Springtime is for Photography

Springtime is for Photography, Pinhole Included

Nikon Df, f/180 Pinhole Body Cap

 

I'm so happy that it's springtime again. Makes me want to be outside shooting every day.

 

Hope you're using the nice weather to get out and make some art.

 

For my friends in the Southern Hemisphere, don't worry. It's all just cycles; your time is coming as sure as winter will be back here before we know it.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

French Quarter in the Rain - Leica IIIC and Summar 5cm f2

I recently attended the LHSA (International Leica Society) Spring Shoot in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of my favorite places to photograph, I was hoping we'd get some inclement weather to build some mood into my pictures. I was not let down - it rained on and off, sometimes quite heavily, during my whole trip. I loved it.

 

Here are some shots of street musicians playing in front of Rouse's Grocery on Royal Street as a rain storm rolled in and subsequently left.

 

All were shot with the Leica IIIC and Summar 5cm f2 lens. One of Leica's earliest fast lenses, the Summar is infamous for being being soft. I happen to have a clean copy, without a scratched front element, which is rare. I find it to be a wonderful lens.

 

 

Shooting iso 400 film (Kodak TMax 400), I couldn't quite get a fast enough shutter speed to capture the rain as I wanted. I hope that you can see it in images 2 and 3.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Walking in the Rain, New Orleans

I met this nice lady one morning at Jackson Square. I informed her that she was wearing the red jacket that every photographer dreams of, especially when shooting on a dreary, rainy day. She actually agreed to walk out into the rain so that I could photograph her under the tree covered in Mardi Gras beads, with the wrought iron fence of Jackson Square in the background. Now that says New Orleans.

 

Walking in the Rain, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, 50mm f1.4 Summilux Lens

iso 800, f3.4, 1/90 sec.

 

She actually emailed me (I gave her my card), and I sent her this image. It's nice to close the loop in that way.

 

My only regreat is that I had to act quickly, and didn't use a fast enough shutter speed to clearly show that it was raining pretty hard at that moment. 1/250 second would probably have capture it well. Of course, that would have meant higher iso and wider aperture, which would have compromised depth of field (I wanted a lot) and digital noise. So, this is the compromise I decided to make.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Storm Approaches the Manor House - Lumix DMC-LX100 and Snapseed

I ventured out from the office today as a storm approached. Here's my interpretation of the scene.

Storm Approaches the Manor House, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

iso 200, f8, 1/250 sec.

Manipulated in Snapseed on iPad

 

Here's the original image from the LX100.

 

The springtime seasonal allergies are killing me right now, so I paid the price for being outside. But, the clouds were so dramatic, I had to run out and get the shot. The Panasonic DMC-LX100 made that very easy.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Abstracts - Winter Moon

Just a little fun with my new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100. See if you can tell what this is:

 

Winter Moon, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

iso 200, f2.8, 1/25 sec.

 

This is indeed the moon, but those aren't clouds. They are snow/ice drifts deposited on the glass in the building where I work. I thought they made an interesting juxtaposition.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Crows in Snow

We're having the most intense snowfall of the winter today. Forecasted at 1" yesterday, 1"-3" today, it's already well over six inches here and still coming down heavy. It even brought a murder of crows to my feeder.

Crows in Snow, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

iso 200, f8, 1/60 sec.

 

I used the "Toy Camera" filter built into the LX100 for this shot. I think it suits the scene quite well.

 

I am / was a huge fan of the DMC-LX7, which I still have. The LX100 is missing a few features that LX7 had, but so far, the image quality from the LX100 is impressing me. Having wifi connection to my iPad is also really handy for blogging.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

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!

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Yesterday's Post Was the End of Autumn, Today's Sky Looks Like the End of the World!

We had a crazy sunset and cloud formation tonight. Here's how it looked:

There was no severe weather associated with this, believe it or not

 

This is why I always have a camera with me. These were all shot with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, 14-42 f3.5-5.6 Series II kit zoom, on iAuto. I didn't make any decisions besides zoom and composition. These are jpegs right out of the camera.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Oklahoma Tornadoes - I Watched The Storm Develop

I am visiting my parents in El Reno, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013, the day of the horrendous tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma. We knew that severe weather was coming; the local news stations had been warning for days.

 

The storm formed just to the East of us. I got in the car to see if I could safely get a shot or two.

 

The Oklahoma Tornado Storm Forming, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7

 

 

Enormous Storm Cloud, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7, in-camera panorama

 

I did not get close to this storm. It was just too ominous.

 

About 20 minutes after I took these pictures, we started hearing about tornadoes on the ground. The strangest thing is that where I was, we never even got any rain. Forty miles away, mass destruction was happening. I'm still struggling with the images and news we've been seeing on the television all day.

