As 2010 rides off into the sunset.....

This is probably the first time in my life that I have started the year with a New Year's Resolution that required some actual work and managed to follow through!  It all started when a colleague in the Bloomington Photo Club was telling me that she had a "photo a day" blog and I was thoroughly impressed.  I thought, "gee, that wouldn't be hard" and resolved to do the same.  I was wrong about the not being hard part!  While there are some days that it is easy to come up with new and exciting images, other days are a challenge.

I certainly intend to keep adding photos next year, but not necessarily on a daily basis (this will probably increase the overall quality of the images since I won't feel pressure to just get something posted!)  And, by the way, the colleague who started me on this only lasted about one month! In any case, expect a speed dip in postings for 2011 (I love the "caution speed dips" sign).

More hardware stuff...

Since I described my new panorama head in yesterday's blog, I decided I would show where my snowflake setup is going.  I have tried at least six different microscope systems with varying degrees of success.  Although they all "work" in that I can get relatively decent images, they all seemed a bit complex and were difficult to set up and use.  I finally decided to try the extension tube technique that Kenneth Libbrecht describes in the Snow Crystals.com site.  Libbrecht uses a microscope objective and extension tubes from Edmund Optics, but I decided that I could surely come up with the equivalent with the junk I had lying around.  I finally settled on a bellows made for a Pentax camera, and for a lens I am using a Pentax-A 1:4.7 - 5.6 80-200 mm lens from my "junk pile".  I made an adapter that allowed the Pentax fittings to work with the Nikon body.  To keep things simple I just use my tripod to hold the camera in a vertical position.

The sample platform is a rebuilt "Lab Jack" that can be easily moved or adjusted.  A glass plate is clamped to the lab jack, and two high intensity LED lamps provide basic illumination.  One thing I did add was a "tilt plate" which allows stereo images to be photographed.  The 4 x 4" plate tilts on two 3/32" aluminum dowels taped to the primary glass plate.  If the snowflake is placed on the upper plate and properly aligned, it is trivial to take the two photos necessary to generate a stereo image.  One nice thing about the setup is that only the sample platform needs to be left outside to cool down.  The camera and tripod assembly can be put together and turned on inside and then simply moved outside when the snow flies!

The first few snowflakes that I have looked at were terrible (where is the snow when you need it!), so I took a few photos of some salt crystals to see how the stereo works.  As shown in the images below, it appears to be quite satisfactory!

The last image, below, shows that it is even possible to see the depth in a quarter!

Loose ends

One of the things I decided I had to finish up in 2010 was my panorama head for taking large panorama photographs.  I "featured" the prototype in my January 3 blog, and had made only a few minor modifications since then.  I have used it off and on during the year and finally figured out what modifications were needed to make it easy to use and a bit more reliable.  I spent two days this week rebuilding some of the parts and finally came up with the following.

The view above shows how the camera mount attaches to the theodolite base.  The "platform" that was present in the earlier version is now gone, so it is easy to level the platform and to read the angle.  In addition, the camera itself has been raised so that one can get a view looking straight up, and one can look through the viewfinder when the camera points down to insure the lens is properly centered on the main axis.



Another improvement is to increase the travel distance available for the camera so that different lens settings can be used.  The precision dial system has been eliminated in this version in favor of a simple single rotation axis with multiple lock screws.  Provisions have been made to allow a counterweight (the slotted arm to the left in the photo) so that there is less danger of the camera shifting during a session.

The carillon image above was made using three rows of ten images using a telephoto lens on my D80.  While the image shown has been reduced to 2000 pixels in width, the finished panorama is 13,000 x 10,000 pixels.

The only remaining problem is the weight, and there is unfortunately no solution to this problem!  The theodolite base is cast brass and probably weighs about 15 pounds!

Another then and now picture.

This is another attempt to take a photo from the same place 50 years later.  This one is not quite right, but I am pretty sure that I am close to where I stood when the original 35mm slide was taken.

Frosty the snowman

I did a bit more flashlight painting last night with our neighbor's snowman.  It had melted a bit earlier, but a fresh coat of snow helped.

And then quiet....

We had a wonderful Christmas and a quiet evening together last night.  As I was sitting in front of the TV watching the fire I decided my drink looked cute...

