Thursday, December 29, 2011
A Couple of Random Thoughts at Year's End
Just finished watching a video "Focus On Your Passion: Tim Mantoani." I'll admit I was doing other chores while watching (or listening to be more accurate). But two things caught my ear: "What is your dream project?" and "Do you have friends that support your work?" I'll be pondering the former over the course of this weekend, though I think I know what it is - working on a new book. And I'm very fortunate in knowing the answer to the latter - YES. LG and I check in every Thursday or Friday on "what artistic or creative step have you taken this week or this evening?" Keeps us focused at least weekly on the creative side of our lives. We call it "Art Night" and I think we've both benefited from it over the year or so we've pursued this simple check-in. Highly recommend it!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Twenty Questions
John Paul Caponigro, a fine art and digital image photographer/workshop leader, has asked a number of famous photographs to answer a series of questions. I thought I would take the same list and answer many of the core questions myself. You can see JPC's Q+A sessions at:
http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/lib/q-and-a/index.php
What's the worst thing about photography?
What's the thing that interests you most about photography?
What's the thing that interests you most about other people's photographs?
Who were your early photographic influences?
Who are your photographic influences now?
Who were your early non-photographic influences?
Who are your non-photographic influences now?
What's the most inspiring work of art you saw recently?
What's the best thing about gear?
What's the worst thing about gear?
How do you know when an image doesn't work?
How do you know when an image is good?
How do you know when an image is great?
Do you practice another art form? (If so, which?)
What benefits do you get from (this/these) other art form/s?
What was the most significant visual moment in your life?
Which was the most important image to you that got away?
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Leading photography workshops for adults and children - passing on knowledge and learning from others.
What's the thing you most hope to accomplish?
If you had to do it all over again, what would you change?
If you had another life to live a completely different life, what would you choose to do?
http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/lib/q-and-a/index.php
What's the best thing about photography?
Rendering an emotion in two dimensions.
What's the worst thing about photography?
Taking and editing hundreds if not thousands of shots to find just the right ones - the ones the convey meaning, emotion and technical skill.
What's the thing that interests you most about photography?
The relative simplicity of the medium - mostly visual rather than technical.
What's the thing that interests you most about your own photographs?
How I've gone from f64 sharpness to fluidity and motion and emotion.
What's the thing that interests you most about other people's photographs?
Nearly the same place, nearly the same time, totally different images.
Who were your early photographic influences?
Ansel Adams, Ernest Haas.
Who are your photographic influences now?
Doug Beasley, Nevada Wier, John Paul Caponigro, Joel Meyerowitz
Who were your early non-photographic influences?
My dad (a violinist), Picasso, Bach, Monet
Who are your non-photographic influences now?
Artist friends, Arvo Part, pipe organs, religious rituals, all things Celtic, the Tango (music and dance), and still Monet (Water Lillies).
What's the most inspiring work of art you saw recently?
A series of ocean horizon shots appearing in National Geographic magazine. So unlike NG. And a photo spread on Cate Blachett in the NY Times Style Magazine. So unlike ME.
What's the best thing about gear?
Amazing options for turning one's vision into reality.
What's the worst thing about gear?
Too many options, buttons and dials for turning one's vision into reality.
How do you know when an image doesn't work?
Bland, no connection, boring, "next photo please"
How do you know when an image is good?
A quick smile, expectations met
How do you know when an image is great?
I shot that?!?!? A gut feel - several times over - that this is something special, different, worthy.
Do you practice another art form? (If so, which?)
Writing, concertina, keyboards and occasionally the hammered dulcimer.
What benefits do you get from (this/these) other art form/s?
Writing - thoughts; playing music - muscle memory, relaxation, spacing out
What was the most significant visual moment in your life?
An hour or two spent in the remodeled Orangerie in Paris, gazing at Monet's Water Lilies - perfection in art and perfection in interior architecture - visually stunning, yet contemplative, moving. And a great venue for creative photography as well.
Which was the most important image to you that got away?
Recently in Jaipur, India, at the Amber Fort. A young woman, perfect light, split second decisions, and out-of-focus images where they needed to be tac-sharp. Too many buttons and settings. Oh, well, I still remember her and the setting and the light.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Leading photography workshops for adults and children - passing on knowledge and learning from others.
What's the thing you most hope to accomplish?
Inspiring others - whether photographically or in life.
If you had to do it all over again, what would you change?
Given that we are the sum of our experiences, I probably wouldn't change much. Well, maybe discovering sushi and razor clams earlier in life!
If you had another life to live a completely different life, what would you choose to do?
A photography instructor and travel photo group leader; maybe as an Episcopal (married) Jesuit!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Range of Focal Lengths
My favorite lens is a Nikon 18-200 wide-angle-to-telephone zoom. Its not the fastest lens in the world, but with vibration reduction it manages to work in most situations. But not all. A faster lens would have helped in a few instances while in India for sure. But there's no such thing as a fast extreme zoom. I would have to switch to two lenses - probably 18-70 and 80-200 or so - to achieve the same range and speed things up (and weigh things down - fast zooms are heavy). And switching lenses, especially outdoors in the dust of India, would have had its own series of problems.
