Desiree and Dan - San Francisco City Hall Photography

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Desiree and Dan, who are also photographers to do a 'headshot swap.' We met at San Francisco City Hall and photographed each other so we'd have new and fresh photos for our websites, profiles, and other professional purposes.

I have never been at a photoshoot with so many other cameras, but it was really fun. It's always nice to see other people's shooting, posing, and interacting styles. So much of photographing people is making them feel comfortable and helping them to open up and be vulnerable in front of the camera. It was also amusing to note how we all were still nervous about having our pictures taken! Some things are universal.

Here are a few of the photos I ended up with. I mostly used the Lensbaby composer with the Edge 80 on it. It's a combination I've used a lot in my personal shooting, but I haven't pulled it out in portrait situations much because it's a little slower to shoot with as it's manual focus. But actually it was easier than I thought and I'm really happy with the results I got!

Thanks so much Desiree and Dan for a great time! I always love meeting up and geeking out with other photographers. Who else will discuss f-stops and fill light ad infinitum with me?

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Want to see more portrait images? Visit Quotidian Photography.

Want to book a portrait session? Email me at jessica@quotidianphotography.com. I would love to photograph you!

My Newest Toy!

Ok, so I put the photos in this post together last summer, but I never added the words that would make it publishable.

(This often happens with blog posts, actually. The images languish somewhere in the blogger server while I try to think of what the heck to say about them.)

So I think I'll keep it short and sweet so there's some hope of hitting the 'Publish' button this time.

I got a fun new (toy) lens over the summer, the Lensbaby Edge 80 optic, which is pretty much an 80mm f/2.8 poor woman's tilt shift lens, without the amazingly superior image quality that comes with most T/S lenses.

Basically, you insert the Edge 80 into a Lensbaby lens (I have the composer) and then you tilt or shift it anywhere you want to move around the slice of focus. You can use it to extend focus (make it parallel to the plane of whatever you're photographing) or you can use it to shorten the focus into a tiny slice, which cuts across your photo wherever you want.

So really, it's just about fun.

Like many other lensbaby optics it suffers from a tendency to blow out the highlights easily (I think this is because they are all engineered to be pretty high contrast out of the box). But if you pay attention it's not much of a problem.

These images make me think of summer. I miss summer. Come back soon!

If you pull out the front of the lens, you can focus on items closer to the lens. You can also use Lensbaby's macro extenders to help you focus closer. This is a fun lens for macro photography.

However, it must be said that the lens doesn't handle flare very well.

Food photography, on the other hand, is a natural application for it.

So all in all, it's a nice change of pace from my other lenses, and it's nice to have something fun you can pull out of the bag to get a different effect in camera. Recommended!

Other blog posts with images from the Edge 80:
Strawberries, Sightglass, Against the Sky, and Ocean Beach.(The first two on film, the last two digital.)

Streetscape

Blur

More and more I find that integral to a good image is not only controlled sharpness, but also controlled blur.

Red and Blue

Is this bright enough to make your eyeballs bleed or what? I like to call this 'my red phase.'

You are allowed to hope it's a short one.

Another Piece of Grass

The blur on this one might be a bit much. But I still thought it was kind of fun.

Dramatic

Along the Water

At the cafe

I love Blue Bottle. Makes the coffee snob in me extremely happy.

Mouseover Monday 6

Lensbaby Sweet 35mm, f/?, 1/1000s, ISO 200  Mouse over to see the original in color.

Bonus points if you can tell me how I edited the color version. (It's the first time I tried this and I like it!)

Mouseover Monday 4 - The Bridge

Mouseover to see the color version of the image.

A reflected view of the Bay bridge, seen in a restaurant window.

Also, you must check out the Ball of Light photos! Astounding. And amazing how much work goes into each one.

Thiebaud Cake

Had this super cool cake at the Blue Bottle Cafe at MoMA yesterday. It's inspired by artist Wayne Thiebaud.  When I googled him, I found this super cool fractions lesson using his paintings. Check it out!

San Francisco Afternoon

There's this great light by the water in the afternoons. Alois and I met up there and walked along the water taking pictures for a couple of hours. I had the Lensbaby on the camera (I promise, I'll start using other lenses soon!) and it was really nice. Kind of meditative. I love that quote on the lower picture. I don't know what an island light is, but I agree. We have it.

Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic

Ok, so remember that kool-aid I talked about drinking a couple of days ago?

On a (dangerous to my wallet) whim I shelled out for the new Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic. It fits into my Lensbaby Composer, and has the same selective focus as my regular Lensbaby optic, but it's wider - 35mm instead of 50mm - and it has adjustable aperture built in. For any Lensbaby aficionado this is BIG NEWS because the other optics: double glass, single glass, plastic, fisheye, etc., all had aperture rings you had to insert manually with a little magnetic thingy.

Kind of cool, yes. Certainly made you think about changing your aperture. A bit of a pain? Also yes. You had to really want to change your aperture. Also, I mislaid mine last week, so I can only shoot at f/2.8 now. Forever.

With the Sweet 35 I can change it on a whim. The camera still doesn't electronically register my aperture because I change it on a click wheel on the lens, but metering works just fine. However, that means I don't remember what aperture any of these images are. Oops! Sorry.

One of the first places I took it was the California Academy of Sciences. I liked this shot of the dinosaur in the entryway.

