What are you doing during the home isolation?

[Waddizzle]

Being cooped in the house has made me creative when it comes to taking photos.  What are you doing?

There are some bushes and small trees just outside the window to my home office.  I have turned the window into a bird blind.  One problem is my 2FL window is a little hazy, which is not really much of an issue.  The bigger issue are the curtains reflecting off of the inside of the window, which creates a hazy type of look.  The LR Dehaze Tool cleans it up, but also reduces the sharpness.

That was shot on the first day, which was heavily overcast, and rainy.  It has been that way for weeks now.  I think I shot this one with the 1D Mark IV and the Sigma 150-600mm "C".  This is not a crop!  They are about 12-20 feet away.

[Tronhard]

Hi Bill!

In NZ we had 4 weeks of full-on isolation, with only essential business or service activies allowed.  We dropped down a level about 5 days ago to allow for commercial activity that can guarantee social distancing, with commerce running on click and collect or delivery but still no social activity ourside our "bubble" - a domestic group with whom we live.  It seems to be working so far.  We have had less than 1500 cases, of which 87% have recovered with 20 deaths - all, I believe, older people with underlying conditions.

This is how our lockdown has worked so far:

Our family is being super conservative because of my partner's cancer (she has no immune system), so our only trips from home have been for me to go shopping for food and essentials, and to take my other half to medical appointments.  So, by and large, I have been limited to our home for photography. 

I have been reading a lot of my collection of books on the history of photography.  I have also been watching quite a few videos on various aspects of photography.  When not otherwise engaged I have managed a few odd jobs around the place, but essentially am keeping things pretty simple.

I engage with a meetup.com group I belong to, for us to take at least one photo each day and we are still going strong!  Here are a few shots from my efforts.

Study of refraction through a plastic glass

Study of stacked garden chairs

Leaves of a Yukka in our garden.

Stay safe and well!

[Waddizzle]

Thanks, Trevor.  Be safe and stay healthy to you and yours, too.

The improvised bird blind has gone through an evolution process, with images improving with each iteration.  Basically, the improvments have come in the form of doing a better job with hiding myself and the camera.  LOL, they still it though..  But, since it is there 24/7, they do not seem as bothered by it.

That is the view from 140mm...6D2 with EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + 1.4x III.

Here is a shot from the same session.  It seems like focus adjustment could be needed, but I'm not going to bother with it..

[cicopo]

Well this whole thing came to light here in Canada not long after my annual trip to Cozumel Mexico so we sort of gave the self isolation thing some consideration before the end of Feb & started avoiding any un necessary outings. Once the different levels of government shut down most forms of businesses we got serious about self isolation. My wife hasn't been shopping since the State of Emergency was declared & I've only shopped for food (large carts full) for at least 2 weeks worth at a time but because most shelves were bare the first time I only lasted 1 week in the beginning before returning. Precriptions are the other necessity as they run out. I'll need to make another grocery run later this week but mainly for bread & milk & what ever my 92 year old mother in law needs. Other than a few other items I've bought enough already or had it in the freezer already to make it to June.

As for photography not doing much. A few photos here & there around the house to show the first flower of spring, & a few of things I'm working on in the garage. My time is spent learning how to re assemble a VW convertible I didn't take apart. It's a full restoration a friend started under my supervision. He was a very good student & thought if you bought everything available there wouldn't be much else to it but to install the new parts. WRONG. So many current parts fit cars built in other countries where VW's were built but not built exactly as VW Germany built theirs. He was killed snowmobiling so I bought the project from his estate knowing what he'd spent & I paid a fair price. Knowing what I've spent since on missing or damaged parts I over paid. So far lots more to do & no time to be bored what so ever. Thank goodness YouTube has lots of videos to help me. (And for those who don't know I'm a licensed mechanic who worked at home since 1986 as a full time auto restorer specalizing in GM Muscle Cars & Corvettes & have a background in DC electrical circuits before becoming a mechanis.) 

Project photos are here. I'll need to add some once I get a bit more done.   https://flic.kr/s/aHsmzABV1f

[Waddizzle]

Hmm.  I think I might want to take this improvised bird blind to the next level, and make it semi-permanent.  I am looking for opinions on a gear purchase in this post.

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I get pretty good captures with any of my camera bodies.  I really like the captures with the 1D Mark IV, though.  Seeing how I do not carry it in my bag as much since I included the 7D Mark II in my camera kit, I've decided to make the 1D Mark IV the quasi=permanent camera body for this setup.  Having extra bodies and tripods has become a GOOD thing.

I have always wished I had an AC adapter, an extra battery, and a spare charger for the 1D Mark IV.  My original intent for buying it was to be either the go to sports body, or the goto portrait body.  I have used it for both, and I love the colors.  

I have been turning the "Dr Frankenstein Electronic Lab" in the basement into a photo studio, and the 1D4 will figure to have a prominent role in carrying this out.  The one hitch, though, was that I wanted a spare battery, charger, and AC adapter.  This brings us to the gear purchase that I alluded to earlier at the top.

The original battery and charger for the 1D Mark IV are no longer available, but the replacements for the 1Dx series are fully compatible.  This is where I made the critical decision to go with a used 1Ds Mark III, instead of buying new accessories. It is supposedly in good to excellent condition, which included a battery, charger, and AC adapter for about $1000 USD.

Seeing how buying the 1Dx Series accessories would easily cost more than half the cost of the used camera, I decided to go for the used camera package.  In addition to the accessories, there is an excellent condition 1Ds Mark III in the package.  I think I made a shrewd purchase.  I will let you guys know how well it turns out in a couple of weeks, after I have had a chance to use it, and abuse it.

[Tronhard]

It seems like you have quite a lot to keep you busy.  I would be interested to see images of your final studio setup at some stage!

[Waddizzle]

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@Tronhard wrote:

It seems like you have quite a lot to keep you busy.  I would be interested to see images of your final studio setup at some stage!

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Me, too.  LOL.  I keep giving away gear to relatives.

[Tronhard]

This week I am spending a lot of time at the hospital car park while my other half is inside getting radiation treatment. So, with limited photographic options, and inspired by the work of Lee Miller, I decided to work on still life / architectural subjects with an emphasis on line, form, tone and texture.

Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-135 IS STM@135mm, f/10, 1/1000sec, ISO-200

Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 18-135 IS STM@20mm, f/8, 1/1000sec, ISO-200

Canon EOS 60D, EF-S 55-250 IS STM@89mm, f/8, 1/1600sec, ISO-200

[John_SD]

Excellent photos,Waddizzle! As for what I've been doing that's photography related, I've been mostly trying to improve my LR skills. That has been keeping me busy.

Even here in SoCal, many of the trails and trailheads are basically closed except for walk-ins, so active outdoor photography is somewhat limited right now. I do go to a local park that I can walk to, but that's mostly for exercise. Even the desert parks and National Forests are basically closed in the region. Not complaining, just stating facts. 

[RobertTheFat]

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@John_SD wrote:

Excellent photos,Waddizzle! As for what I've been doing that's photography related, I've been mostly trying to improve my LR skills. That has been keeping me busy.

Even here in SoCal, many of the trails and trailheads are basically closed except for walk-ins, so active outdoor photography is somewhat limited right now. I do go to a local park that I can walk to, but that's mostly for exercise. Even the desert parks and National Forests are basically closed in the region. Not complaining, just stating facts. 

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I feel your pain. I'd be inclined to go down to Center City and prowl around some of the historical sites (Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, etc.) while there are few tourists around. But of course they've made those places hard to get to by shutting down the commuter train line that goes through our neighborhood.