# If the Gallery Ain't Working



## Marcus Harrison (Oct 11, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> I haven't been able to post pictures since I joined the tortoise forum. I always post in threads. If you figure out what's going on, let me know!


Will do


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## GingerLove (Dec 5, 2016)

Hey all, several of us have discovered that posting pictures in the gallery does not work for us or our computers. I would still love to see everyone's wonderful pictures who can't post in the photo gallery. You can have as many photos as 100 photos or more!! This is just a place to post pics of your babies over and over again!  I'll start with one, but I will DEFINITELY add more later.


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## Speedy-1 (Dec 5, 2016)

*Here's Speedy , doing what he does best ! *


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## saginawhxc (Dec 5, 2016)

I was already taking some christmas themed pics today anyways, so I guess I'll stay in theme.


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## Big Ol Tortoise (Dec 5, 2016)

saginawhxc said:


> I was already taking some christmas themed pics today anyways, so I guess I'll stay in theme.
> View attachment 193880


how adorable


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## GingerLove (Dec 5, 2016)

Speedy-1 said:


> *Here's Speedy , doing what he does best ! *
> 
> View attachment 193879



AWwww!!! Golly, he's gotten big!


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## GingerLove (Dec 5, 2016)

saginawhxc said:


> I was already taking some christmas themed pics today anyways, so I guess I'll stay in theme.
> View attachment 193880


 Oh my gosh!!! You just took that today?!!! That is dang good. Are you into photography? What kind of camera do you use?


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## GingerLove (Dec 5, 2016)

I think someone's ready for bed.........


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> Hey all, several of us have discovered that posting pictures in the gallery does not work for us or our computers. I would still love to see everyone's wonderful pictures who can't post in the photo gallery. You can have as many photos as 100 photos or more!! This is just a place to post pics of your babies over and over again!  I'll start with one, but I will DEFINITELY add more later.
> View attachment 193874


Gorgeous!


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

saginawhxc said:


> I was already taking some christmas themed pics today anyways, so I guess I'll stay in theme.
> View attachment 193880


So cute!


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## saginawhxc (Dec 6, 2016)

Winchester.


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> I think someone's ready for bed.........
> View attachment 193916


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## GingerLove (Dec 6, 2016)

I took this a couple weeks ago... ever have your tort stick her tongue out at you?  That's her "I'm-going-to-go-where-you-can't-find-me-and-freak you-out-really-bad" face.


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> I took this a couple weeks ago... ever have your tort stick her tongue out at you?  That's her "I'm-going-to-go-where-you-can't-find-me-and-freak you-out-really-bad" face.
> View attachment 193934


Wow! That really made me chuckle.  How in earth did you manage to take the photo? 

Soooooo cute. 

By the way, Oli has never *dared* to stick out his tongue at me. I'd give him a spanking. He knows by now that he's dealing with a *MILITARY* *WOMAN*.


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## Big Ol Tortoise (Dec 6, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> Wow! That really made me chuckle.  How in earth did you manage to take the photo?
> 
> Soooooo cute.
> 
> By the way, Oli has never *dared* stick out his togue at me. I'd give him a spanking. He knows by now that he's dealing with a *MILITARY* *WOMAN*.


Thank you for your service


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

Big Ol Tortoise said:


> Thank you for your service


Most welcome. If your tort misbehaves just send me a PM, and I'll see to it.


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## GingerLove (Dec 6, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> Wow! That really made me chuckle.  How in earth did you manage to take the photo?
> 
> Soooooo cute.
> 
> By the way, Oli has never *dared* stick out his togue at me. I'd give him a spanking. He knows by now that he's dealing with a *MILITARY* *WOMAN*.



Lol, Oli's a smart boy!!!  And I got the picture just by taking a series of photos while she was eating. She always sticks her tongue out before swallowing.


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> Lol, Oli's a smart boy!!!  And I got the picture just by taking a series of photos while she was eating. She always sticks her tongue out before swallowing.


No wonder you managed to take such a lovely photo. But seriously speaking, I've never seen Oli stick his tongue out.


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## GingerLove (Dec 6, 2016)

Really? Not even while chewing? I bet if you give him a piece of lettuce, you'll see it. Just don't chop it up and he should try to suck it in with a little pink tongue.


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> Really? Not even while chewing? I bet if you give him a piece of lettuce, you'll see it. Just don't chop it up and he should try to suck it in with a little pink tongue.


Thanks the tip. 

Never, believe me.  Moreover, I *HAND* *FEED* His Excellency. This should make it easier for me to notice such a movement, right? He really is a spoiled brat.


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## GingerLove (Dec 6, 2016)

Awwww!!! Can you post pics of Oli? I haven't seen a whole lot of pictures of him except for your profile picture.


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> Awwww!!! Can you post pics of Oli? I haven't seen a whole lot of pictures of him except for your profile picture.


