Amami Superman Photography

A Place to Share My Photos

Feb 28, 2010

Panning Practice with a Manual Focus Lens

Posted by Amami Superman

Nikkon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO 200 -- EXIF
1.

Just after work, I was sitting at my desk looking at the different lenses Nikon has. I was reading on some scrub site different things about Nikon's DX lenses that even though they say "DX", they're still about 1.5x focal length. If that's the case, why even give the name "DX" to them in the first place. I didn't believe what I read. I know that if you put a DX lens on an FX camera, you get vignetting. I soon dismissed what I had read and kept looking at other lenses. I then started to think how big a 1.5x focal length is. I got out the Nikon FM2 with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens and looked at different things through the viewfinder. As I said in a previous post, it was sort of like looking through the viewfinder of my D60 with my Sigma 30mm lens. Although the D60 has a smaller viewfinder, angle of view wise, they seemed similar. I then took the 50mm f/1.8 and stuck it on my D60. It was a completely different angle of view. Although this lens is a manual focus lens, I thought it would be good to practice with.

I looked out my classroom window down at the street so see if there was anything interesting to photograph. Nothing much. Then I decided to take some photos of people riding buy on bikes and scooters. The first thing I noticed, trying to take panning shots while focusing manually is tough, especially with a small viewfinder. But I stuck with it for a while.

There's nothing particularly fantastic about these photos. Just something I thought would be cool to try. The photos were taking with an aperture of about f/5.6. I switched up to f/8.0 near the end to get a wider plain of focus (probably for the ISO 800 photos).

Anyway, it was fun practice and these are some of the shots I got.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 200 -- EXIF
2.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 200 -- EXIF
3.

I decided to take it down to the street and see what it would be like at ground level.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 400 -- EXIF
4.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 400 -- EXIF
5.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 800 -- EXIF
6.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 800 -- EXIF
7.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 800 -- EXIF
8.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO 800 -- EXIF
9.

So there you have it. Some of the photos weren't focused that well or they had motion blur. But they weren't too terrible in my opinion.

Feb 27, 2010

Asato Waterfall Revisited

Posted by Amami Superman

Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 33mm, 25 sec, f/25, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Revisited

This photo was taken at around 1:00pm. I used a Polarized filter over a Neutral Density filter and it worked out pretty nice. I also brought this photo into Photoshop and gave it a soft glow.

I've been thinking about going back to the different waterfalls I've photographed before and see if I can't take some different photos. I chose this one because it's pretty close to home and easy to get to. I had time before work so I decided to go out and try. I photographed this photo twice before and posted them here and here. I can't say I like this photo better than the previous ones, but it's something different.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Your Business Is in the Street

I also took these last two shots the same day. I thought they were kind of nice so I threw them in as well.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Pretty

I feel I'm getting better with focusing close ups like this. Anyway, just a few photos for today's post.

Feb 26, 2010

Garbage Is Garbage

Posted by Amami Superman

Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55m 3.5-5.6 @ 20mm, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Burnt Up Fishing Boat

These are some photos I took along with the photos from yesterday's post. I had a difficult time going through them and making this post.

I came across this boat while walking back home. It looked like it was filled with trash and then set on fire some time ago. It was interesting to me at first. I took different photos of the burnt detail and some of the things inside. And then I started to take more photos of the things inside like rusty cans, bent bicycle rims and melted glass. They weren't bad photos, but it was always in the back of my mind that it was still just garbage. I'm not saying that photos of garbage can't be artistic photography, I just feel the photos I took didn't have that artistic quality to make garbage seem something more than it is. I did, however, choose these photos to share to give you an idea of what I was looking at.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/1000 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Charred Wood and Glass Fiber


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 30mm, 1/160 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Filled to the Brim

As you can see in the photo above, it was filled with all sorts or trash. It's a sad sight to see in such a beautiful place.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 22mm, 1/250 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Better Days

This bicycle has seen better days. As I said, it's a sad sight to see garbage like this in such a beautiful place. But, not uncommon. I suppose one could put together a sort of documentary photo essay about the different places you would find thrown away bicycles. That would be something different than just photographing garbage in a boat. You can see this sort of thing pretty much wherever you go in Japan. Maybe something to think about when I go out to take photos next time.

