NASA has turned to a process devised in 1864 to help it measure shockwaves created by supersonic aircraft flight. The method, schlieren photography, was invented by German scientist August Toepler to observe the effect of objects moving through transparent media, such as water or air. Read more
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
There is something about the ocean that is mesmerizing. Check out these images to see some of the power of the sea.
By William Warby
This week it is your turn to go photograph the ocean. If you do not live near the sea find a body of water you can use as substitute and get creative. A large lake or reservoir could do the trick.
Use some different techniques such as varied exposure times. See this for more tips on photographing the waves. Play with your composition to create a unique result.
By Neville Nel
By Bill Devlin
By Aristocrats-hat
By Susanne Nilsson
Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer upload them to your favourite photo sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.
By Kris Williams
By Steve Corey
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The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Ocean Waves by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]
Floating above an 18,000-square-foot area of Dutch land that would be underwater were it not for defensive measures, the ethereal effect hovers between simulated aerial floodwater and imitation aurora borealis.
A temporary work in Westervoort, this latest pieced dubbed ‘Waterlicht’ by Daan Roosegaarde was created using LED projectors located on surrounding dykes, highlighting the essential role of flood prevention technology in keeping so much of the Netherlands dry. As the beams cross in the air, moved slowly up and down by motors, the effect seen in these images is created.
Visitors walking along those adjacent barriers perceive the illumination like an eerily lit surface of water below – those passing below the plane of light see something akin to the Northern Lights, normally a natural atmospheric effect reserved for rare and special conditions. “we create a virtual flood. Walking on the dike the light lines are perceived as high water, once in the flood channel you find yourself in an underwater world.”
The work was commissioned by the Dutch water board to keep up awareness about this vital element of the country’s infrastructure. “In Waterlicht people experience what the Netherlands would look like without its dykes. Awareness is crucial, because the Dutch (water)artworks need every day maintenance and our national water awareness is the foundation of that maintenance.”
No stranger to working with nighttime illumination, Roosegaarde is famous for other works including a night-lit bicycle path in the style of Van Gogh as well as schemes for glow-in-the-dark highway infrastructure.
The imagination readily fastens onto the anthropomorphic figures like those found in shipyards, turning looming metal giants into huge toy beasts, origami …
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Extended exposure photography combined with a unique art installation project creates an incredible time lapse illusion on the streets of Budapest, making …
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15 artists use light as a medium to craft incredible installations like massive LED cathedrals, glowing skeletons and fields of artificial flowers.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]
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[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]
Surfers living inland, or anyone who’s ever eyeballed their city’s river wishing they could use it to get around stalled traffic, could make their waveless surfing dreams come true with a self-propelled electric wakeboard. Developed by Swedish water sport company Radinn, the board is controlled via a wireless handheld remote and can zoom along the surface of the water at up to 30 miles per hour.
Jet-propelled by lightweight lithium batteries, the board is small enough to carry and has a carbon fiber body. It’s compatible with standard wakeboard bindings. Radinn created several generations of prototypes, testing and refining the design to prep it for production of the first batch of pre-orders this winter.
That means you can take it virtually anywhere, freeing the sport of surfing beyond the confines of beaches that get good waves. The electric wakeboard takes urban surfing even further than artificial waves in places like Munich’s English Garden, making it possible to cruise along virtually any body of water.
Until recently, anyone who wanted to surf the artificial waves in a river in Munich’s English Garden had to do so under cover of night, with one eye on …
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What Does It Mean to Be Homeless? An estimated 100 million people worldwide are “homeless” … but what is homelessness versus nomadism?
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Light, small and surprisingly fast, this single-wheeled cycle is designed to let you zip around cities, then stop and pick it up like a suitcase when you …
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[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]
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When photographing outdoors, you generally take the world as you find it, and you have very little control over the elements. You cannot control the weather. The terrain is a given. You certainly cannot control the skies or the clouds.
But when photographing seascapes there is one thing you can control, and that is the waves. At least, you can control the appearance of the waves. This is a fundamental difference between landscapes and seascapes.
