45/52 - Ace

Ace

I was quite sure that the strings on a Tennis racquet could be used to produce bokeh if lit from the correct angle. I decided to test this out yesterday and produced a couple of photographs which doubled up as this week's entry for my project. The main problem which I had to contend with was working out an angle which produced bokeh as well as a half decent composition for the photograph itself.

Lighting setup shots inside.

Lighting Setup - Ace

This again was a two light setup.

The main light was a bare Canon 430 EX II fired at 1/64th from camera left. This light was used to light the closer edge of the racquet. I placed a white foam-core board at a slight angle under the racquet to bounce the light from the 430 EX II back onto the under side of the racquet and create some separation on the black bottom edge. The effect is subtle and can be seen on the bottom edge of the racquet on the right hand side of the "Wilson" sticker. If I hadn't placed the white foam-core board under the racquet, this section would have been black and would have merged into the background.

The bokeh was created by a Canon 580 EX II fired at 1/128th from in front of the camera and slightly to the left. This flash had a CTB gel on it. The light from this flash also created the highlights on the further edge of the racquet.

I used a black foam-core board as the background.

The Tusker - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Tusker - Yala, Sri Lanka

On one of our morning rounds in Yala we sighted a massive Tusker striding across one of the plains. He seemed to be in a bit of a hurry as he crossed the plain pretty quickly and disappeared into the jungle. I was a bit disappointed as the sighting had been relatively brief.

I'm pretty sure that this Tusker is named "Thilak". Can someone please confirm?

More photographs inside.

The Tusker - Yala, Sri Lanka

He seemed to be heading in the direction of a nearby waterhole so a decision was made to drive towards it and wait for him to make an appearance. Fortunately there were no other vehicles near the waterhole and we were able to position ourselves directly opposite where we thought the Elephant would approach form.

The Tusker - Yala, Sri Lanka

It turned out to be a short wait of about ten minutes before the Tusker was spotted across the water. I spent the time photographing a flock of Green Pigeons, a pair of Bee-Eaters and a Grey Heron who had also come for a drink and a bath.

The Tusker - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Elephant hesitated when he saw the vehicle but then climbed down the embankment and approached the waterline. He settled down for a lengthy drink in the shade of one of the overhanging trees and provided me with a number of opportunities to photograph him.

The Tusker - Yala, Sri Lanka

After spending around ten-fifteen minutes having a drink, he walked up the embankment and disappeared into the jungle. By this time two other vehicles had also arrived at the waterhole and we decided to move on. It was a really good sighting of the Tusker at close range and I was able to come away with a number of photographs of the animal.

The Tusker - Yala, Sri Lanka

The photographs on this post were captured with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. I would have liked to get down to ground level to take these photographs but getting out of vehicles is banned in Sri Lankan National Parks.

44/52 - Measure

Measure

This weeks entry for my project 52 is a photograph of a set of measuring spoons. I used a slate cheese board as the background as it added a texture to the photograph. I used a two light setup for this photograph.setup shots and explanation after the jump.

Lighting setup - Measure

The main light for this shot was a Canon 580 EX II. I fired it at 1/2 at the ceiling to light the image evenly.

The key light was a Canon 430 EX II fired at 1/64th and zoomed to 105mm from the top of the frame. It created the highlights on the spoons and brought out the texture of the slate plate.

Crested Hawk-Eagle - Sri Lanka

Crested Hawk-Eagle - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Crested Hawk-Eagle, also called the Changeable Hawk-Eagle, is a common raptor found throughout the dry lowlands. We saw a number of these raptors in Yala, Arugam Bay, Anuradhapura and Willpattu while we were in Sri Lanka. I was fortunate to take a few decent images of the raptor during these sightings.

More images after the jump.

 Crested Hawk-Eagle - Yala, Sri Lanka

Identifying the Changeable Hawk-Eagle is relatively easy. Its upright crest and streaked underparts are easily recognised. However, there is a variation in plumage based on the birds age. The younger birds look cleaner as their upper parts are lighter in colour. Their underparts are white too.

