Tarawen's Photography

[Marceline]

Tarawen's Stuff Mostly Photography

Here is a thread where I will share some Stuff and Things that I make or do!

And here's an old Wayback Machined Thread with some terrible photography and art in it:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150323181 ... nd-Art)-II

Future things posted to this thread may include more bad photography, things I've coded for fun, music snippets . . . who knows?

[Marceline]

Without further ado, I present a nighttime photo taken in Chicago about 5 or 6 years ago! I miss my Canon camera.

[Burnt Toast]

YAY! I'm so glad you made a Cottage thread! *sets up residence in it* *toasts a few things*

Okay, I know next to nothing about photography, and am fascinated by the effect of the car lights streaking by-- how is that achieved?

This photo is so vibrant and intense in colour! And my brain finds the composition very satisfying; it's a really cool shot! (you can accept my compliments after me telling you how little I know about photography, right? XD)

[Quill]

Oooh I love this photo! It looks like it should be made into an animated background of a lofi youtube video, and that's a compliment.

[Marceline]

@Lucifer - thank you! Please do try not to burn down the window treatments. The blurriness is achieved through long exposure - i.e. leaving the camera's shutter open for a long time. For the rest of the image to be clear, I had to use a tripod to stabilize the camera. Unfortunately, it also means that the leaves on the tree are blurry since they were moving, too. The photo is in HDR and I definitely also did some post-processing on it in Lightroom.

@Quill - Thank you! Haha I don't really know what that means but I appreciate the compliment. What is a lofi youtube video? *feels old and out of touch*

Here's my next thing - a simple little app I made a couple months ago: https://pokedexapp.com/

Here's a gif of the app in action, but anyone should feel free to check it out.

[Burnt Toast]

I shall endeavour to not light anything on fire. XD

Ahh! That little Pokémon App is adorable and I love it! That's amazing and I want to hear all about what went into coding it. I shall poke you at some point.

Did you make.it for anything in particular, or just for fun?

[Marceline]

Toasty - Happy to chat about that any time. I made the app mostly for fun, but it also served as practice working with React, a technology I wanted to get better at since we have started using it at work in the last year or so.

[Wamba_the_Fool]

@Tarawen , @Quill is absolutely right about the background, and that it is a compliment!
Also I love the 'dex - my younglings have to put up with my "OG 151" Pokémon ways, but they'll either embrace it or get over it.

[Quill]

Lofi is a type of music, which is particularly popular on YouTube and usually has a specific vibe to it. Here's an example of what your photo reminded me of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3Jl8ZIPcmw

[Marceline]

@Wamba_the_Fool - ha thank you! I am with you on the original 151, though that Pokédex should include 'mons from later generations, too.

@Quill - Oh my gosh, first of all WOW that truly is a compliment - the graphic in that video is so cute and reminds me of Korea (though I can tell it's not based on the lettering on a sign). I think in some ways the resonance with Korea is because of this photographer, who is based there and does a lot of neon / anime-style photo edits. Also, I have had that video playing for a while and just love it. It's the music I did not know I needed right now! Thank you!

[Tari]

What happened to the Canon camera? I shot Canon for a long time, then switched to Nikon, and then became a Fuji VIP. I've been all over the place with gear. Share more photos now please!

[Marceline]

@Tari - I sold the Canon (and all my lenses, sob) to fund my coding bootcamp a couple of years ago. I now have a Sony Alpha that I do not love nearly as much, though that's probably because I haven't invested in any good lenses for it. Do you have a preferred brand among all the ones you've used?

Here's something completely different . . . a little waterfall in Glacier National Park! I may have shared this on the old Plaza, but it was not Wayback Machine'd, so here it is again. I doubt I did much if any post processing on this one, though I really cannot remember at this point.

[Androthelm]

The water is gorgeous! I love the way the rush of the falling water looks -- especially down low among the smaller rocks and falls.

