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The Leica M9 for Fashion by Simon Lipman

essay, Guest Post, Leica, News, User Reports 56 Responses »

Feb 172012

The Leica M9 for Fashion by Simon Lipman

from Steve: I always enjoy seeing when others are using the Leica M series in professional situations. If I had $2 for every time someone e-mailed me saying it is not possible or feasible to shoot the M9 for pro work I’d have some serious cash sitting in my bank account. I found the photos here from Simon to be pretty damn beautiful, hope you enjoy the post!

Simon’s Website

My name is Simon and I’m a UK-based editorial and fashion photographer.

I wanted to share with you a little insight, something that I think is somewhat relevant to you and your audience. After beginning my career shooting with a Hasselblad and digital back (I was one of the last generation of ‘film’ assistants, and was therefore very keen to add some soul to my shooting!), I finally succumbed to using the dreaded ”C” word – Canon, making working life a little easier, quicker, more stable and a whole host more reasons.

Then came the day that an old boss of mine lent me his M9. I fell head over heals in love. As countless others have and still do before me, I drooled over internet sites with nothing short of obsession!! I had to make it mine. Fortunately for me, i had a tax break – and my chance! I ordered my M9-P!!

Since then I have tried to use it wherever possible, on as many jobs as possible – usually finding my opportunities during editorials - free of commercial and creative restraint. Something special happens, not only with the results, but between the photographer and the subject. Many say the same – in their own fields, now I was finding it shooting fashion. After spending years turning up to shoots with countless Pelican cases and equipment bags, i was now arriving with a tiny bag with a Macbook Air, and the M9 with three Cron lenses, a reflector and NOTHING else!!! It was, and still is a dream.

The M9 is often (quite rightly so) labelled as a documentary / journalism camera. And indeed it excels at that. I often use it for my personal work. However, when researching the camera, there seemed to be a lack of photographers using the M9 for fashion! I’m here to say otherwise – it is the perfect fashion / portrait camera. There is no end to what I could say, but with your permission, I’d love to send you some of what i have shot with it!

Your reviews of the M9 greatly influenced me when looking into buying this system and it has in no way disappointed… Indeed, it has exceeded my expectations in every way!! Keep up the good work…

Simon

Unloading The Baggage by Eric Carlson

essay, Leica, User Reports 105 Responses »

Feb 162012

Unloading the Baggage

By Eric Carlson

In January, I said “Bon Voyage” to my Nikon gear: a D700, 17-35mm f/2.8, 135mm f/2 DC, and 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6. It was my Nikon “dream team”– a kit that I had lusted after for several years. Yet, it seemed as though the larger my setup grew, the less inspired and passionate I was about photography. As an aspiring wedding and portrait photographer, I found this a little unnerving. I can’t imagine the thought of pursuing anything but photography for the rest of my life… yet I was faced with a dilemma. In the weeks following the surfacing of these emotions, I did a quite a bit of soul-searching, and gave it a lot of thought. At last, I came to the conclusion: it wasn’t my love for photography that had changed, but rather, my feelings towards the tools of my trade.

Now, I’m not one of those sadomasochists that relishes and delights in pain. I didn’t particularly enjoy the sore neck or blisters I’d get on my hands after a full day of shooting with the Nikon D700. I resented the fact that, after devoting many hours to reading the instruction manual and months of using the camera on a daily basis, I still couldn’t “consistently” navigate my way through Nikon’s dense, over-saturated menus. I was disconnected from the photographic process, and I began to feel as though (and please excuse the cliché here) I was taking pictures instead of “making” photographs. I missed the sense of empowerment, the nostalgia, that using an M-system camera has to offer.

I’ve always believed that if you’re unhappy with something, you should take the necessary steps to change it, and so I did. That’s not to say I didn’t have my reservations; I was most certainly apprehensive about the transition to a different system -a different breed- of camera. While I had experience with the Leica M4 and M5, I had only brief exposure to a digital M, as my dad had purchased an M8 on Ebay, and he had graciously let me borrow it for a couple of weeks. Needless to say, it was love at first sight, and this trial period with the M9′s older brother prompted me to ditch my complicated brick of a camera in exchange for pure simplicity and functionality. I listed everything on Ebay, and it sold quickly– a week later, I had my M9.

There’s very little I can say about the M9 that hasn’t been said already, but one thing is for certain… it has reaffirmed my passion for photography, and I simply won’t leave home without it. We all know how fleeting time is, and how quickly those “decisive moments” come and go– in the blink of an eye. Countless times I’ve missed a photo-op because I left my cumbersome kit in the car or at home. I’m happy to say, those days are over.

Eric Carlson

The Nikon V1 in Vietnam by Colin Steel

essay, Featured, follow ups, Mirrorless, Nikon, Tips & Tricks, Travel 62 Responses »

Feb 152012

The Nikon V1 in Vietnam by Colin Steel

See his blog HERE and his past report with the V1 HERE

Part 1 – The V1 Vietnam Experience

Hey fellow photo travel folks, I just got back today from a five-day trip to Central Vietnam with my good mates Melvin & Adrian from Singapore Trekkers and I wanted to share some photos and early thoughts on both the locations and the equipment I used. As someone who was brought up during the Vietnam war, I have vivid memories of the nightly news reports, the protests, the music and the horror of what seemed at the time like a never ending drama. I was also immersed in the cultural events that followed it through the many movies that it spawned, Apocalypse Now, Platoon etc. For that reason the country has always held a certain fascination for me and many of the place names conjured up memories from newsreels, movies, photos and newspaper articles; China Beach, Red Beach, Hue, Da Nang and so on. I have visited the country many times before but mainly in the North and have only visited the South a couple of times so I decided to put that right on this trip which centered on two main locations; the ancient capital of Hue and the trading port of Hoi An.

These two locations are very different with Hue having been the scene of a major battle in the Tet offensive and Hoi An being a Unesco preservation site and very unique historical location. Unfortunately, as a result of the conflict at Hue much of the ancient city was destroyed however its still possible to visit the remaining parts of the Citadel and Khai Dinh’s tomb. Hoi An on the other hand has a small but nicely preserved old town and a lovely traditional market which is fresh with smell of herbs and flowers if you go early in the morning (and of course the stink of fish) It’s great to go before the sun comes up as you will catch the towns people awakening and starting their day.

Interestingly, I found the people in Central Vietnam and Hoi An in particular to be more friendly to photographers and, as usual, you just need to buy some fruit or a little craft and they will be very happy for you to shoot away. I bought some delicious fruit from the lady below for around 50 cents and we had a good laugh together at the staged model shoot that was going on across the road into the bargain.

So lets have a look at the photographic and travel experience with some comments on the V1 kit thrown in. As you will recall from my travel prep post for this trip, I decided to take the smallest and lightest kit I have which consists of the Nikon V1, 10, 10-30, 30-110 lenses and the little flash unit. I did cheat though and also took the FT1 adaptor and my favorite Nikkor 50 mm f1.4 which becomes a very handy, fast portrait lens on the V1′s 2.7 crop sensor and, although I didn’t use it much, the results are rather nice as seen in the opening shot above. Incidentally, all of the photos used on here were processed on the fly using the amazing little Nik Snapseed App as I have never bothered to learn photoshop and have a strong aversion to sitting behind a screen editing photos. I love the simplicity of the app and its lightening quick in use on an ipad, its a perfect match for lightweight travel use.

The V1 in Use

Make no mistake, this is not a D3 (maybe that should be D4 or D800) replacement but it is a damn fine little camera which is capable of extremely good results if you watch out for a couple of handling quirks and employ good camera handling craft. Let’s look at its so-called Achilles heel; its small sensor and low light capabilities.

Much has been made of the limitations of this sensor and of course the files from it wont stand up against the pro body D3 ones for example but for me much of this argument depends on what you want to do with the photos you take. For example, most of my photos end up on the internet on this blog and I very rarely print bigger than A3 and more usually at A4 size. The V1 is fine for this kind of use.

I shot the photos in this sequence inside the magnificent Marble Mountain shrine near Hoi An. This is a huge cavern which, at around 10:30 to 11 a.m. has some fantastic shafts of light that enter through three or four holes in the upper part of the cave. About half way up the cave wall there is a large Buddha carving and there are several little arched shrines on the floor level. I have been here before and the trick is to wait for a local worshiper to come in for prayer as they will light some incense sticks as part of their prayer ritual and, as we all know, shafts of light and smoke makes for intriguing photo possibilities. The nun praying above was an added bonus, she was visiting with friends and in return for some Polaroid snaps was delighted to pose praying in one of the shafts of light. These are great little photographic moments that can’t be planned and are all the better for that.

I took the shot below from over the shoulder of one of the guardian statues at the entrance to try to give a better perspective on what the overall scene looks like. You can see quite clearly how the shafts come down across the Buddha and in front of the little shrine where the devotees will pray.

All of the shots from the cavern are taken with the tiny 10 mm lens which has become a firm favorite of mine on the V1. It’s currently the fastest Nikon 1 system Lens at f2.8 and although that’s not exactly a light gatherer, it works well enough wide open and, coupled with the lack of mirror movement, its possible to use at very low shutter speeds and I think most of this sequence were shot at around ISO 800 as a result. The key to this kind of shooting is to get the camera steady through controlled breathing, a light but firm hold with the viewfinder against your eye and snapping of a short burst of 5-6 shots which is where the V1 excels with its rapid shooting capabilities. As I said, have no fear of the f2.8 aperture as its sharp wide open and this is where one of the other V1 criticisms’ actually becomes a benefit, the DoF effect of the small sensor will work in your favor.

I particularly like the negative, black space in this photograph of the nun because of the way it isolates the subject. I wasn’t able to get the shafts of light right but the exposure is pretty good on the skin considering the harsh contrast and the dappled shadows work rather well. The V1 meter also did a decent job on this but I added around 0.7 negative compensation which also helped with keeping the shot sharp and maintained the features.

Here’s a final low light shot taken at the Thu Bon riverside in Hoi An. Hoi An is famous for its lanterns and they are made locally in the shops in the old town. Given this theme, little kids have a thriving industry selling little paper candle lanterns that are designed to be floated down the Thu Bon accompanied by a wish. The kids are charming and its hard to resist the exchange of spending 50 cents in return for a photo. The fun of it is that another bunch of kids wait a little downriver to snatch the lanterns out for recycling and resale !! You will no doubt notice that this photo is a bit more colorful, this is nothing to do with the V1, it’s simply that I liked the desaturated look for the low light cavern and early morning shots, just my choice I am afraid

Here’s a more colorful reflection shot to balance things up. This is taken at the small stream that flows under the Japanese bridge in the town centre. The bridge is nice but tricky to photograph as it generally has a large number of tourists on it. One thing to watch out for with Snapseed is that it can start to introduce noise in certain situations and I can certainly see it creeping in on the bottom right of this shot. This is nothing to do with the V1 sensor and this kind of shot would have been better dealt with in Lightroom or a similar more powerful editing software.

