Two days, two lenses

Two days spent in Melbourne last year doing street photography and some shopping. Day 1, finding my rhythm, using a wide angle, pre focussed and shooting at waist level. The images have that tell tale "up from under" look (that I like) as it makes the subject look bigger, more interesting and with that lens, it adds a sense of drama. EPM-2 and 17mm

The next day, a little later in the morning, I went with the 45mm on my OMD as the corner I had found myself was bigger and the light more dramatic.

Odd thing. Both sets were processed using my mono preset with a little exposure balancing, but have a quite different look (granted the light was also a little different). The colour and contrast of the two lenses is different, so maybe the mono pre set affects their images differently. I love the "organic" nature of the 17mm images, but prefer the clean brilliance of the 45mm images. The 75mm and 17mm look to have a similar colour palette, the 45mm is deeper/darker and richer, a bit like the 75-300 and the two f2.8 zooms are a close match to each other also.

Just love watching people being people. Images turning the constant flow, the organised chaos into frozen moments to be savoured, giving more each viewing. Each face has the thoughts of the day ahead or of things left behind. Reminds me that we are all the same in the end.

bathroom cyanotype

I don't usually muck around with my images with overt colour filtering, but on this occasion, a Cyanotype look fit better than a straight mono image.

OMD 25mm

My wife has collected some cool things over the years.

shadows of 1948

Heard of Ansel Adams? If you have an interest in photography and are over 30 you most likely have and if not, but still aware of photographic history, then you probably have as well.

Every one who knows of Adams has a favourite image that comes to mind when his name is mentioned. It's part of our photo memory bank, from which inspiration is drawn. Mine is less usual than most. 4 of my top 6 Adams faves including the top one, are colour.

Not everyone is aware he shot colour and Adams himself was no great fan, but Kodak insisted and he obliged. A portfolio of his images was launched in book form in 1993. An interesting time as the digital colour flood was still a long way off and landscape was equally strong in both mono and colour large format (or smaller) film. 

Not Adams. 1Ds mk2 100mm macro

The thing that hit me was the subtlety of the colour. I was using Fuji Velvia at the time, as were most and the gentleness of the early Kodachrome images came as a pleasant surprise. Several images (Caladium Leaves, Honolulu 1948, Tree, Barn, Hills Livermore 1950, Green Hills, Gilmore 1945 and Aspens, North Rim 1947) are still what I aim for in quality (and "quality") when shooting landscape. These are 60+ years old and still cutting edge! The lime greens, soft pinks and openness of the lighting and colour are natural and realistic, transporting you there timelessly. They are a testament to the power of subtlety and Adams' skill with a medium he actively disliked.

Recently I discovered a smaller reprinting of the book (A4 with A5 prints, the first had A4 prints with large page borders) and grabbed it, intending to add it to the collection as a "reader" with the older tome safely shelved. Then I opened it.

Who ever decided that the images needed to be Photoshopped to within an inch of their life has obviously never seen the originals or has little idea about photography. My poor attempt above is gaudy and crude when compared to the Adams images, but is weakly postulated when compared to the over saturation, over sharpening and sometimes added graduated neutral density filtering, not present in the originals. They may as well have hand coloured his mono work. It was also a reminder that high end book printing in the late 20th century looses nothing to more recent reproductions.

If anyone was unsure of Adam's health, this book would have been proof enough of his passing. 

I should have purchased it as an example of what not to do, but unfortunately there are plenty of examples of blatantly manipulated or just poorly reproduced classic work on the web. If you google any of the above images, you will find huge variation in rendering. How can this be so blatant when the originals are in a form that inherently denies change or misinterpretation. The problem is getting so bad that it is hard sometimes to be sure you are looking at the "real" version. Adams, Sam Abell, Willian Allard, Alex Webb, McCurry (with his blessing?), the list goes on and on of photographers past and present who are represented by both the true, original reproduction, that may well change slightly over time as technology changes and their Frankensteins' monsters of poorly conceived "modernised" copies. The problem with messing with colour film images is, they were shot with the film chosen to give the desired result, or the choice was limited, marking a point in time when all images of their type looked the same way. Bringing them into the now with heavy handed techniques, often only based on trends, nullifies their value.

Not very japanese

Things you do not see much in Japanese cities, that are quite common in other parts of the world are graffiti and the homeless. Not sure the guy in the background is homeless or just travelling, but the graffiti is real.

Pen F 17mm

This exposure was taken close to dark, processed lighter to reveal the interplay between the characters.

Colour vs Mono #2

Another example of the colour, mono shape change. First the colour image.

Pen F 45mm f5.6

The colour image has only two strong colour elements. The mans warm skin tone, matching in with the woods and rusty metal and  the contrasting blue in the tub and his overalls. In this case I really like the play of the two complimenting colour groups.

The mono image arguably has more texture/character, but the impact is lessened in direct comparison to the colour version. I also think the man blends into the background too much, but a bit more processing could help that.

Again, you may disagree. I find when I am in a strongly colour or black and white only mood, I tend to be intolerant of the other.

Mono-colour showdown #1

I just came across another good example of an image changing "shape" when turned to mono.

