Getting Out and About With the 4x5 Speed Graphic

I have a beautiful early Graflex Speed Graphic 4x5 camera. Because it's not so convenient to use, I haven't spent much time with it. I decided to change that over the three day 4th of July weekend. I made a total of ten exposures (on Arista EDU film), and found that five of them are worth sharing. That's a pretty good hit rate compared to smaller formats, where I shoot a lot more images per scene.

 

Here are my five favorites from the weekend:

 

 

I usually set the camera on a tripod, using the ground glass back to frame and focus. I did that for the last three images above. For the first two, I used the rangefinder and shot handheld. Getting the focus right is a challenge, and I missed on some other shots. But, when you get it right, it's pretty nice.

 

In the picture of the house (Thornton House at Manassas National Battlefield), I used the front rise movement of the camera to allow me to keep the camera level to avoid distortion, yet still capture the roof and chimney. Pretty cool.

 

In the shot of the lotus flowers, I threw all concern for distortion to the wind, shooting with the camera nearly on the ground, pointing up at a steep angle.

 

I'm very happy that the Speed Graphic is not my only camera, or even my main one. But, it's instructive and fun to use.

 

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Two More From the Fuji GW690II

Adding to my last post, with two more 6x9 medium format images from Jones Gap State Park in South Carolina.

This is a detail shot of the water at my feet . To give an idea of the scale, I'd say the rock at top was about six feet away. I love the deep darkness and blue cast in the water

 

 

This image didn't appeal to me at first, but I've grown to appreciate it.

 

Both were shot on Kodak Portra 400. No filters were used.

 

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Those Northern California Clouds

 

All photographed with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100.

 

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16:9 Format - Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

 

Landscape in 16:9, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

iso 400, f5.6, 1/100 sec.

 

I've just uploaded a set of images from my recent trip to the Desolation Wilderness in Northern California to my flickr page. (Click Here) to view them all (or if you want to see this image larger). Every single one of the images in this set was captured with the LX100. What a wonderfully compact and capable camera this is, perfect for a long hiking trip like the one I was on (3 days, two nights camping).

 

I love the native 16:9 format in the LX100, though I did crop a larger image to get it in this case.

 

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Haleakala Crater

Haleakala Crater, by Reed A. George

Panasonic DMC-GX7, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

Graduated ND Filter

 

What an amazing, nearly-alien landscape this is...

 

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The Old Corn Crib, Revisited

I was driving home this evening and noticed a lot of dramatic clouds in the sky, accentuated by the sunset. So, I stopped at the old corn crib that I've photographed in the past and made some images. (Click Here) to see one of my previous posts of this cool old building.

 

This time, I had my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 and 20mm f1.7 lens with me. I'm trying to decide whether to bring this camera on vacation with me. I've drifted away from my Micro 4/3 gear recently, but this little shoot has me once again appreciating the GX7.

 

I actually sold some of my Micro 4/3 lenses recently, keeping only those that I hold most dear. Also, I kept the smallest lenses, as that's what shines about Micro 4/3 cameras, small size. So, I sold my 14-140mm zoom, 25mm f1.4 Summilux, and 75mm Olympus lenses. All excellent lenses, I felt that keeping my 20mm f1.7, Pana-Leica Micro-Elmarit 45mm f2.8, 14mm f2.5, Bower fisheye, and the amazing 100-300 f4-5.6 zoom was sufficient. Now I find that I'm missing the medium telephoto length of the Oly 75, especially in planning for travel. So, I'm going to try the new Sigma 60mm f2.8 Art lens, which is very cheap ($200 new), and getting great reviews. More on that to come.

 

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Frog's Eye View - Reality So Subtle 6x17 Pinhole

Frog's Eye View, by Reed A. George

Reality So Subtle 6x17 Panoramic Pinhole Camera

Kodak TMax 100 Film, 30 sec. Exposure

 

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Three Levels of Subject in Landscapes

 

Foreground, Midground, Background

 

I've read that it can be helpful to think of landscape compositions in this way, having interest at the foreground, mid, and background. Looking back on some of my older images, I came across this one. Not a simple formula for success perhaps, but I think it worked here.

 

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Cropping and Composition - Just an Exercise

I saw this scene outside my window today.

 

I thought it presented an interesting opportunity to try cropping in multiple ways. So, I shot it with my iPad and proceeded to play around, cropping into various configurations based on the window pane lines.

 

My first try was this, based solely on my gut feeling of what may look best:

 

Then, I tried others:

 

 

I realized at this point that the bright sky detracted from most compositions. Then, I decided to try some vertical crops.

 

 

 

This one turned out to be my favorite. I added a few touches in Snapseed, including a white frame, and this is what resulted:

 

Not a masterpiece, by any means, it did help me to think about cropping and composition. At first, the little bit of my house that shows in the picture seemed like a distraction; I would not have picked a composition that included it. In the end, it turned out to be the best subset of the original picture to show.

 

If nothing else, this reminds me that my first inclination on how to compose a scene may not be the best. It's worth playing around and trying different compositions.

 

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Gage Caudell's Leica S Landscape - Awesome!

