End of the Winter Season

 

End of Winter, by Reed A. George

Nikon F2SB, Nikkor Non-AI 135mm f3.5 Lens, Yellow Filter

Ilford HP5+ Film

 

I hope this will be one of the last images I take this season that includes ice. I like the layers in this composition, most notably the dark layer at the top, with its ordered rows of trees and shadows they cast.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Another One From a Year Ago

Santa Fe Diner, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

 

I guess I was smart enough to travel to Santa Fe last winter. I took this shot with my GX7 sitting on the restaurant table. I like that you can see each of the couple's heads three times (the heads themselves, reflections in the mirror beside them, and reflections on the table surface). Pretty cool.

 

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What Was I Shooting a Year Ago? 35mm f1.4 Summilux Version 3

Jammin' Java, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summilux 35mm f1.4 v. 3 Lens

iso 1600, f1.7, 1/15 sec.

 

I was just thinking about the end of the winter season, and how excited I am to get outside again as the weather gets nice. That got me thinking about what I was shooting at this time a year ago.

 

Apparently, I was shooting my M9 and my most valuable Leica lens - the classic Summilux 35mm f1.4 version 3. At nearly wide open, this lens has character to spare. Sharp yet glowing. Love it.

 

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Winter Bamboo

I was one of the few who made it into the office today. We had several inches of snow, and it's still coming down. I shot this from the warmth of inside, looking into the atrium.

Winter Bamboo, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100

iso 200, f2.8, 1/125 sec.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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Polar Bear Plunge - For a Great Cause

 

Last weekend, I happened into an unexpected event in Reston, Virginia, a polar bear plunge. It was a charity event, for the benefit of Camp Sunshine, a place where families with children battling cancer can go to relax and enjoy time together. (Click Here) to read more about the event.

 

As luck would have it, I had my Leica M9 and my Rolleiflex 2.8F with me. This post will show my color pictures, all taken with the M9 and Zeiss Sonnar C 50mm f1.5 lens, and a few with my new Leica Elmar C 90mm f4.

 

While it was unseasonably warm last Saturday, the water was still plenty cold. Here are the safety divers, clearing the diving hole of ice.

 

 

As you can imagine, an event like this attracts an interesting crowd of contestants.

 

 

When the event started, things got lively. I had a great location to shoot from as well.

 

 

People generally looked happy going in, shocked coming out, and downright uncomfortable after that.

 

 

And now, here are two of my favorites. First, my favorite shot of the jumpers.

 

 

And here's one of the crowd reflected in the icy water.

 

 

It was a very nice unexpected surprise, and I'm glad I was there to photograph it. I think I am indeed falling back in love with my Leica M9.

 

I'll post some images that I made with the Rolleiflex 2.8F tomorrow.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Delightful Weather

 

Frozen Glass, Cozy Indoors, by Reed A. George

Nikon Df, Nikkor AF-D 50mm f1.4 Lens

iso 1400, f11, 1/250 sec.

 

Not a bad day to be working inside!

 

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First Snow of the Season

First Snow, by Reed A. George

Nikon F

 

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Ice and Snow Photo Walks

Last year, I went out after an ice storm and shot these photos. I loved the contrasting red on white or black.

 

I was reminded of this today by a post on another blog, Diane Varner's "Daily Walks."

 

(Click Here) to see Diane's winter walk images. Wonderful.

 

Now don't let the cold weather get you down. Get out there and shoot some pictures! I'll try to do the same.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Winter and Feeding the Birds

I love birds. I love photographing birds, though 2014 didn't see me out in the field or kayak chasing them very often. I also love feeding them in the winter. It's like a free show every day, seeing all the different species that show up to get a little free energy to make it through the cold.

 

In fact, just last week I filled my simple, single-block suet feeder for the first time this winter. I've already had lots of visitors.

 

I saw this incredible post on "Draw and Shoot," where writer/photographer Karen McRae is feeding chickadees from her hand.

 

Image Source: https://drawandshoot.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/afinefrenzy6.jpg

 

(Click Here) to read Karen's post and see the other pictures. Really cool.

 

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Dreaming in Monochrom(e) - Buddha in Snowstorm

Here are a couple of shots I made with Ilford Delta 3200 film in my Leica M4-2, at a Buddhist temple during a snowstorm. Both were made with the Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 lens, one of my favorite lenses.

 

Wat Yarn in Snow, by Reed A. George

 

I selected 1/125-1/250 sec. for my shutter speed, in an effort to catch the falling snowflakes.

