Jump to content

Welcome to NikonForums.com
Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, post status updates, manage your profile and so much more. If you already have an account, login here - otherwise create an account for free today!
Photo

Your Best Photo, Week Ending 1 January 2017


  • Please log in to reply
23 replies to this topic

#1
nbanjogal

nbanjogal

    Nikonian

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,094 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationUT, USA

Site Supporter

Sometime before midnight (whatever time zone you are in) this Sunday, 1 January 2017, post the best photo you have taken this week. Any subject, any style—just give us your best shot.

 

If you can, list your EXIF info and any special lighting setups you may have used.

 

 

P.S. Come play with us in the editing exercises (and feel free to play around in the old exercises too). 

 

P.P.S. Also check out the music inspiration challenges. Some very cool stuff going on in there!

 

P.P.S. Peter is running a fun single lens challenge that we are all invited to participate in--though Thumper is hosting the thread over the holidays, so keep an eye out for his post. 

 



#2
deano

deano

    Forum Veteran

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 960 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationColorado USA

Site Supporter

A little late, or a bit early, for the weeks photo contribution. Snow in the desert, Tucson, AZ, Christmas day. Unusual for a city in the desert only forty minutes north of Mexico.


A little late, or a bit early, for the weeks photo contribution. Snow in the desert, Tucson, AZ, Christmas day. Unusual for a city in the desert only forty minutes north of Mexico.

Attached Thumbnails

  • snow in the desert.jpg


#3
nbanjogal

nbanjogal

    Nikonian

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,094 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationUT, USA

Site Supporter

deano--I love that photo!!!! Such an unusual scene--I really like the juxtaposition of the cacti with the snow...and the light on the cacti is gorgeous. Nice composition too--overall a very striking image! 



#4
sunshine

sunshine

    Loyal Member

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 292 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationVirginia

My first photo post here. Winter has set in rather dreary around here - no leaves on the trees, no flowers, no snow - so most of my photos are indoors.  This was taken in a store that sells only Christmas stuff.  It was too crowded for much photography, but I did manage to get this one shot of a set of marionettes.  I can't really put a finger on exactly why I like it, I just do. Feel free to critique.

 

31103862093_edd3ca34f7_c.jpgPuppet show by Mark, on Flickr

 

D810, 50mm f/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/250", ISO 250, store lighting, no flash.  Taken 26-DEC-2016.



#5
nbanjogal

nbanjogal

    Nikonian

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,094 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationUT, USA

Site Supporter

My first photo post here. Winter has set in rather dreary around here - no leaves on the trees, no flowers, no snow - so most of my photos are indoors.  This was taken in a store that sells only Christmas stuff.  It was too crowded for much photography, but I did manage to get this one shot of a set of marionettes.  I can't really put a finger on exactly why I like it, I just do. Feel free to critique.

 

Welcome, welcome! Lovely shot, sunshine! I can put a finger on a couple reasons I like it--aside from having a charming and cheerful subject, the light is interesting and allows us to see a lot of texture and detail on the marionettes that are in focus. I like that cheerful Santa face, and you've done well at making him the clear hero of the shot. :) I like how I didn't notice the strings at first but once I did, it added to the intrigue of the subject. As far as critique goes, I don't normally offer it in this thread, so I'll keep it super light. I realize you may have been trying to capture the marionette handles for context, but I think I'd be interested in seeing a bit more of the bottoms of the marionettes because the top half of the image seems a bit empty. Still, I really like it--thanks for posting!



#6
sunshine

sunshine

    Loyal Member

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 292 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationVirginia

Welcome, welcome! Lovely shot, sunshine! I can put a finger on a couple reasons I like it--aside from having a charming and cheerful subject, the light is interesting and allows us to see a lot of texture and detail on the marionettes that are in focus. I like that cheerful Santa face, and you've done well at making him the clear hero of the shot. :) I like how I didn't notice the strings at first but once I did, it added to the intrigue of the subject. As far as critique goes, I don't normally offer it in this thread, so I'll keep it super light. I realize you may have been trying to capture the marionette handles for context, but I think I'd be interested in seeing a bit more of the bottoms of the marionettes because the top half of the image seems a bit empty. Still, I really like it--thanks for posting!

 

Thanks for the welcome.  Your comment is interesting as my wife said I should have gotten more of the handles and features above.  The aisle was really tight next to this display and I was as far away as I could get without knocking something over.  And the store was crowded with other people trying to get through, so I didn't have much time for the shot.  As with so many of my photos, when I get home and look at them on the computer screen I wish I could go back for a do-over.  However, Santa was clearly front and center so it was pretty easy to choose the focus point. 



