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Sunset Windmill
Sunset Windmill
Azrifel


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: 2-Second Exposure (Advanced Editing IV)
Collection: Windmills
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon
Location: Schermerhorn, NL
Date: Mar 13, 2006
Aperture: f/2.0
ISO: 800
Shutter: 2s
Galleries: Landscape, Rural
Date Uploaded: Mar 13, 2006

 After the challenge comment:
The effect of the wings is not like a propellor in a video, altough it loos the same. A propellor in a video with this effect is a result of the filmspeed (frame to frame) in relation to the propellorspeed.
The wings of this windmill were not rotating fast, they were actually rather slow. The effect is a result of turning trough the dead point of the wings. The rotation is not a continous speed, it slows down when a wing comes near the top and speeds up when it falls down.
You can only see this with middle-long shutterspeeds like 2 seconds. In 15 and 30 seconds exposures the wings have passed so many times that they become one perfect circular blur.

---------------------------
Lower windmill K again.
There was a full moon so I decided to attempt a 2s high iso moonscape, and to my fortune there were still some windmills turning. With the moonlight on the sails it might help to create a round blur. The 2s exposure had the advantage that you get a start/stop kind of blur instead of a continous round blur.
Near full moon behind me, parly cloudy and the sun sets in the background of the windmill. Despite the look of the photo it was very dark (night dark, with moon fill light) and there was no sun to be seen anymore (surprised me what turned up in the background). Couldn't read the markings on the camera or lens and despite my f/1.4 lens (bright for me and the focus system) it just wouldn't focus.
First did some test shots and finally decided to go for f2 (for depth), 2s (to match the challenge) and ISO800 (less noise, but also less color depth because of 1 stop underexposure) exposure. To focus it I did 30s ISO 200 long exposures with trial and error focussing. When it finally looked ok I set the 2s exposure and fired away. Did this from various angles.
Worst thing to edit. The original is underexposed by 1 stop (like I said, I decided on the spot to use ISO800 instead of 1600 and 2s was not near enough for a good exposure) and thus very dark. Pushed it stop in RAW conversion, introduced a lot of grain, but the there was more color than ISO1600 shots from other angles (except one that tech looks good but has less compo). Color was way off.

I hope it does ok, it is still pretty grainy, but the pattern of the circle and the blur of the reed shows the 2s exposure and imo the composition is okish. I'm not happy with the horizon line, but didn't want to loose the reflection nor a shooting angle that would distort the windmill angle.

(2425d_5)
Date: 13.03.2006 at 19:45:49
Aperture: f 2,0
ISO: 800
Shutter speed: 2,0 s
Program: M - Manual
Resolution: -- (RAW)
Focus Mode: MANUAL

Statistics
Place: 17 out of 192
Avg (all users): 6.4550
Avg (commenters): 7.2414
Avg (participants): 5.8911
Avg (non-participants): 6.9256
Views since voting: 2782
Views during voting: 443
Votes: 222
Comments: 34
Favorites: 1 (view)

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AuthorThread
 03/27/2006 12:11:39 PM
This is such a great picture! I thought it would finish in the top 10...Still a great finish!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/27/2006 12:50:46 AM
This baby should have finished much higher with its beauty. Very well captured and congratulations on your top 20 finish.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/27/2006 12:09:20 AM
this is gorgeous, hon! congrats on top 20! *hug*
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
03/26/2006 11:50:05 PM
this has a mystical, ethereal quality to it. Nice.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/26/2006 10:38:27 PM
Wow! This thing is in motion. Very nice scenery.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/26/2006 09:39:06 PM
Beautiful! Great use of the 2 seconds.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/26/2006 07:06:50 PM
Nice colors and reflection
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/26/2006 04:13:50 PM
Nice capture. Love the earth tones and soft pastels in the sky.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/26/2006 03:28:44 PM
Very nice!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/26/2006 01:25:42 PM
Ahhh, I like windmills... ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/25/2006 11:49:14 PM
6 - Good and unusual. If the car/houses were not so apparent and the blades on the windmill 'somehow' a fraction more 'captured'/contrasted, make this even better in my opinion. Haven't seen a windmill shot like this before.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/25/2006 04:19:22 PM
I love this shot. Nicely done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/24/2006 11:19:47 PM
10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/24/2006 01:32:11 PM
Nice picture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/23/2006 04:27:36 PM
wow love the blades ,looks like it will take off lol
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/23/2006 02:47:33 PM
My favorite by far! Love the light from within and its reflection.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/23/2006 12:15:20 AM
Oh god that looks funny....a loud whirring noise comes to mind.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/22/2006 12:56:23 PM
Got a feeling this is one of your shots Peter :) Not really liking this as much as I normally do your shots but this is far from bad, above average in the challenge so I gave it a 6.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/21/2006 04:02:11 PM
Wow, a windmill with the blades spinning! Nice. I wish the grass blades on the left were not there.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/21/2006 12:04:58 PM
love the time of day this was taken, lighting is great comp is great. 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/21/2006 11:58:00 AM
Bautyful
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/21/2006 09:38:43 AM
wow, interesting, unique.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/21/2006 09:15:13 AM
Gorgeous! Very well done =)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 08:13:34 PM
Well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 07:56:32 PM
Nice... reminds me of a prop plane. But anyways, great work: I love the reflections and the colors on the horizon. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 05:42:00 PM
Cool picture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 11:36:04 AM
Very nice. Wonderful stillness and lithe movement at the same time. Good colours.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 10:27:25 AM
The grass tht is out of focus in the foreground on the left is distracting. The colors and clarity of the image elsewhere is great.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 09:53:28 AM
I don't like the motion on this pic. It seems to be a nice, quiet, and serene setting, yet the windmill, due to the long exposure, is going super-fast. Its too much of a contrast in energy. The pic also looks like its been over-lightened.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 07:23:42 AM
:) Looks like it's gonna take off. Good idea.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 07:04:03 AM
I wonder where this is, oh let me guess somewhere near Hoorn :))) You know you were so lucky finding a windmill which was rotating. I have been to The Netherlands so often and I have never seen a windmill actually working!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 01:48:30 AM
It looks like it is about to take off somewhere in flight.....

Great image.....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 12:54:12 AM
I guess I would have liked to have seen the windmill arms a bit more...shot is also quite grainy
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/20/2006 12:15:26 AM
Wow that windmill must've been going fast!!!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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