In landscapes you have generally static ground and foreground elements, while in seascapes you are dealing with a fluid substance that is in constant motion. If you just treat a seascape as a landscape, you will get an ordinary photo, but with some attention to the waves you can get extraordinary pictures.
You can actually control the appearance of the waves in order to add just the right mood and interesting effects to your photos. It is actually very simple to do; it’s all about controlling your shutter speed. In general, the slower the shutter speed, the more calm and serene the water will appear, while a very fast shutter speed implies power and action.
In this article, I will walk you through some shutter speed ranges that you might try in your own seascape photography next time you are at the coast. So here are some tips to help you take better seascape photos:
To photograph moving water successfully at various speeds, you will not need much in the way of extra gear. Other than a camera, a tripod, and perhaps a remote shutter release, the only necessity is a neutral density filter.
It is best to have a few different strengths of neutral density filters. A 10-stop filter is a must, and from there I recommend adding a 3-stop and a 6-stop filter. In a pinch, remember that polarizing filters typically reduce the amount of light reaching the camera by two stops, so you can use a polarizer as well.
Coastal pictures are all about controlling the shutter speed, and you will usually find yourself trying to slow down the shutter speed. If you are shooting in one of the automatic modes, this is a good opportunity for you to step up Manual (M) mode. Just set the shutter speed where you want it, then if you can get the proper exposure by changing the aperture settings, great. But if not, use your neutral density filter to cut down on amount of light entering the camera.
This is also a rare instance where you might consider Shutter Priority (Tv or S) mode. Once you set the shutter speed, the camera will set the aperture for you. Of course, you could also use Aperture Priority (Av) mode and set the aperture with an eye toward where the camera is setting the shutter speed.
When you get to the coast, take a few test shots, Keep an eye on the histogram to make sure your exposure settings work for the mood you are trying to create.
Most of my favorite seascapes were taken at shutter speeds of 10 seconds or more (sometimes a lot more). Under calm conditions this adds a sense of serenity to the seascape. Under other conditions the slow shutter speed can add some drama to the scene.
To accomplish this effect, you are probably going to need to use the 10-stop neutral density filter. If you are set up for a proper exposure before you put the filter on the lens, you will need to add 10 full stops of light to get the proper exposure once the lens is on the camera. If your camera is set up to adjust in 1/3-stop increments, that will mean 30 clicks (of your dial) of additional light.
This filter is so powerful that it leads to some challenges. You are going to need to focus and set your exposure before you put the filter on the camera. Once you put the filter on, you will not be able to see anything or focus. A great process for these long exposures is this article: Step-by-step Guide to Long Exposure Photography
In addition, keep in mind that the exposure will be quite long and the camera will need to be very stable. If you are on sand or other unstable surface, be sure to jam the legs deep into the sand to make it as stable as possible. If you are near the water, let a wave or two touch the tripod’s feet before shooting because the first wave will shift the tripod a little bit.
Another great way to capture the sea is with a long shutter speed of at least a few seconds, but not so long as to blur everything out. The advantage of the speed is that it gives the viewer an idea of the rhythm, or currents, of the ocean. This range of shutter speed will often show trails in the ocean and give a general sense of the location of the waves.
To capture this look, the shutter speed will ordinarily be between two seconds and eight seconds. That also means a neutral density filter, but often not the 10-stop filter. If you have a 3-stop or 6-stop density filter, those usually work best in this situation, depending on the amount of light available.
Sometimes you want the viewer to see the actual wave. It still helps to have a little motion to the wave though. This will convey both a sense of motion and give a sense of the power.
To accomplish this, you will typically need to slow the shutter speed down just a little bit. You will find the best shutter speeds for this range are between 1/8th and 1/2 of a second. At these speeds, you can still clearly see the waves, but the slower shutter speed takes the jagged edges off of them.
While you will still need a tripod at these shutter speeds (they are too slow to hand-hold your camera and get sharp images), you can often get away without using a neutral density filter by stopping down the aperture.
