A Hike on the Unfinished Railroad

A few weeks back, I took a hike at the Manassas National Battlefied, site of two ferocious battles in the US Civil War. The Unfinished Railroad is a trench dug for rails, but never finished. It was a center of the second battle of Manassas.

 

I shot these images with my Rolleiflex SL2000F. Man, I love this weird old camera.

 

You could smell the summer honeysuckle all along the trail.

 

 

This monument is at the end of the trail. It reads: "In Memory of the Patriots Who Fell at Groveton, August 28th, 29th, & 30th, 1862.

 

 

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Burnside Bridge, Antietam National Battlefield, Two Perspectives.

Here's a shot I made of Burnside Bridge, site of a bloody battle at Antietam in the US Civil War. I made this image in 2010.

Burnside Bridge, by Reed A. George

Leica M8, Minolta Rokkor 40mm f2

iso 160, f11, 1/15 sec.

 

What drew me to this scene was the lighting - a mixture of diffuse shade, hard direct sun, and reflections of such up under the bridge arches.

 

What got me thinking about Burnside Bridge right now? The image below, by Evan Leavitt:

 

Image Source: http://evanleavittphotography.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/antietam-view-3/#comment-679

 

Evan made this shot with a Graflex Speed Graphic and 4x5 paper negative. Lovely.

 

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Surviving Buildings at Manassas National Battlefield - A Mini-Project in Micro 4/3

It's mid-winter doldrums here in Northern Virginia, and I decided not to give in to the bad weather today.

 

The heavy snow has passed, but flurries continued today, adding a nice light coat to the base laid down over the past few days. So, I set out to photograph the few remaining buildings that I thought were survivors from Civil War times at nearby Manassas National Battlefield. I had five buildings on my list.

 

It turns out that only three of the five are original buildings. However, the other two retain some interest, so I'll share them as well.

 

Let's start with Henry House. By the way, the picture I took of the Henry House on the 150th anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas won Second Place in a Civil War Trust / History Channel / Google competition, in the division dedicated to celebrating the 150th anniversary of battles in 1861. The image was displayed on the civilwar.org webpage of winning images, and was published in the journal "Hallowed Ground," and featured in the trust's 2012 calendar.

 

Henry House, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, 3 Shot HDR

 

The rest of the images in this post were shot today in the snow with my DMC-GX7 and the new Lumix Series II 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 zoom lens.

 

 

 

Henry House, by Reed A. George

 

 

The Henry House figured prominently in the First Battle of Manassas (or "First Bull Run"). Poor old Mrs. Henry was too sick to leave her home when the battle moved from Mathews Hill to Henry Hill, where she lived. She was killed by stray fire from the battle, becoming the first civilian to die in the Civil War. She's buried in the front yard of Henry House.

 

Next up is the Brawner Farm, which was the site of the first real action of Second Manassas (1862), barely a year after First Manassas (1861). The Brawner Farm was restored in 2007. I think it's poorly-done, looking like a tract house out in the middle of the historic battlefield with its air conditioning unit being the first thing you see from the trail, and get this, what appears to be vinyl siding! What a shame.

 

In the second shot, you can see the winter fields reflected in the window glass.

Brawner Farm, by Reed A. George

 

 

Third on my list was the Dogan House. Lucinda Dogan, a widow and mother of eight children, lived in this house during both battles. Mrs. Dogan lived to be 93 years old, and is buried in nearby Groveton Confederate Cemetery.

 

The Dogan House is quite difficult to photograph, surrounded as it is by modern roads, telephone wires (bane of the outdoor photographer's existence), and houses.

 

I can just imagine old Mrs. Dogan's hands reaching to put the key in that keyhole.

 

 

Dogan House, by Reed A. George

 

 

Next up, the Stone House. This building is probably the most well-known on the battlefield, and was in the hot zone of both battles, but especially First Manassas. Serving as a field hospital to both union and confederate troops, the building took a lot of fire during the battle.