Feb 25, 2010

Morning Walk

Posted by Amami Superman

Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/1000 sec, f/4.0, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Almost a Cloudless Sky

When I woke up on Tuesday, the sun was blazing through the window and I took a look outside. The ground was completely wet like it had just poured rain, but I couldn't see a cloud in the sky from my window. I got ready and ate breakfast and left the house with my gear a little after 8:00am. The air was crisp and cool and it just felt right that I should take a walk.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/160 sec, f/10, ISO 100 -- EXIF
The Main Drag

I took a photo like this one last month except it was at night. I had to wait for a window when there weren't that many cars in the frame. I also found it hard to take photos in the morning due to the long shadow I would make and trying to frame my shots without my shadow.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/400 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Where Piers Are Made



Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
All in a Row


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Cranes and Scaffolding

This is one of the two barge type things they make the concrete piers on. Once they are finished, they move the barge to the point where they are going to drop it, fill the ballasts to submerge the barge and then scoot the pier off the barge into its final position. I've never actually seen this done, but I have a friend who works here and he explained it to me once.


Nikon D60, Nikkkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/400 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
From the Opposite Side


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/250 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
A Bit Closer


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/800 sec, f/7.1, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Not Like the Others

I'm finally glad we're getting some nice weather.

Feb 24, 2010

Skateboarding at Udonbama Park

Posted by Amami Superman

Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Kotaro

Every 3rd Sunday, they hold a skateboarding class for anyone who would like to learn how to skateboard. Jade got a skateboard for her birthday last year and she's been doing her best to learn how to skate. She has been going to these classes for a while now. I made a post last year of the first time she participated in Nagahama. Kotaro is always there to help out and give some pointers.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/640 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200 -- EXIF
Ollie Tail Slide


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/500 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200 -- EXIF
Front Side 50-50 Grind


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 26mm, 1/400 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200 -- EXIF
Another Ollie Tail Slide


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/640 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200 -- EXIF
A Rolling Boneless


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 22mm, 1/640 sec, f/8.0, ISO 400 -- EXIF
Straight Up Ollie


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 24mm, 1/640 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200 -- EXIF
Jade Practicing Manuals


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/200 sec, f/8.0, ISO 400 -- EXIF
Getting Better!


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/640 sec, f/6.3, ISO 400 -- EXIF
Jade's First Ollie
Even though it's only about an inch.

Little by little, Jade has been getting better at skateboarding. She really enjoys it.

I started skateboarding when I was in elementary school. I was never any good but my younger brother Dan seemed to have a talent for it. In junior high, we build a half pipe in our backyard. I found I liked riding ramp more than street skating. I've tried to get Jade on a ramp a few times and she's getting the hang of pumping. It will be cool to see what she can do in a year or two.

Feb 23, 2010

After Swimming School

Posted by Amami Superman

Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
My Jade Girl

One of the good things about living in Amami is, you can drive 10 minutes in any direction and find yourself in the mountains... or the ocean. After photographing the waterfall in yesterday's post, I hopped back in the car and went to pick my daughter, Jade, up from swimming school which was less than 10 minutes away. I was such a great day, we decided to go watch the sunset at Ohama Beach. I didn't have a brush for her hair so it's pretty messed from drying it after swim school.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/500 sec, f/22, ISO 200 -- EXIF
Silhouettes

Although some of these photos were underexposed, I thought they turned out pretty nice. After upping the exposure a bit, they became a bit noisy.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 1/160 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100 -- EXIF
Another Beautiful Sunset in Amami

Feb 22, 2010

Koshiku Waterfall

Posted by Amami Superman

Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 22mm, 30 sec, f/22, ISO 200 -- EXIF
Just a Trickle

As I was driving around the day before yesterday taking photos of sumomo, I headed up a mountain road looking for more things to photograph. As I was driving up, I came across this small waterfall. I had my rope in the back along with my tripod so I decided to climb down and see what I could take. It's nothing grand or or exceptional, but I kind of liked these.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 22mm, 30 sec, f/22, ISO 200 -- EXIF
Dumb Bridge

Why are there always bridges near the waterfalls I want to shoot?


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18mm, 15 sec, f/22, ISO 200 -- EXIF
Framed Out

I framed out the bridge up top before shooting this shot. I don't know what it is about this photo. I can't tell if I like it or not. This seems like the kind of picture you would find in a waiting room at a doctor's office to help calm people's nerves but really doesn't...