Sure. Just give me some time so as to find a photo please. OK?


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## GingerLove (Dec 6, 2016)

Sure! Yey!!!!!!!!!


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## Gillian M (Dec 6, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> Sure! Yey!!!!!!!!!


Would you please PM me as I have not been able to send you a PM?

Thank you.


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## Maro2Bear (Dec 6, 2016)

Here's one for the gallery theme, our Sully out for his late afternoon snack of some dandelions and Mazuri.


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## GingerLove (Dec 6, 2016)

Wow, he's beautiful. How old is he?


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## GingerLove (Dec 6, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> Would you please PM me as I have not been able to send you a PM?
> 
> Thank you.



Is it okay if we can talk without PMing? I try only to PM when ordering something. Otherwise, I like to keep conversations public.  Sorry, and I don't mean *any* offense. I really would like to see Oli!


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## Marcus Harrison (Dec 6, 2016)

Forgot all about this thread!! Here's a picture of my tortoise to update it a bit


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## GingerLove (Dec 6, 2016)

So cute!!!!!!! What a healthy, cutie tortoise!! Is yours a girl or a boy?


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## Speedy-1 (Dec 6, 2016)

*Notice how all the Sulcata's pictured are always eating ? *


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## MPRC (Dec 7, 2016)

Ruby


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## MPRC (Dec 7, 2016)

Mango


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## GingerLove (Dec 7, 2016)

Speedy-1 said:


> *Notice how all the Sulcata's pictured are always eating ? *
> 
> View attachment 193991



I noticed that, lol!


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## GingerLove (Dec 7, 2016)

MPRC said:


> Mango
> View attachment 194002



I noticed the sign in the background of this one, that's pretty cute! Do you have turtles and redfoots?


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## GingerLove (Dec 7, 2016)

Ginger had a photo shoot today. She wasn't happy about it.


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## Gillian M (Dec 7, 2016)

Marcus Harrison said:


> View attachment 193980
> Forgot all about this thread!! Here's a picture of my tortoise to update it a bit


A lovely tort. GOD bless.

What species is he/she?


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## Gillian M (Dec 7, 2016)

Maro2Bear said:


> Here's one for the gallery theme, our Sully out for his late afternoon snack of some dandelions and Mazuri.
> 
> View attachment 193948



A beautiful tort. Love his colour.


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## saginawhxc (Dec 8, 2016)

Frank.


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## Oxalis (Dec 8, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> Thanks the tip.
> 
> Never, believe me.  Moreover, I *HAND* *FEED* His Excellency. This should make it easier for me to notice such a movement, right? He really is a spoiled brat.


I love to spoil my little guy too!


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## GingerLove (Dec 13, 2016)

Ginger doesn't much care for studying for finals.  As a matter of fact, I had a very difficult time getting her to stay still in her chair!!


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## Oxalis (Dec 13, 2016)

GingerLove said:


> Ginger doesn't much care for studying for finals.  As a matter of fact, I had a very difficult time getting her to stay still in her chair!!
> View attachment 194610
> View attachment 194611


Haha! She must be so confused!


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## Gillian M (Dec 13, 2016)

Oxalis said:


> Haha! She must be so confused!


Oh yep. Studying does something to the brain, doesn't it?


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## GingerLove (Dec 29, 2016)

I think I have too many tortoise statues....... wait!!! Is one real??


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## GingerLove (Feb 13, 2017)

Discovered a few days back that my tortoise loves the guitar. My sister was practicing and Ginger was more than intrigued!!


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## GingerLove (Feb 14, 2017)

Tortoises are weird animals sometimes. I find Ginger loves stretching after eating.


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## Gillian M (Feb 15, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> Tortoises are weird animals sometimes. I find Ginger loves stretching after eating.
> View attachment 199812
> View attachment 199830


Love his poses!


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## saginawhxc (Feb 15, 2017)

I shared this one in my red foot thread the other day, but I'll share it here too. I was trying to shoot a photo of my red foot for her update thread but my assistant tortoise keeper insisted on climbing into the photo with her.


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## GingerLove (Feb 15, 2017)

Oh my gosh!!! That is such a cute photo!!!!! And your assistant tortoise keeper is ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!! What a nice photo. You are so good at photography! How did you get that lighting?


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## saginawhxc (Feb 15, 2017)

Thank you on all accounts.

The lighting was just a single flash shot though a umbrella set off to the side.


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## GingerLove (Feb 15, 2017)

That is fantastic. It looks so natural and cool. So you use one of those special umbrella thingies? I wonder how expensive those are...


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## Gillian M (Feb 15, 2017)

Tired? Take a seat please and feel at home.


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## saginawhxc (Feb 15, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> That is fantastic. It looks so natural and cool. So you use one of those special umbrella thingies? I wonder how expensive those are...


Umbrellas are cheap, it's the flash equipment that can get a little pricey.

