Dabbling in video.....

Dear blog diary,    For a couple of months it seems that at I have abandoned you, forgotten you---not true --- I promise that I will update you more often (hopefully)! Covids and all the resultant lockdowns have certainly altered the rhythm of life for most of us. Perhaps better than many, I have been able to keep my hobbyist/sparetime photographic interest going at at pretty good pace---not continuously as I certainly get my full share of creative dry patches--like just now, which might have prompted me to look at my blog. Normally, at this time of the year, when we are almost guaranteed hot sunny weather here in Toronto, I would have taken the opportunity to head off to the central city area (I am located 20 kms west of the city core, but luckily on a main rapid transit line) for street photography when we are normally flooded with quirky tourists and sidewalks jammed with overflowing & colourful outside restaurants. As of today, due to Covids both these are mostly missing and personally, I am not anxious to bring Covids home with me---why take the risk? Isolating myself in house, garden and immediate proximity with mask are the order of the day.

                    All of the foregoing has led me to further investigate what new challenges my cameras can offer. Over the years I have used the video function, albeit infrequently, almost always only on my overseas travel jaunts to basically to diarise sights and sounds, as opposed to constructing a composite video sequence that builds into a short story or visual report. This past month, with trepidation, I decided to get my feet (somewhat) wet in the video process. Not over-board---just dabble. So far I have produced 4 clips---each time, trying to unearth & incorporate new features in the software menu. I am a strong believer in incremental learning---adding a new technique one at a time All my clips have been created using the old free Microsoft Movie Maker that was included as part of Windows 7 and earlier. I was able to locate a site that allowed me to download old Movie Maker into Win 10 and so far it seems to work perfectly. I also decided to upgrade my Photoshop Elements v.12 to Elements version 20 bundled with Premiere which is the companion video software programme & which Adobe state is targeted at beginner/enthusiast to near pro level. Anyway, to this point on my video journey & with only 4 clips in the can so far, I have ventured to use Movie Maker only and am still building my confidence to use the more sophisticated platform for my next effort.
                  Just a note on Photoshop Elements---as mentioned I happily used v12 for a number of years. To be honest I cannot see any real/worthwhile improvements in v20. Can only suggest that you save your money for this upgrade.

Capturing Covid 19....

            We are living, and hopefully surviving, a very strange period. Something the that will mark down 2020 as a year for the history books. The personal and financial trauma of Covid 19 is not over yet and while we are all hopeful that it will be resolved as result of the measures that governments and populations around the world have taken to isolate, we have to be aware that until an effective vaccine is developed, we could experience serious & potentially deadly flareups. It has always been easy as John Q. Citizen to barrack the policy makers and political leaders from the sidelines with criticisms sans the need to offer any real alternative suggestions. I have to admit that I have been very impressed with the quality of  various national crisis managements and the ability of political competitors to suppress their natural inclinations to score cheap points and, in general, to pull together for the common good.
              With all that said, I decided to walk the neighbourhood to try and capture evidence photographically, something of this great 2020 Covid 19 event before it dissipates. Already the (Canadian) government, as are others, are beginning to relax some of the most stringent epidemic lock-down regulations and I am sensing that vehicular and pedestrian street traffic is slowly, very slowly, returning to more normal levels.
                       I live near a major hospital and from just observing from the front exterior it is clear that major changes have been enacted so that it can function effectively in the Covid world. All  hospital entrances are controlled by security guards who efficiently turn away unnecessary visitors and limit access only to those unfortunate enough to require services. I noted all the masks and gloves that litter the grounds of the public areas around the hospital. I find it very difficult to understand the mentality it requires to jettison (infected?) safety gear so haphazardly and without thought for folks who eventually have the job to pickup this discarded rubbish.
       On the hospital lawn some one, some organization, has erected a memorial area of uniform small white crosses commemorating local victims of Covids. With two large old folks residences abutting the hospital, I can only guess whom the crosses mark. A nice touch--- while I was stooped down trying for an interesting angle, I was joined by a video photographer from a local TV network clearly working on a project along similar lines.
This city, with so much superficial wealth, has many citizens who are clearly having major difficulty feeding themselves & their families.
               The Canadian national unemployment has shot up from a low 4 to 14% + in the space of just 8 weeks. Much of the poverty in this city is hidden away behind the walls of smart condo apartments and the estates of private family homes. My photo above depicts a food table that appeared and note that just half an hour later when I returned, the table was bare.

READERS: To make most sense of the continuity of this blog, it is suggested that you commence reading entries with the earliest posting

What are you smokin'....?

Not sure what the neighbours thought of the scented pale blue smoke drifting their way through open windows, as I completed my set-up for my attempt to capture lazy whirls of smoke arising from the burning incense sticks (were n't these called josh sticks back in the sixties?) As part of my ongoing photography education, I had spotted some beautiful studies in smoke and felt it was time for me to attempt a reasonable capture.
I felt that a set up with pure black background would work best as it effectively contrasted with the pale blue smoke. The trick I discovered with much trial & error was to illuminate only the smoke with a speedlight flash, being very careful that the light from the flash did not escape & light up the black background---otherwise  the effect of the pure black back-drop would be lost. To achieve this with material on hand, I placed the light in front of the back-drop and wrapped a cone of black paper around the flash to concentrate the light spread only onto the rising smoke swirls. I also quickly identified the need to make sure that all the air in my studio was 100% calm to avoid chaotic breakup of the smoke streams. This included closing all windows, doors and switching off the forced air heating system. Such is the delicacy of the smoke whirl that even any movement by myself in the room made the smoke rise chaotically and break up in a manner that I did not feel was compositionally what I was seeking.
              I set the camera, my Nikon D610 DSLR, to 1/200th, and a moderate f 9, ISO 200, with speedlight at 100% power. The burning incense sticks pulled out in stages to about 4ft. in front of the black back-drop. These settings were arrived at of, course, after some considerable trial and error.
Smoke from the incense sticks has little native colour and photographs as a light grey when illuminated from slightly below & behind the smoke. This is where the physical constraints of photography intersect with creative licence. In the top picture, I painted the three different zones of the smoke swirl using large soft brushes in Lightroom set with tones of green, blue and yellow (top). In the image to the lower left I toyed with the white balance in Lightroom to accentuate the blue aspects captured by the camera.
Capturing attractive smoke swirls is a numbers game. The  smoke formations come together and dissipate in a flash. I spent the best part of 3 mornings on this project with the camera and later refining selected images on the computer. I estimate that in total I took more than 300 shots.

