Reflection

The world through a macro lens, inverted as it is looking through the reflection from my Yashica. Just a quick post, as I will be busy this weekend and probably won't be doing any photo shots for a while.

Shade

Yup, another Huntsman I found today, this time taking refuge from the scorching sun. Beautiful creature, and like the others, sitting perfectly still while I composed and took this photograph.

I had intended to show you some true swamp pictures today but as I had finally reached the swamp, the batteries in my camera died.

I know, I know, always carry spares. The best laid plans of mice and men and all the roads are paved with good intentions. I know, I still didn't do it. Mea Culpa. So instead, after trapsing back into the city to get batteries (nto available anywhere but dedicated camera shops) I went back to the local park where I spotted this fellow.

Next time out I'll have some proper swamp photographs for you.

Ambient

All natural, no artificial ingredients or preservatives. Light that is. I couldn't tell you what's in the water. Probably the usual suspects.

Flash

I once read a comment by a photographer that, in his opinion, it was impossible to take a good picture using a flash. Not to be confused with taking a photograph using light mind you, but flash adds a harsh localized glare. Hardly the thing for good photography, and as such I agree with him.

On the other hand, it's always good to challenge conventions, and in this case, I used my built-in flash on my Samsung dSLR. The results? Well, you tell me.

Glasswork

Along the same lines as the chocolate below, I tried to find new ways of looking at mundane objects. The following photographs are simply a half empty (or full, depending on your viewpoint, or if you are an engineer, the glass is twice as large as it need be) glass with various drinks inside. This one is cranberry juice.

Dessert

I couldn't decide which photograph I liked best, so I've put both of them here for your viewpoint. The outcome notwithstanding, the end results were right tasty.

Indoor

I read a contest in a magazine some time ago, whereby the rules stated the photograph had to be of a reasonably common item located within the household. Given my love for chocolate, this would have been my entry, had I entered.

I'm still far too new at photography to submit my work to anywhere but here (and to a few close friends) for judging, but I do think this might have won, or at least made the judges hungry.

Friend

Another Huntsman, also caught in the dying rays of the afternoon. It was interesting to watch him get up and move to where the light was. He would flatten out and absorb the heat from the leaf, and then when the light moved again, he would repeat the pattern. Just as the light broke through the trees and offered full sun, he stood up and reached out his legs toward the rays, as if to say "thank you", and that was when I captured this photograph.

Sun

I caught this Huntsman sunning himself on the last rays of the afternoon at a local park. His friend is listed next, found elsewhere in the park. They sat perfectly still for the photographs. If only all my subjects were that way.

I hope to see them again soon.

Whimsy

Now that my catadioptric (aka reflex, aka mirror) lens is working on my digital SLR, I wanted to get some good images of the moon. Unfortunately, while the lens is impressive, it's not that impressive and as such, the images are only fair. However, delving into the realm of the whimsical for a bit, I did make this slideshow of edited moon shots. This isn't really photography (with the exception of the first, original, image) more a study in what imaging editing software can do.

So, enjoy.

Whimsy

Ghost

Untouched digital image of me. Taken with the proper lightmap at the scenic area of my city. Digital SLRs are autofocus by default, and a big selling point. The unfortunate issue is oftentimes the camera picks the wrong thing to focus on, as in the case here where it attempted to focus on the cobblestones that were being reflected in the window. Makes for an interesting image all the same.

River

Not a time lapse per se, simply a long exposure time along a canal. Again, the wrong lightmap yielded much better results.

Lightmap

The aforementioned scenic route I went wandering was heavily lit with sodium lamps. Along with a heavily humid night, and the wrong lightmap set in my digital SLR, resulted in some odd images. This one being a prime example. All the same, re-taken with the proper lightmap settings yielded a much less interesting image.

Nightfall

No, not the schizophrenic game company, but rather images taken along a scenic section in my city. Digital of course, converted to greyscale. Otherwise left untouched.

News

I have been doing quite a lot of digital SLR work as of late. With my beloved Pentax K-1000 the images are simply stunning on slide film, but on normal 35mm film...not so much, not to mention the further loss of clarity when transferring them to digital for viewing here. However, I have a number of rather expensive lenses for it, most notably a fisheye lens and two dedicated macros, which up until this weekend I was unable to get them to work on my Samsung. Though the connection mount is identical, the required information cannot be transferred to the camera from the lens, and so therefore the camera shuts down.

But with the help of the British (who knew they were still good for anything?!) I was able to overcome this limitation (in effect, there is a setting in the camera that returns it to full manual mode, beyond the basic Manual setting on the main knob) and now the lenses work! Even better, though the focusing and aperture setting must be adjusted manually, the camera does pick up the proper shutter speed setting, resulting in properly exposed images.

I have been torn between keeping the 35mm film cameras, and going digital only, or switching between the two and attempting to convert the slide images properly. My main holdback as it were, was the cost of replacing the manual lenses. Now that that issue has been resolved, all my lenses can stay with my digital SLR and I can devote my time between that and my trusty Yashicas.

So stay tuned for some photographs with a dedicated Macro lens, and a catadioptric lens which will produce some truly wild Bokeh!

Postscript: I was just kidding about the British, they have some wonderful cars and would just about be perfect if they would only fire their Lord of Darkness (Lucas Electrics to the uninformed.)

Fanaticism

This is what I mean about Italian cars. This symbol is quite old and damaged, yet look at the attention to detail Pininfarina put into it. All the Italian car companies do this. Attention to beauty in their design and an uncompromising attitude towards the performance of the car is just one more thing I love about Italian cars.

Destiny

The name speaks volumes to everyone. Even if you know nothing about cars, the DMC12 rings a bell. Doomed from the word go, with all the cards stacked against him, DeLorean nonetheless created a cultural icon. There is a sense of history standing next to one. Despite all the well known mechanical problems with the DMC12, I still want one.

Curve

This one was hard to capture. It's the light well detail from an Alfa Romeo Spyder. Along with the blood line, it is the most gorgeous part of the car, and the most easily damaged. The Alfa Spyder was designed and built long before computers came into play. The famous designer Pininfarina, scuplted this by hand. No mean feat in the 60s. And from day one, he nailed it out of the park. One look at the subtle curves and I think you will agree.

Replica

This is a portion of a Beck Spyder. The modern reimaging of the infamous Porsche 550 Spyder, the one that killed James Dean. The nickname of the 550 is unprintable in a family friendly journal, but suffice to say the handling of the original gave it the well deserved nickname. The modern one apparently (or at least hopefully, I've never driven one) fixed that.

Living

This is a detail of the Weber carb linkage on a race-prepped Fiat. Of al lthe images I have taken recently, this is my favourite. Knowing that virtually all Italian cars of the past were hand built by artists that devoted every waking moment to their passion, sends chills down my spine. Their desire, their lust, to create a living being encased in metal and fibreglas, that exists for only one purpose, is unparalleled in history. To drive an Italian sports car, is to know you are taming a wild soul, and in every detail, every nuance of the car, you feel this. To live, to be truly alive, one must hear the engine's siren song at redline, to hear the Webers gulp air, to feel the gears whirring in harmony, to feel the blood pumping through the chassis, it's a wonder people drive anything else at all.

Cars

I love most all cars. More specifically I love Italian cars. I've owned many and will continue to do so. Unfortunately I find them difficult to photograph, for many cars are simply much more stunning in real life, than what can be captured in photographs. Nonetheless, the following images are taken with the attempt to capture some of the enjoyment and awe I fee. Let me know what you think.

Experiment

This was an experimental attempt to combine three time-lapsed photographs. I was aiming for soft leaves, and detailed fallen trees, but the digital image simply captured too much. The image is still somewhat interesting, but not what I initially had in mind. All the same, I felt it was good to show it as it is simply as a reminder that if we do not try, we shall never know what we can do.

Pangea

A cracked and corroded window, looking out towards the dying rays of the sun, or somesuch flowery prose. From the light industrial. Unmodified, the light simply hit at the right time. Was trying out my new 90mm macro lens for my Samsung digital SLR. I'm reasonably pleased with it, especially since I got it on sale.

Processed

I find it interesting the amount of processing I have to do with a digital image, in order to get it to match what I can normally take with my Yashica TLRs. Once again, a colourful path that I've adjusted to match what could very well be possible on a dusky fall day. I won't bother you with the original image, but this one evokes much more emotion, gives the feeling of tension, something waiting to happen to the person walking down this path.

Haunting

Same park by the river, but this picture is heavily edited to give the impression of a mysterious place. The actual colour picture is bright and cheerful, this image is more what I had in mind when I saw the area. Samsung digital SLR, heavily processed, so it's more art than photography.

Windows

No, not the operating system. More images from the light industrial area in my city. I'd like to capture some heavy industrial, but given the current climate of fear that permeates the US, I'd rather not even try. This image is a crop of a series of windows painted/covered with this wonderful shade of blue. It wasn't uniform and that just lent to the charm of the windows. Add the rusting frames and the contrast is near perfect. Again, taken with a Samsung digital SLR.

Industrial

The city I live in is laid out in an odd fashion. Next to light industrial areas, are old retail spots and ancient houses. Many of the abandoned industrial warehouses are now being turned into "upscale" apartments/lofts. In any case, the following shots are done with my Samsung digital SLR at dusk.

Park

There is a park/river/swamp near where I live. On bright days the light filters through the trees and creates many great opportunities for photography. The Yashica TLR I normally use for work like this has been sidelined for a number of reasons, and instead, I'm using a Samsung digital SLR. The images are converted to greyscale, and the contrast is increased, but otherwise they are as I have seen them.