I spent most of the time here taking XPan shots. Late afternoon and sun mostly gone but decent reflected light. Patterns and sheen on the water as the waves washed around the rocks gave it that little extra appeal. A couple of seconds for this exposure. The image below was similar exposure time.
10 second exposure
After using the Fuji 100S for some time and reacclimatising to the 4x3 format which I really enjoy, there are a few cases where the 3x2 format is preferable.The 4x3 version of this photo does not have the ‘extra’ rocks on the RHS of the image which gives that tree a little breathing space. You might say this is a more environmental image given that it’s not so tidy or picturesque especially on the left shore. You can imagine the wildness inherent in this river when a storm or torrent hits.
Black and white images seem to have more leeway in their acceptability. We don’t judge them the same way as we do colour ones. Adjusting tones in colour landscapes comes with a caveat. Different if your doing cityscapes or some variety of indoor shoots like music concerts. Noone judges them much from colour point of view because of the coloured lighting that’s standard for such an event. Colour landscapes can’t stray too much from the established standards provided by stock films of the analog era and more recently film simulations from the likes of Fuji. But using Nostalgic Neg simulations on a rainforest scene would not seem appropriate. Silver Efex on the other hand in the version I use at least has 58 different conversion options for B&W. Granted, some of those are also not suitable for the most part - like Film Noir or Antique. But there’s still a lot of latitude which then comes down to taste.
Well before investing in the Fuji 100S, I was considering the Pentax 67 film camera. Funny that you can get a decent Camera body with lens - say a 55mm f4 for well under AUD$2000 and the Fuji GFX system with lenses came in at $9500. So, no auto focus - which affects the speed at which you can operate. An issue mainly when you are working with people (other examples below). Secondly, no chimping, so you can’t tell whether eyes are open or closed. Even some landscape photographers take a safety shot in case of light leaks, exposure comp etc. Thirdly, (and a consequence of the previous point), cost of processing and scans if you don’t have a high quality film scanner yourself. Finally and this is fairly persuasive in my case… the slow rate of movement - which is the big part of why you chose this system. It’s not spontaneous. On the other hand, image making is well considered but may lead to some regret due to perceived missing out factor. What if you arrive at a scene where image potential outweighs number of sheets you have to work with? Option in this case - work with roll film cameras only and bring enough. In any case, did Ansel Adams have regrets?
The landscape image below (middle - Flinders Ranges) was taken in a very tight window of opportunity. I would estimate 2 minutes that these conditions lasted before the whole scene disappeared into rain and grey. I somehow doubt I could work fast enough to capture this scene if I had to unpack a bunch of gear and do all the setup required with medium or large format film.
Actually what initially grabbed my attention was a flock of sheep grazing at the time on the right half of the landscape. They promptly bolted when I got out to take the shot. I don’t think the image suffers as a result though. As far as I remember this was handheld also. This scenario happened twice on this trip. The second example I clearly remember being handheld. I took it from a few different angles. The light on the trunk of the front tree was gone in a minute. Of course, you could come back the next day and attempt another exposure but no guarantee on conditions being as favourable.
OK, so you miss a few. Are you still passionate about it after considering the compromises? I haven’t made up my mind yet.
Can you tell the difference between Hasselblad xPan digital or film?
Near Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.
Brachina Gorge, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.
A quiet section of the Coxs River. Not that the river is particularly wild anyway. But some nice lighting in between rain showers today. Some other reflections..For some reason - maybe sub-conscious now that I think of it, I’ve never been a regular user of CPL filters (polarisers). When I think about some paintings I’ve appreciated I notice that the artist has gone to some trouble to depict reflections in water in order to convey some realism. Modern photography often does the opposite. CPLs are utilized a great deal in order to reveal as much detail as possible in an image: rocks underwater and the like. There probably are cases where employing filters might be of advantage but it might also have unintended consequences. Unnatural darkening of the sky being one of them.
Nowadays, exotic landscapes with super saturated colours and micro details are the result of technology being refined to the nth degree. I think that’s why I enjoy vids with old tech like large format cameras. They tend to take in the countryside on a more relaxed level and pace. Landscape paintings also have a certain feel and may more easily take us on the journey back to our childhood. I’ll continue to explore this idea whenever possible.
I get a lot of enjoyment from simple images like this one. There must be a part of my brain that registers a certain combination of elements visible in the image that add up to a pleasing or satisfying result. Firstly, I’m happy to go back to the 4 x 3 format. It’s compact and quite powerful in the way square format also works. 3 x 2 works for me in some instances but definitely not in portrait mode. Putting aside for a moment the great look that B&W conveys, The geometric nature of the subject perched in the middle of a natural environment grabs my attention. This effect is somewhat enhanced by the horizon line cutting through the middle of the image. The tonal range of a black and white image in the right proportions makes for an attractive feature in an image. The sand surrounding the cabin isolates it and gives it some breathing space as the main subject. The very dark coloured door (not too large) also serves to keep the attention.
There are many b&w conversion options options available using something like Nik Silver FX. The highest contrast or grungiest look isn’t always the best option especially for daytime nature shooting. In this particular image the surrounding plants and bushes provide sufficient variation in texture and ‘dark elements’ to give the images some pop. Also, the image is divided into two. The smooth textures in the sky provide a contrast to the highly textured bottom half.
Finally, there’s another amusing aspect to this image… The two spiky plants in the foreground seem to be observing the scene along with the photographer. All these factors work on a subconscious level to make an image appealing which is probably why we go back for another look and why a photo captures our attention in the first place or even grows on us with time.
