Holding My Breath

I know I've been talking a lot about my gear lately. A new 17-55, a slightly broken 50mm.... It's just a lot more difficult to photograph anything without gear. Also, I may be a little obsessed. Anyway.

I have another new toy that I actually bought a few months ago but haven't really used yet, partly from inertia, partly from having too much photography stuff already, and partly from not knowing exactly what to photograph with it. It's the Lensbaby macro kit (which mysteriously they name AMACK as well, if anyone understands that maybe they can explain it to me).

Anyway, it consists of two macro filters which I screw onto my Lensbaby. One is +4 which makes you able to focus a bit closer, and one is +10 which makes you able to focus on things a lot closer. Since I like to try things in reasonable steps guess which one I tried first? Oh yeah, the +10.

And man! SUPER shallow depth of field. Like maybe one millimeter. I have never before noticed how much I sway in the wind when I take photos. I mean, I like to think of myself as pretty sturdy, all things being equal. I can handhold for a few seconds with the right lens. But this. I would find focus, then move imperceptibly and the focus was gone. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. And then repeat again. It also may not have helped that I was using the last of  the daylight for this exercise. My shutter speed was never above 1/80s which just never seemed quite fast enough.

So, basically, I was out in the back yard, holding my camera inches away from this flower for about 10 minutes, taking shot after shot and holding my breath the entire time (for maximum picture sharpness, you know - a tried and true technique). I may have been a little light headed by the time the thing was over and done with. Hope I didn't kill too many brain cells!

Thoughts on Black and White

Ever since the advent of color photography, people have debated whether color is an asset or a distraction in photography.

I am 100% on the asset side, by the way. As if anyone would guess otherwise. And although I've been known to post a black and white image or two, the vast majority of my photos stay in color. Which, in my opinion, is as it should be. Colors are so gosh darn pretty! And the world (as we see it) is in color.

However, my feelings on the topic started to shift a bit recently when I downloaded a (sadly expired) trial version of Nik's Silver Efex Pro, widely regarded as the leading black and white software in the industry. And I realized that there are times when I do really want to see the world in black and white, and not in color. There is something a little more refined about it, more soothing as well, and if you can get the tones right, the pictures have a sort of depth that color photos only aspire to.

All of this to say, I see more black and white images in my future. Consider yourselves warned!

Souvenir Foto

Some of you may be familiar with the quirky, prone to charming hyperbole Miss B of Blah Blah Blahg notoriety. If you are not familiar with her, I suggest you become so, as her blog is a light and charming spot on the internet, a surefire way to pleasantly waste a few minutes of each day.

A few times a year she hosts a Flickr-based photo project, called Souvenir Foto School. It is free to participate, the only requirements to participate are that you actually do so (non-participants are thrown out of the class!). Currently the assignment is to photograph the entire alphabet from September 4th to October 4th at the pace of one photo per day. I am having a LITTLE difficulty with the pace (being that, you know, there are only 24 hours in each day) but so far I am hanging in there. And it is nice to have a real need to shoot every day.

Below are the photos for F (Falls), W (Window) and T (Triad). I'll share more with you as the class goes along!

Shutter Not So Speedy

At this time I would like to give a shout out to my lovely, amazing 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens, mostly to the IS part of the lens. I handheld this image with it, while the shutter speed was 1 second, at f/8. One second! Amazing. With a non-IS lens, if I really pushed it, I could maybe handhold at 1/15 of a second. Maybe. So this lens is magical. And it does not help with my tripod-avoidance-syndrome at all!

The Blue Hour

I always loved the blue hour, even before I knew it had a name. Photographers gush over the golden hours, that time just after dawn or before sunset when everything is a soft amber color. And don't get me wrong, I love me some golden hours too. But the blue hour is my favorite. Especially in a city, when you can contrast the blue with the yellow and red tungsten city lights. Mmmmmm, delicious.

I remember the first time I really got it about the blue hour. Evan and I were in Myanmar, on a bicycle ride near Inle Lake, and we had taken a little too long at the small outdoor restaurant where we had stopped for tea. Consequently we were racing the light to get back to Nyaungshwe where our hotel was. On a small country road in Myanmar there are no streetlights, and there are many potholes, so we were serious about getting back in time. But it was so difficult because with each passing second the light just got more and more beautiful. I swear Evan must have aged a few years waiting for me to take my photos every time I stopped and pleaded, "Just one more?"

This was clearly not taken in Myanmar, but the light was no less beautiful. I shot this from a friend's hotel room in Soho during my time in New York. There is nothing more stunning than Manhattan during the blue hour.

Great Blue Heron

Took this near Russian River a couple of weeks ago.