Select Churches from South Carolina

I like to photograph churches. The neat thing is that many are beautiful architectural and historical buildings. And most don't require a ticket to see and photograph. I have traveled around mid and upstate South Carolina taking pictures of churches. I choose churches with interesting styles and features. I have created several books which are available on Magcloud. Click Select Churches from South Carolina to have a look.

Magcloud Tabloid Format

 I have ordered and received several photobooks using the "Tabloid" format on Magcloud. I find this to be an economical way to get your images in print. The results have been very good in terms of image quality, paper, and binding.

The formats I have used are 8 1/2 x 11 and 11 x 17 - both in the Landscape orientation. I used the wire-o-binding option. The publications were of high quality. The printed images were true to the colors of the originals. The wire-o-binding allows the book to lay flat whilst going through the pages. Paper is reasonably thick. Overall the book is pleasing and feels professionally made. 

Magcloud provides templates and specifications for page sizes, bleed, and margins. I use Affinity Publisher and had no issues setting up the pages. You are able to preview your book prior to submitting for print. 

This is an excellent format to use to see your work in print. It is a high quality product that is reasonably priced. I recommend giving it a try.

A hefty card stock for mounting photographs

 I have searched the world over for a decent thick cardstock to mount my photos on. I finally found the perfect paper. It is:

Accent Opaque White Cardstock

This is a very substantial cardstock. Works well for making cards. I use it  to mount my photos on. It is made by international paper and is available at various outlets.

• EXTREMELY HEAVY-WEIGHT CARDSTOCK - At 97 bright white, our 120lb. Cardstock is brighter and thicker than other card stocks and features a smooth surface resulting in crisp, vibrant prints with minimal show-through

I love this paper.

I use a spray adhesive to mount my photos on this paper. A J-Roller comes in handy to ensure good contact is made although hand pressure works as well. I trim to size using a paper trimmer.

Marbling

Visit https://www.behance.net/gallery/65171963/Starry-Starry-Red to see some images of marbling done with spray paint on water.

High Voltage on Film

I have been playing around with using high voltage from Wimshurst static generator on film. You can see some of the results at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/70999853/High-Voltage-on-Film

More Distressed/Damage Zink Photos

I generally like to spray a protective coating on my Zink photos. I have used clear acrylic and kamar varnish. Yesterday I decided to try lacquer.  I sprayed the lacquer on and wnt away. When I came back the coloring of the print had completely changed. From the brown that was printed to a nice blue. A pleasant surprise.

The top is the original coloring and the bottom is after spray lacquer was applied. Printed on Polaroid POGO. Interesting.

Distressed/Damaged Zink Photos

I have been printing a lot of images on 2x3 Zink paper recently. I remember from

years ago when the Polaroid POGO first came out there was a video about how to

distress/alter the Zink prints. I decided to give it a go. I used household ammonia.

I used an eyedropper to put a few drops on the paper then spread it around with my

finger. The ammonia begins to eat through the top layer. You can sort of control the

destruction by running water on the photo. Be careful - the force of the water could

wash off more than you meant. You can also just dab the photo with a paper towel to

mop off the extra ammonia. I let the photos dry over night and then spray with

acrylic spray. Sometimes I use kamar varnish spray which is a little more glossy.

Examples below.

Continuing Konuspot 80 Digiscoping adventures

Since the last post on the Konuspot 80 I have purchased and received a T-ring adapter for my Olympus OMD-EM1. Now I can mount the camera directly on the scope. This immediately makes life easier. The next thing I did was to mount the scope on my best tripod/ballhead combination. This greatly improved the steadiness of the image.


Sadly, it seems the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks were just passing through and now that I am ready to take their picture they are gone. Oh well. To test out the new setup I tried some flower shots. The biggest problem here is that our climate in SC has changed. Now we have day after day of dry air with lots of wind, unlike the usual humid and still days. While absolutely beautiful weather, it makes capturing flower images at high magnification challenging.


I did take some test shots. Most were soft. I bumped up the ISO to get a higher shutter speed. Even so, focusing on a moving target is near impossible.


The results were mostly soft as I said. There was movement is some which I liked – kind of a dreamy artsy look. Nonetheless, I am waiting for calmer days.


One thing I did not expect was that I cannot use Live View on the EM1 when it is attached to the scope. I was hoping and assumed it would work. I guess since the camera does not recognize a lens is attached it will not do Live View. A perusal of the manual is in order.