#7
nbanjogal

nbanjogal

    Nikonian

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,094 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationUT, USA

Site Supporter

I'm sure you'll get a variety of opinions! Perhaps a wider angle lens would have helped you please everyone, eh? ;) And I've had that do-over wish rather frequently. I always figure it's a good learning experience. 



#8
Merco_61

Merco_61

    Nikonian

  • Premium Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 10,589 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationUppsala, Sweden

Site Supporter

First, some available dark:

gallery_1251_413_402865.jpg

Model: NIKON D700

Lens (mm): 35 (Tamron 28-75/2.8)
ISO: 6400
Aperture: 5
Shutter: 1/30
Exp. Comp.: -0.7
 

 

Then something small. 

gallery_1251_413_82607.jpg

Model: NIKON D700

Lens (mm): 105 (Micro Nikkor 105/4 Ai'd) with PN-11
ISO: 1250
Aperture: 16
Shutter: 2.5
Exp. Comp.: -0.7
The reproduction scale is 1:1.3 on the sensor.


#9
PebblzNnutz

PebblzNnutz

    Senior Member

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 194 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationAlaska

Site Supporter

It's been a windy week here with some flooding in between so I haven't been out taking a lot of photos. Here's a couple I took yesterday during my ride through the beach. Would've took more but it's still pretty windy and raining. Unusual weather for this time of the year, no sea ice and very little snow on the ground. Taken with my Tamron 70-200 VC and D750.

 

31646241650_e7fa276e6f_b.jpg

 

31180216284_fa2ef472a6_b.jpg

 

Happy New Year!



#10
deano

deano

    Forum Veteran

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 960 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationColorado USA

Site Supporter

Happy New Years day everyone.

As luck would have it, we have rain and a double rainbow this morning.  This has to be a good sigh for 2017.

 

Attached Thumbnails

  • new years day dbl rainbow-3.jpg
  • new years day dbl rainbow.jpg
  • new years day dbl rainbow-2.jpg


#11
Kenafein

Kenafein

    Forum Veteran

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 425 posts
  • Country Flag

Kestrel

 

31871427602_58d0b5be9b_c.jpgDSC_7072 by kenafein, on Flickr



#12
nbanjogal

nbanjogal

    Nikonian

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,094 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationUT, USA

Site Supporter

Peter: I am always amazed at the detail you manage with the 105--I clearly need to try shooting with a smaller aperture. And the image with the lights is very intriguing--I've been studying it trying to figure out how you did it. :) Where did the lights come from?

PebblzNnutz: That beach image is super striking--so is the dead fish thingy, but in a less pleasant way. :lol:  I see you are another one who is using the Tamron 70-200 to great advantage--I'm not loving mine at the moment, but you inspire me to keep trying with it.

Deano: A very good omen indeed! Fantastic! 

Kenafein: Sigh...you and PebblzNnutz are convincing me that I am doing something very wrong with my Tamron lenses. This is a wonderful capture--so detailed and beautiful. I have the 150-600 and have used it on my D600 as you did, but I didn't get nearly the same sharp results.  

 

Anyhow, I mostly stepped away from weddings this year. Just didn't have the time with my new job (55+ hours per week when the commute is included...some of you are rolling your eyes because you do more than this, I'm sure), but I did shoot this wedding a couple days after Christmas. I didn't pose this couple beyond telling them where to stand--they were so into each other that I just let them be themselves and shot away while they interacted. It was fun enough that I'm rethinking my decision to back off of wedding work... Oh, and look, I used my Tamron 70-200...

 

31926053151_f6c95d960f_b.jpgHoliday Wedding by Nicole Fernley, on Flickr

 

D810, Tamron 70-200 @ 122mm, f/2.8, 1/125, ISO 3200 (why must they alway have a dimly lit room?)

 

So, I stuck my Tamron 70-200 on my D810 to give it a fighting chance and put my Nikkor 24-70 on my D600 and kept them both with me so I could switch back and forth conveniently. I ended up using the D600 more often than the D810 because the Nikkor lens seemed to help it focus more quickly and accurately--not because I wanted a wider angle. I was cursing that @$%&! Tamron all night.

 

And just for fun, here is a photo from earlier this week of my neighbor snowblowing his driveway. I was super intrigued by his attire--gym shorts and a t-shirt with heavy winter gloves and hat. It was 23 degrees Fahrenheit. I took this with my 85mm on the D810 only because it was what was attached at the time. I figured he would be done by the time I grabbed my 150-600 and got it on the camera, so I snapped it with what I had and then cropped the image like a madwoman. Cropping madly seems to be much more possible with the D810...

