How I Shot That - After Hours near the Bahai Temple

How I Shot That - After Hours near the Bahai Temple

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Sony a6000: https://amzn.to/2GiWa2T
Sony 50mm f1.8 OSS:  https://amzn.to/2E24YEx
Bahai Wilmette Wikipedia Page

When you are in town for a visit with family and you find a little bit of time... go do something.

The other day I was in the Chicago area and after dinner I had a little extra time.  I asked my brother, if we could go see the Bahai Temple in Wilmette, IL. 

If you haven't seen this place, it is huge!  It is the kind of thing that in most cases, a small lens was made fore.  But I really like the 50mm.  I like it so much, I still use it for getting scenic shots.  Could I have had done this with something else... probably. But I'm still very happy with this.

That night was very much spur of the moment.  The night had actually gotten a bit more chilly than I expected, too.  But being the upper Midwest, we are not unfamiliar with this change in weather.  After we found a parking spot it was a small walk up to this location. 

But, since it was cold, my brother and I did a couple of things before leaving the vicinity of his car. We checked our batteries in our Sony cameras.  Changed our lenses, and then started walking. 

As we got closer, it became apparent just how massive this structure is.  But since I had the 50mm lens on my APS-C sized camera, I had to find my first photos be from a ways back.  And that is where I found the location for this photo. 

Where most people would take the photo of the building dead center, I wanted the off-center look.  But when you do that, usually it helps to have something that makes up for the empty space.  That is where a leading line comes into play.  That is why I took this spot to start snapping away.  The lights for the parking area lined up a little to point towards the top of the dome.

Some of the first photos were a little fuzzy, and had too much noise.  I didn't have my tripod with me, so this was going to require me planting my feet in a very steady position.  I held the camera a little extra tightly, and against my head by the eyepiece.  Then I started to lower the shutter speed to 1/15 of a second and then lowered the ISO to 500.  After a few attempts, I got a clean shot. 

If you want to see a clean, enlarged photo, go to my Google Plus Post Here.
 

An interesting thing is hearing out there all of the talk about photography gear.  People look at the new toys out there, but not at what they already have.  Or, they are convinced that this one particular lens will be all they need. But the truth us going to be messy.  That is because as artists, we are usually a little messy. 

And I think that night illustrates some of this point. I sure would like different gear, but the distraction of other gear for me will be a detriment. If I had kept my 70-210 lens with me during this walk, I would have been distracted with other 'options' and couldn't have focused on what was in front of me.  It helps me stay in the moment.

Thanks for letting me vent a little bit!

How I Shot That - Milwaukee Fog and Art

How I Shot That - Milwaukee Museum of Art

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Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2FW83M8
Sony 20mm f8 - http://amzn.to/2pywfJC

They say, always have a Fog Plan.

A couple of years ago, at about 10 am in July on the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, I didn't have the faintest clue that we would be heading into a wall of fog.  But we were in for a treat. 

My brother and I both do photography, and we got a late start to the day.  He and I were driving in from Chicago and thought that we were going to see a lot of hard shadows and sunny skies.  However, nature sent us a gift.  Fog at the shore line that was thick but let us have all the light we needed. 

One of the best architectural treats of Milwaukee is their Museum of Art.  Looking like a sailing vessel instead of a structure, it sits on the shores of this Great Lake.  Walking outside it can be misleading when finding a center focal point to photo.  So you get it just right, or make it look like you broke the composition rules on purpose. 

I had to line up the points and check for other matching lines.  The point of this deck that came out towards me was my main setup.  In checking out the lines, I confirmed I could not see the wall of the center rib on that deck.  When lining the photo up to the top, the top of one of the masts also lined up.  I decided that the 'sail' could break the rules of composition.  I know the sides of the photo seem to be clipped a little, but that looked equal to me, so I went with it. 

When I had this photo in color, it felt like I lost contrast a little bit.  But going back to monochrome, gave me back some of the building, while still keeping some of the fog's softness. 

