November 21, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
Here is another image I shot last Monday at the Monument Hill State Historic Site near La Grange, TX. I usually wait for a partly cloudy day to shoot landscapes but the crystal blue skies in the eastern most corner of the Texas Hill Country were crying to be photographed.
On A Clear Day
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shots taken with a Canon 40D tripod mounted, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM at 16mm, f/11 for 1/90th of a second at ISO 100 on SanDisk digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
A Little Texas History
Monument Hill is hallowed ground. The remains of men who perished in the struggle for Texas independence are entombed in a granite crypt — their names etched in stone and marked by a towering monument. It is a memorial to the men who died in two separate events in the 1840s: the Dawson Massacre and the infamous Black Bean Death Lottery.
In 1842 Texan forces battled at Salado Creek to repel the Mexican invaders who had captured nearby San Antonio. Nicholas M. Dawson’s advance militia company of 54 men, most from Fayette County, marched toward San Antonio to join the fight. As they approached the battlefield, 500 Mexican soldiers attacked, killing 36 men in what became known as the Dawson Massacre. Three men escaped but 15 were taken prisoner and marched over 1,000 miles toward Perote Prison near Vera Cruz in southern Mexico.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Canon 40D, EF-S 10-22mm F/3.5-4.5 USM, Monument Hill State Historic Site, Photography, Texas Hill Country | 1 Comment »
November 20, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
I think I’m on a roll here so I’m gonna keep going.
One of the other neat little things that the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens excels at is wide-angle high dynamic range photography. I believe the keys to a really cool HDR image are good color depth and incredible detail and this lens performs very well on both fronts.
I took this series of three images (shown here as a finished HDR image) at both the minimum focusing distance (about 10 inches) and the widest focal length (10mm) for this zoom. If you click on the image below you can see the incredible detail in the texture of the wood and rocks captured by this lens.
Enjoy!
Wide-Angle HDR
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shots taken with a Canon 40D tripod mounted, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM at 10mm, f/13 at ISO 100 on SanDisk digital film. The HDR file was made from three RAW images tone-mapped in Photomatix Pro. All other post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Photography, Canon 40D, HDR, High Dynamic Range, EF-S 10-22mm F/3.5-4.5 USM | No Comments »
November 19, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
If you’ve read yesterday’s post about the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens the question you’re probably asking yourself is just how wide does that lens really go?
Here’s a pretty good example from Monday’s visit to the Monument Hill State Historic Site. I took this shot (series of three shots converted into an HDR file) with my 40D tripod mounted and the lens at 10mm without a circular polarizer. Yes, that’s correct. NO circular polarizer!
To give you a better idea of just how much detail this lens captures, the tree just to my left was less than 3 feet away from me. The Colorado river seen in the center of the image is about 2 miles away and the bridge you see in the distance is over 6 miles away (as the crow flies).
If you click on the image below and look left of center above the horizon you can also make out the faint outline of the moon.
Not too bad for a “consumer grade” lens!
Really, Really Wide
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shots taken with a Canon 40D tripod mounted, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM at 10mm, f/13 at ISO 100 on SanDisk digital film. The HDR file was made from three RAW images tone-mapped in Photomatix Pro. All other post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Photography, Canon 40D, HDR, High Dynamic Range, EF-S 10-22mm F/3.5-4.5 USM | No Comments »
November 18, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
I’m fickle when it comes to lens selection.
I’ve been using the EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM as my primary landscape lens for quite some time, even though it’s really a 27-64mm lens on my 40D’s APS-C size sensor. I really like the “feel” of this lens on my 40D. It’s not too heavy nor too large. The build quality is superb and the USM auto-focus is lightning fast. This lens is incredibly sharp at any aperture in my experience.
I also like the “value” that this lens provides. At $670 (USD), this lens is a steal and holds it’s resale value extremely well. This is also one of the least expensive “L-Series” lenses that Canon makes. Given all this I never thought I’d regret my decision to purchase this lens.
But all that changed when I rented the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens to see what a real wide-angle zoom was like on the 40D.
All I can say is WOW!
If you could pick up each lens while blindfolded you might be able to better understand my feelings.
The EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens looks, feels and performs just like it’s more expensive “cousins” the EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM and the EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM lenses.
It is tack-sharp throughout it’s entire aperture range (f/3.5 - f/22) as far as I can tell, and the color depth and image contrast it produces is incredible.
And talk about wide! Most of us using APS-C size sensors have no idea what shooting with a true ultra-wide angle lens is like. This lens finally lets us really “go wide” in our landscape work.
