to about -2 to -2.5.  
• Shoot in a RAW format.   I used Lightroom to process the files.  The only two adjustments that I made were contrast and noise reduction.  The noise reduction in Lightroom 3 or 4 does a great job of transforming these pictures
• In the original pictures I turned the soft box light off. During this shoot, I left it on so the video would be clearer.  Take a look at these two pictures and the reflection of the light in the water drops.  I think I like this effect.

 

Here is the video: http://youtu.be/2ImYeOGhFZ0