When I woke up today there were beautiful snowflakes drifting down, so I snapped a few more pictures.  I am still not happy with my setup, but it gets a bit better each time.

Merry Christmas! (in 3D of course)

I was hoping that I would get some better snow flakes for my "Christmas Card", but everything since my post earlier this month on the 15th has been too warm and mostly melted.  I did get up early on the 16th and managed to get a few snowflakes that weren't too bad--presented here in a 3D anaglyph....

and side by side.

I still plan on getting some better images if the weather cooperates!

Getting around campus ;-)

While I was out shooting the other day I also did a 360 pano in the field behind the Student Recreational Sports Center. You can see the carillion in the background and several fraternity houses as well.

The SRSC is actually located at about 4:30 (if this were a clock dial!), and you can't easily see it through the trees.   No more "small worlds" this year--I promise.

A different look at campus

I went out yesterday and tried another 360 panorama.  The sky was too dreary so it didn't work well, but with a little Photoshop here and there it is (I think) somewhat interesting.  This is shot in the IU Arboretum, next to the main Library.  Since the sky was so blah, I just painted it mostly black.  You can click on the image to get a somewhat larger image.

I decided this one looked better as a half sphere.

Now that is cold.....

This is from a 35mm slide I took in the early 1960's.  I am amazed at how well it turned out using Photoshop to clean up scratches, fix colors, etc.

I think the dolphin in the right foreground is the one that has been stolen twice, so if you see it in your neighbors yard, call the police.

Backyard Birds -- 17/18

I don't want to finish the year without including several of my favorite birds.  Needless to say, this first photo was taken last spring when things were very green and the Goldfinches were very yellow.  I took several photos of the American Goldfinches this past week, but with their winter coats they are just not the same so I decided to use this one.


Perhaps the commonest bird around here (and everywhere else!) of course is the American Robin. This picture I shot on the IU campus where there were probably a dozen Robins working on the berries in one of the flowering trees.

There are one or two others that I really should have included in my backyard birds series but they have been uncooperative (camera shy!) so far.

Things do change in 50 years!

I was looking at some of my old photos and cleaning them up when I came across this view of the IU "President's House".  I think I took it about 1962.  While not a good photo, it cleaned up decently.

Just to have a bit of fun I drove into campus (the students are gone for the holiday) and tried to take a photo from the same spot.

It is not quite as close as I would like, but some inconsiderate sole planted some shrubs in the spot that I think the original picture was taken from.  One thing for certain--the trees have grown (with the exception of the one to the left in the original photo--it's no longer there).

Self portraits--

There are some things that you never really get to look at, but can be seen with the help of a camera.  Today's picture is one of those things.  I put an extension tube on the camera and shot probably 20 or more shots before I finally was able to get this one.  I never realized how complex my eye was!

I did increase the saturation and vibrance, so the color is not accurate.  The following two stereo images are just to show how absurd I can be.....

Backyard Birds--16

My favorite woodpecker is back!  Carolyn saw him swoop in to attack the suet in the back yard this morning.  This is the first time I have seen him for several months, and I was starting to become a bit concerned (he visited nearly every day last winter!) The Pileated Woodpecker is nearly as large as a crow and is certainly the most impressive visitor to the feeders.

Backyard Birds -- 15

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is an occasional visitor to the bird feeder, but most of the time she is seen working on the trunks of the trees in the yard.  This is not a great shot, and the female is not as colorful as the male, and it was cold enough that she has her feathers all fluffed up.

Chinese bugs in 3D

I didn't have anything better for today so I have put in two stereoviews of my Chinese ladybug.  In case you are wondering, this is from one of those Lucite cubes that they etch internally (presumably with lasers) that you can put on a little lighted stand.  The only reason I have one is they were at the Dollar Tree--surely it is worth one dollar (maybe not).

And the anaglyph:

On this one you can reverse the red/green glasses to look from the other side (ha!).

Dumbbells and hexagons....

After the last snow I checked out my new snowflake photography setup, and finally tonight had a chance to check it out!  This is actually a composite, with some garbage removed from the background.  I really don't understand the colors--the lighting is from both the incandescent lamp in the microscope and an external flash.

