The video clips I took when there were four Robins feeding in the garden:
It takes a bit more than sleet and snow showers to put off the Raider of the Lost Seeds:
Friday, 6 February 2015
Thursday, 5 February 2015
DxO Optics Pro v8 free this Month
DxOptics have made two of their programs free for the whole of February. DxO Optics 8 is the first decent program I have had which will handle the RAW files from my Canon 70D. (Unfortunately my copy of Elements 10 is too old.) DxO Optics 8 is not the latest version but the free download is fully working. The program can also download files to suit a vast range of lenses as its main purpose is to compensate for any aberrations in the lenses you use. It covers a whole range of cameras and will also work with non RAW files, e.g. jpg, though not all facilities are usable with those. There are no layers or masks that I can see. Photos can be cropped but the main thing is to be able to tweak and get the best from photo files. Possibilities include reducing noise on high ISO photos, improving sharpness, contrast, adding a single photo HDR effect. There are built in presets or you can do your own thing and save new custom presets for future use.
This screen grab gives a taste of what the program did with a rather washed out RAW photo taken in dull weather:
There are versions of the program for Mac and for Windows. Modified files are saved with a different file name plus an extra file of about 8K which contains information about the mods you have made so the next time you load it the old mods will automatically be applied. You can then continue from where you left off.
The second offering is Viewpoint v1 which seems very effective at straightening out photos which have distorted perspectives. For example close views of tall buildings which end up tapering as you look up the building. It is also designed to work with wide angle lenses. This program is rather a large download. I've only had a very brief play with it as yet.
If you want more information and are interested in these programs then nip over to DIY Photography HERE.
This screen grab gives a taste of what the program did with a rather washed out RAW photo taken in dull weather:
There are versions of the program for Mac and for Windows. Modified files are saved with a different file name plus an extra file of about 8K which contains information about the mods you have made so the next time you load it the old mods will automatically be applied. You can then continue from where you left off.
The second offering is Viewpoint v1 which seems very effective at straightening out photos which have distorted perspectives. For example close views of tall buildings which end up tapering as you look up the building. It is also designed to work with wide angle lenses. This program is rather a large download. I've only had a very brief play with it as yet.
If you want more information and are interested in these programs then nip over to DIY Photography HERE.
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Monday, 2 February 2015
Macro on Monday - Guess What
Congratulations and the virtual Midmarsh Gold Star to Roy, Glo and Adrian who identified one of Penny's dog biscuits. (Glo: the printing, upside down, says (S)HAPES, the first S is almost out of view. It comes from a pack of different shaped dog biscuits)
Close, with a virtual Midmarsh Silver Star, were TexWisGirl and Wilma with the suggestion of a cracker or cookie.
Now for the next puzzle picture.
Guess What:
Please leave any guesses in the comments.
They, along with the answer, will be revealed next Monday.
No prizes, just for fun and maybe a virtual Midmarsh Gold or Silver Star.
Sunday, 1 February 2015
Not One, Not Two ......
.... not three but, believe it or not, I had four Robins at the same time feeding in the garden. Shows how hungry they are getting in this cold weather when there will be a lack of spiders and insects around. I have only seen two at a time twice so was astounded to see so many normally fiercely territorial birds in a small space.
I also manage to take some video clips which I'll save for the next Friday at the Flicks.
I also manage to take some video clips which I'll save for the next Friday at the Flicks.
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Sunrise
Friday morning Sunrise at -3C
Three photos taken with the Nikon S9050
First two tweaked in iPhoto to remove telegraph pole and wires.
All three tweaked in Elements 10 to enhance the dark foreground.
Friday, 30 January 2015
Friday at the Flicks - Blackbird, Snow
This morning a female Blackbird sat close to me as I struggled to undo the frozen bolt on the back gate so we could go walkies. I sometimes get the feeling she is reminding me it is time to top up the seed feeders. The video clip was taken a few days ago as a female Blackbird came very close to pick up the seed and mini suet sticks I had dropped:
The snow from Wednesday night slowly melted on Thursday and had nearly all gone by late afternoon when a short sharp snow shower covered everything again. As soon as the cloud had passed through there was a sparkling pale blue sky for a short while:
Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you and take care in bad weather.
The snow from Wednesday night slowly melted on Thursday and had nearly all gone by late afternoon when a short sharp snow shower covered everything again. As soon as the cloud had passed through there was a sparkling pale blue sky for a short while:
Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you and take care in bad weather.
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