Finally, there are days when the ocean is very active where you will want to stop the motion and really capture the power of the sea. A great way to do that is with a fast shutter speed. Speeds of 1/500 of a second and faster work best.
The good news here is that you will not need to use a neutral density filter. You can also ditch the tripod and just hand-hold your camera. These shots offer maximum flexibility and mobility.
A fun thing to do is try to time the wave at it crashes into a rock or the surf. This means a lot of trial and error, but when you hit one, the results can be spectacular.
Remember that the sea coast is a harsh and unforgiving environment. Salt water and electronics do not mix very well, and just the spray of the ocean can lead to serious camera problems (which, unfortunately, I have experienced firsthand). In addition, the terrain can be slippery and treacherous. If you are not careful, you can also find yourself stranded on some rocks in a rising tide (learned this one the hard way too, I’m afraid).
But if you are careful about what you are doing, there is no better place to be than on the coast at dawn or sunset. So get out there and give it a try, and if you have questions or need additional information just use the comments below.
The post 7 Tips to Help Improve Your Seascape Photos by Controlling the Waves by Jim Hamel appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Photos that feature milky-smooth flowing water seem to have a Marmite effect on people: they’re either loved or hated. I’m often rather ambivalent towards them, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a useful technique to have up your sleeve if you’re faced with a weir or waterfall and you want to capture an image with smooth-looking water that has a sense of flow to it.
Image thanks to Tom at Triggertrap
There’s no great secret to shooting a photo that has water flowing through it that looks smooth: it’s done using a long exposure. The slow shutter speed captures the the water as it moves, making it blurred. The blur, in this instance, gives the water a smooth appearance.
Shooting long exposures in daylight hours comes with an inherent problem, however. Over-exposure. Our cameras’ sensors are capable of detecting far more light than we think they are, and even using the lowest possible ISO and smallest available aperture, a long exposure can result in an over-exposed photo when taking during the day. To get around this irritation, you might want to try a neutral density (ND) filter over your lens.
Image thanks to Tom at Triggertrap
ND filters are grey filters that cut down the amount of light that enters your lens without affecting the colour of your images. They come in different grades, or densities, blocking out between one stop and 12 stops of light. Screw one over your lens and you’ll give yourself a great deal more flexibility when it comes to shooting daytime long exposures.
Then of course you’ll need a tripod. You might want to capture the motion blur of the water, but you’ll want to avoid camera-shake and the rest of the scene getting the wobbles. Even though you’ll be using a very small aperture with an enormous depth-of-field, still think carefully about your framing of the shot and its point-of-focus. Make sure it’s telling a story.
Image thanks to Tom at Triggertrap
Obviously you’ll need to have your camera in manual mode to ensure that you can adjust the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture to get the photo that you want. Almost certainly you will need to use the lowest ISO and smallest aperture avalable. When it comes to shutter speed, you might find that you need to venture into bulb mode to get the shutter speed you need. And we recommend that you use a remote shutter release to prevent jolting your camera on its tripod and shifting its focus, too.
Then it’s a case of hitting the cable release and leaving the camera to do its thing.
All images are courtesy of Triggertrap. You can learn more about using remote releases on the awesome Triggertrap How-to site!
This article was originally posted at Riding the waves to smooth water images , on Photocritic.
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[ By Steph in Travel & Urban Exploration. ]
Until recently, anyone who wanted to surf the artificial waves in a river in Munich’s English Garden had to do so under cover of night, with one eye on the shore watching out for police. But in the summer of 2010, Eisbach Munich was officially opened to qualified surfers, who must be pre-approved by the city before attempting to stay afloat in the often-freezing waters.
The need to test surfers’ abilities comes after an Australian student drowned while swimming in the river in 2007. While swimming is still forbidden, Eisbach has since become the world’s largest urban surfing spot among the world’s largest urban park.
The wave that permanently crests year-round was created by accident in 1972 after concrete blocks were submerged underwater to disrupt the current. It measures 12 feet across and can only accommodate one surfer at a time.
Crowds gather to watch as the surfers attempt to stay on top of the wave, never getting the break that would come when a natural wave in the ocean crests upon the shore and retreats.