I mentioned some of the V1′s handling quirks and I explored a few of them with some suggested fixes in my Myanmar part 2 blog posting. One more worrying one that I have now found very irritating is the tendency for the small aperture adjustment lever/button to change to smaller apertures due to the holding point for your thumb. The button works by shutting down aperture with an upward push and its pretty sensitive. The effect is that while shooting your thumb pressure on the grip will move the button enough to inadvertently shut the lens down on you and this is fatal in the kind of low light shooting situations I mentioned above. There is no fix for this and you just need to be very vigilant, I found myself shooting at f 16 a couple of times and had no idea what had happened. To be honest, this is not good enough and its pretty ridiculous that you have to be sticking gaffer tape on a camera anyway. Nikon have been in the game long enough to know how to design a camera decently and I am afraid it doesn’t show in some of the design characteristics of the V1. The aperture issue was pointed out by nearly every reviewer of the camera and it makes you wonder how it was use tested before launch.

Having got that gripe out of the way lets finish up this first part of the post on a more positive note. Here is a very nice portrait taken in the Citadel at Hue, I really like the way the V1 captured the light and colors.

Well that’s it for this taster on Central Vietnam, I have been traveling all day and am pretty much out of it now. Stay tuned over the next few days and I will post a further series of articles on this trip including a more specific look at Hue and Hoi An locations including some of the many fishing villages along the Thu Bon river.

Colin Steele – See his blog HERE

The Nikon V1 is available at B&H Photo and Amazon

From Leica 3A to X1 – a 51 Year Journey by John Shingleton

essay, Featured, film, follow ups, Guest Post, Inspiration, Leica, Travel, User Reports 32 Responses »

Feb 132012

From Leica 3A to X1 – a 51 Year Journey by John Shingleton

John’s Blog: http://therollingroad.blogspot.com/

Twelve months ago I purchased a Leica X-1.It was an impulse purchase and the latest step in a 51 year journey.

Way back in 1960 when I was just 14 my high school biology teacher started a school camera club.At the inaugural meeting he handed around his Leica-I believe it was a Leica 2–and prints from his 1930s travels in India and Burma.From the moment I handled that jewel of a camera and saw the pictures it produced I was hooked– I had to have a Leica.

It took me 7 years to achieve my ambition–a 30 year old Leica 3A –with F2.8 Elmar lens, lens hood, accesory brightline viewfinder and Leica neckstrap- purchased for $35 in1967. The thought of purchasing a 30 year old camera today other than as a collectable item seems absurd but progress was much slower then and a 3A was still regarded as a serious working /hobby camera although the Japanese SLRs ,particularly the Asahi Pentax Spotmatic ,were making rapid inroads into the market .

The 3A served me very well for about ten years before I stood it down and purchased one of the fashionable Japanese SLRs–an Olympus OM-2.I kept the 3A and still have it — complete with accesories–although I have not put a film through it for over 30 years.

In the years since I have taken tens of thousand of photos all over the world.I have won competitions and even a few useful prizes. I had a home darkroom, I have done black and white printing and even dabbled in Cibachrome ( reversal color) printing which was both difficult and expensive and even for reasons which I have long forgotten I home processed color slide film. I have owned a few Leicas and Leica lenses but my relationship with Leica was not monogomous. I owned an Olympus OM outfit and later a Canon EOS outfit .But I have never been a “photo gearhead” . In 52 years I have only owned 11 cameras. I used my M6 for 18 years .My interest has primarily been in taking photos not in collecting gear.

I particularly liked Leicas because of their precision almost watchlike feel , the fact that they were rangefinder cameras and above all for their magic lenses which had and I believe still do have a unique quality .

I was an early adopter of digital and acquired a film scanner in 1997 and I won an early Kodak digital camera in a photo competition in 2000 . My first serious digital photos were taken with a Leica Digilux 1 which I acquired in 2003 .This is an odd camera which takes surprisingly good photos even by today’s standards. I have recently revived it and the images have really surprised me .

In 2006 I purchased the then newly launched Canon G7 as a “point and shoot” camera and its capabilities and its compactness convinced me that compact was the way to go . My days of carrying around a big bag of gear were over . Besides anything else I was just getting too old for all that weight and airport security checks were becoming very difficult .

I also had a new passion -old Porsches — and I was restoring a 1971 911. I was “over”analogue photography so I sold most of my gear including my lovely Leica M6 outfit and ploughed the money into the Porsche restoration.

I kept a watching eye on the world of Leica but from a distance. I was not impressed with the M8 and that crop factor and it confirmed for me that I had made the right decision to sell my outfit when I had .

When the X-1 was announced I handled one at a Leica dealer in Sydney and came way seriously underwhelmed . I thought that it was overpriced ,very plasticky and lacked that Leica feel although I was impressed by its simple controls and what I had seen of its image quality in reviews although these same reviews were very luke warm about other aspects of the camera

I decided that I was quite happy with my little Canon but then in July 2010 I visited an old friend and serious Leica enthusiast at his home in Italy. He had an M9. It was gorgeous and I loved the feel of it and the solidity and the simplicity of the controls. It stirred old enthusiasms .

In January of last year I was in Auckland,NZ, when I saw the then newly announced black X-1 in the window of a camera dealer . My Leica M6 had been black. I could not afford an M9 and anyway “compact ” was now my mantra so I decided to set aside my misgivings and buy myself a black X-1 and to rejoin the Leica world . It was a rash, hasty decision.

My longstanding and expert Leica dealer in Adelaide, South Australia , found one for me immediately and it arrived in the post in the first week of February . It did not work out of the box . The silly pop up flash unit would not retract.To say that I was annoyed would be a major understatement. I had spent $2000 on this camera which I had major doubts about and it arrived in this ridiculous over the top packaging with a note signed by the quality control manager and it was defective. Shame on you Leica.

To cut a long story short Leica did not have the parts available to repair a black X-1 and black new cameras were on back order so I ended up with a replacement silver model after a few weeks . Not an auspicious start -particularly as I had already purchased a black Voigtlander optical viewfinder .

The first few weeks with the replacement camera were awful . I found the fixed focal length lens even more limiting than I had feared . The camera took beautiful images but it was slow and I was very nervous using it as I felt that it was fragile . I was beginning to think that maybe I had made a major mistake and then I started reading the Leica X-1 forums which were overwhelmingly negative and I was soon convinced that I had made a major mistake!

I seriously considered selling it on e-bay. In April I went for two weeks travelling in Vietnam and took it with me . I took some great photos on that trip but I was still struggling with it and undecided as to whether to keep it. Gradually I turned around . I took it on a trip to Europe in July and to the US and Canada in September and I came back with more great photos -some arguably as good as I have ever taken. It stayed. Now I love its strengths but still hate its defects. I still worry that it is fragile . But the lens/sensor combination is superb . The IQ is brilliant but it falls down in so many areas you really do have to be a mellow, understanding and committed Leica enthusiast to live with it and I do not believe that is who it was designed for .

Would I recommend the X-1? Not an academic question as I was stopped when I was using it on the street in Chicago in September by a man who said his daughter was graduating from college and wanted an X-1 as a graduation present -would I recommend it? I gave a highly qualified “yes”. I hope that he was not too confused.

So there you have my 51 year Leica journey .From Leica 3A to Leica X-1.

As for my X-1 photos I have always taken what interests me . I now put some of them up on my blog and what you see here is a small selection .The first two very neatly link the 3A and the X-1 . The first was taken in 1974 on the 3A on Kodak Tri-X film and home processed and shows my wife and daughter. The second is that daughter’s daughter taken with the X-1 in 2011. Three generations taken on two Leicas arguably three generations apart. The others are some of the output from the X-1in its first 12 months.

John Shingleton

http://therollingroad.blogspot.com/

From Steve: Want to share an article with the tens of thousands of readers who visit this site every day? Send an e-mail to me HERE and let me know your idea! My goal when I started this site was to hopefully one day have a community of passionate photographers who could share their stories, photos, techniques and inspirations and that goal is finally being accomplished thanks to all of the amazing readers here on this site.

The Sony NEX-7 with Zeiss ZM Leica Mount Lenses by Dirk De Paepe

essay, follow ups, Guest Post, Just for fun, Leica, News, User Reports, Zeiss 37 Responses »

Feb 102012

USER REPORT: The Sony Nex-7 with Zeiss ZM lenses.

By Dirk De Paepe

Hello Steve,

First of all, I’m not a photographer. I’m a publisher (living in Belgium, so pardon my English language mistakes) of a trade magazine for the music business (that’s really a niche market). Besides that, I’m a photography enthusiast for more than 50 years, since my late father (who was nothing more than an enthusiast himself) learned me how to shoot with a Zeiss Ikon. Beside that, I never had any photography education what so ever. My education was music, and maybe (I hope) I got a sense of aesthetics from there.

Because I wrote some comments to some articles on your website before, maybe you know that I love your site very much, because of your real life and “human” approach that really appeals to me.

The reason why I write you this time is double. First of all, I use the Sony Nex-7 (one of the most anticipated camera’s of the last year) now for quite some time, since December 30 to be precise. And I think that I’m probably (one of) the prototype(s) of the Nex-7 user: a real enthusiast who wants to enjoy shooting pictures as much as possible.

Second reason is that I’m also a huge Carl Zeiss fan. And with the Novoflex adaptor, I can use my ZM lenses on the NEX-7 body. I use three lenses: the Biogon 2,8/28 ZM, the Planar 2/50 ZM and the Tele-Tessar 4/85 ZM. When I bought my previous camera, a NEX-5, it came with the Sony E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS. I’m keeping this lens, because of its 200mm capability, but I have to say that up till now, I never felt the need to use it, because I find shooting with the Zeiss glass to be so much more fun!

Why am I not a Leica fan? Well, in fact I am, but more in the sence that the Leica M9-P is my dream camera. But it’s simply to expensive for my kind of use. It’s simply not justifiable. So I guess it will remain a dream. But hey, isn’t it nice to have a dream?!!