[Burnt Toast]

This waterfall is absolutely beautiful! Okay, I feel like I see this effect in photos of waterfalls frequently-- what causes the lovely 'soft' look in the water? Is that also a long exposure thing? (That may be a really silly thing to say, I'm not sure XD)

Also the perspective of this shot is wonderful-- from a drawing perspective it's got such a clean breakdown; it really draws the eye in.

[Marceline]

Thank you, Andro! I too was noticing the littler trickles of water when I looked at this photo again before posting it. It's cool how the water cascades downward so naturally. Wish I could go hiking right now and see some things like this again in-person.

Toastface! Yes, this is another long exposure (not a silly thing to say at all! Please keep asking questions, though I guarantee the point where my knowledge runs out will come soon. :smiley10:) I hauled my tripod on my hikes in Glacier for moments like this!

[Yávië]

Aw, Glacier National Park is one of my favorite places! Last time I was there my mom and I were just driving through the area and car camped for a couple days to hang out. Saw a baby bear up a tree , a mama bear (not at the same time) and turned the corner on a trail and nearly walked right into a mountain .

I love how clearly you can make out all the different colors of rock. Like the waterfall is spilling down onto a mosaic.

[Nia]

Wow @Tarawen these are both lovely photos! Photography is really something I want to get into more (at the moment I'm very much a snap it with my phone camera kinda gal, but one day I intend on purchasing a proper camera and start playing around!). The way the long exposure has captured the water is just delightful - it really makes the waterfall pop out, and look almost cloud like.

[Burnt Toast]

Thanks Birdface XD! I'm glad. I shall definitely keep asking questions, then! I feel smart for knowing a few things about long exposure now. Thanks for giving me some learnin'.

[Marceline]

@Aerlinn - Aw yay! I loved Glacier so much. We were there (well, staying nearby and then going into the park every day to hike) for about a week. It's such a beautiful place. I'm jealous you saw bears! Not that I was hoping for any close encounters, but it would've been cool to snap some pictures.

@Nia - ahh thank you! Photography is a lot of fun and I found that a couple of classes at community art centers really helped me start to feel confident with my camera. I'm by no means a pro or even very good, but the camera does lovely things on its own once you learn how to work it.

@Lucifer - I'm glad you are still calling me birdface! And yay learnin!

Speaking of goats, Aerlinn, here's a picture of a little baby I took shortly after my husband proposed near Hidden Lake:

[Burnt Toast]

AHH Birdface That is the cutest baby goat I've ever seen! (and I've seen a fair few, we had them on the farm growing up). Is that how close you actually were, or is that mainly gained with zoom? Also, that's a certified proposal goat!

[Yávië]

BABY GOAT LOOK AT ALL THE FLUFF AND SUCH POINTY EARS

Squeeeeeeeee, what a shot! *melts*. A bit rude though, trying to steal your husband's thunder being all cute and stuff.

[Dwim]

Oh holy heck Tara, that is an adorable goat! Goats are my favourite animals. :smiley8: Did you try to kidnap it? It would have made an excellent proposal memento, aside from the ring of course..

And that Pokedex app is great fun!

[Marceline]

Toasty! I really can't recall too well; I'd imagine this was a bit zoomed but they were actually fairly comfortable getting very close to us (which was a little sad to see--too many people!).

Ha, Aerlinn! It is a very very very cute goat. So floofy!

Dwim Well then, consider this a gift of a goat photo! I left it alone as its considerably larger relatives were hovering nearby... Thanks for looking at the Pokédex! Hopefully it's still working as expected - the other day the descriptions were randomly showing up in another language, so I had to make some changes.

[Oak]

@Tarawen Another professional photographer that makes me green with envy. The nighttime in Chicago brings back memories. I have visited the outskirts of that place twice. What I have seen is indeed colorful. Lovely image that could be made into a framed print. Bummer about the camera!

The next two look like images out of National Geographic. They are sharp and well balanced images.

[Marceline]

@Oak - aw thank you! I actually have a print of the Chicago scene hanging in my apartment.

