Lighting Matters
posted by micki at 3/27/2006 07:30:00 AM
Monday, March 27, 2006
About Me
- Name: micki
- Location: United States
No digital photography here folks. Only film, all the time. No post processing. I shoot it, I have it developed, I scan the print, I post it. It is hoped that you would respect my ownership of the images posted, despite the ease with which you could copy them. If you would like a true photographic print of any of my images, please contact me at goodiesbaker@yahoo.com and I will be happy to provide you with one. Weapons of Choice: * Minolta 7000 * Minolta 9000 *Minolta Dynax 9 * Konica Minolta 70 *Minolta x-700 * Minolta AL-F Rangefinder *1958 Minolta Autocord *Holga *holgamod Holga *PIX Panorama Toy Camera *Polaroid One Step Close Up Lenses: Too many too list, just read the stats for each shot I post Scanner: Epson 4990 Perfection Photo Favorite Films: * Kodak Tri-X * Fuji Superia * Ilford HP5+ -- Goal: To make the best exposure possible, on film. A Theme a Day *Sunday – Take A Guess *Macro Mondays *A Glimpse of My Town Tuesdays *Wednesday's Colors *Thursday's Critter *Unique Film and/or Camera Fridays *Saturday – Anything goes
50 Comments:
You know, now I’m really going to get serious about these guessing games. Yesterday’s wasn’t even a challenge! Hopefully I can get more creative.
I was asked over the weekend about the cost of processing film. It costs me less than $3.50 for a roll of 24 (shipping and handling including) with my new mail order lab. Since I shoot film, I don’t take as many photos of something that I probably would if I went digital. That’s a good thing for me. 1) It makes me slow down and think before I shoot, and 2) I don’t know that I’d want to take the time to go through the hundreds of photos I’d shot and weed out the bad ones. So, I don’t mind the small cost of processing. (OK digital shooters who are trying to bring me over to your side, you may start….now.)
So, yesterday’s shot was taken after I’d removed the eggs from when I shot the photo on the bottom of today’s post. I switched cameras and did the abstract with camera loaded with black and white.
Today’s photo: Light Matters We all know that, as photographers, it can make or break our shots. I’ve shot this fence down at the beach several times in poor lighting. It always comes out flat. The morning I shot this, the sun was rising all orange and pretty-like, (that’s photographer tech talk there) and what a difference in the end result. So, from now on, if the light’s not there, I’m not shooting. Or I’ll put on a filter. I’ve been know to add a sepia filter to make a sunset look better after I’ve taken the time to drive down to shoot one and been terribly disappointed in what was waiting for me.
Minolta Maxxum 7000 Kodak Ultra Color ISO 400 1/1500 f-2.8 Aperture Mode Sigma 105mm lens
Yes the colours and lighting are great on this shot. You can almost feel the morning air, it has that clean/clear look to it.
Depth of field in the first image is superb, i like the second one too .. nice yellow.
I like both shots. The top when is stunning for me. Really caught my eye. That would look good on my wall...
(top photo) This is a lovely shot, as always. The color is rich and DOF is perfect for this.
(bottom phot) The ordinary turned extraordinary again.
In defense of digital, (wink, wink, you know we love you!). It gives me more freedom to experiment with different things without worrying about ever wasting film (and considering how long it's been, 25 years, since I seriously took photos, that's very important). Since the results are instant I know what worked and what didn't immediately (which is easier than trying to remember what I did later when I get the prints back). The delete button is a wonderful thing, it immediately relieves you from being haunted by the really bad shots. Out of sight out of mind. Thus freeing you up to focus on the ones that worked (which in my case so far are precious few. :( )The exif data is stored in the file. Now maybe the newer film cameras can do that too, I don't know since my SLR film camera is from the dark ages, Circa 1981. Very low tech. Also Going through my photos is easy since I just view thumbnails. There is no need to scan anything. I choose to back-up to CD, instead of filing on the comp. When I find one that I want to print, I can either send it to be printed via the internet, (I don't own a photo quality printer, yet), or I can take it to my photofinisher for an archival quality print suitable for framing.
Now the only thing I need, is to REALLY learn how to use photoshop, and I'll be a very haapy camper.
I know you are steadfast in your loyalty to film. I know you don't want to come over to the "dark side", but I was wondering have you ever tried it? I mean with a digital SLR?
I know, for me, I probably wouldn't have picked up the camera again, if my husband hadn't given me this camera for our anniversary.
The upper photo is really beautiful!! I love how you've set the focus and the light is just gorgeous! I've been struggling with that a lot, especially at the moment where everything seems to be "grey-in-grey".
Wow!! both are pretty neat photos!! The first one it's really beautiful i love the perspective angle with colours and all kind of textures!!! Great shot!!! and the last one is really interesting simetry and a focus point of attention!! Graphic!! Great photos!!! :D
Great photos! The fence shot is superb.
L Jackson summed it up perfectly for me. 5 Years ago, I would have argued that digital couldn't touch an SLR Film camera for quality and flexibility. Much has changed since then however. I would not have been re-introduced to photography had it not been for digital so I am happy technology created that option.
That said, I think film photography is a separate art than digital and I hope it will always be an available option. There are many photoblogs I visit that are almost exclusively film (See Terrorkitten's work!) and the results are fantastic.
Keep it alive!!!
I like both, epecially the fence. Great colors! I love following the film/digital discussion. I just got into photography over a year ago and started with film. It was costing me a fortune. Then we got a sony 4.1 mp with some points we got at a local store. I would use it sometimes for my garden blog but still used film. I then got offered a job to take garden pics for a local magazine. I had to update, so a dslr just made sense. The job was short lived but I sure love this camera. I am able to learn alot faster this way. I still use my film cameras. I love b/w portraits with lots of grain.