I was happy to get out and take some photos again. Especially this waterfall, even though it didn't turn out that well. I like photographing waterfalls. I just wish I could get out more to do it.

Feb 21, 2010

Sumomo Season 2010

Posted by Amami Superman

Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
1.

Today's photos are of sumomo (plum blossoms). Sumomo season starts just as sakura season ends here in Amami. My previous posts of sakura were posted about a week after I took the photos but, due to bad weather, I haven't been able to get out and take more sakura photos for over a week now. We had some great weather yesterday and as I was out driving around looking for sakura, I noticed that most of the sumomo trees have started to blossom so I took photos of them instead.

To say it simply, yesterday just clicked for me. You'll laugh at this but, I focused on focusing. Using my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 at f/1.4 has taught me a lot of things about focusing. One of those things is not relying on the Auto Focus when taking photos like these. For some of these shots, I used the Auto Focus to get a soft focus and then switched to Manual Focus and did the fine tuning focus. I had a load of semi close up photos like these first three that turned out very nice.

In all honesty, the D60 has a pretty small viewfinder and it's pretty tough to focus manually. I've been thinking of buying a Katz Eye to help with that, but I don't think it will help with photos like these. What I really need is a full frame format camera with a larger view finder but, they're just a bit to expensive for me.

These first three photos were cropped from the originals a bit. Other than that, post editing to all the photos pretty much only consisted of adjusting Exposure just a bit along with Vibrancy and Saturation. I was going to try and give them a soft glow as I did in my previous posts of sakura, but it just didn't seem to do justice to these photos. Crisp seemed the way to go.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
2.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/40 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
3.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
4.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
5.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
6.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 55mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
7.


Nikon D60, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 52mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 -- EXIF
8.

This last photo is of some very yellow flowers that were blooming near the sumomo trees I was photographing. They were so completely yellow, it was almost unreal.

I'm so happy with how these photos turned out. Photos like these help me stifle the feeling I get when I take bad photos, blame it on my camera or lenses, and want to buy a new camera and new lenses. I will buy a new camera in the long run and some new lenses, but not for a while. I still have a lot to learn with what I have.


Feb 20, 2010

Mangetsu Okonomiyaki

Posted by Amami Superman

I usually have to work late on Tuesday nights and my wife had a PTA meeting to attend (so she thought but really didn't). I had some time between my classes and we decided to catch dinner early before my wife left for PTA at a place called "Mangetsu". Mangetsu is an okonomiyaki shop.

Mangetsu means full moon in Japanese. Okonomiyaki is kind of like a Japanese style pancake. My wife loves okonomiyaki and I have come to like it a lot too, although, not as much as her. Okonomiyaki consists of chopped up cabbage mixed in with batter; that's the primary base for the pancake. After that you add in pretty much whatever you like. My wife always goes for the shrimp in hers. I wanted to go with something a bit different so I went with the fried pork and kimchi with a fried egg on top. I know, it may sound completely gross, but it's actually pretty good. Here are some of the photos I took. It was a pretty dark shop and I used my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 so these photos are a lot brighter than it actually was. I also got away with some pretty slow shutter speeds (bracing my arms on the table).

Nikon D60, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, 1/50 sec, f/1.6, ISO 1600 -- EXIF
Hikari's Shrimp Okonomiyaki


Nikon D60, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, 1/40 sec, f/1.6, ISO 1600 -- EXIF
My Buta Kimuchi Okonomiyaki
(fried pork & kimchi)


Nikon D60, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, 1/125 sec, f/1.6, ISO 1600 -- EXIF
Letting Them Cook


Nikon D60, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, 1/13 sec, f/3.5, ISO 1600 -- EXIF
Someone Looks Hungry
(just after they flipped them)


Nikon D60, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, 1/13 sec, f/3.5, ISO 1600 -- EXIF
Cooking My Egg

It's kind of cool how they cooked the egg to the top of mine. They just slid it over, cracked an egg, broke the egg and set the okonomiyaki on the egg to cook. I was expecting them to just come and fry and egg and set it on top.


Nikon D60, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, 1/40 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1600 -- EXIF
Digging In


Nikon D60, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, 1/30 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1600 -- EXIF
Okonomiyaki, YUM!

So that is the okonomiyaki we ate at Mangetsu. Very tasty.