READERS: To make most sense of the continuity of this blog, it is suggested that you commence reading entries with the earliest posting date. 

Drips on a leaf...

                   Watching drips of water balanced on the edge of a leaf. Easy? No, not so easy. Drawing once again on YouTube resources for new & challenging ideas to keep me gainfully occupied during these long Covid 19 lock-down days by capturing small droplets of water teetering on the edge of a leaf, I decided that this was just the type of challenge that I needed.
The first task was to find this suitable leaf----we are not short of them in our home, especially at this early spring time of the year when it seems as if every corner and available table top has pots of seedlings awaiting milder temperatures and their transplanting into their allocated rows laid out in the vegetable garden. My initial leaf choice was a long slender amaryllis bulb leaf onto which I gently sprinkled a fine spray of tap water. It was my plan to watch the tiny streams of water collect into droplets on the edge of the leaf, building in size so as to be highly photogenic. Unfortunately, surface tension of the droplets was not what I expected & they kept overloading to the point of being excessivly weighty and rolling off the leaf. It had been my plan per the samples on YouTube to capture, three, four or five full droplets in a row, so as to maximise the creative effect. I was just unable to control in position multiple droplets at the same time, without losing several uncooperative drops over the edge. Back to Youtube for solutions! I discovered that placing water drops on the leaf edge in precise position is simple, if one employs a pipette, or in my case a turkey basting syringe with a narrow exit tube. Now I was able to magically position the droplets and even to increase/adjust the size of a specific droplet if required. Simple when you know how!
             

 On this day to learn, I also grasped that the creative impact of leaf edge water droplets is maximised with an eyecatching background. My photos were captured with a 20x30 inch sheet of white foam board as back-drop. I learned that plain white background 1) does not an interesting photo make and 2) that the lens effect of the droplets is nearly 180 degrees, so that the droplets on the leaf edge were picking up dark edges to the extreme right & left of the foam board--not attractive. An interesting photo education experience, but one from which I felt I could develop a better shot.
             Second attempt. I rounded up another leaf, but this time of a more traditional leaf shape, as opposed to the long, smooth straight leaves of the amaryllis bulb I had used in experiment #1. This time I decided to use the leaf attached to the plant and use the other leaves as background. Also I determined that the shot I was aiming for would be more abstract in concept with (hopefully) impactful use of colour. Pipette activated with a charge of clean water, I gently placed drops on the edge of the selected leaf---easy when you know how! I illuminated the entire set-up with my desktop LED light. This small battery powered  LED light is compact enought so that it can be easily moved around the set-up, effectively obtaining various illumination effects as rays shone both across the leaf surface & up through the leaf from under.
            Project completed----for now. I am sure that I will return to this idea on some future snowy house-bound day and attempt to achieve the rather more clean creation I envisaged.

READERS: To make most sense of the continuity of this blog, it is suggested that you commence reading entries with the earliest posting date. 

          

My tribute to Leonard Cohen.....

Help! I think that I am getting carried away with this selfy thing cloistered away in Covid 19 lock down. With just the two of us at home, I have a real shortage of living models. But wait---maybe I should be making eyes at the cat, as know that she loves to be so often the centre of attention.
Anyway, with time on my hands, I decided yesterday to set up camera and speedlights. Rummaging

through my box of gear & gadgets,  tucked inside, I discovered a set of commemorative Canadian postage stamps depicting the late Leonard Cohen, chanteur and raconteur, on the over-wrap and with different Cohen poses on each stamp.  An impressive guy who had a most interesting life. We had little in common, except for being of a similar certain age. I remember him as a celebrity on the circuit in Montreal, early 1970's. Anyway, with these thoughts in my mind, I  felt inspired, in my humble way, to try & to capture something of a Leonardesque feel to my photo.
                Unfortunately, I do not have a dedicated studio in my house and have to set up tripods and light stands in available quiet corners when there is no one else about, (usually when my wife is out shopping!). I find studio photography to be rather intense intellectually, with so many settings, adjustments and fine

tuning to arrive at the desired effect. Each time I attempt a studio portrait shot, I try to incorporate a technique that I have never previously tried, in an effort to expand my repertoire of techniques. Yesterday, I positioned a speedlight behind the model (me) pointing towards the camera and screened by the model from  the camera, such that just a rim of light was dramatically created around the outline of my black jacket against a black background. I was quite pleased with the effect.
I used my Nikon D610 set to manual, 35 mm Yongnuo  prime, f5 at 1/200th, ISO 100. Three Godox V850 speedlights. I employed the 10 second self-timer with my face 1 metre from the camera.
                For dramatic effect I selected a bright yellow daffodil as my prop, experimenting with the daffodil hand held, vertical, horizontal----eventually feeling a mouth held version was the 'money' shot.
Pictured at right is a painting of Leonard projected up on to the end wall of a building on Crescent Street, Montreal, (Sept. 2019).

READERS: To make most sense of the continuity of this blog, it is suggested that you commence reading entries with the earliest posting date. 

Multi me......

               Although intuitively I was aware of the concept, there are two very interesting words that apply to  creative photographic work. The first of the words is 'of'', as in, a photograph of an apple. A superb and eye catching photo of a red apple, but nevertheless a rather boring and probably forgettable picture of said red apple. Now let us imagine the rosy red apple is caught by the camera at the very instant that a beautiful butterfly alights. Clearly, there is a story here 'about' the instance and the photographer's luck/skill in capturing such a fleeting, never to be repeated image.Where did the butterfly come from?  Where is it going?. Did it want to eat some of the apple? etc, etc, so many  questions to be asked of this simple scenario. As a result of this simple proposition, I shall in future try harder to have a story to tell about my creative output.