Shoot through Umbrellas are the very first lighting modifier I suggest to people just getting serious about photography. They are cheap, easy to use, and fairly easy to get high quality lighting out of.


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## GingerLove (Feb 15, 2017)

Hmm... I am getting serious about photography. Tell me... what all can you use the umbrella for? I thought it just "dimmed" light, making it look more natural or keeping the subject's face from getting all shiny or overexposed. 
I recently got a Nikon camera and I am learning how to use it. Believe it or not, it showed up on my doorstep on Christmas Eve in a backpack with two filters, two lenses, a charger, two SD cards, and a lens-flare protection thingy!! I still have no idea who gave it to me, but they knew I've been wanting it forever. I use it as a reminder that if God will can provide me with the things I *want*, then surely he can provide what I *need*!


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## GingerLove (Feb 15, 2017)

Gillian Moore said:


> Tired? Take a seat please and feel at home.


Where can I get one?!!! I must have it!! That is so cute!


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## saginawhxc (Feb 15, 2017)

The problem with flash is it is often WAY too harsh and WAY too directional, and for portraiture bare flashes are rarely the best way to light a subject.

Umbrellas, soft boxes, and similar items are diffusers that soften the light and in effect soften those shadows.

(Bounce Umbrellas also exist, and are slightly different than Shoot-Through Umbrellas, but I tend to only go that route when I want to throw light EVERYWHERE.)

When you are ready to take the next leap and start purchasing off camera lighting equipment I will always be more than happy to give advice here where it is at least slightly on topic or private message.


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## Oxalis (Feb 15, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> I shared this one in my red foot thread the other day, but I'll share it here too. I was trying to shoot a photo of my red foot for her update thread but my assistant tortoise keeper insisted on climbing into the photo with her.


I love the way the redfoot is looking up.


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## GingerLove (Feb 15, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> The problem with flash is it is often WAY too harsh and WAY too directional, and for portraiture bare flashes are rarely the best way to light a subject.
> 
> Umbrellas, soft boxes, and similar items are diffusers that soften the light and in effect soften those shadows.
> 
> ...



Sweet! That would be so awesome!!! Thanks for your answer! I'm always trying to save up stuff for my camera. Right now I am trying to save to see if I can get a few different filters. Especially a fish-eye. I love the stuff you can do with that. But what I really want is that ultraviolet lense. I forget the exact name, but I have seen some pretty amazing shots from that lens after they have been turned black and white. Looks like an x-ray.


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## saginawhxc (Feb 15, 2017)

Frank enjoying his evening meal.


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## Oxalis (Feb 16, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> Frank enjoying his evening meal.


Awww, what's he got there, Mazuri?  He looks delighted!


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## saginawhxc (Feb 16, 2017)

It has a very little bit of Mazuri in it, but it is actually mainly a mix of timothy and orchard pellets.

I've been experimenting with it for the last two weeks or so. Trying to see if I like working with it, if they're will eat it, etc...

Frank and his brother gobble it up. My little sulcata picks at it, and my russian acts like somebody poured poison all over his food the couple of times I mixed some in his food.


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## GingerLove (Feb 16, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> It has a very little bit of Mazuri in it, but it is actually mainly a mix of timothy and orchard pellets.
> 
> I've been experimenting with it for the last two weeks or so. Trying to see if I like working with it, if they're will eat it, etc...
> 
> Frank and his brother gobble it up. My little sulcata picks at it, and my russian acts like somebody poured poison all over his food the couple of times I mixed some in his food.



Gahaha! I wondered if my Russian was just picky, but I think it's a character trait for Russians.


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## saginawhxc (Feb 16, 2017)

My Russian is easily my pickiest and most stubborn tortoise.


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## GingerLove (Feb 16, 2017)

That makes me happy. Torts can be so stubborn! Ginger went almost a week refusing to eat any mixed veggies, which she used to eat all of the time!! Now she wants only freshly sliced veggies, nothing like a spring mix.


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## Oxalis (Feb 16, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> Frank and his brother gobble it up. My little sulcata picks at it, and my russian acts like somebody poured poison all over his food the couple of times I mixed some in his food.





GingerLove said:


> That makes me happy. Torts can be so stubborn! Ginger went almost a week refusing to eat any mixed veggies, which she used to eat all of the time!! Now she wants only freshly sliced veggies, nothing like a spring mix.


That is definitely a Russian!!


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## GingerLove (Mar 9, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> I shared this one in my red foot thread the other day, but I'll share it here too. I was trying to shoot a photo of my red foot for her update thread but my assistant tortoise keeper insisted on climbing into the photo with her.





saginawhxc said:


> The problem with flash is it is often WAY too harsh and WAY too directional, and for portraiture bare flashes are rarely the best way to light a subject.
> 
> Umbrellas, soft boxes, and similar items are diffusers that soften the light and in effect soften those shadows.
> 
> ...



