Christmas Photobook Project - Advice please

Myksyk

Hi all. I'm embarking on a Christmas project to complete a photobook for my Dad. He's helped me in very significant ways this last year and I want to do something I think he'd really love. He's 80 now and he published a book of short stories and poems about three years ago ... I want to take the poetry from it and produce a 'special edition' hardback high quality book for him with each poem on the right hand pages juxtaposed with a fitting photograph on the left.

As I'm a relative noobie I'd like your help with it ... both in terms of suggestions for photographs and technical advice on taking the photographs. I will let you know the theme of each poem as I see it and would be very grateful for any suggestions you may have about how I might approach it.

I'm thinking about whether I should do all the photos in black and white but will see as I go along. I'll take them all in RAW colour anyway to give myself options.

SHOT 1:
One poem I'm looking at is about the wonder of the universe/creation/galaxies/stars etc and begs for the long-exposure night shot of the sky so I have to look for a suitable location for that shot. Any advice welcome.
I'm thinking about 'light painting' the scene and want to ask ....do you use torch or flash?
And while I know its often a matter of trial and error, how long do you typically light the area if using a torch?

Given my research so far I'm looking at:
RAW/Manual mode/High ISO to compose on live view then down to c.200/bulb mode/f8-f16/30-60 seconds. Am I on the right track?

I saw a great example of this type of photo on Facebook this morning and interestingly he gave his settings as ISO 3200/F2.8/30 secs ... so is it a case of trying out a HIGH ISO/Wide aperture versus Lo ISO/Narrow Aperture?

Lot of info I know ... any advice welcome. Loads of photos to take before I can get the book done and sent off and returned so timetable is tight to say the least!!!

kevc2

Where are you based? If you are around the Dublin area, the Dublin \ Wicklow mountains are good in spots for star shots. Depending on the lens, you would be looking at 15-20 seconds for a shot of the stars, any more and they start to move (star trails). The length of time is down to the focal point of the lens, I seen a formula for it before but 20 seconds would be a good starting point.

As regards aperture, as wide as possible for example F2.8. I have found that you need a decent lens for decent star shots. Focus out to infinity and then back a tiny bit, the hard part is getting it focused, lots of trial and error.

Depending on your camera would depend on how high you can put the ISO up to and not notice the noise, again I'd take a series of photos at different ISO's so that you come out with at least one photo that's clean. Taking the photo in RAW means that you can clean it up a good bit back in photoshop.

What about a forest up the mountains at night? That way you could light paint some of the trees and have the rest of the shot with stars? It doesn't really matter if you use a flash or a torch.

Let me know if you would like someone to tag along, sounds like a fun project!

Myksyk

Cheers Kev. I'm the other side of the country unfortunately but thanks for the offer. I went out last night and learned a fair bit. I had heard about the 'rule of 600' which involves dividing 600 by the focal length of the lens. I'm using the only lens I have, the canon L series 24-105 f4, so max exposure is about 25 seconds and sure enough, anything above this was giving me slight trails. Seemed to get decent focus a bit back from infinity (seems to be the way with canon lenses). Got nice splashes of light with the torch I brought. Beautiful night but even though I was in the bowels of my golf club down by a lake in the middle of the country the lights of the nearby town gave me a large orange 'light pollution' light above the horizon. I'm going to arrange to get out to the burren as soon as we get a cold clear night. I think I'm going to have to play around with the ISO settings given my max aperture of f4 - I'm using a canon 6d which has good low light capability ... otherwise I'll have to borrow a nice wide angle 2.8 from someone!!

kevc2

Nice one! Be sure to post the picture somewhere when you are done! Ideally it would be best to have a laptop in the car and then run back after a few shots to check them out. I've been out with the camera before, thought the pictures of the stars looked great on the screen, went home and hadn't got 1 shot in focus.

I tried taking shots with the sigma 10-20mm at F4.5 but realised that you really need a bigger aperture. I seen some pictures from the Burren at night and they look amazing, no light pollution around there at all.

Great idea for a Christmas present BTW, any ideas for other shots?

Myksyk

Yeah, good idea with the laptop. Think I can transfer images wirelessly on the go from the 6d so should be able to see them pretty much straightaway. Definitely not possible to accurately assess them on the camera screen.