            The days and weeks of this Covid lock down grind on. Luckily I am almost always very busy with a list of household tasks to be completed---would Mrs. W. want it any other way?
Yesterday I embarked on a selfie project. With a shortage of live models in my life, I often have to hire yours sincerely to pose. Now I do charge a hefty fee to pose for myself, so in view of this cost I decided to go the value route and incorporate four of me in the photo---not so difficult to achieve thanks to Photoshop Elements. My tripod was carefully set up to ensure that the camera was stable &  untouched for each of the poses with the 10 second timer switched on so that I had time to hustle myself into position for each specific pose. To make the photo a little more interesting, I decided raid the wardrobe & to wear a different outfit for each pose. As with most things Photoshop, there are always multiple ways to achieve the same end effect. I opted to stack the images on top of each other, employing the rubber eraser tool, exposing the image (in this case, our trusty model) from the layer below. This layer on layer approach was repeated with erasure to expose the lower relevant layer details. Ultimately, I had each of the four models showing through to provide the effect of appearing that the different me's were all in the room concurrently. The entire project took me several hours to complete, but in an otherwise unhurried lock down day, I had lots of fun at zero cost to the household budget.

READERS: To make most sense of the continuity of this blog, it is suggested that you commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  
.

Out in the garden.....

                 Likely we are still at the relative early stages of the 2020 corona virus lock down. The streets are eerily quiet, almost total absence of the big jet aircraft that continually criss-cross the city (Toronto, Canada) skies and yes, the air really does seem sweeter & cleaner. My eyes closed to concentrate senses, I drank my morning cup of coffee in the garden, enjoying the first spring day where the sun tentatively radiates discernible warmth downwards. With so few other distractions

beckoning,  my spring garden work is well ahead of schedule --- my wife has laid out detailed campaign plans to accomplish her vegetable and flower successes later in the year, always assuming Mother Nature decides to partner up in this project

.
                    Local parks and nearby places of interest are virtually 100%  closed and with a strong desire to continue to develop my camera skills, I am daily hunting for fresh & captivating subjects located on the property, towards which to point my lens. It is now only days away from having to cut the rapidly thickening lawn & with this in mind, I dutifully spotted the trusty lawnmower lurking in the shadows of the darkest corner of the garden shed, covered in a layer of winter dust and accumulated oily smudges.
             

Many of the photography related channel operators on YouTube, themselves also house and apartment bound, have been presenting creative suggestions & ideas on how to spot candidate household objects & possessions as a basis for creative photographic ideas. With this approach in mind, I found myself rolling around the driveway trying to find new & dramatic angles to digitally capture my lawnmower now that she is all oiled & polished up for a full summer of work. Not easy to seize arresting depictions of the mundane mower. I quickly discovered that ground level angles--as viewed by the innocent earthworm just before being shredded, offered much more dramatic views of this noisy metal monster compared to the usual and rather boring 6ft high eye vantage point of the adult male.
                      Just a word on YouTube. Fantastic tool that we, here in 2020, are all privileged to be able use & enjoy. Personally I have learned so much about photography from a considerable number of highly qualified presenters. I have learned at my own (slow & plodding) pace, incorporating new procedures and techniques into my approach as best fitted my digital progress. On the flip side, YouTube can be a monumental time waster. So much intriguing, captivating (and potentially useless) material---so little time.

READERS: To make most sense of the continuity of this blog, it is suggested that you commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

Put on the kettle .....

Last week of March and woke up to an inch of snow on the front lawn. Hurried through my breakfast time chores to take my last photo of a "white snow scene" for this season.... & there it was----gone! So quickly a steady spring rain downpour had washed it all away. With plans askew, but not to be thwarted on this another day of Covid 19 virus lock-down, I began a prowl around the house to spot something--anything, to set my lens upon. With a morning cup of coffee on my mind, this photographer's eyes alighted on our stylish red kettle. While the water boiled, I looked at it from a variety of angles. On initial examination it appeared rather blah, unexciting, unappealing.  With a few sips of that hot, life sustaining liquid coursing through the old veins, ideas as to how I could tackle the project started to flood in. It quickly seemed apparent that this would have to be a macro photography project in order for me to move in close enough to capture small details of the kettle & to register them large on the sensor. My self set guideline is that the finished work would be abstract, such that I could ask you, the viewer, to identify the subject, and you would be unable to do so. Often the small details are much more enthralling than the full subject. But wait---before,  proceeding, experience has taught me that I should take a cloth with a small amount of detergent to give the outside of the kettle a real deep clean and polish--rubbing away microscopic particles and smears in corners that had been missed as part of our regular kitchen hygiene routine. Time spent in macro photography cleaning and preparing the subject in advance saves multiples of that (wasted) time in post processing making good a shoddy set-up.

In all, I took more than 60 images of the red kettle with my Nikon D610 fitted with a 35mm f2.0 prime plus a 12 mm expansion ring. My 'You Tube' teachers have impressed upon me the necessity to keep firing away in the search for an angle. Digital shots are free, so just click away to your heart's content. Often at the end of a photo session, I  have a sense that somehow I have failed to capture a 'keeper'. Only when I unload my work into Lightroom on the computer and have had time to thoughtfully review the shots, deleting and sorting possibles, do I realize that a few may have real potential. On this particular occasion 60 shots were reduced to fifteen, to six and finally to just four. As mentioned in earlier postings, I feel that as the owner of this creative output, that I have the right to take artistic licence to achieve end results that I find pleasing. I crop and sometimes reverse the image, I manipulate temperatures, contrast, levels and tints until I find the result that pleases my eye. This is all about technology and the human touch working in tandem.

READERS: To make most sense of the continuity of this blog, it is suggested that you commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

Creating an abstract at home.....