In my opinion a photography enthusiast is somebody who’s not taking pictures as a profession (although in my job I regularly use my own pictures), as such he doesn’t take as many pictures as a pro, but he nevertheless tries to use his equipment to the fullest and is always looking for the best possible shot. So he’s definitely not a point and shoot photographer. We both now that many of your site visitors are enthusiasts, so what I write about my NEX-7/Zeiss ZM experience is probably very relevant to many of them. When I look at the “Daily Inspiration” publications on your site, sometimes I see pictures that really “Waw!” me. They are shot by great pro photographers, who can do things with their camera that I simply can’t. Maybe they shoot in better light circumstances, most likely they know better how to process the image afterwords and surely they use different material (the Leica M9 sensor for instance is clearly superior to the NEX’s). Not to forget that they developed “a better eye” than most enthusiast ever will. So many of your site visitors will, like me, never be able to reach that level. The more relevant I guess it is, to see what an average, but nevertheless serious enthusiast can realize with this material.

I know you did some testing of the NEX-7 with Leica glass, but honestly, I don’t think that this combination is really relevant for enthusiasts. When I’d want to spend that kind of money for my lenses, I wouldn’t doubt for a second to by an M9. But I simply can’t justify to spend Leica kind of money for my “on the road” camera. Nevertheless the idea is good: the NEX body can easily work with M-mount lenses. To me it’s almost as if the NEX-7 was conceived to be used with M-mount glass. And luckily there are other brands then Leica that make this glass for a considerably lower cost. Amongst them, Zeiss has always been my favorite, being of the same brand as that fabulous first camera of mine, a Zeis Ikon Ikonta C, that shot so unbelievably sharp on 90x60mm film, although it had no light meter, and no focus system what so ever. But it learned you right away what the technique of photographing was really all about…

From a budget point of view the combination of NEX-7 with Zeiss ZM lenses is about the best one can get. And I know that in some circumstances there is a magenta color shift on the NEX-7 with M-mount glass. But really, when I consider that I just took shots as always, I must say that as far as now, it has never bothered me. And I even shot the Biogon wide open sometimes. But, probably like many enthusiasts, I don’t ALWAYS shote wide open. I recently visited the NAMM show, a big music trade show in Anaheim, CA, for my job and took quite some pictures there for our publication and just for fun. (Unfortunately the skies were grey during our visit.) When I shoot the exposition booth of our clients, it’s important that one can see as much as possible, so the DOF must be as large as possible. Also when I want to give a general impression of the fair, I think one must see as much as possible. In those pictures, my goal is probably different of yours. When I want to paint the atmosphere – I don’t want to focus on only one particular detail, but I need to show everything that’s going on there. This is important for our readers and our clients as well. Coming from that background, I always have been oriented towards an as large as possible DOF, with as much as possible detail. And that’s where the Zeiss lenses (in my opinion) outshine.

It’s only since buying the NEX-7 and finding the SteveHuffPhoto website, that I also targeted towards shallow DOF and that I tried to achieve this very beautiful 3D effect, just for fun. How come? Well it’s undoubtedly thanks to the NEX-7/Zeiss combination. To me the camera size and weight is perfect. I can have it around my neck permanently, without being bothered by it in the slightest way. Yet it’s just a little bit bigger than the NEX-5, that a found just too small to be practical. And of course the wonderful view finder (I NEVER AGAIN want to shoot with a camera without view finder!) and the extra control knobs make it such a tremendous joy to work with. I have never shot that much pictures just for fun! I can do everything manually again, but now in a very easy and smooth way. And this brings me the real joy of photographing.

You know, I’m an enthusiast. My goal is not to shoot “The Picture of The Year”. My goal is to enjoy shooting pictures, and at the same time trying to take nice pictures and to continue improving. The NEX-7 gave me already so much more inspiration and ideas to improve my photographic skills, mainly about where to look at while focussing, and how to do this fast. I believe that if one is really trained in manual focussing, he will focus almost as fast as an automatic focussing system, surely when using the ingenious focus peaking, and a good lens like the Zeiss ZM. The focus peaking allows you to immediately and purposefully focus on any point in the view finder. In my opinion (correct me if I’m wrong) this beats any automatic focussing system – surely in joy of use (and remember, that’s my #1 motivation!). To me this opened a new world. Where I used to really take time for every shot, thinking about DOF, pointing, focussing, holding the release knob half ways and reframing, I now enjoy instant shooting, but still framing and focussing in the best possible way. Only now I can do this instantly. What a joy! Many of you will think that it’s pretty remarkable that I only begin to shoot in this way in my late fifties, but hey, I’m just an enthusiast! Of course, shallow depth of field is something I’ve known for whole my life. But I never achieved it in my pictures so much until recently. Nevertheless, I don’t get why anyone would ALWAYS want to achieve THE MOST shallow DOF possible. Sometimes, like in my waitress picture, I want it to be 3D with a shallow background, but I believe it’s better for the atmosphere of the picture to still have some notice of the surroundings, instead off just having some light stains “to make a nice bouquet”.

Do I have other remarks on the NEX-7? Yes. Well, everybody must communicate to Sony that in a future software update, they must provide that the camera can stay in standby while hanging around your neck. “Waking it up” by touching the release knob seems a good idea to me. When I’m out to take fast shots, I’d want it in the on-position all the time. Now this drains the battery in a few hours time. (I measured around 3.5 hours, but maybe that depends on the light circumstances.) Luckily, the battery is small and I have three of them, thanks to my NEX-5. So it’s not a big deal to me. But still…

And yes, I sometimes accidentally start filming. So I delete those. That’s about it guys, and it really doesn’t spoil my joy of using this camera. For the rest, the balance and the feel of the camera is superb. And with the ZM lenses on it, my hand just doesn’t get tired. Ever!

Do I have other remarks on the Zeiss ZM lenses? No. I’m utterly pleased by them. They are sharp, nice bouquet, great 3D, fairly lightweight (without feeling cheap), so easy to use, beautiful and offer the best quality for the money, by far. I told you, I’m a fifty year Zeiss fan. I’m probably not the most objective person, when it comes to Zeiss (after a love of 50 years, who can blame me), but you know, I’m no photography reporter, nor a professional photographer, so I think I can permit me more…

Do I have special comments on the NEX-7/Zeiss ZM combination? Yes. To work with, it’s just a perfect combination. The joy of use is tremendous. Never experienced that in my 50 years of shooting! (I owned more than 10 different camera’s.) Also, the price is right. Lenses and body “play in the same league”. They seem to be meant for one another.

And then there is the magenta color shift. I can’t deny that it’s there. It is. Sometimes. Very rarely in my use. And only with the Biogon. With large aperture. But even then not always, or not noticeable. And when it appears, sometimes it’s only very slightly. Which doesn’t bother me. You know I don’t shoot wide open all the time. From the about 1000 pictures I took up till now, the magenta really bothered me only a very few times – two or maybe three, I already forgot it… Would I want to get rid of it? Sure! Will I buy another camera for it? No way!! Maybe Sony can fix it in a later software update, although I doubt it and I don’t hope for it. But if they do, I surely want the update. If the don’t I stay happy as it is.

My only real comment and regret on the NEX-7 is it not having a full frame sensor. I really would like to get rid of the cropping factor! So maybe the last camera I’ll ever buy will be a full frame NEX-10??

I hope you still can enjoy the pictures of a non-pro, who, I’m sure, sometimes will do things that “are not done” in a professionals opinion. If you can give critic of any kind, that can improve my shooting, you are so very welcome! Besides that, I guess the pictures can be very relevant for all those enthusiasts, who want to see what quality they can expect from this NEX-7/Zeiss ZM combination for themselves. Me being one of them!

The pictures shown here are all taken out of hand, without flash, as jpg’s and often slightly processed with Photoshop Elements. I find the Shadows/Highlights function to be very effective, I sometimes somewhat skew and of course sometimes crop a little. Also I sometimes use a very small amount of Unsharp Mask. Oh yeah, also the Adjust Color for Skin Tone sometimes works very effectively. Those functions make it possible to work very fast, being designed to process photo’s and some of them are not available in the regular Photoshop. That’s why I prefer Photoshop Elements for my “normal” pictures, and Photoshop CS Extended for pictures that need to be printed in the magazine.

Have fun shooting!

Landscape Photography with the M9 by Aravind Krishnaswamy

essay, Guest Post, Leica, Leica Camera Reviews, Leica Lens Reviews, News, Photo Trips, Travel, User Reports 51 Responses »

Feb 012012

The Ancient – M9, 35 Summilux ASPH II, ~f/2.8, 1/350s, ISO 160

USER REPORT: Landscape Photography with the M9

Aravind Krishnaswamy

I am a nature photographer. For several years that meant I mostly photographed Avians and Wildlife with some Landscapes thrown in for good measure. I recently started moving away from Avians to concentrate more on Wildlife and Landscapes. I have a backpack filled with a 5D Mark II and Zeiss lenses for my landscape photography and I’ve generally been happy with the images that kit generated.

However, I wanted something more compact which could also do double duty while traveling and also early last year my interest in the Leica M9 got piqued.

The River Rushes – M9, 28 Elmarit ASPH, ~f/22, 1.5s, ISO 160

I got an initial M9 kit with just a couple of lenses and started doing some shooting. The image above is one of the first images I made with the kit and immediately both the delight and the challenges became apparent, especially since I photographed the same scene with my Canon kit. One of the biggest challenges when working with an M9 on a tripod is framing. With my 5D Mark II, I use Live View extensively to get perfect framing and my depth of field precisely the way I want it. However, upon looking at and comparing the files later, it was clear that the M9 was producing accurate colors requiring little adjustment as opposed to the images from my Canon kit (You can see and read more about the difference on my blog post on the subject: http://blog.akimagery.com/2011/07/goin-leica.html).

Lonely House – M9, 50 Summilux ASPH, ~f/6.7, 1/1500s, ISO 160

One of the advantages of having accurate colors (and generally good color separation) is that it improves tonal separation in black and white images. I like making black and white images when I want to use the color information in an image to manipulate the tonal relationships in an image that would otherwise not be possible if it remained color. This only gets better with the fact that the M9 images withstand a lot of abuse in post processing.

The M9 is in many ways well suited for landscape photography. There’s no mirror to cause vibration and I do use a remote cable release for those times when the camera is on a tripod. I have found that there aren’t too many regular repeating patterns in landscape work to cause moire or aliasing which can in other photography be an issue due to the lack of an anti-aliasing filter. I’ve also observed that the 24″x36″ prints I’ve made from the M9 have as much if not more detail than what I’ve produced with the 5D Mark II.

Summer Storm – M9, 50 Summilux ASPH, ~f/6.7, 1/250s, ISO 160

Generally speaking, I’m not that fond of tripod photography as I have found that it keeps me from exploring interesting angles, but I’ve usually stuck to tripods for my landscape photography. As time progressed, I found myself spending more time making images with the M9 handheld rather than affixed to a tripod. I can’t be sure for the reason, perhaps its the difficulty in framing when on a tripod or perhaps its just because the kit’s diminutive size makes it so comfortable in the hand that I feel like wandering a scene and making images.

