Mike's Photo Diary

Editting yesterday’s video

The session at the Locksmith’s House yesterday was very challenging (I’m not happy with some of the images), and interesting, but unexpectedly the opportunity arose to shoot some video - I’d not even experimented with video on the E-M5 before this, and would have chosen to take the GH2 if I had expected to do any video! I haven’t shot any video for several months (possibly not this year), so apart from the unfamiliarity with the camera, my video-editting ‘skills’ (that is a joke) were rusty. An update to Final Cut Pro X proved very troublesome to download - turns out there is a bug, and I had to delete FCPX and then re-download it to get the latest update. Then I used lynda.com to refresh some of my FCP technique. Lynda.com does not have a great name, nor is the logo inspiring, and to someone of my vintage it brings up mental images of teaching typists to use WP software! However, a mention on The Online Photographer (I think) prompted me to look at their current offerings, and I was quite impressed, and have subscribed for the present. As with all educational and training material, how it is presented and the level at which it is pitched can determine whether it suits YOU, or you hate it! Of 3 videos I have/am in the process of watching I have to say the pace is quite variable, but I have found them all useful (only finished one so far). Needless to say, in mentioning this product I have absolutely no financial interest. A very rough shot with the Olympus E-M5 and 14-150mm lens - sorry, I have not felt very inspired today!

COLD May!

A preliminary proof from my assignment today - the Locksmith’s House at Willenhall. Many thanks to the Black Country Living Museum for not only giving me the opportunity to shoot this, but also allowing me to publish it here. Lighting was very difficult there today - and just when the situation was most difficult, the sun came out and made conditions even more contrasty! This particular shot works quite well in both mono and colour. Most of the other images will need even more work in Photoshop due to the light.

Olympus E-M5, Pana-Leica 25mm (opening up the lens gave me an alternative with the flames really sharp).

Love the E-M5, though have yet to fully sort out the settings!

Rhododendron

The last of the bushes is now in flower - the buds are red, but when the flower opens it is much more mauve. I’ve not had much spare time, so this is just a quick snapshot.

14 May 2012, Olympus E-M5, 12-50mm.

Dudley

13 May 2012, Olympus E-M5, 14-140mm.

Penguin Bay

I went to Dudley Zoo today to look at the new Penguin Bay Walkthrough - it wasn’t open last time I went. You may not like zoos, and I sometimes feel uncomfortable, but conditions for the animals are much better now than at one time, and zoos play an important part in conservation (not just for exotic species, but locally as well). won’t layout the point here, but if you disapprove of my posting such images, I’m willing to expand on the subject of their value in personal correspondence. 

I used the latest Olympus E-M5 and the Panasonic 45-200mm lens. Most of the images were shot at ISO 800 - long lenses needed a small aperture, but the subjects were moving, and with those lenses I really need a fast shutter speed. I am HUGELY impressed with the performance of the camera and lenses - this shot is not as sharp as I would like due to subject movement, but some of the other shots are unbelievably sharp - see Flickr for additional shots.

12 May 2012, Olympus E-M5, Panasonic 45-200mm.

Skyline Pigeon

I shot this on Wednesday 9th, but the problems with the dead Eye-Fi card meant I had to re-shoot the image, and I was so busy trying (unsuccessfully) to recover data from the Ey-Fi card that I have not got around to posting the image until now.

Sony A55, 18-80mm.

No title required

Yesterday my second Eye-Fi card failed. I only use them rarely, when I need wireless tethering, and in about 10 times I’ve used them seriously (not just testing), 2 have failed. As was the case the last time, I lost all the RAW images (for reasons of speed, I only use the cards to send JPEGs to an iPad), and some of the JPEGs (time outs on the card/iPad). So £100 down the drain, 7 fruitless hours trying to recover the images, money spent on software which cannot recover the data, and,worst of all, a loss or credibility with a client. I still have one Eye-Fi card which seems to work, but needless to say it too will go in the bin immediately. The work I was doing to try to recover the data from the card is the reason I did not post anything yesterday.

Olympus Pen E-P3, 14-150mm, image captured on a SanDisk card (as is usual).

These boots are (n’t?!) made for walking

Spent the day at the BCLM - they are dismantling ‘Hall 2’, and I’ve been recording some of the items currently on display there before they are put into storage. This image has a musical theme too, though not the one I had expected to use today!

8th May 2012,  Sony A55, 16-80mm - it worked very well for this project. Thanks to the BCLM for letting me use an image from the session.

Boat Dock

7 May 2012 - the third and final day of the Tug Boat event at the BCLM, and the weather was not too bad until around 12:00, when it started to rain.

Sony A55, 16-80mm.

Vermin and Wild Animal Traps

Another good day at the BCLM Tug Boat event - but the weather forecast for tomorrow is NOT good!

6 May 2012, Olympus E-M5, 12-60mm.