 

 

Stone House, by Reed A. George

 

 

And finally, a pretty well-kept secret of the National Battlefield, Thornberry House. Located at Sudley Springs Ford, the site where Union General Irvin McDowell took more than a third of his 35,000 troops across Bull Run Creek in the first battle to attack the Confederate left flank, after failiing at their right. They marched right by the Thornberry house. Late that afternoon, after suffering a crushing defeat on Henry Hill and further, some of those troops retreated by this same route, while others made a crazed, confused dash straight back toward Washington, DC. As with many houses near the battlefield, the Thornberry house also served as a field hospital.

 

Sudley Springs was also active in Second Manassas, as Stonewall Jackson's stronghold in the unfinished railroad grade had its eastern end within easy sight of the Thornberry House.

 

Thornberry House, by Reed A. George

 

So, which three of these five buildings are true survivors from the actual days of the battle? The Dogan House, Stone House, and Thornberry House. I was surprised to learn that the Henry House had been entirely rebuilt in about 1870. I was not so surprised to find that the Brawner House was not the original, although it was of correct era construction before the renovation. Apparently an old house was moved onto the site sometime after the Civil War, and after the original farmhouse was gone.

 

So, I did spend the whole day with my Lumix DMC-GX7. I only changed lenses a couple of times, to shoot with my new Bower fisheye lens (more on that later). The majority of the time I used the Series II 14-42mm kit zoom, which I find to be quite impressive. Since it was a pretty bright day, I was able to shoot at iso 200 the whole day.

 

I'm still not completely comfortable with all of the controls of the GX7, and did inadvertently hit buttons on the camera's back more than once. This is probably something I can train myself out of, just by spending more time with the camera. I enjoyed using it today, and am very pleased with the results.

 

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150 Years Ago - Civil War Tragedy by Evan Leavitt

Korona Home Portrait Camera 8x10 Paper Negative

"I hope we will never have to shoot at such men again..."

Image Source: http://evanleavittphotography.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/backyard-gettysburg/

I have been watching and enjoying a series of images that Evan Leavitt is making with a large (very large, 8x10) format camera and paper negatives for a while.

(Click Here) to go to Evan's website, Evan Leavitt Photography.

The image above was taken at Griswoldville, Georgia, the scene of a horrific battle between untrained rebel soldiers (old men and boys under the age of fifteen) and a far superior union force. But, I'll leave the store to Evan, he tells it in much greater detail.

(Click Here) to go directly to the Civil War story about Griswoldville on Evan's site.

This happened almost 150 years ago to the day. The place is relatively forgotten today. Evan's image gives me a feel for the forlorn location with a painful history.

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Courage! Civil War Tour of Washington, DC

As part of our LHSA meetup in Washington, DC on September 21, a couple of us took part in a Civil War walking tour.

 

Led by character Demetria Parish, a Pennsylvania girl who married and moved to DC (along with her sister), we walked through the modern streets of DC together, hearing the stories of 150 years past. Dressed in hoop skirt and all, Demetria shared plenty of period gossip with us.

 

(Click Here) to read about the Courage! tour on historicstrolls.com

 

Demetria Parish, in Front of Clara Barton's Offices, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8 LTM Lens

iso 400, f4.8, 1/125 sec.

 

We met a few other characters on our walk, including this lovely catholic nun, who passed Demetria a secret letter. It seems that letter never made if further, being stuffed into Demetria's bag, and likely forgotten.

 

Nun With A Secret, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8 LTM Lens

iso 400, f4, 1/500 sec.

 

From a photographer's perspective, seeing Matthew Brady's studio building was a treat. Mr. Brady was a driving force in photography during the Civil War, the first war to be significantly captured on film (or at least the bodies of dead soldiers, which allowed capture with extremely slow films). We also heard a story about how his assistant, on the roof to adjust light-diffusing curtains to improve the lighting for General Grant's portrait, stepped through the slanted glass, showering the General in shards.

 

 

Matthew Brady's Studio, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8 LTM Lens

iso 400, f4.8, 1/3000 sec.

 

We spent some time around the old patent office (now the National Portrait Gallery) and post office (Monaco Hotel). Ms. Parish worked in the Dead Letters office.

