Sunday, June 29, 2008

Flaggler College

D200
Flaggler College was built around the end of the 1800's and only for women. Mr. Flaggler was interested in art and the buildings he constructed were very unique. These towers are at one end of the women's dorms, and one floor is closed. It is said that it is haunted with the spirit of his second wife that went crazy. He did not let her leave the building because she was so beautiful. She went crazy and her spirit is still alive in the building. Most of the windows in the building are different. It is said a spirit can only go in and out of a window of the same shape and size.

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1900's Steam Batch



D200 24mm

This is a steam bath, now in museum, which use to be a turn of the century upscale hotel in St. Augustine. The lines and the contrasting colors were interesting.

4 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

Great photo, man. Looks like something out of a sci-fi film. I like it.

Eric

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 8:14:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Dolph, nice lines and symmetry in this one. It was hard to make out the contrasting colors, maybe need to bump up the saturation a bit? Otherwise it looks very monochromatic.

BTW, everyone, in your picture posts, please try to label the picture (it's like an index) to make it easier to find in the future. I've been going back to my posts to update the labels (tedious, but IMO, well worth the time and effort).

--WT

Monday, June 30, 2008 at 11:15:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

I *really* like this one, Dolph - good eye!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 11:42:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Warren,

I misstated, it only had two colors...black and white.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 8:07:00 PM PDT  

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Friday, June 27, 2008

Oat Rentals

Trident Electric Boat Rentals - Baltimore Inner HarborThe thing that first attracted me to this scene was the neon sign, slightly crooked, within the black and white frame of the window. But then the attendent, who had been out of my view on the other end of the dock, walked into my viewfinder, his shift almost over, and made a phone call. I thought his dark skin and white clothing complemented the non-color scheme of the rental shed in the background.

I held down the shutter button to shoot a lot of pictures with him sitting right there, but in this one, his body English and facial expression was the best of the lot.

Back at home on the computer, I noticed that the red life vests could make a nice design element, a triangle right into the left lower edge of the frame.

But only if I cropped the image to "OAT RENTALS."


The Power Of Critique

Warren made a suggestion to crop out the "OAT RENTALS" at the top of the photo. I was just a bit skeptical - I had rather liked the bold, white-on-black lettering, but tried it.

Well, now I'm with Warren - the composition looks cleaner and more balanced to me now.

What do you think?

Thanks, Warren!

By the way, Dolph's comment about this having an "islands" flavor made sense - but in fact, this place is right on the waterfront of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I'm gonna make a nice print and leave it for "Island Man," or hopefully, give it directly to him. Hope he likes it.

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4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

i like the red life vest "element". it does add to the composition. However, even though the photo is titled: Oat Rentals, just my opinion, but the large letters on top take too much attention from the rest of the photo. I would either crop out half of the letters, or the entire sign from the photo. I like how the red vests balance and complement the neon sign. The expression and posture of the figure is really nice for a candid shot.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 8:32:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Looks like a picture from one of the the island man. You seem to have captured the attitude of the islands. Nice Pic and good use of contrasting.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 7:28:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Steve, thank for posting the 2nd version. I like it a lot! Let us know how the "Island Man" likes his picture.

--WT

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 2:38:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

When I read about this art form, they always come back to "keep it simple." I like the second composition better. The original was attempting to tell two stories. This has one, and gives me the feeling of being at the docks ready to go fishing.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 8:05:00 PM PDT  

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Bromo Tower and ... Beatles

Holiday Inn & Bromo Tower - Baltimore, MDOn one overseas business trip in 1978, I got to spend a weekend in Florence, Italy. At one point during a stroll around that beautiful city, I looked up and suddenly saw a familiar sight - the Bromo Tower of Baltimore!

Actually, it was the Palazzo Vecchio, but architect Joseph Evans Sperry used the tower of this 14th-century structure as inspiration for the 1911 Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower. Sperry's client was Captain Isaac Emerson, a sea captain and inventor of Bromo Seltzer.

The 15-story tower was originally topped by a 51-foot revolving replica of the deep-blue Bromo Seltzer bottle. Brightly illuminated at night, ships sailing up the Chesapeake to Baltimore would navigate by it. Until the Baltimore Trust Company Building claimed the title in 1924, the Bromo Tower was the tallest structure in Baltimore.

Since 1936, the Bromo Tower has been bottle-less, and by the sixties, the building itself had deteriorated.

The Baltimore Office of Promotion and Arts did a great job renovating the Bromo Tower just a few years ago. The former office building is now leased out as studios for artists.

In the photo above, the curved shape is the revolving rooftop restaurant of the Holiday Inn. Well, it doesn't revolve anymore, and the restaurant, Circle One closed in 1974, but there it is. It's only claim to fame is that the Beatles, on September 13, 1964, played a concert at Baltimore's Civic Center, just across the street, and then stayed overnight in the then-brand-new hotel. By the way, they did get to dine in the revolving rooftoop restaurant, and back then, it did revolve.

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5 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

At first glance, i thought this WAS the Palazzo Vecchio :). Then I noticed the modern structure next to it.

Just my opinion, but perhaps this one is just a smidge too dark? Maybe dodge some of the highlights, like the very top of the curved shape to accentuate it.

--WT

Friday, June 27, 2008 at 3:53:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

Thanks, Warren - I wondered that myself. I pulled it off of Ben's camera a lunch today at work, and there I only have Picassa - I'll try some more subtle manipulation in PSE at home.

