Photographic Tweets

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography
Noise Ninja helped clean up this photo from the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Noise Ninja helped clean up this photo from the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/5s, f/3.5, ISO 8000, EV -0.3, 28mm focal length.

Here’s a few more photographic gems from my burgeoning library of Favorite tweets.

As I mentioned last week I will be starting Kent Weakley’s Night Photography eClasses today (it’s not to late to join in!) so this first tweet is something I will be studying very closely.

Great Article Beyond Sunset: The Different Phases of Twilight: Shared by Douglas Some tips on Twilight “Light… http://bit.ly/hdYEva

One of the first plug-ins I purchased for Aperture 3 was Noise Ninja by Picturecode.  It cleaned up my Nikon D70 hockey photos taken at ISO 1600.  These days with the Nikon D700, the ISO needs to be a lot higher before I need to clean them like the photo I took inside the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster above. This tweet will lead you to a review of the software.

Ultimate Noise Control with Noise Ninja – I have been struggling with noise on a number of photos I have… http://is.gd/VTeYEq

Summer is coming and many of us are planning trips to new and exciting places. If you are like me and a tripod is always included in your luggage then you will get some excellent tips in this next tweet.

Top 10 Best Landscape Photography Tips http://bit.ly/hFwlMs

My favorite photographer on Twitter, Scott Bourne, besides sharing photographic tips, has a way of cutting through all that and reminding us what we love to do best, make great photographs.  Here is one of his tweets about how to keep things creative.

Five Steps to Finding the Freedom to be a Creative Photographer – http://bit.ly/hsHQ8g

This tweet is for the sure joy of seeing.

85 Examples of Beautiful HDR Photography http://bit.ly/BxdOv

These are the kinds of re-tweets I send out each day from @sthomasphotos if you would like to follow me.

Until next time, May the Tweets be with You!

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gorilla Etiquette

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography
Male Gorilla on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Male Gorilla on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 3600, EV 0, 300mm focal length.

Did you know staring to a gorilla is considered a threat or an act of aggression? Wonder what this male gorilla, who is a member of the bachelor troop at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, thought of the single large “eye” of my lens staring directly at him.

In fact, many of the things people do when seeing the gorillas on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail is considered rude by gorilla etiquette. You might want to keep these in mind the next time you see gorillas or other primates in an animal park.

Posted in Animals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Guilt Free Birthday Cake

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography
Flower Cake.

Flower Cake. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/8, ISO 3600, EV +0.3, 300mm focal length.

A birthday cake made up of flowers promises a guilt free celebration made up of roses, mums and daisies.  Came complete with colorful candles, too.

Here’s a look at the whole cake which was well received by the giftee.

Pastel Flower Birthday Cake.

Pastel Flower Birthday Cake. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/8, ISO 3200, EV +0.3, 28mm focal length.

As you can see, the Nikon 28-300 f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR Zoom lens came in handy.

Posted in People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

View 171: A Hole in a Tree

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography

I came upon a dead yellow birch tree in the woods and found a freshly constructed hole high up in the trunk.

A hole in a dead yellow birch tree.

A hole in a dead yellow birch tree. Nikon D70/80-400VR, 1/400s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV +0.7, 400mm focal length.

Whoever created the hole made a mess at the foot of the tree.

Wood chips from the dead yellow birch tree littering the forest floor.

Wood chips from the dead yellow birch tree littering the forest floor. Nikon D70/80-400VR, 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV +0.7, 400mm focal length.

Oh, wait, what’s that? Hey, it’s a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus).  A male by the size of the bird.

The head of a Pileated Woodpecker pops out of the hole in the dead yellow birch tree.

The head of a Pileated Woodpecker pops out of the hole in the dead yellow birch tree. Nikon D70/80-400VR, 1/400s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV +0.7, 400mm focal length, cropped.

A few minutes later he showed me how all the wood chips got down on the ground as he continued to excavate the nesting cavity for his mate.

A male Pileated Woodpecker throws out wood chips from the nesting cavity in the dead yellow birch tree.

A male Pileated Woodpecker throws out wood chips from the nesting cavity in the dead yellow birch tree. Nikon D70/80-400VR, 1/200s, f/5.6, ISO 200, EV +1.0, 400mm focal length, cropped.

I never saw his mate but did hear her calling to him.  Obviously, she was giving him directions as to the building of the nesting cavity. 😉  I hope to continue to photograph the pair throughout the Spring.  Yes, we got some real Spring weather this weekend.

Posted in Animals, Weekly View | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Night Photography eClass

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Scott Thomas Photography

One of my goals this year was to take a photography workshop.  After looking some over and trying to fit my schedule to the ones I felt I could do and afford, I realized it was not going to happen.  I did have a backup plan.  Last fall I found a photographer who does online classes.  Kent Weakley, an accomplished professional photographer and all around nice guy, has blended an active community with ways to teach others how to enjoy photography.  I have been eyeing his Night Photography eClasses for months but did not want to do one in the middle of winter.  Kent does not have such issues living in Florida. 🙂

Full moon rising over an Ocean City, New Jersey, beach.

Full moon rising over an Ocean City, New Jersey, beach. Nikon D70/18-200VR, 30s, f/11, ISO 400, EV +0.3, 18mm focal length, tripod.

Recently, I reviewed all my night images and found I had very few night photos taken of nature subjects.  The Super Moon and the photo above are about all I have in my library.  Kent had what I was looking for.  His next Night Photography eClass featuring Mother Nature starts in one week (April 8, 2011).  The price is very affordable and is followed up with another Night Photography eClass about Man-Made subjects starting on April 22, 2011.  Though I have a lot of experience with Man made night subjects with all my visits to Walt Disney World, the class will be stretching my skills with light painting and abstract lessons.

Click Here to Learn about the Night Photography eClasses by Kent WeakleyI will be reviewing both of these classes for you.  If you are interested in joining me, check out the links which have details of each class, videos where Kent gives you a rundown of each class and click here to read what past students think of Kent and his classes.  There is a special price for signing up for both classes but you would need to do that by tomorrow (April 2, 2011) for the upcoming class.  Kent runs these a few times a year so you will have other opportunities to take these or other classes he teaches.

After a month of Close Up Photography subjects hope you are ready for lots of night photography!

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments