Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX 35mm f/2.8 Macro

For this past holidaymas I obtained a Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX 35mm f/2.8 Macro lens. I had a long post written out about it, but I guess I wasn't supposed to post it because I lost the whole thing when I went to save it. So rather than re-type it I'll give you the condensed version. And yes, I know it was stupid not to save incrementally :).

Since I have limited experience with lenses I'm going to share what I have observed from using this lens this past week compared the kit lenses I have been using.

So the quick and dirty. The lens is very sharp compared to the kit lenses. It can focus extremely close, so much so that you have to be careful of lens shadow when shooting at or close to 1:1. It's not good for bugs or anything else that is skittish, since they tend to not let you get that close to them, but great for everything else. The autofocus can be excruciatingly slow once you get close to the range of macro.

Now on to the photos. I took all of these photos this past week using the  Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX 35mm f/2.8 Macro.










These are just a few, there are more on my Flickr. Please feel free to comment, question, and critique, I always look forward to hearing others' opinions on my work.

Photoshop Black and White Adjustment Layers

There are many ways to make a black and white image in Photoshop. You can convert to image to grayscale, add a gradient map, set the saturation to -100, or add a black and white adjustment. The black and white adjustment is my favorite way of making an image black and white. I feel that it gives the most creative control of the image.

You can use the black and white adjustment directly on the image layer by going to Image > Adjustments > Black & White (or alt + shift + ctrl + B) or you can make an adjustment layer by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White. Both will allow you to change how black or white each primary color (reds, yellows, greens, cyans, blues, magentas) appears in the image and add a tint to make the image duotone. If you use the black and white adjustment directly on the image layer that's all you get. Once you hit "OK" you have to undo it and reapply the adjustment. By using an adjustment layer you can alleviate this issue.

When you create a black and white adjustment layer it will add a new layer with a layer mask on it. Having this extra layer opens up several opportunities that you can't get by using a direct image adjustment. You can now come back to the layer and adjust the color sliders and tint as often as you want. You can also create a clipping mask, use blend modes, or create a gradient on the layer.

Here are a few images that I have created using black and white adjustment layers:


For this image I used the blending mode Darker Color. When using this blend mode, adjusting the color sliders determines what colors come through and what colors are grayscale, as well as how dark the grayscale versions of those colors are.


This one was created by using a radial gradient that becomes transparent in the center on the black and white adjustment layer. You can make this by using the Gradient Tool (or hitting G) and selecting Radial Gradient. Note that the gradient needs to be black to white for this to work. The black areas will be the transparent portion of the gradient and the white will look normal.


This one was created by using a clipping mask and the Darker Color blending mode. I cut the car out of the image, used it as a clipping mask, and set a black and white adjustment to Darker Color on it so that only the car would have any color. The background just has a simple black and white adjustment layer.


On this image I also used the Darker Color blending mode. I set it so that only magenta and reds would show.


For this one I set the blending mode to Linear Light and set all colors except Reds to -200 on the black and white adjustment layer.

As you can see there are many creative uses of the black and white adjustment layer. If you have any questions or suggestions about anything in this post, or in general, feel free to ask. Also feel free to post any images you've created in the comments. I'd love to see what other people are doing with adjustment layers.

Fireball

Several days ago, my friend and partner in sound, Frankie Loscavio, and I decided to try out a product called FireIce. FireIce is basically a fire suppressant that can be used to extinguish fire and reduce heat transmission. It is so good at reducing heat transmission that you can actually hold a flaming object in your hand without being burned, which leads me to our test.

We decided to test this product by holding a burning tennis ball in our hands. We took many precautions and did much research before we went out to conduct this experiment so as not to turn an already dangerous situation into a deadly situation.

The FireIce is a powder that when mixed with water instantly turns into a gel. A 3.125oz bottle converts into 2.5gal of gel. Once mixed up, Frankie coated his hand in the gel and we set about our experiment.

Now on to the photography. I shot the photos with my Canon Rebel T3 with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens. Most of the pictures were taken at 46-55mm with an aperture of f/5-5.6. I experimented with a few different ISOs, with 200 producing the best pictures in my opinion. The ambient light was coming from behind us, we were in a moderately dark area and the subject had a fairly dark environment behind it.

Here are a few of the pictures I shot, you can see the rest on Flickr.





As you can see, FireIce worked fantastic. Frankie was able to hold the fire for several minutes before starting to feel any discomfort from the flames. This potentially dangerous set turned out to be a very fun. I don't recommend doing anything like this unless you take plenty of time to prepare and remember that fire can very unpredictable.

Moon Shine

Last night the moon was full and extremely bright. I set up my camera with a 75-300mm zoom lens on a tripod and pointed towards the moon. I zoomed in to 300mm and set the aperture wide open, 5.6 for this lens at 300mm. I tested a few different shutter speeds and got the best results with 1/320. Using a remote shutter button to maintain as crisp an image as possible, I snapped away and this is what I got:

Here's to the Light

I want to start this blog off by stating that I am a complete noob when it comes to photography. I obtained my first dslr less than two months ago and have been soaking up as much about photography as I can. Starting this blog is a testament to my thirst for knowledge and my will to share that knowledge with others. I hope to get honest feedback on my photos and technique and hope to eventually help others who run into the same issues that I do.

With that being said, here are a few photos that I have shot so far: