Hey guys and girls updated the ugm site finally again. have a few bios to put up yet but ive been at it for hours now and ill get to that later this week. hope you like it, lemme know

chris

http://www.undergroundminers.com

_________________
Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

Great updates. It seems you really have been taking black and white photos to the next level. Looks good! I like the new opening picture in the Mine Car being pulled by the hoist.

yea, id like to do something with that pic, some text or something, its a good one. thanks for the comments

_________________
Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

Nice update and nice mines. The shots with the background illuminating the areas are very nicely done. What camera gear are you shooting with?

thanks boys, the camera, sony h1, light super bertha..... 20 mil candle power spot with diffuser to give a nice area light with a 3-15 sec exposure depending on the shot. none of them are with flash, i dont think ive even used the flash except for fun pics around the house with jen and stuff.

_________________
Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

Sony makes great cameras. i think Mike shoots a Sony..

thougt you used a flash in the mine car photo on the main page because the guy in the center, his face is a little over exposed, adn the exposure tapers off around the outside of the shot. Yyou must have a really nice working diffuser for that 20mil.

Yes i try to stay away from flash as well, and just got a wireless shutter button for my NIkon. Allot of times even pressing the button on the shutter will cause vibration in the photo. The wireles shutter allows me to take up to 30 minute exposures, works beautiful for star trails..

yea in that main pic we didnt have anyone to "paint" the light since we were all in the shot, so we just set it at us. what i did was take a piece of lexan.... wont melt like plexi.... and bead blasted it. then took some aluminum tape and put that in the center. ill post a pic of it. works real nice. actually maybe a bit too good. if i diffuse it a little less then i can set a taste faster shutter speed for people shots and maybe bond wont be blurry as much

_________________
Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

Dont diffuse your lamp any less, just use a higher ISO rating/ open aperture on your camera. the shot will be a bit grainier but if its B&W it will look more vintage, and regardless, noise can be removed in Photoshop.

I wouldnt do open apertures on tunnel shots though, because it limits yoru depth of field.

grainer? no that is bad, we want these pics to be perfect! old photos were taken years ago now we are going for the old look with new technology. clarity i think is the most important part of the photo.

_________________
Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

Yes Dan I do still use my Sony but am thinking of upgrading to a newer and higher megapixel Sony. I would have to say clarity is very important in shots. With the right exposure and lighting, you shouldn't have to raise the ISO setting. Of course it takes longer to capture a shot but any less work you have to do in photoshop is a plus!

_________________
"If you thought old, abandoned mines were only in the west, then you haven't been to IronMiners.com!"

If you upgrade the camera that means your going to want to go back to ALLLLL the mines youve been to and reshoot. If anything you should get an SLR, you can change lenses and more pro features, however they are expensive. But moneys no issue for Empire Mike!!

SLR's are generally better cameras only because they tend to have a better sensor, but they are not the best for mine photography in my opinion. The problem with an SRT is the fact that SLR's that they are designed to reflect light from the lens into the view finder. Then when you take a picture, the mirrors retract and the light goes directly into the CCD or light sensor. As a result, the screen, which is a digital image of what the sensor sees, never shows a preview. With low light settings such as a mine, the little viewfinder and your eye don't react the same way to the low light as the sensor in the camera does. Having a digital preview is very helpful.

The high end point and shoot cameras have a simular sized sensor as an SLR, and the view finder is digital. Or you can use the screen. They allow you to add external lens and they are also better sealed from dust..

Miner Greg

Yea the decision on what to use is really up to what your going to shoot, and your need for conveniance, your money etc. I agree a good point and shoot camera will probably not have much better performance then an SLR in a mine. Outside a mine though, the faster shutter speeds, higher ISO, and longer exposure capabilities gives the SLR the professional edge. But regardless I think the real difference comes in the photographer, and how he composes, interprets and presents the subject.

dan hit a good point there. its the photographer that makes the shot. someone with little skill and alot of money can have all the best equip and still take crappy shots but a skilled cameraman can take some great shots with a simpler model. for what we do in my opinion, what we have is pretty much the best.

_________________
Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

The high end point and shoot cameras (like the Sony for example) have all of the features of an SLR except that the main lens isn't removable and it has a digital view finder instead of a optical view finder (in addtion to the main screen for viewing pictures). They actually have TWO LCD screens on them, one in the view finder and one for viewing your pictures. You have all of the ISO, exposure, shutter speed, long exposure, stablization, maunal focus, etc. settings and features that an SLR would have. With the almost identical sensor in the high end Sony Point and Shoot which the Sony SLR has, the point and shoot can run at the same ISO speeds. It even looks like an SLR, but it doesn't have the disadvantage of an SLR (my opinion) where the view finder is optical. Also if you don't know what your doing with a camera and don't know what any of those settings are for, you can set the camera to auto.

The only advantage I see in an SLR is that the entire lens is removable and replaceable. There can be intances where you would want to do that and install the perfect lens for the moment. However for the photography I am interested in, I would never have a reason to do that. I do use an array of external lens, filters, etc. for my point in shoot. Most of the Sony high end point and shoots will use any 58MM external lens.

But like you said, the most important thing about a camears is the camera operator. I know of a few people with very expensive high end cameras who can't take pictures. You give a low end camera to a good photographer and they can take better pictures than the bad photographer with a great camera.


Miner Greg