 

Parasol, by Reed A. George

 

I like how the statue's eye shows up in this image.

 

I wouldn't normally use high speed film for images like this, but it was what I had with me. I think it worked out pretty well.

 

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Will Springtime Ever Come to Virginia? Stephen L. Tabone Finds Spring Owls

It just seems to keep coming at us. Snow this week. We've had a couple of hints of Spring, but nothing to count on. I recently read a quote that I really like:

 

"All winters turn to spring."

Stephen L. Tabone is one of the best wildlife photographers I've seen. This week, he posted images of barred owls that he was able to kayak to here in Virginia.

 

Image Source: http://stevetaboneblog.com/2014/03/26/barred-owls-2/

 

(Click Here) to read Stephen's post and see several excellent pictures of the barred owls.

 

I like this post on several levels. First, I love owls. I have only successfully photographed one; I have not been too successful at finding them, though Stephen gives me a clue with finding his near a creek entry to a lake.

 

Here's the one I was lucky enough to find some time back:

 

Barred Owl, by Reed A. George

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

iso 400, f6.3, 1/800 sec.

 

Beyond the subject, I really like that Stephen was able to approach his owls by kayak, one of my favorite ways to get out and photograph nature. I'm looking outside at the rain and 40 degree temperatures, but know that it won't be long before I can get out in my kayak as well.

 

Stephen's images are always first-rate. For this post, he was shooting a Nikon D800 and 80-400mm lens. I'm not sure whether he has the older or the new version of this lens. The new one is quite spectacular, which I say based on playing with one for a few minutes only. Stephen also uses a flash and flash extender ("Better Beamer") in some of his shots. I have a version of the Beamer, but always seem to get white eyes in birds that I shoot with it. So, I almost never use it. The solution is to get the flash further off-camera, so that the light reflected from the bird's retinas doesn't come right back into the lens. But, with a big old flash, Beamer attached, it gets quite clumsy to try and either hand hold the flash off-camera (with a long lens attached), or use some kind of bracket. It's tough enough shooting birds like this, near impossible with unwieldy camera gear. That said, my shot above could have used just a tiny amount of fill flash to bring the left side of the owl's face up in brightness.

 

In any case, Spring is on the way to Virginia! Thanks for reminding me, Stephen.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Spur of the Moment - Pentax K1000 in the Snow and Ice

I am a firm believer in having a camera (or cameras) with me at all times. For example, in my office at work, I keep a Pentax K1000 on my bookshelf. Completely functional (except for the dead battery), and with a 40-80mm SMC Pentax-M f2.8-4 lens mounted, this camera is ready to go at a moment's notice.

Pentax K1000 at the Ready, by Reed A. George

Photographed with Apple iPad Air(!)

 

A couple of weeks back, on a cold winter afternoon, the cabin fever just became too much. I loaded up a 24 exposure roll of Walgreens iso 200 film and went out to shoot the entire roll in about half an hour. Here are a few results from that outing:

 

 

 

All Shot with Pentax K1000, SMC Pentax-M 40-80mm f2.8-4 Lens

 

This little diversion really helped me get my head back into work. Every time I use the K1000 I'm reminded of my photographic beginnings, and the joy I've derived from it over the years.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

O'er the Beautiful Snow

It's another snowy, stormy day here in Northern Virginia as I write this. Rather than let it keep me inside, I decided to take a walk in the woods and try to capture the mood. Choosing a simple and durable setup, I grabbed my Lumix DMC-TS5 (waterproof, everything-proof compact camera) and figured out how to set long shutter speeds manually. I wanted the longest exposures I could get, so that I could get some nice motion blur as I walked.

 

In order to use 1 second (or 1/2 second in some cases), I had to hold up a 3X neutral density filter over the lens on the TS5. No problem.

 

I've set a short selection of the images (unedited jpegs from the TS5) to one of my favorite songs, "O'er the Beautiful Snow," by Melissa Wright and the Acoustic Burgoo. The mood of the song is perfect for what I wanted to portray.

 

O'er the Beautiful Snow, by Melissa Wright and Acoustic Burgoo

Images by Reed A. George

 

(Click Here) to see the slideshow set to the music (~4 minutes playing time). Be sure to have your volume up to hear the music!

 

Melissa was nice enough to give me permission to use the song for this purpose. I hope you enjoy.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Bert Stephani Shares Snowy Tokyo / Yokohama

Bert Stephani, blogger and photographer, has posted some great pictures from a recent trip to Yokohama, Japan, at the invitation of Fujifilm.

