Cadel Evans wins world championship road race‎ 2009

Cadel Evans
Originally uploaded by annick vanderschelden

Cadel Evans has become Australia's first cycling road race world champion, winning in Mendrisio, Switzerland.

Picture photographed after the race in Bavikhove 2008.

Alberto Contador Velasco

Alberto Contador Velasco
Originally uploaded by annick vanderschelden

Bicycle racer Alberto Contador. Nickname El Pistolero.

Photo captured in Bavikhove, Belgium.
Wearing the Yellow jersey as he won the Tour de France edition 2009.

El Pistolero and The Cannibal

Alberto Contador and 'Eddy Merckx' nicknamed respectively El Pistolero and 'The Cannibal'. I believe they call the latter the 'Retro Eddy Merckx'. Photographed before the 2009 bicycle race in Bavikhove.

Canon's Back-Button Auto Focus

Andy Schleck
Originally uploaded by annick vanderschelden

Canon's Back-Button Auto Focus
This link explains this feature very well.

In this picture you notice cyclist Andy Schleck. Back-button allows you to turn off the AF momentarily if something interferes with the subject you're tracking. For instance in this case there could be another cyclist, a colleague photographer and so forth between the lens and the cyclist.

Brazilian Samba Dancer

From wikipedia
In addition to rhythm and bar set musically, historically brings in itself a whole culture of food (dishes for specific occasions), dances varied ((miudinho, coco, samba de roda, pernada), parties, clothes (shoe nozzle fine, linen shirt, etc), and the NAIF painting of established names such as Nelson Sargento, Guilherme de Brito and Heitor dos Prazeres, and anonymous artists community (painters, sculptors, designers and stylists) that makes the clothes, costumes, carnival floats and cars opens the wings of schools of samba.

Samba versus Bossa Nova

Samba and...Bossa Nova
From wikipedia...

The musical style evolved from samba but is more complex harmonically and less percussive. Additionally, Bossa Nova emerged primarily from the upscale beachside neighborhoods of Rio De Janeiro vs. Samba's origins in favelas of Rio. Certain similar elements were already evident, even influencing Western classical music like Gershwin's Cuban Overture which has the characteristic 'Latin' clave rhythm. The influence on bossa nova of jazz styles such as cool jazz is often debated by historians and fans, but a similar "cool sensibility" is apparent. Bossa nova was developed in Brazil in 1958 by João Gilberto, with Elizete Cardoso's recording of Chega de Saudade on the Canção do Amor Demais LP, composed by Vinícius de Moraes (lyrics) and Antonio Carlos Jobim (music). The song was soon after released by Gilberto.

You Tube video.
Luciana Souza-The new Bossa Nova

Brazilian Samba Dancer

Zomercarnaval edition 2009 Kortrijk, Belgium.
Brazilian samba dancer.

Bomba Estéreo

Photo captured at same concert as here
Bomba Estéreo
Originally uploaded by annick vanderschelden

Sindicato Sonico

Picture taken at the Antilliaanse Feesten in Houthalen Belgium.
Info on their site


Sindicato Sonico
Originally uploaded by annick vanderschelden

Aimelia Lias

Kinshasa, Congo.










In the foreground you notice one of the female dancers.
Aimelia Lias's music is soukous which is African music. Origin is the Congolese Rumba and Congolese Rumba was influenced by Cuban music back in sixties.

Photo location: Antilliaanse Feesten in Houthalen.

Bomba Estéreo

Bogotà, Colombia.













Female singer Li Saumet photographed at the Antilliaanse Feesten in Houthalen.
Cumbia music is a typical Colombian music style.
you tube

sunrise Namib Naukluft Park

These are mountains in sunrise light photographed in Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia.
I captured this at 06:15 or so in the morning just after leaving the Le Mirage Desert Lodge & Spa.
Le Mirage Desert Lodge & Spa is located 21 km from Sesriem the entrance gate to the Namib Naukluft Park and Sossusvlei.
Sesriem/Sossusvlei region
Itinerary selfdrive that can be viewed on the map:
Stage 2 Rehoboth-Sesriem
Stage 3 Sesriem-Solitaire
Stage 4 Solitaire-Swakopmund
So this is captured at the beginning of Stage 3 Sesriem-Solitaire. More detailed: Le Mirage-Sesriem-Sossusvlei-Dead vlei-Sesriem-Solitaire.




I applied a new Photoshop sharpening technique here. At least for me. It's the Smart sharpening command explained by Deke McClelland. Video link.
Normally I do the sharpening either in Adobe Camera Raw or within Photoshop using the Unsharp mask command situated just below the above mentioned Smart sharpening command within the Photoshop CS4's Filter menu.

