Saturday, March 17, 2018

Outdoor Photos



Of all the stuff taught in schools never used, it would seem there would be a photography course.. seeing endless photos of blurred faces, poor color saturation, blurred faces .. ugh
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School Event pics under the Gazebo 

Under a gazebo or any shelter that has a roof but open so light comes through

Overcast .. pics wont be too bad .. but

If it is bright out when people are under a roof, the light behind em can ruin your pics
Any time the light behind people is brighter than the light falling on their face they are back lit.

1  At Rising Park
I see Soooo many pics of couples taken here in bright sun and their features are obscured.
All dressed up an event that only takes place a few times in their lives.
All their friends n family rave how beautiful.. yeah because they are loved.

2  At Rising Park
Ah ha some one knew about the magic of fill in flash.
I don't know about new phone camera flash units but most are not powerful as a dedicated digital camera flash.
Fill in means it will flash every time regardless of how light or dark it is.
The closer to people the greater effect the flash will have so you might need to go for a waist up shot to move in close.
Afternoon the sun is toward the tennis court.
Glasses can cause a reflection but having people with glasses to shift their head around a bit changes the angle the flash hits and you will get some good shots with out a reflection




3  I don't know where these guys are, just a point about light
The kids in front are well lit, the roof is not putting their faces in the shade. In back the eyes can not be seen.. poor color saturation and detail

4  Don't know where this pic was taken but
Overcast and the kids came out from under the roof where the faces are well exposed.
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Check the weather map
If you want to stand on top of Mt P with the city behind you, the best time is before 10 so you are not back lit or use fill in light

PHOTOS ON TOP ANY TIME OF THE DAY
If the sun is not shinning through.. cloudy, you can get good pics on Mt P with Lancaster in the background

SUNNY DAY PICS ON MT P
If you want to stand on Mt P with Lancaster in the background
*  Before 10 AM you are good
*  Midday the sun will cause harsh shadows, turn your back to the sun and have the photographer get close and use fill in flash

*  IF it is a bit warm out, the climb will make you a bit red and likely perspire. Walk up about an hour before and have a handkerchief to blot.

*  After noon back of peoples head toward the fairground, photograph on top with them, move in and use flash

*  After noon people facing the fairground, photographer with a powerful telephoto down on the fairgrounds shooting people on top.

STANDING UNDER TREES
*  Standing under trees, overcast is ok but if the sun is filtering through the trees there will be cobweb shadows on those you are taking pics of. Move em to solid shade.
When you take pics of groups in spotty shade some faces will be hard to see.

Maybe the photography club could create a short course of outdoor photography n students could do a short trip.
(Day selected by checking the weather forecast)

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Gazebo pics



How pics have I seen of people getting pics under the gazebo where their faces are hidden in the shadow.

The lights on your camera phones are not very powerful so you have to be close. Go after the waist to the top of the head.
The light will bring out their eyes and give the face good color saturation

Just try it on a sunny day, put some pals under the gazebo while they r n the shade, move in close and take one pic with and one pic with out fill n flash .. digital camera or phone  
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Sunsets



Almost any day of the year you can walk up n find couples, friends n families looking over our turf.
You can decrease the contrast a bit n make the sky orange but you must use flash
The effect that flash will have depends on distance. Move in and frame em from the waist up. Make sure the sun is peeking behind them.. they don't cover it. Move in and out a bit taking a couple shots. Pick the best n delete the rest :)  



Here I compared flash n no flash with these guys. When the light is brighter behind someone their face becomes kind of a silhouette.

These two pics were taken seconds apart. Flash makes the difference between muddy shots or great color saturation and sparkling eyes.
Think waist to the top of the head shot. You can adjust the effect of the flash by moving closer or further away.. with a new digital camera you can use your flash compensation.

Dealing with glare, sunglasses take em off, regular glasses have your person keep looking at the camera but moving their head up, down, right, left slightly n one of the pics should have no glare. 
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NIGHT PICS


You can get super nice shots from Mt P.


At fair time or after dark with the city lights, you can get great people pics, but you have to use your phone light or camera flash to make the magic work ...

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They painted numbers on the post, this spot is at post 32.
Standing at this location is a rock a little higher then the rest.
Having your people just on the other side of the rail you will have a downward view ... great shot



If it is overcast, tilt the camera down to avoid the sky and use flash

Remove hats.. hoods n if it is a bit windy place any long hair persons so their hair is not flying in the faces of their pals.

Get em to remove any sun glasses, if they have regular glasses have em move their heads n slightly different directions while looking at the camera
.. and USE FLASH


Some like to walk out toward the edge but just let em duck under the rail so they are just on the other side. Some of em r like chipmunks sitting on the edge.. keep em close to the rail.


Standing on my favorite spot it was afternoon n I turned their faces from the sun. Because the light behind them was brighter than the light falling on their faces their faces would have been in a bit of a shadow.
Having them move close I turned the flash all the way up n produced great color saturation n made their eyes sparkle.

Your phones use LEDs (I guess) so it is a constant light. The closer any light flash/led is the greater the effect.
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Light causes your eyes to close down a bit. If you are using a phone camera.. I guess it is not a flash.. so
But if you use a flash, it will do it's job before you have a chance to squint.

Glasses/reflective surfaces are a bit of a problem but you can get pretty good shots any way.

When people wear sun glasses ask em to put them on top of their head.
When you are at the park there will be other visitors near. Instead of trying to get a selfie with your pals, just ask someone to take.. 3 shots... one will be the best one :)
So close a cool place to get pets for my Pup n pics on my photo safari's. As soon as I get home I share my photos on facebook.
Sony a65, 600mm Tamon and tripod (Oct 9, 2018)

There are dozens of Rising Park websites and facebook groups just like mine. My Google Map with a few of my favorites.

A few Others ... click on their photo links

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/risingpark/


https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/633649713493209/mt-pleasant-in-rising-park/


Rising Park on Google Maps



Rising Park offical facebook page


Mt Pleasant in Rising Park

Rising Park Paper Mill


Rising Park ...

etc.. hundreds of sites just like mine and thousands upon thousands of photos just like mine on social media.
Such a great place to photograph n get pets for your pups :)


Sunrise Photos

SUNRISE VIDEO @ MT. PLEASANT
Lancaster, Ohio

Photographers travel around the world and plan months ahead of time to capture special images that only happen at that place and that particular time.
Some times after great planning and expense the weather ruins it.
Seeing some of the great pics of FB pals, I am guessing they might be into capturing a sunrise coming up directly behind Mt. Pleasant.
*  What is the weather forcast for that morning
*  Where is a place with no obsticals in the view.
*  If taking a video, what cars or people will be passing in front of the camera.
*  One of our best spots are in the fairground parking lot by broad street (the county fair going on in that period) will it have cars and campers still there?

3rd attempt
2021 I got my wish no clouds but the sun flare wiped out detail. Next year maybe ...
Doing time lapse and video, I did capture geese flying over, that will be a good clip to add.
I capture a great full moon that night.



My first two attempts were over by the fence (marked 1). Taking time lapse and video people walking in front and cars driving around added unwanted content.

Time lapse, you can pshop the stills but it is a lot of work.
I am guessing setting a tripod on the race track (yellow 2) on the inside rail so joggers would not get in the capture would work out.


There are some poles and electric lines in the view from position 2, so check that out before u get up early .. that day

There are a couple weeks in the spring to capture the sun coming up directly behind Mt. P. 


Also there is an app called photopills that some of you might know how to use but I don't have an internet camera so I use the desktop version
You might have an accurate prediction of the days and places to setup.

In October the sunrise will follow this path.

An Intervalometer (for time lapse) can be bought for less than $50. Some cameras have them built in.




Places to set up a tripod where people n cars won't get in the view on the track inside next to the white rail.


There are sooooo many beautiful photos of sunsets but I have not seen any such sunrise images of the sun coming up behind Mt. P.
Maybe you live in a place where you can see the sunrise, you could hone your skills then if you get froggy take a shot of capturing a sunrise from the fairgrounds.




FB group for others who love Mt. Pleasant
https://www.facebook.com/groups/302659221096890/


Live Video

Promoting business in Fairfield County
Chamber of Commerce 
Lancaster Festival
Visit Fairfield County

I assume these are organizations to promote businesses in our community.
I have seen live web cams on beaches, in hotels, in museums and in different locations in cities.
I am not sure how many people those Mt Pleasant lights bring to our community but have thought about placing a live webcam on top of them. One pointed toward Mt. Pleasant and the other pointed to the west.
When ever things get 'normal' it would show events going on at the fair grounds and would capture sunsets.
I would guess a local provider would donate the free streaming service.
Businesses downtown could put up their own cams.

On facebook we have an events section. Here could be a live webcam events page where people could see events going on in real time.
Football games, graduations, karaoke night, church services, parades.. this facebook events page would show people what is going on.
Earthcam is one example 
https://www.earthcam.com/ 
The expense of a webcam and internet service to a business owner would be nothing.. best advertisement in the world.

If you know any business owners, ask em what they think about the idea.
Now with the virus stuff going on people could get an idea what is going on in public places with the mask issue n such.

Here is one in Troy Ohio

They have them in zoos where you can pick a particular camera to see chosen critters.

Wineries, Rock Mill how many places can you think could use a cam to bring visitors?
The cost to each business.. the camera and internet connection .





Mount Pleasant, Rising Park, Lancaster Ohio, Photos, Maps

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Sky Observers


Sky observers who live near Broad Street.

Capturing a sunrise behind Mount Pleasant can only be done a few weeks in the spring and fall.

I have made a couple tries but the clouds did not play nice
I have to drive to Lancaster, set up and wait.

I took a tripod and telephoto on Mt. Pleasant and scanned the sky here are some of the photos from Mt. P .

I saw some houses in a good path to view the sun and moon, relative to Mt. P. 
I thought living here, would be great to observe these events.

There are locations around the earth where photographers plan a year ahead for the sun to be in the perfect position to catch a shot.
Millions of apps like photopills are sold to photographers to plan their photo shoots.


One attempt
Another attempt 

Either the sun was not directly behind Mt. P. or the clouds got in the way.

It should look something like this


In addition to the sun relative to Mt. Pleasant, the moon also. I saw a photo of the moon rising behind (someone driving by in a car)

If you live with a clear view of Mt. P. (broad street direction) and might contribute you can join this facebook group and post photos when you spotted these sun/moon events.

When you join a group you can be swamped with stuff you don't wanna see. After joining click on the unfollow options and then you can post your info.

The moon and sun move pretty fast.. so record the time the photos are taken :)

My video of a sunset when a plane flew over the sun. I hope to make a complete video from sunrise, sunset and the moon behind or passing over Mt. P... 

There is a light pole in the parking lot that I set up in front of so it is not in the view. As the sun is coming up there were trucks and people walking by but I can fix that.
In front of the light pole is a prime location to mark the spot X

If they know what they are talking about, the sun and moon will be in the same positions on the same date and time the following year.. so this would be a guide for when to set up to take photos from the parking lot. (of course the sky condition is a factor)

There are thousands of photos and videos taken from the top of Mt. Pleasant but few great pics of Mt P from ground level.


This is Kookie's fb account (my pup)

Thanks 


Mount Pleasant, Rising Park, Lancaster Ohio, Photos, Maps







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Tripod

This is not a park gadget.

 I love photography and it is my own experiment with ideas to promote  Mount Pleasant and photo ideas. 😂 

If you would like to invite your pack to meet on 
Mt Pleasant  This page will let you share an invitation 

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Using the wood slots below  the red arrow.
Pick the slot that your camera fits in
Turn the camera horizontally so the lens is out.
Line up your pals making room for yourself
Turn on the timer and jump in the shot
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 If you take pics with this gadget or your own and want to share them on Instagram, use the tag #risingpark.

I see so many people trying to do pics with their pals sticking out their arms or sometimes putting their phones on the ground like THIS, so I was inspired to think of some gadget to hold phones .


To get the best photos with your gang, I figure is just ask another visitor there if they will take your pic together. Do 5, one will be better than all the rest.

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Depending the day of the year, the sun can set to the extreme left or right. I created a map HERE that will put you in the ball park. 


I have managed to get Mount Pleasant on Google Maps.
There are so many Mount Pleasants when it is typed in.. ugh so I got them to list it as Mount Pleasant in Rising Park.

You can write your review on the map and post a couple of your best photos if you get froggy HERE. The bright orange line is where it vanishes.
* If it is hot or bright, bring sun glasses and something to blot the perspiration from faces 😋
*  As the sun goes down, point the camera away to that background and put your subject in it.
*  On the descent it will get dimmer and a darker color, that is when to put your subject in front of it and use flash.
After it goes down.. not dark there will be a colorful band of color. My favorite time to take people's pic and use fill in flash.


Locals come to Mt Pleasant a lot and I see many from a distances. They post their pics but are never there the same time as their pals.
At the bottom here are a couple small icons. You can share this page on twitter or facebook by clicking on them.
When to come, I would suggest the 3rd week end in June.


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Previous tripod attempts.. 








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To share this page:
Click the f  or t icon below to share this page.

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Time Lapse

Using time lapse for a photo shoot.
Time lapse is known for capturing star trails, squeezing a long period of time into a short clip and such things
BUT

I thought of another great application

If your camera does not have a built in timer (intervalometer)
You can buy one to work with your brand of camera. 

Here they are on Amazon 
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I wanted to go to town but goofed off too long, so I did a little demo in the yard.
Delay  Long Intvl N Sound (music note) on this model.

Each field has these times to set
Hr Min Sec
00    00    00


*  Delay is how long you want the timer to wait till it starts taking pics
.. I set it at 15 secs to allow myself time to get in the frame
00 00 15

*  Long is ONLY for time exposures
.. 00 00 00

*  Intvl is how long you want it to wait between shots.
.. 00 00 20 This allowed me to move around to get in a different pose and try to get Kookie in position.

* N  number of shots
.. 11, I set the gadget to take 11 pics

* Sound off

I plugged it into my camera (forgot to adjust the settings but wanted to get it done)

I turned my camera to a 2 second timer (because on timer you get an audio warning and know it is ready to take a pic )

Every 20 seconds the meter would click the shutter which started the 2 sec timer.. just wanted that so I could hear when it was about to take a photo



Had a movie camera on a tripod that took a video of the camera with the timer on a tripod.. so you could get the idea.

In an actual photo shoot you might have a list of poses ready to get into for the next shot.
Pics bad.. had the camera set for a unique lighting but you can get the idea.

Each of these photos were taken automatically while the model (ugh me n Kookie) squirmed around.. but if you wanna do a photo shoot of yourself or with pals.. this is a super cool method.










IF you were using a timer on your camera you would have to keep going back and forth but with this setup, you just have to be in the frame with your chosen background and your photographer (time lapse camera) will take as many as you chose.. just letting others see the ones you like.

When people wanna do pics, I tell em go search google images for poses. If they captured poses they wanted on their phones they could look at the phones for a pose, after it was taken, scroll to the next pose and be ready for the next shot.. a lot easier than figuring a pose in a matter of seconds.. 

I am not into phone cameras but they do make time lapse apps for phone cameras, you would just have to put your phone on a tripod :)
I hoped to get some hams make the demo.. :)

If I can find some local 'models' to do a well planned demo.. well :)



Memorials at Rising Park

A while back I joined the Lancaster Ohio High School Alumni that shares events, photos and the passing of classmates. Last year at graduation I thought of the little girl that would have graduated but for the accident.
Who would you like to share a memory of or how might you want to be remembered?

Through out the park there are many trees with people's names on them.
Benches and bricks with loved one's names on them.


Not just individuals or families but company names too.
Family memorials and company contributors.


Most people don't know what goes on at the park unless they read it in social media.
Much bigger than a bench, this giant piece of concrete was put here for mountain climbers to scale .. and no complaints :)
Dedicated park benches and such already exist through out the park.


If you wanted to plant a memorial tree or add a marker... bench.. the Friends of the Park does that HERE.

With all the markers at the park, if some future generation wanted to find one of their family members it would be tough.
I thought some group like the scouts might take on the project with gps and record names.
Names and locations to create a park docket of markers and create an internet file in alphabetical order. 


The park is peppered with memorial markers.. but words only.