Image Source: http://www.rangetraveler.com/morning-star-part-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=morning-star-part-2

 

The Leica S is an amazing, beautiful medium format digital camera. It's in the stratosphere as far as price is concerned, though. I can't touch one with my income. I do have a friend with one, and I have gotten to handle it just a little. Really something special.

 

In the image above of Otter Cliff in Acadia National Park, Maine, Gage Caudell used the super wide 24mm Super Elmar S lens.

 

I'd love to see that blown up to wall size. The digital file from the S would support it, for sure!

 

(Click Here) to see it on Gage Caudell's blog, Range Traveler.

 

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Nature's Tapestry

 

Nature's Tapestry, by Reed A. George

Mamiya Universal Press Camera, Mamiya Sekor 100mm f3.5 Lens

Kodak Portra 160 Color Print Film

 

A simple nature shot I made with my recently-acquired Mamiya Universal. I tried to keep the depth of field quite thin, and centered on the cattail just right of center. I love the color in this shot. The purple contrast to all the green and yellow works for me. I also really like how Portra gives such subtlety to color. I actually boosted the vibrance a little in post-processing.

 

I also cropped the image, and added some framing effects in Nik's Analog Efex Pro add-in.

 

I am really enjoying the slow, deliberate style that the new Universal forces on me.

 

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More UC Berkeley Trees

A couple of days back, I posted about the tree sit-in protest at Berkeley from 2006-2008. You may or may not think the protesters crazy for living in the trees for so long, but you have to admit that the landscape on the campus is beautiful and is worth protecting. Here's a shot I took on my walk around UC Berkeley.

 

Berkeley Trees, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 400, f1.7, 1/640 sec.

 

This is an unedited image straight from the camera. I shot it wide open to render the leaves in the foreground sharp, and slightly blur the trees in the background.

 

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The Gate - Leica Landscape

 

The Gate, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v.3 Lens

iso 200, f16, 1/250 sec.

 

I shot this old gate at the site of a bluegrass show I attended recently. It's odd, the unique old gate and a single piece of fence. No reason to worry whether it's opened or closed at this point, is there?

 

I like it silhouetted against a field of green. I also like how the small clump of daisies in the foreground provides another focal point.

 

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Belizean Sunrise

I got my butt out of bed at 5AM this morning to catch the sunrise here in Belize. I shot several images, and plan to work on them when I get home, including a plan to try some subtle high dynamic range (HDR) processing. Here's one that I like pretty much as-is:

Belizean Sunrise, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens with 3-Stop ND Filter

iso 160, f16, 1 sec.

 

I liked how the shoreline formed an S-curve, ending at the thatched dock shelter at the horizon. I edited this image in Snapseed on my iPad.

 

More to come.

 

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Bronica, Panoramic Format, and a Shot That Sticks in my Mind

I made this shot a few years back (2010), with my Bronica ETRS with 35mm wide (panoramic) back. It's Antietam Creek in Maryland.

 

Antietam Creek, by Reed A. George

Bronica ETRS, 35mm Wide Film Back

 

This shot has stuck in my mind for a very long time. It makes me once again remember my Bronica kit, and how much I like it. I bought the camera on a lark, and don't use it nearly as much as I should. I have a full set of lenses, and the panoramic back really adds to the usefulness of the camera. Yes, the ETRS is big, clunky, and loud; you're not going to sneak up on anyone with this camera. At least not after you click the shutter once. But, the lenses are immense chunks of glass, and I think produce first-rate images.

 

Likewise, as many others have, I had a brief period of intense interest in shooting panoramics. Actually, I really love the long aspect ratio. I need to do more with it. One limitation is that panos don't really lend themselves to efficient use of electronic displays, as the aspect ratio is just wrong for using most of the pixels on a normal display. I have planned to order roll paper to print them, but have never done it.

 

So, next time I'm feeling bored and ready for a camera/format change, I'm going to load up the ETRS and 35mm back and get down to business.

 

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Film Latitude - Mike B Reports on Overexposing by Seven Stops!

"Humber Light" - Bronica ETRs - Zenzanon 75mm ƒ/2.8 @ ƒ/11 1/8s

Image Source: http://blia-yof.blogspot.com/

 

I found this image and related post on Mike B's "A Year on Film" blog. In this post, Mike writes about the incredible latitude of film, in this case Rollei IR400 IR film. While this shot above was exposed, I would say, perfectly, Mike shares an image that was overexposed by seven full stops, and still rescued. Yes, you can tell it was overexposed, but there's quite a lot of image information there.

 

(Click Here) to read Mike B's post.

 

I like a lot of things about this post. First, I'm intrigued by Mike's blog in that he is part of a "52 Rolls of Film" project, which equates to one roll per week for an entire year. I could do that. So far in 2014, I'm averaging about twice that rate. Second, Mike writes about how his digital cameras are taking the backseat to film cameras. He writes that he no longer buys film cameras, but his collection continues to grow through gifts from others. Having just returned from a trip to Ohio where I won a new Nikkormat FT3 at the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop, and received a wonderful Konica FC-1 film SLR from my uncle, I can appreciate that. Finally, I like that Mike is using the Bronica ETRS. I have a full ETRS kit (including the 35mm panoramic back) that has not been out in ages. I must fix that.