You'll notice that the glass is sharp where it needs to be, but it's also really contrasty. This makes images have a certain pop, but it also creates more blown highlights and blocked shadows than I would expect with another lens.

The oval bokeh is fun to play with. And like any Lensbaby optic, you can move the spot of focus to fine tune your composition.

I also happen to think it's a great lens for pets. The wide angle gives a bit of distortion close in, and the selective focus is really fun.

A shot from a Passover Seder I went to this past weekend.  I really enjoy the simplification that the spot of focus gives a crowded composition.

And a shot from an Easter celebration! Also a fun lens for flowers. Can't wait till Lensbaby makes a macro lens for this one.

And, because it's that time of year, and I can't resist, a couple blossom shots. As I mentioned before, it's fun to move the focus point around and really get your composition exactly the way you want it. With the 50mm double glass optic, it seems much sharper in the center than at the edges, but I didn't feel that way with the Sweet 35. It seems equally sharp just about anywhere.

So, a fun new toy to play with. And the secret behind yesterday's post! Definitely a specialty item, and not one I'd recommend to everyone. But I'm enjoying it.

*As I've said before, Lensbaby has no idea who I am, and I buy all their stuff with my own hard earned money. But if they wanted to sponsor me, I'd be all over it! Lensbaby? Call me.*

Mouseover Monday!

Mouseover the image to see it in color.

Ok, ten points for the person who can tell me what special piece of equipment I used to take this photo.

The answer to be revealed tomorrow!

Wendy

When I got to Florida last month, I really wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I knew Phoebe was going to be awesome, but otherwise I was a little unsure. Call it jitters, I guess. I'd never shot any real video before; I'd never spent so much time with a client before, and I'd certainly never done it all in two weeks a few thousand miles from my home.

It was insanely lucky, then, that Wendy was so incredible. Not only is she an amazing musician, she's also a fabulous hostess, a super bike rider, excellent at swimming with a drink in her hand (not easy, folks!), and a superb cook. One day maybe I'll share her garlic salad dressing recipe with you all. It's to die for.

Anyway, Wendy Webb is awesome. You should go check out her website here, and a YouTube video of her song Only For Love, if you want to hear what she sounds like. She's got great pipes!

Here are a couple of shots from the trip.

Lensbaby at f/5.6, I think. Hard to remember. ISO 500, 1/50s. 

85mm, f/1.2, ISO 800, 1/100s (I was borrowing the lens. GREAT glass.)

http://www.wendywebbmusic.com/Site/Home.html

Blossoms, Fisheye Macro Style

Oh, I officially drank the Lensbaby kool-aid. Don't know when exactly it happened, but it must have been recent. I've been feeling all woozy, and like I.must.play.with.any.Lensbaby.optic.right.now!

These are with the Lensbaby Fisheye optic, focused with the flowers almost touching the glass. That is an AMAZING focusing distance, and deserves some kind of celebration. Probably a party.

I'll invite you when we decide on a date for the shindig, ok?

(Oh, and by the way, Quotidian Photography has its very own Facebook Page! I know, I'm drinking everyone's kool-aid. Check it out, though! I'd be tickled if you would like it.)

http://www.facebook.com/quotidianphotography

Pinhole

Ok. So, yesterday I wished you Happy International Pinhole Photography Day. I may have been in fact a touch overexcited. Turns out that the real event, technically called World Pinhole Photography Day, which usually falls on the last Sunday in April, has been extended to a week, namely the week of April 23-May 1 this year. For instructions on how to participate, see this link.

In preparation for the great day, a few of us met up yesterday to have some pinhole fun, and create our own pinhole lenses, using a body cap with a hole drilled into it, a pinhole taped onto the inside, and then a clear UV filter stuck to the front to prevent any dust getting inside the camera body.

I was a wuss and bought the Lensbaby pinhole/zoneplate optic in preparation, as I was loath to give up any precious body caps. But I did watch a bunch of other pinholes get made.

Seems like the smaller the pinhole, the sharper the image. Not sure if that's totally accurate. Lensbaby says their pinhole is f/177.

Lensbaby pinhole, f/177, 50mm, ISO 200, 1.6 seconds on a tripod.

 If you're at all serious about pinhole photography, a tripod is a must. Exposure times are often many seconds long. Also, it will make you want to clean your sensor. Any tiny speck of dust that's on there will be visible. These images required a bit of spot cleaning in Lightroom.

The long exposure times mean you can do some fun stuff with your models, as soon as you throw out the idea that anything is going to be sharp. Sharp is for other lenses, not for pinhole. But motion is fun.

Lensbaby pinhole, f/177, 50mm, ISO 320, 8 seconds. 

Lensbaby pinhole, f/177, 50mm, ISO 320, 10 seconds.

Lensbaby pinhole, f/177, 50mm, ISO 640, 10 seconds

 The zoneplate function is also fun. It makes everything glow. Also, not sharp. Forget about sharp!

Lensbaby zoneplate, f/19, 50mm, ISO 1000, 1/8s. 

It was great. I felt instantly creative in a childlike way again. If you've tried any pinhole photography, I'd love to see your images. And if you feel inspired to make your own pinhole, there are tons of tutorials on the web.

Happy Early World Pinhole Photography Day!