The Photographers' Corner - 2021 to ?

[Montecfo]

^ Nice pic of Zion. I've been there twice and didn't get a decent photo either time due to weather

We are just returning from our national park swing through Utah, Colorado and Az. Weather/lighting was really nice and we were fortunate to get some amazing pics.

 

[skyking1]

Mt. Rainier and Lake Tipsoo, Chinook Pass

We took a drive up there today and to the campground we stay at on the 4th of July.

 

[DrRoy]

I got a Mavic 3 drone about a year and a half ago when it was introduced. It took me some practice to learn it. Got some better shots this spring.
.

 

[Ronstar]

I'd say that you have that drone dialed in Dr. Roy!

Nice winter pic skyking!!

 

[explanade]

Where was that?

I have had my Mavic 2 Pro for 4-5 years but I’ve held off on upgrading.

It seems restrictions on where you can fly are increasing. Right before I bought this drone people would post videos of their drones circling Big Ben in London.

Now doing something like that would subject you to big fines.

They’re also requiring remote identification schemes which lets law enforcement not only track the drone but where the pilot with the remote control is. Even some suggestions that nosy bystanders can identify you through apps.

EU is going to start requiring drones to have CE labels certifying that you can fly near uninvolved people. If you don’t have the label you have to be like 50 or 150 meters away at all times.

Mavic 3 is one of the first drones to qualify for this C1 class CE label. Older drones won’t be certified to qualify.

They recently released the Mavic 3 Pro with 3 cameras instead of 2 in the Mavic 3 and one in the Mavic 3 Classic.

But the weight is now over 900 grams so the Pro can’t be certified for C1.

I’m waiting to see how enforcement in EU and UK will be starting in 2024. Most of my drone flights have been overseas. Ironic, in CA there are national parks, state parks and all kinds of nature reserves, particularly along the coast, where no drone flights are allowed.

Then there are all the airports and heliports to deal with.

I actually flew a little today in Corsica, the Gulf of Porto. Heavily overcast so the beautiful Calanches aren’t as bright red as they would be in sunlight. But it’s my last day here before moving to another town.

I consulted the maps, no restrictions though there are some nature reserved in the area. In particular there is some large species of birds nesting here on top of the cliffs over the water. They hunt for fish and it’s their mating season after migrating back from Africa. Some birds, particularly apex predators, have been known to attack drones to aggressively protect their hatchlings but I think I was well above their nests and also away.

But you look at all the beautiful geology in CO, UT, AZ and it’s too bad, they’re all national parks so no drones allowed.

 

[street]

Nice pictures Dr. Roy. Looks like you got it figured out. I bet it was a fun to learn how and a challenge is always a new adventure.

Skyking that is a beautiful site.

 

[Ronstar]

....But you look at all the beautiful geology in CO, UT, AZ and it’s too bad, they’re all national parks so no drones allowed.

We were recently in Sedona, Az, and came across a guy flying his drone on a hiking trail. With a park ranger nearby. No problem,

 

[explanade]

We were recently in Sedona, Az, and came across a guy flying his drone on a hiking trail. With a park ranger nearby. No problem,

I've never been but apparently there are several parks there.

Was it in a US National Park? Because the rules are clear as far as NPS is concerned:

In some cases, their use has resulted in noise and nuisance complaints from park visitors, park visitor safety concerns, and one documented incident in which park wildlife were harassed. Small drones have crashed in geysers in Yellowstone National Park, attempted to land on the features of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, been lost over the edge of the Grand Canyon, and been stopped from flying in Prohibited Airspace over the Mall in Washington DC.

Policy Memorandum 14-05, released by the National Park Service (NPS) director in June 2014, directed each superintendent to use the authority under 36 CFR 1.5 to prohibit the launching, landing, or operation of unmanned aircraft, subject to the certain conditions and exceptions set forth in the memo. This is still in force with a very few exceptions.

This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of unmanned aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/unmanned-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm

Maybe it's different in AZ state parks.

 

[Ronstar]

I've never been but apparently there are several parks there.

Was it in a US National Park? Because the rules are clear as far as NPS is concerned:



https://www.nps.gov/articles/unmanned-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm

Maybe it's different in AZ state parks.

We weren't in a state park. And we were about a half mile outside of the Red Rock Secret Wilderness. And we weren't near the Sedona airport. According to what I've read, the drone guy was legal where we were at.

 

[explanade]

Interesting.

Tricky thing about hiking paths, often there's only room for a couple of people to walk past each other.

