To many photographers, photographic artifacts such as grain, grit, softness, and noise are about as welcome as a rabid Rottweiler. To me, they add texture and intrigue to an image. This article discusses how, after spending several years seeking images of the highest fidelity, I've come full circle and, again, embrace the "texture."
After a week of malady compounded further by the medicine meant to combat it, I finally felt like venturing out of the condo yesterday. Well, maybe I didn't exactly feel like it, but I was beginning to suffer from an opportunistic affliction known as termino morbus. Don't worry, it sounds worse than it actually is. Like all things medical, it's a latin term that, roughly translated, means "closure sickness." Its folksier name is "shutter withdrawal" and, as any obsessive photographer knows, it's an affliction that causes one eye to close and the index finger to flex up-and-down. Without a camera in-hand, such behavior appears "eccentric" at best. Fortunately, I was finally strong enough to carry a camera and, like a newborn fawn (but not nearly as adorable), take my first tentative steps into the great outdoors — even if it was just to the Vancouver Public Library.
My good friend, Dan Timis, passed away yesterday. I was fortunate enough to have worked with Dan on two separate occasions over the last twenty years — at both Opcode Systems and at Muse Research. Dan was a brilliant digital audio programmer, and a very clever fellow. He could see a solution to a problem before many of us even knew that a problem existed. He always had an interesting idea; another angle; or a unique take on a design.
Sometimes a walk is just a walk. Other times (particularly those when you carry a camera), it's a metaphor for everything from the latest financial meltdown to a miserable Vancouver Canucks losing streak.
My discussion of the Panasonic DMC-G1 was originally a four part review. But the fourth post was so long that some people had trouble downloading it. So, I've split Part 4 in half, creating this new "Part 5." It contains my conclusions about the G1's "street" shooting abilities and a (scant) few images.
The nitty gritty. The dirt. The details. Everything you want to know about using the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds DMC-G1 as a "street" camera in a single post... well, OK, "two" posts. The article was so long, it got sectioned into a separate Part 5. Dive in. Enjoy.
After rejecting an SLR, a portable "enthusiast" camera, and a rangefinder film camera, I'm left with only one alternative — micro four thirds. In this article, I discuss the allure of the MFT format and my decision to go there.
In this article, I discuss why a rangefinder is ideal for street shooting and, as such, why a street photographer might actually consider a return to film.
Do you love your SLR? You must not be a "street" photographer. Do you love that little portable enthusiast camera with the faux rangefinder stylings? You, too, must not be a "street" photographer. In this, the first of a five part series, I discuss what I expect from a street photography camera, and why neither the SLR nor the enthusiast cameras have worked for me.
A short, subjective review of the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM with sample images.
Vancouver has recently seen about a foot-and-a-half of snow, and more is falling as I write this. The air is fresh and crisp. The dogs are happy. The trees are enrobed in a shroud of white where, just last month, they were warm in their brightly saturated red, orange, and yellow jackets. Naturally, I couldn't help but take a couple of photos.
A short, subjective review of the Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM with sample images.