Pen F 45mm f4

In the image above, the two men are simply and clearly placed in the centre of the frame, their expressions and poses are the photo. Black and white can get a message across very clearly, but the down side is the relative two dimensionality of the image.

The second image shows the effect colour can have. Even though the two men are the main subject still, their message is diluted by, or inclusive of, the colour elements of the image. The red letter box (slightly darkened in post), the rusty sign, the red gum boots, blue shorts and the yellow of the cart and crate all stake their place in the image. Even the relatively insignificant logo on the chest of the man on the left jumps out more in red rather than grey. If these things were important to the story being told or they created a sense of depth, then they would be useful. In this case, they are, I feel, simply distractions to the central message, although the red and yellow elements do balance themselves out well enough.

Which do you prefer? It matters not. We are all entitled to like either, both or neither. My favourite (against the norm) is the mono one. Well at the moment anyway.

Reminders and anticipation

It is warm and wet here.

Reminds me of Kyoto last year.

Pen F 17mm

Fleeting moments and tough editing

This image is a good example of "almost".

The man in the background and some technical issues (motion blur) are going to relegate this one to the not quite folder. Shame as I like it.

Pen F 17mm 

The Quiet ones

Usually after a trip, I start the editing and processing work immediately. Too many files, too fast tends to lessen the impact and quiet beauty of many images. One of my favourite times is months after the initial editing, revisiting those gentle little images lost in the whirlwind. 

Pen F 45mm. somewhere in Kyoto.

perfectly imperfect

Like people, I think that plants can be interesting when they are not "perfect". growth and life are a cycle. there may be a definable pinnacle, but what about the rest of the time? When faced with perfection we often fail to see details (maybe the magic of perfection is that we don't dwell on detail), but imperfection allows us to look for both the remaining good and the true nature of the lost and decayed.

OMD 12-40 40mm f4

Processing this image was more about less, not more. The colour was desaturated and the red of the fallen petals reduced in impact to help settle the composition.

shadows of the past

My early influences were, for the most part American fine art photographers working in the 1970-90's. Many, but not all, used large or medium format cameras and came from the "beauty found from seemingly nothing" school. I have decided to open my own heart back up to these image maker's style, rather than try to move away from them as I have been since digital came along. This year (for me) is the year of retrospection. Always growing is the right path, but growth comes from a beginning and I have been ignoring my beginning's for too long. The images I still respond to are the ones I have always responded to. No gimmicks, no tricks, no short term fads, just honest (as photography allows) image making of real things to the highest degree possible.

OMD 12-40 at 40mm f5.6

You have to be true to yourself.

Haunted by the promise

Each year the lilies come out at the local park and each year I try to capture some essence of them. This is a block in my photography that I must overcome. What is it that stops me from focussing my efforts to get the image I want? I think part of the problem is they remind me of images from the past in both style and content, but my processes are at odds with that thinking. An itch never scratched. 

OMD 75mm at f5.6

1970 wants it's photo back

This image reminds me of images I looked at when I was young. Kodachrome deep reds and strong contrast, printed on a limited palette. Very '70's.

OMD 40-150 test image.

Blue mud morning

Cleaning out the years photo files I have been coming across a few "nothing" images that I like more now than when they were taken. Most were taken on my morning photo walks, usually in autumn or early winter.

OMD 75-300 at 75mm

More to come.

Old Tricks

Here is an image I discovered while researching my post "Practical uses for Bokeh". It was done with an old, but effective technique.

The basic idea is the hand hold (or tripod mount) a very slow shutter speed exposure and "drift" during the exposure. This was 5 seconds at about f11 using the Olympus 25mm f1.8. I forgot to disengage the stabiliser. The image may look better or worse for it.

Here is one of the same subject matter (different angle) "normally" taken.

Variations on this are to extend the time so the image starts to become more coherent again, zoom the lens during exposure or take the bulk of the image normally, only messing with it at the end or beginning for a while.

Loosing track

I have a confession to make. I have never tried the C-AF function on my EM5 Mk1 cameras. I assumed it was crap. pretty much un workable and pointless.

Continuous AF on most early mirrorless cameras relied on re acquiring the focus continuously, without the benefit of phase detection, predictive AF. This means in practical terms, that the camera is always hunting "from scratch" for each frame and unless the focus and shutter fire are nearly instant and in tandem, the focus has shifted. Nikon's V cameras were the best early, partly because their sensor was smaller giving more DOF at the same magnification as other cameras. 

Olympus, Fuji and panasonic lagged, Sony showed some signs of getting it right.

On a shoot last year, I needed to follow a slowish moving subject, coming towards me. Not even setting CAF, but relying on the native speed of the first capture, I mated the OMD EM5 mk1 and 40-150 f2.8 (brand spanking new) and got poor results. It turns out that there are focus accuracy issues with non firmware updated EM5's and the 40-150 lens also, but the miss to hit ratio was very poor. My critical thinking at the time was poor as I only left hospital a short while earlier, was weak and unpracticed.

The lessons relearned were; know your cameras capabilities better, don't use new gear untried and don't forget old skills (MF etc.).