@saginawhxc , I decided I don't want to get the umbrella after all because I never really do studio pictures. It's usually out somewhere where I don't have time to set up a lot of equipment. I wondered if you have had any experience with these types of flash diffusers? Do they work well? They are very cheap!



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040HYMI0/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20


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## GingerLove (Mar 9, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> @saginawhxc , I decided I don't want to get the umbrella after all because I never really do studio pictures. It's usually out somewhere where I don't have time to set up a lot of equipment. I wondered if you have had any experience with these types of flash diffusers? Do they work well? They are very cheap!
> View attachment 201683
> 
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040HYMI0/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20



And I'm super excited about these lenses. I'm saving up for them!!! I REALLY want the infrared. 



WHAT IT DOES…



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TXZCYE/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

And of course... a fish-eye lens!!






https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_atf_aps_sr_pg1_1?ie=UTF8&adId=A00069123GX0PONCB2OOG&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FNeewer-0-20X-Definition-Fisheye-


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## saginawhxc (Mar 9, 2017)

I haven't used those diffusers, but there is something similar that pops over a speedlight, and I would almost never use direct flash without some sort of diffuser. For what you are looking for I think they will do the job.


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## GingerLove (Mar 9, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> I haven't used those diffusers, but there is something similar that pops over a speedlight, and I would almost never use direct flash without some sort of diffuser. For what you are looking for I think they will do the job.



Sweet!! I will definitely have to get them! All my pictures with the flash look just awful because the "subjects" get all shiny and blinded in the process. I also want to create a warmer look, which I believe the yellow will do. As soon as I get it, I will post pictures of the difference.


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## GingerLove (Mar 9, 2017)

Do you have an infrared lens? Please feel free to share any of your pictures! I'm looking for inspiration everywhere. (But I won't steal your ideas!!)


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## saginawhxc (Mar 10, 2017)

I don't have an infrared lens. Though at one point I toyed with converting an older camera over to IR. Once you make that conversion though it's permanent.


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## Farcryjj (Mar 10, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> Tortoises are weird animals sometimes. I find Ginger loves stretching after eating.
> View attachment 199812
> View attachment 199830


Downward facing dog… LOL


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## GingerLove (Mar 26, 2017)

Ginger can't go a day without her cup of coffee and newspaper in the mornings.


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## GingerLove (Mar 28, 2017)

@saginawhxc , look what I found at a yard sale!!! I got it for $6 and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it does. It helps with zooming at far distances, it can cause vignetted edges when it is zoomed(is that really how you spell "vin-yet"?), and it seems to have a very slight fish-eye. The man who sold it to me seemed to think he was giving me a great deal, but I'm thinking I should have bargained...


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## saginawhxc (Mar 28, 2017)

For $6 it's hard to go wrong. I think they typically sell anywhere from $10-20. I haven't used them, so I don't know a ton about them.

Is this a two piece lens? If it is, I think you can use them separately. One gives macro ability and one roughly doubles the field of vision. I think you can typically use them together or separate.


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## GingerLove (Mar 29, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> For $6 it's hard to go wrong. I think they typically sell anywhere from $10-20. I haven't used them, so I don't know a ton about them.
> 
> Is this a two piece lens? If it is, I think you can use them separately. One gives macro ability and one roughly doubles the field of vision. I think you can typically use them together or separate.



Man, I'm dumb sometimes. It did come apart!!! It was stuck really tight. I guess technically it's got three pieces because I have the ultraviolet one too, but that one just protects the lens. I'm going to have to play around with it to see what I get! Thanks!


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## saginawhxc (Mar 29, 2017)

Definitely not dumb, but I'm betting you know that. Just like tortoises, nobody knows what they are doing right out of the gate.


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## GingerLove (Apr 3, 2017)

Hey guys... you know that calendar I made a while ago? Well, it just wasn't enough. *I had to have Ginger on my backpack too*.  I had the backpack made for me by a company called "Zazzle" online. The front is interchangeable if I want to make more! Now I just need a phone case of Ginger, a laptop cover, a pillow case...


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## saginawhxc (Apr 3, 2017)

That's pretty awesome.


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## saginawhxc (Apr 3, 2017)

A face only a tortoise nerd could love.


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## GingerLove (Apr 3, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> A face only a tortoise nerd could love.


He/she is loved!


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## THBfriend (Apr 8, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> I don't have an infrared lens. Though at one point I toyed with converting an older camera over to IR. Once you make that conversion though it's permanent.


I have several infrared filters. They can be used on normal digital cameras, but only with long exposure times, which makes them problematic to use (tripod required). If you remove the IR blocker ("hot mirror") in front of the camera sensor, which is easier said than done, then IR photography becomes much more doable.
I have modified an old point-and-shoot camera for IR many years ago, here's an album with some tortoise photos.


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## saginawhxc (Apr 8, 2017)

Thanks for sharing that. Some of those were really nice.