Just names.. hmmm no I am thinking family members might be able to add a photo of their loved ones at play if they had one.
The thought that the names on markers be placed in a searchable page and it would lead to a page with pics of the person n maybe a little bio of em.
Belonging to a group here that post about obituaries I see lots of people I went to school with and one of them was buried at Forest Rose. I go there sometimes to take pics of Mt Pleasant from the high place and wondered if I had ever walked by his grave.
After people are lost on occasion they are mentioned for a bit, some things about them, but what might they want known about themselves? I suppose if they shared their thoughts while they were still kicking and their marker was placed in the park, others might share their legacy through photos n videos. 




One night I went to catch a sunset, I saw this paper with a rock holding it down.. thought it was a girlfriend note at first ... but


A few times I have seen people having services. On this night this family was releasing this balloon. Found out I went to high school with em.

Me thinking a memorial registry with links to pics to put a face on those being remembered.. hmmmm



On top people can sit on the rocks or stand up against the rail. I imagined this would be a nice place for a bench in memory of the little girl who fell . Of course it would need to be turned a bit for the sunset and the park board would need to approve it..  ... 
Below in the playground area, people place bricks with the names of loved ones as memorials.
Families contact "the friends of the park" and have bricks with the names of their loved ones placed here.

hmmm thinking if bricks with the names of lost pets were placed around the bench on top of Mt. P. , it would continue to expand.. maybe make a sidewalk to the path coming up :)
Of course similar type bricks, ground prep n names on bricks would be paid for in the memorial brick cost.

Those who love their fuzz balls, pay lots of money in memorials and such.
In this area on top, I would like to see a bench on this spot..

The library might have more pics I have heard there was a building where the pipe stands and saw this pic of a windmill.

My imagination never stopping I thought wonder if the park placed a sign there like at hocking hills or endless other parks.
I own the domain risingpark.com but they can have it or get one of their own.
That one link would open up endless web pages, how to get a great photo, history of the park, geology, a guest book where visitors could sign their names and add photos of their visits.

In high school, classes spend hours in drafting and art on things that will never become anything, but it might be fun for them to design what this marker would look like .
The pipe shouldn't be bare.
Instead of people bricks, people who loved their pups might donate a brick for their pups beginning at the pipe then creating a path above to avoid the mud when it rains.

In the years I have been coming up there have been a few big trees growing on the edge that fell over and now there are areas where they are hiding the view. I don't know what it is but there is an ever green bush on my property that does not get very high but is very tough .. don't know who would get out there to plant it 😕
I have seen a couple videos of rope training on Mt P.



Rising Park, Mount Pleasant #risingpark, Lancaster Ohio, PuppyDog
 





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Hill or Mountain

A hill is a piece of land that rises higher than everything surrounding it. ... But, like a mountain, a hill will usually have an obvious summit, which is its highest point. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is no official difference between hills and mountains.

Sometimes I go to Forest Rose on the hill to take pics of Mt Pleasant and just had the thought there are other places just as high.
Mount Pleasant is a summit located in Fairfield County, OH at N39.72479° W82.59405° (NAD83) and at an elevation of 1079 ft MSL.


Fairfield County's highest elevation is 391 meters (1,283 feet) which ranks it 51st in terms of highest elevations when compared to a total of 88 counties in Ohio.

So why is it referred to as "Mount" Pleasant?
The difference in it and any hill around the county is erosion which stripped the dirt and exposed the rock face.

It is because of the shear drop off and the view. Unlike being on a hill with a gradual drop off and a bunch of trees in the view.. it is the bird's eye and danger element that draws people here.



When it comes to the beauty of exposed rocks, mostly locals take pics of it or the paper.

In the years that I came to specifically take pics of the face, there were no others.
People do not come here from surrounding counties, states or countries and sit in the fairgrounds to gaze at Mt P, but they come here in droves, through out the seasons and generations to sit on the rocks, lean on the rail and gaze over the turf.

There is something about being up high... king of the mountain :)
Communities through out the US.. the world spend great amounts to build observations and visitors come in droves for the view.

Me thinking Mt Pleasant would be a super spot to build an observation tower and sky lab
(Mt Pleasant is not the highest place in Fairfield County. Looks like it is near Amanda where the WHOK tower is built )

Rainy day thoughts b4 the grind stone.... Dec 1, 2018