I have 27 photos to take for the book.
I have the cover which is a photo of the sea stack at loop head light house. My dad had a painting of it which he had done on the cover of the original book.
I have a shot I'm reasonably happy with of a wild sea inlet at Spanish Point I shot earlier this week to go with a poem which includes the verse ..."beyond the wildly swaying copse of pines, and stony strand, the surging pounding sea is tossing high as gulls sweep low to scan the tide of silver sprat, and screech with glee". I'll post that effort up if I get the chance.
I have mapped out a bog in west clare I can get to this weekend I think to go with a poem set in 19th century Ireland which is a lover's lament. The wilder and darker the better for that shot so I might wait tip I have a cloudy windy day.
There's also a poem based in and around St John's Cathedral in Limerick. I might get there tomorrow where I have in mind to shoot a silhouette from the inside of the church out the front arched door. If possible I would like to set a longer exposure of a half second or so to try and catch the blurred silhouette of someone passing the door - that would give some sense of part of the poem.
There's a few lighter poems exploring love themes including a nice one of the interaction between a librarian and a man taking a book out on rugby where she playfully teases him about rugby, women and love. Here I'm thinking about getting an old-ish library book on rugby and setting a pair of old round-rimmed specs on the page so that I can get that 'love-heart' shadow you can cast across the page (you usually see it done with wedding rings but the specs work really well). I'll spot light that in a dark room and try to get a grainy old-time feel from it.
Another has a reference to the River Lethe (an old Greek mythology reference) so i want to source a good river shot that's not too obvious in its execution.
I also have to talk my Dad into allowing me to take a shot of him this weekend so I'm bringing up my "52 weekend digital photography projects" which includes one on getting a black and white portrait of an older gent. So I'll tell him he's helping me out but I'll use it for the book on the inside sleeve with a little bio. I'll use that opportunity to get a shot of my Mum too as he has a love poem to her too (the romantic oul codger)!.
Others are easier to source and can be done in and around the house here. It'll be a busy month cos I pretty much have to get all this done by Early December so i can get the book off and back in time!

Myksyk

Here's that Spanish Point pic (Think I got one lonely gull there!)

Myksyk

Here's the cover photo

OldGoat

Setting your White balance to tungsten will give a bit of relief from the orange glow of street lights. Doing a custom white balance will give better results. There are filters available but it's quite pricey unless you intend doing astrophotography on a regular basis.
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/CUSTOMWB.HTM


The rule of 600 is good enough for computer viewing but if you are going into print or using a lens wide open you might be better off trying the rule of *500 to ensure your sharpness.

*(Same rule, just using a lower value).

Myksyk

Cheers. Will try that WB setting. The rule of 500 really highlights the need for a 2.8 lens. With that I could get over 30 seconds of exposure (nearly 40 if you use the 600 rule). With my f4 I get 20 secs with half the light!!

Myksyk

Here's a photo I shot to night to go with a satirical poem first verse of which is
"The unsmiling female librarian asked,
as I borrowed a book about rugby,
do players tackle the mystique of women,
or simply Haka the females they marry?"



It came out pretty much exactly as I had it in my head with the heart and rugby ball shadows. Had to buy the harry potter glasses!! Post processing to get the grainy look. Lit in a dark room with an iphone4s flashlight covered by a tissue to soften it!

Myksyk

Here's a shot I took yesterday to go with a poem which includes the verse:
"...this Autumn time, winds gust to make dead leaves fly from November's fuscous branches, and pirouette in the sky..."

Myksyk

Photo to go with a poem on life and faith ... includes "...from conception to blind birth, through youth's eternal morning to noontime's cares, then moving
quickly onward to ebb at twilight, to fade, die and quietly be no more"

Myksyk

To be used on the dedication page with reference to 'a poetic journey'

Myksyk

Quite a dark image for a poem whose second verse reveals a comic twist but goes well with the first verse ...
Out on a limb of my silver birch
two cage feeders sway quite empty,
I nod with little or no sympathy
since no bird there makes perch,
and as the evening light now dims,
no noisy bickering beaks are heard
urging haste with pestering screech
the restocking of cages to their brims.

kevc2

Looks like it's going well so far, good job!

Myksyk

To be used in relation to a poem referencing 'twilight'

Tiriel

Looking really great so far - fair play!

Myksyk

Re-did the candle pic from previous page

Myksyk

One to go with a poem entitled 'At Knock'

Myksyk

To go with a poem called "Inné ague Inniu" ... a verse as gaeilge to do with a dual carriageway being built over land that used to be where local children played years ago.

Myksyk

An image to go with a poem about the mind ... referencing dreams and nightmares, fear and hope.

Myksyk

This is one of two photos going with a poem which he describes as a 'jocund salute' to Athenry Golf Club of which Dad has been a life long member. The lines it speaks to are:
Now, on new fairways swards, a golfball gleams,
as rabbitlike another hides where gorse still grows,

Myksyk

Continuing the update. This goes with a poem about writer's block ...

Myksyk

For a Poem which is a satirical/comical attack on absentee landlords (Dad was chair of the local resident's association for years)!!

Myksyk

Not going to get this done for Christmas obviously but at this stage I'd rather take my time and finish it to my liking. Sky has clouded over for the last three weeks preventing me even attempting the two night sky shots I need. Other than that only two or three pics left to get.

