06-MAR-2008
06 Mar
A shot from
Odiorne Point. Today I remembered to bring my ND (4X) filter with me and I head to the one place where it really doesn't make a difference in the middle of the day. . .
Again with the tripod, I had a bunch of photos that were relatively slow shutter speeds, but 1/6 doesn't really cut it for a coastal shot. It is slow enough to blur the waves, but not create that misty feeling.
This shot is facing across the harbor, to Maine. In the background, you can see
Whaleback Light.
Simple B&W conversion in lightroom with a very generous crop, to remove the boring sky & ground that the 17-40 pulled into frame.
05-MAR-2008
05 Mar
We had some wild wind and rain blow through here today. By noon the worst of it was over and we had a short period of clearing as I left for lunch. Of course, on my way back, the fog rolled in, nixing any attempts at a "clear shot". I knew a place to head as foggy weather is great for gnarly trees. I probably should have gotten a bit closer to the tree for this shot, as it is I wound up cropping out the top of it to bring out some of the texture.
04-MAR-2008
04 Mar
Still testing the tripod. It would help if I could remember to pack my 4x ND filter.
Won't be getting outside for photos for the next few days, we are about to be literally swamped with a ton of rain. Only fitting that the last day without rain for a while and I take a photo of water. . .
Though this was just off the road, I had to make my own path down a rather steep, snow-filled hill. Again, spiked feet for the tripod would have come in real handy, though the Bogen retractable spiked feet would have been filled with mud after this excursion.
I really need my ND filter for this, 2 more stops would have gotten me past a 2 second shutter speed, more than enough for milky water.
Aside from the steep descent (and the tough climb back out) and the good use of the tripod, I am really amazed at how clean my lens and sensors are. I was reluctant to take this to f22 for fear of spotting, but I couldn't see anything in Lightroom. Granted this photo has a lot going for it to hide the spots, but I have yet to clean my sensor on my 40D! I've had the 40D since September '07 and have not been too careful in changing lenses (outdoors, at the beach, etc).
I definately need a better camera bag for this too, the minolta one I have has reached its limit. . .
03-MAR-2008
3 Mar
The track from a tractor that is parked up on the hill cleaning up what is left of all the homes that were recently destroyed (on purpose). It is kind of eerie to go up there now, not even foundations left now.
I did some tweaking in Lightroom on this one, the famous "Sliders to the Right" trick.
I really wish I took more photos now, this came out pretty good (if I say so myself).
My Rolleicord came in today. I believe it was part of an estate sale and came out of someone's basement. It seems to work, but does smell musty. I think I can fix that with some baking soda or something to that effect. . .
02-MAR-2008
2 Mar
Made it to Downtown Dover, NH today with the tripod. I basically had the entire park to myself since it was still covered in about 6" of snow. I got to use the tripod in a funky way today too, for my second series of shots (which really didn't do it for me back here during PP), I had to collapse two legs to allow them to rest on the brick wall beside the river. This put the camera in the correct position to shoot over the wall, down to the falls. Had I been feeling a bit more daring, I'd have moved the center column to the horizontal position and extended it over the wall. Once I get my quick release plates AND a bit more confidence, I will probably do that. No way I'm extending my 40D over a 25' drop to water covered granite on my first outdoor try!
I also got to use the remote timer cable again, though only to trip the shutter. Today would have been a great day to remember to pack my ND filter! In the shade at ISO 16, the slowest shutter speed was 1/8!!
I liked this preset, it began with a color IR preset, I tweaked it a bit from there. I like how it brought out the red, giving it a real nice lighting effect.
So far I believe the only thing missing from my tripod setup (save for the Quick Release Mount and Plates) is the retractable spiked feet. The cheesy rubber feet that comes with the 055MF3 are not gonna cut it outdoors.
01-MAR-2008
1 Mar
OK, enough taking photos of new equipment, time to use the new equipment to take photos.
I used the tripod today. I like the stability of it a lot. I also used my timer remote shutter release (a lot). I had a bunch of shots tonight, nothing was doing it for me. I was focusing on this lantern thing that I found at a store today and bought for my wife (really, I did buy it for her, I just stole it to photograph it for a while). I was trying all kinds of lighting, using a strobe to light the interior. I switched to a candle, but it still wasn't doing it for me. While looking for something to add to the photo, I realized the flowers from Valentines Day (That I photographed 2+ weeks ago) were still alive (well, kind of). This flower, lit by the soft glow of candlelight was just what this setting needed. I switched lenses (from my 28 to my 100) and changed the composition entirely, making the flower the subject (versus the lantern in the other 100+ shots).
Live view again comes in handy, getting pretty precise focus. I tried a number of different shutter speeds, amazed at how easily the highlights on the petals are blown out in this soft light. I actually had Post Processed and settled on another photo (2.5s shutter) and then did another check of some of the other photos, I liked this one, the highlights were softer, lighting in general was softer, and I liked the tonal range.
This time I kept it in color (which was my original intent). I might even load up some film into the Yashica and give it a whirl...
29-FEB-2008
29 Feb
My goodies. . .
No, this has nothing to do with the curtains. . .
The new tripod & ball head arrived today. Long day, long week, pretty tired so nothing too intense photo-wise. I'm liking the tripod, it is the Bogen 055MF3, I did mess with the center column and put it into the horizontal position (really cool). It is much lighter than I'd expected too.