Then you have to deal with finding relatively flat area to launch and land and ideally you'd be in a clearing, not surrounded by trees or have overhead power wires.

If there's really just room for hikers to walk, it would probably be frowned upon if you launch/land from the path, especially if there are any people walking through a given spot.

 

[Ronstar]

^^ Lots of open space to launch from and land.

 

[explanade]

Ok I will have to plan a trip out there.

Though that pretty red dirt may not be the best for photo and electronics gear.

I heard Antelope Canyon may also be challenging for cameras and lenses.

 

[Ronstar]

Sedona dirt is rough on camera gear, but antelope canyon is worse. Fine sand/ dust, and it doesn’t help when the guide tosses a handful of sand in the air to catch the beam of light for a photo op

 

[DrRoy]

Ok I will have to plan a trip out there.

Though that pretty red dirt may not be the best for photo and electronics gear.

I heard Antelope Canyon may also be challenging for cameras and lenses.

Antelope Canyon is worth it.
.

 

[braumeister]

Just be aware of that issue. My guide through Antelope Canyon was so enamored of it that I think he must have done the "toss a handful of sand in the air" thing at least 30 times so everyone could get photos of it.

Another suggestion is to try to get in a tour around noontime, as that's when you get the most light down there.

 

[Ronstar]

…..Another suggestion is to try to get in a tour around noontime, as that's when you get the most light down there.

And I believe it only happens at certain times of the year. I was there late march or early April

 

[braumeister]

And I believe it only happens at certain times of the year. I was there late march or early April

Didn't realize that. I was also there in early April and it was almost magical.

 

[zoomie78]

A fun night for a launch photographer.
Main reason for post is to explain how I uploaded the picture. Make a Flickr.com account. Upload your picture there. Then open the picture and hit the share icon. Click on the BBcode option. Then copy the link you need for this forum to display the picture.
This picture used the "large 1600x1067 option. I also modified the link to include my Instagram account.

[/url]Delta4HeavyJW503556 by Space Coast Pictures, Instagram[/IMG]

 

[donheff]

I'm trying Zoomie's technique with my last deep space object. M31, the Pinwheel Galaxy, with supernova SN2023ixf visible.

[/url]LRGB_Small_Streched_Recombined_+Ha_Addition_Sharpened by Don Heffernan, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[aja8888]

Zoomie78, GREAT PHOTO!

 

[zoomie78]

Had the opportunity to place a remote camera near the launch pad of the Euclid Telescope launch. Camera is triggered by sound.

[/url]EuclidR3_04115 by John Winkopp[/IMG]

 

[Dave J]

Had the opportunity to place a remote camera near the launch pad of the Euclid Telescope launch. Camera is triggered by sound.

[/URL]EuclidR3_04115 by John Winkopp[/IMG]

Really neat shot!

 

[ownyourfuture]

Really neat shot!

Agree!

Tornadoes I filmed on June 24th

 

[Chuckanut]

I have been using Light Room for years, but I really don’t use all its features and am growing tired of the yearly subscription fees.

Does anybody with a Mac use a good substitute for LR? One thing I need is the ability to do mirror wraps for the canvas prints I make for myself and friends. People love those mirror wraps on the four sides of the print.

Thanks.

 

[sengsational]

Midjourney

Maybe this is not photography, but you can make what look like photographs. I didn't see anyone had posted in ER about Midjourney, so I thought the followers of this thread might be the most interested.


Midjourney isn't the first ever AI art generator, but it's good enough for me to "waste" many hours in the Newcomer Rooms, watching the prompts and seeing what the AI generates. There's a lot of junk on there, but some amazing stuff too.

A captivating close-up photograph of a pink orchid against a minimalist white background. The image should emphasize the delicate structure and exquisite beauty of the orchid, capturing its graceful form and subtle colors. Shot with a Sony Alpha a6600 mirrorless camera, using a 90mm macro lens, aperture f/2.8, to create a visually stunning image with precise details and gentle lighting.

And of course we have things like this...getting a bit too close to breaking the rules on that platform, maybe...

queen Elizabeth smoking a cigarette

You need to get a Discord account and load the midjourney server. Takes about 10 minutes. Midjourney has trial accounts, but when I've tried, they say they are not available. I haven't shelled-out to try my hand at generating prompts, but have been wasting lots of time reading prompts and enjoying the images. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to block the users that are generating dozens of pages of kitty cat coloring book images and other non-interesting things.