@GingerLove make sure you check out the above album. I'm pretty sure you'll think it's really cool.


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## GingerLove (Apr 8, 2017)

The link isn't working for me!  I don't know why, though! @THBfriend , can you maybe try to copy and paste it differently? It might just be my computer, though. Darn, I really wanted to see!


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## THBfriend (Apr 8, 2017)

@saginawhxc Thank you!
@GingerLove Strange, the link should be working. Can you see the single photo I embedded?
Maybe copying & pasting the URL will work: http://imgur.com/a/Cn1QO


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## GingerLove (Apr 8, 2017)

THBfriend said:


> @saginawhxc Thank you!
> @GingerLove Strange, the link should be working. Can you see the single photo I embedded?
> Maybe copying & pasting the URL will work: http://imgur.com/a/Cn1QO


Hooray!!! It worked!!! That is so awesome! You took all of those?! The infrared looks really cool. How did you do the thing where it is a bit of black and white yet I can still see a light color of the shell of the tortoise? Some sort of saturation photo shop thingy? My absolute favorite photo is of the baby sticking his head in the camera. Looks almost like a fish-eye photo! I love how the infrared filter lights up the grass like an x-ray. That is *so cool*. Thank you so much for sharing and re-posting it so that I could see it! 
You have some beautiful photography, some amazing infrared filters, and an adorable cluster of torts! You were right @saginawhxc , I think it's pretty dang cool!


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## THBfriend (Apr 8, 2017)

@GingerLove Thanks. Yes, I took those photos. Depending on what IR filter you use, a bit of visible light will be captured as well. A 720nm filter for example will allow some visible red light to pass. That, and the different reactions of the sensor elements, will cause some interesting pseudo-colors sometimes. Unless you set the camera to grayscale. Stronger filters, e.g. 850nm which I also have, produce a more monochromatic output.

I usually shoot NIR in pseudo-color, and don't do much post-processing except for exposure/contrast correction and occasional red-blue channel swapping, which is a common thing to do.


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## GingerLove (Apr 8, 2017)

THBfriend said:


> @GingerLove Thanks. Yes, I took those photos. Depending on what IR filter you use, a bit of visible light will be captured as well. A 720nm filter for example will allow some visible red light to pass. That, and the different reactions of the sensor elements, will cause some interesting pseudo-colors sometimes. Unless you set the camera to grayscale. Stronger filters, e.g. 850nm which I also have, produce a more monochromatic output.
> 
> I usually shoot NIR in pseudo-color, and don't do much post-processing except for exposure/contrast correction and occasional red-blue channel swapping, which is a common thing to do.


I have a question for you two. My camera is a Nikon... and I am testing out the macro filter. When I finally get it to focus on something super zoomed, it *won't take the picture*! Not everything is in focus, just a little piece that I want. But my camera refuses to take the picture unless it's *all *in focus. However, it _will _take the picture when I switch it to manual, but I want automatic. I wondered if either of you had any ideas? I might have to go and look it up in my Nikon little instruction manual thingy.


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## THBfriend (Apr 9, 2017)

@GingerLove Sorry, I don't know much about Nikon cameras, I'm a Canon user. Maybe you can change the focus area/spot on your camera, or even switch to manual focus?


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## GingerLove (Apr 9, 2017)

THBfriend said:


> @GingerLove Sorry, I don't know much about Nikon cameras, I'm a Canon user. Maybe you can change the focus area/spot on your camera, or even switch to manual focus?


I've tried manual focus and it still won't take the picture unless it thinks it's focused. But I haven't tried to do the focus area-spot thing yet. I'll see if I can figure it out! Thanks! Oh, and I LOVE Canon cameras!! I wanted a camera for a very long time but I couldn't afford it, and then on Christmas Eve, someone rang my doorbell. They left a typed note saying the backpack out front was for me, and in the backpack was a Canon camera with two filters, two lenses, two SD cards, and a lens flare guard. WHAT?!! I still have no idea who gave it to me and I asked EVERYONE. So anyways, I was saving up for a Canon but got a Nikon... and ain't gonna complain!!  
*Ahem*, anyways, I'll see if I can try the spot focus thing.


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## Oxalis (Apr 15, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> Hey guys... you know that calendar I made a while ago? Well, it just wasn't enough. *I had to have Ginger on my backpack too*.  I had the backpack made for me by a company called "Zazzle" online. The front is interchangeable if I want to make more! Now I just need a phone case of Ginger, a laptop cover, a pillow case...
> View attachment 203871


Awesome! I have some swag with my little Stevie on it too! 


THBfriend said:


> I have several infrared filters. They can be used on normal digital cameras, but only with long exposure times, which makes them problematic to use (tripod required). If you remove the IR blocker ("hot mirror") in front of the camera sensor, which is easier said than done, then IR photography becomes much more doable.
> I have modified an old point-and-shoot camera for IR many years ago, here's an album with some tortoise photos.


Loved the photos!! Very beautiful.


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## saginawhxc (Apr 16, 2017)

We have a yearly membership to a small little local children's zoo ten minutes down the road from me. The highlight for me has always been the two leopard tortoises. Today was their first day out in the sunshine for 2017. We showed up just minutes after they came out. I have to say, they were two extremely happy and friendly tortoises today. This one in particular was extremely interested in my camera.


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## GingerLove (Apr 16, 2017)

Oxalis said:


> Awesome! I have some swag with my little Stevie on it too!
> 
> Loved the photos!! Very beautiful.


Can I see your "swag" with Stevie on it?


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## Oxalis (Apr 18, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> We have a yearly membership to a small little local children's zoo ten minutes down the road from me. The highlight for me has always been the two leopard tortoises. Today was their first day out in the sunshine for 2017. We showed up just minutes after they came out. I have to say, they were two extremely happy and friendly tortoises today. This one in particular was extremely interested in my camera.


Awesome!  Great to see the little guys back out! I'll have to come up for another tea ceremony and zoo adventure. Those are fun Saturdays!!


GingerLove said:


> Can I see your "swag" with Stevie on it?


Here's my Steve luggage tag from Shutterfly.


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## GingerLove (Apr 18, 2017)

Oxalis said:


> Awesome!  Great to see the little guys back out! I'll have to come up for another tea ceremony and zoo adventure. Those are fun Saturdays!!
> 
> Here's my Steve luggage tag from Shutterfly.
> View attachment 205199


Gawwwww!!!!!!!!! So cute!!! Now I want a luggage tag!!! What a great idea, I didn't even think of that! Do you have any other great ideas????


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## TortoiseLover8 (Apr 21, 2017)

How do change ur icon driving me CRAZY!?


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## JoesMum (Apr 22, 2017)

TortoiseLover8 said:


> How do change ur icon driving me CRAZY!?
> View attachment 205464


You need to go into your profile to change your Avatar. (That's the word - not icon  )

It can be done from the website or the app.


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## Oxalis (Apr 26, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> Gawwwww!!!!!!!!! So cute!!! Now I want a luggage tag!!! What a great idea, I didn't even think of that! Do you have any other great ideas????


I also have a coffee mug with my little baby on it. If you click around on Shutterfly.com, you can find a lot of neat products to put baby photos on! Check out https://www.shutterfly.com/personalized-gifts They even have pillows!


TortoiseLover8 said:


> How do change ur icon driving me CRAZY!?
> View attachment 205464


You can upload your own photo as an avatar here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/account/avatar

You can also find it by clicking on your profile menu at the top right, and then clicking on "Avatar."


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## GingerLove (Apr 26, 2017)

Oxalis said:


> I also have a coffee mug with my little baby on it. If you click around on Shutterfly.com, you can find a lot of neat products to put baby photos on! Check out https://www.shutterfly.com/personalized-gifts They even have pillows!
> 
> You can upload your own photo as an avatar here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/account/avatar
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for the link!!!!!!!!! Can I see your coffee mug?????


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## Oxalis (Apr 26, 2017)

Hehe, it has a photo from my outdoor enclosure thread, with the Testudo Mix plants wrapped around it. Stevie is looking right at the camera in the picture, and I've always thought he looked pretty happy with his new salad buffet...


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## saginawhxc (Apr 26, 2017)




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## GingerLove (Apr 27, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> View attachment 205941


Infrared!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!! Guess what?! I just got an infrared lens and the flash diffusers(don't know how to spell that)! I'm going to be taking a lot of pictures to practice this week. I'll be sure to share them. 
I really like the focus in that picture and the lighting is so cool. I may have to steal your idea. I so happen to have a Russian tortoise to use in the picture.


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## GingerLove (Apr 27, 2017)

Oxalis said:


> Hehe, it has a photo from my outdoor enclosure thread, with the Testudo Mix plants wrapped around it. Stevie is looking right at the camera in the picture, and I've always thought he looked pretty happy with his new salad buffet...
> 
> View attachment 205937


Awww, that's so cute!!!! That's a really great idea. If I drank coffee I would get one right now. Stevie is a little model.


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## Oxalis (Apr 27, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> Awww, that's so cute!!!! That's a really great idea. If I drank coffee I would get one right now. Stevie is a little model.


Aw, many thanks!  I originally got it to annoy my coworkers who had their kids' photos on everything. Stevie's my kid!


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## Oxalis (Apr 27, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> View attachment 205941


Very lovely photo indeed!


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## saginawhxc (Apr 27, 2017)




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## TortoiseLover8 (Apr 27, 2017)

Ok thanks!


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## GingerLove (May 2, 2017)

My infrared doesn't look cool yet.  I'm still practicing. I set up a tripod and tried taking some pics while I was at the beach, but I think I need to set it for a longer exposure because they keep turning out too dark. Any tips @saginawhxc or anyone? I really want to learn how to use this thing.


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## GingerLove (May 2, 2017)

While I was at the beach, I also found a hole that I think belongs to a gopher tortoise, but I couldn't find him inside. There were two holes very close to each other. I kept coming back to check if he was inside!!! And here are some pics I took of a giant sea turtle in rehabilitation at the Marine Science Center, for those of you who are interested!!! I discovered that though I find sea turtles to be AMAZING, tortoises are still my favorite.  Oh, and a turtle.


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## GingerLove (May 2, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> View attachment 205985


That looks so stinking cool. Do you use a tripod for these photos? How long of an exposure?


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## GingerLove (May 4, 2017)

Believe it or not, her bowl was clean just two seconds ago. Anyone else have this problem? 


And when confronted, she didn't even feel guilty about it!!!


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## Oxalis (May 5, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> My infrared doesn't look cool yet.  I'm still practicing. I set up a tripod and tried taking some pics while I was at the beach, but I think I need to set it for a longer exposure because they keep turning out too dark. Any tips @saginawhxc or anyone? I really want to learn how to use this thing.
> View attachment 206380
> View attachment 206381


I am certainly no photographer, but I still like this second photo here. Very nice. 


GingerLove said:


> Believe it or not, her bowl was clean just two seconds ago. Anyone else have this problem?
> View attachment 206558


Typical Russian! Mine too! XD


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## MPRC (May 5, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> My infrared doesn't look cool yet.  I'm still practicing. I set up a tripod and tried taking some pics while I was at the beach, but I think I need to set it for a longer exposure because they keep turning out too dark. Any tips @saginawhxc or anyone? I really want to learn how to use this thing.
> View attachment 206380
> View attachment 206381



IR photography usually takes a lot longer exposures, keep at it. The more you shoot the better it gets. I've only done it on film and don't have anything I'm proud of worth scanning to show off.


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## GingerLove (May 5, 2017)

MPRC said:


> IR photography usually takes a lot longer exposures, keep at it. The more you shoot the better it gets. I've only done it on film and don't have anything I'm proud of worth scanning to show off.


Your profile looks infrared!! Did you just do regular black and white for that photo or infrared? I think the problem was probably that the wind was blowing the grass so that it just got too blurry. It also looks a little "flat" like it might need a wider aperture or something. Oh well. Next test will be on Ginger.  And I'd love to see your photos! When you feel bad about yours, just look at mine. I'm sure yours are much better!


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## GingerLove (May 5, 2017)

Oxalis said:


> I am certainly no photographer, but I still like this second photo here. Very nice.
> 
> Typical Russian! Mine too! XD


Thank you! Still trying to work out the kinks. Russians are messy little stinkers. I'm sure Ginger and your tortie would get along great.


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## saginawhxc (May 5, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> My infrared doesn't look cool yet.  I'm still practicing. I set up a tripod and tried taking some pics while I was at the beach, but I think I need to set it for a longer exposure because they keep turning out too dark. Any tips @saginawhxc or anyone? I really want to learn how to use this thing.
> View attachment 206380
> View attachment 206381


I've never shot IR in my life, so no real advice to give. Sorry. I'm assuming longer exposures though. 

And editing goes a long long way. Once upon a time dodging and burning was quite a process. Now I can pull a photo up in Lightroom and lighten shadows, darken bright spots, increase contrast, and sharpen with a click of a few buttons.


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## saginawhxc (May 5, 2017)




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## GingerLove (May 6, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> View attachment 206698


This picture makes me laugh because his eyes look SUPER big like he's super excited to be eating this plant!


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## GingerLove (May 6, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> I've never shot IR in my life, so no real advice to give. Sorry. I'm assuming longer exposures though.
> 
> And editing goes a long long way. Once upon a time dodging and burning was quite a process. Now I can pull a photo up in Lightroom and lighten shadows, darken bright spots, increase contrast, and sharpen with a click of a few buttons.


Wait a second... then what's the pictures you posted above?!! They aren't infrared? Dang, they look GOOD!! So it's called Lightroom, aye? I'm gonna look into that.


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## saginawhxc (May 6, 2017)

No, those are simply black and white photos.

Yeah, Lightroom is made by Adobe (Photoshop) and it is hands down the best program for light simple edits and for cataloging.


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## GingerLove (May 6, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> No, those are simply black and white photos.
> 
> Yeah, Lightroom is made by Adobe (Photoshop) and it is hands down the best program for light simple edits and for cataloging.


Well for Heaven's sake I could have sworn that was infrared! That's awesome!


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## MPRC (May 6, 2017)

+1 for Lightroom, I use it everyday. It has some small limitations that sometimes force me into Photoshop for big jobs (removing elements, adding layers etc) but 95% of my photos are only run through LR


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## THBfriend (May 6, 2017)

GingerLove said:


> Well for Heaven's sake I could have sworn that was infrared! That's awesome!


