Images can be uploaded and organized in albums, which are being displayed in a nice looking way. Individual photos are being displayed in the lightbox view, where people can comment on images, share them or like something by using the +1 button. An online image editor is also available for some basic edits and effects. While most photographers probably edit images before uploading, it is still good to have when uploading images directly from a mobile phone.

On Google+ other members are being added to circles, similar to following someone on Twitter or become friends on Facebook. One can have multiple circles to organize everyone, which can be useful if you want to share certain information only with a group of people, let’s say other photographers or your family. These circles of people can be shared with other and that’s one way to find new members that might be interesting to follow.

An extensive list of shared circles with plenty of photography related circles can be found in the Google+ Shared Circles spreadsheet (scroll down for the photography list).

Another place to find other Google+ members is Goup/As, where you can also add yourself to groups. Some groups worth mentioning are the Photoshelter User Group, Nikon and Canon user groups, and otherwise have a look at the various other photography groups. Similar lists are also being offered on gpc.fm.

After the summer the Google+ photo community came up with a variety of different daily photo themes, which are a fun way to share and experience photography.  The most current list of Daily Photography Themes on Google+ can be found on Eric Leslie’s blog.

This project will certainly take several year before it is completed. We are going to document the progress throughout the years with a special website, blog, photos and videos. Bookmark our Thiemanns Hof gallery if you are interested in house renovation, rural living and hobby farms.

With the Tilt Transformer focus and aperture both have to be adjusted manually and the GF1 had to be set to shoot without a lens. The easiest to use are old Nikon mount lenses with an aperture ring like my good old 50mm lens (came with my first Nikon SLR). Unfortunately only 3 of my Nikon mount lenses have an aperture ring. If a lens does not have an aperture ring one has to press the release lever and rotate the lens counter-clockwise to change the aperture. That’s a little bit fiddly, but as low-tech solution it works and is usable. In general I am just very pleased that I can use any of my DSLR lenses on the GF1 and play with the tilt effect. In the future I will probably also get a regular Nikon to micro four thirds lens adapter.

The tilt can be locked by tightening the large locking ring just as on the Lensbaby Composer. Unfortunately when I was using the Manfrotto tripod quick release plate on the GF1 the locking ring got blocked, which made it difficult to use. Because on the small dimensions of other micro four thirds or Sony NEX cameras that might be an issue for some people.

The test pictures above have all been taken with the Nikkor 85mm 1:1.8 D lens on the Tilt Transformer in aperture priority mode and ISO 100 on the GF1. I am personally very please with these first results.

Next I tried the video function of the GF1. The GF1 only shoots 720P but I think that’s fine for most web-videos and maybe one day I will get myself a GH2 or if I win the lottery the Panasonic AG-AF100 video camera. For the video I used my old Nikkor 28-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D lens, which also offers a macro mode. It is an affordable lens with an aperture ring.

Lensbaby Tilt Transformer from Harald Walker on Vimeo.

The Tilt Transformer is my 3rd Lensbaby product and I think I will like this one the most. Mostly because I can use my various Nikon mount glasses, offering better quality and more flexibility, but also because it keeps my DSLR free, so I don’t have to choose between regular photography and Lensbaby style, when I am shooting. Instead I can just leave the Tilt Transformer on the GF1 and bend the world whenever I feel like it.

The next garden on our tour through Normandy was a public garden in Coutances, a commune in the Manche department with a well-known formal garden which is free to visit. The Jardin Des Plantes De Coutances dates back to the 17th century and displays a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Before leaving Normandy and visiting Brittany we visited one more garden, the Christian Dior Museum and Garden in Granville. The famous fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957) spent his childhood at the Belle Epoque style 19th century cliff-top villa Les Rhumbs that is overlooking the sea. The garden was arranged as an English landscape park by Madeleine Dior, the fashion designer’s mother.

Gardens of Normandy – part 1

No Rise No Fall from Harald Walker on Vimeo.

The first one comes from the German media designer Denny Moritz. For his final bachelor report he wrote a book about DSLR filming, from a professional and passionate view. DSLR – Beyond The Still includes a buyers guide, technical information, example pre- and post-productions workflows and some handy DIY tips. The PDF of the book is available for free (donations are of course welcome!) but you can also purchase printed versions.

The DSLR Cinematography Guide is a book from the NoFilmSchool, a site for DIY filmmakers and independent creatives. The site focuses on tools and technology relevant to filmmakers, writers, directors, editors, producers, cinematographers, bloggers, designers, and entrepreneurs. The PDF book is updated and expanded from the online version of the guide, which includes technical and practical information.

Blog post photo: Jag35 Shoulder rig for the Canon DSLR line with Jag35 DSLR Cage by NJVA via Flickr

Just before crossing the river Seine on the Normandy bridge to Lower Normandy we visited the Hanging Gardens (Les Jardins Suspendus) in Le Havre. This new garden is located in the 19th century Fort of Sainte-Adresse. The buildings, turned into “hanging gardens” are dedicated to nature and the environment. The place also shelters an arboretum and the municipal greenhouses. The large greenhouses in the central courtyard of the fortress are displaying rare and unusual plants from across the globe. At the experimental garden various compositions of flowers beds are being tried out. New varieties are being planted together throughout the seasons. The lessons learned from these experiments are going to be used for gardens and flower beds all over the city.

Coming from Le Havre one enters the Pays d’Auge area in the Calvados department with its typical Normandy landscape. Named after the area the Gardens of the Pays d’Auge (Jardins du Pays d’Auge) in Cambremer offer a number of different theme gardens around a 17th century farm on a 7 acre site. The garden was designed by landscape architect Chantal Lejard-Gasson as an ‘evolutionary’ garden in 1994. The visitor can follow a marked path to discover the 28 theme gardens and attractions of the garden.

The next stop took us to the Botanical Garden at the Saint Gabriel’s Priory (Jardins du prieure Saint-Gabriel) in Saint-Gabriel-Brecy west of Caen. Founded in 1058 by the Fécamp Benedictine monks, it now houses a horticulture and landscape gardening school with a public garden. The garden has a beautiful courtyard, some theme gardens (which could be better maintained) and an orchard with apple and pear trees.

At the north of the Cotentin Peninsula close to Cherbourg-Octeville we visited the Park Of Nacqueville (Parc du Chateau de Nacqueville), created in the 1830s as English landscape garden surrounding the 16th century Nacqueville castle. Highlights of this garden include giant gunneras, a plant native to southeastern Brazil and two large sequoias, which are 170 years old. Because of its soft maritime climate and its peaty acid soil the garden is well suited for a large variety of rhododendrons and azaleas.

continue reading: Gardens of Normandy – part 2

The Glidetrack allows you to make smooth dolly or truck moves. In contrast to pans, tilts or zoom, the camera is actually moving, which is like taking the viewer on a physical ride and give the video are more natural and organic feeling. The dolly move is a movement towards or away from the subject without changing the focal length of the lens (combining a dolly move with a zoom is of course also possible). A move in can be used to combine a wide shot of a scene with a tighter shot and to focus the viewer’s attention to the subject in dynamic way. The truck move (also referred to as a tracking shot) is a sideways (left or right) movement. By changing the viewpoint it can give the viewer a better experience of the three-dimensional space of the scene or slowly reveal new information. The truck move is most effective with foreground objects.

Pi in Almere City from Harald Walker on Vimeo.

For my short test video I went to the parking garage in the center of Almere. Next to the parking garage the number PI has been painted in large white characters on the ground. I brought my Nikon D300S as well as the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC and Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lenses. As video head I used the Manfrotto 700RC2 mini video fluid head. In order to transport the Glidetrack Shooter with the rest of the equipment per bicycle I had to dismantle it again, so you have to watch those screws and bring tools to put it together.

After a few tryouts I quickly got a feel for it for the Glidetrack and the movement of the carriage. It is important to push the carriage, not the camera. When the load is not shared evenly across the bearings, it can result in uneven running. You can see it the video at 00:52. In this scene the camera was titled down to film the sign.
As I was using my regular DSLR camera I had a silly practical problem with the straps, which often got in the way when moving the camera. Nothing to worry about, I just have to pay more attention. I didn’t use this Glidetrack as shoulder support yet but am very pleased so far with the build quality and the first video result. I am certainly looking forward to using it more often.

Update:
Regarding Frank’s question from the comment. Yes, the pan lock lever of the Manfrotto 700RC2 mini video fluid head hits the carriage but it can be adjusted.

An additional quick release adapter might solve this problem and an adapter like the Manfrotto 357PL with its 80mm sliding travel of the plate might even help to get the camera with lens better balanced.

Next to taking pictures and recording 720p HD video, the camera can also be used to record timelaps videos, even if doesn’t have interval shooting or the possibility to use a remote control with timer. Since this camera doesn’t have a mirror like DSLR cameras, shooting thousands of photos for a timelaps video is not going to hurt the camera (I am always worried when I use my Nikon for it). I will show in this blog entry how to do it. This will probably work with other point-and-shoot camera’s as well.

The Lumix has an unlimited burst mode which will shoot until the memory card is full or the battery is empty. The speed depends on the picture size and quality and results in approximately 1-2 pictures per second (which might decelerate over time).

The unlimited burst mode is available in ‘Normal’ and ‘Intelligent Auto’ mode. The focus is fixed when the first picture is taken but exposure and white balance are being adjusted with each picture, which might cause flickering.

I usually choose as aspect ratio 16:9 and pick the lowest resolution of 2M EZ, which results in images of 1920 x 1080 pixels, the same as the 1080P video resolution. On a 2 GB card there is enough space for about 1800 pictures in high JPEG quality. So theoretically on a 16 GB card there would be enough storage for a timelaps video of about 2 – 4 hours if the battery lasts that long (I never tried it for such a long time).

As I edit most of my videos in 720P it leaves enough room to zoom or pan within the timelaps video. If you edit in 1080P you might want to choose a higher resolution.

Since the DMC-TZ7 doesn’t offer a way to connect a remote control and we don’t want to press the shutter button all the time, I am using some household tools to keep the button pressed.

On the photo above you can see it on a small Gorillapod. I have also used it on a flat surface but generally it is better to use a tripod if you don’t want to mess it up.

Once the pictures have been transferred to the computer, we can create the timelaps movie. Collect all pictures which belong to one timelaps sequence in one folder. Now on the Mac start QuickTime Player 7 (Snow Leopard users can find this older version in their Utilities folder), select ‘Open Image Sequence…’ in the file menu and select the first image of the sequence. Select how many frames per second to use. As I am in Europe and usually produce videos for the web I choose 25 frames per second (you can always speed it up or slow it down in the editor).

You can now save this move as ‘self-contained movie’ or export it using your preferred video format and use this clip in your video editor software like Final Cut Pro.

The video below shows some example timelaps scenes taken with the DMC-TZ7.

DMC-TZ7 Timelaps from Harald Walker on Vimeo.

Using a cheap or maybe old point-and-shoot camera instead of your DSLR for this has the advantage that you could leave it behind while it is taking pictures without worrying too much.