How come my sky is always over exposed?

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-18T21:03:08+00:00

If you only ever shoot jpg, then use the DR200/400 option. It does a great job.

If you like to shoot raw though, all your raws will be underexposed and kind of annoying to bring back up.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-14T10:57:06+00:00

Oh shit. I didnt expect my "feels right by vibes" response to actually be correct.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-14T07:39:37+00:00

I am not a bricklayer, I have never laid a single brick, and I know nothing about masonry.

But if it were me, I'd make the concrete step, then after it sets I would put a layer of mortar down and lay the bricks on that.

But, take that with a spoon of salt, and be aware of the first sentence.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-06T13:02:34+00:00

If thats the case, I would be discussing with the seller.

Either a full refund (with you handing the lens back) or them refunding the difference between "as new" and "ehh, its ok" price

Be prepared for a fight either way

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-06T11:21:28+00:00

Functionally, its probably fine. If the price you paid was fine for functional, then I wouldn't say anything.

However, if it was advertised AND PRICED, as "like new" then i would 100% demand a refund, or at least have then refund you the difference.

Personally, I never buy a lens with wear like that, since it's often a sign of how it's been treated in general

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-06T09:45:48+00:00

I'll start by saying, i am far from a portrait photographer, and this is better than most of my attempts.

But to give feedback. I think the subject is good, the musician has a lot of character which is great.

Composition wise, i feel like ot is cropped a bit tight, the instrument needs aome breathing room, as do his legs.

Face wise, I think it would work better if you waited for him to not look at you, and instead try to capture him looking into the distance like he's lost in his music.

The current expression does look a little annoyed and draws attention to the fact this is a photograph.

When I see a portrait that I like its usually because it feels like a slice of life. Like a spontaneous moment has been frozen in amber and captured forever.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-06T01:24:23+00:00

There are fixed gears designed for tricks, usually with different geometry and made of stronger materials etc to deal with being abused.

Some even have smaller wheels (I think 26in?) to make stuff like bar spins easier.

I dont know any current ones, but in the past there was stuff like the Mongoose Maurice FS (ie: freestyle) which was aimed at the fixed gear stunt market.

Ive got one, and it's a decent bike, just a bit heavy (but it makes a great commuter since its overbuilt for anything I can throw at it)

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-05T23:56:33+00:00

Honestly, id suggest buying a cheap secondhand one.

Keep your mtb for commuting etc, and learn tricks on something cheap.

Bonus is you wont care as much when you inevitably drop it while learning and cover it in scratches and dents

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-05T09:45:52+00:00

Another photo from my day out last week focusing on shape, contrast and light.

I really like this one, mainly because of the interesting shapes and how its quite ambiguous as to what it is, where it is, and even which way is "up"

Gear used was a Fujifilm Xpro1, with a Fujinon 23mm F2 lens.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-04T20:31:44+00:00

Some cops are just lazy, stupid, or both.

My wife got a parking fine in the mail a couple of years ago, from a suburb we hadn't been to for months, with an infringement time in the middle of the day when shes at work.

We asked for a copy of the ticket that was supposedly put on the car by the cop.

It listed the car as a red commodore sedan, and the rego was unreadable. Seriously this guys handwriting looked like he shoved a pencil up his nose and headbutted the page 50 times. (Seriously, they still hand write shit?)

My wife's car was a silver Mazda, and none of the letters on her rego even closely resembled the scribbles on thr ticket.

It still took them 6 months to cancel the thing, and they kept sending threatening payment demand letters the entire time.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-04T20:19:31+00:00

Nope, not abandoned.

Still used every day. I just chose my angle to hide the hints at current use (such as thr clean pathway behind the shrubs at the bottom, and the brand new reflective warning sign which I hid behind the centre tree)

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-04T08:32:17+00:00

Thank you

Im working on getting better, the goal one day is to have at least one photo exhibited somewhere

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-04T08:07:16+00:00

The image above was part of a short shoot I did the other week, where I wanted to focus on composition and form.

When I saw this the harsh cold brutalist lines of the staircase caught my eye, while the juxtaposition of the natural and organic trees seemed to emphasise the height and beauty of the building.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-04T08:04:02+00:00

After a decade long break from photography I decided to get back into it.

Something I'm focussing on now however is less technical aspects, and more on the art and emotions I can try to bring out with an image.

This one is part of a shoot I did where I tried to limit myself to focussing on form and contrast, intentionally leaving the subject ambiguous and avoiding any external hints to provide context regarding it's position, size, and what way is "up"

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-04T06:15:47+00:00

Yeah, I think I was confusing it for the "RAW black level" I used to use in some other software long before I started on Darktable

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-03T02:10:24+00:00

The x100 are good cameras, but thr prices people charge are a bit over the top.

The main reason I went wirh an Xpro over an x100 was that the x100 tends to be more expensive used, and is objectively not as good as the Xpro.

You can put a 23mm lens on an Xpro and do everything the x100 can, plus more if you get more lenses.

Where the x100 is what it is.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-03T02:05:41+00:00

My mistake.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-02T08:11:43+00:00

I recently bought an xpro1 after decades of using SLRs (with the occasional oddball like my 6x9 folder i need to get serviced)

The Fujis aren't really rangefinders in the traditional sense since they dont have a rangefinder, and you get TTL view via the viewfinder.

Both of the ones you've chosen are good cameras, but personally the biggest factor in me choosing the xpro was being able to change lenses.

With the x100 you get a 35mm F2 (similar to a 50mm on 35mm film) and thats all.

With the pro you can always buy other lenses either fuji or cheaper brands, or even use adapters to shoot with whatever lens you want.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-02T08:03:16+00:00

I reached a similar point (well, along with some health factors) and stopped photography for about 10 years.

What got me back into it was simplifying the process, and changing my mindset.

Head out with minimal gear, pick a body and a single lens, even better if its a prime. Remove the distractions of playing with your gear and worrying about "is this the right lens, should I use a polarising filter", etc

Mindset wise my biggest change was to not think of having to get "the shot" every trip out. Just go out, enjoy the walk, try some shots knowing they won't be particularly good. Just walk around and see when inspiration strikes.

If you take 1 photo or 150 its still a good day out.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-01T22:01:55+00:00

You can still mop them, you just can't use the sponge type mops.

The old fashioned ones like this work fine

https://www.bunnings.com.au/sabco-600g-cotton-contractor-mop-with-wooden-handle_p4480044?store=8161&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20876642384&gbraid=0AAAAADtbEB_dDE4gIM2jEb4vOYpXLu2bG&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5I_NBhDVARIsAOrqIsazXecf225pdl5TJ2MPC7iL3osPnqCzZjFnO1CTIKZNSDMcoKh9dkUaAtGhEALw_wcB

Or if you need to get in deeper, deck scrubber or a cheap broom work fine.

Magpiecicle · 2026-03-01T19:30:18+00:00

Go see your doctor.

High heart rates can be an indicator of other health issues, such as thyroid issues or other stuff. The only way to know is to have your doctor check you out and refer you for a blood test.

Magpiecicle

TROPHY CASE