Urban surfing enthusiasts have created an online zine for the Eisbach community and other surfing events that take place in unusual settings, with lots of pictures.
What Does It Mean to Be Homeless? An estimated 100 million people worldwide are “homeless” … but what is homelessness versus nomadism?
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An artificial pavilion gives the Dutch city of Almere an extra 111 acres to host a horticultural festival and expand for new homes, offices and a university.
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You may have seen some strange and unique accommodations, but few hosts can boast something as unusual as this unreal room-free resort in Sweden.
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[ By Steph in Travel & Urban Exploration. ]
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[ By Steph in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]
Small electrical impulses detected by a brain-computer headset produce strange and amazing 3D printed objects in a new project by George Laskowsky of Thinker Thing. The Emotiv EPOC headset analyzes brain patterns and uses it to understand the wearer’s emotional response to certain features in visual stimuli; in this way, the wearer is able to ‘grow’ a three-dimensional model with their mind.
Laskowsky successfully created the first real physical object made with brain patterns in May, and set out to fund the project on IndieGoGo. Thinker Thing will take the invention to Chile, where children will use the technology to create fantastical creatures, which will be exhibited in a gallery.
How is it possible to create an object with the mind? “We use your brain patterns to evolve a 3D model from a genetic seed, which can then be made real with a standard 3D printer. The DNA seed defines the start point of an evolutionary chain for the object. Dinosaurs are very diverse, for example, but they can be traced back to a single common dna ancestor. We create this first DNA definition as the first building block from which all future objects evolve.The DNA of the object is then mutated over each generation, and how well that new mutations does, whether it lives or dies, is determined by the mind.”
“We are all born creative, our brain begins like an open field and can make connections in many directions, it is only later we become stuck in the ruts and troughs of the paths that our mind constantly treads, paths so deep we are sometimes unable to see that there is still an open field around us. Mistaking skill (a learned ability) with creative imagination is like believing walking in a deeper rut gives you greater freedom of movement across the field.”
Learn more at IndieGoGo.
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KILLER Shock Waves was released by Mausoleum in 1984. KILLER was the first Belgian metalband inspired by the upcoming success of the NWOBHM bands such as Saxon, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard. This Foto-Video-Clip “Shock Waves” has been made with my Nikon D300 & D80 and is assembled with Vegas 6.0 (Sony). The photo’s have been made in 2009. This sound is recorded with ZOOM H4Next & 2 Røde NT3 mic’s. by Helly Lemmy alias Snake
Video Rating: 4 / 5
dombowerphoto.blogspot.com Double the size of the sensor, you give your photosites a much greater size meaning you should be able to caputre much greater dynamic range. I just tested it out on the D300 vs the D700 (both with 12mp but the D700 has double the size sensor = double the area = bigger photosites) yet it is almost impossible for me to notice any difference in the images produced by the two. Dont be fooled into thinking that pixel density has anything to do with dynamic range, I suspect it is far more to do with sensor techology and photosite layout rather than number of pixels per area. If you enjoy my videos please post them on your facebook page and let others know about this channel, please subscribe and share on facebook and twitter. Also check out the links below. If you really like my work please feel free to check out or buy a copy of the my photography book: Getting There With Photography: By Dom Bower www.blurb.com Twitter page twitter.com Facebook page www.facebook.com Website www.dombower.com T-shirt page Point and destroy clothing http
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Waves a day after the death of a swimmer at the Wedge in Newport Beach Ca. Here people were being rescued and dropping on on amazing waves at the Wedge. ABC eye witness news on the beach to capture interviews of the rescued swimmers and surfers.
Shot over a few very hot summer weeks in and all over NYC, 8 mini movies made to become 1. Directed by Moh Azima, Produced by Michelle Price, Starring The Phenomenal Handclap Band. Taken from the PHB’s self-titled release-US: Friendly Fire Recordings, UK: Tummy Touch, EU: Gomma, Spain: Lovemonk, AU: Inertia, Japan: KSR
Video Rating: 4 / 5
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