Locked in at home.... Aren't we all in the same situation! I have noticed however, that the creative techniques photo tutorial content providers on You Tube seem to be reacting super fast to the situation, providing lots of great project ideas for us to tackle. Some of these offered inspirations are well thought out and realistic for me to tackle, others seem to demand higher levels of competency, or demand more sophisticated gear than I can muster. I am particularly enjoying Joe Edelman's videos (as in learning from) at the moment. Joe is offering a daily series of in home camera related projects and can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTqS95CRNAI&feature=em-uploademail
Yesterday, Joe's challenge was to create an abstract photo of an every-day object in the home such that a viewer of the picture would NOT be able to identify what the item was. After some reflexion, I decided that the subject of my effort would likely be found in the kitchen or bathroom, finally deciding on a couple of my wife's ornate cosmetic pots. I used my Nikon D610, a 35 mm f2.0 Yongnuo prime lens plus a 12 mm extension ring to better enable me to 'fill the frame' and achieve details at close-up. Work was shot on my desk in front of a north facing window, mid morning light supported by a small battery powered LED light.

In all, I took over 60 shots from different angles, culling the list down to four 'keepers'. Photos were adjusted in Lightroom 5. I have to admit that I am prone to take artistic licence so as arrive at a final look that I like. This type of photography is, I believe, part art and as the creator, I  have the right to control the final appearance of my work. Different of course, from the hard actuality of street photography where the maxim 'you gets wot your lens sees' basically holds true and to change/subvert that reality is highly questionable.


READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

Street humour and absurdity among the chaos.....

This being the year of the great corona virus pandemic and with all the implications that encompasses, closed shops restaurants, cultural events etc etc., the city is going to be a lot quieter than usual. Winter passes into spring very rapidly in these parts---one moment we are all freezing, almost the next, it is pleasantly sunny & warm. The good citizens, especially the young, change also from being cosseted in thick down jackets to sporting t-shirts, shorts and assorted skimpy summer wear--- enjoying their first chance to see and be seen. Spring is street photographer's paradise.
                    It has always been my first impulse on the streets to look for humour and absurdity among the chaos, unintentional and spontaneous. Typically I do not photograph street performers and attention seekers. They are not acting naturally and seem contrived. Having said that, the audiences for the street performers DO represent opportunities for my lens, as they react unselfconsciously to the performance.
                    Incongruity is another of my fascinations on the street. The over-weight and weary middle aged male walking in front of the shop window display that highlights young and attractive things energetically strutting their stuff, the smoker standing in front of the large no smoking sign---you get the idea. These types of scenes or set-ups, can be planned to a degree, in advance. When I spot a provocative sign like the no smoking example, I will loiter-- for no more than 5 minutes, as I tend to be somewhat of an impatient person. With Lady Luck on my shoulder, I will capture the appropriate unsuspecting target who will sally forth at the precise moment into my viewfinder and illustrate  my story.
What do I NOT photograph on the streets? Early on in my street career I did occassionally photograph the less fortunate including those who live outside, in shop doorways etc. In deference to my own sensibilities, I no longer shoot these pictures, unless I receive their specific approval, sometimes offering the price of a coffee for their cooperation.
NEVER do I take photos of children. In earlier years I did have a couple of nasty confrontations on city streets when my lense had been pointed at parents and their off-springs and I had to call the police for my own protection. In the second of the incidents, I believe that I was the victim of an attempted shakedown. Do not wish to repeat these experiences, so I am very careful as to what I shoot.
I always carry copies of the local (Ontario, Canada) laws and regulations regarding citizen rights to privacy in my back-pack.
Notes on photos above. In both cases, I seem to have captured couples that seems to be in stages of boredom with each other. Inter-personal relationships and trying decipher--always interesting.

READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

                       

Street photography inspiration...

The thermometer outside my kitchen window inched up to 18C this lunchtime AND I saw a robin hopping across the lawn. Would it be overly optimistic to believe that Spring has sprung on the 9th March on this part of the north shore of Lake Ontario, Canada. This is unseasonably balmy and everyone knows it won't last. Anyway, the point here is that the lure of crowded city streets beckons strongly to this street photographer who has been cooped up away from icy thoroughfares at home, for far too long.
 I have enjoyed looking for photo projects in the house, but soon it is the time to really start using my camera again. For me, the theatre of the streets, with all its vibrant chaos & unpredictability, is where it's at. Out on the streets, I feel as though I detach myself from my own reality---moving into a bubble may be an analogy. I feel that I become hyper observant to all that is going on around me--yet, for the most part being separate from what is in front of the lens--the proverbial fly on the wall. Apart from difference in air temperature, the warm days of Spring & especially hot Summer days, there is a difference in the way people on the street behave and conduct themselves according to the seasons. In Winter, everyone seems to be in a hurry, intent, with head down and for the most part uncommunicative, huddled & bunched up in their Canada Goose for warmth.
                  Come the lazy, hazy warm days & evenings, the boulevardiers, poseurs and flaneurs  (why are all these words taken from French?) take to the streets, lounge in the open street restaurants, or just cruise the fashionable tourist areas in their Rollers, Ferraris and Lamborghinis. These high flyers, clearly seem to occupy a different realm than the rest of us ordinary struggling mortals, making for such rich street photography picking, as they so willingly & confidently parade their material success. They love being photographed!
                  I have been an active street photographer in Toronto for about 6/7 years and I now sense the changes, apart from just being older, that are taking place inside me. In my early years of  photographing the street, I would return home hungry, after a full day & tired legs with 150-200 shots and then the next day have a real struggle to pare down my haul to perhaps 50 keepers, and then with superhuman effort, hit the delete button again to reduce the keepers to say 25 that I thought were 'amazing'. I used to really fall in love with the results of my days on the street. By last season, things had evolved, so that as I readied myself for street action, I was prepared to have just a single 'good' shot from an entire days session. Would have been satisfying to have captured 5 keepers, but just a single, of which I was totally proud, would be an acceptable reward for a full days effort. I take comfort in the fact that a similar outcome also worked the same for Cartier Bresson, the father of street photography---he took many more than 100,000 shots on film during his career and secured his immortality with perhaps less than 200 genius quality photos---a catch rate of fractions of one per cent.
Notes on photos above in this posting:
#1. Lady on zebra crossing. Early evening, had just been raining. She was crossing very slowly at this high vehicle volume and dangerous location. She knows that she does not have the speed or athleticism to jump clear of aggressive and dangerously driven cars. Her rather sad face and reliance on her walking stick likely reflected a difficult existence.
 #2. Street musician. This old man frequently plays his one string and very squeaky Chinese instrument outside McDonalds, Yonge Street, Toronto, one of many artists who perform on the major thoroughfares during the summer months. I was drawn to this photo opportunity as  the player had masked his face in that unusual face garb/mask often favoured by Chinese ladies who wish to retain pale skin. Not sure if the blackened face mask benefited his earning potential. Note: photographer is mirrored in the window to the right of the musician.
#3. Day after grand opening of our new centre city cannabis emporium. Sizing up the lady against the wall for a shot, when suddenly an arm pushed through the main door and into my picture. I like the pic--totally unplanned---just like much in street photography it happens in the blink of an eye and is gone. No repeat performances. Motto: always carry the camera switched on, finger on the release, with settings locked in.


READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

Street persona....

On the streets, I try to fade as far into the background as I can.---to look as nondescript as possible. I aim at being noticed by the people around me as little as possible as I endeavour to capture camera magic. Here in Toronto-- Canada, as soon as some folks see a lens being leveled at them, they likely adapt to some degree, their natural behaviour style. Mostly, the general public just ignore a 'tourist photo guy', some actively enjoy posing for the camera and just a few  (hopefully) may become confrontational /threatening. On the streets, I avoid wearing bright colours and gaudy brand name camera straps that could draw attention to me. Olive drab multi pocketed  'professional' waist coats that shout "photo guy at work" are also eschewed. A key item I always wear are sun glasses---not least as the Toronto sun light in city streets during the mild weather season does tend to be intense and tiring for aging eyes, but also as a means of avoiding direct eye contact with potential subjects while I shoot away. Setting my camera at a 35 mm locked focal length, I do try to fill the frame as far as I am able with the  target ---ie: to be as close as possible. I have noticed on multiple occasions while on the streets, that  the initial reaction of folks after the shot is taken, is to turn their heads, looking behind them to see what/who else the tourist photo guy might have had in his view-finder. In that instant, I am usually well passed and on down the street to the next slice of life photo opportunity.
                   

Street photography is a strange beast. Out in the midst of crowds, yet so alone in a private bubble. Sometimes I will go out into the city and immediately see abundant photo 'opps' hurtling up in front of my lens. I smile and engage easily in conversation with the diverse characters that I encounter, referred to I believe, as being "in the groove". Other days: nil, nada. I see nothing and am closed & unable to communicate effectively with potential subjects, tending to shoot surreptitiously from the hip, & subjects are not even aware that they have been captured. There is little doubt in my mind that individuals are most natural when they do not realize that they have been photographed. A lovely smile for the camera from a street person is the most UNNATURAL gesture, and one that I will always delete at first opportunity.
          A few comments on the pictures I have attached to this posting.
#1. Child framed behind the bars of a 3rd class carriage. I took  the shot on a railway platform in India. Trains in the sub-continent are almost invariably packed and when one rolls into a crowded station, it is frequently stormed by the masses attempting, with or without ticket, to get on board. To prevent gross over-loading, steel bars are welded across the carriage windows. I just happened to notice this beautiful child gazing wistfully out onto mayhem on the platform.
#2.  In his best Bat Man outfit, this athletic individual tackles the zebra crossing on his hands., shepherded by a Toronto policeman, who, judging by the amused look on his face was enjoying the spectacle. Notice the tall male on the left. He seems oblivious to the action. How many up-side-down Bat people, complete with police escort, does he see on a daily basis?

READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

Macro hibernation on a cold winter's day.....

Fact: the Canadian winter is long and cold. Many days are not too pleasant to step out of the house, so if one is to keep busy photographically, it is not a bad idea to start thinking and looking for SMALL things to explore. First reaction might be to head off out to purchase a dedicated macro lens. These do not come cheap ---even a second hand Nikon can set you back $500+. Ever respectful of dolly dollar, I decided to invest $30 on E-Bay for a set (3) of Neewer brand expansion rings---12/20 & 36 mm sizes, complete with built in auto focus connectors . The rings are totally low tech and have no mechanical parts being just a metal tube---no glass, that forces the lens forward from the sensor, creating magnification of the subject. Any two of the expansion rings can be combined, or all three used at the same time for full power magnification.
            To obtain sharpest results this close-up, the camera should be:  1) mounted on a sturdy tripod 2) built-in 2 or 10 second timer, or external shutter release cable employed, 3) shutter raised option used. A combination of all three steps should ensure that the camera is totally still and stable. Understand that  ANY camera vibration is magnified in macro. I have spent many happy hours this winter  peering into the centres of flowers, at vegetables, knife blades, lady's jewelry,  or at the ends of ball point pens etc, etc. Almost anything can be a subject for a macro photo session--- only limited by the photographer's creativity. Different textures and colours, of walls, clothing, food, tools that you discover, add to the experience.
           A few times, several cameras ago, I tried a $5 lens reversing ring. This a ring that is attached to the front of the camera and to which the lens is screwed on ---backwards--- so that the normal lenses connecting ring is away from the camera--ie: reversed. This technique worked, but in general, I found it to be less satisfactory than the expansion ring method.
          One of the challenges of macro photography is to adequately illuminate the subject. Even in a

well lit room, the camera is so near the target meaning that light where you need it, is blocked or greatly reduced. Using lens extension rings, a stronger light source is required than in normal daylight shooting situations in order to attain perfect macro exposure. I use a Godox V850 speed-lite that I clamp into the slot on top of the Nikon and onto the attached flash have constructed a loup to direct the flash directly onto my macro subject. Basically all that is required to build this very efficient lighting loup, is  30 minutes of your time, an empty paper chip tube and some industrial adhesive tape. See the pic for all the details.
           
           Looking forward to the hot days of summer when assorted creepy crawlies are in the garden pleading to have their portrait taken.

READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  
          

Photoshop Elements 12...

