Dec 8, 2012 | Field Reports
When Mr UPS dropped off my box from B&H this week with the new 70-200f4AFS, it also contained the new Nikon 1 V2. I had a fun and interesting time shooting with the J2 mirrorless and while it produced good images, I really didn’t enjoy the platform. So with I opened the V2 box, I went through the actions but didn’t really expect any better an experience. Man, was I BIG TIME wrong! For the last 24hrs now, I can’t put it down and in fact, I’ve totally ignored the 70-200f4 I’m having so much fun with the V2. The image quality is bloody amazing, it’s close focusing outrageous and being able to “see” through the lens and ability to properly handhold, outstanding! I’ll get some images posted this week. I just wanted to mention this cool little camera in case you’re looking for a stocking stuffer. Ya, it’s that small!
Dec 7, 2012 | Field Reports
Growing up, my family had an almost quarterly family party. It would go from home to home amongst the family, usually focusing around birthdays. My one aunt, a marvelous baker made fabulous cakes. My dad would bar-b-que amazing meat. We’d swim in the pool, play volleyball and badminton and then when it got dark, the slide projector would come out, the 5×5 screen set up and everyone would grab a piece of floor. Then for the next couple of hours we’d look at photos of parties past and laugh until our sides hurt. When all over, we’d hug, dry our eyes, pack the cars and set the date and location for the next get together.
In between those parties on many a weekend eve, in our home the projector would be out and we would relive family vacations, holidays and occasions. With little goading, my dad who carried his Argus with him all during WWII & Korea, would pull out those old slides and tell his stories. For over twenty years, even after I started to contribute to the nighttime show, that’s how photography in our home was always treasured. It was all about memories, stories and then more memories. It is still that way to this day for Sharon & I especially now as we get a little older and the photo serves to fill in some of those details that some of our newer adventures have covered up. And I think that’s really the treasure of photography, memories!
Yes, the pursuit of photography for the technical, the art, the advertising and the ego are all very valid reasons to jump through all the hoops we go through as photographers. But if you’re anything like me, those photographs which are the most treasured are those that are not only good photographs, but ones that have memories which are the sweetest, best and more treasured. Perhaps that’s why when the photograph doesn’t turn out as good as we hoped we are disappointed. It might tarnish the memory?
And we can easily swap the word memory with history to give some of our images the more importance. All you have to do is watch a Ken Burns special and you realize just how important photographs are to our history and our memory of history. But there is one big difference between the photograph that is history and the other memory, and that’s the emotional attachment we have to the photograph that forever records a memory, a moment in time.
We’d literally just gotten off the boat on our B&H / Lexar / Circle Line / Moose NYC cruise when Howard said, “I’ve got dinner reservations, need to get to the cars.” It had been a long, great day. I was tired, grimy and wanted to get back and put my feet up and look at my images, those basic photographer things. But Howard is such a great guy and we so enjoy spending time with him, it was a no-brainer just to go along and besides, he was like a kid on Christmas morning so we knew he had something up his sleeve. Next thing I knew, I was wearing a suit jacket from the River Café loan closet and sitting at the most magnificent table with the most magnificent view of Lower Manhattan you can imagine!
Normally, you have to make a reservation months in advance but Howard worked his magic so we had a great table this evening. Located at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge Tower, the River Café was built in a floating barge. The first time we felt the movement of the barge, we had no clue what it was because we didn’t know we were on a barge. Me being me, I asked our waitress (we already had a thing going) who chuckled and told me we were on a barge. Every boat that went by, you could feel the swell rock us. It was cool!
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We were there with our good friend including Jeff Cable who, like I, had come to the table with our cameras and knowing it would be a long time until we would be back here again, shot like silly tourists. And having fun, I would hit the shutter release on the D4 and just let it rip. I love folk’s expression when they hear that. Jay Maisel is a wise man and his advice to always have your camera with you is very sound. I sure was this night!
Four nights later, Super Storm Sandy came through and as we all know with devastating destruction, changing the lives of many. One of the casualties of Sandy is the River Café. Howard just passed along the word to us that it will be no more. Not only is an unique piece of NYC history gone, but all those who made it so special are now no longer a working family bringing so much delight to so many others.