The other corrections were done in Adobe Camera raw within Lightroom and Photoshop CS4. Notice that sky was blurred through Gaussian blur.

This young male is one of three brothers. Farmers found them after they killed their mother in an attempt to protect their cattle. They were brought into the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia.
They were very young when captured and thus were unable to learn their hunting skills from their mother. These Cheetahs will have to stay their whole life into the CCF and cannot be introduced into their habitat again 'cause they have no survival chances.



From wikipedia
Males are very sociable and will group together for life, usually with their brothers in the same litter; although if a cub is the only male in the litter then two or three lone males may group up, or a lone male may join an existing group. These groups are called coalitions.

Planets

Flash movie by Annick Vanderschelden 2009
Music by Aaron Dunn Sonata No.1. Instrument: Piano.
Edited (trimmed) in Soundbooth CS4.

Depth-of-field calculator

In the Canon Professional Newsletter (CPN) July 2009 you can find a technical article titled Tools: Depth-of-field calculator

It defines briefly the depth-of-field concept and how the former can be applied in photography. For example isolating a subject through a shallow depth-of-field. Furthermore it deals with the variables you need to take into account when calculating the depth-of-field such as the Circle of confusion. The Circle of confusion represents the largest blurred circle that can still be clearly defined by the human eye from a given distance.
Some assumptions were made to develop the calculator.

About the calculator...
You can select your EOS Canon camera, fill in the focal length, select the f-stop and finally the focus distance. The calculator will immediately tell you the 'Near limit of focus', the 'Far limit of focus', the 'Total depth-of-field' and the 'Hyperfocal distance'.

Example 1:
Input:
I'm shooting a lion somewhere in Africa with my 400mm, the distance between the lion is more or less 15 metres, the aperture is 2,8 and the body is a EOS 1D-MarkIII.
So the Depth-of-Field calculator says:
Near limit of focus: 14,9 m
Far limit of focus: 15,1 m
Total depth-of-field: 0,23m
Hyperfocal distance: 1905,2m.
The conclusion might be that the Total depth-of-field is too shallow here and it would be recommended to have a smaller aperture. For example f/5,6 generates 0,46 metres and f/8 0,66 meters.
Notice that the hyperfocal distance is 1905,2 metres; focus at 952,6 metres and things are sharp between 952,6 metres and infinity.

Example 2:
Input:
A 350D body with a zoom lens at focal length 22 mm and the aperture is f/8. The subject distance is 4 meters.
Depth-of Field calculator:
Near limit-of-focus: 1.78m
Far limit of focus: Infinity
Total Depth-of-Field: Infinite
Hyperfocal distance: 3,21 metres.
So everything between 1,605 metres and infinity will be sharp here.

Example 3:
Input:
I'm photographing a small bird such as a weaver approximately 4 meters away with a 400mm lens at an aperture f/2,8. This will generate a Total depth-of-field of 0,01 meter.
Through this calculator you'll quickly see that for example f/8 @ 6 meters is much better as you'll 0,08 meter room which will result in a sharper bird overall.

In my opinion this Depth-of-Field Calculator tool is a very useful and efficient tool as it just gives you an idea of the amount of depth-of-field you will have in certain situations.

Threaded view TrekNature forums Depth-of-field calculator.

Jackal

In jackal society the social unit is that of a monogamous pair which defends its territory from other pairs. These territories are defended by vigorously chasing intruding rivals and marking landmarks around the territory with urine and feces. The territory may be large enough to hold some young adults who stay with their parents until they establish their own territory. Jackals may occasionally assemble in small packs, for example to scavenge a carcass, but normally hunt alone or as a pair.
This animal, a Black-backed jackal is photographed in Etosha National park, Namibia. More specifically in Okaukuejo Rest Camp at the waterhole. December 2008. Capture time: 18:10.
Photo is a crop and a resized version of the original file.
Developed in Lightroom 2.0 and Photoshop CS4.

Oryx gazella

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The gemsbok or gemsbuck(Oryx gazella) is a large African antelope, of the Oryx genus. The name is derived from the Dutch name of the male chamois, Gemsbok. Although there are some superficial similarities in appearance(especially in the colour of the face area), the chamois and the oryx are not closely related.
Photo is captured in Etosha National Park, Namibia. In December 2008.

Tsja#3

Tsja#2

Tsja#2
Originally uploaded by annick vanderschelden

Tsja#1

Tsja#1
Originally uploaded by annick vanderschelden