Aged Branches – M9, 18 Super Elmar, ~f/13, 1/250s, ISO 160

Late last year I had the chance to pick up the 18mm Super Elmar right here in Steve’s buy/sell which I’m using for the wide work. Of course, accurate framing in this case requires the use of an external viewfinder but I’ve found that I’m not that fond of them. I made the image above without the external finder but just approximating the framing and taking a lot of test images. It ended up working out as the result you see is an uncropped file.

One of the things that really becomes obvious after working with some of Leica’s finest lenses is how superb the optics really are. My favorite lenses are landscape photography are the 18 Super Elmar, 28 Elmarit, 35 Summilux and 50 Summilux. All of these lenses when stopped down are exceptionally sharp across the frame regardless of focus distance and all have very pleasing color reproduction. I have generally found that the amount of color post processing working I have to do with my M9 images are significantly less than with my other cameras.

Clearing Storm over the California Coast – M9, 28 Elmarit ASPH, ~f/8, ISO 160

I typically use a lot of filters in my landscape photography, particularly graduated neutral density filters. I find that trying to get the dynamic range down to control at capture time saves a lot of hassle when it comes to post processing. However, with the M9 using filters is tricky since you can’t visualize directly through the lens and hence I don’t use my graduated neutral density filters (though still use the circular polarizer). In scenes where the dynamic range is high, I’ve had to resort to capturing multiple exposures and fusing them together in post (such as the one above). One thing you have to be careful about is getting false colors on high contrast edges, so I’ve found that its important to set all sharpening to zero when exporting the individual exposures to whatever HDR software you use (I use Photomatix and almost exclusively the Exposure Fusion option for the more realistic results it produces).

Pismo Pier – M9, 35 Summilux II, ~f/4, 8s, ISO 160

Neither the M9, nor the M lenses are weather sealed. When working in an area such as beach, it can be a little distressing when you realize how much money you’ve got in your hands so close to electronics destroying water or spray. I just tend to be extra paranoid in such situations, I’m not sure there’s much else you can do there. Since I mainly work with prime lenses, I’ve found that its important to visualize an image at a scene before putting the camera out and attaching a lens. To that end, I’ve picked up Voigtlander’s 15-35 zoom viewfinder which is compact and useful for this purpose.

Light Portal – M9, 50 Summilux, ~f/4, 1/30s, ISO 160

Landscape photography with the M9 certainly has its challenges. The rewards however are the exceptional image quality delivered by M glass and the fact that my full kit fits in a small shoulder bag. If a future M10 adds Live View and a better screen on the back I don’t see why I wouldn’t switch to M system for most of my landscape photography work. I say ‘most’ because I still use tilt/shift lenses and there are currently no such offerings for the M system, though if Leica does add Live View it might then make sense for them to develop such lenses.

The wonderful thing about the M system is not just that I use it for landscape photography but also as a general travel and family photography kit. The same lenses are use for making 24″x36″ landscape prints can be used for photographing people in low light and best of all no one gets freaked out or self conscious when someone is pointing an M at them as opposed to a large SLR. This combined with its small footprint is why the M9 is becoming my go to camera and why I stick with it in spite of the challenges.

Using Pentax FA Lenses on the Sony NEX-5n by Tord Eriksson

essay, Guest Post, News, pentax, Sony 29 Responses »

Jan 272012

Using Pentax FA Lenses on the Sony NEX-5n by Tord Eriksson - Tord’s Flickr

Hi Steve,

My name is Tord S Eriksson, I am 59 years old, married, and I drive buses in Gothenburg, Sweden, but I have been around cameras much of my life, but not taken more than a few shots in my previous life as a journalist, and editor (as illustrations to articles, or photos of my interviewees).

The NEX-5n

In my twenties I had some training as a photographer, and in studio work. We students used the school’s cameras: Nikon F-1, Canon Pellix, Leica M3, and Hasselblads of various versions, including my favorite, the SWC.

We even got a chance to try the real heavy stuff, like Sinar – lovely cameras, but certainly not your point & shoot. Soon 40 years ago, but I remember those years fondly!

I got my first SLR system as a young teenager: an old Edixa Reflex (1957 version) – one of many screw-mount cameras coming out of Germany after the war, with three primes, and a Japanese zoom – very rare in those days). I bought the whole kit very cheaply from my sister’s boyfriend, who then moved up to a Hasselblad 500C). Gave the well worn kit away ages ago, after it had sat in a box for decades, together with a lot of other camera stuff.

Began my second SLR system about 40 years later: It is by now fairly complete, with zooms from 10mm to 500mm, and a respectable range of primes from 15 to 400mm (800mm using a converter).

Various reasons, including size, weight, and price, led me to Pentax DSLRs (my first was a K-x, with the DA 18-55 kit lens). Pretty soon I learned about the famed lenses that carry the unusual designation ‘Limited’, so I started to collect a few (not that many in production).

These Limited lenses are not the fastest there are, but all really sharp, and most with a nice bokeh. There are two groups, the DA series, optimized for Pentax APS-C cameras (thus have no aperture ring), and the FA group, which is a relic from the days Pentax made full frame cameras. The FA all have aperture rings, thus can be used in manual mode, essential if you’re going to use them on another camera system.

After having read various reviews of the Sony NEX-5N, including yours, Steve, I realized that this little marvel could be a great backup, if I could find a K Mount adapter. Amazon had both very cheap, and very expensive ones, so I went the middle of the road: a Chinese adapter for about $40.

Over the last two years I’ve have got myself a nice selection of FA Limited prime lenses, actually almost all of the FA lenses still in production: the Pentax-FA 31mm F1.8 AL Limited, the Pentax-FA 43mm F1.9 Limited, and access to my wife’s Pentax-FA 77mm F1.8 Limited. There are two more: the FA 35/2.0, which is still in production, but that’s not a Limited, and neither is the Pentax-FA 50mm F1.4, which my wife owns a copy of.

NEX-5n with Pentax 31 Limited

The Limited designation is not restricted to FA lenses: A few really outstanding DA lenses also have it, like the tiny DA40, equally small DA21, and the superb DA 50-135/2.8 zoom. The FA43 is much bigger than the ‘pancake’ DA40, but also quite a lot sharper, faster, and more expensive. Like the others, the FA31 is superbly sharp, with a really nice bokeh, but doesn’t handle flare as well as most modern lenses, so not ideal for all situations!

In addition to these lenses I have two other K Mounts suitable for my NEX-5N: The Tamron SP 90 Macro, a truly classic design, and a very old Pentax-M 400/5.6, both equipped with the needed aperture rings. The 400 suffer from CA at times, but overall works superbly with the NEX!

After a lot of ‘studio’ test shots with my, and my wife’s, Limiteds (and the Tamron), using Theodore the Bear as model (he never tires), I noted a few things …

NEX-5n…

Pentax K5

Using both my beloved Pentax K-5 (my second!), and the new friend, the NEX-5N, with exactly the same lenses, at various apertures, it is evident that to get similar results you have to set the K-5 slightly lower, say -1.0 EV, or thereabout. But the K-5 can be pushed up to ISO 51200, leaving the NEX-5N far, far behind, but I did my tests from 100 up to 1600, more normal settings. All test photos are totally unedited, and you note that the AWB of the two cameras handled the light quite differently – the 5N has a yellowish tone, while the K-5 is more like my eyes saw it.

You have to have a steady hand, as neither the lenses, nor the NEX body, have any kind of stabilisation.

Or even better, use a good tripod, and a serious ball/panorama head. I used my Berlebach Reporter 3032, which has a big ball head integrated into its design, so setting it level is very easy, even on a sloping surface. You extend the legs to the approximate setting and use the spirit level to set the top perfectly level, and then tighten the clamp – as easy as it could be! I maybe overdid it slightly as I used my Wimberley WH-200 on top of that (made changing cameras so much easier).

What more to say about the NEX-5N? A little jewel of a camera, that is on par with the K-5 in most situations, and when used as a video camera, surpassing the K-5 easily! The NEX-5N is very nice to use, especially if you have the hard-to-find electronic viewfinder. The menu system is simpler on the Pentax, and I do like to have buttons to access things, like the K-5, and the NEX-7, have, but as the latter is currently unavailable.

The 5n and 18-200

The Sony E 18-200 that my wife bought for her NEX-5N is an excellent lens, even when not making videos. This lens was designed with the pro NEX video cameras in mind, so it is kind of oversize on NEX-5N. But help was at hand: For a small fee SRB-Griturn in the UK made a tripod attachment for that lens and since then attaching it on a tripod head is a simple task – the 5N isn’t quite up to being the sole support for this amazing lens.

I love the NEX-5N, and it has indeed become a perfect compliment to the K-5!

Yours,

Tord S Eriksson

Traveling light in Myanmar with a Nikon V1 by Colin Steel

essay, Featured, follow ups, Guest Post, Mirrorless, News, Nikon, Tips & Tricks, Travel, User Reports 104 Responses »

Jan 242012

Traveling light in Myanmar with a Nikon V1 by Colin Steel

Hey photo travel fans, I am newly returned from a week long trip to Myanmar with a twist. I decided to travel very light with a totally minimalist kit comprising a Nikon V1 with two lens kit (10-30 & 30-110), my tiny Manfrotto travel tripod and a small Manfrotto led light. I also carried a Limix G3 and Samyang fisheye for the many temple and pagoda shots that I new would be coming. More on this later but here is one of the first shots I took with it….

The trip was organized by the great guys at Singapore Trekkers and I have to say that it was one the most enjoyable and interesting photography tours that I have ever been on, well done to Melvin who hosted. Part of this success was down to the sheer diversity and variety of photographic opportunity that Myanmar presents and you can’t help but feel that the country is going to change dramatically in the next 2-3 years so I would urge anyone who is thinking about it to go now. I am totally apolitical and will in no way comment about the political change process that is underway other than to say that I find the people of Myanmar to be the kindest and most respectful in South East Asia and I sincerely hope that it turns out well for them.

I did however spot this somewhat metaphorical shot which for me appeared to suggest how the country will move forward.

Anyway, back to the minimalist kit approach and those of you who follow these posts will know that I usually base my travel kit around a Nikon D3 with 24 & 50 F1.4 lenses. Regular readers will also know however that I have a very strong dislike of lugging too much gear when I travel and so I have been thinking about a lightweight travel kit which I initially intended to compliment the D3 with some reasonable zoom capability. Like many others, I initially regarded the launch of the Nikon V1 with scorn. However, I read a blog post by my favorite photography writer Kirk Tuck who had actually bought and was using the camera. Much to my surprise, he liked it very much and his V1 review demonstrated what a versatile camera this could be. I followed this up by reading Steve Huff’s review where he openly admitted that, like myself, he expected to hate it but ended up wanting to buy one. The selling points that both of these guys highlighted were the astonishingly fast focusing, long zoom reach of the 30-110 and the reasonably good high ISO performance. I have to say that it was the fact that I had been to Myanmar before and knew that many of the locations needed a long zoom to exploit them to the best that finaly sold me on the V1 (along with the very attractive S$1,100 price at KT Photo in Funan). Here is an nice example of this from Inle Lake which is famous for the fishermen who row with one leg and use a kind of cage trap with spear arrangement to catch fish.

Additionally, there are many locations that present the opportunity to compress perspective and this of course requires a longish zoom to create this effect.

The V1 handled this very well and there is no question in my mind that the Nikon lens stabilization system is extremely effective. Both Kirk and Steve pointed this out and they are spot on. shooting with a longish zoom is a real novelty for me and I have to say that I had great fun with it and felt very confident that I would get a good shot with it regardless of the light levels. Here’s another example of the very nice compression effect taken in very low light conditions.

I will follow up with more details on the overall performance of the V1 a little further down including some basic essential travel mods that it needs and some sunrise shots using the tiny Manfrotto pocket tripod.

I just love the way this worked out with the wispy grass and slightly gradating background. Finally, here’s the shot processed with Snapseed taken in near darkness in a bouncing boat !!!

Here’s a pretty poor shot of the full V1 kit but it gives you good idea of how light and compact this full set up is.

I mentioned earlier that some mods that I would consider essential if you are going to do any serious traveling with this camera. Firstly, its a good idea to stick some gaffer tape over the grip at the right hand side to assist handling when it gets humid and damp, I also took the opportunity to make the camera more discrete by covering the somewhat cheesy V1 logo. Secondly, my experience of traveling with cameras is that anything that can detach, will detach, fall off and get lost. This applies to expensive so called pro gear as well. Do yourself a favor and put some tape over the flash cover or it wont last long.

Finally, if you don’t want to shoot video, set the control dial to the still image setting and get some tape on it to hold it in place. This is a major design flaw for a travel cam and the dial will change on you at the worst of moments.

These mods are not pretty but they are highly functional and they also make the camera look very inoffensive and discrete, ideal for stealthy shooting. My only other setup comment would be to set the ISO to auto with a limit of 3200. the only time you need to watch out on this is if you have subject movement when you need to control the shutter rather than let the camera set it.

I mentioned the Manfrotto Led lightpanel that I took along and I think it’s worth putting it quickly into perspective. Let’s be clear, this is no flash substitute, its merely an emergency fill light and a damn useful torch!!! It works off a single AAA battery and weighs nothing. Here are two examples where I had no shot and the little bit of light from the Manfrotto at least gave me something usable.

Far from fantastic photos I know, but at least I have something semi-decent and these kids were so delightfully polite and friendly that I wanted to have a shot that I could print for them on my next visit.

Notice the catchlight is a bit too pinpoint to be useful so be careful when you use it. To be honest, I would recommend buying the next size up which, although more bulky and requiring more battery power, would be ultimately more usable.

White Balance on the V1

It’s pretty common in travel photography that you start very early to catch sunrise, then finish the day with a nice sunset location. With this in mind its worth considering setting the white balance to shade for these situations. Although this can easily be adjusted in Lightroom or processing, I personally like to make the photograph as complete as I can at the point of creation and for that reason I like to see how the image looks when I take it. I set the white balance to shade for these two shots which were taken at sunset.

The warming effect is evident and gives the images a very nice feel. I particularly like the golden glow in the above shot, this is gives the shot a nice golden look which is still clean and not exaggerated. The sunset below is by way of comparison very rich and much deeper in color tone, still a very nice effect though and it worked very nicely with the wispy grass.

Well, that’s it! I am happy to answer any questions on these images from a location or technical viewpoint, just pop me a note or leave a comment.

Cheers,

Colsteel

Colin’s website can be seen here including a continuation of this article HERE.

USER REPORT: My time with the Leica M9 by Matt Draper

essay, Featured, follow ups, Guest Post, Leica, Leica Camera Reviews, News, User Reports 100 Responses »

Jan 192012

USER REPORT: My time with the Leica M9 by Matt Draper

FIRSTLY I WOULD LIKE TO THANK STEVE FOR ALLOWING ME TO CONTRIBUTE TO HIS EVER GROWING SITE, HIS RESPECT OF OTHERS OPINIONS AND SKILL LEVELS ARE VERY HUMBLE TO SAY THE LEAST.

SECONDLY IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ ANOTHER M9 USER POST IT MAYBE WISE TO CLOSE THIS PAGE NOW.

All comments are welcome!

The photos I have selected for this post have no theme. I tried to add variety so please feel free to send any constructive criticism my way. I am grateful for the posts added on Steve’s site every day, they take longer to write than most think

There weren’t enough seats in the back of the tuktuk so the roof it is.

The driver must be doing at least 70 kilometers per hour – we are an hour or so out of Chang Mai dodging pot holes, small landslides and the odd stray elephant it’s a one way road and there’s oncoming traffic.

Gadd attempts to pass me his camera, he wants a photo standing on the roof with no hands. I look at him with a worried look and he yells “car surfing bro”. Shaking I take the camera…..

I look through the electronic view finder and time stands still for a moment, it’s so bright and clear, the large dial on the light ergonomic body is set to auto and I quickly gain composure with the stock standard auto focus 18-55mm lens.

One click and a quick look at the well sized well lighten LCD and that’s it, a Facebook profile picture nailed.

I begin to rem-anise…… 5D MKII

A love–hate relationship is a relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate.

Never have I used let alone owned a camera that I have loved and obsessed over, learnt and grown from and also been so continually pissed off with in my short 26 years on Earth like the Leica M9.

It reminds me of the first time I dated a girl, I guess those were the same feelings I felt maybe in a different order but they were present.

An explanation is a set of statements constructed to describe a set of facts which clarifies the causes, context, and consequences of those facts.

Some of my reasons in changing from a very popular DSLR to the camera I now speak of fall into the cliche M9 buyers guide that users ever so often mention.

Personally I don’t believe individuals need to justify a purchase to others especially one of such grotesque value in which most M9 cases involve a few sleepless nights before bank details are given to that authorized Leica dealer you have continued to annoy with countless emails and phone calls.

In saying that here are my main reasons/thoughts:

Documentation is a term used in several different ways. Generally, documentation (to document) refers to the process of providing evidence.

*I would like to think my photography has a photo journalist quality to it. I am inspired by the classic National Geographic magazine in which anything ever imagined is documented in such a raw, unique and educational manner, a magazine where in my opinion most images are so powerful that captions are not needed and our creative brains can manufacture a story to go with them. My fingers have turned these pages ever since I can remember “the girl with the green eyes” was published on the month and year of my birth and a pristine copy sits framed on my wall. To contribute to this magazine is a life long goal.

Like the yellow cover of Nat Geo magazine Leica has moulded itself into a well known name with a cult following which happens to be joined at the hip to the classic 35mm camera. Some of history’s most dramatic images in photo journalism have been captured with a Leica system and to have individuals from Magnum photographers working with such cameras Leica has always been imprinted in my brain as a camera system worth having.

Sick of Canons countless menus, HD movie capture I never used, auto focus I didn’t need or rely on and a love of all things manual the M9s attributes started to have my full attention.

*Its always mentioned but size and discretion are paramount to me, I travel a lot throughout the year and I don’t feel comfortable with a large DSLR slung around my neck shouting their ever so popular brand name$

The countries and cultures I have recently been surrounded by require respect and edict (two things the western world could slowly be losing) acquiring a portrait with my old Canon 24-70mm 2.8 lens can be extremely overwhelming and draw unwanted attention.

*Lastly and possibly most importantly, the quality of most Leica lenses are second to none, they are in many cases kept for life.

A waiting period is a period of time which one must wait in order for a specific action to occur, after that action is requested or mandated.

After a long 8 months of waiting and a whopping 1.672.900 Australian cents sucked out of my bank account I had the Leica M9 the 35mm 1.4 Summilux-M ASPH and 50mm 1.4 Summilux-M ASPH sitting next to me in my tiny 3 by 4 metre Donga situated in the middle of the blistering hot Western Australian desert on a dusty and dangerous iron ore mine site.

Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.

Holding the M9 is satisfying its solid weight/build and ergonomic feel really sit nicely in the hand, all working buttons and dials are positioned to be used with such ease. Changing the ISO on the M9 compared to doing the same on Canons 5D MKII is not even worth competition, it hands down beats any DSLR I have ever used for practical functionality.

Select the shutter speed turn the top dial, change the aperture rotate the ring on the lens, increase or decrease the ISO speed, hold the ISO button then navigate through to your desired speed.THAT’S IT, THAT EASY a couple of seconds and all things needed to capture an image are done, this made me smile.

Color, or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green,blue and others.

Although I own CS5 I am not a huge user of photoshop. I use most of the basic RAW adjustments, the spot healing tool (as my M9 came with a dirty sensor and images shot over f8 had spots in them) small amounts of noise reduction or sharpening and the crop/straighten tool if composure is off. So it didn’t take much encouragement from the M9 for me to capture more photos in black and white (well convert to black and white as I shoot in DNG) and less in colour.

The auto white balance is poor (pre-sets not as bad) and the colour rendition compared to cameras of the late was not what I had expected.

I find it really hard to put my finger on what exactly the M9 does poorly with its colours as I am not very technical in that area eg: charts etc all I know is that a lot of the time the colours in my images just don’t look right, when it gets it right it really gets it right, the colours look amazing it is quite hit and miss, more miss.

In both digital and film photography, the reduction of exposure corresponding to use of higher sensitivities generally leads to reduced image quality.

I have never used a flash its just not my thing, the people that have mastered flash photography and the images they produce are impressive. Most of the images I take do not require one, in saying that this does not mean I am never in low light conditions, quite the opposite to be exact, so high ISO performance is something I cherish in a camera.

Switching from the capabilities of the 5D MKII’s astonishing high ISO performance to that of the M9 was extremely frustrating even with the low light capability’s of the two f1.4 lenses I use.

Anything over 1,600 has noticeable noise, if you are shooting over 1000 ISO don’t even bother replaying your images on the LCD (unless you are checking composition) they will look far noisier then the actual image produced.