 

The tour ended up outside Ford's Theatre, where the news of Mr. Lincoln's death, at the hands of actor John Wilkes, was just coming out. It seems Ms. Parish had something of a thing for Wilkes, and she's shocked to learn of his true character.

 

Demetria Parish and Mary Lincoln in Front of Ford's Theatre, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8 LTM Lens

iso 400, f4, 1/2000 sec.

 

The tour was really informative and enjoyable, drawing plenty of looks from passers by. Demetria consistently told us to watch out for carriages (cars) and to walk carefully around the horses (once a dog, in another case a set of seqways on tour).

 

As you can see, I shot with my WLL lens for this month, the Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8. I'm overall pleased with the result. The first image above is extremely sharp, showing what the lens can do when used carefully.

 

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Second LHSA (International Leica Society) Local Meetup in DC

On Saturday, September 21, we held the second DC area local meetup of the LHSA, the International Leica Society.

(Click Here) to read about and join the LHSA.

A couple of us met for a civil war era walking tour of DC, rounding out our group of five at lunch and conversation at the National Portrait Gallery. Unfortunately, a couple of members had to cancel last-minute, so participation was about the same as our first meeting. I'm sure the near 100% chance of rain didn't help, either.

 

Kevin, Jerry, Bill, and Charlie, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8 Lens

iso 640, f6.4, 1/45 sec.

 

As agreed at our first meeting, most of us brought Leica prints to discuss, which is always useful. I like to get critical feedback, and hear how others would have made the shot.

Here's what was going on beside our table at the Portrait Gallery:

 

Gymnastics, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8 Lens

iso 640, f3.4, 1/180 sec.

 

 

This time, I tried to diversify the meeting a little by adding the civil war walking tour. I'll post a few pictures from that experience in a later post. Led by a period actress, complete with hoop skirt, I found it quite interesting. Some of the members missed the tour because of a Metro train delay, which was unfortunate.

 

(Click Here) to see a description of the tour "Courage," presented by Natalie Zanin's historic tour company.

 

Here are a couple of other shots I grabbed throughout the day with my M9 and Whole Lotta Leica lens for September, the Rokkor 45mm f2.8.

 

Lift, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8 Lens

iso 400, f11, 1/350 sec.

 

Style, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Minolta Rokkor 45mm f2.8 Lens

iso 640, f5.7, 1/1000 sec.

 

While the participation didn't increase from the first meeting, I do feel like we're forming a good core of members for these events. I will continue to think about ways to increase participation, and draw new members to the meetups. The quality of conversation was great, and made for an enjoyable afternoon.

 

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Creepy Shot With the Whole Lotta Leica August Lens - Summicron 35mm f2 Version 3

 

Confederate Dead, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 Lens Version 3

iso 160, f13, 1/30 sec.

 

I took the day off today, and drove out to the Shenandoah National Park for some hiking and photography. It was a foggy morning. On the way out, I passed by the Groveton Confederate Cemetery at the Manassas National Battlefield. I walked around the cemetery a little with my M9 and tripod, and made a few shots. I almost missed this one.

 

On the way back to my car, I started looking more closely at the numerous spider webs in the tall grass. Finally, I put it together in my mind, and decided to find a nice one in front of the iron cemetery fence. This one was in a very good spot, in my opinion.

 

I converted the image to monochrome using SilverEfex Pro 2. I also selected a selenium tone, which is uncommon for me. Creepy effect, huh?

 

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 Shoots Cicadas Close Up! The Cicada Class of 2013 is a Big One.

 

History Bug, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 100, f7.1, 1/250 sec

 

On Memorial Day weekend, I went to the Manassas National Battlefield a few times for some shooting. In the image above, you can see Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's statue to the far right on the horizon. Up close, you see a 17 year cicada, freshly molted from the nymph stage into the adult.

 

(Click Here) to read about the cicadas of 2013.

 

Cicadas live between 13-17 years underground, and emerged in synchronized fashion with their siblings. Scientists don't know for sure why they do this - some believe it's to avoid predation, both by being unpredictable because of the long time scale and by safety in numbers making it more likely that some of them will get through. Others believe it's due to climate changes, whereby colder weather severely slowed down their previously faster development.