Crested Hawk-Eagle - Yala, Sri Lanka

The sightings in Yala were probably the best sightings we had during the trip. The first and third photographs on this post were taken while we were watching the Rukwilla cubs. I think the bird had a nest in one of the Palu trees (Manilkara hexandra) nearby as we saw it in the area on a number of occasions.

Crested Hawk-Eagle - Yala, Sri Lanka

The photograph above was taken on the Welmal Kema Road. We noticed the young eagle in the tree because of it's call. We watched the bird for about ten minutes. Much to the amusement of our driver who kept saying "it's just a bird".  People seem to be coming to the park to see only Leopard and Bear. It's a sad situation really.

Crested Hawk-Eagle - Willpattu, Sri Lanka

We also had a good sighting of a Crested Hawk-Eagle in Willpattu. It was perched on a low branch just off the road. Unfortunately there were a few branches between the camera and the raptor and I couldn't get a clean shot.

All the photographs in this post were captured with a Canon 7d and the 100-400mm lens. 

43/52 - Spice it Up

Spice it Up

I raided the pantry cupboard for spices to come up with this shot. I found Cinnamon, Szechuan Pepper-corns, Cardamoms, Cloves, Curry leaves, Chilli Powder and Garlic. Coming up with a decent composition was not easy as all the spices had to be visible and I didn't want to shoot from above.

Lighting setup inside.

 Lighting Setup - Spice it Up

As far as lighting goes, this was a straight forward two light setup.

I used a Canon 430 EX II fired at 1/2 and zoomed to 24mm from camera right. The flash was fired over the spices, at a white foam-core board that was positioned on the left of the frame. The board was positioned to re-direct the light back onto the spices. I used the board so that the entire image was evenly lit.

I also used a Canon 530 EX II fired at 1/128th and zoomed to 105mm (not in setup shot) from camera right as a key light. This created the highlights on the Cinnamon and the Szechuan Pepper-corns.

The Leopards at Karaw Gas Wala - Yala, Sri Lanka

A Leopardess having a drink - Yala, Sri Lanka

One of the best sightings we had while in Yala, was of a female Leopard and her cub at Karaw Gas Wala. We were on an evening round when we crossed another vehicle and were informed that a Leopard was seen in the area. Our driver had a hunch that the Leopard would be heading towards the water hole at Karaw Gas Wala and headed off in that direction. He had seen the Leopards stopping there for a drink before and thought they would make an appearance.

More photographs inside.

 Leopard cub emerging from the undergrowth - Yala, Sri Lanka

When we got to the water hole we were greeted by three or four Buffalo in the water and a couple of Painted Storks but no sign of the Leopard. A decision was soon made to wait there for a while and see if we got lucky. Unfortunately a number of other vehicles that drove passed decided to stop and wait as well! It was getting a bit too crowded for our liking and hoping to lead the other jeeps away, we drove "around the block" and got back ten minutes later to find all the other vehicles gone. 

Leopardess and Cub - Yala, Sri Lanka

We were rewarded 20 minutes later when the cub emerged from the undergrowth. It was a bit hesitant and initially poked its head out and stared at us for a while. It was soon joined by it's mother (I was annoyed to later discover that a stick in the foreground had actually got in the way of a photograph with the mother staring directly at the camera! The shot above).

The Leopardess approaches - Yala, Sri Lanka

After a few minutes the Leopardess led the cub towards the road along a gully and we lost sight of them briefly. We were pretty confident that it would cross the road behind our vehicle so we stayed put. We didn't have to wait too long.

The Leopard comes up to the road- Yala, Sri Lanka

The female re-appeared a bit further away from us to cross the road. She was uneasy and kept staring at the vehicle while she was in the open. During this period I was able capture a number of photographs with her staring directly into the camera.

AFemale Leopard crosses the road - Yala, Sri Lanka

A little while after she crossed the road, the cub followed. It was very tentative and took a while to work up the courage to actually walk across. Soon after it crossed the road it disappeared into the undergrowth on the further side of the water hole. Probably because it was unsettled by the presence of both our vehicle and the buffalo.

The Leopard cub crosses the road - Yala, Sri Lanka

Soon after the cub crossed the road the female started to drink. Thankfully she positioned herself at the far end of the waterhole, directly opposite us. she had a long drink throughout which she didn't take her eye's off the vehicle. I was glad because this meant I was able to get more photographs with her staring straight into the camera.