Storm Clouds Over the Plains, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7, in-camera panorama

 

My thoughts go out to all those affected by the tornadoes.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Mark Hirsch's Tree - 365 Days Project

 

Burr Oak, Platteville, WI, by Mark Hirsch

Image Source: http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2013/05/08/that-tree-a-photo-a-day-by-mark-hirsch/6021/

 

Photographer Mark Hirsch took on the challenge of shooting an image of a single tree, every day, for a year - with his iPhone. He posted his images on facebook, and they became extremely popular. Every day from March 24, 2012 - 2013, Mark trudged to the tree, regardless of weather, mood, or anything else.

 

Mark reports that this has taught him to slow down, to be "contemplative" in his photography.

 

(Click Here) to read about his project on the Denver post blog.

 

His project meant a lot of different things to different people. He reports how viewers associated specific pictures with what happened in their lives on that particular day.

 

Over 300 people showed up on-site for his final picture of the project.

 

Mark is now producing a book of all of the images.

 

I once thought of an extremely similar project - shooting a cypress tree near where I lived in Tampa, Florida. Of course, thinking and doing are two different things. And, Mark's tree got a lot wider range of weather than my cypress would have.

 

In any case, I can identify with this project. It's extremely well-done.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Shanghai Rings in the Year of the Snake with a Blanket of Snow

 

She Battles the Snow in Her Unique Way, by Mimo Khair

Image Source: http://mimokhairphotography.com/2013/02/08/one-day-left-till-the-year-of-the-snake/

 

Mimo Khair posted this really interesting shot and a little prose on the experience of being in Shanghai on the eve of the year of the snake.

 

(Click Here) to read the post on mimokhairphotography.com

 

I went out for the Chinese New Year parade here in Washington, DC. Due to poor planning, I was there early with my daughter and my friend James McKearney. We got to see a few lion dancers preparing for the parade, but we were chilled and ready to go long before the parade truly began. So, I don't have much to show. Here's a shot of a street vendor, selling miniature lion decorations, and, of course, rubber snakes.

 

Get Yer Rubber Snakes!, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, W-Nikkor C 3.5cm f2.5 LTM Lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/125 sec

 

The W-Nikkor 3.5cm lens is my choice for my "Whole Lotta Leica" feature in February. I definitely need to get out more with it soon.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

White Christmas in Virginia

 

White Christmas in Virginia, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

iso 100, f5.9, 1/8 sec

 
It's Christmas Eve, and we are getting a nice dusting of snow here in Virginia. So, I grabbed the weather-proof Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 and a tripod, and ran out for a few photographs. I think this one shares the feeling nicely.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 

Frankie Torres Shows Us NYC After Sandy

 

Photograph by Frankie Torres

Image Source: http://elizabethavedon.blogspot.com/2012/10/frankie-torres-hurricane-sandy-aftermath.html

 
Hurricane / superstorm Sandy seems like a distant memory here in Virginia. We were extremely lucky, and suffered very little damage, at least as far inland as I am. I'm a little embarrassed to say that we didn't even lose power here. So, it's very easy to forget that others were not so fortunate.
 
In a post on Elizabeth Avedon's blog, Frankie Torres, Marine Corps soldier turned photographer, shows us what Sandy did to Manhattan.
 
(Click Here) to see more pictures from Frankie.
 
I was on public transportation in Washington, DC yesterday when I heard a lady talking about what it's like in NYC right now. She said there are National Guardsmen at the gas stations, and the whole city feels like it's some place else.
 
In addition to how easy it is to forget when you are not directly affected, I find it interesting that each of us turns any catastrophe into something we can understand on an individual basis. A death makes us think about what we could have done to be closer to a person, or to help extend their life. In more distant situations, our brains struggle to connect in some way or another. For example, on the photography blogs, the tsunami in Japan turned into the damage to the camera companies' factories and operations (after much heartfelt expression for the people). One of the things I'll remember about Sandy is how Adorama announced their recovery, step-by-step, on the web. Insignificant in the grand scale, these things must somehow help us to accommodate the bigger impact in our minds.
 
Best wishes to New York and New Jersey, and other places affected by this storm.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Panasonic Hands the DMC-GH3 to Pros To Generate Sample Images and Videos

 

Panasonic DMC-GH3

Image Source: http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMC-GH3KBODY

 
The newly-announced Lumix DMC-GH3 takes its place as the flagship camera in the Panasonic line. The new body design is weatherproof, and larger than previous Lumix Micro 4/3 bodies. While larger than say the G3, it is still more compact than DSLRs, and approximately half the weight. In addition, the smaller lenses will still make a GH3 kit significantly smaller and lighter than an equivalent DSLR kit.
 