Friday, June 27, 2008 at 5:53:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Steve, i viewed the picture on a different monitor, and tried changing angles, etc. on the original monitor, and my opinion now is that it's fine the way it is. Not too dark after all. :)

--WT

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 9:05:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Steve,

While we are here on the east coast we want to get to Europe and see some of the great sites similar to this. Like Warren I would like to see more of the details, but the darkness hides them. Did you do this on purpose?

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 7:41:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

Hi Dolph,

Yes, I darkened it on purpose, hoping to emphasize the shapes and the contrast between the 1911 and the 1964 architecture.

Also, the Holiday Inn itself is not very good-looking in detail ;-)

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 11:44:00 AM PDT  

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One West Pratt

Baltimore Convention CenterHere's a closeup view the newer, western section of the Baltimore Convention Center. The repeated triangular truss design elements make it a very strong-looking building. Another exception to Baltimore's unfortunate dearth of fine examples of modern and post-modern architecture.

Taken with Ben's Canon A630 digicam. This is from this morning's walk to work from the Light Rail. My stop is right across the street from this part of the Convention Center. It was a dull morning, so I bumped up the saturation, which also bumped up the noise in the sky. So even though this is an 8MP sensor and the exposure used ISO 80, noise can still be a problem in these little cameras.

I pretty much cropped in-camera for this one, but then I cropped just a little more to get the little blue (sky) triangle as negative space at upper left. See all the positive and negative space triangles in this image? Do you think it worked here?

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3 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

It definitely worked for me, Steve. Nice one!

BTW, maybe I should go back to our posts to add labels. It makes for a handy way to access our material.

--WT

Friday, June 27, 2008 at 3:50:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

I'm a little surprised by the noise level. You would think that a near-full frame image taken at ISO 80 should be pretty noise free. Maybe this is partly due to compression level, or resizing method? Just wondering.

--WT

Friday, June 27, 2008 at 3:55:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

OK...I don't hear a thing...

I love architectue. Thanks for the wonder shot with all the angles.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 7:43:00 PM PDT  

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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Lighthouse

D200 24mm

On my back shooting up the inside of the St. Augustine Lighthouse. No need for an L.A. Fitness in this town.

5 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Nice composition Dolph!

did you get any shots of the outside of the lighthouse?

did you buy a 24mm prime lens?

--WT

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 7:06:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

If I didn't know you were looking down, I'd say you were taking a photo of the Time Tunnel. Good composition and I like the contrast of dark darks and light lights.

Eric

Monday, June 30, 2008 at 2:01:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

I just took another, closer look at this picture and I saw something that I missed the first time, people in the picture :).

That was a fun "discovery".

--WT

Monday, June 30, 2008 at 2:09:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Take a look again....a blue glow...a spirit? I didn't see it when I took the picture, and other pictures during the day didn't have the blue glow....but it is in this picture and one other show.

The lighthouse does have a ghost, according to the tales.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 7:54:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Dolph, I actually saw the "spirit" the first time I looked at the picture. I was going to mention that you got some flare in the shot, but then I thought it was strange looking for a flare spot because I don't see an obvious light source that might have caused a lens flare. So I just didn't mention it. Hmmm, it's probably a spirit...

--WT

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 8:52:00 PM PDT  

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St Augustine Old Town



D200 24mm

Sorry for not being around but we had lighting hit just outside the house and we lost our computer and connection to the internet.

Took a road trip to the oldest city in the U.S. I was up early and saw this man standing in the middle of the street looking a little lost.

2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

A man at a crossroad.

Another metaphor on life?

nice catch.

--WT

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 7:05:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Dolph, interesting shot. Where is this? I never thought of what might be the oldest city in the U.S.

Eric

Monday, June 30, 2008 at 2:02:00 PM PDT  

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

SF Downtown Skyline, March 2008


Nikon D100, Tamron 24-135mm
Here's a seldom seen angle of SF's Downtown skyline as viewed from the west looking east.
People familiar with SF should recognize many of the tall buildings in the distance.
I often read the equipment-centric photo forums where someone would wax poetic about the "feel" of a particular camera body or the "signature" of a particular lens. While appreciating great gear is a perfectly good and worthy aspect of the hobby of photography, wouldn't all that equipment greatness be rendered irrelevant if the other factors were not up that standard? You know, factors such as light, composition, and subject, to name a few.
If the picture has an impact, if a picture makes you feel an emotion, if a picture has relevance to you, or if a picture brings visual and aesthetic pleasure, does it matter what camera and lens was used to create it?
--Warren

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2 Comments:

Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Ok.... I applied for a job in Sunnyvale...the search to come home has started.

Thanks keep sending the pics.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 7:45:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Good luck, Dolph!

Monday, June 30, 2008 at 11:16:00 AM PDT  

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Monday, June 23, 2008

Alien Onions


Nikon D100, Tamron 24-135mm
Not really, just some interesting reflections on a UCSF Medical Center building.
--Warren

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2 Comments:

Blogger Dolph Brust said...

The composition that includes the benches is very nice. Makes you wonder what kind of medical treatment you are getting...stinkie?

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 2:15:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Lea said...

I really like this picture :)
The colours seem to go together with those wobbly shapes so well :P

Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 9:42:00 PM PDT  

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Trio


Nikon D100, Tamron 24-135mm
A trio of ladies heading up to see the sunset at Larsen's Peak in San Francisco.
--Warren

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1 Comments:

Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Looks a little like the trip life takes us on, different directions at the beginning only to go straight later in life. Very nice warren!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 2:18:00 AM PDT  

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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Red truck on a dark night

Taken with a Fuji F30 handheld at 1/4 sec., f3.4, ISO 400, 56mm 35 equivalent.
Posted by Picasa

2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Interesting shot, Ted. Did you adjust the levels at all?