A Leopardess having a drink - Yala, Sri Lanka

A few minutes after the Leopard started drinking, the buffaloes became restless. They didn't seem to have any young with them so I'm not really sure what agitated them. They approached the Leopard threateningly, stamping their hooves and snorting and succeeded in chasing the Leopard away.

The Leopard walking away - Yala, Sri Lanka

The whole experience lasted about 15 minutes. It was one of the best sightings I've had of a Leopard in Yala and having it to ourselves was a big bonus. I think I fired off about 50 frames during the fifteen minutes. I was expecting to have taken a lot more to be honest!

The photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.

42/52 - Ignition

Ignition

I've never tried to photograph smoke before so I thought I'd experiment a bit. I wanted the photograph to be a bit more than just smoke and ended up with this. The hardest part of taking this photograph was obviously the timing. Thankfully I invested in a remote trigger sometime ago and it came in pretty handy!

Lighting setup shot and details inside.

Lighting setup - Ignition

Sorry this photograph is a bit dark. Most of the space is taken up with a black foam-core board which I used for the background.

The only flash used for this shot was a Canon 580 EX II fired at 1/64th and zoomed to 80mm.

I used a piece of white paper to bounce light onto the tea-light.

The light at the back of the shot is the TV. I was watching Australia play Italy in the rugby world cup.

Kudumbigala Monastery - Sri Lanka

Cave temple at Kudumbigala - Sri Lanka

The Kudumbigala Monastery is located along the south east coast of Sri Lanka. The area is very sparsely inhabited and the monastery is in the middle of thick jungle. The complex is said to have been built in 246 BC during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa and is made up of around 200 caves. Inscriptions in brahmini script found in one of the caves, named maha sudarshana lena, and other evidence shows that the cave was "built" and gifted to the priests by one of King Dutugemunu's "yodayas".

More photographs inside.

The entrance to the complex - Kudumbigala, Sri Lanka

The monastery was one of the places which we wanted to visit while we were in Arugam Bay. We had heard several stories about people getting lost in the jungle around Kudumbigala, before leaving Colombo and needless to say, we left with a lot of confidence! Getting to the monastery itself wasn't easy because I didn't know exactly how to get there. Our only directions were vague and obtained from a policeman at the last village we drove past. The only trace of a monastery was a relatively modern meditation hall that visible from the road but with no signposts or people about, there was no way to be certain.

The path to the Monastery - Kudumbigala, Sri Lanka

We walked around looking for someone or something that actually gave us an indication that we had reached the monastery but found nothing. While walking around a small temple built on one of the rocks by the road, we found a path that led into the jungle. Having run out of options, we followed the path (photograph above) up the rock and finally came to one of the cave temples (first photograph). Continuing on beyond this cave we came to a plateau where the main complex was situated.

The main complex - Kudumbigala, Sri Lanka

We spent a fair bit of time climbing the rocks around the plateau and taking in the 360 degree views of the area.

The monastery was abandoned in 1994 after LTTE cadres killed 17 civilians in the closest village. As a last threat to the monks of Kudumbigala the terrorist threw tar on one of the old Buddha statues in the complex. We did come across a couple of priests meditating in the area around the complex. However, I'm not sure if they actually lived at the monastery itself.

Close up of one of the Dagabas - Kudumbigala, Sri Lanka

I have read that this is the only cylindrical dagoba in Sri Lanka but I am not sure how accurate this statement is. 

All photographs on this post were taken with a Canon 7D and the 24-105 mm lens. I also used a circular polariser for all these shots.

41/52 - Idea

Idea

As this project winds down I seem to find it a lot more difficult to come up with ideas for weekly photographs. I guess going out and shooting something outdoors is an option but for one reason or another I have been unable to do so. I've got 11 weeks more to change this!

Lighting setup shots inside.

Lighting Setup - Idea

This was another two light setup.

The main light was a Canon 580 EX II fired at 1/32 through a shoot through umbrella from camera right, in front of the subject.

The key light was a Canon 430 EX II fired at 1/32 from camera left. The strobe was zoomed to 80mm to ensure it only lit the edge of the tiles and created a highlight on the frame.