 

Be sure to check out the FPP website if you're into film by (Clicking Here).

 

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Flight Delay - Thank Goodness for Snapseed

My airplane seems to have a "maintenance" issue, which is apparently interchangeable with a "mechanical" issue in airline terms. They seem distinct to me, but what do I know?

 

While I sit here waiting to hear whether I'll be home tonight or not, I decided to edit and post an image from Japan.

 

Japanese Garden, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

iso 200, f8, 1/60 sec.

Edited in Snapseed

 

The garden in our hotel in Hakone, a historic resort about an hour from Tokyo, has a stunning garden. I have been traveling and shooting a lot. This reminds me that I have a lot of material to edit from our Japan trip. More to come!

 

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Blast From the Past - Sometimes I Really Miss California

 

Mount Diablo Landscape, by Reed A. George

Nikon D70, Nikkor 300mm Lens, f8, 1/60 sec.

 

I decided to go back and look at the earliest images I uploaded to flickr. Here's one that I shot in 2005. It was taken during a workshop at Mount Diablo, some 20 minutes from my home in Pleasant Hill, California. Man, what a magical place.

 

I can't remember if this was shot with my 70-300mm f4-5.6 ED zoom, or 300mm f4. I also can't seem to find the iso setting in the EXIF info.

 

But, the old D70 (my first DSLR) really did a pretty nice job, didn't it? I love the way the path zig zags over the hills to the tree.

 

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Cold, Rain, and Snow - Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 and Series II 14-42 Kit Lens

One of my colleagues came to my office this morning, saying that I really needed to get out and shoot some of the plants around our building while they were still covered in ice. That was all the motivation I needed.

 

All of these were shot with the new 14-42mm kit zoom that comes with the DMC-GX7 at iso 200.

 

 

 

 

 

Not bad for ten minutes outside with a kit lens!

 

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Leica in Nature - LHSA (International Leica Society) Muir Woods Photo Tour

I'm writing while I'm on the flight back from Northern California, where I attended the annual meeting of the LHSA (International Leica Society). One of our photo outings was north of San Francisco in Marin County, at Muir Woods, an amazing redwood forest in the coastal mountains. I've been here many times in the past, so I was hoping that I'd be able to bring a new perspective to the pictures I'd capture there. In addition to my familiarity of the place, which can be a blessing or a curse, we arrived at mid-day, when the lighting was strongest yet most harsh. However, the forest provides lots of opportunities to find good light.

 

By the way, I'm only sharing the digital images I made on my M9; the film is on its way to The Darkroom for processing now. And, my post-processing was all done on my iPad using Snapseed. Also, I don't have a way to view the EXIF information, so I'm only including what I can remember. You'll see that three of the five shots in this post are shot with October's Whole Lotta Leica Lens, the venerable 50mm Summicron f2 version 3.

 

Let's see how I did.

 

Sunshine Through The Canopy, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 50mm f2 Lens

 

 

Now, I think this is a fairly predictable image. I was able to take advantage of the backlighting on the stump, and really like the burst of light at the branch at the top of it, along with the sun itself. I also enjoy the stripes of light in the forest behind. But, again, pretty pedestrian.

 

Redwood Detail, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 50mm f2 Lens

 

Here's another from the same spot. Here I decided to open the aperture wide (f2.8, I believe) and isolate the redwood branch at left from the surrounding forest.

 

 

Dark To Light, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Carl Zeiss Biogon 25mm f2.8 Lens

 

I love the way this shot shows the transition from the deep darkness of the forest understory to the bright midday sky above. The backlighting on the branches at the bottom are also nice. I decided to crop this image significantly to focus the interest where I want it. The Zeiss Biogon is a wonderful lens, and I can even say that I like using the bright 25mm Voigtlander accessory viewfinder. It makes composition a different and enjoyable experience.

 

Then, I decided to focus my attention on one particular subject, a redwood stump that was bathed in wonderful, subtle light. I set up my tripod and got to work. Most people walked by looking for an invisible bird or other subject that I must be photographing. I mean, who would spend so much effort to photograph a stump? Well, me, that's who. One person actually came up behind me and grabbed a snapshot of my subject with his handheld DSLR. He probably got home and thought, "now what the heck is that a picture of?" Here are my favorite two shots so far:

 

Study of a Redwood Stump, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 50mm f2 Lens

 

This is one of those examples that once again prove to me that we don't photograph subjects, we photograph light. I am also learning to try to photograph how a scene makes me feel, not how it looks. This shot achieves that at a certain level. I absolutely love the colors and tones. I also like the spotlight on the leaves in the stump.

 

Redwood Stump With Context, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Carl Zeiss Biogon 25mm f2.8 Lens

 

This final shot shows a little more of the context around the stump. This shot could use some more post-processing to emphasize some areas of the stump. I'll work on that. To be honest, I much prefer the more closely-composed shot above.

 

So, what do you think? Did I succeed at getting some different perspectives on this much-photographed location? I sure enjoyed my time in the forest, and hope that I'm developing some new skills in making unique images.

 

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