JANUARY 2012 Raptor Of The Month Contest ==DUSK to DAWN==

[Hockster]

Here is one.. I will try for more tomorrow and edit this post... Cleaned all day and the sun was behind the clouds...

 

[whtrapta]

Ok guys I took some as soon as I got off work. I think I may have a winner

---------- Post added at 07:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:26 PM ----------

Here are some

 

[JP7]

"JP7"

This is really a nice shot.

All our cameras still look at black and white and all the shades of grey in between. So shooting a black Raptor in White Snow is very hard to do. So " I Think " your first shot of the black Raptor and the white snow with just the touch of blue skies is great but - the camera struggled to find the correct color balance/exposure and your Raptor turned out a strange color and being so close to the camera the depth of field threw the Raptor out of focus. It's still a great shot but, your last shot is even better. In my opinion.

This is because of the way you composed it with your Raptor being in the lower third of the frame and along with the white snow and blue skies the camera had the red tail lights and the trees to help in getting the exposure better and making the black Raptor a correct color. This is a really nice shot and very well done. One of my favs!

Thanks for the advice Mictouch! I'm still learning about digital cameras and how they don't work well in low light conditions.

Ok guys I took some as soon as I got off work. I think I may have a winner

---------- Post added at 07:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:26 PM ----------

Here are some

Number 3 has my vote

 

[mictouch]

Ok guys I took some as soon as I got off work. I think I may have a winner

---------- Post added at 07:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:26 PM ----------

Here are some

I really like # 1 - the refection off the water of the Raptor and the Trees is awesome and the sunset is pretty cool too...

 

[CineSLR]

I'm still learning about digital cameras and how they don't work well in low light conditions.

That is only true without a tripod. Cameras actually prefer lower light situations but require longer shutter speeds or faster lenses.

A quick lesson in what lighting can do to your image....
The reason lighting is so important is because brighter objects come out at you subconsciously. Notice a difference in this image versus the original? All I did was two selective changes of the levels. Sorry for using your shot as a the demo JP, feel free to use it if you like!

---------- Post added at 11:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:54 AM ----------

WHT,
I like lake shot with the reflection but I like the composition of #3 the best. Any chance you know how to remove that power line?

 

[IRONMAN]

Another good one. Nice job Hock.

 

[JP7]

That is only true without a tripod. Cameras actually prefer lower light situations but require longer shutter speeds or faster lenses.

A quick lesson in what lighting can do to your image....
The reason lighting is so important is because brighter objects come out at you subconsciously. Notice a difference in this image versus the original? All I did was two selective changes of the levels. Sorry for using your shot as a the demo JP, feel free to use it if you like!

Thanks CineSLR. I'm always receptive to learning new things, and I did understand about the tripod helping for low light. I still kinda think Digitals don't like facing the sun when shooting though! But I have a lot to learn about filters and other tricks like exposure and levels.

And I do see the difference in the two shots - the second brings a higher level of detail.
And also shows my truck as dirtier - even though I washed it that morning...

 

[Marine on Land]

The newer digital slr cameras, and probably hand helds are making leaps and bounds with regards to how they handle low light. I.e., you can change your iso settings (the cameras sensitivity to light) to what was once a big no-no in print journalism. I try to keep my camera set at 2-400. Now, the new canons can roll all the way up to 20,000 and have little issues with quality etc. blows my freakin mind!

See below for a copied exert on ISO settings.

In traditional (film) photography ISO (or ASA) was the indication of how sensitive a film was to light. It was measured in numbers (you’ve probably seen them on films – 100, 200, 400, 800 etc). The lower the number the lower the sensitivity of the film and the finer the grain in the shots you’re taking.
In Digital Photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The same principles apply as in film photography – the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds (for example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze the action in lower light) – however the cost is noisier shots. I.e., you lose quality in the photo.

Read more: ISO Settings in Digital Photography

 

[JuggNuttz]

damn mine are gonna suck compared to the ones here.... but what the hell.. took these on the cell phone while driving and i had been on the road for about 13 hours straight.

 

[KaiserM715]

Looks like we already have enough for 2 more years of calendars!!