But this also brings up the idea of the 'Fog Plan'.  When I first came to this building, I went to the main entrance.  And then I went inside.  What was I thinking?  I wasted valuable time with the fog!  Remember, fog is your friend in photography!

Also, this was a fun day that day, walking around Milwaukee.  You should try it some time.

Equipment Post - what would make this better?

Equipment - What Would Make This Better?

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I have seen a lot of people drop their jaws over new cameras lately.  It seems that some people are chasing the megapixels of a camera, others just want the latest camera.  And a few, are shrewd enough to realize an improvement can be done, but perhaps not the latest camera, but that you need the right camera.

My test was when posting this photo of a skater at the 2017 National State Games, to ask people what could make this photo better.  This was a group of heavy Sony users and many said the a7Riii or the latest a7iii.  Only one person admitted to getting the camera (that released over a year ago) might be the right path.  That was a suggestion for the a6500 with the Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM.  Sure, this would have been a near $4000 investment, but it didn't take me north of that with suggestions of the other camera's and the same glass. 

But the main thing that would give me the best increase in photo quality would be the lens.  Lens issue would help by this main factor.  The lens I used for this was the Sony 70-200 f4 G.  But the lens I wished I had was the Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM.  And  what that lens does is allow?  More light to hit the sensor.  More light means I can use a smaller ISO value.  Smaller ISO value means smaller grain in the photo.  Smaller grain means that the color and sharpness will be more pronounced. 

One other thing... you get better subject separation between subject and background/foreground.  This is called Bokeh, getting a fuzzy looking out of focus look.  It also makes the subject stand out that much greater from everything else. 

Now, what a better camera body would have given me: other opportunities.  The a6500 still has 11 frames per second, and that is a must.  But something else is that camera has eye auto focus on continuous focus mode.  Additionally, it would give me the option to use 8 fps speed, but give me the slight motion between those shots.  And that would help with tracking the subject.  This photo, while what I wanted, was only in the bottom two thirds of the frame. If I had gotten a much more centered photo, then I would have greater content to work with.

Product Amazon Links
Sony a6500     Sony a6000
Sony 70-200 f4 G     Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM
Sony a7III     Sony a7RIII

How I Shot That - Late Afternoon Marsh Bench

How I Shot That - Late Afternoon Marsh Bench

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Lens: Sony 50mm 1.8 OSS - http://amzn.to/2tT6LvK
Camera Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2FFH6fF

Golden Hour... 

Besides the fall, spring can give you a magnificent glow.  Morning and evening will give different properties so you want to choose your times wisely.  This article will discuss the ending time of light.  

Usually, shooting into the Sun isn't going to be helpful to your photo.  But, like you will find so often in Photography, rules are more like guidelines. And in this case you can find the exception in this: the shadows are not too much.  

Some of this is because many of the latest sensors like the one in my Sony a6000 have great dynamic range.  That means it can bring out the details between shaded and lit areas very well.  I did need to sacrifice one thing, the sky.  

But what happened to me today?  How did I come up onto this place, it could almost be cropped further for different aspects to give a new outcome.  This spot could be used for different types of portraits, nevermind all of the foliage and wildlife that surely must be near this.

By my nature, I'm a very distractible person.  (I try to keep these posts short because of it.)  But this time when I went out with my camera, I used that distraction.  In fact, I had been shooting what I could of wildlife and random people.  This was part of a path that forces you to turn around and head back as it becomes a dead end.  But photography is almost always a matter of perspective.  And walking a path in multiple directions helps me release my distractions and swim in them at the same time.  

So I was heading back from the dead end, and I realized the sun had produced an extra glow due to all of the pollen in the air.  This location was probably one of the richest in pollen thickness in the air... you could smell everything (if it didn't overpower your nose).

And the glow struck me that the shade never was completely dark.  The glow made me wonder because a portrait would give an air of magic to the subject.  The glow made it possible to break so many 'rules' you could find in photography.  

If I had to come back to one thing, that is to explore... even if you can't travel, explore the same places.  Probably more important when you are new than anything, because it gives you experience.  It gives you ideas for the future.  Explore the same thing at different times of day and of the year.

