RGB Water Droplets

Canon 20D, Tamron 90mm macro, f/32 3.2 s


For the photo group's water assignment I laid an RGB monitor on
its back with the screen facing upward, and shot water droplets
on a white area of the screen. The droplet magnifies the red(R),
green(G), and blue(B) pixels, with the specific pattern created
depending on the size of the droplet, the depth of field, and
the plane of focus.

The 3 images presented in this post show some of the effects that
can be obtained.

The image above was created with a fairly large water droplet,
something on the order of 1 cm diameter. A mosaic of enlarged
but undistorted R, G, and B pixels can be seen in the center
of the droplet, surrounded by elongated pixels nearer the
droplet's edge.


Canon 20D, Tamron 90mm macro, f/29 3.2 s


This image, made with a smaller water droplet, shows a large
central G pixel surrounded by smaller R and B pixels, and so
forth, receding into a starburst pattern.


Canon 20D, Tamron 90mm macro, f/32 4 s


In this image the center is occupied almost entirely by a single
blue pixel, with a piece of green pixel also showing. Surrounding
the central pixel are distorted red and blue pixels, with R, G,
and B pixels receding in rows into the distance toward the edge
of the droplet.

Rotograpy II: The Virtual Vase

Rotating Forks

Canon 20D, Canon 24-70L @70mm f/22 1/10

This is the second image from my rotating-objects project, which
I'm calling rotography just for fun. The process was very similar
to that for the Virtual Tulip image, except that the forks were
mounted on the rotating shaft with points facing outward rather
than inward. Again a light box was placed behind the rotating
forks, and colors were added in Photoshop.

The photo group's project for this week is water. We meet
tomorrow, weather permitting (we're expecting yet another
significant snow storm). I'll post a few of my images from the
project later in the week.

Virtual Tulip

Canon 20D, Canon 24-70L @ 70mm f/22 1/13


It's cold and snowing outside, so I decided to create springtime
indoors.

A few weeks ago I experimented with photographing spoons
mounted on a rotating shaft. Last night I made a trip to Lowe's
home center for assorted bits and pieces of pvc pipe & fittings,
to help me mount objects with greater stability. Surprisingly,
the new procedures worked well, and I took quite a few photos
tonight with various setups. (I didn't even have any incidents
where objects flew off the shaft and struck me in the head.)

For this one I mounted two forks point to point and spun
them, with a light box in the background. The colors were
added in Photoshop.

Photo Friday: Rural

Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L IS @400mm f/8 1/800

Macroday: Light

RGB Mountain Range


Canon 20D, Tamron 90 mm macro f/16 1s

This macro image is all about light; it shows a small region
of a CRT computer monitor. The shape and arrangement
of pixels is different than on the LCD monitor shown
in yesterday's post. I find the CRT more aesthetically
pleasing: I like the polka-dot appearance of one-color
regions, the ring patterns in two-color areas, and the
mosaic pattern in three-color areas.

I also enjoy the fact that the appearance of the monitor
in the macro image is qualitatively different from its
appearance to the naked eye. Areas with R, G, and B
pixels fully on appear pure white to the unaided eye,
with no hint of separate red, green, and blue. Regions
with R and G pixels on and B off are seen as pure yellow.

Wereas the individual pixels are easily seen in the
macro image, they are too small to be distinguished by
the naked eye looking at the monitor, and nearby pixels
blur together, in essence mixing together the colored
lights. The colors produced by mixing R, G, and B lights
may seem strange. As I mentioned yesterday, mixing
lights is different from mixing paints. In light mixtures,
red + green + blue = white, and red + green = yellow.

The World of RGB

R + B + G = White

Canon 20D, Tamron 90mm macro f/16 1 s

Our photo group's assignment this week is rather vague,
at least to me, but I know it has something to do with depth
of field (DOF). I decided to use my flat-screen LCD monitor
for a DOF study. I'll be posting some of the results in the
next few days, but here for tonight are two macro abstracts
that are not part of the assignment.

The image above shows a small section of my monitor displaying
white. Because of the way the human visual system works,
combining red, green, and blue light in appropriate
proportions causes perception of white. When we look at
large color patches, as in the photo, we see the separate
colors, but when we look at the tiny pixels on a monitor
the eye cannot distinguish nearby pixels and the colors
merge to make white. The rows and columns on the monitor are
horizontal and vertical, but I rotated the camera for a
diagonal composition.


Blue Highway

Canon 20D, Tamron 90mm macro f/16 4 s


This image shows a small segment of the Photoshop toolbar
against a yellow background. Mixing colored lights is not
like mixing paints. (If you want to get technical, mixing
lights is additive color mixture, and mixing paints is
subtractive.) Oddly enough, mixing red and green light
yields a perception of yellow. That's why the red and green
pixels are on, and the blue pixels are off, in the yellow
region on the left.