The truck adds a feeling of mystery and intrigue.

--Warren

Monday, June 23, 2008 at 7:41:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Ted M said...

Thanks Warren, I slid the "fill light" a tad in Picasa, but didn't use the Feeling Lucky button as it brightened the whole thing up too much.

Monday, June 23, 2008 at 1:26:00 PM PDT  

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Playing with Shadows in SF


I was cruising around downtown San Francisco one afternoon on a day off and took this. I took it in color and the building was reddish brown, however, I was playing with it and it looked like an old photo of an old building when I converted it to black and white. I liked the way the shadows looked in b&w also.

I took the photo on the right on the way to work on Friday. I liked the way the shadows hit the wall. It was around 700 a.m.

--Eric

4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Interesting shadow work, Eric.

The B&W shot is interesting because the B&W building looks like something from old photo, however, the composition looks modern (to me, anyway).

The 2nd photo looks familiar, like I've seen this idea before either here on our blog or on some other online place. I think the unexpected lightpost shadow adds an interesting, whimsical element to the shot.

--WT

Monday, June 23, 2008 at 12:16:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Hey Warren. I agree with you. The b&w building does look old but not the composition. Perhaps someone did this before. It's across from 44 Gough.

Monday, June 23, 2008 at 1:48:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Ted M said...

Hi Eric, to me the composition seems not only modern, but also not a common one, which can be good.

Seems kind of like a tight crop, where you're actually looking for something in the windows or something with a long tele?

There is a fascinating book about a late NY b&w hobby photographer (his photos were taken with SLRs, and he seemed to be a pretty good city landscape photographer):

http://www.amazon.com/Angels-World-Photographs-Angelo-Rizzuto/dp/0393061116

a local library probably has it, check it out! The story of the guy itself is fascinating.

Monday, June 23, 2008 at 2:17:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Thx Ted. I wasn't looking for a tight crop, but I guess it did come out that way.

Urban photography is very interesting as I studied design in the past and I like architecture. I may check out the book you listed.

Eric

Monday, June 23, 2008 at 5:15:00 PM PDT  

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Friday, June 20, 2008

Hang Ah Alley


Nikon FM, Nikkor 35mm f2.8, Ilford XP2 Super

This was late in the day, and it seemed a bit desolate and with the requisite inner city grime and garbage strewn about.

This SF Chinatown alley should be very familiar to anyone who grew up in the area like I did.

It's quite a contrast to Steve R.'s recent photos from Baltimore's waterfront which always seems so bright and clean (probably Steve's choice of subject matter, right Steve?).

I debated about posting this because there doesn't seem to be a real point to the image other than to document an empty alley in Chinatown. Maybe the point is the emptiness? What do you think? Is it just another one of those countless images that you would see, check it our for about 10 seconds, and move on, or is there something in it that does something for you?

--Warren

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2 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

What's the point of posting the photo? It's a good one, Warren. I like it and I like the way it communicates emptiness and loneliness. Don't underestimate it.

Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 9:37:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks for the affirmation, Eric, I wasn't so sure about this one.

--WT

Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 10:07:00 PM PDT  

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More Canon XSi (450D) Photos

Yes, nothing like a New Toy to get the Old Boy out of a photo-slump. Pretty soon you'll be tired of seing these.

The rainbow picture was just a grab shot through my windshield on the way home Wednesday. The rest are from my walk from the Light Rail to work via Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Rainbow Commute
Baltimore Convention Center
Meyerhoff Fountain, McKeldin Square - Baltimore, MD
Duck Scratch

5 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

The duck is camera shy!

Nice exposure on the rainbow shot. Did you have to adjust in PS at all, or did the camera nail it?

The fountain/walkway shot has a nice zigzag pattern that holds visual interest.

--WT

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 8:59:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

The duck was actually doing a motion like a dog does to scratch behind his ear! I guess the duck was itchy, too?

The camera got the rainbow shot pretty close to the way you see it. I just used the highlight slider in Picassa to lighten the darkest parts a bit, and it also brightend the rainbow

The fountain is a nice piece of urban architecture - you can walk under parts of it and see out through a curtain of water.

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 9:51:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

The duck reminds me of a paparazzi weary celebrity :).

--WT

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 10:34:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

I like the duck photo the best. It looks like it's trying to avoid a photograph!

Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 9:38:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Lea said...

That duck pic is so funny :P

Seems like there's a blue theme to the shots!

Monday, June 23, 2008 at 5:51:00 PM PDT  

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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Row of Palms



Nikon FM, Nikkor 85mm f1.8D, Ilford XP2 Super


Trying to make the most of a mundane subject... just a row of large palm trees on Treasure Island.


--Warren

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2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Have you noticed my double-barreled shooting on Treasure Island? :)

I was using both cameras(Nikon D100 & Nikon FM), slinging one over my shoulder while I was shooting with the other, then swapping when the mood hit me.

--WT

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 11:23:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

I think most people would have shot with a wide angle up close, but I kind of prefer this perspective for this subject, using a short-tele (85mm).

--WT

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 11:25:00 PM PDT  

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Who's Waiting?...


Nikon D100, Sigma 15-30mm @ 17mm
...That was my question when I saw this oddly placed message.
Seen on Treasure Island.
--Warren

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4 Comments:

Blogger Lea said...

ooo, kinda creepy... so desolate and absent of life. Good pic, has a big impact with that bench ;)

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 12:52:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Hey, I totally missed this one. Interesting.

