Photos from the Storm...

It's been pretty snowy here for the last week. I've had my camera locked and loaded the whole time...

Last Bits of Autumn...

I continue to be impressed with my little stash-in-the-car-so-I-can-always-have-a-camera-with-me Panasonic FZ-10. I went on a retreat recently, and since I was there as a musician, I didn't really have the lugging power to take my sizable (and heavy) camera bag with lenses along with my keyboard, hand truck, amplifier, and other stuff. Knowing I had my Panasonic in the car was good enough, as I didn't really expect to have much time to escape in the woods and take pictures anyway.

I did, however, have enough time to grab these shots. Yeah, I reduced the noise and adjusted both colors and exposure in Photoshop -- but nothing unusual. Having a background in film photography, it's something you always do in the darkroom anyway, so I don't feel guilty. I set the color setting on my camera to "warm" though on purpose, and my PS adjustments are there just to enhance my interpretation of the light quality and experience in this scene.

Click on the photos for larger versions (on my Flickr Account) and EXIF info...





My current desktop wallpaper:

Moved!

I hinted at it in one of my recent posts, but now it's official. We've moved to a new house! Lots more leaves and flowers and other things to photograph here, but I'll definitely still miss my old Japanese maples. There are, however, a few on our new lot. I've been waaaaaay too busy unpacking and doing other things to grab my camera and head outside, though. The weather hasn't cooperated much either.

I did want to post one photo, though, of the piano in our new living room. It's finally getting the grand treatment it deserves. It just siiiiings in its new location (although it does really badly need to be tuned).

First Concert Photos, Pretty Much Ever...

I just started sifting through and processing some of the first concert photos I've taken since becoming serious about photography. I snapped some photos back in high school or junior high at a Beach Boys' concert once, but I had both a crappy camera and a lack of knowledge about photography.

Tonight, however, I grabbed my Panasonic FZ-10 point-and-shoot camera (okay, so it's probably closer to a hybrid dSLR/Point-and-shoot) and played with it during the Steven Curtis Chapman/Michael W. Smith concert. I switched to manual mode, initially started at ISO 400, but remembered how noisy the camera was at 400, so I cranked it down to 200. I set the shutter speed to 1/80th for most of the photos, slowing it down to 1/50th when I wanted more of the lighting (keeping the aperture set at f/2.8). They wouldn't let me bring my dSLR in, and I didn't want to risk having my dSLR confiscated, so I stuck with this camera.

I'm honestly blown away by how these photos turned out. Granted, having front-row seats (thanks to my totally awesome brother-in-law, Dave, who bought those tickets for my birthday present) helped, but I was amazed at how clear the photos were. A skosh of Noise Reduction and a bit of both level adjustment and warming filter (depending on photo), and that's pretty much all the processing. Granted, had I had my dSLR they probably would've been better, but these are pretty decent.

Autumn's Arriving, 2008

Every year, either mid-August or early-September, I seem to manage to find an inspiring image reminding me that Autumn color is just around the corner. On this fine 95º day (85º in my house), I happened to find this year's image:



It doesn't appear likely that I'll get to continue my autumn tradition of shooting the Japanese maples in front of my house this autumn, since we're finalizing the sale of our house (and I don't want to trespass). I'm sure the trees will be thankful that I'm not out there sticking my lenses in them. Depending on which house we settle on purchasing (we have two really excellent choices), though, I may find other victims...

Here's a chronology of these images, to keep score...

2005
(Taken Labor Day weekend with my digital point-and-shoot)


2006
(Early September)


2007
(August 21 -- testing the 55-200 VR)

Summer Tidal Abstracts

Something different -- certainly inspired by Ed Weston. I call this series "Summer Tidal Abstracts."







See the full album here...

It's ALMOST Summer, officially...

But flash is still very much a part of summer photography...

100mm F/2.8 Series E vs. 105mm F/2.5 AI

My friend at work loaned me his old camera gear to play with. Included in the kit was the 105mm f/2.5 AI lens. Since this lens has a pretty solid reputation for quality, I wanted to see how it compared to my $55 100mm f/2.8 Series E lens -- one of my favorite lenses.

VS

All photos with the 105mm AIS were shot at f/2.8. Photos are exactly as they came out of the camera, with only the text added in Photoshop -- no further adjustment. I focused on the same item in both sets of pictures, using the same focus point on my D200. Let's look at the results:





These lenses are practically the same. I notice very, very little difference. In the last set of photos, I do like the 105's bokeh a tad better -- it's a little creamier. Honestly, it makes me that much happier with my cheap 100mm holds its own.

From the Archives -- TLR Oldy Moldys

I finally got the scanner I've been wanting for a few years. It arrived yesterday, and I finally got a chance to set it up this evening.