If that skill was good for Ansel Adams (autobiography, http://amzn.to/2FFC96i), I'm sure it will help me out here and there too.

Equipment - Reviewing my Olympus OM-D E-M10ii

Equipment - Reviewing my Olympus OM-D  E-M10ii

Olympus OM-D E-M10ii - http://amzn.to/2DmIH3W

 

During the spring of 2017, I attended an event for Drink and Click in Madison, WI.  We went to Lucky's Brew Pub where Olympus came to sponsor the event.  We got to try their cameras and shoot with a model.  It was a fun event and at the end of the day, they gave this camera away, the OM-D E-M10ii (Amazon Link).

I have some positives and negatives to say about this.  But like my other recent articles, I want to keep this at least not-long.  I think it has kept things easy to read online.

I was introduced to Micro 4/3 sized sensor with this camera and event.  My main camera is a Sony a6000 (Amazon Link) at a sensor size standard of APS-C.  So I do not have a full frame camera just yet.  However, it means that the effective reach of my 200 mm focal length on APS-C is similar to 300 mm from a full frame and with the M4/3 sensor it gives me equivalent zoom of 400 mm.  Sports and wildlife tickle me with being able to reach out further with these cameras so it is why I didn't start with full frame.

What I liked:

What I have to say is that this camera is for is the starting photographer that isn't shooting sports or fast activity of any kind.  For an experienced photographer you can take advantage of certain things that can give you a good second camera.  

The new photographer will find two things familiar to you on your cell phones: a touch screen.  In a user friendly configuration, you will find as soon as you touch the screen, it will take the picture.  So just touch what you want to focus on and it will take the shot.

Additionally, you can get a camera that has decent auto modes and scene modes.  You can choose coloring and other affects.  This is like when you are on instagram for different styles.

One of the things that shine for this camera is IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) on the sensor.  Along with your kit lens (that is also stabilized) video feels like you are on a gimbal.  This means the movements of the camera will feel very smooth.  Along with touch screen focus, you have a versatile starting system.

And what I like as a more professional photographer: 

I still love the IBIS.  

I like the M4/3 format as it is easy to adapt a non-M4/3 lenses to it.  You need an adapter, but since this is an open standard that multiple companies and people have worked on ways to adapt other brands to this camera.  Old lenses look great with this... even though you need to manually focus you can still get things fairly sharp since you have eliminated camera shake. 

Just because it is a small lens, does not mean it won't give you a great reach.  I picked up this old 135mm lens, and it means it will reach out as far as 270 mm equivalent focal length.  I can go out and shoot something that isn't moving fast, like a squirrel in a tree or a perched bird or duck in the water.  And I can do this because the camera will show me what is in focus with focus peaking.

The camera is also fairly silent.  You don't have a loud noise when clicking the shutter.  You can hear something (it isn't 100% electronic), but it won't be like a big clunk from my Sony a6000 (Amazon Link).  It won't disrupt sensitive events, and animals won't be completely disrupted.

Some of what I didn't like:

Autofocus system is terrible.  If you like having the viewfinder by your eye, there isn't a wide area autofocus continuous (af-c).  This camera does not have eye auto focus like many other cameras, such as the Sony a6000 (Amazon Link) and the  Olympus  OM-D  E-M1ii (Amazon Link).

The menu system.  There are a ton of options in the Olympus menu.  However, it gets too big and too confusing.  For example, there is a feature called setting effects.  When using the camera through the viewfinder or the screen on the back, you can set it up to see the exposure before you shoot or it will just give you a similar view like from an optical camera.  But I had the hardest time setting it up this feature.  Since I want to see how the exposure will affect my shot before I take it, I had to adjust 4 or 5 different settings in the camera before it would work like I wanted it to.  People have said Sony menus are bad, but there is only one menu item I need to adjust in the Sony before I change this type of feature.  

But that may be a feature most people that pick up this camera are not worried about.

If I had to rate this in a 1-5 star rating comparing it to all of the other cameras out there, I would give it a 3.  It is a solid body.  It can do what you want it to do.  It does have limits.  But it is great for a starting photographer that isn't looking to make it a possible career.

