Author Archives: Mike

A New Toy

Posted by Mike on

I have been enjoying my journey into photography. I can easily say that it has changed my life. Not only do I see the world differently but I am outside exploring more than I would normally be doing. This could also be due to the fact that the kids are grown up and both out of the house. Where I used to spend the time after work focusing on their activities, I now spend it on mine.

I’ve been looking at my equipment and evaluating what I like photographing in an attempt to see what I would like to get. I play this game (more like a conversational battle) in my head where I think I need something or want a certain piece of equipment but by the time I do all the research I generally decide to wait or I really don’t need it. The side of the brain that usually wins is the side that realizes I still have three more years of college to pay for! LOL But that isn’t the only reason, a lot of the decision is based on an honest understanding of what I like to photograph. Do I want a nice macro lens, yes! But do I capture many macro images now, no. Do I want that long telephoto lens, yes! Do I capture much wildlife now, no. You see how the battle goes…

I did come to understand that the three lenses I have for my DSLR cover the range of photography I like to. I have the Sigma 17-70mm with macro capabilities, a Nikkor 35mm prime and the Nikkor 55-200mm telephoto. There really hasn’t been an image I was not able to capture with one of these lenses. Could a longer lens get me a little closer to that eagle, definitely, but how often do I search out birds. Rarely! I know I will acquire some additional lenses in the future but it isn’t an immediate need.

Now, the new toy. I have been quite interested of the developments with the micro four thirds (MFT) systems. I have my heart set on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera. Something about the look of that camera that just works for me. Now I love my DSLR but I am still hesitant to pull out in some situations to capture images. And to be honest some times it is just big and bulky. I was thinking I smaller more point and shoot looking camera would be just the thing for me. I know when I started this journey I carried my little SONY everywhere. I carry the Nikon everywhere but don’t pull it out as quick.

New Toy Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 13s, 42mm, f/11, ISO 200

New Toy
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4, 13s, 42mm, f/11, ISO 200

Anyway, as a means to play with the MFT format I found an Olympus PEN E-P3 online with a 14-42mm lens for a pretty good price. It arrived on Thursday and I have been playing/learning with it the past few days. It isn’t much bigger than my old SONY but has so much more capability. The fact that I can change lenses (if I get any extras) plus the amount of control (same as I am use to on my Nikon) really has me liking this camera. There are even a few features of this camera that I wish I had on my Nikon, like depth of field preview. I have a lot more exploring to do with this camera and I plan to put it through its paces when I go to Disney in October. I think I am going to like having a smaller second camera practically in my pocket.

A few more images from my playing…

Faded Olympus E-P3, Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/160s, 29mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Faded
Olympus E-P3, Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/160s, 29mm, f/5.6, ISO 200

Convergence Olympus E-P3, Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/160s, 15mm, f/11, ISO 200

Convergence
Olympus E-P3, Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/160s, 15mm, f/11, ISO 200

Splash Olympus E-P3, Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/100s, 27mm, f/20, ISO 200

Splash
Olympus E-P3, Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/100s, 27mm, f/20, ISO 200

Minimal

Posted by Mike on

When I started exploring photography beyond the requisite vacation photos and pictures of family/events I was looking for everything I could find on the subject. I read a few books, I played with my point & shoot and started to grasp what I had read. Not too long after this journey started Google+ was launched and I was fortunate enough to get an invite from a relative shortly after the start. It opened my eyes and widened my journey into photography faster than any amount of effort I had put in up to that point.

A big turning point was the discovery of photography themes on G+. I was not very confident about my images but I started participating in a few themes; Grass Tuesday, Floral Friday, Ministract Monday, etc. These were once a week themes and allowed my to search out some interesting subjects for each of the days. The responses I received (limited as they were) did a lot for my ego and my confidence. The next leap forward for me was the poker games. Very similar to the themes but not limited to a single day. I loved Grass Poker, Dandelion Poker, and a few others. The participants in these poker games seemed much more involved than the theme days. Maybe it was the almost instant feedback and the ability to post multiple images that has slanted my view, but these poker games really brought out the photographer in me.

I’m not sure what kind of a photographer I am, I’m still playing with different styles and forms. I love to photograph landscapes. Capturing the light as it plays across the land just sits well within me. It allows me to explore the world around me and create images that capture the wonderful vistas. I’m very much enjoying the creation of monochrome images. I’ve gotten much better at recognizing the conditions in the field that will help me create the best B&W image I can. This was greatly helped out by my Monochrome Winter series.

Different image formats fascinate me now. My Squared project has really helped me see differently when I look at a scene. I compose differently in the camera and I look beyond the obvious for the more subtle image that will be enhanced by a square crop. I have also found that I am a fan of the widescreen 16×9 format. Most of my landscapes end up that way which to me helps increase the grand scale of the image.

Going hand-in-hand with my square project is a resurgence of another style of photography, minimalism. I discovered it early on from a photographer on G+. Tom McLaughlin curated one of the daily photography themes, Ministract Monday. Ministract is a creation of Tom’s which combines minimalism with abstract. If it is something you have not experienced before I encourage you to check out his website ministract.com. Once you visit this site you will see some of his influence of the images I have been posting lately. I’m still playing and learning but that is really what makes it fun for me.

Another influence, one I discovered in an interview with Tom McLaughin done by Nathan Wirth for his a slice of silence website, is Steve Johnson, The Minimalist Photographer.  A happy coincidence to this discovery is that I had purchased his book The Minimalist Photographer a few weeks previous and had not found the time to read it. Needless to say I have read it and I’m still processing some of the concepts. Hopefully I will have some more thoughts once I do.

Maybe I’ll never settle on a style or maybe I have one but have not recognized it yet myself. For now the journey continues and at the moment it is influenced minimally by the photographers I mentioned above…

Contained Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/100s, f/4, ISO 200

Contained
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/100s, f/4, ISO 200

Light and Dark Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/250s, f/4, ISO 200

Light and Dark
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/250s, f/4, ISO 200

Handle in Concrete Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 200

Handle in Concrete
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, 1/160s, f/8, ISO 200