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 7:45:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Eric,

You were looking in the other direction at the time :).

http://fpcf.blogspot.com/2008/06/eric-shooting-on-treasure-island.html

--WT

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 9:18:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

Probably the Tookie Williams groupies.

It's a very cool shot - nice composition with city in background balanced by the foreground. It has a very brooding feeling - definitely a strong emotion, which makes it a successful image.

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 10:02:00 AM PDT  

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Out Biking

Hey, everyone! I have been rather absent from here recently... Been training for a marathon and a couple bike trips that are coming up. Nothing too serious... just fun fitness!

Last Saturday there was a biking event called Flying Wheels here in Redmond, WA. There was about 3000 riders in distances ranging from 25 - 100 miles. Tyler and I decided to do the 50 miles. There were quite a few hills and some beautiful scenery!

I, of course, had my trusty little Canon PowerShot SD750 with me in a little pouch for easy shooting access! lol... Had a couple funny comments on the camera while we were out, as many riders were a bit more serious about the whole event, working their butts off to make good time.

However, with those climbs, you couldn't NOT work your butt off... I just... did it a lot slower than most other people! Either or, it was a lot of fun and I'd surely do again the same.

4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

This is the season to do it!

That sure is beautiful country up there!

--WT

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 6:27:00 PM PDT  
Blogger tedm said...

Lea,

I like this photo. I like how the horizon is, or appears to be, tilted, but the fence at the bottom is straight. I've been trying to frame many of my photos where an object lines up with one of the four edges, even if slightly tilting something else. I think it works well here.

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 10:38:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Lea said...

Thanks for the comments :)
I never even noticed that the horizon is crooked! It just overall drew me in as a photo.. When biking and shooting, I often credit luck for composition. It's easy to accidentally tilt or turn the camera one way too far, so it's a guessing game a little bit.. perhaps somewhat similar to action shots. Thanks for pointing that out though! I'll keep an eye out for it in the future :)

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 12:58:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Good to hear from you, Lea. I like this shot.I like the way the mountain fades into the background. A little mystical, ya know? I also like the composition, too. It gives me a wide open feel. Never been to Redmond, WA. Fun stuff!

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 7:48:00 AM PDT  

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Canon XSi (450D) Photos

I got up an hour earlier today so that I could slowly wander the 3/4 mile from my Light Rail stop to work and take photos along the way with my brand-new Canon XSi.

Although I had my other two lenses with me, I stuck with the new kit lens, an 18-55mm EF-S IS (image-stablized) lens, in order to see how it performs.

I was very pleased with both the camera and lens; no doubt, some of this was due to the New Toy Effect. But several things jumped out at me:

First and foremost, compared to my old "original" 2003 Digital Rebel (D300), the camera comes to life instantly. The D300 took 2-1/2 seconds to "wake up." That is, when you first turned it on, it would take that long to be ready to shoot. Also, whenever it went to sleep to save power, usually after a minute or two of inactivity, it would again take 2-1/2 seconds to wake up. The XSi, on the other hand, comes alive instantly, both from a cold start and after a period of inactivity. All it takes is a half-press of the shutter button.

I've missed quite a few good shots, especially doing event photography, with the D300 because of the wake-up time. Now, it turns out this isn't something you need to buy the XSi for - each model subsequent to the D300 has had this: the XT, XTi, and now the XSi. It's a function of the improved image processing electronics since the D300.

On the other hand, one thing that is new to the XSi is Auto ISO. This means that I can walk around and the camera figures out, from the lighting conditions, shooting mode, and other factors, where to set the ISO "film speed." Before, I would usually set it at 400 and leave it there; for the sunny morning today, the XSi set it for me at 200. If I had continued taking photos indoors, it would probably have bumped it up for me as necessary. Very cool! This feature is something Nikon has had for a while, and it's about time Canon adopted it (I believed it first showed up in Canon's 40D.)

Savings Bank of Baltimore Building
Door Detail - NationsBank (Baltimore Trust Company Building)

Old Skyscraper, New Skyscraper - Baltimore
Light Street - Baltimore
Inner Harbor - Baltimore
National Aquarium Service Building, Baltimore

4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

It's great to see you so inspired, Steve! Nice shots!

Just wondering, can you set an upper limit on the auto-ISO? I think it's a very handy function. My D100 doesn't have it, and I sometimes forget to turn the ISO back down after I bumped it up for somr reason.

--Warren

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 7:45:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Lea said...

I really like the people shots Steve :)

They are almost abstract settings for doors and entry points to a building... Makes for interesting composition!

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 2:47:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

Thanks for the nice words, Warren & Lea!

Lea - I didn't notice what you noticed about doors and entry points - good eye! I've often joked that I only have five or so photos that I take over and over:

1. Repeating pattern
2. Intesting geometric shapes
3. Radial lines
4. Little bit of something in a lot of nothing
5. Smooth/Textured

It's a joke but it's also sort of true! I call them "useful clichés" - I think we all have them - diffent ones of course - and they help us "see" in a particular way or style. I call them "clichés", but I don't mean to demean them - just can't think of a different word.

I'm really glad that you pointed the doors thing out to me, because now I can add

6. Doors and entry points!

Seriously - this is a good "theme."

Warren - you can't set an upper limit on auto-ISO - that would be a really good feature, though - you should send in the suggestion to Nikon!

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 7:50:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Is it deja-vu or have I seen that woman in the green doorway picture before in another one of your pictures (dressed the same way)?

Many current dslrs of various brands already have a setable limit on auto-ISO. I think Nikon's D80 has it, for example.