Here are a few keepers from the first and only roll of 120 slide film I've ever shot, which I just recently re-discovered (it wasn't in the book of negatives I put together in college).

Out with the Old, In with the New

Sadly, I retired my first dSLR last week. I sold it to someone looking for a fast camera for shooting sports -- still a very good use for it. Here's the last good shot I made with my D1H -- it served me very well for over two years, even if it was a generation or two behind the current times when I purchased it.


But the good news -- to replace it, I got a used and somewhat-abused, but still functional D200. I'm the type of person who likes to actually use their equipment, not admire it sitting on a shelf. So, when the opportunity to save some cash arose by grabbing a D200 with some cosmetic issues (after taking a bit of a plunge off a tripod), naturally I'm going to be interested. Unless the camera doesn't work, I don't really care if it's not in mint condition. Same thing for my lenses. I'm sure I was a photojournalist in a former life or something...

By finding this deal, too, though, I was able to purchase a new lens along with the camera, for about the same price as what D200 bodies alone are going for nowadays. The lens I got is a 35mm f/2 AF-D. It's honestly one lens that I didn't think that I needed, but when I was looking through the viewfinder with the lens, I noticed that it seemed to match the normal viewing perspective. This makes sense when you think about it -- a 35mm lens on a 1.5x digital SLR becomes roughly a 5omm lens on a full-frame or film camera. So, yeah, after never really owning a 5omm when I shot film, I now have the equivalent of 50mm f/2 in digital.

And I'm recognizing how awesome this can be.

I already have a 20-35mm f/2.8 lens, but that sucker is huge. This small, compact lens gives me an extra stop, too, over that lens. It's wide enough to get a lot of stuff in, but not so wide that everything gets distorted. It's really a versatile little lens.

But the thing that I REALLY like about it is that it focuses very, very closely. I'd need to look up the stats, but I'm guessing it's about 3 inches in front of the lens. Combine that with the low-DOF f/2 opening, and it makes for a PERFECT lens for me to do my "Group F/1" stuff...





I love the bokeh! And the "Vivid Enhanced" setting on the D200 is really really nice.

In addition to being a great macro lens, it's also great as a portrait lens. Again, it's wide enough to get a decent head/shoulders portrait without having the distortion of an extra-wide when you get close to shoot the head & shoulders.

When I bought my D2H, I debated long and hard over whether or not to get the D200 instead. I ultimately decided that I preferred the machine-gun speed over the higher resolution. Especially since the D200 had 10 megapixels -- more than I really need. But now, I've decided that in shooting weddings more and more, I need all the resolution I can get. So, I've complemented my D2H with a D200.

Both of them are, really, more camera than I can use. Maybe in 2-3 years, I'll upgrade to a D3 and a D300, but for now I'm set...

Beer Break!

So, in my inbox today arrived the monthly update from Gravity Beer Market (which, conveniently, is practically around the corner, but realistically ~2 miles from my house). When I saw the description for this beer, I HAD to go buy some. Being bored watching the M's implode yet again, I tried to escape the game by going to Gravity. Didn't totally work, though, 'cause they had the game turned on there.

After spending the better part of a half hour perusing their awesome selection, I found what I'd come there for, and a few other beers. This particular concoction is a bit expensive -- $14 for the bottle -- but I was willing to risk it.

I mean, after reading the description, how could I NOT give it a try?

A big, belgian-style Wit brewed with coriander and orange peel and fermented with Pinot Noir juice. After fermentation a fraction of the batch is aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels, and another fraction is aged on oak staves. The beer is blended together before packaging.

Since my beer tastes have been set aside for my lust for all things wine (particularly Zin, Cab-Sav, Syrah, and Pinot), it was appropriate that I'd gravitate towards this particular brew.

In spite of buying four other bottles of various stuff, I had to crack this open. Well -- after shooting photos, of course.

The color was as expected, the head was perfect. When I finally got done gazing at this beauty and pulling the glass to my face to inhale the aromas, I was very pleasantly surprised at the complexity. The wide variety of fruity citrus flavors dance around, and yet the balance of yeast, dry oak and golden, milky smoothness of the Wit calm things down.

I think I have a new favorite. I mean, how else can I combine three of my favorite things: beer, wine and photography?

Damn good stuff!

A Walk in the Rain

I wanted to write up my experience as a first-time credentialed press photographer, but we decided to go for a walk in the rain instead today. Of course, even though it was expected to be wet, I had my camera and my supertelephoto (400mm f/3.5). It was a bit big, but indeed it fit under the coat during the rain showers. Here are a few shots from our outing. The rest are on my Flickr account.