191. Yellow - January 29-February 4, 2017
Kevin-
Byron was unknowing helpful to me regarding my approach to this week’s image. To explain, I had quickly settled on the idea of photographing a can of yellow paint and a paintbrush. And of course I thought about a lot of approaches to the photo, like putting my M3 in the background implying that I might paint the car yellow. (Actually if the M3 had been available in yellow I would have ordered it that way. But actually painting a car with a brush? I think not.)
Anyway, on Monday Byron, Erleen, Michelle and I went to dinner at Bill’s Pizza. Also along for the evening's festivities were Ron and Karen Kraft. Ron was a former overlord (college President) at HTC (Hennepin Technical Center/College). Byron particularly enjoys having Ron around now that the two of them are at at the same equal level, simply two retired guys!
When discussing work histories Byron made the remark about the very wide angle lens approaches that I practiced when photographing products for Schaak Electronics. Honestly it was something that was no longer in the forefront of my now feeble mind. But after hearing Byron talk I knew that was the approach I needed to take this week.
In the Schaak days I often photographed with a 4”x5” view camera, but when I wanted a really wide view I shot with a Hasselblad with a 40mm Distagon lens. That is roughly equivalent to shooting with a 24mm lens on a full frame Nikon. Not ultra wide today, but this was almost 40 years ago! Pity that it was so rare to shoot a photo for Schaak that was in color.
I put my 24-120mm lens on my D4s, but it’s closest focus distance was 1.5 feet, not really providing the extreme perspective I was looking for. But my 14-24mm Nikkor focused to .9 feet so that’s what I used at it’s minimum aperture of f/22.
Nikon D4s, mounted on a Manfrotto 440 Carbon One tripod with an Acratech ballhead, 14-24mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens set to 24mm, ISO 100, f/22 @ 1/250th of a second (flash sync). Two Nikon SB-900 flash units, one at full power in a softbox providing the main light, the other at 1/4 power providing a little bit of rim light. And yes it took a lot of shots to capture the mid-drip look.
Now that I have this nice intense yellow paint my question is who, or what, can I paint yellow? Volunteers?
Byron was unknowing helpful to me regarding my approach to this week’s image. To explain, I had quickly settled on the idea of photographing a can of yellow paint and a paintbrush. And of course I thought about a lot of approaches to the photo, like putting my M3 in the background implying that I might paint the car yellow. (Actually if the M3 had been available in yellow I would have ordered it that way. But actually painting a car with a brush? I think not.)
Anyway, on Monday Byron, Erleen, Michelle and I went to dinner at Bill’s Pizza. Also along for the evening's festivities were Ron and Karen Kraft. Ron was a former overlord (college President) at HTC (Hennepin Technical Center/College). Byron particularly enjoys having Ron around now that the two of them are at at the same equal level, simply two retired guys!
When discussing work histories Byron made the remark about the very wide angle lens approaches that I practiced when photographing products for Schaak Electronics. Honestly it was something that was no longer in the forefront of my now feeble mind. But after hearing Byron talk I knew that was the approach I needed to take this week.
In the Schaak days I often photographed with a 4”x5” view camera, but when I wanted a really wide view I shot with a Hasselblad with a 40mm Distagon lens. That is roughly equivalent to shooting with a 24mm lens on a full frame Nikon. Not ultra wide today, but this was almost 40 years ago! Pity that it was so rare to shoot a photo for Schaak that was in color.
I put my 24-120mm lens on my D4s, but it’s closest focus distance was 1.5 feet, not really providing the extreme perspective I was looking for. But my 14-24mm Nikkor focused to .9 feet so that’s what I used at it’s minimum aperture of f/22.
Nikon D4s, mounted on a Manfrotto 440 Carbon One tripod with an Acratech ballhead, 14-24mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens set to 24mm, ISO 100, f/22 @ 1/250th of a second (flash sync). Two Nikon SB-900 flash units, one at full power in a softbox providing the main light, the other at 1/4 power providing a little bit of rim light. And yes it took a lot of shots to capture the mid-drip look.
Now that I have this nice intense yellow paint my question is who, or what, can I paint yellow? Volunteers?
Paul-
This is the second time I have submitted a picture of this yellow behemoth for the WPOTM. Don’t quite recall seeing it before? Check out Year 3 (no. 132) “Color” on our web site.