 

You Can Never Go Home, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 100, f8, 1/250 sec

 

In the picture above, you see the adult (lower center) next to the molted skin of a nymph. Quite a change in body plan, huh?

 

Big Year for the Cicadas, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 100, f3.5, 1/250 sec

 

As you can see in the picture above, there are a lot of cicadas in this year's brood. Those are the abandoned nymph skins left behind after moulting.

 

This subject reminded me again of the flexibility of the little Lumix DMC-LX7. I was also carrying my Leica M9 with Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM lens and my Minolta Autocord TLR. Neither of them could have made these images. Even with the Rolleinar close up lens on the the Autocord, I couldn't have come close to this focusing distance. The LX7 sure does a lot of things right.

 

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Memorial Day at Manassas National Battlefield

If you follow my blog, you probably know by now that my home is close to the Manassas National Battlefield, site of two vicious battles of the American Civil War.

 

I got up early this morning (on Memorial Day) to walk around the battlefield, think, and shoot a few images.

 

Rebel Cannon, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 100, f2.8, 1/1000 sec

 

This cannon stands in the precise location of where Thomas Jackson's rebel troops rallied at First Manassas, where Jackson earned his nickname "Stonewall." I love the band of light grass against the much darker trees in the background. Everyone shoots pictures of the cannons; I still like the way the barrel of this on stands out from the background.

 

Stonewall Jackson Statue, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM Lens (May's WLL Lens)

iso 160, f9.5, 1/500 sec

 

I shot the image above with May's Whole Lotta Leica lens, the Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 LTM. Here I tried to blend the base of the statue in with the treeline. I aimed for a complete silhouette, with no detail in the foreground, which I achieved reasonably well.

 

I'll finish up with an extreme wide angle shot.

 

Judith Henry's Grave, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Voigtlander 12mm f5.6 LTM Lens

iso 160, f16, 1/180 sec

 

Judith Henry was an old lady at the time of First Manassas (July, 1861). Too old, in fact, to leave her home, even though it was placed right in the heat of the battle. Mrs. Henry was killed by Union artillery, which ripped through her room, removing one of her feet, amongst other injuries. She is buried with two family members in the front yard of her home, Henry House, on the National Battlefield.

 

Memorial Day in the states usually focuses on the military. We shouldn't forget that plenty of civilians die in these wars we wage against our own kind.

 

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Pinhole! 4x5 Pinhole Shots From Manassas Battlefield, US Civil War

I wrote recently that the announcement of new pinhole cameras from Ilfor inspired me to get out and shoot mine.

 

(Click Here) to read about the new Ilford Pinhole camera.

 

My pinhole camera looks very much like this one (Click Here), available from Freestyle. It uses standard 4x5 film backs, which is great (the new Ilford model does not). This means that I can carry multiple shots with me easily, without the need to reload in the field in a dark bag.

 

A couple of days ago, I took my out to Manassas Battlefield, here in Northern Virginia. I took six exposures, and will share five in this post (the sixth was an alternate exposure of one of the other scenes).

 

Let's start with Thornton House, as Sudley Ford, at the north end of the battlefield. This house was in the direct approach path of Union soldiers as they crossed the river at Sudley Ford to advance on rebel troops in Manassas. It was also the site of the Union's bloody, beaten defeat, and served as a field hospital where many limbs and lives met their end. Here's a view of it today:

 

Thornton House, by Reed A. George

4x5 Pinhole Camera, iso 100 Film

 

I found a shot of Thornton House at the time of the civil war online. (Click Here) to see how it used to look.

 

Here's a shot of an old barn that I encountered on my drive. I cropped it to get rid of ugly pure white sky.

 

Barn, by Reed A. George

4x5 Pinhole Camera, iso 100 Film

 

The remaining shots were taken at the river crossing at Sudley Ford. This is a somber place for me. When I'm standing there, I can imagine the excitement of the tens of thousands of soldiers as they pound across the river to go fight for their country. I can also imagine their fear, shock, and pain as they retreat back across, having witnessed some of the most brutal warfare humans have ever experienced. It's quiet there now. I prefer it that way.

