by successfulbob | Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education
MOVING STATUARY.
That’s what I call it. The closing party at Imaging USA was graced with models that held different poses while on lit podiums. It was an interesting exercise to try and capture images with the low ambient light and the glowing stands. I was surprised how well the Lumix GX7 performed in these conditions. I cranked up the ISO to 3200 and added a little bit of light with a small LED flashlight for some of these.
Captured as a vertical panorama in very contrasty low light conditions. There was one spot where the model moved during the capture but I was able to fix where the stitching went wrong. No fault of the camera. I was surprised it was able to do as well as it did!
ISO 3200 hand held almost dark room… Black and white preset on camera
ISO 3200 hand held almost dark room… Black and white preset on camera
by successfulbob | black & white, Lumix GH3, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography - art quote, photography education, photography gear, success education
COLOR!! Seems to be the theme for me this week.
Just after I decided to make color the target for my shooting while traveling in Sarasota I came across the quote for today’s conversation by Pete Turner.
“I am steadily surprised that there are so many photographers that reject manipulating reality, as if that was wrong. Change reality! If you don’t find it, invent it!” – Pete Turner
From Pete’s web site – A pioneer of color photography, Pete Turner’s career began during the infancy of color photography, at a time when color was used almost exclusively for commercial purposes. Unlike many contemporaries, Turner embraced color, seizing opportunities that allowed him to master the process and to create the imagery he felt compelled to make. Unconcerned with the labels of “art” or “commercial,” I invite you to take a peek at Pete’s photos before reading more…
Many photographers upon first starting out say things like, “I would never put a filter in front of my lens, that would be cheating!” Or, “You use Photoshop that’s not really a photograph.” They then trot out the example of Ansel Adams as the master of reality and they are trying to emulate him. What these photographers don’t realize is that Ansel Adams was one of the original manipulators of all photographic materials to show the scene the way he wanted people to see it. Think about the Zone System and his altering of exposure and development to get different details into different areas of the negative, not mention dodging and burning in the darkroom that sometimes took days to pull one print he was happy with..
In Ansel Adams An autobiography from 1984 Adams said, “I will always embrace a credo of excellence in craft and vision; both are difficult to maintain. Photographers are composers in a sense, and the negatives are their scores. In the electronic age, I am sure that scanning techniques will be able to achieve prints of extraordinary subtlety from the original negative scores. If I could return in 20 years or so I would hope to see astounding interpretations of my most expressive images. It is true no one could print my negatives as I did, but they might well get more out of them by electronic means. Image quality is not the product of a machine, but of the person who directs the machine, and there are no limits to imagination and expression.” – Link to full article ‘Inspired by Ansel’ on black and white imaging.
Please remember that the camera does not see as the eye sees. Your pupil expands and contracts imperceptibly allowing you to see detail in the darkest shadows and brightest highlights in a wide dynamic scene
So I offer these thoughts to you. Learn as much as you can to understand what is possible in our medium. Practice what you learn so you have it available to use when you need it. Have a vision and work to achieve that vision no matter what tools it takes to create the final image.
We now have cameras that can help fine-tune our images straight out of the camera. I was never one for using camera pre-sets but the technology has come a long way baby! Now you can tweak the settings from many of the in camera art type settings and make them your own. The Lumix GH3 has some wonderful black and white settings. The Lumix GX7 can do all that plus you can now set curves in-camera. It’s a great time to be a creative pushing the envelope with all the new tools at our disposal!!
And, isn’t it interesting that an article that started out about intense color and vision in photography ends with black and white??
Turner uses ‘in your face’ color and Adams uses the complete tonal ranges in black and white to tell their stories. How will use your camera to tell your stories in your images??
by successfulbob | architectural photography, black & white, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge
I kept on walking in spite of the chill night. My black Adobe fleece wrapped tight. Hands alternating buried in the kangaroo pouch on the front trying to keep warm yet continue to have the camera at the ready. Still I walked because scenes like the ones below kept crying out to be immortalized in ones and zeros.
OK maybe a little over-dramatic but when the brain goes into creative mode you start to see beauty in the mundane things you pass every day. Photos captured with the Panasonic Lumix GX7
Light raking down from above add shadows from the peeling paint. Shadows create form and depth. From above it’s a bit like a horror show or impending doom coming your way. Any how it adds interest for me.
LUMIX G VARIO 35-100/F2.8
I liked the juxtaposition of the New Yorker sign tied together with the top of the iconic Empire State Building.
LUMIX G VARIO 35-100/F2.8
Sometime you just gotta look down and fire the camera even if you think it was a mistake. Was it??
LUMIX G VARIO 12-35/F2.8
by successfulbob | architectural photography, black & white, fine art photography, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, panorama, photography
The air had a tinge of exhaust. People were hustling up and down the street like they had somewhere to go. The street was gritty with the remnants of the millions of feet hat had passed this way and that over the years.
And to a small town guy like me, it was almost sensory overload. I guess that’s why I made a lot of my images in high contrast black and white. To capture the scene yet simplify. It just felt right…. Here are a few images. Let me now what you think.
Panoramic image of fellow Lumix Luminary Suzette Allen on the deck behind Javitts Convention Center New York City made with in camera stitching.. Images on this page created with the Lumix GX7.
Almost everywhere you turn there are great combinations of beautiful lines, forms and tones when simplified to Black and White
Traffic zooming by. You can almost feel the breeze of the taxis going by. Listen… Did she yell, “TAXI !!“??
by successfulbob | black & white, Lumix GX7, musician photography, photography
While at La Posada in Winslow I spent a little time at this beautiful little bar with a wonderful bartender named Meaghan. She has a very pleasant and friendly personality and when she showed up with her hair looking a little like a flapper from the 20’s I asked if we could make some photos. With a big smile she said, “Sure!” Here’s one from the series that I’ll probably work into a motion image…. Cheers!
Meaghan, bartender at La Posada resort in Winslow, Arizona
Meanwhile i received a great surprise in another area just off the lobby I found Khent Anantakai playing his guitar. Khent is self taught in the classical style and the music he was playing was fantastic. The sound echoing off the old architecture of the building was exquisite. He said his web site is down at the moment. As soon as it is running again I’ll put a link to his work.
Photos of Khent Anantakai – Navajo classical guitartist.
All three of these photos were made with the Lumix GX7 in Impressive Art mode turned to black and white in camera. I think the high contrast look works with the timeless subjects I was photographing.