The most important room for improvement in Micro 4/3 is low noise, high iso performance. Since I shoot a lot of low light situations, especially in my live music project, this is where I'd love to see more progress. However, I want to start by saying that last year's state-of-the-art isn't bad. Here's an example of a shot I took recently with the DMC-G3 at iso 3200, in a very dimly lit venue.
 

Greg Ruby, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Olympus 75mm f1.8 Lens

iso 3200, f1.8, 1/100 sec

 
In the shot above, I was forced to shoot at iso 3200, even with the fast f1.8 Olympus lens. At 1/100 second exposure, I'm pushing the fastest shutter speed that can be shot with the camera handheld (carefully) with this lens. Since the 75mm has an equivalent field of view as a 150mm lens on 35mm format, ~1/150 second is the slowest speed that can reliably be handheld.
 
The new DMC-GH3 reportedly significantly improves high iso performance, with regular iso settings up to 12,800 and extended 25,600 capability. The question is - what do the images look like at these settings?
 
Panasonic handed the GH3 to six imaging professionals to generate samples. Bruce Logan, Philip Bloom, and Elliot Rosenblatt worked on video, while Ira Block, Daniel Berehulak, and Kazuo Unno focused on still images.
 
(Click Here) to see the results on Panasonic's special GH3 site.
 
Ira Block shares a variety of images from the American West, including a very nice night landscape, shot at iso 2500 and a shutter opening of 30 seconds! Quite nice.
 
Daniel Berehulak documented Muslim life in India. He includes a couple of shots at iso 1250 that are very low in apparent noise.
 
Kazuo Unno focused his (macro) lens on the insect world.
 
I still look forward to seeing some images shot at iso 3200 and higher. I sure would love to have a Lumix camera that could come close to matching the high iso performance of my full-frame Nikon D700!
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Practicing What I Preach - A Walk In The Autumn Rain - The Warm Side

I'm always writing that photographers should not let inclement weather keep them inside. Today I decided to practice what I preach. So, I grabbed the Leica M9, mounted the first Leica lens I ever owned (a 1953 Summarit 50mm f1.5) and headed out right after a major rain. I saw the light turning nice, and went for it. Turned out, the rain didn't come back until after I was finished. I was rewarded with these images.
 

First Reds of the Season, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens

iso 200, f6.7, 1/60 sec

 

Nature's Rituals, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens

iso 200, f1.5, 1/180 sec

 

Sun Shines Through, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens

iso 200, f2.8, 1/1000 sec

Water Drops on Reeds, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens

iso 200, f2.8, 1/4000 sec

End of Days, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens

iso 200, f11, 1/250 sec

 
 

Transition, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Summarit 50mm f1.5 lens

iso 200, f2.8, 1/2000 sec

 

 

I don't use this old lens much any more. It has a little haze, but not too bad. It gives a crazy out of focus accent, known as "bokeh" in photographic circles. It's pretty darned sharp, but the focus point moves forward at wide apertures. It's truly an artistic lens, not a technical one. But, I love the results.

 
The Summarit also draws very nicely in black and white. In my next post, I'll include a couple of monochrome shots taken on the same day. Get ready for a little creepy autumn darkness after all the warmth and color of this one...
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Shooting in Bad Weather

It's that time of year, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere - yes, here in Northern Virginia, along with the welcome cooler temperatures, gorgeous changing leaves, and approach of winter, we get a fair amount of rain. I try my best not to let it keep me indoors, or away from shooting.
 
I recently read an article on shooting in inclement weather on the Photo Blog ePHOTOzine.
 
(Click Here) to read the full article.
 
Here are some points that author John Gravett makes about shooting in the rain:
 

1. Wear protective gear for yourself - a good rain jacket, waterproof pants, maybe gloves. John doesn't wear gloves, but suggests neoprene fishmerman's gloves, if you need them.
2. Carry a waterproof camera bag. Many of the LowePro bags come with a handy integrated rain cover, for example. You can also always use a plastic bag, but it doesn't look as cool.
3. Protect your camera when it's out of the bag. John makes the point that some gear (he mentions Nikon) is very water resistant. I use the Shutter Hat (below) for my Nikon or Micro 4/3 kits when it's really raining. I use a hotel room hair cover (the ones that you get free in the hotel room bathroom) for smaller cameras. I also use a DiCaPac cover for my Lumix DMC-LX5, which makes it completely waterproof.

Shutter Hat Camera Protector

Image Source: www.amazon.com

 
In terms of the photography itself, John likes to work with telephoto lenses to compress the perspective, and often uses water to provide a flow to the composition.