The M9 with a Leica lens attached has the potential to take some of the sharpest images (even at f1.4) in the world of photography, I would rather have high noise in my image then blur and lack of sharpness so I tend to keep the shutter speed as fast as possible with the available light present when shooting hand held.

Improve means to make something better.

“Am I a better photographer now that I use a Leica? Hell no. For those out there that say a Leica will improve your photography, don’t believe them.”

A quote extracted from “The Leica M9 – 16 Months Later by Scott Graham” Although Scott’s post contains informative points and beautiful images fueled by years of experience, teaching and travel, I personally have to disagree with the statement above.

The M9 encourages patience, I am more visual when trying to compose a scene, I spend more time trying to get the whole story in the frame lines, I see more through a fixed focal length like that of the eye and less time thinking of what I could zoom in on, more time concentrating on the available light present, more time trying to get the perfect shutter speed and aperture to work together in preventing post processing. The M9 relies on me to focus as all lenses are manual, I no longer count on the camera’s auto focus system to later find that it didn’t quite nail it, I take less photos on the M9 and keep more, I spend less time checking the LCD screen and more time composing.

Have these things helped improve my photography? Yes I think so, I have grown up in a world where technology is improved everyday, where paid photographers are made over night relying on the latest camera and its advanced intelligence rather then their own creativity and knowledge of the subject, switching to all things manual is a lesson worth taking in photography. (From Steve: I agree with Matt on this 100%)

Damage is physical harm caused to something in such a way as to impair it value, usefulness, or normal function.

6 months after receiving the M9 the already below average LCD screen has small but noticeable scratches on it, purchasing a screen protector is a must, its irritating to say the least on how easy it is for this screen to be permanently marked.

The fake black leather that surrounds the body of the M9 may look and feel nice but whether its a problem with the adhesive used or something beyond my knowledge that causes the black material to pull away from the body of the camera located at the bottom left and right side of the playback screen on the M9. At first I thought I may have received a manufacturing dud but after seeing two other M9′s (one being brand new on display at a Leica store) with the same trouble I begun to wander how many others have this easy to fix but most annoying problem?

Not having too many troubles with the SD card writing that many speak of (maybe happened to one in 200 of my photos when taking photo after photo) the problem is replaced with another, sometimes when replaying images on the LCD screen (zooming in or flicking through images) the M9 would randomly turn off, even after the latest firmware had been loaded.

Pros and cons have always helped me make a decision…….

I am in no way a good photographer its a hobby I have loved and done all my life, I wish in some way photography could be part of my career but I have a trade, some of the photos that are posted on Steve’s site (daily inspiration) truly blow me away, the skill and creativity out there is really helping people realize that what we love is a form art.

In no ways is this post about blaming equipment it is just one mans point of view, one mans opinion of a debatable subject.

Some pros

* Ease of use (simple menus)

* Unnoticeable size

* Rangefinder (amazing focus capabilities)

* Full frame sensor

* A mount for the best lenses ever made

Some cons

* White balance

* Colour rendition

* ISO capabilities

* Battery life (not too bad, but compared to others)

* Poor LCD screen

Summary is a brief statement or account of the main points of something

From the red dust of the desert I call work and home, the crystal clear waters with endless surf points of the Western Australian coast line, the funky streets of Bondi Sydney, the warm smiles of Indonesian Island life, the fast moving South to the temple rich North that is Thailand, days down the Mekong River, crazy bus rides through Laos, three weeks of motorbike riding and a bad case of Dengue Fever (time in hospital) in Vietnam to pre Christmas shopping in Malaysia. Over the last 6 months the M9 has seen what I have seen and been where I have been.

The M9 has spent days in a draw when its flaws have continued to annoy me and days around my neck when its qualities have continued to inspire me.

I have produced photos that I will keep forever, photos that I would like to send to a competition, photos that I have deleted ten at a time of and photos where I think my iPhone or even the most basic of point and shoot cameras could have done better.

So is the M9 for me?? Yeah! it was very much so for 6 months to be exact, but here’s the twist the flaws of the M9 are flaws a seven thousand dollar plus camera body should not have, flaws I am not content living with, flaws that make me believe the M9 is not the last camera I will own, so in a world where the dollar sign is ever so present and where global financial problems affect everyday living I SOLD IT, it lasted 4 days on Steve’s site.

I had just spent 3 months in Asia and with a new life draining job in the mines starting early January it was a decision I found easy to make.

This is the beauty of life isn’t it? We are free to make decisions on our own accord whether they are spirit of the moment or a product of sleepless thoughts.

One thing I am certain of is the two lenses I now own are keepers for life, if I ever have children I would like to think they too will use them one day, the build quality of the Summilux really has to be seen (and felt) to be believed, its hard to say how much time I have actually spent just looking and holding these beautiful optical masterpieces.

Succeed, lead to the desired result

The M9 was announced September 2009 so taking into account the time to design and produce this camera the technology used could well be over 3 years old. Not long in terms of life but in the world of technology and with what has been released over the last 12 months this could well be holding the M9 back.

I am confident that anyone that has ever owned the M9 or currently uses one has a wish list for the M10, I do! its not big, its not over the top or a complete turn around in design but I do believe the things on my list are crucial for the Leica M system to keep competing with cameras of today.

Do I think Leica will nail the M10? Yes I really think so, Leica seems to listen to their users, they have lasted the test of time and slowly modified to the wants and needs of today’s photographer, Leica’s share price reflects their achievements of 2011 a year where most small companies faced certain death.

The M10 could well be a camera I own for a very long time, I anticipate its announcement and predict to place an order as soon as this happens, its an expensive set up but in the words of Led Zeppelin “That’s the way, oh, that’s the way it outta be, yeah, yeah”

Finish, bring to an end; complete.

As I finish this article siting on the couch of my parents house in New Zealand, the house I grew up in, a house and family I have been away from for nearly two years a surprise visit for Christmas.

My thoughts of what 2012 will bring are blinded by a camera that stares at me from the coffee table, the SX 70 Polaroid in near new condition, loaded with film and awaiting the start of what is to be a very interesting project.

All photos were taken with the Leica M9 with either the 35mm or 50mm Summilux, each image has a story but I would like you to make your own to go with them.

Thanks Matty Draper

Thanks Matt for the great article! If anyone else would like to submit a guest report, article or review e-mail me at stevehuff1@me.com

Let It Snow! By Allen Liu

Daily Inspiration, essay, Inspiration, Leica 22 Responses »

Jan 132012

Let It Snow!

By Allen Liu

Hi Steve,

Hope you had a great new year!

Here is my second blog entry to your great site (you can find my first blog entry about my trip to Hong Kong here…).

A few weeks ago, Julie and I decided to spend our winter vacation in Montreal, QC. I was particularly excited about this decision; living in California, I had never experienced a “white Christmas” before.

For the first few days there, the sky was clear, and temperatures dipped below freezing. We were actually a bit disappointed because we really wanted to see snow (I know people who need to shovel snow out of their driveways all winter long are secretly hating me now).

Then, on the last day of our trip, our prayers were answered.

A tiny Christmas miracle.

It snowed.

All photos are shot with one camera and one lens then post processed by Silver Efex Pro 2.

Please feel free to visit my Montreal album

I hope you enjoy them.

Allen

Nepal Kodachrome Adventure by Andrew Kirkby

essay, Featured, film, Guest Post, Inspiration, News, Photo Trips, Travel, User Reports 75 Responses »

Jan 122012

Nepal Kodachrome Adventure by Andrew Kirkby

It has taken me a year of thinking and reviewing my images before i could get this together for your readers. I think that Kodachrome enabled me to take pictures reminiscent of the National Geographic magazines which inspired me to pick up a camera as a teenager (my father has every single one since 1967). I shot so many rolls of film during my trip to Nepal – it was very difficult to select images which I feel I should show others. So here they are, and a little about them is included where necessary.

Upon arrival in Nepal i went about shooting straight away. What struck me straight away is the amount of dogs everywhere. In every street, alley, alcove or shop. They don’t belong to anyone other than the city.

A dog scavenging for food near the highly polluted Kopan River (Kathmandu). The smell was terrible.

This particular scene is something i will never forget. The shop in the picture is that of a butcher, and the dog in the street has run in, grabbed a piece of meat off the counter and run away. The shop keeper’s dog doesn’t bad an eyelid and the woman just carries on as if nothing had happen.

While driving along in a taxi, a boy came up to the window and demanded money. I had the F5 in my right hand and quickly took the shot. The kid instantly went mental and my friend Tashi needed to get out of the taxi and sort the kid out to avoid further trouble. Tashi later told me that he knew this boy and he told me that he was severely burnt while inhaling glue fumes.

As I walked further and further away from the tourist district (Thamel) into Chhetrapati and surrounding areas, I found the real Kathmandu. People going about their normal lives and no hustlers trying to sell dope/underage girls/mountain tours!

By night Kathmandu is an interesting place. A lot of shops are still open well after sunset. They are often lit by candles or rechargeable lamps as there is a scheduled blackout scheme in place. This butcher shop is one of my favorite images of the whole trip. In front of this table there was a stack of cages full of chickens awaiting their end. Sadly there was not enough light for a picture of those.

Walking back in to Thamel at night is an interesting experience. There are countless children on the streets who are often sniffing glue or smoking cigarettes – courtesy of tourist donations. Here they are sniffing glue – which can be purchased for 5 Rupees at almost any store. The kid standing up (on the left side) has just had a huge amount of glue and is about to fall over. I had to leave immediately after taking this photo to avoid a dangerous situation.

The rubbish which can not be sold is simply burnt in little piles all around the city at night. That would explain the huge amount of thick smog.

After a week in Kathmandu I flew into Lukla; one of the world’s most dangerous airports, and began a 3 week trek to Gokyo Ri and back via the Everest region. The airline that i was flying had a serious accident in August of 2010 – a flight destined for Lukla but forced to turn back in poor weather, and subsequently crashed just outside of Kathmandu. I was scared, to say the least.

It is interesting to note the completely different complexion of the people in the mountains. In the Khumbu region, the people are mostly Sherpa – very similar to Tibetans or Mongolians. Typically very kind, warm and hospitable people.

I guess this is what i came to Nepal to see – the mountains and the people who inhabit them.

One thing that was refreshing for me, is that children are outside playing with sticks and other such objects. There is no Xbox, Playstation, TV or computer. Kids are just kids.

A young boy playing with firecrackers. Something not seen here in Australia for a long while (before my time!)

After a few days walking we arrived in Namche, the largest town in the area. Lots of tourists and yaks.

This picture was taken just above Namche Bazaar late in the afternoon. The Sherpa people are very hard workers.