--WT

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 8:54:00 AM PDT  

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

End of the Road


Nikon D100, Tamron 24-135mm

A lone cyclist looks out through the Golden Gate toward the ocean from Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. This shot was taken from the bridge looking down.
Interestingly, I was thinking "black & white" when I saw this composition in my mind.
--Warren

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2 Comments:

Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

Beauty!

I love the way you've composed this so that it goes from wild, chaotic natural stream at upper left to a more orderly assemblage of rocks as a middle band to a very geometric and precise finish by the time the eye gets to the right side of the frame.

The cyclist is the perfect touch to add a sense of the huge scale.

Way to go!

Regards,
SteveR

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 3:55:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks Steve.

The sight of the bicyclist prompted me to compose the shot in the first place. In other words, I saw the cyclist, decided that I wanted to frame a picture around him, then I worked on the composition.

--WT

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 11:31:00 PM PDT  

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Photo of the Yashica GSN

Note the broken glass over the light gathering window. However, it doesn't seem to affect anything. I also use a generic black rubber collapsible 55mm hood, which was taken off for this photo. Kitty says this camera smells much better than those evil digital ones :D
Posted by Picasa

3 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks for posting the pic of your GSN, Ted. I like how you worked Kitty into the shot (he/she is very cute, and I have a soft spot for cats).

That's a nasty looking crack in the glass. Watch your fingers.

--WT

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 1:28:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Aren't rangefinders great? I love my Cannonette and I'm tempted to take that along with my Nikon D40 to China in Oct. I'm glad you got your cat into it, too. Don't let him/her take it out too often though. You may find paw prints all over the lens.

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 7:50:00 AM PDT  
Blogger tedm said...

Thanks Eric, yes RF's are great! I like your photos here with your Canonet. If I were you, I'd consider just taking an RF's to China, with maybe a Fuji F30 for night shots ;)

Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 11:52:00 AM PDT  

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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Film photo from a Yashica GSN

This was taken with an old '70s or so rangefinder, the Yashica GSN. I used Fuji 400 color negative film. No photoshop, or cropping. Processing and scanning by Costco. I don't recall the aperture, and knowing what shutter speed used with the GSN is tricky. I do recall trying to narrow the DOF but I could not get to f1.7 as the film was too fast, and the light too bright, so probably f2 or f2.8, and likely close to 1/500.
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7 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Hi Ted,

It looks like you got a good, working example of a GSN. The photo is tack sharp and well exposed. I have two GSNs. I bought the first one when I was exploring different rf cameras. It worked well early on when I first acquired it, but the last time I used it, I found that the rangefinder needed calibration (out of focus shots) and the AE was not working right. The camera and lens are in excellent condition, but it definitely needs some work in important parts. My second GSN was given to me by a friend who discovered that I loved old cameras. It once belonged to his father and it came as a whole kit including the wide and tele screw-on converter lenses with auxiliary finder and carrying case. This one is not as good cosmetically as my other one, and I never had a chance to actually shoot with it.

Just my own personal bias, but I find that while the lens on the GSN is excellent, I do not like the idea of an AE only camera. I much prefer the all manual operation of my Yashica Lynx 5000e.

Thanks for posting the sample shot, and I look forward to seeing more from this camera.

You gotta love it, a technically excellent photo from a vintage film camera following some excellent technical shots from the latest dslr :).

--Warren

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 7:24:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Ted, how about posting a photo of your GSN. Some people may not know what it looks like. BTW, I agree with your mini review of the GSN on your blog.

--WT

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 7:31:00 AM PDT  
Blogger tedm said...

Hi Warren, I too have mixed feelings about the AE only, but if you have time to think about it, you can actually estimate the programmed AE shutter speed to good approximation, by noting the limit lights at 1/30 low (yellow arrow), and high 1/500 (red arrow), and then compensate with the ISO dial (which ironically is where shutter speed dials usually are!), and then adjusting the ISO to put the shutter speed where you think it should be based on a handheld meter, or meter from another camera.

I realize that's a slow process, but it's kind of fun, for now, anyways...

I've also had a bad one, where the deck lights were intermittent, so since that one, I've always asked the sellers (except for the $1 one), not only if the meter worked, but if the deck and VF lights came on each and every time you pressed the shutter and weren't intermittent. These are definitely cheaper to replace than fix, if contacts are bad or the VF is bad.

I'll try to post a photo of my latest GSN. I got this one from Allan (Kaiyen) who you'll probably meet him at an RFF gathering sometime. The camera is in user shape, and has a crack in the window for the RF, but still meters fine, shutter seems fine, and VF is medium clean. I'm not sure if the focus is 100%, as I haven't shot many @ f1.7, but I have a roll of Reala 100 and can probably shoot indoors or in the shade with the 1/500 max and see if the focus is on, or front/back biased.

The other fast cheap RF is the Canonet QL1.7 G3 (or whatever) whose size I loved, but I didn't get on with the RF or lens quality, in my particular one.

BTW, except for a few tweaks, I used 320 ISO for my Fuji 400 Superia (Costco 3 layer). I couldn't bring myself to actually setting the ISO at 400, because I have been overexposing slightly with film for so long, so I don't get spots that need to be filled in with pp shadow enhancement. Not sure if that makes sense, as I always underexpose with digital, but somehow the films I use, often outdated, need a little more exposure than rated...