My second and junior photographic software partner is Photoshop Elements 12 (PSE 12). Junior not in the pejorative sense, just that I find Lightroom is easier & quicker to achieve the non-professional results I seek.  This is a cut down version of that grand-daddy of photographic software---Photoshop. I understand that PSE12 has 75% of the tools of the full professional Photoshop version,  but at only approx. 15% the price. In 2016/7  Photoshop moved to a subscription only model, currently $US9.95/month for a bundle that includes Lightroom (LR). Adobe, the developers, claim that this is a superior way to use the products as updates and improvements are offered continuously. Personally, I prefer to make a purchase and know that the product is mine, software patches & glitch corrections being available on an on going no cost basis. $9.95 monthly rental over a 60 month ownership period comes to (a profitable for Adobe) $600. Affordable I am sure for the pro, but less interesting to the hobbyist
                 I took ownership of my PSE 12 in 2014 and have to admit that there was a significant learning curve as I struggled to understand the concept of layers that is intrinsic to the programme. Gradually, over time and with much practice, I have become reasonably proficient, although there are many more lesser used tools embedded in PSE 12 that I have yet to fully build into my work flow.
               It is my practice to initially download RAW files into LR and execute the magic of the program on my camera work. I have found that there are some things that PSE 12 does better than LR. An example is cleaning unwanted artifacts that the camera captures. Mostly the artifacts can only be seen when the photo is enlarged and their removal makes the end product shiny and clean. Cleaning artifacts can be arduous and time consuming. The Canadian 25 cent coin above left, was selected as it appeared to this human eye to be totally blemish free. Under the lens and with three electronic flash aimed at it, the surface defects were only too apparent. Several hours on PSE 12 polished the end product nicely.
                    A technique that I enjoy and believe to be quite creative in PSE 12, is selective colour. I have heard say that some in the photo community frown on selective colouring----sooooo 2010! To my point---imagine a grey street scene of stores depicted on a very rainy grey day. In front of one of the stores are 3 women chatting, each holding up bright red umbrellas. Using PSE, any other colours  in the photo can be crushed back to shades of black/white/grey. This use of a single colour enables the slash of red from the umbrellas to jump out dramatically. See a similar example pic of the technique above right of mauve flower on concrete.
                As with most things computer and their software related, there are usually several different ways to achieve the same end result---commonly referred to, I believe, as 'work-arounds'.


READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

My Lightroom 5.0 adventure....

 Digital cameras and software seem to go together, like a horse and carriage, like Darby & Joan---you get the idea! For my photo passion, I use two different programs--Lightroom 5.0 and Photoshop Elements 12 (both produced by Adobe). These versions have now passed their 'best before' dates by a significant margin, but still reliably provide me with all the tools that I require at my hobbyist level. I am a firm believer in only replacing/updating tools when they actively hold me back from advancing

to a new, higher level. For this posting I will restrict my comments here

to my experiences with Lightroom and address PS Elements 12 on another day.
                     I came to Lightroom (LR), a couple of years after my baptism into the world of digital (circa 2012) when I learned about and rapidly appreciated the benefits of shooting in RAW format. For those who may not know, RAW is a non-destructive  large file process of  handling digital data. In other words, if one shoots in RAW, then the image can be manipulated digitally in a program like LR without losing any pixels. Maintaining pixel count in the editing/correction process greatly facilitates achieving an end  photograph of highest quality. Of course, pictures can also be captured in jpeg (small file) format. Jpeg is a "lossy" process, whereby each and every time the photo is adjusted in a software program, pixels are lost, destroyed and cannot be replaced. Jpeg not recommended if you wish to digitally improve your photographs.
                   I found LR to be pleasingly intuitive to use and to simple to learn. It is virtually impossible to damage a photo in the program, as there is always the option in the History tab to wind back the editing process to an earlier action, prior to the problem. The finest tool that I ever used in mastering LR were the YouTube videos produced by Anthony Morganti, usually no more than 10 minutes duration per segment---each segment covering a single aspect of LR. Here is the link:        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi1-8qYHWaQ   This was a very effective learning method for me, as I was able to proceed at my own pace, to take away one technique at a time and practice it myself,  achieving and building my brain muscle before proceeding to the next step (FYI: I am not the world's fastest learner and generally need 'hands on' to fully comprehend the theory). In all, Anthony Morganti uploaded  about 60 episodes on Lightroom 5. Thanks Anthony.
                  I know that one should always aim for optimum settings 'in camera'. Post processing software can magically rescue, correct and improve  in camera setting errors, but if the composition is

shoddy, then sorry mate, you are scuppered. Even the world's best software genius cannot totally retrieve (although crafty cropping may help) a poorly composed effort!
                 As I mentioned earlier, I greatly enjoy black and white photography. I shoot in colour and convert to black & white. Not just black & white with shades of grey, but perhaps tending to extremes with crunchy blacks and bright whites. Not by the book perhaps, but maybe my 'personal!!' style is emerging. Being able to "see" in b/w, a subject for a later posting.  LR helps me to achieve this effect enabling me to raise up and subdue each colour group to achieve the effect that I seek. Some "experts" say that LR and similar programs are a replacement and a crutch for those that are short changed in creativity. I beggar to differ---they just enable, through the miracles of digital science, many of us lesser mortals, to express our individuality and dreams through a computer and onto paper.
Note on photo -- man with bowl of noodles. I took this photo through the window of a restaurant a couple of years ago, a cold day yet sunny day, very early in the Spring. It appeared to me that the man was a street person, perhaps one of the sad army who choose to sleep outside even in the cold of a Toronto winter. He appeared to have real style and as I watched was clearly able to manipulate those chop sticks with admirable dexterity.


READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

My preference for primes over zooms.....