Since this is a Lord of the Rings site and whatnot, here is a photo very tangentially related to LOTR. I used to volunteer for an animal rescue in Colorado (taking photos for their website mostly), and there was a set of siblings who had been rescued from a hoarding situation. Their foster named them all after LoTR characters: Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Gimli, and Arwen, and maybe even another that I'm forgetting. Anyway, this is a photo of one of them that I took at a dog adoption event.

[Burnt Toast]

Oooh I'm coming here for all my wholesome cute animal pics (I hope you realize you've set an expectation now). The perspective on this shot is perfect! Ahh, you just did such an excellent job with giving us a the perfect feeling of looking straight down at this pupper; I almost feel like I could reach out and touch him. Also, those EYES! Is there anything particular that gives them such clarity, or is that just having a good lens?

[Oak]

Dawww! That is soo cute! Look at his lustrous eyes. A puppy like that--well it would be easy to spoil him rotten.

[Marceline]

@Sil’s Fool - I was lucky that this pup had particularly beautiful eyes - one of his siblings even had blue eyes, if I recall. A good lens and a decently nice day helped a lot with capturing the expression!

@Oak - I was so very tempted to take all of this bunch home and keep them for myself.

Speaking of puppy eyes...

[Yávië]

Tara, you're killing me. Please send Adorable Puppy postehaste, quantity [All OF THEM]. I will contact you shortly with my mailing address, a bag of gold, and my soul.

Those. eyes. *glomps*

[Dwim]

Oh man the cute animals are too much! First, a family of puppies named after Tolkien characters, and then a puppy who looks like it should belong in a Disney movie! :smiley8:

[Oak]

@Tarawen

*dies* He's soo cute! Looks like he's at the dinner table begging for food.

[Burnt Toast]

Dearest Birdface,
This pup is too much. He doesn't even look real. He looks like he's a cartoon character, and it's amazing how perfect of an expression you caught here. We should probably have a caption contest.

[Androthelm]

Oh my oh my oh my, what pups. The first one especially -- those ears!!

[Nia]

Oh I've missed so much!! I just want to hug them all. Especially the incredibly fluffy baby goat. The eyes in that first dog photo are just so absorbing. And then the second puppy - if that's not dictionary definition puppy dog eyes I don't know what it. They are all too cute <3

[Marceline]

Hehehe I'm so glad you all enjoy the puppy pics! I love them too. There's certainly more where puppy photos are concerned, so more to come!

But I guess I'll break things up for now with something decidedly less cute but still kind of an okay photo:

[Nia]

I just love these long exposure photos, Tara. The rays of light from the lamppost (is it a lamppost?) have such a sunlight like quality about them. I'm also intrigued by the green light on the train (is it a train track above, or just traffic?). The red and green lines of light are like lasers.

[Burnt Toast]

I am here to echo Nia-- I'm so fascinated by the long exposure effect in photography. I also really appreciate the breakdown of this photograph, it's really satisfying, particularly with the light as a focal point. I love the way the light has broken up and spidered out (it's a phrase now) into the effect of spokes on a wheel.

[Marceline]

Thank you both! <3

@Nia - it is a lamp post! I think some of the camera's magic that I don't fully understand is responsible for that sunburst effect, so I can take no credit there :P. The track is for the train, yep! So the green and red lights are just lights on the cars.

@Burnt Toast - I too really enjoy the long exposure effect. It's something I'd like to experiment with more if I ever invest more time (and money, unfortunately) into photography. Spidered out is totally a phrase I'm gonna use in an RP post now, just you wait!

[Tari]

To answer your long posted question about a preferred camera brand my answer is no. They all have pros and cons. Right now I'm with Fuji because I have access to a lifetime supply of free gear and free stuff always tops paying for fancy camera things. Basically they all allow you to get relatively nice photos and I like to shoot mirrorless (which they all have) because it's lightweight and easier on the neck/back/arms.

Also please share more adorable puppy eyes. I also love the long exposure. This is something I've never been able to master!!