What gives this image it’s appeal? The reason I’m posting this image is that it’s a good example of the combination of colours and textures. It’s not new of course and fairly simple in it’s composition. But there are five distinct textures that are layered adjacent to each other and they’re combined with colours of varying intensity to create a harmonious image. Implied movement also plays a part. Finally the ship in the distance. Again, this is the jpg version of this image using the Nostalgic Neg simulation. The only editing that it underwent was auto contrast and then a slight reduction of saturation as additional contrast tends to boost it a little.
I don’t think Max Dupain would be bothered. Still, a good angle. I wasn’t lying on the concrete - the pool was raised. Lighting and lines were good. Pentax 55mm on Fuji GFX.
Early this century, a friend was using an Agfa digital camera soon after their introduction. It was probably the 1280 or 1680 model, I can’t remember which now. Only 1 megapixel! What I liked about the design was it’s swivel lens. Up until then you had Hasselblad and Rollei and the like which you looked down into the viewfinder to see your subject. So your average member of the public was not used to seeing cameras that weren’t held up to the face to take the photo. It was a stealth camera. You could look down as if you were making adjustments but taking a photo at the same time. I bought into the Nikon version of this camera which was around 2 megapixel. Cost was around AUD2100 (Coolpix 950). The Flash card was 32MB and cost $230. Quite a hefty outlay to buy into the digital arena.
The photo below (Jaipur, India) was taken with that model. I found the colours to be very pleasing. But I took the same shot with a 35mm film camera - likely the Canon EOS5. I found the Nikon colours to be much more true to life and not needing much editing at all. The downside was just the file size - a little small. It served well though for street photography. Once these cameras came more into mainstream useage and people became familiar with them, they lost their stealth status.
He knew something was up.
Obviously the best way to ‘see’ a city is to walk around. Weather was changeable and time was short so it was a quick walk around the back streets of Kunming. I nearly missed this little guy. Not sure if he was resting or guarding the papers.
This lady on a street in Shanghai caught me about to take her photo. She didn’t seem too fazed but began to adjust her clothing. Perhaps she would have posed for me anyway, but my mandarin leaves a lot to be desired. For the most part, the people I came across knew little if any english. I would advise travel with a translator as I did. Otherwise organising anything can be a nightmare eg, travel, food etc.
Many times we take photos that just aren’t there. Meaning that some things haven’t aligned properly or maybe an object has got in the way and by the time I realign, the moment is gone. Or maybe we are spotted and the subject becomes self conscious and changes the pose. That may even work in our favour as I’ll show in the next post. That’s the spontaneous nature of life. We’ve probably all experienced it at sometime in our photographic journey - the missed opportunity. But if we get out there often enough and keep a keen eye, stuff happens in front of us. The woman in this picture was taking a break from her market stall in Guangzhou, China. The image is made a little stronger since the arms of the poster woman and the chair lady go in the same direction.
There were many opportunities for street photography in China. This elderly gentleman sat outside the entrance to a building (Shanghai) and looked directly at me as a took this shot. It was hard to discern the thoughts or attitude of many people I tried to photograph on the street. I suspect I was tolerated for the most part but I was largely ignored by most as I traveled around, being a foreign tourist.
At first I wondered why she was standing to attention. Then I saw the little compact camera placed strategically on the seat. Also on the Li River. More river shots to come. Probably taken with a Canon 5D and 100-400mm lens.
Some images I’ve found, lend themselves naturally to appear quite painterly. It might be the textures or even the style - it looks like an image an artist might paint. Some look exotic and bring together elements that may not be recognized by the viewer as anything they’ve seen before. This scene for example is on the banks of the Li River in China, not far from Guilin. I still don’t know what species of trees they are. Most rivers are bordered by some kind of vegetation in the countryside but here we have rocks and pebbles. The mist contributed greatly to the feel or atmosphere as well, shrouding the mountains in the background.
A somewhat eventful trip - healthwise. At least on the return journey to Delhi. This image was from around 2006. Manali is located in Himachal Pradesh - one of the northern states of India. Not far from here is Rohtang Pass - one of the famous truck routes frought with danger due to rain and rock slides. Air is also in short supply due to elevation (around 4000m).
Most of the recent posts have been from this region. I haven’t spent any time yet in the town (Port Kembla). I hope to explore this whole area more in the next few months.
Industrial landscaping at it’s finest. Photographically a very interesting area to shoot. Narrow pavements (sidewalks) - I suppose because they don’t get much pedestrian traffic. This area is predominantly factories. I’d been wanting to visit this area for a few years now but never made the turnoff when passing through. Its close to the coast. It was a coal shipping area with a deep harbour that then developed a significantly large steelworks.
Including colour for comparison. Film simulation jpg: Nostalgic Neg.
Rock, shaped like a heart and trapped by branches somewhere on the Australian coast.
If you’ve visited Australia as a photographer, in particular doing landscape photography, Tasmania is a must visit destination. Not sure why I haven’t looked at these images I took back in 2018. Old growth forests provide an abundance of opportunities for this type of work. So many intimate nooks and crannies that are not that difficult to access. Again, you can’t really tell which camera was used to take this shot. As is happens it was the Olympus EM5 III. One reason I liked to get around these places with the Oly is the IBIS. My D800 of course didn’t have it so a tripod was always carried along. But in wet weather it was much more convenient without it. Forest shots in low light and sometimes drizzle were no problem. And I’ve always enjoyed Olympus colours. Even otherwise, almost no editing on shots like these.