I noticed that the altitude had a profound effect on my thinking. I saw the dark side of things, and at times i felt rather belittled by the enormous mountains. These next few images were shot while descending from Gokyo Ri, feeling rather ill from the altitude.

This is one of my favorite mountain shots. The moon and snow blown off the mountain was really quite spectacular. It was one of those moments that only lasts for a short time.

Ama Dablam at sunset

A few days later, a bit further away.

At the top of the Cho-La Pass. These black birds were everywhere

Near Everest Base Camp… I had to take a picture of at least one Kodachrome box on the trip.

Back in Kathmandu for about a week before returning home, I got up every day at the crack of dawn and went out shooting until I couldn’t do anything more. The way the light is recorded with this film is simply beautiful. It has just the right amount of contrast.

I still don’t know what this woman was pointing at.

Best Regards,

Andrew

A Day at the Zoo with my Leica M9-P and 50 Summitar f/2

essay, follow ups, Just for fun, Leica, Leica Lens Reviews, Tips & Tricks 16 Responses »

Dec 092011

A Day at the Zoo with my Leica M9-P and 50 Summitar f/2

Since I live in Phoenix AZ I get to enjoy mild and beautiful winters. Full sunshine, and mid 60′s in December makes for a perfect time of year to head outdoors. In the summer when the heat rises to a blistering 105-115 degrees I tend to stay indoors. That could mean my house, my car, in a mall, or in any building with Air Conditioning. Today my son and I decided to take a photo stroll through the Wildlife World Zoo in Phoenix to enjoy the nice day and get some cool snaps out of it as well. My son Brandon has really been getting into his Nikon D2h lately. Such a classic but oh so huge! He doesn’t seem to mind it but he is eyeballing the little Nikon V1 and Sony NEX-7 that I have been carrying around. Good thing he only uses small primes with his D2h. He hasn’t felt the full pain of lugging it around with a 70-200 VR yet, hahaha.

Many years ago when he was really young we would go to this same Zoo and I would have to rent a stroller. NOT for him, but for all of my camera gear! I used to shoot with a Nikon D2h myself and I had the typical lenses most Nikon shooters had at that time. The 70-200 VR, the 85 1.4, the 24-70…all big and heavy lenses, especially the 70-200. It performed exceptionally well but at the end of the day I was so tired of lugging it all around AND having to push a stroller through the zoo.

These days I always travel light as possible so today I was the one with the smaller cameras. My M9-P and Tiny super old 50 Summitar made it in my bag along with the Sony 50 1.8 OSS and NEX-7. Some of my shots with the Sony will be in my 50 1.8 lens review either later today or tomorrow but for now I wanted to post a few snaps I shot with the M9-p and 60+ year old 50 Summitar. I have written quite a bit about this classic 50 and I am one of those in the camp that love the lens. It can provide crazy swirly bokeh at f/2 with a classic softness thrown in and by f/4 it is super sharp and crisp. The colors can be pastel like at times but I enjoy the lens. The cool part is that if you can find one used they usually go for $250-$350, which is super cheap for a Leica.

If I ever find another super clean copy I will probably buy it as a back up. It is a wonderful lens LOADED with character. As I walked through the Zoo today with two cameras and two 50mm lenses I loved the fact that I didn’t have a huge zoom like everyone else at the zoo that day. Usually the zoo shooters come in with their huge lenses just like I used to do and they end up with photos that look like everyday Zoo snapshots. When shooting with a shorter lens on something like a Leica M9 or even NEX-7 you have to think a bit differently. You lose that power to zoom in on the animal faces but at the same time you gain the power to be different. Pretty cool huh?

Next time you take a stroll through the Zoo leave the zoom at home and shoot with a 50mm. You may enjoy it! Below are a few snaps I took today as we casually walked around. You can click on the images to see larger and better versions.

This kangaroo was just relaxing in the sunlight and enjoying the cool 60 degree afternoon. He didn’t mind when I got right up to him (they are not caged, but free roaming)

I have taken pictures of these McCaws a couple times before when I was reviewing the Olympus 45 1.8 lens and the Ricoh A12 Module. Personally, I love the way the M9 and 50 Summitar renders the light and colors. Click on them for larger views.

This warthog saw us and started walking up towards us looking for food. The light was shining down and the nearly 70 year old 50mm rendered this with a crispness and glow that I am pleased with.

This Meerkat was on the lookout. I have a similar shot I took with the NEX-7 and 50 that will be in my 50 review but as you can see in this M9-P shot with the old 50, the Bokeh is sort of swirly and crazy. The Meerkat is sharp though, and I like this look. Many do not as the background can be distracting. I shot this at f/2 because I knew this would make a good example of the Bokeh this lens produces wide open.

Wow, where did the time go? It’s almost 2012?

essay, Inspiration, Just for fun, News, Rants, rumors 48 Responses »

Nov 022011

Wow, where did the time go? It’s almost 2012?

Personal Rant and Update…(for those who have been following it)

You know, I woke up this morning and ate some raisin bran while I checked my e-mail and sat at my long desk that is covered in SD cards, cameras, empty diet coke bottles and of course my computer and printer. As I sat there, milk dribbling down my chin, reading the 100th email asking me what camera is the best one to buy I said to myself...”I have nothing to post today”! Over the past few months I have made it a point to try to update this blog at least once a day, sometimes more. Since doing so my traffic has tripled if not quadrupled. Hell, I am even making a little more money in ad revenue and affiliate sales (thank you all)!

So here I am right now sitting here in my Pajamas at 10am. My son is out in the living room playing Xbox 360 after amazingly getting his schoolwork done at 6am this morning. My 13 year old dog Scrubby is sleeping because his arthritic legs do not like walking too much anymore and my wonderful girlfriend who lives 1866 miles away is at work in Chicago where the cold winter will soon be rolling in (which means more AZ visits for her).

If I were writing this say 15 months ago I would have been saying something like “Im trying to head out to get some photos but my dog is begging me for food while I eat, my wife is yelling about something and my son is late for school”. But since my divorce over a year ago things have calmed down and things are good. Better than I could have ever dreamed and while at the time it was a VERY dark time, when I reflect back on it all I realize things would be not how they are today if that did not happen. I won’t get into details, but yes, my divorce was a good thing.

2011 was a wonderful year for me…

The Seal Tours

Let’s see…this year I went on a couple of tours with Seal, made some great new friends all over the world and shot some amazing photographs. I met up with several readers of this website while abroad, met a great friend and photographer Helene Pambrun who showed me around Paris, and thanks to Seal I was able to see Europe in style. The Leica shop in Austria, Street shooting in Lithuania, The huge 26,000 crowd in Belgium…My time in Europe with Seal was amazing, a time I will never forget. I was a bit stressed at the time but looking back now…not sure why that was.

Seven of my photos made it to his new album “Soul 2″ – cover, back cover, and inside booklet, all mine! I reached one of my lifetime goals of having an album cover and when I found out that was the case, I was crazy excited. I still am as the CD comes out SOON. CD…that sounds funny now as 95% of all purchased music today is downloaded. Soon there will be no CD’s, only downloads and good old fashioned Vinyl (which is making a comeback). So be sure to check out his new CD at his web site HERE.

2011 also brought two successful workshops! The one in Seattle was GREAT thanks to Ashwin Rao and Roger Paperno and the one in Chicago was super cool thanks to Bradley Graupner who helped me tremendously to get it going. In 2012 I plan on another NYC, San Fran, and at leads two others. Announcements soon, and each one will get bigger and better! Anyone up for a 2012 stevehuffphoto.com European Photo Cruise? Hmmmm.

Single life at 41 in 2011…

Rediscovering Dating…

2011 was also a year in which I was single for the first time in 15 years. After a 15 year marriage went to hell I took some time to myself, then dated here and there and soon realized that dating in your 40′s is much different than dating in your 20′s. It took me some time and some trial and error, but 15 months later I finally found a perfect match for me in every way. I am glad I said from the get go when I started to date that I would ”NEVER SETTLE”. Everyone I dated was great but if you are single and 41 it is best to keep searching until you find the perfect one for you, someone you can be 100% into, a perfect match. If you settle then it only spells trouble down the road. When I say to never settle I do not mean to find a supermodel, I mean find someone you are totally and completely compatible with. Someone who gets you and someone that you get. Someone that you can laugh with, share common interests with. Someone that you are attracted to inside and out. The whole package.

It’s funny because the one I found that was my perfect match ended up being a girl I went to grade school with for 8 years.

See our kindergarten picture below:

…and here we are today 35 years later. This was just before a halloween party so my eyes are freaky:

Funny how love works huh? From our 1st dinner meet we both knew. I knew. She knew. The best part is she is the kindest, sweetest, funnest and most amazing woman I have ever met. Yes, things are perfect and I could not have asked for anyone better. I am good. I am happy. I am 100%. For the 1st time in a long time. So add another check box to the success square in 2011!

Time flies, so make the most of it…

Another thing that has happened in 2011 is that my son is another year older. Next year he will be driving, he will be about an inch taller than me, and his life as a young man will be starting. I’ll be there every step of the way for him to help him with whatever he needs. Advice, money, anything. So life is good. I remember when he was learning to crawl, then to walk, then to talk, and now he is 15 going on 16. WOW, time DOES indeed fly by!

I wake up every day and hop onto my computer to check my e-mails, check my Facebook, check my google +, and to sit down and write something for all of you to read about. What I write may not always be perfect, or be viewed favorably by everyone but what I write comes from the heart and thats about the best I can do. I LOVE this blog, and I am thrilled that you guys come here daily to read it. It is a true labour of love and 2011 has even tripled my traffic. Im hoping to do the same in 2012! So stick with me as I promise the best is yet to come!

If anyone out there would like to submit a guest article just send me an email to stevehuff1@me.com with your idea or article. Doing so can generate some serious traffic for you and your blog or flickr or Facebook! Check out this chart below with INSANE statsfrom a guy who posted an image from his flickr into a comment section of a popular post:

Now I am not saying writing a guest post will send you this kind of traffic but it can generate some hits for you, so if interested send me an email!

So to sum it all up, 2011 was fantastic for me personally. I could not have asked for better.

2011 was GREAT for camera gear…2012 may be better!

We all know how great 2011 was for cameras. The Fuji X100. The Olympus E-P3. The Ricoh GXR. The Sony NEX-5n and the NEX-7. The new Olympus lenses like the 12mm, 45 1.8 and the new Panasonic 25 1.4 are all fantastic (Pana/Leica review soon).

