Some old photos

I'm trying to motivate myself to get back out there with my camera. I was going through some old photos a few days ago, and it was really putting me in the mood to go out and shoot. So, I'm curious if sharing some of my favorites and randoms here will further motivate me to get out there and do it.

I'll start with animals:






Then, some architecture:





Some city photos:








Some landscapes:











A few flowers:





Some photos out at sea/ocean:
























Last, but not least. Here are some people:

a reply to: AutomateThis1

Great pics man but seagulls are the worst. They are like the bald eagles of the beach. Scavenger punks.

originally posted by: TheAlleghenyGentleman
a reply to: AutomateThis1

Great pics man but seagulls are the worst. They are like the bald eagles of the beach. Scavenger punks.

True lol. They're everywhere now though. I'm surprised there haven't been any videos of bird gang wars between pidgeons and seagulls. We get the damned things in Tennessee as well.

originally posted by: AutomateThis1

Nice pics. Looks like Pompeii/Herculaneum and Amalfi.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Yup! I'd like to take geezelouise there some time.

And the last picture before the flowers is Vesuvius.

And the sunset mountain island photo is Stromboli.

I have a small collection of photos of Naples, but it's mostly commie/Russian graffiti, dick graffiti, eat the rich graffiti, chain link fence, buildings on top of buildings, and street urchins playing soccer, my bad, football, and a few castles that are somehow still standing.

Speaking of graffiti, do you have any idea what the sickle and hammer with stars mean?

There would be one sickle and hammer with one star, and then a bit further along there'd be another sickle and hammer with two stars, three stars, etc.

a reply to: AutomateThis1

Yeah, that's a nice part of the country, minus Naples.

I'm pretty sure those are the Communist Reformation Party flags.

a reply to: AutomateThis1



I liked the angle play in your city pictures.

Doing the most with 2d , so much so it almost pops off the page! (Especially the popcorn carriage)

Kudos! Those are some great pics!





Also thank you for your service.



And last but not least I hope you and GL get to visit every place on your lists together, sooner rather than later.



Sincerely,
~joe

a reply to: AutomateThis1

I forgot to ask, is the tall ship the Amerigo Vespucci? If it is I saw her when she came to New York City.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: AutomateThis1

Yeah, that's a nice part of the country, minus Naples.

I'm pretty sure those are the Communist Reformation Party flags.

I give Naples a lot of #, but it's kind of cool in some ways.

Well, these weren't flags, they were more like territorial seeming tags. I'll see if I have a photo saved.

And I'm pretty sure it was the Royal Clipper. The Amerigo Vespucci has three masts, the Royal Clipper has five masts.

originally posted by: Mike Stivic
a reply to: AutomateThis1



I liked the angle play in your city pictures.

Doing the most with 2d , so much so it almost pops off the page! (Especially the popcorn carriage)

Kudos! Those are some great pics!

Also thank you for your service.

And last but not least I hope you and GL get to visit every place on your lists together, sooner rather than later.



Sincerely,
~joe

Hey, thanks! I really appreciate that. I actually got the day off from work today, so I'm going to head out with my camera, and maybe my drone as well to see what happens.

And thanks. We've got quite a few places to visit lol

originally posted by: AutomateThis1

originally posted by: TheAlleghenyGentleman
a reply to: AutomateThis1

Great pics man but seagulls are the worst. They are like the bald eagles of the beach. Scavenger punks.

True lol. They're everywhere now though. I'm surprised there haven't been any videos of bird gang wars between pidgeons and seagulls. We get the damned things in Tennessee as well.

That’s a coffee table book I wouldn’t mind flipping through. Please stage that, shoot it (camera or shotgun)
and amazon publish it. I need to see this. If you can get some rats involved too that would be outstanding.

originally posted by: TheAlleghenyGentleman

originally posted by: AutomateThis1

originally posted by: TheAlleghenyGentleman
a reply to: AutomateThis1

Great pics man but seagulls are the worst. They are like the bald eagles of the beach. Scavenger punks.

True lol. They're everywhere now though. I'm surprised there haven't been any videos of bird gang wars between pidgeons and seagulls. We get the damned things in Tennessee as well.

That’s a coffee table book I wouldn’t mind flipping through. Please stage that, shoot it (camera or shotgun)
and amazon publish it. I need to see this. If you can get some rats involved too that would be outstanding.

I cam see it now the birds will be fighting over scraps while the rats wait or tower in the shadows to feast on the aftermath only to perpetuate the cycle of violence.

a reply to: AutomateThis1

That’s seems pretty allegorical man. This isn’t a political thread. Hahahaha

originally posted by: TheAlleghenyGentleman
a reply to: AutomateThis1

That’s seems pretty allegorical man. This isn’t a political thread. Hahahaha

It's not political man. That's just nature lol.

a reply to: AutomateThis1

There are some really great photos in there! You have a good eye.

