Marks Wasted Time: July 2014

Monday, July 21, 2014

Nocturnal Nimbus

There isn't much I like better than a storm and we've had a couple of beauties last Thursday/Friday.

Unfortunately the car is off the road at the moment, so I couldn't venture out (motorcycles and apocalyptic rain storms don't mix), so here are some photos I took out of a window.

Top image is a composite of lightning strikes I captured with the camera facing NW and just let to run while I enjoyed the show.

The best individual shot is the bottom image - a lightning giant descended to wreak havoc.

Composite of 4 shots

Ribbon lightning colouring the sky and causing lens flare

The Lightning Giant
ISO1600, 27mm, f/5.6, 30sec, +1ev, tripod, shutter release, noise reduction

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Summer

Not been around a lot with the camera as I am spending a lot of my wasted time this summer building a workshop and learning to Scuba dive .. you know just the usual stuff! :o)

A bit of a mini collection of some shots that celebrate the Sun we've been getting though. I have been very happy with how the Sigma 105mm macro lens has been working with my 5D3 since I setup the micro focus adjustment, loving that feature. The new flash has been a revelation too, suddenly having much more control than my old 420EX has turned a flash gun and wireless remote set into a standard part of my carry bag kit now.

Plenty of photos still to process, so even if I'm not getting out and about I should be posting a bunch more stuff here soon(ish).

Meadow Brown (?) in the setting Sun
ISO320, 400mm, 1/320s, f/5.6, -0.7ev, crop, noise reduction

Pushing up the daisies
ISO100, 20mm, 1/250s, f/13, -0.7ev, circular polariser

Damselfly in flight
ISO100, 105mm, 1/640s, f/8, -0.3ev, cropped

Female Banded Demoiselle damselfly glinting in the Sun
ISO100, 105mm, 1/500s, f/7.1, -0.7ev, cropped

Daisies and barbed wire at Sunset
ISO200, 190mm, 1/160s, f/8, -0.7ev

Sunday, July 06, 2014

Little Owls

Little Owls and screechy owlet. These guys hunt through the daylight and aren't as timid as most owls, so not quite so difficult to photograph. Spent a couple of evenings by their barn and managed to get a couple of shots in some pleasant setting Sunlight. It's just great to watch them and hear the owlet screeching for more food!

Whos wasted time?

My name is Mark Coombes, I live in the South of England, near the City of Bath. I'm 42 and have a deep passion for all things photographic. I always had some artistic talent, but never had the patience for most art forms, so digital photography suits me down to the ground.

I was given a Canon 1000F for my 18th birthday with some old Sigma lenses, but really only got serious in 2006 when I bought a 350D. My equipment went from 17-85mm, 100-300mm IS and Sigma 105mm Macro, to a 16-35mm II L and 100-400mm L thanks to some serious saving and in 2010 I upgraded to a Canon 50D, before finally investing in a Canon 5D mark III in 2013. Since then I've added various flashes, flash modifiers, filters, polarisers, tripods and a Canon 135mm f/2 lens.

I tend to photograph anything and everything that I find photogenic, combined with my passion for adventure and exploration most of my photos are happy coincidences, rather than the odd planned or staged effort. If I was to pick one specific area to specialise in it would be wildlife photography, especially now I'm getting out for less sunrise landscapes. Only time will tell where it leads and if anything productive ever comes out of it, or if I am just wasting time..