 

Sudley Ford #1, by Reed A. George

4x5 Pinhole Camera, iso 100 Film

Sudley Ford #2, by Reed A. George

4x5 Pinhole Camera, iso 100 Film

Sudley Ford #3, by Reed A. George

4x5 Pinhole Camera, iso 100 Film

 

My pinhole camera has an equivalent f-stop of about 250 (256?). That means that in bright daylight, iso 100 film should be exposed for eight seconds. I usually find that I underexpose with this camera, so I pushed it further this time. I actually did overexpose some of these images, but was able to resurrect them during scanning. The first picture, of Thornton House, was quite overexposed at one minute, but it had a wide range of tones, from the shadows in the trees to the pure bright white of the house's exterior walls.

 

I took these on April 21, 2013. It turns out, Worldwide Pinhole Day is on Sunday, April 28. So, I'll treat this as a test run, and be sure to get back out this coming Sunday!

 

(Click Here) to read about Worldwide Pinhole Day.

 

Get out there and shoot some yourself! Share some of your results with me. Maybe I'll even post one or two of yours on DMC-365!

 

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Trevor Saylor on Starting Projects

 

Door on Antietam Farm Building, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 100, f3.5, 1/200 sec

 
Trevor Saylor has posted a piece on Japan Camera Hunter about how to think about and start photo projects.
 
(Click Here) to read Trevor's thoughts on Japan Camera Hunter
 
Here are the major points, and my thoughts on them (in italics):

• One approach is to prospectively define the scope of your project, then go out and shoot it. Trevor believes that this can be limiting, causing you to miss some great off-topic shots. I can understand what Trevor means here. For example, if you're out shooting about the plight of our natural places, it may be hard to feel and capture a beautiful landscape. On the other hand, if you don't get in the mood (positive or negative) about your topic, how can you capture anything great? I guess this goes to my current thinking, which is that I don't have to catch every shot; I have to make the ones I do catch great.
• Another approach is just to shoot what you like. We've all done this. The challenge is to find a way to make something cohesive out of it.
• Constraints are good. Trevor shares the example of a summer job project, with a limit of 100 days. I couldn't agree more. A time limit is great, as is an equipment limit, number of shots limit, or just about any other limit. I think this also applies to the first point above. A scope limit or constraint is helpful in focusing the mind.
• Making a project end is hard. Totally. They don't all have to end. Some can go on for a lifetime. But, some of them must end, or you never get anything finished, done, completed.
• Trevor talks a little about equipment. He makes the point that it's usually good to stick with one equipment set or approach. Otherwise, the mix of styles can be confusing to viewers. Well, I fail in this regard, epically, as my daughter would say. I know he didn't mean it as a hard and fast rule. Shooting the same project with a range of equipment sometimes brings the topic back to life for me. However, as I said above, limiting your equipment can be a good constraint for a project. So, I understand and respect the concept, but don't always put it into practice.
• You must cull your images, keeping (or at least showing) only the very best. Agreed. And it's hard to do.
• Don't fall in love with an image. Trevor's point here is that your favorite image may just simply not fit the scope of the project. Don't force it in. Again, I understand Trevor's point. But, if I didn't fall in love with an image here and there, I wouldn't bother to shoot. For example, the shot above was taken in the course of my Civil War project. Yes, it's from Antietam, site of a major battle in the war, and is a period-style building, but it really has little else to do with the war. But, I love it. I'll drag it out every chance I get. That's what photography is about for me. Much of the rest of life has to be cold and calculating, not my photography.
• Get critique from others. Yes. I don't always do this. It can make that image culling much easier when another person says "eh, not so much." I find that sometimes my own experience and memories surrounding the capture of an image influence how much I like it. Viewers can't share that with you. The images have to stand on their own, unless you have the chance to supply some words with them.

 
So, Trevor's article is a good thought-provoker. As we near the end of 2012 (oh, and Merry Christmas, by the way), it's worthwhile to think again about the process of pursuing photo projects. My big one this year has been live music, and it's been great. I've made a lot of good friends this year in the course of attending and shooting shows, and hopefully made a few great images. That particular project will go on for a long time. I enjoy every part of it, and see no reason to end it. However, I should challenge myselft to take on and FINISH some smaller projects.
 