[Marceline]

@Tari - a lifetime of free stuff?! O.O That is incredible! And mirrorless makes a huge difference for sure.

Since you're all obviously here for cute puppy photos, here's another one. We fostered this little girl for a week and she was a firecracker of spunk! My dog loved playing with her and I wish we could've given her a forever home.

[Burnt Toast]

@Tarawen - You have to stop with the puppies. They're too much, and too cute. I have always thought about fostering, but I don't think I could handle having to hand the sweet creatures away at the end of it. This lil ginger pupper looks so soft. What a perfect expression you've captured!

[Almarëa Mordollwen]

I have only one thing to say to this: Awwwwwwwwww.

So adorable!

[Pele Alarion]

*wanders in to look at the photos*

[Marceline]

I'm glad you like the puppy pics, Toasty and Alma! I have more . . . but I'm going to space them out a bit more lest this become just a Puppy Pics thread (which I guess wouldn't be SO bad)

Here's another one for you, Pele, as long as you're here! This is one of my favorite shots from my trip to Korea last year. Two friends and I went for a hike in Busan, got lost, and stumbled across this incredible view of the city. I was born in Busan, so it holds extra meaning for me as well.

[Lailyn]

@Tarawen your photos are so gorgeous! Wow. Thank you for sharing these. I just LOVE the first one. I still struggle a lot with low-light photography, so this is giving me something to strive for! I also love the colors and how crisp and bright they are. The second night photo is very cool with the shutter speed effect!

The waterfall is just gorgeous. I'd love to get to Glacier NP someday. That's another thing I am working on - photographing waterfalls, so I really appreciate how excellent this one is. The lighting, the shutter speed, the focus...! I'm drooling over here.

That is a baby mountain goat, yes? He is super cute! I just love this photo and how the soft lighting brings out the texture in his fur.

All of those puppies are super cute and I love them! I like the angle of the first pup. She looks keen to boop the camera with her nose.

In the Busan photo - I love how the green countryside frames the cityscape in the distance. Very nice framing you've chosen here.

[Ta'leus Shieldsong]

You had me sold at the pictures of dogs @Tarawen, I didn't even need to see any other photos. Haha.

[Burnt Toast]

Woah, this shot of the city from a distance is absolutely gorgeous, especially framed by these beautiful green hills. What an amazing experience to have-- sometimes getting lost is exactly what you need. I'm so glad you got to have this moment.

[Dwim]

Tara, I love looking at your photos. I also love the story behind your city-view shot. I also had this same feeling when I went back to my home city (Sydney) a couple of years ago, where I came into the harbour from a different direction than I ever had, and was stunned by the new and amazing view of the city that I'd never seen. But anyway, back to your photo, there is really something unique here in the contrast between the greenery, the hills, and the city.

[Marceline]

Alright well since this thread is turning out to be MOSTLY photography, I have edited the title ONCE AGAIN. XD

@Lailorn ahh thank you for stopping by! Low-light photography is hard - I was only able to achieve these images with the aid of a tripod and Lightroom.

@Ta'leus Shieldsong - ha! The doggos are definitely a crowd-pleaser. Glad you like them!

@Burnt Toast - Aw thank you! And yes to getting lost! I had no idea what we were going to find and this was the beautiful surprise.

@Dwim - Thank you so much. <3 It is SO interesting to see familiar cities from different angles - I get that same sense of wonder when approaching Chicago's skyline from the south. Would love to see photos of Sydney sometime, if you've any to share.

In keeping with the mountain theme, here's a panorama I took a couple years ago on my phone. These are the Rocky Mountains in Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park to be exact. I hate how overexposed the clouds are, but I like almost everything else about this picture and am too lazy to touch up the image tonight, so *shrug*.

[Pele Alarion]

TARA! Stop confusing me with name changing. :P

I suspect I might be more attracted to the green hills than the city in the background. But it can't be helped... I'm a Ranger through and through. And mountains are lovely!