Last week I had a chance to try CAF out. Surprisingly it was not rubbish (I am often surprised by the EM5, even now). I think the only real difference s the continuous re focussing rather than the limitations of one shot focus, then re focussing. Why have I not used it before? No need for most of my work and my early experiences in a camera shop where I worked often ended up being in direct comparison to super fast tracking cameras like 5D mk3's.

It tracked a fast moving 3 year old at reasonably close distances and a series of speed boats at about 100 meters, all moving quite fast. There were misses, but there were plenty of hits also. Would I advertise to shoot sport full time? No. I will however trust the camera's (especially the newer Pen) to be faster than me in tracking situations and chase sport when a newer PDAF camera comes along.

EM5 mk1 with C-AF  40-150 at 150mm f4.

Still life in the old

Reflecting on the life and future demise of the OMD "fleet", I could not help but think of Eric Kim when he talks about tricks to stave off "G.A.S." or Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

One of the tricks is to look at old launch and newer, user reviews*. These help to rekindle the excitement and positivity felt about the camera when new. The camera industry deliberately cycles terminology, jargon and expectations though generation after generation, with little or no regard for previously "must have cameras". The wording (promises) of a camera add from the 1990's strike a very similar theme to now. This is even starting to effect lenses, usually a longer term purchase.

*This bought up firmware updates, that can make an older camera a little newer, especially in focus accuracy for old OMD's.

OMD with 25mm at f2.8

The image used in this post reminds me that the old OMD cameras have always served faithfully, giving vibrant, sharp and rich images. They have often been compared to full frame cameras in quality (usually the D800 series!), with directly comparable results in prints up to 40" (see Pekkapodka, Dennis Mook etc) and I have NEVER had any sensor dust or oil splatter issues on any of my 5 Olympus bodies.

Any perceived issues with colour or image depth in comparison to brands such as Canon and Fuji have been shown to be in my head with processing easily removing the difference. They have also held up well against their own later offerings in real image quality terms.

I even find the video to be sharp and clear, even if it is limited in options.

I only have to use another brand for a few hours to remember that the grass is not greener.

My only two complaints are a dial top coming off one camera (fixed with some double sided tape) and relatively poor tracking focus (but not as poor as assumed).

A little closer.

Life in the old girls? In the immediate future for many tasks yes. I will have to get some firmware updates done and maybe look at an EM1 Mk2 for focussing or wait for a newer, lesser model with tracking, but maybe I will never need it.

Japan again

We are off the japan again. meg asked me what I would like for my birthday (significant one) and we started thinking of travel. Inevitably Japan came up and the gods smiled. For as much (or less) than it costs to go to Sydney from here for a week, we get 8 days in Japan. Kyoto and surrounds only. A nice relaxing culture boost.

Gear and bags are a game I like to play for awhile before any trip, but this is an easy one as their is no pressure.

OMD EM5 mk1 x2. Both of my older ones, one with long strap. probably their last hurrah as my premium kit, with the Pen and possibly an EM1 mk2 coming (you hypocrite Rod!).

my 17mm and 45mm primes as the perfect street/found things combo. The "eye" lens 45mm and the perfect long draw Bokeh 17mm grab lens.

75-300 for the power it gives without too much hassle.

For a bag, I think I will use my Filson green field bag. It is lovely and has not been used much since the Filson field camera bag arrived. It is not an ideal camera bag, but for a small kit and other stuff (spring in Japan can bring anything weather wise), it will work well.

Next year we are going again in winter. That will be the premium kit of pro zooms, 25/75 and tripod for night and winter scenics, but this trip is more about just enjoying the places we have been.

Enough already

A few years ago, my father in law and I attended the Longford "flying mile" vintage car event. The event is a celebration of the Formula 1 race that Longford used to host back in the 60's. 

At the time I was shooting with Canon crop frame (450D) cameras after doing without full frame for a long while. Temptation got the better of me again and I borrowed, with the intention of buying, a 5D mk2 for the event.

One of the images below was taken with the full frame, two with the 450D and one with my EPL3 Olympus. The Olympus was sporting a kit lens, the Canons shared a 35(55)L and 135(210)L combination. All of the shots were taken in the open or under a white tent cover.

After the event, I printed a composite poster of the images and often used it as an example of the difference between full and crop frame. It was good for showing that fewer pixels on a smaller sensor could fool anyone (our visiting Nikon rep for example) with similar processing up to pretty reasonable sizes.

The answer to the little riddle? The Olympus image is the most obvious- the helmeted figure. It's sharp and very clear, but looks 'thinner" than the Canon ones. Part of this is due to the brands' look, but much of the difference is in the Canon-centric processing style used at the time.

The red and black bonnet is the full frame image, the others are the 450D, but really you can only tell when 40" prints are made.

Yes I bought the 5D mk2, but the Olympus "rot" had set in, just waiting for the right camera and a few more lenses.

5 blades and nostalgia

(Shouted in a thick Irish accent), "It has a five bladed aperture, not nine, or seven, but five bladed" to quote (loosely) Monty Pythons' The Life of Brian.

Pen F with 25mm f2.8 original Pen lens at f4.