Photo Challenge--Black and White

This is the inaugural photo challenge for the Great SouthLand Photography Blog.
The images are all Black and White.
The image must have been taken in the month of August 2012.
The entrants will vote on the image that they feel is the best.
The winner receives 2 points and if there is any draws they will receive 1 point each.
Once the contestants have given me their images I will put them on the blog and the voting will be done by email.
Entries are to be in by midnight Friday 31st August.
Images will go on the blog on Saturday 1st September. Once voting has finished, hopefully fairly quickly, the winner will select the theme for the next challenge and the rules to the challenge.
I am hoping for one challenge per month.
I am sure changes will be made to the format of the challenges as time goes on.
The photos are in.
They are below.

Smiley Face

final3

Under The Roof

PianoMan

Macarthur Photographic Society--Photo Competition 8/8/2012

For the competition on the 08.018.2012, I entered two images.
Hot Lips, and Bee Stop.
I received a distinction for "Bee Stop". But missed out on an award for "Hot Lips".

Hot Lips

Bee Stop

Macarthur Photographic Society--Photo Competition 11/7/2012

The competition on the 11.07.2012, I entered two images.
Stark Beauty, and Bridge to the City.
I did not receive any awards for these images.

Bridge to the City

Stark Beauty

Macarthur Photographic Society--Photo Competition 13/6/2012

I am a member of the Macarthur Photographic Society.
They are affiliated with the Federation of Camera Clubs (NSW) inc.  (FCC)
The society have two meetings per month. On the second Wednesday and the fourth Wednesday of each month. The meeting on the second Wednesday is the competition night.
The competitions are judged by judges from the FCC.
At the last meeting Wednesday 13th June, I entered 3 prints for my first competition.
I entered 2 colour prints 18"x12" and 1 210x297mm black and white print.
One colour print was awarded a "credit", and my black and white print a "credit". The other colour print missed out.
Below is my 2 prints that were awarded credits.

There is a fly in my flower

Olden Times

Macro/Close Focusing Photography

This  blog showcases some of my macro/close focusing images. A macro image is one that has a magnification of 1:1 or better, or lifesize at least.  Here is another link. Where as close focusing is focusing on the subject at less than 1:1. Most of my images are close focused but some are true macro 1:1. All images were taken hand held, no tripod was used. Some of the images were lit by my on camera flash. Having a 105mm macro is an advantage because you are working at a distance from the subject that you can use your in camera flash if needed.

This image was captured at 1:1 magnification, it is a white Waratah. The interesting thing is that it was shot at an iso of 3,200. I was very pleased with the final image, no obvious grain that you would expect at such a large iso. The camera I used was my Pentax K5 with my Sigma 105mm macro. Photo stats. are f32, 1/2000s, iso 3,200.

 Bee on a Geraldton Wax flower. This was taken at close focusing, less than 1:1 magnification. Pentax K5,

Sigma 105mm macro lens, f8, 1/180s, iso 200.

Grevillea lanigera, taken in my garden after rain. Shot at 1:1.

Pentax K100D Super, Sigma 105mm Macro lens.
f16, 1/125s, iso 400, flash used.

This image was taken early in the morning at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. The image was taken from under the flower with the sun filtering through the petals. I was very pleased with the final image. Taken at close focusing magnification.
 Pentax K100D Super, Sigma 105mm macro, f6.7, 1/250s, iso 200.

This image taken in my garden, it is a Leptospermum. Taken at 1:1.
Pentax K5, Sigma 105mm macro, f8, 1/180s, iso 640, Flash fired.

This image shot at close focus. Taken in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
Pentax K100D Super, Sigma 105mm macro, f11, 1/125s, iso 200.

A Daffodil taken at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney.
Close focusing.
Pentax K100D Super, Sigma 105mm macro, f6.7, 1/2000s, iso 200.

The same Daffodil taken closer at more magnification.
Pentax K100D Super, Sigma 105mm macro, f6.7, 1/2000s, iso 200.

Digital Images - Raw V JPEG

In this blog I will compare an image shot in Raw, and processed by myself in a Raw processor and a JPEG that has been processed by my camera.
Every time you take an image in a digital camera a raw image is formed by the sensor. This Raw image is then processed by your camera, usually into a JPEG image. This JPEG is what comes out of your digital camera as the finished product.
Some digital cameras particularly Digital SLRs have the ability to save the Raw image so you, the Photographer, can process that image yourself in a Raw processor.
The advantage of this is that you can control the brightness, colour, colour temperature, contrast, saturation etc, etc, of that image and not accept what the camera spews out, and spews out is sometimes an appropriate word.
Raw processors are found in most photo editing computer programmes such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements etc.
The disadvantage of Raw is that it is another time consuming step to get your finished image, and a Raw image is a bigger image by Mgb than a JPEG. You also usually keep your Raw image and have a processed image as well, so it takes up more hard drive space.
I will show you some of my images shot in both Raw and processed by me and a JPEG that is the end product of the cameras processing. My camera can save two images, one in Raw and one in JPEG from the same shot, so I am comparing the exact same image.
I usually save my processed image as a PNG image, but for this exercise I have both images in this blog as JPEGs.
I took these photos at dawn in Menangle.
You can of course edit your JPEG image that comes out of your camera to fix up problems with that camera processed image.
The Raw image supposed to be the best one to process because it contains all of the digital information from your camera. The camera processed JPEG has lost information in the in camera processing of the image so further processing by you is supposedly not as successful.
Fixing up JPEGs that come out of the camera may be a blog of it's own.

JPEG Image Processed by camera

The same image processed by me

JPEG Image Processed by camera

The same image processed by me

JPEG Image Processed by camera

The same image processed by me

JPEG Image Processed by camera

The same image processed by me

JPEG Image Processed by camera

The same image processed by me

Digital Images - Xero filters Titanium

This is a continuation of the series on the use of filters in Photoshop. I continue with the Xero filters. This time it is the Titanium filter. This is a filter from the Xero collection.

I sometimes use a filter on an image that I like but which has an element to it that detracts from it being a good image. Not all of my images here are like that, but sometimes you can resurrect a not so good image by running it through a filter of some kind. 

Titanium Filter

Titanium Filter

Titanium Filter

Titanium Filter

Titanium Filter

Titanium Filter

Titanium Filter

Titanium Filter + Solarisation

Titanium Filter