 

Image Source: http://bertstephani.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/20140214_cp+_024.jpg

 

It is pretty rare for the Tokyo/Yokohama area to get snow, especially enough to really stick and be around for a while.

 

(Click Here) to read Bert's story about visiting Japan for the CP+ show at Fujifilm's invitation, and equally important, the several images he shares.

 

Seems that Bert got some experience with Fujifilm's new X-T1, which is getting a lot of press at the moment.

 

I have to admit, I'm so far left on the equipment/time balance, I haven't kept up with this new camera (or several others). I think this is okay, as I want my focus to shift toward creative use of my cameras more and more anyway. Of course, that doesn't stop me from looking...

 

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NYC in Winter

One of the artistic blogs I follow is "Daily Walks" by Diane Varner. Diane recently posted a little collage of images from a winter trip to New York City. It got me thinking about the City, which I usually envision in either Winter or Spring images in my mind.

 

Personally, I find NYC to be welcoming and wonderful in winter. Here's a shot I made with a Leica IIIC at the Central Park skating rink this winter.

 

Skating in Central Park, by Reed A. George

 

Diane seems to find winter in NYC a little less welcoming (based on her comments).

 

(Click Here) to see Diane's images. I find that for me, the warm yellow tint doesn't match the feel of winter in the City. The exception, to me, is the indoor shot of the bath - I think the yellow tint communicates exactly the right kind of warmth in that case.

 

It's always fun to see how different photographers interpret the same places and feelings.

 

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

 

 

 

First Snow - Shot With Low Tech Wonder, Polaroid 103

 

Snow is Coming Down, by Reed A. George

Polaroid 103, Fujifilm FP-3000B Instant Film

 

As I write this, it's December 8, 2013, and we're having our first winter storm of the year. Being a self-respecting photographer, I couldn't just sit at home and finish scanning film (which is also on my list for today). So, I packed up a few cameras and drove out to the local wildlife reserve. Here's the only shot I made with the Polaroid 103 today. You can see the snow streaking down. I increased contrast in Lightroom (after scanning the print). I think it came out pretty darned good.

 

This was shot on the endangered Fujifilm FP-3000B instant black and white film. (Click Here) to see an earlier post about Fuji's plans to do away with this film. I sure hope they can be convinced to change their minds, but I am sure the market's small.

 

As will all things, they can't last forever. I am glad that I got the chance to use this excellent film, and enjoyed the result today.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Perhaps if you buy some film for that old pack film camera you've got sitting around, Fuji will keep making it for a while. Here's a link:

 

 

 

Winter Doldrums? December is Here.

Sunsets on the Month of November, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Pana-Leica Summilux 25mm f1.4 Lens

iso 200, f8, 1/50 sec.

As I write this, it's Sunday morning, December 1, 2013 (I usually write posts several days ahead). Amazing how fast this year has gone; it seems like yesterday we were in January.

 

Yesterday, I went to visit a friend in Warrenton, Virginia, and captured the shot above, the final sunset of November, with my new Lumix GX7 and 25mm Summilux.

 

Oh yeah, while I was out, I got to handle the new Nikon Df at McClanahan's Camera in Warrenton. It's really, really attractive.

 

(Click Here) to got to McClanahan's. Mr. M. has a Df waiting for your purchase; I;m sure he'll be happy to ship it to you.

 

Winter makes it harder to find interesting subjects to photograph, especially outdoors. This just means that I need to focus my lens and efforts elsewhere. People are still interesting in winter, right? And, it's a chance to focus on cleaning up all of the image files I shot all year round, organize my folders for next year, and maybe even do some post-processing and printing.

Last of the Leaves, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7, Lumix 100-300mm f4-5.6 OIS Lens at 280mm

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

 

If you know me at all, you know that organizing files isn't what turns me on about photography. No, it really is December 1, and that means it's time to select my final lens for my monthly series Whole Lotta Leica (that series will end after this month), and pull a neglected camera out of the closet for my Skeletons From The Closet series. The future of SFTC is uncertain at the moment, but I'm thinking of focusing on a few of my favorite cameras next year, for longer than a month. I may even do multiple cameras at the same time. We'll see.

 

So, time to start thinking about some new projects, and continue on some current ones. I'm sure I'll find some good live music being played in the local venues even as it snows outside, for example.

 

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