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Manassas National Battlefield Revisited - Bronica ETRS Medium Format Camera

 

Cannon, Manassas Battlefield, by Reed A. George

Bronica ETRS, Fuji Provia film, exposure unrecorded

 
I live very close to the Manassas National Battlefield, site of two of the deadliest battles of the American Civil War, exactly 150 years ago. I recently decided to take out my Bronica ETRS medium format camera, and Manassas was where I ended up. I've shot this site many times. While there's not really much there in terms of clear photographic subjects, the place has real feeling. It's a little difficult to take a shot of cannons that hasn't been taken before. I don't think I really succeeded with that here, but I do like how the barrels are aligned, with the one in the distance just a little out of focus. That was my goal.
 

Henry House, Manassas Battlefield, by Reed A. George

Bronica ETRS, Fuji Reala film, exposure unrecorded

 
 
One of the few remaining structures from the Civil War era is Henry House. You may remember that I have shot this house before, and won 2nd place in a contest, resulting in the shot being used in the Civil War Trust's 2012 calendar. That image, shot with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, is shown below. The shot above is from the other side of the house.
 

Henry House, Manassas Battlefield, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Leica Elmar 5.0cm f3.5 Lens

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Composite of Multiple Exposures

 
Finally, on my Bronica outing, I shot the old foundation of a house owned by a free mixed-race person during the Civil War. His name was James Robinson, and his mother was a black woman, and his father was reportedly a member of a prominent white family in the area. In any case, Mr. Robinson was very enterprising, and worked in many different ways to procure himself a piece of land and a house. As you can tell by visiting the remains of the old house, it was quite small. Judging only from memory, I would estimate the foundation to be about 400 square feet. Reportedly, it was a 1 1/2 story building, with the living quarters on the first floor.
 

Remains of James Robinson's House, Manassas Battlefield, by Reed A. George

Bronica ETRS, Fuji Reala film, exposure unrecorded

 
Mr. Robinson married an enslaved black woman, which meant by law at the time that there children were also slaves; they had eight together. While Mr. Robinson was able to arrange for some of his children to stay in the Manassas area, at least two of his sons were sold to distant plantations, including one in Louisiana.
 
For a short biography of Mr. Robinson, (Click Here).
 
During the first battle at Manassas (also known as "Bull Run") in summer 1861, after hiding under a bridge for the duration of the fight, Mr. Robinson came home to find 13 Confederate dead in his yard. His property had been in the direct path of the retreat from overwhelming Union forces. The Confederates would later push back, inspired by the arrival of Thomas Jackson's forces, routing the Union army and winning an important battle early in the war. This was the battle that earned Jackson his nickname, "Stonewall." Just 13 months later, the house served as a field hospital for the Union army in Second Manassas.
 
The house burnt down (due to arson) in 1993. While the National Park Service was dismantling the remains, they found an incredible cache of documents from the Robinson family, dating back as far as the 1830s.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed using the Bronica again. It has been a long time since I took it out. The camera and lenses are large, heavy, and noisy to use. This is no stealth camera. But, the optical performance is very nice. It certainly promotes slow, thoughtful composition. I hope you enjoyed seeing the result.
 
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I find Fuji Reala (iso 100) film to be very nice for scanning. It is a relatively low contrast color print film. Order yours here:
 
 

Well, A Little Reporting Balance, Perhaps

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I am a big fan of the Micro 4/3 format. I chose the Lumix DMC-G3 as my Micro 4/3 camera, and regularly carry two bodies and primes lenses. I'm quite happy with the results.
 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX3

Image Source: shop.panasonic.com

 
 
Micro 4/3 is by design a compromise between sensor size and overall camera and lens weight and volume. Micro 4/3 is a great compromise in that way, in my opinion. While the sensor is ~1/4 the size of 35mm full frame (50% in each direction), the compactness of the system is just plain right. If it were smaller, it would be too hard to use with human hands, in my opinion. As it is, I certainly hit the wrong buttons on the G3 once in a while, but that's probably my fault. Again, in my opinion, if I were designing a system, I would likely do exactly what they did with Micro 4/3 - go slightly smaller in sensor size, in favor of a compact system overall. This is because we all know that sensor technology will continue to improve, so the down sides to a small sensor will decrease over time. The progress made in high iso performance since Micro 4/3 started a few years ago is amazing. And, it's getting better all the time. The only real limitations are physical - like the effect on depth of field imposed by the small sensor. That can't be fixed by sensor improvements.
 
That said, not everyone agrees with me on how good the format is. PhotoPat on mu-43.com posted that he had a terrible experience with the Lumix DMC-GX1. He's now sold it off.
 
(Click Here) to read PhotoPat's thread on mu-43.com
 
As you can imagine, and read in the comments in PhotoPat's thread, posting disappointment in Micro 4/3 on a Micro 4/3 forum invites some dissent. Nothing too bad, but interesting.
 
Sometimes I have to go back and compare images that I've gotten with full-frame cameras to what I'm getting with Micro 4/3, just to convince myself again that Micro 4/3 image quality is good. It is. I'm pleased with it for much of my photography.
 
Here's an example shot, which won me a contest and made it into the Civil War Trust's 2011 calendar (September page). This was shot with a first-generation Micro 4/3 camera, the DMC-G1.
 

Henry House at Manassas National Battlefield, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Leica Elmar 3.5cm f3.5 Screwmount Lens

 
I would never prescribe Micro 4/3 only to anyone else. In fact, you'll see that I shoot plenty of other systems. But, if you use it carefully, the Micro 4/3 system is surely capable of producing some nice images.
 
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Civil War Reenactment - Frederick Maryland, Shot with Lumix DMC-G3

 

Union Troops Emerge From the Cornfield, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 at 188mm

iso 400, f5, 1/1000 sec

 
We're well into the sesquicentenial of the US Civil War, and there are lots of great events in my area. Northern Virginia was a center (the center?) of activity, as neighbors and even brothers within the same family picked sides, sometimes opposite sides. It's a great time to take on a project in photographing civil war history and reenactments.
 
My latest, shown here, are from an event at Rose Hill Manor Park, in Frederick, Maryland. In this case, they were reenacting a battle that actually took place up the road in Sharpsburg (Antietam). One of the famous landmarks of that battle is "Bloody Lane," a sunken farm road and split-rail fence line that was hotly contested and finally won over by Union troops.
 

Flag Against Flag, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 at 136mm

iso 400, f5, 1/1600 sec

 
I was able to walk directly onto the battlefield, well inside the spectator lines, for two reasons: 1) I arrived early, and 2) I was careful to be courteous, staying out of the way of the reenactors and out of view of the general spectators. This provided me with an excellent vantage point from which to shoot.
 
The reenactors were characteristically helpful, and even told me what to expect to see in the battle, including the final confederate retreat. I appreciated that very much.
 
 

Confederate Dead on the Fence, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 at 150mm

iso 400, f8, 1/640 sec

 
On the photographic details, first off, I made a mistake. Planning to go very light, I grabbed what I thought was my Lumix 14-140mm f4-5.8 zoom, and Lumix 20mm f1.7 lenses. Upon arriving, I realized that in fact I had brought the Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6. So, I had an enormous focal length gap, from 20mm to 100mm. In the end, I think it worked out pretty well, but that was lucky. The only real problem was that during the retreat, I had to change lenses quickly in order to capture the soldiers running right by me.
 
I was able to carry a single DMC-G3 body, both lenses, batteries, and cards in a small belt pack (Lowepro Photorunner). I did not take a tripod, since it was a very bright, sunny day. Oh yeah, I also carried two bottles of water in my pockets.
 
I was able to set the camera at iso400, aperture at anywhere from f5-f8, and use aperture priority.
 

These Eyes Have Seen War and Defeat, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Lumix 20mm f1.7

iso 400, f2.5, 1/1250 sec

 
In post-processing, I converted the raw images to black and white, used a lightly saturated reddish tone to the highlights in split toning. I also added some grain to give a nice texture.
 
I hope you enjoy these images!
 
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