Knowing that you've attempted the fence shot before, I'd have to say bravo! It has excellent lighting and tone, exactly the right amount.
Regards,
Jason
Lovely! You are right, light does matter.. I love the "hatched egg" shot.. its kewl! Btw, I have blogroll'd your blog.. hope its ok.
Hi Micki
Really nice shots
Excelente D.O.F. muy acertado.
I really like the top image. The lighting is great and its a good use of DOF.
Hi Micki. I am here via John Wilson's blog. I shoot with a Sony Cybershot digital and a Pentax IQ Zoom. Love the clarity and center focus on your pics. Excellen subjects, too; can't fence me in; just yoking.
ouch ... that poor egg! top shot is really nice ... nice side lighting ...
Nice shots, really like the fense posts. The best way to handle the volumn of photos you seem to dread should you go digital is easily solved by a simple storage system--always year, then month, then day. Weeding out bad photos is something you do anyways with film as well, just as easy with digital. What I dread is continuing my slog through the many boxes of photos to organize. I have a couple exhibits coming up over the next several months and I just think it will be easier to get ready going through my digital photos--organized by date and separately into other categories--than going through prints. And near the top of the list, hitting that button on any photo editor which changes color to B & W. One "solution" might be to buy a cheap digital and just have both when you shoot, I did that almost every time I went out for several months and simply became comfortable with the digital format (and its limitations I think compared to film in ultimate quality, but some might argue differently).
Micki, love the egg shot. Very creative and unusual subject matter.
Agree with Johnh on storing digital file is so much easier than prints. If you are on pc, go with his data for year, month date titling. Mac does it all for you in aperture or iphoto. Just a little thought to make your life easier!
I command you for sticking to Film...Impressive work...I'm a chicken...simple coz of the Unknown...sort of...My fav. of the month so far...must have had to sacrife that egg to get this shot huh? Amazin' Job!
P.S. My next post will feature a series from the cafe. Cheers
Philippe from Philo-graphious.darrenlui.com
I like the fence and I'm glad you got the good lighting for it. Do you have any old Konica equipment or only the newer Minolta stuff? I have a couple of old ones that I would like to put to use and your pictures make me want to even more now. You have lots of great photos. And I'm not going to try to bring you to the digital world. Film is still a blast. btw, did you fry that egg?
I would never try to "coax" you into digital. Actually, I'd ask if you were going into Medium or Large format film photography at some point... too nosy eh?
I really like top photograph. The colors and perspective are spectacular.
Excellent lighting on first image...Great post!
Cool pics, I like the eggs :)
i like the egg yolk shot, nice color contrast and patterns:-)
LOVE the lighting on the fence!!
gorgeous lighting. really, it IS so important. glad you finally caught this fence in all its glory;)
I think you posted two great shots, Micki! I can't decide which one I like best :) Well done!
Good fences make good neighbors (and pictures).
I like the egg picture!
Hmmm....interesting shots. For the egg one don't you think it's too centred?
Great shots, Micki. Really great eye in both of them. If you setup the egg shot, great idea and excellent presentation. Nice work (and thanks for the mention on your blog). Very high regards.
this is splendid...creative!
Ooh, I love the fence shot. You're right about the light. The time of day is so important, but even beyond that the blurred foreground draws the eye to the fence post.
Good shot, thanks for posting large size images too!
Donncha
Cool images, really like the bottom one lol!
Yes I agree - lighting does matter..love these 2 images - the first has great DOF and the second looks great with the lighting effect.. ;)
The bottom shot is brilliant, looks really great, Wonderful DOF in the top one. Nice shots!
Go digital !
Nice DOf & light in the first picture!
Second one is very creative !
Nice work as always !
Both images are cool. luv the DoF in the fence shot.
nice captures, i prefer the fence shot though.
Both of these shots are excellent. The colors in the fence shot are great. As for your choice of film vs. digital. With digital, I can take a bad picture and make it good in photoshop. That's not so much of a good thing to learn how to really do photography right. I applaud you for sticking with it and your images show how well you do with film.
Great DOF shot! I like the colour scheme of this shot. Was it taken at dawn/dusk because thats what it looks like to me.
BTW - I was the first to answer correctly at yesterdays guessing game... what do I win? ;)
I like both photos, so different but both wonderful, each in its own kind of way:)
Of course Im not the expert to say, but since you take so nice photos using the film maybe you wont need digital. In the stocking photos thing I agree that its way more convenient using files, but this comes out from the fact you stated, going digital sometimes you shoot toooo many photos :)
In my case being a newbie, digital just makes my life easier :)
The egg shot is particularly good, it just seems to have raised a mere crate of eggs to some "artistic" level. As someone said earlier, it is making the ordinary, extraordinary - to me that is photography. Excellent!
MICKI
What a great find your blog is, very original, a rare thing these days. I have a couple of minolta cameras, an x300 that has something wrong with the exposure meter and an X700 (hacking camera, usually packed in my camera back alongside a pentax ME Super). And, thanks for stopping by at my blog also.
Nice!
http://ridemypony.com
The seaside fence image is a classic and indeed, what dimension the light adds!
Interesting idea with this. The color being just off center really draws your eyes in. Great shot.
Beautiful light on the first one and I love the concept of the second.
Your pics are amazing!!!!!!
I really like it!!!!
woooow, i mean: WOOOOOOOW
pip from http://fotosperdidas.com.ar
I have had this image in my head the whole christmas break and I was sure that I had seen it elsewhere so didn't attempt to do it myself and I have just come across it in your archives and realised where I saw it. It is a cool cool shot
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