Leica was absent for the most part in 2011 with any new gear but from what I have been hearing, 2012 will be a good year for Leica. A new interchangeable lens camera, a new M, and maybe a third camera. It should be interesting. Then there is the new rumored Fuji interchangeable lens camera much like the X100 but with a supposed new sensor that is “even better or equal to full frame”. Fuji has the possibility to REALLY explode in the digital market if they create an X100 type of camera that is slicker, faster, has changeable lenses and RELEASE nice fast primes, AND has a larger sensor that performs even better than the one in the X100 itself. Now that would be a camera to end all camera lust for many of us. X200? X1000? Hmmmm.

Sony will be releasing a new Zeiss lens in 2012 as well for their E mount NEX system and from what I gathered it may be something like an 85 1.4 portrait lens. Something like that would be great on a NEX-5n or 7. 2012 should also bring us more new stuff from Olympus – possibly the PEN PRO. Id buy a PEN PRO in a heartbeat as I am still in love with the E-P3, which I feel is the best Micro 4/3 body to date even with its lack of a built in EVF. The rumored Panasonic PRO X or whatever may surface this year still but for some reason I think it will fall short of expectations, but you never know.

So I am looking forward to 2012. Some killer cameras to review, more travel, a renewed love life, and also some new workshops planned that will be KILLER!

Thank you all for your support in 2011! I hope to see you all back in 2012 with your guest articles, daily inspirations, comments and e-mails! This site is run out of love and passion and I have more of that than ever so 2012 will be amazing! I started writing this to kick start my brain into coming up with something for the day and it ended up being another one of my personal reflections that I sometimes post. I feel being personal and allowing others into your life can be a good thing. Makes everything a bit more real and helps you guys to know who I am. Hope you enjoyed it.

Stay tuned…

Steve

10 Simple Ways to become a better Street Photographer by Eric Kim

essay, Guest Post, Inspiration, Lessons, Photo Trips, Street Photography, Tips & Tricks 36 Responses »

Sep 302011

10 Simple Ways to Become a Better Street Photographer

By Eric Kim

The most beautiful thing about street photography is that you are able to capture real slices of life and capture them forever. Not only that, but street photography is open to everybody. You don’t need a fancy camera or expensive lenses to capture “The Decisive Moment”. All you need is passion and a curiosity of everyday life. If you ever wanted to learn how to become a better street photographer, read some of these tips below.

• Get closer

Famous street photographer and Magnum co-founder Robert Capa once said, “If your photos aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough”. When you are shooting street photography, it is essential to get close to your subjects. This allows you to create much more intimate shots where you are an active participant rather than a voyeur. Although it can be intimidating at first to get close to people, with practice and determination the fear goes away with time.

However don’t get close to people simply for the sake of getting close. Even when you are close, make sure to also integrate the background into a scene to get a viewer a comprehensive image that integrates people and their environment well.

• Shoot people’s faces (not the backs of their heads)

Although there are many great street photographs that are taken from behind, I would generally say that it is better to take photos of people’s faces. The human face is absolutely fascinating, as there are not two faces that look exactly the same. Not only that, but people’s faces often tell stories.

Therefore avoid shooting the backs of people’s heads and strive to take photos of faces. If you see an interesting person from behind, quickly walk faster and take a photo in front of them.

• Focus on telling stories

Whenever you are out on the streets shooting street photography, always think about the story you are trying to tell. Don’t just take photos of people or scenes that don’t have any narrative. Look for people who are interacting with one another, or who are wearing certain outfits that tell stories about their character.

• Don’t ask for permission

When you are starting off in street photography and timid to take photos of strangers, a good way to start off is by asking permission. However the definition of street photography is to take photos that are candid, and without permission. Therefore if you rely on asking for permission too much, it can cripple you.

Why shouldn’t you ask for permission? In my experience I have found that whenever you ask for permission to take someone’s photo—it often loses the natural and candid feeling of street photography. Most people always have the same smile or pose for the camera which is forced and unnatural. When you don’t ask for permission and take photos of somebody, you capture them in their natural state—and thus capture a true part of their soul.

Not only that, but if you are shooting in the US it is 100% legal as long as you are in a public space. Europe and other countries have trickier laws (I suggest you to do some research on your own).

• Go wide

One of the most challenging things that helped me vastly improve my street photography was to shoot with a wide-angle prime lens. When I first started shooting street photography I used a 50mm on a crop-sensor body (which translated to about a 85mm lens) which allowed me to keep my distance from my subjects. Although I would get decent images, they never felt personal enough.

I then upgraded to a full-frame camera and started to use a 35mm on it—which gave me a much wider perspective. This allowed me to not only focus on the people, but on the backgrounds as well. Also by shooting with a wide-angle prime lens, you give people a perspective that makes them feel that they are in your shoes—looking directly into the scene. Nowadays I have been shooting even wider, with a 24mm lens, which has challenged me even more to get even more intimate with my subjects.

• Avoid taking photos of homeless people/street performers

Taking a photo of a homeless person or street performer is easy. Anybody can do it, and it doesn’t have much photographic value. Although there are ethical ways to shoot photos of the homeless, I would say generally speaking it is very cliché and doesn’t bring much to the table. Shooting street performers isn’t very challenging as well, as anybody can take a photo of them (as they are so used to the camera).

Try to avoid taking photos of the homeless/street performers and take photos of regular people on the streets. It is far more ethical and challenging as well.

• Experiment with angles

95% of photos out there are taken at eye-level. Due to the fact that we are so used to this perspective, most photos taken this way don’t give an interesting perspective. Rather, try taking photos from other angles. Try shooting at a really low angle by either crouching down or putting your camera near the ground, aiming up. This will make your subjects look “larger than life” which can add artistic value to your street photographs. Also experiment tilting your camera, which can give your subjects a more dynamic look. Get on top of a tall building and take photos of people from a high perspective and try to get an image of the interesting shadows they project. Always approach your street photography from different angles (pun intended).

• Study the work of the masters

It is difficult to discern what a “good street photograph” is without studying the work of the master street photographers. Buying a ton of books on street photography and studying composition, framing, and aesthetics is probably the best way to train your eye to see the world as a street photographer.

Here are some master street photographers I would recommend you research and fully understand their work:

• Henri Cartier-Bresson

• Robert Doisneau

• Andre Kertesz

• Brassai

• Weegee

• Helen Levitt

• Robert Frank

• Garry Winogrand

• Vivian Maier

• Shoot everyday

Woody Allen once said, “80% of success is showing up.” Apply the same mentality to street photography. How can you expect to get better at street photographer without being consistent in shooting street photography? I know we are all busy with life’s obligations, but you have to make time to go out and shoot (or else you never will).

Although I am now fortunate to be a full-time street photographer, when I was working my 9-6 job I would always take my lunch breaks to go out and shoot. I know other street photographers who wake up extra early and shoot in the mornings before going to work. If you are a student, go out and shoot when you are burnt out from studying and need a break. If you have kids, take photos when you go to the park with your children.

I believe it is better to shoot everyday for 15 minutes than to only shoot once a week for several hours. Always keep your camera with you, and shoot consistently.

• Wait before sharing your images with others

A problem with the internet and modern digital photography is that it is so easy to take hundreds of photos and upload them all instantly to the internet. Nowadays the act of editing (picking your best shots) is more important than ever.

Street photographer Garry Winogrand once said, “Photographers mistake the emotion they feel while taking the photo as a judgment that the photograph is good”. Therefore Winogrand would purposely only develop his images a year after he shot them so he would be able to judge his images based on form & content rather than pure feeling.

Although it is great to go out and shoot an image that you have a great feeling about—let it sit for a few days and review it before uploading it. This will help you become far more selective with your shots, and show only your best street photography.

About the Author:

Eric Kim is an international street photographer based in Los Angeles.

Make sure to check out Eric’s street photography blog and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, and 500px.

One Shot. by Wing Goodale

essay, Guest Post, Inspiration, Just for fun 33 Responses »

Sep 232011

One Shot.

I visit Steve’s site at least twice day and I love the fun that he brings to photography. Steve kindly has allowed me to submit a short entry about a project I have been working on with five friends called One Shot.

Two years ago my second cousin passed away, Mathias Oppersdorff. He was a professional photographer for Gourmet, and a master black-and-white printer. His response to the digital revolution was to move further back into the past, first to 4×5 and then eventually to pinhole cameras, creating timeless images with printing skills that are being lost.

As “Mo’s” house was being sorted, a treasure trove of photographic equipment was revealed, including Contax, Horseman, Arca Swiss, and of course Leica. As a child with fantasies of shooting for National Geographic, I was always enamored with Mo’s Leicas, but the closest I ever came to having one was a wooden replica. That changed when we discovered a 35 and 50 cron carefully placed in red custom-made pouches.

Over the years I had lost touch with photography and sold off all my equipment except for a little Sony point-and-shoot. Mo had given me a gift in his passing, a door back to a deep passion that had slipped away over the years. Photography had been my life when I was 16, now it was forgotten. Those Leica lens were about to bring me back to creativity. My problem, however, was that I needed a goal, a reason to shoot, an audience. One night as I was fading off to sleep I schemed up that maybe I would take one shot a day for a year.

The next morning the idea stuck with me, but I wanted to share with others. There were others in my life who had also had a passion for photography ebb and flow: my father who taught me photography (Mo’s cousin), my oldest friend, two high school buddies, and another friend who I had originally met at the Maine Photographic Workshop. Inspired by a large cup of coffee, I emailed the group with a formal invitation to join and start a rarified group called One Shot. They all accepted, and so began a project that now has become a part of all our lives.

As a group we shoot with everything from medium format to iPhones. We play with Holgas, DSLRs, film developed in our laundry rooms, HDR, and of course Leicas, which is how we discovered Steve’s site. The chronicle of our lives has been remarkable; parents have been lost, children born, and wedding vows shared, and we have all been brought back to the passion for photography.

I should not be surprised, but I always remark at how picking up a camera shifts all the busyness in my life to the background, and the simple act of trying to create a picture clears away the day’s clutter. Slowly, I am learning to see again. As we move towards the second anniversary of Mo’s passing, photography has become so interwoven in our lives that we all feel that this project that was started for one year will go on and on, because our days now are in part defined by the photos we shoot.

Each of the group has chosen one photo to post here (it was tough to choose) and we thank Steve for allowing us to share our project with you.

Captions

Wing: Leica M2, 35 cron (Canada), B, T-Max 100, B handheld, Maine

Donnie: Holga, Tri-X, DC

Tony: Leica M7, 50 1.4 ASPH, C-41 pushed to 800 ISO. Photo of me and Donnie’s daughter. Maine

Harold: Canon 5D Mark II, 28-70 2.8 L, NY

JP: Nikon D2, Maine

Mathias: Likely Leica M6, 50 cron, Arabia

Shane: iPhone 4, NY

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