That evening lives on though, in our minds, our hearts and thank goodness, our photographs. The memories of the friendship, the laughs, the food, the atmosphere and of course the magnificent view can be relived in those images. Yes, I used a D4 and raised the ISO with the 24f1.4 to make the images. Those technical aspects of the photography helped preserve the memories, but only more cleanly, more succinct. But it wasn’t needed because the heart would have filled in any missed detail, brighten any darkness. And that is because photography is all about the recording of memories, which are an emotional response to our daily lives. And perhaps that’s why I shoot do damn much, I am so fortunate to have so many good memories. And as we all know, memories are not perfect which is why stressing over the perfect photograph isn’t important to making it great. Howard & River Cafe and its staff, thanks ever so much for the memories! Photographs, they really serve another very important purpose.
Dec 7, 2012 | Field Reports
I love all aspects of photography…except one. That’s macro photography. I’m really not that good at it. It takes me a whole bunch of time, and I really don’t like sticking my butt up in the air to get a photo! With that said, I’ve been seeing this photograph all week thinking, “This would make another good example for the Share the Season photo contest.” So, after looking at the idea for a week, I finally decided to get the D800 out, attach the 70-180macro (damn fine lens) and go for it.
When I take our dogs out in the morning, the sun hits the frozen drops of water on our Aspens just right. I see all these sparkly, specular highlights dancing on the limbs like Christmas lights. I thought there might be a photograph there so off to capture it I went. Below you can see my first attempt, it goes in the “suck” category but at least you get the picture. So with it being obvious that what I was seeing wasn’t going to translate into what I want you to see (or, I wasn’t going to take the time on a macro shot to make that happen) I went off to see what else there might be. I was as usual looking for light. I needed a darkish background to make the frozen drop come to life. I found one and racked the lens out to 170mm, focused to MFD and moved the whole unit to compose and get sharp. And then the very first thing, the main reason why I hate macro photography, the limb started to move! Up and down, back and forth, yikes! I couldn’t feel a breeze so started to look around to see what was moving the limb. Damn, it was me! I hate that! So I moved to not touch the limb yet still keep my angle of view and background and not get in my own light. Anything has to be easier than macro photography! Well, I ended up with the image after all of that and only deleted 98% of the frames, but it only takes one to tell the story.
And there you have another example for your idea folder for the Share the Season photo contest. We need the image, camera trivia and story along with the photo to enter. I hope to have the website up this weekend and announced on Monday for you!!
Dec 6, 2012 | Field Reports
Oh ya…I’m into this Mac stuff and right now for a limited, you can be to for a few less pennies!
Dec 6, 2012 | Field Reports
I just ordered more prints from them and you’ll see some of mine featured in this piece just. Image Wizards Rocks!
Dec 5, 2012 | Field Reports
Our snow storm this past weekend brought all sorts of ideas to my head to share with you for my Share the Season photo contest (did I tell you I’ve giving away a brand new D600 as the prize?). So I grabbed the D4 and 50f1.4 AFS and rushed outside in the storm. What you see here then us the thought process for creating the final image that would be the one used in the contest (I might just enter myself…kidding). Keep in mind, the story behind the photo is just as important as the photo.
After working to keep the blowing snow off the front element, I made an exposure for the trees more than the snow. What does that mean? I shot with no exposure compensation, I wanted the blacks in the wet tree trunks and branches. With that, I went into ACR and processed normally except I changed the Contrast which I normally never do. I then took that photo in Photoshop and used Silver Efex Pro 2 just like I demo in the videos on the site there. This was all pretty cut and dry stuff. And as it stands, that B&W photo of snow works perfectly for Share the Season photo contest. But I wanted to add a little extra touch.
So I went and created the red ornament and starburst (hard to see in this small version) in Photoshop (plenty of tutorial online how to accomplish this). The only difficult thing for me is deciding where to hang that ornament. It literally took me 20min and lots of “placements” to decide where you see it here. And it might move in the next version. But that’s all part of the contest, sharing how you saw, made and created the photo. Still working on the website for posting so keep shooting! mtc