You can easily tell if a photo is near-infrared or not by looking at grass and other foliage. As it reflects NIR, it should turn white, as can be seen on your previous shots of the dunes, for example.

Here's another one by me:





And this is what it looked like out of the camera, before processing. Shot from a moving car (I was passenger, of course), f/2.8, 1/750s, ISO 100. Short exposure times like that are only possible with a modified camera.

I use Adobe Lightroom as well. Unfortunately, it cannot do that red-blue channel swap by default, but there are workarounds.


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## GingerLove (May 6, 2017)

THBfriend said:


> You can easily tell if a photo is near-infrared or not by looking at grass and other foliage. As it reflects NIR, it should turn white, as can be seen on your previous shots of the dunes, for example.
> 
> Here's another one by me:
> 
> ...


OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is absolutely beautiful!!!!! You could totally sell that. I LOVE YOUR PICTURES!!! That is my new desktop background. So let me get this straight... you used infrared to take the shot and then processed it through the Lightroom thingy?? How much does it cost to get Lightroom?


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## MPRC (May 6, 2017)

The latest version of LR is a subscription based service I think, I use LR5 and I picked it up for about $100 I think. I know that Adobe gives good discounts to students so you may want to look into that if you or someone in your household has a student ID. I'm fairly certain you can get a free trial for 30 days.


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## GingerLove (May 6, 2017)

MPRC said:


> The latest version of LR is a subscription based service I think, I use LR5 and I picked it up for about $100 I think. I know that Adobe gives good discounts to students so you may want to look into that if you or someone in your household has a student ID. I'm fairly certain you can get a free trial for 30 days.


Thank you so much!!! I'm looking into it as we speak!


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## saginawhxc (May 6, 2017)

Yeah the whole subscription thing is kind of a pain, but it's only $10 a month, gives you both photoshop and lightroom, and you never have to buy a new edition of either. Much better than the old days of coughing up $600 every few years for the latest edition of photoshop.


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## GingerLove (May 19, 2017)

Still working with the infrared... I'm trying to figure out how to make it look super cool without spending more money. I have gimp shop and Irfant view but I can't figure out how to get color into the image and make it cool!! I will have to look into it. Gimp shop is acting strange for me.


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## THBfriend (May 21, 2017)

@GingerLove That doesn't look bad! If you want color, you can just tint the image.



The pseudo-colors that my NIR camera produces depend on the filter and the white balance (WB) setting - unfortunately, it can't shoot RAW, so I have to pick one WB preset.
Here's a comparison I made (large image). Columns are the different IR filters, rows are the typical "tungsten/incandescent", "fluorescent", and "daylight" WB presets. All photos straight out of the camera without postprocessing. And here's what the scene looked like with a normal camera.

These results probably won't apply to your camera. They show that the "fluorescent" preset is the most neutral looking one, which is why it's my default. They also show that my IR720 and IR760 filters still let quite a bit of visible light pass, which causes some pseudo-color (most noticeable with the blue objects in the scene). The IR850 filter gives a "proper" NIR image, at the cost of longer exposure times, and the IR950 filter is basically useless on this camera (exposure times too long, and looks almost identical to IR850). What filter do you use?


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## GingerLove (May 21, 2017)

Whoa!!! Can you photo shop all my images?!!!! That is *awesome*!!!!! 
Tomorrow I shall "interpret" what you asked me, and then I shall give you an answer!!  (Sorry, I'm just learning to talk camera language)
This is so awesome that you are all giving me such great advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I never thought I would find this on a tortoise forum!!!!


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## saginawhxc (May 22, 2017)

I think it's kind of funny that a gallery thread has become a photography thread.

Here is a random picture I took with my phone, just so I can continue to pretend this is still about tortoises...


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## THBfriend (May 22, 2017)

@saginawhxc Very cute!

I forgot the tortoise tax, but I've been saving up. Some new photos here.


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## saginawhxc (May 22, 2017)

Tortoise tax!

I love it.

Nice pics too!


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## Oxalis (May 23, 2017)

THBfriend said:


> @saginawhxc Very cute!
> 
> I forgot the tortoise tax, but I've been saving up. Some new photos here.


Lovely!!  Tortoises make such great photo subjects!


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## GingerLove (May 23, 2017)

saginawhxc said:


> I think it's kind of funny that a gallery thread has become a photography thread.
> 
> Here is a random picture I took with my phone, just so I can continue to pretend this is still about tortoises...


Which is cuter... the kid or the tort? Tough decision!


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## GingerLove (May 23, 2017)

THBfriend said:


> @saginawhxc Very cute!
> 
> I forgot the tortoise tax, but I've been saving up. Some new photos here.


Those are amazing!! I love your creativity!!! How did you get that one picture to look so vibrant with the grass?!!


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