Re-post October 2011
Shooting at an aperture of 1.4 allows for a very shallow depth of field. It can give your pictures a very unique look. It will also allow you to shoot in very low light. Here is a recent picture taken of the grill of an old GMC truck. The only part of the picture that is in focus is about 1/3 of the “G”.
I don’t shoot HDR (high dynamic range) photography very often anymore. I know some photographers don’t like it because they think they are too “Photoshop” or look fake. I would say that its personal preference. For years people have been manipulating pictures (i.e. Ansel Adams) and to be honest there are probably not too many pictures posted on the internet that haven’t had some editing. I know some will argue but I don’t really see the difference in HDR photography from someone who uses neutral density or graduated filters (i.e. Lee filters).
Even though I don’t shoot many any more, I still find Trey Ratcliff’s shots interesting and inspiring. He also has great comments to go along with his shots. Another photographer, Mark Neal shoots a lot of HDR and is great at discussing his workflow. If you haven’t visited their sites, I would highly recommend you do.
This shot was taken in San Diego. It was September and only weeks before I traded in my Canon 5D Mark II for my Leica M9. My Leica can shoot HDR (can bracket up to 7 shots) and I do from time to time but I’m more interested in shooting people in their daily lives and love the challenge of catching the decisive moment.
I just found this picture I took 6 years ago. I was at the Cleveland Air Show and was using my Canon 5D Mark II and 70-200mm f2.8 with monopod. The sky was obviously not that dark (edited with Photoshop) but the overcast sky is what allowed me to get the shot.
Every couple of months I go through my pictures trying to find ones that I like but forgot about. Today’s picture is one of them.
Last summer I was driving around looking for places to take pictures of and came across this old barn. As I walked towards it, I glanced down and notices these flowers without petals (maybe they weren’t flower, never was very good at botany).
ISO 160 1/4000 f1.4 50mm summilux (ND filter was also used)
If you are ever in Cleveland, OH. Huntington beach is a great place to take pictures at sunset. This was taken 3 years ago.
Re-post June 2011
Since starting this site in May I have not mentioned a whole lot about my self with the exception of having a newborn. I have many enjoyments in life, including spending time with my beautiful wife and daughter, playing basketball, lifting weights, working on computers, photography, and work which consists of fixing peoples ankles and feet. I guess I have to say that I’m very diverse in what I do.
My wife grew up in the country and her father put up a basketball goal in their yard. She never had interest in playing basketball but always watched me throughout high school (yes, we are high school sweethearts). Often times we would go out and shoot baskets for fun. I never thought much about the placement of the basketball goal but it sits out in the middle of a field with a small tree along side it. The solidarity of this structure interested me and thought it would be a great picture opportunity.
I’m typically working on a project or sleeping when I’m on a plane. I decided to put my shade up and was amazed at the beautiful horizon. I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots.
ISO 160 1/125s f/1.4 50mm summilux
Re-post June 2011
I drove into Des Moines tonight for a meeting and thought I would capture some pictures. Des Moines is one of my favorite cities. Since graduating in 2005 from Des Moines University there has been a significant amount of renovation to the downtown area. I love the architecture and it’s always a great place to take pictures.
Iowa’s State Capitol sits on the east side of downtown (immediately behind me in this picture). There is a lot of sidewalks and landscape to its west. It also sits up high in comparison to the remaining downtown which allows for some great cityscapes. Also, I love how Locust street ends in front of the capitol thus allowing for a unique perspective.
This shot was taken at dusk using my Leica M9 and 90mm summarit-m. As Leica owners know, summarit is considered their “affordable” lens (most would disagree). Anyway, I’ve been very happy with its sharpness and have taken many great pictures with it.
Anytime I’m walking around big cities I’m always looking for good reflections. I came across this building with a nice reflection, only thing missing was a dramatic sky.
ISO 250 1/250 50mm
Re-post from July 2011
A few days ago I decided to travel the local country side to look for interesting structures to take pictures of. It was in the middle of the afternoon and is typically the worst time to take pictures because the sun light causes very harsh shadows and typically the camera cannot compensate for the amount of exposure. Besides HDR photography there are other ways to fix this problem. One way is to use a neutral density filter.
Neutral density filters are either colorless or grey and reduce and/or modify the intensity of light without harming color rendition. This allows photographers to shoot in situations that typically wouldn’t allow them. These filters come in different intensities, which allow for different shooting techniques.
I recently purchased B+W ND 3.0 at B & H Photo for my Leica 21mm Elmarit lens. It allows me to shoot in very bright light, thus allowing proper exposure. It can also be used to create a time lapse picture which shows the motion of clouds or objects in front of it. As I was driving around I came across this old school (built in 1896) that appeared to be on its last leg. You can see in the pic, the motion of the clouds in this 4 second exposure.