 Lenses. I think that over the past 100 months or so of my camera journey, I have owned just about every consumer grade Canon consumer lens. You may recall me writing that for a period of about 2 years, I was an active trader of pre-owned equipment. Given the realities of the market-place, I often found myself having to take possession of lenses in addition to the  bodies (mostly 60D and 7D models) that I was really wanting to purchase. Unbelievably, some sellers actually threw almost free lenses into the deal in order to make their sale.  Anyway, it was an effective way for me to try the different lens types and determine how they would fit into the style of photography that I enjoy the most ---- shooting on the street. Like most newbies to this genre, I found it in the early days easiest, and least threatening/conspicuous, to stand back from the action and click away. Less chance of being challenged and possibly being confronted. Somehow the resultant long-range shots I snagged seemed to lack a sense of intimacy---a lack of appearing that the photog was really in the thick of the action.
                       Shooting with a telephoto on the street means that you are committing yourself to carrying a heavy weight around for a couple of hours & possibly upto 5-6 hours in a full day shoot session which can be especially onerous if the day is hot and humid. In many countries, carrying long lenses on the streets can create envy, identifies one as a rich tourist, setting up a scenario to be the victim of a snatch and grab attack. Bear in mind, a widely used cheapo long lens can be the equivalent of several months income in a struggling third world country. No need to red-flag yourself for a nasty situation.
                    During this photographic journey, I have become increasingly disillusioned with zoom telephoto lenses to the point where I have sold mine (except for a Nikon 70-300mm retained for special occasions). I was impressed by one highly experienced ex pro who reminded us that using a zoom was in fact a lazy alternative for failing to use one's own legs to get closer to the  action. On this advice, I purchased a 35mm f2.0 prime Yongnuo. Perhaps at $US 100, one of the best investments I have ever made even if it may have somewhat of a 'made in China' feel. Super light to carry, the 35mm lens on a full frame camera, most nearly replicates the view magnification that the human eye has when aimed at a situation. It would be absolutely stupid of me to infer that my cheap prime is 'better' than high-end and expensive glass. It just means that the Yongnuo 35mm fully suits my recreational shooting purposes on the street. I am aware that the Yongnuo lens has slight glass inaccuracies that mildly distort being somewhat soft in focus at the extremes. Any lens deficiencies I experience with this lens, can be mostly rectified using Lightroom.  Prime lenses are bright and even with the  modest f2.0 on my Yongnuo 35mm, I can shoot in relatively light subdued areas at shutter speeds that capture the action sharply. Bonus of course is that the wide aperture also makes it easier to achieve those satisfyingly blurred backgrounds when need be.

 READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  
                

DSLR versus 4/3---Part 3.

The DSLR that I use and greatly enjoy, is my Nikon D610. I have had this camera since early 2017, purchased used off Kijiji. It came in mint condition, apparently gently treated, complete with box, with 12M shutter actuations on the clock, for about 40% of original retail. I had never really considered purchasing Nikon and my prior DSLR ownership and trading activity had been exclusively with Canon. I was strongly influenced to purchase the Nikon by the Ken Rockwell https://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/reviews.htm -- internet site which I consider to be one of the best sources for unbiased equipment recommendations. I was able to study meaningful model comparisons, placing the Nikon D610 objectively up against full frame direct competitor, Canon 6D.

Background: The D610 evolved out of the Nikon D600---a marketing nightmare that likely Nikon may wish to forget. There had been widespread reports of D600 oil splatter on the sensor that may have come from shutter action. Anyway just months later, after large-scale recalls, the D610 was born from the ashes and to my best knowledge did not inherit its sibling's defects. These problems likely drove down the market price for the later D610 model, to my advantage.

The Nikon D610 is not a small, light camera---it is full frame equipment and weighs accordingly. It feels balanced and solid in my mid-sized male hands. Not a camera that I particularly enjoy having around my neck for long hours on the city streets during the hot season. This was particularly true in the early days of my ownership of the camera, when it was paired with the chunky 24-120mm Nikon lens. I remedied the weight issue of the zoom lens by replacing it with a 35mm f2.0 prime. More on this later.

Why full frame? The sensor size is 100% (ie: not cropped) the frame size of old film cameras. Not being more than superficially technical, I was persuaded by the fact that the large sensor would, at a given pixel count, contain larger pots of electronic paint than a small size sensor, enabling superior photograph quality (in theory), especially in low light situations. Smoother, creamier bokeh blur is also touted as a full frame advantage.

Very happy with the D610 experience, my biggest gripe overall being the lack of any type of articulating rear LCD display panel.
Recently heard on the rumours web sites that the Nikon D610 entry level full frame, introduced in 2013 has been discontinued. RIP. Too bad--great camera at an affordable price. Nikon D610 is all I am probably ever going to need for my NON street photography projects.

 READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.  

DSLR versus 4/3---Part 2.

            A little more on the Lumix GX 85. Excellent for street photography. Small enough so as to enable me appear to be a simple tourist --I do so like to fade into the scenery as I maneuver around targets to snag my juicy candid shot.             In terms of preparation, I prefer the technique commonly known as zone shooting. My camera setting will be on manual mode, camera pre-focused on a point 9 feet away (ie auto focus switched off), aperture set to 7.1, shutter speed to a 500th---- (1000th if it is a very bright day). The key to successful zone shooting is to ensure that the exposure pyramid functions perfectly with the ISO locked in automatic mode. The  GX 85  handles higher ISO up to 2000+ settings well, with out noise being a distraction. Not really a problem for me anyway, as my street shots are invariably captured in old fashioned black & white. The absence of colour works well for me and seems to match the gritty feel of raw street action, and I judge that colour seems to be mostly distracting. This 'zone' pre-adjustment system assures that I can be ready on the shutter button the very second that fleeting street drama before me unfolds.
                 This micro 4/3 is small and light enough, that I carry my Lumix on the streets attached to  a wrist strap as opposed to a regular neck strap. I find that this enables me to rapidly adjust my shooting angle from ground, to hip, to 8ft high, to eye level, very rapidly. Street theatre is enacted in the blink of an eye, repeat performances rarely offered.
                Battery charge duration with the GX85 is poor. I always carry two fully charged back-up batteries with me. The batteries are small and light, so it is not a major problem getting me through a six hour session on the streets. I believe that this is an issue common to many micro 4/3 format models. It is a short-coming that is exacerbated in street photography as the camera is 'always powered up' for that unpredictable & fleeting scene.
               The GX85 incorporates both an electronic viewfinder and an LED back screen that can be angled on a single plane --- I rarely use this feature, as I tend to point and shoot, as opposed to raising the camera to my eye while on the street. I have become quite proficient these past few years at nailing my target.
                 Note on the picture. I was in Usk, South Wales, UK at the time of the 100th year anniversary of the ending of the First World War on 11th. November 1918. There was a parade through the town and one of the participants was the local police sergeant. A young lad standing just in front of me was obviously having problems setting his new camera to capture the action. Our gallant officer hopped out of the parade and into the crowd to offer his expertise, giving meaning to the phrase "helpful bobby".