Warning! What follows is only constructive suggestions, NOT being critical!...

There are also some which are out of focus (the jellyfish for example), and/or some ones which need a little more attention to natural light and shutter speed. Your macro shots are pretty good overall (but watch the focus). Sometimes macro shots are better if you hand focus rather than USF.

Your sea photos are good, but I'd try to work on your shutter and ASA speeds a little to use the light better. Slow your speed and shutter down to get the lowest f-stop setting. Maybe consider a faster lens. Your color saturation could be better, and some blur in the action shots would help (like the helicopter).

BTW...this shot was intriguing. What is breaking in the water to the port of the ship, is that a sub? If so, that's really cool! I'd probably reformat that one and it might be a framer! (you'll need to darken it a little to remove the haze, and get more of the blue, but good rule of 3rds use here)

files.abovetopsecret.com...

Your landscape shots are okay. You have a one really good one (luck?) with really good lighting. Remember your 'rule of 3rds' (all the other shots miss that). Also your subject doesn't jump off the picture.

Your people shots are just snapshots really. People are the hardest of all to shoot, so don't feel bad about this. People pictures need to tell a story unless you're shooting a portrait in a studio.

Bottom line: You have a good eye, and you take some great pictures! Go out there and take some more! Just remember; color saturation, focus, ambient light and rule of 3rds. You'll do well.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

The picture you're talking about, it was just a wave cresting.

But thanks for the input. You're not really telling me anything I haven't heard before and am aware of, but I don't really care about the rules. You are right about the people. I hate taking photos of people. Those were truly just some snapshots lol.

I do it for myself, so I do it the way I want to. I like the hard line of shadows across objects, and I often do intentionally take photos with over/under saturation.

My main thing is a hold over from when I used to shoot film all the time. I take more time considering the composition before I take the photo, and I really don't care for photoshopping images together or post-edits. Sometimes I wait for quite some time waiting for a shot to line up that never does lol.

As far as the rule of thirds go, yeah that's a thing. Everybody does that, but there is so much more one can do.

There's centered, symmetrical, focusing on the more on the foreground than the background and vice versa, leading lines, framing, catching diagonal angles, rule of odds, golden ratio, emphasis on patterns and textures, radial balance, simplicity, working with negative space or even filling the entire fram with the focus/subject.

I like to try and mix and match, but I wouldn't definitely say I'm a break the rules kind of person, and it shows in my photos.

Don't get me wrong though, I actually enjoy criticism of my photos. To me that means that someone is actually taking the time to regard my photos and think about what is is they do or don't like. I don't mind if people don't like all my photos. Hell, I don't mind if people don't like any of my photos lol, and I'm rather sceptical of people who say they like every picture I show them.

But yeah thanks for the input!

a reply to: AutomateThis1

Back a long time ago I used to like to shoot 'available light' 35mm photography with a 50mm lens on a Ashai Pentax 35mm film camera. Black and white was a favorite medium for me. I liked B&W because it left something out of the scene, something left to your imagination. Then I leaned how to play with light. (and shadows, and all sorts of light issues).

What I learned is, the best pictures are taken with the fastest glass. The faster the glass, the better the picture.

What that meant was, camera bodies mean nothing, it's the lenses (the glass) out front which counts. You can spend all the money you want on a cool body, but in the end it's the glass which counts. The more light you can get into the camera, the better off you are.

I applaud you for not wanting to re-touch your pictures. As a traditionalist, I was the same way, and I hated digital cameras for the longest time too. But the facts are, if the colors are there, then use them. If the colors aren't there, then you just took a bad shot. In any case, never manipulate a picture to have colors it doesn't already have (just my rule).

Keep taking pictures, my friend! You are doing well.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

You mean this? It looks like a deep sea hog swimming.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Yeah, I've got a 35mm Pentax as well, as well as a Nikon F5, Canon AE-1, Twin Reflekta II, Kodak Retina, Nimslo 3D camera, Polaroid Spectra, Land Camera, and SX-79.

And you're right about the lenses. Lenses are what people should be spending money on, especially when first getting started. Most new cameras are full of gimmicky features in my opinion, and I find it bemusing when people drop over a grand for a camera body and then keep it on auto and treat it like it's just a point and shoot. At that point you could have just bought a $300 dollar body and spent the difference on a good lens or two.

a reply to: AutomateThis1

Oops! I went and took a gander at that old Pentax just for the heck of it. It's actually a Honeywell Pentax (even older still), not an Ashai. I think I may have one of the old AE-1's with a gob of lenses kicking around here somewhere too. Oh well, as much as I hate to say it, film photography is pretty much dead. I once swore I would never go digital. Imagine that! Now you can't even hardly find anyplace to get film developed anymore.

BTW...out of curiosity what body and lenses are you using now?