So before I made any drastic decisions, I looked at what focal lengths I used while in India. I choose the first 667 shots (out of 1950 or so) and, checking the metadata in Adobe Lightroom, plotted out the focal lengths of all shots and then my "*****" favorite shots (28 out of 1950). The results:
All *****
18-30 17% 18%
31-40 13% 14%
41-50 10% 7%
51-60 10% 0
61-70 8% 7%
71-80 3% 4%
81-90 3% 4%
91-100 3% 7%
101-110 2% 0
111-120 3% 7%
121-130 2% 7%
131-190 7% 0 (few shots taken in this range)
191-200 18% 21%
Over half of the photographs were taken between 18-70mm (27-105 given the size of my digital sensor on the Nikon D300). BUT then there were those 18-21% shot at 200mm. Changing lenses would definitely have been a drawback in an active environmental like the Pushkar Mela. I noted that as I recorded the data, I would jump from 18mm to 50mm back to 18mm and then to 200mm in consecutive shots. So changing lenses would likely have resulted in missed opportunities. On the other hand, with a faster lens with even higher quality glass, I may also have had some * and ** shots turn into **** and ***** ones.
While a time consuming exercise, I think it was worth it to get an understanding of how I use my lens - and that the use covers the full focal length range of the lens. That doesn't mean I won't consider a faster lens, probably covering the wide-angle to normal (18-70) range; it just means that when I'm in an active festival-oriented environment, I'll probably stick with the trusty 18-200 model for quick response to changing circumstances.
You might want to do the same exercise to see how you use your zoom lenses, especially before buying something new.
So before I made any drastic decisions, I looked at what focal lengths I used while in India. I choose the first 667 shots (out of 1950 or so) and, checking the metadata in Adobe Lightroom, plotted out the focal lengths of all shots and then my "*****" favorite shots (28 out of 1950). The results:
All *****
18-30 17% 18%
31-40 13% 14%
41-50 10% 7%
51-60 10% 0
61-70 8% 7%
71-80 3% 4%
81-90 3% 4%
91-100 3% 7%
101-110 2% 0
111-120 3% 7%
121-130 2% 7%
131-190 7% 0 (few shots taken in this range)
191-200 18% 21%
Over half of the photographs were taken between 18-70mm (27-105 given the size of my digital sensor on the Nikon D300). BUT then there were those 18-21% shot at 200mm. Changing lenses would definitely have been a drawback in an active environmental like the Pushkar Mela. I noted that as I recorded the data, I would jump from 18mm to 50mm back to 18mm and then to 200mm in consecutive shots. So changing lenses would likely have resulted in missed opportunities. On the other hand, with a faster lens with even higher quality glass, I may also have had some * and ** shots turn into **** and ***** ones.
While a time consuming exercise, I think it was worth it to get an understanding of how I use my lens - and that the use covers the full focal length range of the lens. That doesn't mean I won't consider a faster lens, probably covering the wide-angle to normal (18-70) range; it just means that when I'm in an active festival-oriented environment, I'll probably stick with the trusty 18-200 model for quick response to changing circumstances.
You might want to do the same exercise to see how you use your zoom lenses, especially before buying something new.
Monday, December 5, 2011
All Things Raj
Finally coming down from an uplifting and overwhelming experience twelve times zones away - two weeks in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Half the time was spent in the chaos of Pushkar during the Pushkar Mela (camel fair and Hindu pilgrimage); the other half a slower-paced exploration of the amber, blue and pink fort towns of the Raj. Photo opportunities galore among the coughing, smiles, dust, joyousness, blaring loudspeakers, intimate encounters (no, NOT that kind), crowds, majesty, poverty, bubbas and sadhus, a/c vans, auto rickshaws, dogs and cows that make up just a portion of the experience that is India. You really can't prepare yourself for it; you just plunge in and take it as it comes - and it will come and blow you away.
Some 2000 photos later, it's clear to me that my photography headed in yet a new direction compared to past journeys. More people, less landscapes. And more up-close-and-personal photos. Personal space is not much of an issue in crowded India; and few mind if you take their photography, even close-up. It still takes a while for this Westerner to get close and not feel as an intruder. But that's the luxury of 7 days in one town - overcoming personal resistance and taking photography - and interpersonal interactions - to the next level.
Some 2000 photos later, it's clear to me that my photography headed in yet a new direction compared to past journeys. More people, less landscapes. And more up-close-and-personal photos. Personal space is not much of an issue in crowded India; and few mind if you take their photography, even close-up. It still takes a while for this Westerner to get close and not feel as an intruder. But that's the luxury of 7 days in one town - overcoming personal resistance and taking photography - and interpersonal interactions - to the next level.
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