A bit out of the ordinary!!
So I was wandering around on the docks of a small working harbor out here in Tofino, British Columbia and this floated by- it is an gasoline slick on the water. Being the whimsical guy that I am I took a picture, 8 pictures actually and then cranked up the saturation on my computer. Remember, photography is supposed to be fun!
Pics from new camera
I have been out shooting with my new little camera, the NIkon 1 J3) and so far I like it! There are a few oddities- no histogram, ISO is buried in the menu, finding a 40.5mm circular polarizer, finding a case that will work- and a few things I need to get used to- no viewfinder, shooting with live view, tiny controls- but overall it is a camera that is easy to use and it takes very very nice images. I particularly like the 16-35mm ( 35mm equivalent) lens- such a wide lens for such a tiny camera. It is almost like the perspective of a GoPro camera- tiny and wide and able to go places you would never put a full sized camera. This morning at the farm I reached between a cow’s legs and snapped off a few very odd but strangely compelling pictures. Tomorrow I am going to try this when Roger is milking. Four cow feet, Roger, one milker and one straining udder- seems like a perfectly reasonably situation for photography! The photos of the crabapple and lilac blossoms were taken in my yard, handheld and before I had read any of the instructions. I was holding the camera above me head to see how that would work. The stream is Big Branch and is about 3 miles from my house. I got there just as a thunderstorm was starting so I went to the closest place and took a shot I have taken several times before. I used a tripod and the 16mm lens with a polarizer. I plan to go back there tomorrow without the benefit of thunder and lightning. I’ll keep you posted but so far so good!
Come on, People!!!
How long were all of you, my gentle readers, going to remain silent about my nonsense about showing you pictures from my phone? A phone!! A phone is not a camera!!! Yes a phone can take a picture but that is not the definition of a camera to me. A phone is as much of a camera as a hubcap is a frying pan! And you can’t do photography with a phone. You can record a scene in front of you but you can’t photograph it. So why am I going to amazing aquariums and trying to capture the wonder with a phone? Because I’m an idiot! Anybody care to argue with me? Didn’t think so. I’m also indecisive, well I was until last week. I should probably explain. For at least the last couple of years I have been wanting to buy a small camera as an alternative to my giant Nikon D4. Something that is inconspicuous, easy to carry around but still takes good useable pictures and is easy to use. there are many options available- Panasonic Lumix, the Canon G cameras, Sony make really good little cameras, Leica, Fuji and, of course, Nikon. I had a small Panasonic a few years ago but it was so small it was hard to use. I then had a Nikon D5100 which is a real, full sized camera but it never felt comfortable in my hands or in my head. I gave both of them away. Each one of the little cameras has its advantages and disadvantages. I came to realize that there is not the perfect little camera out there. As soon as I found a model I really liked I discovered what I thought was a fatal flaw. I then realized that every camera has a fatal flaw or two and that not all fatal flaws are so fatal. This didn’t help my decision making so much- I went from eliminating every option to embracing every option- thus no decision. This is why I took so many pictures with my phone and why I shared so many of them with you all. Those days are now over! Meet my new little friend! I went with the new Nikon 1 J3. It takes pictures in RAW, does good full HD video, allows me to shoot in aperture priority and has interchangeable lenses. The lens that sold me on this camera was the equivalent of a 16mm lens. Most other little cameras have wide angle lenses that only go to 28mm- I wanted something much wider. I got three lenses to go with the body- the 35mm equivalent of a 16-35, 27-85 and a 27-270. I’m going to take it on my next two big trips to British Columbia and Brazil and will be sharing lots of pictures and thoughts on it. Be happy to know that my days of posting iPhone shots are over. Never again will I resort to that hubcap appliance for photography! Well, almost never. the shots in this blog were taken with my iPhone!
Living Water
A week ago, in between two of my trips I had a chance to actually go out and take some pictures. Didn’t have any purpose in mind other than to be out photographing- the just for fun kind of photography that we all used to do all the time before assignments and contests and projects and competitions got in the way of our enjoyment. Today I had my first chance to look at the pictures- perfectly nice, nothing earth shatteringly spectacular- photos of a stream. What caught my eye as I was editing the images was the variation between images that were taken only moments apart. Not variation of composition or exposure but variation of subject matter- the steam changed dramatically between every shot! Yes I mean dramatically. Where in one image there was water pouring over a rock in the very next one there was none. It changed the composition completely. I include two pairs of images taken seconds apart. Notice how water appears and then disappears, how the stick on the right is mostly hidden and then mostly visible. These are big differences that strongly effect each composition. I prefer the ones with more water coming over the rocks but I gotta say that I didn’t notice the difference at the time, I just shot my usual burst of three or four images and didn’t think about it. I have always known that water surges in steams. Sometimes the surge is on a daily schedule with low water in the morning and higher water in the afternoon, sometimes it is on a temperature schedule- higher temperatures generally mean higher water. but I never fully realized that water in a stream can vary so much moment to moment. It is like the stream had a pulse, a watery rhythm, an energy that flowed and ebbed. I don’t know where such a rhythm comes from or why it happens and I don’t really care to know but I am thrilled to now realize it, to be just a bit more connected to the nature of that stream. What does this mean photographically? I suppose not much. I would suggest though that from now on when you are taking pictures at a stream you should shoot a short burst of images to capture the perfect watery swell or the wanted watery ebb. The water is alive, it has a pulse. Sit and watch for a spell before you take your shots. Who knows what else you might discover?
More Aquarium Photos
Yes I am still here- sorry for my absence. While I haven’t been doing very much serious photography lately, very much of anything actually, I did visit the Monterey Aquarium last week for nothing more than fun. I love aquariums- I consider them houses of wonder and keepers of magic for the other-worldliness of what is found within. Remember, three quarters of the world is underwater, we land dwellers inhabit the minority of space, so there is much to see and much to marvel at under water. I particularly love the soft filtered light, the bizarre forms and textures and the equally bizarre colors of the critters you see in an aquarium. The weird fish, the weirder anemones, and the weirdest I-don’t-now-what-the-heck-it-is I find wondrous and delightful to photograph. I haven’t photographed any of it very well but it sure is fun trying, and trying, and trying. I always seem to have only my iPhone with me when I am in an aquarium- a bit of a double edged sword. I’m glad I have something to take a picture with but the limitations of a camera phone make most photography problematic. This is especially true for close-ups, contrasty situations and any shots that require lots of depth of field. I still try them (because it’s fun) but I am usually disappointed. Here are my latest aquarium photography efforts.If you have an aquarium near where you live go and visit. If you happen to be traveling near one please stop in and find the wonder within. If you are stuck nowhere near an aquarium go to Atlanta or Monterey for any reason you can think of and enjoy yourself. And take your camera!