Will post a photo of the GSN soon.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 9:58:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

I bought a Canonet G3 Ql17 from RFF. It was CLA'd and in great shape. I used it for a while and enjoyed its excellent lens, but I prefer Aperture Priority automation vs. Shutter Priority that's on the G3. Rather than sell it, I decided to give it to Eric for one of his birthdays (as I recall), and Eric has been putting it to good use. The G3 lens is really, really nice, and it's a very useful focal length. I also think that the build quality and materials use on the Canonet are better than the Yashica RF cameras that I've seen.

The saving grace for the Yashicas are their excellent lenses.

Do a search on this blog for "Canonet" and you'll find many shots by Eric, and a few by me, and also my original post about the Canonet (with picture) that I wrote right after I acquired it.

--Warren

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 10:26:00 AM PDT  
Blogger tedm said...

Great photos from you and Eric, and a nice review. I like the size and styling of the Canonet, but it's got nothing on the GSN!! (plus the horrid PX625 battery issue) ;)

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 10:55:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

This is great, Ted - it reminds me of this article from Ken Rockwell that I found so interesting:

http://kenrockwell.com/tech/free-digital-camera.htm

BTW, for those old cameras that used mercury cells, you can buy a battery called "Wein cell" that has almost the same electrical characteristics as the mercury cell. It's more expensive (about 5 bucks) and only lasts about a year or so, but works very well otherwise - and no worries about meter calibration.

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 3:59:00 AM PDT  
Blogger tedm said...

Thanks Steve, interesting article. I've used the Wein cells with my Canonets and Leica CL before, but usually ended up adapting to longer lasting cheaper 1.5V cells and dealing with the meter issues.

The GSN uses a different size and voltage battery than the 1.5V nickel sized PX625 Mercury types. It's a PX32 6V that was about the size of an AA batery, so it's a different type of battery than the 1.5V Mercury ones.

Fortunately, the metering circuitry of the GSN is regulated, so anything between about 4.5V and 6.3V works fine, and gives the same meter reading, even if you're using alkaline, lithium, or even mixing up 3V CR2s with a couple of LR44s, or using 4 LR44s stacked, etc.

Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 10:56:00 PM PDT  

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Canon Digital Rebel XSi

After almost five years of using my Canon Digital Rebel (the original model,) I just replaced it with a new Digital Rebel XSi (also called 450D.) Ben now has my hand-me-down Rebel, which still works fine.

I didn't get my hands on my new camera until arriving home from work today, so I charged the battery while I mowed the lawn, had dinner, and then took a few test shots.

Here's one of my first test shots. I wanted to see how well the Image Stabilization (IS) works - and it seems to work fine. This is the whole .jpg, untouched, shot at 1/20 sec and f/7.1 zoomed out to 55mm. This is equivalent to 90mm on 35mm, so normally, you'd want to hand-hold at 1/90 sec or higher, so shooting at 1/20 sec represents about two f-stops. The Auto-ISO function picked ISO 800 for this one.

Here's a 100% crop centered on the point of focus. Bear in mind that this looks much larger than the writing is in real life. Note that you can see the half-tone pattern in the background. I'd say the IS eliminated shake completely.

Here's the classic self-portrait-in-mirror that every photographer, from rank novice to professional, seems compelled to take.

I set the camera for ISO 1600, the camera's highest setting, to see if the images would be usable at this level of sensitivity. In this case, I adjusted levels in Photoshop to improve the color, but I did no sharpening. In general, I'd say this image is very usable. Exposure was 1/40 sec at f/5.7, with the lens at 36mm.


Here's a 100% crop of a portion of the ISO 1600 photo. Notice that even with the levels adjustment, the noise isn't all that bad. Don't forget, if this were an 8x10 print, you'd have to look with a very strong magnifier to see this level of detail.


For comparison, here is a 100% crop where Auto ISO set the ISO at 800. Exposure was 1/16 sec at f/5.7, also at 36mm. Here, I adjusted levels and used unsharp mask to first do contrast sharpening and then general sharpening.

So far, so good! I'll take some real photos over the next few days and report back.

2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks for posting the test samples, Steve. That's mighty impressive technology! It almost makes me think about switching teams....not.

wooo wooo wooo
nyuk nyuk nyuk (oops, wrong post reference)

--WT

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 8:31:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Steve, this is cool. Now that I am into the world of digital SLRs, I find this very interesting. That's just me/us of course. Some would say we're geeks.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 10:08:00 PM PDT  

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Quackers - Riding the DUKW in Philly

Ben & Leah Going QuackersSandy, Mom and I headed up to Philly yesterday to visit our babies, Leah and Ben (now 26 and 22.) The kids wanted to go on a "Ride the Ducks" tour of Philadelphia for their recent birthdays, so that's what we did.

The "Ducks" are really WWII DUKW amphibious trucks - you can read all about them here. Several cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and Bramson have commerical operations that take people on street-and-water tours. The Philly tour is excellent at 70 minutes long, with 20 minutes in the Delaware river.


DUKW Under Ben Franklin BridgeHere, another DUKW off our starboard bow passes under the Ben Franklin Bridge as we head back to shore. Now, if you imagine the bridge not being there, the DUKW painted in olive drab, the sunshade gone, the DUKW being full of troops instead of tourists, hundreds more DUKWs instead of just the one, the weather being much, much worse, the water much choppier, shells exploding all around, and machine gun fire raking the water, why it would be just like D-Day.

Larry Fine Mural - PhillyAs a child of the late '50s and '60s, I'm a big Three Stooges fan. So you can bet I was impressed when our DUKW tour guide pointed out the birthplace of Louis Feinberg, aka Larry Fine.