Rain on Branches, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm Zoom Lens

iso 800, f5.6, 1/125 sec

 
John also suggests trying black and white in the rain.I find that black and white, with a yellow or red filter to make the sky contrast more dramatic, can really work well.
 
Here's a shot I took in the pouring rain, using my DMC-LX5 in the DiCaPac cover.
 

Chesapeake On A Rainy Day, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

iso 80, f2.8, 1/320 sec

 
If I were to try that again today, I would certainly do it with my waterproof Lumix DMC-TS3. It's so much easier to use than operating camera controls through a waterproof cover. And there was enough light on this day that the TS3 would have done fine. The TS3 doesn't shoot raw, and doesn't have near the low light and lower noise capability of the LX5. But, in this case, convenience would have been very nice.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Nice Post on Natural Light from Digital Photography School

 

Image Source: http://digital-photography-school.com/are-you-practicing-these-5-natural-lighting-tips

The Digital Photography School has a nice post on how to think about, observe, and capture natural light. They give the following five tips:

1. Be aware of the characteristics of light. Learn to think about how that scene you're observing now would look at a different time of day (or night). The differences can be dramatic.
2. There is no "good" or "bad" light. Yes, the golden hour is great for beautiful images. Sometimes, you want to communicate something other than just "beautiful." Sometimes the harsh light of mid-day is exactly right for communicating your story.
3. Obsess about observing light. Even when you don't have a camera. Look at contrast, how the shadows are illuminated. I find it useful to think about how many stops difference I think there are between the shadows and highlights, and about how I would expose an image, if I were taking it.
4. Give it a try, experiment. To me, this point follows on the one above. Why ever be without a camera? If you see it, shoot it. It's digital, right? You can simply delete it later, with no cost, and with the potential of learning something.
5. Don't forget that you can post-process. Learn to shoot challenging scenes with a plan in mind for post-processing. Want to capture that person's face, but also want the sky correctly exposed? See if you can capture the sky and bring the face exposure up a little in post-processing.

And most importantly, the article reminds us to get out an make photos. That's the thing we're interested in, right?

 
(Click Here) to read the whole article on digital-photography-school.com.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 
 
 
 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Photography Blog Announces April Contest Winners, and Start of May Contest ("Rain")

 

First Place Winner - "The Blue Galaxy," by csardases

Image Source: http://www.photographyblog.com/news/april_2012_competition_winners/

Photography Blog (www.photographyblog.com) has announced the winners of its April photo contest, themed "Black and Blue," as well as kicking off its May contest, "Rain."

(Click Here) to see the announcement of the winning images (first place, "The Blue Galaxy," by czardases, shown above.)

Be sure to (click here) to see the full gallery of April entries.

Personally, I find the overall quality of the submitted images to be quite good. For example, the second place winner ("Virus," by zainee) is really cool:

Second Place Winner - "Virus" by zainee

Image Source: http://www.photographyblog.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=124393

I plan to get out there and shoot some rain-related images for the May contest. I have a couple existing images in mind, but can always add more. Here in Northern Virginia, I'm sure I'll get the chance to get out in the rain this month.

In fact, I need to get my Lumix DMC-TS3 waterproof camera out in the rain!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

This Would Have Been the Day I Forgot My Camera

Image Source: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=41214002

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

Poster Nome_Alaska on dpreview posted this shot of the morning traffic in his homeland. I can't remember the last time a moose held me up on my way to work here in Virginia.

(Click Here) to read the original post.

Sometimes, you just want to be sure to have a camera, any camera, on hand to document your day. These couple of images could have been made with a point and shoot, or an iPhone. The important thing is to have a camera with you.

On those days when you see something creatively intriguing, something you would like to develop artistically, rather than just documentation, it's nice to have a better camera. The Micro 4/3 kit presents a nice compromise in size and capability in that case. Nome_Alaska's GF2 is a very small camera, and the 20mm f1.7 an excellent, bright, sharp, fast lens. Easy to carry, highly capable kit.

It's fun to see how our days differ from those we're connected to by the internet.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Ohio Storm Clouds - Lumix 7-14mm At 7mm

http://admiringlight.com/blog/the-storm-cometh/

by Jordan Steele

Now here's a place I have been - Ohio. In fact, I was born there. Ohio can get some nasty storms. I remember when the town of Xenia was basically moved from the map by tornadoes when I was a kid. Just to demonstrate that my family ain't scared of no any storms, we moved to Oklahoma. Hello, fire, we're the frying pan family.

Anyway, I found this image on Jordan's blog very striking.

(Click Here) to go to the Admiring Light blog.

The distortion in this image adds to the immensity of the subject. The exposure is also very well done, with lots of depth and tonality. Thanks, Jordan!

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Buy your lens (or anything else!) here: