Postcards from Pendon

[colin penfold]

Thanks Andy. I had adjusted the white balence on all the shots i have posted. Its amazing some of the effects you can get with different settings. The dartmoor scene can come up looking like the middle of a thunderstorm. I can see from your suggestions that you like a colder finish where I tend to keep them a bit warmer.

[Tony Teague]

Thanks Andy. I had adjusted the white balence on all the shots i have posted. Its amazing some of the effects you can get with different settings. The dartmoor scene can come up looking like the middle of a thunderstorm. I can see from your suggestions that you like a colder finish where I tend to keep them a bit warmer.

Colin

I too prefer Helicon as a stacking tool and I justify it as you say, through use on my own layout. I do quite a bit of photography but I can't think of another application where I would use it.

Of your two pictures of the almshouses, I prefer the stacked one but would probably agree that a few more shots would have ensured that it was clear throughout.

Best wishes

Tony

[faulcon1]

Being from the other side of this rock we live on, Pendon is not some place I can visit very often. If I won the lottery or had Richard Branson's money I would but I haven't so I can't. But I did buy a DVD from Pendon showing the Vale, Dartmoor, John Ahearn and John and Jerry models. Although a 2005 production it's better than nothing.

There was a former resident of Briggsham? Farm interviewed and she told of the new outhouse that was built and how this was going to be fantastic. The builders came and erected a whole new outhouse building but the new concrete floor sloped from the sides to the middle so there was a rumour that when ever anyone wanted to use this facility that they had put their "Wellies" on just to go to the loo. This former resident said that the Pendon team have modelled a little old ducks standing outside the outhouse with her "Wellies" on.

On that DVD the Vale Scene although set in the 1920's- 30's, the day is a Monday for all the washing is on the washing lines. Monday was always wash day. The month is August due to what's growing in the vegetable plots and what plants are in flower in the gardens of the houses at Pendon Parva. The DVD also shows how they make the houses and the plants and what materials have been used in the past and what they use now. So although an older DVD it's a very enjoyable experience to watch time and again, as I have. It's aimed at the modeller/enthusiast and is not like a mainstream TV production which all to often thinks the viewer has the IQ of a carrot.

[Krusty]

Helicon's a winner for me, but not sure if I will buy it - to be honest I'm uncertain how much I will use it to justify the outlay, against doing the extra work to use the free Combine ZP.

 

 

The other option (which seems to be more popular than Helicon Focus among photomacrography enthusiasts) is Zerene Stacker. It's slower (presumably as a result of being written in Java), but often gives better results, is significantly cheaper and has the (very useful) retouching function built into the standard version.

Edited June 30, 2018 by Krusty

[polybear]

Could never fathom why a Box Brownie fell out of favour.  At least I had a chance of understanding......

[Mick Bonwick]

 

There was a former resident of Briggsham? Farm interviewed . . . .

 

Britchcombe Farm. It must be the Berkshire accent! 

[faulcon1]

Britchcombe Farm. It must be the Berkshire accent! 

Yes it must be. I know they're speaking English but sometime subtitles would be very handy especially for those down in Devon or Cornwall. On my first visit to the UK in 2000 I was near to Staverton in Devon and this farmer was waiting whilst his herd of cows ambled across a road. He came up and spoke to me and I swear I never understood a word he said. I so much wanted to say, 'yes I had one of those once but the wheels fell off'. If he'd had a another person with him I may have asked, 'what did Horace say Whinny?".

Edited July 8, 2018 by faulcon1

[Shane Downes]

Dad first took me to Pendon in the early 70's, will never forget it.  It was amazing being able to look into tiny lit rooms and see people and furniture.  That visit is probably what got me into making interiors as well as exteriors.  Took my son there 20 years ago.  Was going to go back with Dad about seven years ago but we ran out of time that weekend.  Such a shame.

[kandc_au]

I have processed the focus stack I took at Pendon, using Combine ZP and Andy's helpful You Tube videos

 

Focus ZP has its limitations, personally it doesn't seem to work well on landscapes and is better with more detailed close work. I also acknowledge that some of my photos as first efforts are a bit pixelated. Having processed all the stacks in a couple of cases (the first two in the sequence here)  I just picked out the best focussed single image. Three others didn't produce anything worth keeping.

 

Anyhow, here they are:

 

keep 5.jpg

 

keep 13.jpg

 

stack 1.jpg

 

stack 2.jpg

 

stack 3.jpg

 

stack 6.jpg

 

stack 8.jpg

 

stack 9.jpg

 

stack 10.jpg

 

stack 12.jpg

Colin,

The second and third last pics here, are they in the bottom of a large valley at Pendon?

I only ask as when I was there in 2011 there was a lady we met, who had just started on  a bridge which is a copy of one from a town not all that far from there from memory.

She showed us some pics and told us where it was which we duly went to to see the actual bridge!

 

Khris

 

[Brinkly]

There are some excellent photographs on this thread, well done chaps.

 

Kind regards,

 

Nick.

[colin penfold]

Colin,

The second and third last pics here, are they in the bottom of a large valley at Pendon?

I only ask as when I was there in 2011 there was a lady we met, who had just started on  a bridge which is a copy of one from a town not all that far from there from memory.

She showed us some pics and told us where it was which we duly went to to see the actual bridge!

 

Khris

 

Hi Khris, they are in a dip at the front of the vale scene, not far from the Oxford line junction as I recall. Perhaps Mick Bonwick might be more precise.