Being, to borrow a phrase from John McCain, "old as dirt," I actually saw the stooges, including Larry, live in 1962 at Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Baltimore. The Stooges by then were already in their 60's but put on a fully animated show for us kids that, to our delight, showed no respect for their age.

Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!

2 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

You actually saw the Stooges LIVE?! Oh man, I envy you. After 48 yrs, they still crack me up! But like the thing with digital SLRs, some would say we were geeks.

Hey Mo! Look at the grouse! Oh yeah, you lame brain? Come here. I'll show you a grouse. BUT MO!!!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 10:11:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Steve, your picture of the Larry Fine background is pretty cool. It's like the two people are being serenated by a gigantic stooge!

It kind reminds me of the nightmarish qualities of my previously posted shot:

http://fpcf.blogspot.com/2006/08/nightmare-on-embarcadero.html

--WT

Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 8:16:00 AM PDT  

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Union Square Wedding Party


Nikon FM, Nikkor 35mm f2.8, Ilford XP2 Super
How about a street shot for a change?

One of our city walks led us to have coffee at Union Square and I saw this wedding party walk up for some pictures.

--Warren


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8 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Something about this picture works for me. Would anyone care to say what it is about this photo that works, or doesn't work for them?

I would like to discuss/critique this one, if anyone cares to join in.

Thanks,

Warren

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 2:24:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Damn Warren, that looks like something out of a magazine! Good shot. Critique? The upper right corner is a little washed out and it's a little distracting. Other than that, it's nice.

Eric

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 2:57:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks Eric. Just for clarification, when you say "washed out", do you mean that the area is too bright? (I had already burned that corner a bit to reduce brightness, and I thought I actually might have darkened it too much).

--WT

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 3:28:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Warren,

It is a wonderful picture. Everyplace on the photo is clear and has a story except for that upper corner. The corner is a little fuzzy. The shot is just great, we seem to be picking on a little less than perfect.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 4:32:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Right, Warren. Too bright.

Eric

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 8:27:00 PM PDT  
Blogger tedm said...

I agree with Eric, looks like a photo out of a magazine, and a good photo! I like how lots of things are going on in the photo, it's not a simple photo, it's busy, but in every section, there's a story of its own. It appears that you took your photo probably at the same time the wedding photographer took his, so it's in interesting different angle and good timing, and the lady with cell phone or hand to her ear is interesting, as are the dad and kid in the very middle looking on.

Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 10:10:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Hi Folks,

Thanks for the comments, all very interesting observations.

What works for me is the combination of balanced grouping of the main subject, which is the wedding party. The party is split into two groups that fan out into a semim-bowtie shape, bridged in the middle by the groom gazing at the photographer's subject. So you have several sets of converging lines and several interesting sight lines: The woman on the right with the cell phone gazing to the right, the bride engaged in a conversation with the woman next to her, the groom and photographer looking at the 2nd group. All in the second group looking to the left. And smack dab in the middle of the whole thing is the father and child, almost at the focal point of the converging lines.

Yes, it's a very complicated image, but I'm pleased with it.

It's another one of those situations where there was not very much time to think and compose. It was an instinctive capture, and with manual equipment (Nikon FM, 35mm f2.8). I mentioned this before, where my mind is almost on autopilot when it composes a shot. It's at once exhilirating, fun, and satisfying when the shot is successful.

--WT

Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 10:35:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Hey folks, my last two posts just suggested a new theme! How about "Photographers in Action"?

What do you think?

--WT

Friday, June 13, 2008 at 5:10:00 PM PDT  

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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Eric Shooting on Treasure Island


Nikon FM, Nikkor 85mm f1.8D, Ilford XP2 Super
It was a cold, hazy, and windy day on Treasure Island, but I don't think Eric was feeling it because of his excitement over using his new D40 :).
I brought my FM along with my D100 so that I cold finish the roll of XP2 in the FM.
--Warren

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3 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

BTW, the Nikkor 85mm f1.8D sure is a snappy lens, isn't it? I also like how smooth the OOF objects appear in the background. There are a couple of Nikon lenses that never fail to impress me whenever I use them. The lenses are this one (85mm f1.8D), and the 105mm f2.5. You've seen shots from the 105mm f2.5 from my previous posts. This is also a good time to mention the search feature again. It works well. Just type in "105mm f2.5" and click on "Search Blog" to find all our posts with those words. We have so many posts now, over 1100, that the search tool is very useful for finding photos with specific subject matter or equipment.

--Warren

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 2:13:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

Eric is showing such excellent form in the way he holds his camera and braces his elbows, bipod-like, on top of his thighs!

Once again a beautiful B&W composition Warren!

It's very balanced and your design elements are really nice. The gentle arc of a cirle made by the large stones (downward from left to right) is echoed by the gentle arc of the bridge. The stones and the rest of the image form a positive-negative space continuum (how do you like *that*!) which are linked together by the human figure (Eric - you're a jigsaw piece!)

Well, I didn't see it that way right away - I just felt - wow, this is really appealing! Then I "deconstructed" it as above.

If I keep doing this, can I get a BA out of it??

Finally, seeing photos like this makes me again wish I could go on these photo-outings with you guys!

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 10:13:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks Steve!

I really appreciate that you took the time to articulate your thoughts about my picture (this and all the others). As you know, it's feedback like this that really fuel our enthusiasm for our art.

I hope you can come out here for a visit one of these days.

--Warren

Friday, June 20, 2008 at 5:24:00 PM PDT  

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View of Yosemite Falls from a Meadow

Nikon D100, Sigma 15-30mm

Here's another one for all you fans of my Yosemite pictures.

