Texas

[TammyTX]

Is that maybe from Camp Swift? They do often trainings on the weekends.

Yes, I think you are correct. The sound is coming due east from us. We don't usually hear the noise but with all of the rain they are probably taking the advantage and testing explosives.

Thanks!!

 

[mylittlechicken]

Yes, I think you are correct. The sound is coming due east from us. We don't usually hear the noise but with all of the rain they are probably taking the advantage and testing explosives.

Thanks!!

No Problem.
By the way when we moved to Elgin, we was looking at houses in your area too, at the Lower Elgin Road. I would have loved to get the house there.Was on 7 acre Land. Now we have 1.5.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Jungleexplorer - I have a camera question. Last Christmas my husband bought me a Sony 5n camera. I've only used it a couple of times and I don't know very much about camera technicals. I have two lenses, one 3.5-5.6/18-55, the other 2.8/16. Which would be the best lens for taking medium range photos of the chickens?

Wow! That is a nice camera

Lucky you! I am not a professional photographer, but I will give you the best advice I can. Good pictures are all about lighting. You have to understand that all color comes from light. How many colors can you see in a dark cave? None! Right? There are three major light vibrations Red, Green and Blue. All color is a mixture of these three colors. In each lighting situation (incandescent light (also called Tungsten), fluorescent, LED, Sunlight) there will be a different mixture of the three major light vibrations. The best light is sunlight because it has the best balance of the color, but it is also very bright, which can lead to over exposed pictures and shadows. The best time of day to shoot is in the morning because there is a lot more color in the light and it is not as bright. Also, bright cloudy days are really good for balanced color and good exposure. So paying attention to lighting is the first step to a great picture, regardless of your camera.

People really like the photos I post, not only because they have great color and exposure, but because the subject of the photo seems to seem to pop out. This effect is called "Shallow Depth of Field" or SDOF. Basically, you have to program your camera to have a very shallow focal point. This is where DSLR cameras excel. Point and Shoot cameras have a very deep depth of field and this makes them great for random shooting because they don't have to be very precises in their focus. So how do you get a SDOF from your camera? Well, some of it has to do with the lens, and some of it has to do with settings. I shoot all my chicken pictures with a 75-300mm zoom lens. I have found that the closer I am to the end of the zoom (Zoomed all the way out), the shallower my DOF (Depth of field). But there are some in camera settings that can help. The one setting that effects depth of field the most is the Aperture. The aperture is the part of the camera that opens up to let light in when you press the button to take a picture. The aperture setting dictates how wide the aperture will open when you press the button. Aperture settings work just like shotgun gauges; the smaller the number, the larger the bore or hole. The aperture setting is called the f-Stop and will look something like this F3.5. So the lower the F number, the larger the aperture will open and the larger the F number, the smaller the aperture will open.

Here are some great examples of a SDOF pictures. Notice how the mother and baby tend to pop out of the picture. The background is visible, but not in focus.



In this picture, the DOF is almost flat. The background is completely out of focus.



In this next photo, you are able to see that the subject of the photo is in a crowd, but you can clearly tell that they are the subject because they are the only thing in perfect focus.




If these pictures would have been taken with a normal point and shoot, most of the foreground and background would have been in focus and the subject of the photo would have not been as clear.


Now on your camera, there should be an Aperture Priority (AP or AV)) mode. Never having owned that model, I can't tell you how to find it. In AP mode, you will have manual control over the F-Stop while the rest of the settings will be automatic. I would use your 18-55 lens (zoomed out to the end) and set the F-Stop to the lowest number possible and then try to get as close to the chicken (or subject) as possible. This will give you the best SDOF you can get with your camera. Each lens has a minimum F-Stop it can go to. More expensive lenses have very low F-Stops, while cheaper ones tend to have higher F-Stops. But that 18-55mm lens of your's should do find.

 

[TammyTX]

Jungleexplorer - Thank you for explaining it to me so well and the photos helped show me exactly what you were describing.

The best photos I've taken have been on cloudy days so what you said made sense.

I am going to practice with it this weekend as soon as I figure out where I put the battery charger. The camera is supposed to be good but if I don't use it then it's pretty worthless.

Thanks again!!

 

[Jungleexplorer]

You are very welcome.

 

[TammyTX]

You can tell it's a pretty day in Texas 'cuz there is no one here!!!

 

[Heidisgran]

You can tell it's a pretty day in Texas 'cuz there is no one here!!!

so beautiful!!

 

[uglychickens]

Happy dance! Sold our suburban yes! No more west Virginia yard ornament!!!

 

[Teri Metcalf]

so beautiful!!

That's right! We've been outdoors most of this glorious day. Reminds me that Texas summers don't last forever.

 

[LBejaran]

I've been blowing out eggs lately for fall decorations, but Dad realized, "Wow Laura, you sure do sink a lot of time painting these delicate eggs for no reason other than to place them in that basket where they can't be seen. Why don't you sell them at the local market? My friend has a stand he can sell them at!"

My Dad isn't that wordy, nor that enthusiastic, but I think he's trying to make me use my time more wisely. So all my spare time is now spent painting eggs free hand. This is the first time I've painted something with such small details, so it's a bit rough. Any opinions would be great!

Just be gentle, okay? H-ha....