 

gallery_504_507_855431.jpg

 

23 degrees...sheesh.  :o

 

SaveSaveSaveSave



#13
Merco_61

Merco_61

    Nikonian

  • Premium Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 10,589 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationUppsala, Sweden

Site Supporter

Nicole, the red lights are part ot the city's winter decorations. I have a photo of some of them in daylight up in my One week... challenge for the week ending December 11, the post for December 7. I shot a bracketed series in 1/3-step increments to get one with the exposure I wanted. This is SOOC with the Vivid Picture Control, Noise reduction on and ADL Low.

 

A lot of the detail I get in macros is thanks to lots of mass in the tripod and head and the patience to wait out the resonances from raising the mirror. It can take up to 30 seconds for everything to stabilize fully after mirror up.



#14
sunshine

sunshine

    Loyal Member

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 292 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationVirginia

Adding one taken on 31-DEC.  It was a busy week with more good subjects than usual.

 

31908847631_c6df8196db_b.jpg

Cowboy boots and purple pajamas by Mark, on Flickr



#15
deano

deano

    Forum Veteran

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 960 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationColorado USA

Site Supporter

Nicole, are you saying the Tamron 70-200 is not as good/accurate as it is purported to be.  I ask as I just ordered one.



#16
Jerry_

Jerry_

    Nikonian

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,524 posts
  • Country Flag
Dean,
I can just say that I have one and that I am very happy with it. I think others here will also confirm, so no worry for your last order :)

#17
Kenafein

Kenafein

    Forum Veteran

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 425 posts
  • Country Flag

 

Kenafein: Sigh...you and PebblzNnutz are convincing me that I am doing something very wrong with my Tamron lenses. This is a wonderful capture--so detailed and beautiful. I have the 150-600 and have used it on my D600 as you did, but I didn't get nearly the same sharp results.  

I have the Sigma Contemporary, but they are very similar.  I was just lucky to get close, far shots don't look sharp.  This Kestrel was already too far for really good detail, and he was likely closer than I'll ever get. 

 

This sparrow was really close, and if I look at this at 1:1 in Lightroom you can see so much detail in the feathers, because the light was good and I was close(almost at the minimum focus).  
31871425742_72bb592af6_c.jpgDSC_7146 by kenafein, on Flickr

 

This Grebe was too far away, if you zoom in the detail is lost and it's all muddied and blurry. 
31871429462_75c01dd74f_c.jpgDSC_6983 by kenafein, on Flickr

 

Fantastic reception shot, by the way. 


 



#18
nbanjogal

nbanjogal

    Nikonian

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 2,094 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationUT, USA

Site Supporter

sunshine--Love the detail and colors on those boots and jammies! I have a little one who likes to make similar wardrobe choices. :)

 

 

Kenafein--those are remarkable. Do you have to zoom in pretty far on the Grieb before it seems muddy? It looks pretty sharp on my screen, but I can only zoom so far.

 

 

Nicole, are you saying the Tamron 70-200 is not as good/accurate as it is purported to be.  I ask as I just ordered one.

 

deano, if I hadn't just blown my photography budget on a new camera, I would be selling the Tamron and replacing it with the slightly older Nikkor 70-200--without hesitation. This lens has been incredibly slow to focus and I have missed so many shots with it--and forget low light focusing. Side by side with the Nikkor 24-70 on my D600, the Tamron lost big time at the wedding and reception I just shot. Nothing worse than that squishy shutter release that just won't release. I know others have had success with it (Jerry and Darryl are among those who seem to get on well with it), but I really dislike it. I will unfortunately be keeping it for another year or two before I can replace it with the Nikkor though.

 

I keep giving it chances--took it to document a family sledding expedition just this afternoon. Meh. Nothing seems sharp. Maybe I have a bad copy or something...

 

I hope you have better luck with it than I have.



#19
nova85

nova85

    Senior Member

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 165 posts
  • Country Flag
  • LocationNew Lenox, Illinois

Site Supporter

A little late posting this week as I just returned from a wedding in Florida.  The last of the 2016 pictures.

 

20 foot tinkertoy at Disney Springs

 

31221903864_1e35cc73f1_o.jpg

 

 

Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel

 

DSC_9330-1 by Tim Ramsay, on Flickr

31221901804_662011218a_o.jpgDSC_9340-1 by Tim Ramsay, on Flickr

32063278175_94d7e8dd86_o.jpgDSC_9345-1 by Tim Ramsay, on Flickr

31252952523_ac0ce82035_o.jpgDSC_9378-1 by Tim Ramsay, on Flickr

31252948223_2e0cf78f00_o.jpgDSC_9385-1 by Tim Ramsay, on Flickr



#20
Jerry_

Jerry_

    Nikonian

  • Forum Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,524 posts
  • Country Flag
3646b7dfdd96650dbb32e2b91a3a21f6.jpg

D610 Tamron 70-200/2.8 85mm f9 1/320@ISO100