If you are comparing it to all of the starting level cameras out there, I give it a 4 out of 5.  But the area wide auto focus can be a limitation.  If you like pointing at everything on the back screen to focus on and then photograph then it is kinda fun.  Or if you set the focus to be a single point on the camera then it will do well.  But many cameras today have a much more intuitive focus system and make the experience much more fun.

And video, while not the main point of this review, is nice with 5 axis image stabilization on the sensor.  So that video will look way better than anything from your cell phone.

Ultimately, you will be seeing me use both this Olympus camera and my Sony in the months to come.

How I Shot That - Thirsty Robin

How I Shot That - Thirsty Robin

shot with: E. Zuiko 135mm f3.5 - http://amzn.to/2DjNoeZ
Beschoi OM-M43 Adapter - http://amzn.to/2DjMU8F
Camera Olympus OM-D E-M10ii - http://amzn.to/2Fu1wb8

Robins are the bird that herald in the first breath of spring.  This little guy came up on the middle of this park path in front of me.  All I had was my Olympus OM-D E-M10ii with an old film lens of 135 mm lens stuck on it.

I didn't want to scare off the bird.  I backed up slowly a few steps and soon realized I had to get down low. After getting down low, I needed to do two more things on my camera to make sure I was as sharp as I could get.  First, I activated focus peaking.  Doing that gives an outline around everything that is sharp.  Then I used a magnify button to make sure I can see the finer focus points.

The lense I used was an adapted lens.  It wasn't originally designed for my camera.  It was an old Olympus film lens E.Zuiko 135mm f3.5.  The nice thing about it, the lens has a big focus ring on it, and it is so easy to operate when you have any kind of gloves on your hands.

So I got low.  But for a while, I think the bird was trying to figure me out... neither of us moved.  Then the robin moved closer to the water of this puddle.  I just checked my focus one more time and started shooting.  Eventually, many times the bird got down to drink.  This photo was probably the sharpest I got.  But the shot was still cropped in a bit, even with the equivalent full frame focal length of 270mm.  That's what you get when you need to step back a few.

Technical detail of this photo:  f3.5, ISO 200, 1/640 sec.

How I Shot That - Returning the Favor, Guitarist and Drummer

How I Shot That - Returning the Favor, Guitarist and Drummer

Lens is the Sony 50mm f1.8 - http://amzn.to/2F96Kcc
Camera is Sony a6000 - http://amzn.to/2ELLKIr
Venue - http://thebrickhouselacrosse.com/
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This was maybe a year ago, I had gone out to a new bar that opened.  This was The Brick House with a great space for bands to play.  They have a ton of can and LED lights around the band platform.

Returning the favor (FB page here) has a lot of their own music that is a range from folk/blues to rock/pop with a little reggae sprinkled in for flavor (Reverbnation page here). They have a rather big cast of musicians.  So while They were playing it was a little hard to find a shot that looked good with all of them in it.  Either equipment would hide one of them, or another person did that.

Here is the lead guitarist (also does some vocals) with drummer.  Just the two, but it was a feeling the guitarist was portraying with drummer that caught my attention.  The shot is a little dark with highlights around them for a reason that made love the Black and White treatment I used with this.  Part of what I liked in monochrome was that I had fewer distractions.

But there was another challenge, in Color, the lights were such pure red or blue or green (or whatever color) that it seemed to easily overpower my camera's sensor.  But re-introducing it as B&W gave me all of the detail I saw that night.  And I actually love it.  Specially since it seems so sharp and full of detail to me.

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That isn't to say I won't find a color option too!  Such as this one of the drummer with the other guitarist.  This photo also required some treatment in post... but to accentuate some colors but then muting it just a little bit on the drummer, so we can see his face.

But putting that aside, the day I shot these, I couldn't get a decent shot of all of this 5 person band.  Sometimes the reward is gained during a lesson in cutting your losses and in not getting greedy for that 'one' shot.  By moving around and keeping my eyes open I was able to find other wonderful positions.