While most are simple (ha!) hexagons, there are several "dumbbells" present.  Needless to say, I will be looking for some better snowflakes in the coming days!  These were collected at the start of a fairly heavy snow with an outside temperature of 25F.

Thanks guys!

Some creatures are delighted that the birds are such messy eaters (especially the Blue Jays).  They knock enough seeds out to keep lots of ground feeders happy!

Campus snow scenes

I attended a holiday party on the IU campus last night.  Even though the roads were terrible there was a nice turnout.  Before heading home I took a few time exposures in the "old crescent".

The image above is essentially an HDR image, made up of parts of four shots of 1 - 6 seconds with flashlight and flash assist.  The shot below is about 2 seconds.

Having fun with the computer

I am pretty sure I had this guy earlier this year.  I had taken quite a few photos trying to get a good one (and playing with different aperture/exposure/ISO settings).

The mpg movie is made of four different snapshots with a bit of background editing (to keep it from being too jerky).

Who says photography has to be static images!

Poinsettia time

The nice thing about taking photos of things is that I tend to do a quick Google on the subject to see what Wiki and others say (and also to make sure I spell it more or less correctly).  The Poinsettia is an excellent example of finding out things I didn't know!  One family in California made the Poinsettia a part of our holidays and held a virtual monopoly on the market until the 1990's.

This is another "paint by flashlight" photo--I shot it in my basement. 

A quick winter break

Actually, I just found this photo that I took about two years ago and it looked too cute to just pass up, so I decided to take a break from the weather and highlight a little critter I found next to a farm pond.

Happy Holidays!

I admit that Carolyn did most of the work this year on putting up the Christmas tree (translate to "I didn't do anything"), so I thought I had better acknowledge her efforts.  I "painted" the bricks and window trim with my flashlight--I like the effects you can get lighting that way.

Now all I have to do is wait for Santa Claus!

Metz Carillion revisited

I decided to take my point and shoot camera with me when I did my walk at the SRSC late this afternoon and took one or two more pictures of the Carillon I photographed with my MP3 player last month.

I also took a stereo photo inside the SRSC--it really has some neat architecture.

Backyard Birds--13/14

Yesterday was a great day for looking at the birds around the feeders so I decided to share several pics I grabbed.  The Dark-eyed Junco shown below is also called the "snow bird" for obvious reasons.  While they occasionally will visit the feeder, they prefer to get the seeds that other birds have knocked out of the feeder onto the ground. We seem to have quite a few of them nearly all winter.

Next is another of my favorites--probably because I don't see him as much as some of the others.  The Eastern Towhee prefers to hide in the brush at the back of the yard, but is willing to check out the area under the back bird-feeder.  Ignore Mr. Cardinal in the foreground.

 

Two other shots I took yesterday are shown below even though they (the birds) have been on my blog earlier--I love the tongue on the woodpecker!  If you click on the photos you can see them enlarged.

Backyard Birds -- 12

When I took this I thought I was looking at a Purple Finch, but my wife convinced me it it in fact a Common Redpoll.  After looking at the birds at the feeder all day and consulting the Cornell Ornithology site, I have decided that it is most likely a House Finch.

Keep in mind, it could also be any of the three, but hey, who cares!  Below is another photo (different bird--later afternoon) which definitely shows the curved culmin (the top of the birds bill), which is characteristic of the House Finch.

A new crop of garage bugs.

I noticed some little white spots on the mints in the garage and looked at them under the microscope.  Since I was able to find an Aphid on the underside of several leaves, I am assuming that the guy below is just a very immature form.  I base this mainly on the similarity with the long antennas that the larger bug shown on the left has.  I guess the snow outside has all the bugs trying to find a home in my garage.  I will have to look for more creatures today.

The aphid on the top is perhaps 1/2 mm long while the transparent looking guy below is about half that.  I wonder how many of these we eat every day?

What the heck is this stuff? (Backyard Birds--11)

This poor hapless guy is a song sparrow who does not appear to be too excited by the first snow of the winter!  We did have a light dusting last week, but this one is about 4-5 inches and still coming down mid-morning.  The weather people are all excited and proud to let us know that this is not Great Lakes snow or Gulf of Mexico snow, but Pacific Ocean snow! (Can one taste the difference?)