Tag Archives: Philly

Dreamcatcher, Inspired Eye, Off Street, Photography, Street, Street Photography, Street Presets, Streetshooter, Uncategorized

The Ricoh GR and the Nex 6 work well together.

June 6, 2013 streetshooter Leave a comment

I just love testing 2 cameras at the same time…..NOT! The GR is an amazing camera that fulfills all that one expects from it and more. The same is true true of the Nex6. Both are very intuitive and I was amazed at how easy the Nex works. I had a Nex 5 when it came out and Ray Sachs and I wrestled with them but figured out the way to make them work. No such issue with the Nex 6. Roger forget to send me the manual so I went solo and it all works in the end.

The GR needs no such thoughts…well, if you ever used a GRD#…you’ll feel right at home.

I never opened the manual……

I really need a break and I am having a naming issue for the Nex. I guess something will twist my brain……….

For Eva

I have a lot to say and post but I have to process images and gather my thoughts…..the last part is scary…..

don

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The Ricoh GR Saga … If a picture speaks a 1000 words ….

June 4, 2013 streetshooter Leave a comment

…. here’s 17,000 for ya.

Words tomorrow along with more photos………

don

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The Ricoh GR Saga

June 3, 2013 streetshooter 9 Comments

Yeah, yeah….it’s color. Here’s why….if your gonna be a B&W shooter, you must have an understanding of color and it’s conversion into b&w. Yo’ don’t get it wrong…this ain’t no technical session on color to b&w. In fact, that’s enough of that.

The GR is a unique camera in the fact that it has no history. No, it’s not an upgraded GRD4. It gets much of it’s intuitiveness from the GRD’s but after that, it’s a whole new experience. The image quality is a challenge and I’m real good at seeing and finding my images whether from the camera or from the processing.

I haven’t found it yet. This is because the files are so clean and sharp that they are almost to digital. Almost I said. I am not the easy guy to please but I am having some things happening that are showing me the way ahead……

Visually I’m still as focused as ever. The issue is in the back end. Backend is a term Pro’s use to mean the processing etc. I’m a hard core Pro….about not being a Pro.

The photo above is a part of my vision. The face, the hand…then the reflection, the buildings swallowing up humanity….it’s there…the camera did it’s job flawlessly. In LR4, I am still searching for my processing vision to meet my capture vision and find harmony together.

I’m getting close but that really means to SEE the images from this camera without pre-conceptions from everything that I’ve done before because that’s the way I like things to be because sometimes I think I’m a good control freak and in reality I’m just a streetshooter.

Let me say this before I end this post. The GRD4 is an amazing friend. We have done a lot together and we have been thru war on the streets and in the household. Yes, I’m a married streetshooter.

The new GR should be seen as a new camera because it is. If your familiar with the GRD series, you’ll have no problem setting the camera up and get it going.

My cameras are not tools. They are my friends and always have been. I go for walks with my friends. There’s a new friend on the shelf. Her name is Tanya. The GR’s female. She likes to go out for walks and have me put my hand all over her…not her lens tho’. She responds very fast but….she doesn’t like to be judged by any other camera before.

As soon as I really learn that, we’ll be dancing together….

More tomorrow after a walk on Market Street with Tanya. A few of my friends have this camera and are writing about it. I think between all of us…you’ll be more confused then if you just get the camera and use it. Please visit… Wouter @ http://wouter28mm.wordpress.com/ and Jorge @ http://ledesmaphotography.wordpress.com/

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A Streetshooter off Street is still a Streetshooter

May 31, 2013 streetshooter 3 Comments

Ya know…. I never get bored with photography. I never feel that there’s nothing to make photos of. If I’m not on the Street, I’m off Street. It’s more dangerous around the house then around junkies, hookers, cops, he men, she men whatever. Around the house is a cat that is all to used to having a camera shoved in his face….there’s this woman that resembles my wife but if I make a photo of her or even poit the camera anywhere near her airspace…well….it sure as heck ain’t pretty.

This photo is considered…Illegal photographic procedures. This photo means I order pizza for dinner and probably lunch the next day.

This is the photo that was presented upon the photographic inquisition. I explained that I didn’t make a photo of her and that this is what I did. See me in the mirror…well that’s what my camera and I looked liked before the camera was shoved down my throat.

The camera down your wind pipe is capable of doing very interesting Macro stuff but the flash won’t pop out because the camera is jammed against your lung or whatever they put inside of us.

So to make peace until the next episode, I always make a few garden photos. This keeps Barsik the Cat and the Russian Conquistador happy and I get to make photos in LR and post them because I’m stupid and I think she will never read my blog because it’s a waist of time and we could be doing something else more important like shopping…..

So I guess I’ll sign off because Barsik the Cat is hot and I have to sweat all day until he needs the Air Conditioner.

Life is grand…..hey…Is that a new camera?………….uh oh….later……

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Cellograph Journal …. Page 6

May 28, 2013 streetshooter 2 Comments

There’s a very interesting observation I’m checking out. If your out with your camera, your focused on making photos. I mean, the camera has your attention and your looking to find elements to make your next photo.

