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Davis
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Davis
 Sony NEX-5N, Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 EDIF @ 1/800 f/8 ISO 200 It's easy to be
inspired for photography while surrounded by rivers, multiple
wilderness areas and the largest base to summit peak in American out
the back door. I picked up my first camera when I lived in Mount Shasta
and it was always easy to find beautiful things that made me want to
shoot. Moving to Davis was not an easy transition. A farming town that
happens to have a UC. Not an architecturally interesting town,
and the largest hill is an overpass. I struggled to find interesting
local things to photograph, but found the best way to find inspiration
is the same as it is anywhere else: just get outside. I've been riding
my bicycle around the farms outside of Davis, and sometimes there are
beautiful things. It's been an interesting shooting experience. The
current trend is all about shooting wide. Wide open fields lend
themselves to massive amounts of blank space when shooting wide, so
I've been doing a lot of telephoto work lately. Not at all hip but
quite enjoyable.
The weather finally changed this week, and after months of relentless, boring perfect California days fall happened. Rain, wind and some clouds, a little bit of everything really. It was certainly something to work with, from heavy downpour to flat gray overcast. First off this barn
and sunflower field caught my attention. A raised gate gave an above
ground level view over the field. Little did I know how the barn would
bring me back. Sunflower fields are a popular subject for
photographers, but you rarely see them in their waning state.
 Sony NEX-5N, Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 EDIF @ 1/800 f/8 ISO 200 Retrospectively I wish this was shot wide open to reduce the depth of field a bit more.  Sony NEX-5N, Nikkor 300mm f/4.5
EDIF @ 1/800 f/8 ISO 200
Not really ideal conditions for a camera with no weather sealing, but that's what the extra warranty is for. Shooting in the rain.  Sony NEX-5N, Nikkor 200mm f/4 AI-S @ 1/160 f/4 ISO 200 Overcast weather is also a great time to shoot macro, because the light is nice and dispersed.  Sony NEX-5N, Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 Macro @ 1/160 f/5.6 ISO 800 The all plastic and glass Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 Macro is rather amazing for $100.  Sony NEX-5N, Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 Macro @ 1/160 f/5.6 ISO 800 A little deeper into the macro world.  Sony NEX-5N, Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 Macro + Matching 1:1 Adapter and Nikon PK-13 @ 1/2 f/22 ISO 100  Sony NEX-5N, Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 Macro + Matching 1:1 Adapter and Nikon PK-13 @ 1/2 f/22 ISO 100 Perhaps a boring subject but fun to me because it's new.  Sony NEX-5N, Phoenix 100mm f/3.5 Macro + Matching 1:1 Adapter and Nikon PK-13 @ 1/3 f/22 ISO 100 Mixing it up a bit  Sony NEX-5N, Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 EDIF + Tamron 1.4 TC @ 1/1600 f/5.6 ISO 200 My first time at the barn I was pleased with one image. Using a long row between sunflowers to draw the eye to the barn. I was bummed the sky was so dull on the overcast day.  Sony NEX-5N, Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 EDIF @ 1/1250 f/4.5 ISO 200 The next day was raining, and I had high hopes the sky would have a bit more detail to it. To mix things up a bit I brought a different lens and planned to shoot from 20' closer and lower to the ground. Even with a 0.6 Grad ND the sky was dull again.  Sony NEX-5N, Nikkor 200mm f/4 AI-S @ 1/320 f/4 ISO 200 I liked it more than
the original, but it still wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Maybe
that was all I'd get, as you get very little sky when shooting at a
35mm equivalent of 300 or 400mm. Plus that sky is right at the horizon,
away from the sunset. The next day I decided I'd swing by one more
time. I didn't expect the light to be too much better, but I wanted to
see how much of a depth of field difference the larger sensor of the
Nikon D700 would make for the same shot. The storm blew away and the
late afternoon proved to be sunny, quite a nice surprise and a lot
better for bike riding than the previous days of rain. As I pulled into
the lane near the barn I couldn't have been happier with the sunlight,
it was just entering the treasured golden hours as there were even some
clouds near the horizon.
Same exact location as the above shot, a touch higher off the ground though.  Nikon D700, Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 EDIF @ 1/1600 f/4.5 ISO 200 Third times a charm, the Red Barn wallpaper once again. 1920 1366 1024 |