To my slight embarrassment, this is also the second time I have shot this thing and have forgotten to look at its date/serial/model plate. So instead of going back and trespassing (again), I’m working from memory and research to tell you this is a purposely distorted image of part of a Caterpillar Model 120 Motor Grader. These iconic graders (at least I think they are) were introduced in America and Canada in 1964; the last where produced here in 1967. According to the link listed below, the 120 had a D333 six-cylinder engine producing 115 flywheel horsepower, and was equipped with a direct drive transmission.
This solitary 120 is permanently parked in noble repose on a long swath of lawn in front of one of the Department of Roads buildings here in the city—its working days a distant mechanical memory. (I sense it broods if I don’t stop by a couple times a year to photograph it.) Incidentally: As each year draws to an end, employees decorate it with Christmas lights…top to bottom. And it becomes transformed into something strangely, awkwardly beautiful.
I had planned on taking a not terribly inspired picture of the CAT and finishing it up with not terribly impressive post-work. At some point, I decided to try something new. I used Lightroom’s “Transform” feature and slammed the “Distortion” slider all the way over (-100) to the point where a pop-up message read “Danger. Cliché Effect in Process.” I ignored it. As for the color: I’ll cop to fiddling with the yellow hue a little--but very, very little.
Not too much yeller-belly to reveal it: 3:19PM. Nikon D5200; 18-55mm lens set at 31mm; ISO 800; 1/4000 sec. at f/5; -1 EV; aperture priority; matrix metering; WB set to cloudy. The camera was hand-held.
http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Caterpillar_120_Motor_Grader
This is the second time I have submitted a picture of this yellow behemoth for the WPOTM. Don’t quite recall seeing it before? Check out Year 3 (no. 132) “Color” on our web site.
To my slight embarrassment, this is also the second time I have shot this thing and have forgotten to look at its date/serial/model plate. So instead of going back and trespassing (again), I’m working from memory and research to tell you this is a purposely distorted image of part of a Caterpillar Model 120 Motor Grader. These iconic graders (at least I think they are) were introduced in America and Canada in 1964; the last where produced here in 1967. According to the link listed below, the 120 had a D333 six-cylinder engine producing 115 flywheel horsepower, and was equipped with a direct drive transmission.
This solitary 120 is permanently parked in noble repose on a long swath of lawn in front of one of the Department of Roads buildings here in the city—its working days a distant mechanical memory. (I sense it broods if I don’t stop by a couple times a year to photograph it.) Incidentally: As each year draws to an end, employees decorate it with Christmas lights…top to bottom. And it becomes transformed into something strangely, awkwardly beautiful.
I had planned on taking a not terribly inspired picture of the CAT and finishing it up with not terribly impressive post-work. At some point, I decided to try something new. I used Lightroom’s “Transform” feature and slammed the “Distortion” slider all the way over (-100) to the point where a pop-up message read “Danger. Cliché Effect in Process.” I ignored it. As for the color: I’ll cop to fiddling with the yellow hue a little--but very, very little.
Not too much yeller-belly to reveal it: 3:19PM. Nikon D5200; 18-55mm lens set at 31mm; ISO 800; 1/4000 sec. at f/5; -1 EV; aperture priority; matrix metering; WB set to cloudy. The camera was hand-held.
http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Caterpillar_120_Motor_Grader
Jerry-
I think what I really wanted to do was get one of Kevin's models and wrap her up in yellow caution tape but managed to hold back on that idea. Instead I took a photo of my yellow triceratops walking by our dog Sam. This was with the Sony A6300 with 16-50 set to 50mm, 1/30 @ f8, ISO 12,800. Illumination by the table lamp by Sam.
I think what I really wanted to do was get one of Kevin's models and wrap her up in yellow caution tape but managed to hold back on that idea. Instead I took a photo of my yellow triceratops walking by our dog Sam. This was with the Sony A6300 with 16-50 set to 50mm, 1/30 @ f8, ISO 12,800. Illumination by the table lamp by Sam.
Byron-
Yellow is an important color. It is used to draw attention. Whether it is a school bus, a pedestrian sign or yellow snow, it makes a statement. This sign is across the street from the Palm Springs Convention Center. It warns drivers that people will be crossing the street here, even though it is in the middle of the block.
ISO 100, F5.6, 1/400 sec., 55mm, WB set to daylight.
Yellow is an important color. It is used to draw attention. Whether it is a school bus, a pedestrian sign or yellow snow, it makes a statement. This sign is across the street from the Palm Springs Convention Center. It warns drivers that people will be crossing the street here, even though it is in the middle of the block.
ISO 100, F5.6, 1/400 sec., 55mm, WB set to daylight.