Myksyk

The other photo to go with the "Athenry Fields" poem .. having to take this photo and NOT play the course was extremely difficult!! Beautiful November morning. Worth the drive up to Galway for the shot.

Myksyk

Poem is called "Peace Process" ... lines include:
In solemn, stonescaped heartbreak,
tears anoint faded wreaths of woe
whose lilies cut in the prime of life
spill the droplets to the earth below.

The 'death scythe' stem and leaf is deliberate!

kevc2

It looks like it's coming together really nicely! I love the monochrome one of the hand.

Myksyk

Thanks a lot Kevc2. Learning a lot, as I had hoped. Will probably wish I had done this, that and the other after its published but overall I'm not displeased. Only bought my first dslr in October so the skill set is limited.

Myksyk

Ok ... looks like a reasonably clear night. I'm off out to the Burren to se can I get a couple of night sky shots. Ten layers on!!

Myksyk

Ok ... just in. Two things -

1. The Burren is magnificent on a cold, clear winter night ... utterly quiet, desolate, beautiful. It's like you're the only person alive.

2. When there is a burningly bright full moon in the sky, it is NOT the night to get a f*@+king star shot!!!!!!!!!

Ha! Enjoyed it nonetheless. I'll get those shots eventually!

Myksyk

Unbelievably I'm still waiting for a cloudless night to get the last two photos I need to complete this project. Only one such night since Christmas and frustratingly could not get out.

Myksyk

I got out into the burren over the last couple of nights and MAY have got at least one of my shots. Learned a lot the first night where my settings were off slightly but went out last night and got some possibly good shots around midnight. Will post once I have had time to process them.

secman

Those Milky Way shots taken at the burren over in Random shots are stunning, so much so I ain't posting any in there , let yours die down a bit ...................

Secman.

Myksyk

Lol. Cheers Secman. Appreciate the feedback. I have to say it took me long enough! Been trying to get that shot since October.

Travelled for an hour last night trying to get a spot. Had scoped out two other locations in the burren but got badly stuck on flood roads where thankfully I had my powerful bike torch to shine out the window to guide me back up the roads and out of trouble. In the end it worked for the best as the skies at the Dolmen were beautiful.

Happy with the shot I have to say ... annoyingly, the ones I have on my computer are actually better ... I'm having some stupid problem with Lightroom where it won't export what I'm seeing on the screen. I have that shot exactly as I want it and then when I export it it comes out differently. Specifically the noise reduction I applied is not there amongst other edits. Anyway, I'll spend more time tonight and see what the problem is. Just weird!

Myksyk

Here it is for this thread ... which has chronicled my many many hours of trying to get a half decent star shot. As I say I have a sharper, clearer less noisy version which refuses to be taken out of my computer! Grrr!


Midnight in March at Polnabrone (The Hole of Sorrows), The Burren by Myksyk, on Flickr

Myksyk

Oops ... I see lots of my photos on this thread have broken links. Here's what happened ... I linked my Mum and Dad to a picture on my Flickr page of a shot of the Diving Platform in Salthill not realising that that gave him access to all the photos from this project which I quickly had to render 'private'. Sorry about that.

secman

Stunning..... worth the wait by the looks of it !
When do you hope to publish the book ? Will it be available to Joe Public ? And finally if Yep. how much ?

secman

Myksyk

Thanks again. Hope to get it finished in the next few weeks. No plans for it to be available publically tbh.

Tiriel

Beautiful shot from the Burren, well worth the wait

Myksyk

Took a new photo for the cover of the book. Much better light and colours. My father had a painting he had done of this stack on the cover of his original book.

Bishop's Island, Clare by Myksyk, on Flickr

Myksyk

Nearly ready to send this off. Took a long break from it there which is always a danger. The motivation can go for the finishing straight. Awaiting one photo to be sent by my mother from my sister's communion in the 70's! Has to come to a tidy 76 pages. Hope to have it for father's Day in June!

Myksyk

Phew. Finally. Uploaded and ordered tonight. Job done. Should be here for Father's Day!

Myksyk

Aaargh. Arrived today (fantastic turnaround time) but had very slight damage to corner. Emailed them and they came back within an hour to say they were sorry and another would be sent out immediately. Can't ask better than that. Very happy with the book, they really do a great job. Mind you, i spotted three or four more typos which I had not seen on my many read-throughs (You should always get someone else to do this)!! Changed those and re-uploaded so hopefully will get the finished, corrected and undamaged article next week!!!!

Myksyk

Right. Gave the book to Dad today in anticipation of Father's Day. He was blown away. More impressed than I've ever seen him, a great response that made all the work very well worthwhile.