The Cullman ballhead is pretty beefy. I am so glad that I actually waited on the Quick Release Plates (which are definately needed). It turns out the existing plate comes off pretty easy. I think I can remove it and mount the RRS Quick Release directly to it.
As I expected, the Cullman has a German name, background, etc. It has a Chinese price and a sticker on the box that says "Made in China". It did come with a nice little bag that should protect it.
The Yashica-D makes its way into my PaD for the 3rd day in a row now. I didn't take any photos with it today, I did buy more film for tomorrow though. I have all the legs on the Bogen extended, so the camera is about eye level with me. This is a pretty useless configuration for the Yashica as I am left with nothing but the sports-finder and wouldn't be able to focus from this height. I am not planning on using the Yashica with the tripod all that often (especially if I have to get a special RRS plate too).
28 Feb 2008
28 Feb
OK, my first Medium Format PaD post. . .
I shot a roll of 100 TMax today at lunch to get a feel for the camera and to see how it all works out.
I don't have a separate light meter so I carried my 40D around with me and took a few test shots of each subject to get the correct settings first. My first mistake was forgetting to expose for the shadows.
I am happy to report, however, that the optics look fine. The processing, however, leaves a lot to be desired. There are rouge hairs in a lot of the photos (but not on the negatives) something I've not had to worry about for a number of years.
I learned a few important lessons about film processing:
1) It is expensive
2) When asking for a "Photo CD" one should not assume they make a high resolution scan of the negatives. My guess is they scanned the prints (which are on color paper). 72 DPI color 1100x 1100 jpg doesn't do it for me. . .
3) When asked if I want to print on color or Black and White paper, chose "Black and White"
4) It is expensive.
I carried a small notebook with me and recorded all my shutter & aperture for each shot (it's been a while since I did that).
I am still very impressed with the camera, it was a lot of fun to shoot. I definately need a camera strap!!
I did get a few "Nice Camera" comments from various people. With a Point and Shoot, DSLR, or even SLR, you are lost in the noise. Carry a TLR around and people notice! I liken it to walking a Shiba Inu (our dog), you don't get far before someone stops you and asks about the breed.
27-FEB-2008
27 Feb
What a pleasant surprise to find on my doorstep tonight. Actually, I was a bit concerned that my family passed by a box on the floor of our garage in another snowstorm with water from the melted snow and rain from last night, but I digress. . .
It was pretty cold, so I let it acclimate itself to room temperature (or as long as it took me to eat supper, whichever came first).
All functions appear to work fine:
All shutter speeds working, no sticking.
All aperture values appear to work (from sight, granted).
Self timer actually works (will come in handy for SPs).
I even tried plugging one of my strobes into the pc slot and it fired the flash just fine (nice!!).
I cleaned both lenses, they appear extremely clear (I'm really only concerned with the taking lens, not the viewing).
The viewfinder works fine, the loupe is nice and clean, the matte glass is nice and clean (now).
Tomorrow I will put some film in it and fire off a roll, hopefully at lunch so I can get it developed and see what happened after I get off work. I might even get a chance to use it for my PaD. . .
My kids were all quite interested in it. They all agreed that it looked "old". I am very happy to own something that is older than I.
It doesn’t stop with the Yashica, I have a Rolleicord on the way now too. . .
26-FEB-2008
26 Feb
Feet.
Tonight's theme is/was feet!
Actually, it was the easiest thing to photograph while sprawled out on the couch watching American Idol (on the DVR!). Snowstorm post-poned our Cub Scout Pack meeting, otherwise, my son & I would be at the meeting.
I like this shot, actually I wasn't sprawled out for this one. Those are her feet, just an odd angle.
25-FEB-2008
25 Feb
As February comes to a close, I find myself spending [wasting] an inordinate amount of time seeking out a new tripod setup.
I've gone from a Gitzo w/ RRS BH-40, now to a Bogen 055XPROB (Or even a Giottos) and a Cullman 25 or 30 Nm Ball Head. . .
It is sooo confusing.
Though, I think I have a plan. . .
I really want a consistent QR mount across my tripod and monopod. Right now, I do NOT have this. It is a pain too. I have a cheesy Slik tripod with a cheesy QR plate. My monopod has a Bogen 3232(?) head with no QR. Switching between the two requires tools.
So, to make it simple:
Tripod:
Bogen 055XPROB
-or-
Giottos MT-7261
Ball Head
Cullman 25 Nm (4018)
Quick Release Clamps:
B2-Pro (for Monopod)
B2-Pro2 (for the tripod)
L-Bracket (For the 40D)
At least, this is the *plan* right now. . .
Oh yeah, almost forgot, my Aputure Timer Remote Cord (Chinese Knock Off) came in today. Got it off eBay for about $20. Very cool! For one, it is a remote shutter release cord (with a half-press for AF). I can set a simple timer, I can set an advanced timer with multiple photos. This was the main reason for getting it. Now, for family photos where I need to run around to get into the shot, I can use the timer cord and set it to take about 10 shots all a second apart.
24-FEB-2008
24 Feb
I love old barns. On my way to pick up one of my daughters from a friend's house, I noticed this barn (actually I see it every day) in the sunset. However, by the time I spun around and got set up for the shot, the sun had sunk enough in the horizon to not hit the southern face.
I played around (a bit extreme) with exposure, recovery, fill flash, blacks, and contrast on this one. I kind of like the grain.
In the spirit of Medium Format (soon, I will be shooting medium format soon) I cropped square again. . .