Shots and Thoughts

Photos and comments as I explore my passion for photography. Written to and for myself as a journal to track major moments and minor observations as I continue to evolve my visual art.

A 60 year old Leica Lens

I have had fun shooting a 60 year old Leica 50mm 2.0 lens. Has a real vintage feel to the focus tab and also the images. Soft, beautiful light fall off, vignetteing, etc. Looks like film, interesting to see how much the lens impacts an image. In today's world images are expected to be razor sharp, I get that for commercial work. But this has a little wabi-sabi vibe to it which I dig. I also tried to match the post processing to the vintage feel. Shot with yellow filter. Thanks to Na for being a great model, looking good!

Pro tip: Shooting an older lens on a newer digital camera gets pretty close to the film vibe. Attached to the Leica MD and you have the same flow as film.

Winter Beach Day

In-between storms I drove over to Santa Cruz for a day of shooting. A beautiful day, the sea breeze was refreshing and it was good to get out shooting.

Pro tip: This was a good example of how pleasurable the day was outside, off the computer regardless if I got any keeper shots. Do this more, schedule it.

It's a Hose. With a Nozzle. Cool.

Right it's a hose. With a nozzle. In Black and White. Shot on Film. That makes it cool?

Pro tip: OK for 2017 let's get a little more serious about having fun with film.

Window Shopping

I saw this book store in Kyoto crammed with hundreds of used books. Bless the Japanese for still adoring printed material, including photographs. Then I waited for some one to come into the frame via reflection.

Pro tip: I took 235 shots that day as I walked around for 3-4 hours. From that I had 10 shots that were fun and just this one that really worked. The insight here is you have to take a lot of shots, at least I do!

She left quickly without looking back

One of my favorite images from my last Kyoto trip. She was in a phone booth with a textured glass partition. I got about 5 quick shots as she departed.

Pro tip: Shooting through screens, windows, dirty glass can make a shot more "open" and for me more interesting. Not seeing her face but a glimpse of her figure as she departs lets the viewer write their own unique story. This also gives a timeless feeling to the shot.

Zone Focus

With the Leica rangefinder it is all manual focus, in fact I use manual for all my settings on the Leica. This is part of the fun and challenge with shooting essentially 1950's technology. But this can be frustrating with street shots as the action is quick. I have found that zone focusing works well, although best in bright light to keep at f8 or f16. I also use ISO of 3200, delighted with a little grain.

Pro tip: This shot happened in a split second, I need to be dialed in on the camera to anticipate these moments. As I move, so does the light, thus new settings.

Three

As my photography evolves I am interested in more complex photos, thus favoring the 28mm lens as it captures the context of the photo. Odd (vs. even) count images usually have a stronger visual impact.

Pro tip: I need to step back about 3 feet as I usually go tight for the shot. Here backing up made for a more interesting shot.

Mother and Child

Just finished a fun family shoot (including kids and dogs!) and we got some super shots. Nothing beats the bond between mother and child. Although grandpa/ma and kids are pretty close.

Pro tip: Flexibility with the weather and planning for the shoot are key, having some backup ideas and locations makes good sense.

Kansas City

A quick trip to see my father in Kansas City, lucky no snow yet! We stopped in at WalMart for some shopping then lunch together. He is doing pretty well for 88.

Pro tip: Dont forget to shoot the three key images: wide, tight, real tight.

Pets Need Photos Too!

Martini is now 17 years old, still looking good for her annual holiday photo.

Pro tip: Kids, pets shoot a lot, as much as they can handle. It helped for this shot to have a dedicated pedestal to place her on. Such a sweetie!

Print and Frame

Printing and framing have become my end result in photography. Not posting to IG or FB, still fun but my real finished work is in the print.

Pro tip: Finding the right size, quality frame and mat is a little challenging. Now I am using IKEA Ribba frames, they look good and come with a hight quality mat. But limited sizes, all trade offs.

Rain? No problem!

Well it looked like no rain, then as soon as we were ready for photos it started to come down. So off to the studio and the back deck high roof location, it worked perfectly.

Pro tip: How much would you pay for this photo? How much would it be worth in 20 years? I would say priceless. Hint: print to keep it alive.

More Holiday Photos

We have been pretty lucky on the weather this year as there has been early rain, but some good clear windows to grab more family shots.

Pro tip: I try to have 5-7 set ups to use on a 60 minute photo session, mainly to try different light and posing opportunities. On these shots I used my "54321" countdown to keep the kids moving and having fun. A delightful family to work with!

Family Photos

When the kids are home from school for Thanksgiving break it is a good time to get photos done!

Pro tip: With groups you have to shoot a lot to make sure you get a shot where everyone is looking at the camera. This was a fun family to work with, all easy with the Fuji Xt2

Creativity

Each year I try to push myself further.

Pro tip: On every commercial photo job, I try to shoot a few creative shots, fun to see what comes out.

Social Media Sabatical

I am now on my annual social media break and it feels GREAT! I do this every year about this time for 2-4 months to get away from the instant desire to check in on IG, FB, etc. Now with the election news taking over, even a better time to check out.

Pro tip: I still lurk as there is a good deal of photo community news that comes on these social media platforms. But not posting and not following is good for my soul...

Head Shots

My core commercial business is crafting great head shots. It is always an honor when another photographer asks me to capture their shot.

Pro Tip: Shoot tethered in the studio. Works on a lot of levels.

Waiting

I took a quick day trip to Denver and used it as an opportunity to look for light.

Shooting here with the 14mm and looking for a complex photo that had multiple elements. A fun way to spend downtime in the airport.

Pro tip: Cool photos exist everyday, everywhere. Slow down, look for the light. Then frame composition, wait for the gesture, hit the shutter. Repeat!

Holiday Photos

It was fun shooting Nami san and the family for their 2016 holiday card, our fourth year for this together. Nami is the founder of Just One Cookbook and does a remarkable job of running this global business everyday.

Pro tip: I shot this with the Fuji 50-140mm zoom and delighted with how well the shots turned out. Let's keep shooting this one for Fuji portraits!

Senior Photos

It was fun shooting with Sophia this weekend as she was looking for new senior photos for yearbook, announcements, social media, etc. Shot with the Fuji XT2 and the 56mm lens. Great color SOC and sharp as needed even when shot wide open.

Pro tip: Have a great wardrobe, a real desire to get a great photo and a fun positive attitude make this an easy shoot for me.