Runway Abstract

Canon 20D, Canon 24-70L @70mm ISO 1600 f/11 3.2s

This photo was shot from the window of the airplane
just after Chiaroscuro & I landed in Atlanta, on our
way back to Baltimore from Jacksonville, FL.

Two Southern Images

Southern Reflections

Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L IS @275 mm f/16 1/100

One afternoon during our recent visit to Jacksonville,
Florida, Chiarocscuro and I went with my parents to
The Landing, on the St. Johns River in downtown
Jacksonville. Many of the nearby office buildings were
highly reflective, and I couldn't resist taking some
reflection images.


Red-Bellied Woodpecker


Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L IS @400 mm f/9 1/125


This woodpecker visited a birdfeeder at my parents'
house every morning and afternoon. For some
reason it hung from the ledge of the feeder rather
than perching like the other birds did. It really is
a red-bellied woodpecker and not a red-headed
woodpecker even though the red is on the head.

Excavator at Sunset Jacksonville, Florida

Canon 20D, Canon 100-400L IS @105mm f/5.6 1/1600

Chiaroscuro and I returned late Sunday night from a visit
to my parents in Jacksonville, Florida. We had a nice time,
and enjoyed the spring-like weather. The azaleas, which we
won't see in Baltimore for another two months, were
already blooming, and we could venture out without coats.

Late one afternoon, we visited a construction site
and some small sand dunes nearby. (The 'soil' in
Jacksonville is mostly sand.) We took quite a few shots
of the ripple patterns created by the wind. Chiaroscuro's
are better than mine, and she will probably post at least
one.

The sunset was beautiful, and I took this image of an
excavator on a small hill silhouetted against the sky.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Canon 20D Canon 100-400L IS @250mm f/5.0 1/1000

This image is a section of a galvanized light pole,
lit by the late afternoon sun. I thought of Valentine's
Day as soon as I saw it a couple of weeks ago. The
patterns are formed by patches of zinc deposited by
the galvanizing process. (I don't understand how it
works.)

I tried to come up with a good title. I thought of

Runner Chased by Flying Heart, with Forehead
about to Collide with Ice Cream Cone

I thought that said it all, but I asked Chiaroscuro
and she didn't seem impressed; so I'm inviting
anyone who sees this to suggest a title of your own.

Thanks to all who have encouraged me in my
photography, either in person or on-line. This
Valentine's for you.

Photo Friday: Distorted

Discord & Harmony


Canon 20D Tamron 90mm macro f/16 1/6

This image was made by placing two forks with tines
crossed on a light box, and positioning the convex
surface of an ice cream scoop above them to create
the distorted reflection in which the tines curve and
unite.

Forks within Forks

Canon 20D Tamron 90mm macro f/16 1/10

Another fork image from the utensils assignment. The upper
part of the photo is a reflection in the convex surface of an ice
cream scoop, which in turn is reflected in the surface of the
fork itself below, and so forth.

Chiaroscuro and I leave tomorrow to visit my parents
in Florida for a few days. Maybe we'll bring back a
few interesting images.

Kinetic Spoon

Canon 20D Canon 24-70L @70mm f/22 1/13

Illusory Vase

Canon 20D Canon24-70L @70 mm 0.3 s

These images were created with spoons taped to a rotating
shaft, and a light box behind the spoons. For the first image
I used a single spoon, whereas for the second I taped two
spoons opposite one another on the shaft.

Fork with Melting Tines

Canon 20D Tamron 90 mm macro f/16 1/8

I finally finished my utensils assignment. It didn't come easily,
but I ended up with 5 or 6 images I like.

This one is a reflection shot. The 'intact' part of the fork at the top
is a reflection in the bowl of an ice cream scoop, and the 'melting'
tines are part of the fork itself.

An Abstract and a Dog

The Abstract

Canon 20D Tamron 90 mm macro f/22 1/6

Our informal photography group's self-assignment for the week
is utensils.This is my first image for the assignment. I guess
that gives away what it is.

The Dog

Canon 20D Canon 24-70L @ 70mm f/2.8 1/60

I took several shots of VisuallyMinded's dog Ginger at the
group's meeting two weeks ago. Surprisingly, she seemed
rather unimpressed with my photos of onions.

Abstract Geese

Canon 20D Canon 100-400 L IS @ 105mm f/9 1/500

I was looking for photos in a small park late in the afternoon
today when I saw this formation of Canada geese fly overhead.
I liked the pattern and the rather abstract appearance of the
geese.

A House Divided

Canon 20D Canon 100-400L IS @105mm f/4.5 1/160

I'm trying to work on simple graphic compositions, but don't (yet) have a good feel for what is simple-and-interesting, and what is simple-and-boring. Comments are welcome.

The building in this image was once part of a cotton mill dating from 1811. The complex has been transformed into a small shopping and office complex. I found it interesting that half of the building shown -- all of one long side, half of the front and half of the back -- has been painted a solid red, whereas the remaining half retains the raw bricks and mortar look (with what may be the remnants of a previous coat of white paint).