Bermuda » Traverse Earth

My First Macro

Animals, Bermuda, Macros, Travel 1 Response »

Oct 192012

I mentioned a while back that I managed to stretch my insurance money for the stolen equipment pretty far by purchasing second hand items as much as I could. This meant that I added a macro lens to my arsenal. I’ve always been interested in macro photography but never really given it a try. It’s definitely not easy and I’m already learning that shooting macro in natural light is incredibly difficult. I’ll be purchasing some sort of flash as soon as possible.

One bonus I’ve got is that one of my windows functions like an ever changing terrarium. It’s got a load of leaves and vines over it and all sorts of little creatures turn up, including today’s photo of a lizard. This guy was about 4 inches long.

Beautiful Horseshoe Bay Bermuda

Bermuda, Travel 2 Responses »

Oct 022012

Once I got the weather I was after at Horseshoe I took quite a few pictures from the top of the rock there. Here’s another one, taken as the sun climbs a bit higher through the haze, spilling golden rays across the light pink sand and adding an extra glow to the cool turquoise water.

Sunset at Crawl Hill, Bermuda

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Sep 242012

First Photo with my New (Used) Gear

This is my first shot with the new gear I bought after those bastardos (the police taught me that) robbed me in Italy. I mentioned a little while back that I’d received my insurance check and, subsequently, my camera gear arrived on island. I haven’t really gone into what all I got and have yet to update the My Gear page (I’ve just noted that I should probably get on that). I decided to make a couple of changes though the majority of my gear has remained the same. I decided to stick with my combo of 5d mk ii and 7d camera bodies despite considering the 5d mk iii that has been released recently. In the end it came down to cost. I could buy both the 5d mk ii and 7d camera bodies used, on BH PhotoVideo, for considerably less than the cost of the 5d mk iii alone. On top of cost, I get to keep my two camera setup meaning I’ll have a backup in case I get a little too close to a waterfall or if a baboon steals one and chucks it off a cliff. I replaced my 14mm prime lens as well as my 24mm to 70mm zoom but rather than replace the 70-300mm zoom I had, I switched to 70-200mm lens. It’s just a much faster, better lens. It also seems a lot heavier, which I wasn’t anticipating. Along with it, I’ve bought an extender EF 2x II which increases it’s focal range to 140mm to 400mm.

Today’s Photo: Sunset at Crawl Hill, Bermuda

I spent a day out in St. Georges with my new gear. Unfortunately, for some reason my ISO was set at the max and I didn’t realize, so most of the images are unusable. On the way back the sunset was starting to get interesting so I pulled off onto the railway trail at the bottom of Crawl Hill and took this photo.

The Technical Bits

Camera: Canon 5d Mk II
Lens: EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM
ISO: 100
Exposure: 3.2, 13, 30 at f/18

Taking the Photo: Amongst the little bits I picked up along with my cameras and lenses was a variable neutral density filter. I didn’t actually know that they existed and just stumbled upon them. Rather than carrying numerous ND filters at varying levels you just buy one and twist it to adjust the darkness. It’s pretty cool, but I haven’t really had a chance to test it extensively. I used it for this picture and adjusted it dark enough until I got long enough exposures to totally blur the water.

Processing: Processing this photo was pretty straightforward without many issues. I combined the three exposures using Photomatix and then adjusted contrast and saturation in Photoshop before further bumping up the detail in Topaz Adjust.

Software: Photoshop, Topaz Adjust

Sensory Garden Cherub, Botanical Gardens, Bermuda

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Sep 142012

I’m enjoying having my camera gear back, even though yesterday I went out to Spittal Pond to take some pictures of the waves breaking on the rocks there and was driven away by pouring rain! Today, after work I stayed close to home and slipped into the sensory garden of the Botanical Gardens where I set up for this shot.

Sunset on the Dock

Bermuda, Travel 1 Response »

Sep 062012

This is a shot of Bermuda I took last year. I just found it stashed away on my hard drive. It was shortly after it had rained on the dock in Spanish Point.

The Surge, Bermuda

Bermuda, Travel 3 Responses »

Aug 292012

New Look Coming Tonight

I decided to overhaul the appearance of Traverse Earth about two months ago. It didn’t take me too long to design how I wanted it to look. Bending Suffusion (my WordPress template) to my will has taken quite a while though. I used DesktopServer to set up a development website that mirrored this one. I’ve now got it looking just about how I want it. So, I’ve decided to unleash it onto the world, tonight. So, as you’re reading this you my be looking at the old website, the new website, or some hideous, deformed in-between stage. Either way, I hope it works and that you like the end result.

Today’s Photo: The Surge, Bermuda

When I first got a camera that allowed me to adjust aperture and shutter speed I got really into photographing moving water. I’d fire off loads of photos at one scene then dig through them to find the most pleasing blurring of the waters motion. Not a lot has changed, except now I’m working with multiple exposures for each image. So, getting the timing right is a bit more complicated and there’s a lot more photos to sift through!

This photo was taken early morning, shortly after sunrise down on the beach on the Southlands property.

Moonrise at Sunset, Bermuda

Bermuda, Travel 1 Response »

Aug 252012

I was actually all set up for a photo in the other direction when I looked over my shoulder and the sun was on its way up just over a nice Bermuda roof. I quickly spun everything around and got set up for this shot. I switched to my 70-300mm lens and zoomed right in to make the moon as big as possible. I’ve tried processing this photo a number of times but was never satisfied with the results I got out of Photomatix. The roof looked dirty (which it wasn’t) and the moon just looked weird. So, tonight, I made a change. Rather than run it through Photomatix I just loaded all three images into Photoshop and masked through to the bits I wanted. This meant using the underexposed photo for the moon and a bit of the overexposed image to brighten up the roof. The moon still looks a bit weird but I think it’s the best I’m going to manage.

Let me know what you think.

Southland’s Sunrise, Bermuda

Bermuda, Travel 3 Responses »

Aug 122012

Escaping Genoa

Well, I’ve arrived in Italy. We’re staying in a really nice hotel in the Piemonte region. The flight arrived into Genoa airport after what must be one of the most spectacular landing approaches in the world. The plane flies along the coast, taking in little villages tucked into bays and then Genoa itself before landing on an a runway that seems to be surrounded on all sides by water.

Leaving Genoa to head North to our hotel, on the other hand, was not an easy task. We easily added a half hour onto our drive after missing a right hand turn and getting stuck going in the wrong direction on a toll road!

Today’s Photo: Southland’s Sunrise, Bermuda

Here is another photo from my morning down on the beach in Southlands. Should be posting a photo from Italy tomorrow night!

Good Morning, Bermuda Sunrise

Bermuda, Travel 1 Response »

Aug 062012

Another photo from my recent morning down on Southlands beach. I’m not sure what the name of the beach is, but it’s on the Southlands property. I hate getting up for sunrise, but I love being up for them. Especially, when you get a clear view of the sun peaking up over the horizon as I did in this case.

Bermuda Beach Sunrise

Bermuda, Travel 4 Responses »

Aug 012012

I was dragged out early this morning to visit a beach and take some sunrise photos. I’d been up late the night before and didn’t think I’d enjoy it. I’ve now remembered that I don’t need a lot of sleep. The morning actually yielded about 5 usable pictures. Pretty good really.

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