We've been to Yosemite so many times that it is a challenge to make a picture that is "different". To get warmed up and into the photography "groove", we go to the usual view points and we take the standard shots. This is true of any place with spectacular scenery, you feel compelled to take pictures of it even though you and everyone else have taken hundreds of pictures from the exact same spot before. Take Yosemite Falls, for example, it's true that each time, the scene is just little bit different, the weather, the fullness of the falls, the shadows on the granite, the color of the trees, etc. I'm sure that showing one of those "standard" shots would still impress by virtue of the subject matter. However, I believe that it is even more satisfying to see and create a new view of a particular subject. It takes time, willingness, patience, and a "practiced eye", to really observe the scenery around you.

This picture was taken in the meadow between Sentinel Bridge and Yosemite Falls. On this trip, we decided to stay and hike primarily in the valley. We hiked in the valley from one end to the other. After breakfast, we took took a shuttle to the Sentinel Bridge stop to see if the clouds have lifted from Half Dome. Half Dome was still covered in clouds so we decided to begin our walk by going through the meadow. The park service built wooden paths across the meadows in the valley in order to save the meadows from being trampled by park visitors (see my previous shot in a different meadow: "Meadow People"). As Gail walked ahead, I took my time on the path, snapping various shots along the way. As I walked along, I noticed that because it was still early summer, the falls were full and the rivers were high, and there was a lot water in this meadow. Then I came upon this particular swatch of water that was rather dramatically curved and I saw the reflection of Upper Yosemite Falls in the water. I immediately thought to myself, "Now here's a scene that you don't usually see!". I had to capture that scene as I saw it that morning. During any other time of the year, the meadow would be dry.

I decided to travel light on this trip, but most fortunately, I decided to include my Sigma 15-30mm in my kit (as my only other lens). My Tamron 24-135mm was on the camera at the time, and the 24mm was not wide enough to show what the image that I had already framed in my mind. The path was narrow, so there was no space for the "sneaker zoom technique"(walking back and forth). So I quickly put down my backpack and swapped lenses before anything changed. The winds were calm at that moment which made the reflection more pristine. I took 3 shots in total, the first two were overexposed, so I switched to manual exposure to compensate and got the shot that you see here.

I hope you enjoyed this story.


--Warren

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3 Comments:

Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

This is absolutely exquisite, Warren! I can't think of anything that would have made this better.

"...the first two were overexposed, so I switched to manual ..."

Hahaha - when I read that, I heard Obi-Wan's spirit saying, "Use the Force, Warren...use the Force!"

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 6:23:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks Steve!

The Sigma 15-30mm has been a tricky one to meter with ever since day one. It probably has something to do with the gigantic front element and ultrawide FOV that confuses metering systems.

If it wasn't for the handy review feature of the dslr, I would have had to bracket a lot more than I do with it now.

--WT

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 7:52:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Killer photo. The colors are great and the composition is something else, too. Perhaps there is a little too much water showing in the front of the photo. It's a little distracting. But overall, man, it's Chinese painting time. That is what I compare photos to when they are landscapes I guess.

Eric

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 8:30:00 PM PDT  

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Monday, June 09, 2008

Looking for some grub, or a hand.



D200 / 70mm

We had stopped at a rest area between Naples and Fort Lauderdale, swamp area. I walked over to an open area of water and found this little guy looking for grub....or your hand.

The colors in the water from all the natural chemicals in the water off set his, or her, body.

3 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

Little guy? About how little? 6 ft. long little or 6" or so little?

Eric

Monday, June 9, 2008 at 7:48:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

That would be a startling sight to see in the wild, but I guess after a while one gets used to it.

--WT

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 8:52:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

Crickee! What a beauty!! Good on ya, Dolph!

From the lack of coloring on the body, especially the tail - this one looks like an adult.

2 weeks ago, we visited friends in Sarasota FL - they live in a ritzy development built around a golf course, and there are ponds all around that provide habitat for gators. I was "complaining" all weekend about not seeing a single gator, when on the way out of the development to go to the airport, my friend stopped to let a 4-foot "teenager" pass. What a thrill!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 6:27:00 PM PDT  

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That's Southern for "Seder"...

Andi's Seder TableYes, this post is almost two months late - this seder was on the first night of Passover, April 19th. But I wanted to show off Aunt Andi's seder table - definitely the nicest one I've ever seen.

The exquisite job of napkin-folding was courtesy of my wife, Sandy, who flew down to Birmingham, AL, a day early to help Andi with preparations. The rest of us (Mom, Leah, Ben and I) came down Friday afternoon.

It was a short trip, but worth every second, since we got to see Andi and my Cyber-Uncle Joe, first cousin Brian and his lovely wife Lisa.


Leah and Ben at SederTo mark this as an official seder, Mom supervised the baking of one of her famous mandeltorten; you can see Leah and Ben here as Ben takes a bite. It's amazing - covered with a thick layer of chocolate and raspberry jam between the two layers. The cake itself is made from almond meal, and therefore strictly Kosher for Passover.

By the way, I keep on lobbying for Chinese Food at our next seder, but I can't seem to get the rest of the gang to take me seriously!

3 Comments:

Blogger Dolph Brust said...

When I use to go to the seder I lobbied for Fried Chicken....never happened. Nice use of the shadows with a beautiful setting.

Monday, June 9, 2008 at 7:45:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

That shot of the crystal is great. A very luxurious photo!

Eric

Monday, June 9, 2008 at 7:50:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Beautiful table shot, Steve, classic and timeless!

--WT

Monday, June 9, 2008 at 9:05:00 PM PDT  

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