-------To be continued.

  READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.                

DSLR versus 4/3---Part 1.

This is a posting that may be of interest to any devoted 'gear head' readers. I offer a few words on the cameras with which I shoot. I will not attempt to offer wisdom as to the comparative superiority of the Nikon D610  full frame DSLR versus the micro 4/3 format. For me, they are totally different photo experiences. I like dogs and I like cats.---each having its pros and cons. Bottom line: I feel lucky to be the owner of an example of each category. Certainly the Lumix GX85 is the every-day camera that I carry with me whenever I leave the house, where-ever I go out in the car. They bill this 16MP camera as being pocket-able, but have to say that it is a little too chunky for my pockets. Weight-wise it feels solid as opposed to plasticky in my mid-sized hands. I purchased the GX85 in Sept. 2019 and can say, hand on heart, that this was the first camera that I have ever bought new in my entire life. I was persuaded to close the deal by the fact that the bundle was offered at a knock- down price by Adorama, NYC, with two very small, ultra light telephoto lenses--12-32 mm and 40-140 mm thrown in gratis. Probably means that it is a model soon to be discontinued--originally introduced in 2016 and now at about 4 years into it's cycle, it maybe getting a little long in the tooth. There are function (fn) button settings galore on the camera body--the only problem for this senior (age) shooter is that he can never remember which function he has allocated to which fn button! Suspect this may also be a problem for younger folk. The individual positioning of 10 settings always seems a little like over-kill to me. However, I understand that features are what drives camera sales. I should mention that unlike some other manufacturers, Lumix has a reputation for offering on-going after-sale camera improvements (as opposed to rectifications to operating errors) in the form of meaningful firmware updates. The GX85 benefited from 'Post Focus' being added---a feature, not a gimmick, that I have found to be really useful.

READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.

What is my photographic style....

      I have been engaged in this hobby for 8 years +, & have to admit that I have not yet developed any unique and discernible photographic style. Yes, it would gratify my ego to have an exclusive photo style that identifies my work as creatively belonging to me. Auto-didactically I continually try to adopt camera and artistic techniques to enlarge my repertoire and move myself to a new higher level of competence. Some of these techniques I digest and incorporate into my process, others I reject first time around as being overly complicated and not worth the investment of effort. Sometimes, I may revisit at a later date to find that I had under-appreciated the benefits. An example of this happened just recently with focus stacking. This process involves taking a number of shots of the same set-up with each photo having a slightly different focus point from the front to rear and then combining the photos on the computer, so that all the in focus points are combined into a single photo with the out of focus shots being deleted. Not too difficult to execute in Photoshop and can even be done in camera by my micro 4/3 --Lumix GX85. Previously nearly impossible tricks of technical wizardry are being increasingly achieved by us part-time warriors thanks to the wonders of software.

       Personally, I believe that my street photography, more than any other genre I have attempted so far matches my personality. The street is exciting, gritty, occasionally a little risky and is a never ending theatre. Miss a great shot and another offers itself just seconds later. I shoot on the street exclusively in black and white. I tone for dramatic effect the b&w's in Lightroom, so that the blacks are black and the whites are almost pure. I judge that colours distract from the essence of the instant that I am attempting to capture. Unfortunately in Canada, we have long, cold winters and it is during this period that I tend to hibernate and attempt maintain skills & capture photographically the 'wonders' that surround me in my home. Days are lengthening and soon it will be pleasant to wander the streets again with camera

READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.

Beware of the new & improved trap.....

Find an interest in photography and one will be bombarded by merchants of gear. The whole digital photo world has something to offer. Hey, that is not all bad. Great opportunity to know about and learn what is useful, useless, expensive, great value, necessary/unnecessary. I have learned that this whole industry thrives on planned obsolescence---constant change churn--actual  or imaginary. Mark 5 completely replaces that ancient Mark 4. Watch out you Mk 4 users, you are laggards, unlikely to create your best  top-notch photo work unless you invest in this years cutting edge features. Of course, the reality is far from this and the new model is usually just a minute & superficial improvement, that in the practical world of shooting, hardly changes a thing. I am now well past the stage that that I feel the need to upgrade equipment. I have what I have in terms camera bodies and all things being equal, plan that they will suffice for the rest of my days. I know that with 8 years of amateur photographer & plodding progress under my belt, that my skills still greatly fall short of the potential of my cameras (2) lenses, and speed-lights etc.
                           During the early years of my involvement in photography and my fascination with the hobby, I knew that I wanted to settle on reliable and quality gear. Ever a value conscious buyer I quickly realized that the best deals were in the used market mostly through Kijiji and Craig's List. So many people seem to want to ditch their equipment just several months after purchase when the euphoria of the purchase has subsided & the credit card repayments become onerous. With a little bit of hard nosed, yet polite, negotiating to and fro and with full cash in hand, deals can be grabbed at prices massively discounted from retail plus taxes. I know--I bought and sold (as in-- traded) 42 Canon cameras several years ago---mainly 60D and 7D models. These  two particular models always seemed to have the largest market listings & therefore market liquidity. Profits financed a 3 month land jaunt through Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos etc. (My blog of this journey is linked in the side bar to the right).
                        My criteria now before any equipment acquisition is strictly the question: How will this purchase actually improve my photography or my skills? Only if the answer is satisfyingly positive do I proceed, bearing in mind that the price paid should be no more than the selling price should I have to unload the next day.

READERS: To make most sense of this blog, please commence reading entries with the earliest posting date.