In the meantime I have ordered T-ring adapters for my other cameras, the Olympus E30 and Pentax K30. With these adapters I can leave a camera on the scope all the time.

My digiscoping experience with the Konuspot 80 so far

I purchased a Konuspot 80 about a year ago with the intention of doing some digiscoping.  Eagle Optics defines digiscoping as:

Digiscoping is a unique kind of photography using a digital camera and a field spotting scope. Now you can expand your ability to photograph the wonders of nature by putting your digital camera to work with any spotting scope.

On this past Sunday, I finally got around to trying out the Konuspot 80 as a digiscope. I was not following a particular tutorial or procedure, I was basically just remembering the steps from what I had read in the not too distant past.

The Konuspot 80 is a 20X-60X x 80 scope. Mine came with a T type camera adapter and a small tripod.

First thing I noticed is the tripod is too flimsy to be of much use. Of course it didn't helpl that I was using a makeshift table constructed of deck rail, deck chairs, and large books. But I think it's safe to say a better tripod is in order. There is a lot of droop in the supplied tripod. At the magnifications we are dealing with the droop is a major problem.

My suggestion is that whatever tripod you use, get it mounted on a solid surface.

Next, I attached the camera adapter. I had planned on using my Olympus SH-1 point and shoot. There would be no mechanical connection between the camera and scope. I was unable to get a decent shot by hand-holding the camera up to the eyepiece. The fact that I had an unstable tripod setup didn't help the situation, nor did the fact that one hand was always on the camera, leaving the other to adjust the position of the scope, focus of the scope, and magnification of the scope. I quit using the SH-1 without a single image.

I got my Olympus OMD-EM1 and fitted it with a 50mm F2 macro lens. It was easier to hold this camera/lens combination up to the scope eyepiece. Using live view on the camera, I was able to get a few shots - all of which were not as sharp as they might have been. Again, the issue was having enough hands to do everything required. I gave up pretty quickly.

I came in to regroup. I realized I needed someway to attach the camera to the scope. I ordered a T to micro 4/3rds converter for the EM-1. This way I will have the camera mechanically connected to the scope and will have both hands free for other things like positioning, focus, and magnification.

So, if the adapter gets here this week I will try again this weekend.

Other issues/comments.

1. The images in the scope are sharp and bright. I think they will make good photos.

2. I was working in the shade, which required a high ISO for the photos. The brighter the view the better.

3. The bokeh with the scope was interesting.

Onagofly Drone Experience - Good and Bad

I received the Onagofly drone a couple of days ago. I am impressed by the quality/design of the packaging and the device itself. It feels really solid and is surprisingly heavy. I don't have the right version of Android on my phone, so I had to get my son to load the app so we could try it out.

The instructions are minimal but adequate. We finally got connected and started the drone. We used the auto takeoff. My son did the driving. The first flight ended up in a bush beside our house. Maybe we could use this as a hedge trimmer.

We decided to move to a more open area for the next try. Started out ok, but for some reason, the drone took off away from us at a high rate of speed. And as if drawn by a magnet - straight to a big oak tree. BAM! Gone are two propellers. Otherwise - everything seems intact. There are spare propellers. Each propeller is marked with a letter. I assume that they have to match with the motor letter. In my haste, I put the wrong letter  propeller on a motor. The propellers have a press on fit. They do not come off easily. As I was trying to remove the propeller, I ripped the entire motor from the unit. %#$%^ !

I have written customer service about this incident. Hopefully they can sell me a motor, and I can replace myself. We shall see.

There is a crash avoidance feature. It is not on by default. Even if it had been on, I don't believe it would have saved the drone because of the speed it was traveling and the 8" range of the avoidance system.

My luck with drones has not been good.

Update 5 May 2016: I heard from customer service after a week. They want me to send pictures of my problem, which I did. Here's what happened:

Update 19 May 2016: I received an response from my last contact with Onagofly. They said my issues weren't covered by warranty. That's a surprise. No where in my emails did I mention warranty. So I replied asking could I get parts to fix it. They replied that they have forwarded my request to the appropriate staff. Hopefully I will get a quote on parts soon.

Update 16 Sept 2016: Onagofly is incredibly slow in solving this issue. After numerous emails they gave me a RA and I sent the unit back. I know they received the unit over a month ago. Still no info at all from them. I am waiting - pretty frustrated with the company.

UPDATE 18 OCT 2016: I still have not received any information about the repair of my drone. I have pretty much given up and admit I have lost $200 on this journey.