At $700 (USD) it’s the same price as the 17-40mm f/4 L and half the price of the 16-35mm f/2.8 L. For anyone shooting with an APS-C sensor, this is your wide-angle zoom. Don’t let the lack of a red stripe, lens hood and bag fool you. The EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is an “L-Series” lens in disguise.
Lens photographs above courtesy and copyright Canon USA.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Canon 40D, EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM, EF-S 10-22mm F/3.5-4.5 USM, Photography | No Comments »
November 17, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
Here is one more image taken a few weeks ago in the Texas Hill Country on a beautiful autumn day.
Rolling Hills
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shots taken with a Canon 40D hand-held, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM at 17mm, f/16 for 1/90th of a second at ISO 200 on SanDisk digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Canon 40D, Photography, Texas Hill Country | No Comments »
November 16, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
Here’s another image I took a few weeks ago while hiking in the Texas Hill Country.
Take a good look at this image. It was taken hand-held with my “consumer grade” EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens, not with one of my heavier and more expensive “L Series” lenses and yet, the sharpness, contrast and bokeh are outstanding. Don’t let anyone fool you. Canon’s consumer grade lenses are fully capable of producing great images.
Enjoy!
Texture
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shots taken with a Canon 40D hand-held, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM at 78mm, f/5.6 for 1/30th of a second at ISO 200 on SanDisk digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Canon 40D, Photography, Texas Hill Country | 1 Comment »
November 15, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
The Texas Hill Country is one of the most unique and beautiful areas I’ve ever seen. Hiking through this area on a quiet fall afternoon is one of the simple pleasures that make living in Texas so wonderful. I took these two shots a few weeks ago when the colors were just beginning to change. I’ll be back on Monday hoping to capture the warmth and beauty of an autumn day in the Texas Hill Country.
Hill Country Trail
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shots taken with a Canon 40D hand-held, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM at 22mm, f/19 at ISO 200 on SanDisk digital film. The HDR file was made from three RAW images tone-mapped in Photomatix Pro. All other post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Up Hill Climb
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shots taken with a Canon 40D hand-held, EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM at 17mm, f/19 at ISO 200 on SanDisk digital film. The HDR file was made from three RAW images tone-mapped in Photomatix Pro. All other post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Canon 40D, High Dynamic Range, Photography, Texas Hill Country | 1 Comment »
November 14, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
Of all the aircraft flown in WWII and later, the P-51 Mustang holds a special place in hearts of most pilots. In keeping with the week’s Veteran’s Day theme, here are a couple of shots of this magnificent plane in action.
Strangely enough, the P-51 Mustang originated from the specifications for a new British RAF fighter. It was designed and built in only four months and the first prototype flew on October 26th 1940. The first production version for the British, the Mustang I, flew in April of 1941. The P-51 continued it’s active service role into the Korean conflict and was used by many Air Force Reserve and National Guard units for years after that.
Man, what a beauty!
P-51 Mustang
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 40D hand-held, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM at 300mm, f/8 for 1/500th of a second at ISO 200 on SanDisk digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Mustang Diving
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 40D hand-held, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM at 300mm, f/8 for 1/500th of a second at ISO 200 on SanDisk digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Canon 40D, Commemorative Air Force, Photography, Wings Over Houston | No Comments »
November 13, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
Here’s an image taken at last month’s Wings Over Houston air show. I believe this is a replica of a Japanese “Zero” fighter from WWII used by the Commemorative Air Force in their “Tora Tora Tora” demonstration.
Zero
Copyright © 2008 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 40D hand-held, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM at 300mm, f/8 for 1/500th of a second at ISO 200 on SanDisk digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Noise Ninja. Click on the image above for a larger version.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Canon 40D, Commemorative Air Force, Photography, Wings Over Houston | No Comments »
November 12, 2008 by Jeff Lynch
Well it finally happened. I’ve been hounding Mark Krajnak (the notorious K-Man photographed by Joe McNally in his The Hot Shoe Diaries post) for the past few months to start a photo-blog. I’m a real fan of all his Flicker images especially his Jersey Noir shots and I’ve been gently prodding him (see my K-Man Lights Em Up! post) to blog about his images, his motivation and techniques. It looks like my (oh so subtle) suggestions (subtle as a freight train) worked and I’m proud to announce Mark’s new blog.
Click on the image above to be taken to Mark’s blog.
Posted in Photography | Tagged Mark Krajnak, Photography | 2 Comments »
