# Trying Out My New Camera



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Took my brand new Nikon D3400 with 70/300 zoom lens for a walk today. For now I just left it on the full automatic setting to see what it would do.

These first two photos were taken from the overlook at the memorial to Tessie McNamara, the hero of the Kingsland explosion. The brick chimney in the first photo is all that remains of the munitions factory that was there. Now it's just a shallow pond that the birds make use of.


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https://flic.kr/p/VB1c2m


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https://flic.kr/p/Ur2PMP


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I continued my walk on down to the Meadowlands Environmental Center, which gave me an opportunity for some more waterfowl pics, a few flowers, and even a snap of the observatory there.


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https://flic.kr/p/VpUjpb


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https://flic.kr/p/V5mJP9


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https://flic.kr/p/VpUkuC


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https://flic.kr/p/Ur2WuM


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https://flic.kr/p/Ur2Vfc


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Interesting place--I never knew about it.  Nice pics!  Love the one of the wildflowers, especially.

Betsy


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Took another walk down there, this time with some evening lighting and playing around with aperture mode and "back button focus" -- and there were swans!


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https://flic.kr/p/UqfbBN


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https://flic.kr/p/Utk3iK


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Go Nog, go! I'd never heard of the Kingsland Explosion. Gonna check out your link now!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Tripod + very slow shutter speed + 2-second shutter delay:


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https://flic.kr/p/VxDYwp


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https://flic.kr/p/V9WbcU


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Nice, Nog Dog.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Another walk in the park...


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https://flic.kr/p/UG8gPt


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https://flic.kr/p/VJdK6F

Camera-shy?...


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https://flic.kr/p/VSccRq


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

From this evening's walk to the park, trying out the tripod...


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https://flic.kr/p/ULwoVU

...plus a gradient filter on this one to keep the sky from being over-exposed...


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https://flic.kr/p/ULwoCu

...and adventures in back-lighting.


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https://flic.kr/p/VN6d53


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Good work.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

R. Doug said:


> Good work.


Thanks. I've got a long way to go to filter through all the buttons/options these digital monsters provide, figuring out which ones to ignore and which ones to try to make second nature to use. Fortunately, there are lots of tutorials/suggestions on Youtube. Unfortunately, there are _lots_ of tutorials/suggestions on Youtube.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I did not do a single bit of retouching/adjusting of this photo, other than some cropping. I opened it up in Polarr...looked at it, and said, "Yep, that's good." Those are the colors exactly as captured by the camera. 


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https://flic.kr/p/VRy1EN


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Fun with filters: gradient filter to knock down the sky a couple stops, and polarizer to reduce the glare off the water -- and a little bit of lens flare.


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https://flic.kr/p/VCMCQM


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Just beautiful!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I think there's some sort of artistic/social statement here...I'm just not sure what it is.


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https://flic.kr/p/VFxPgs


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Egrets are just so darned photogenic, and what's cuter than bird on a pipe? (Okay, probably lots of things...)


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https://flic.kr/p/WUgBWm


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https://flic.kr/p/VFxPB7


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https://flic.kr/p/WUgBhf


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I quite like this photo, if I do say so myself. 


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https://flic.kr/p/WEL85y


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Great photos - especialy that last one. How wonderful that you live within walking distance of such a lovely place.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Not an amazing pic, but not bad for a hand-held shot using the 300mm zoom (and then a bit of LightRoom work to bring out the contrasts):


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https://flic.kr/p/Xhvusj


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Got some macro extension rings (way, way cheaper than buying a macro lens), so tried some macro photography today:


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https://flic.kr/p/WNyZgA

The set-up (taken with my phone):


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https://flic.kr/p/WQTmh4


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Just playing around with assorted things I had at home as a photography exercise:


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https://flic.kr/p/X4TENK


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Trying out the new macro lens:


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https://flic.kr/p/YjXhqF


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I'm finally starting to grab decent in-flight photos now and then.


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https://flic.kr/p/XxqUVE


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https://flic.kr/p/XxqV3o


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Nice. I love watching birds flying around my neighborhood.


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

Those bird pictures are really good! So graceful.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Experimenting with post-processing into a black and white image:


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https://flic.kr/p/YFTDbo

Originally:


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https://flic.kr/p/XSLmgB


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

NogDog said:


> Experimenting with post-processing into a black and white image:
> 
> 
> __
> https://flic.kr/p/YFTDbo


Lovely post-processing, NogDog. From the way you got the clouds to pop against a darkened sky, it definitely appears that you post processed using red filtering. Great job!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

R. Doug said:


> Lovely post-processing, NogDog. From the way you got the clouds to pop against a darkened sky, it definitely appears that you post processed using red filtering. Great job!


Effectively, yes: I decreased the blue luminance.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

My favorite from today's walk to the Meadowlands Environment Center:


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https://flic.kr/p/CsrAhR


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Lovely. Looks like a big one. Is that a blue heron? I'm certainly no expert on birds, but he looks sort of blue and heron-like.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Lovely. Looks like a big one. Is that a blue heron? I'm certainly no expert on birds, but he looks sort of blue and heron-like.


Not just a blue heron, but a "great blue heron".


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

NogDog said:


> Not just a blue heron, but a "great blue heron".


I lived on a lake with an island in the middle. About every two years, a great blue heron would appear. He seemed to be bigger than the sandhill cranes we have in my area now.


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

NogDog said:


> My favorite from today's walk to the Meadowlands Environment Center:
> 
> 
> __
> https://flic.kr/p/CsrAhR


Nice capture, NogDog.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

R. Doug said:


> Nice capture, NogDog.


Plus a little "spot removal" in Lightroom to remove a couple pieces of trash from the shoreline.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

For some reason I find leafless trees silhouetted against the sky to be interesting.


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https://flic.kr/p/22NbqPd


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https://flic.kr/p/ZCGF7F


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

This photography hobby is a money pit.  Traded in my Nikon D5300 for their best crop-sensor model, the D500 (used). Haven't had much of a chance to really do anything with it due to the weather and my work schedule, but I like how this photo turned out.


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https://flic.kr/p/K87oMK

Nikon D500 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens
140mm, 1/1600sec, f/6.3, ISO 400


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Saw a flash of red out the corner of my eye on an otherwise gray day in the park, then managed to capture this cardinal in spite of its attempts to foil my focusing:


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https://flic.kr/p/GiCrN7


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## mandeep77 (Nov 30, 2017)

All are amazing clicks. Thanks for sharing.


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