With the phone, it’s not always that way. Maybe the phone rings. Maybe your checking email, websites, forums, shopping, texting etc…there are many things at your disposal that can steer attention away from photography. This is because the cellphone is a multi purpose device. So, you may be working the street or anything and if the phone rings….that’s the end. Unless you turn off sounds and vibrate like I do. I’m sure there’s other ways to do this but I don’t know them. What I do know is that the phone can be a major intrusion.

Maybe I’m too serious with the cellphone. Maybe I should just see it as others do. The mother above. I wonder if she’s being serious. I wonder if she’s taking a photo of her daughter or is she making a photo as a lasting memory of a moment in time that she and her daughter will share for the rest of their lives.

Obviously she’s a talented street shooter and has taken my workshop because she has the right stance as a tourist and has the smile to break down negative energy on the spot. She is creating the perfect illusion and everyone around her including me knows she’s just a mother taking a snap. Of course we know different. We know she’s working for the NY Times and is a very talented photojournalist.

After walking 1000 miles in the mall with Tanya and watching the master shooter take snaps, I got tired. I wanted to sit on one of those massage chairs. For a buck ya get 4 minutes of mechanical hands massaging your back and legs. Ya can drink coffee as you get the royal treatment. We walked over and I have about 5 bucks ready. Tanya walked into Boscov’s to shop, well window shop. Of course that means around 2 hours.

I watched these 2 kids as their eyes rolled back in their heads as they got the massage. Then they put more money in…..and then more money…..and then more……I made this photo so I could remember what it’s like to be distracted by the iPhone for 2 hours as Tanya goes into Boscov’s too shop and buy nothing and I want a massage too but the kids won’t get out of the dang chairs……

I figured that on Memorial Day…I got what I deserved. I got the understanding again of why we do the things we do. I understand that as good as the iPhone is as a camera, it’s a great device to forget about making photos and seeing what is happening on the other side of the lens.

Sometimes we need that….just to see the other side…..

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The Inspired Eye, Issue 2 Published

May 19, 2013 streetshooter Leave a comment

Issue # 1

http://www.theinspiredeye.net/store-presets-magazine-ebooks/photography-magazine/issue-1/

Issue # 2

http://www.theinspiredeye.net/store-presets-magazine-ebooks/photography-magazine/issue-2/

Please let me know what you think of these. Your opinion matters deeply to me.

Don

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The iPhone 5 Is In Da House

May 15, 2013 streetshooter 3 Comments

First off, here’s a few from the other day just to set the tone of this post and every post for the future of mankind and cameras….well, let’s not get carried away but I am a very happy camper.

The above are with the Mighty Pen 3 and 14mm. I know, the Pen3 is an antique sensor and I’m nuts for using it. Well, that word nuts describes a lot about me and my thinking….. So, if your really a shooter you understand the Mighty Pen.

The above 2 are the iPhone 5 in color. I did use my Presets and will tweak them again but so far, so good. I could be tempted to just use the iPhone for a while and I will do so, without using any other camera for about a month. This is not easy because I have a very good working relationship with all my cameras. Nontheless, a month will be sufficient to get to know the camera in the phone.

Listen my friends…..I know all about pixels, grain, noise and all the other negative things people dwell upon and go crazy. Unfortunately, I am into the image. That being the case, my priority is and always will be….the image I see in my head or discover in front of my eyes.

I am not ever going to be ruled by the conventions that gear heads live by if they are not image makers first.

….to be continued…….

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Some more stuff from yesterday

May 11, 2013 streetshooter Leave a comment

I didn’t have time to process everything yesterday. Now that’s a funny thought to me. I used to run home and soup my negs. Then plan when I could print. There was never enough time to get it all done. Now, with digital…here I am again. I just can’t get it all done.

A few photos demanded my attention. Not just esthetically but because they were perfect test images for my presets. Yeah, yeah….a new set is being cooked…..without onions.

Yeah, of course …. heavy discount code for followers and from Magazine subscribers etc. I’m not here to sell anything, I’m just explaining about these images.

Example # 1.

This is from a version of “Afterlife”. Great preset, I bought it, it’s so good. Sometimes I need to adjust the highs down a little tiny itty bitty bit. ……. then the shadows sometimes need a little raise …. well this is about that.

It’s how I feel when I am in a scene that has a certain light in it. Of course the scene itself must work and this does to my eyes.

Example # 2.

I like GRIT…. GRIT = LIFE!

I had no choice but to make this photo. The entire scene just called to me. When I saw her sweater and the patterns against the windows and buildings…..well….CLICK! This is from a preset that is modified from a released version named 8th St.

Example # 3.

Can you believe Olivier? I work soooo hard for many hours, daze, weeks etc just to get a preset pack the way I want.

Da kid….yeah da kid comes along, takes preset 7th St Color and makes a variation and by Jove…..it’s great. I ain’t no fancy dancy color shooter. I’m just a regular B&W shooter that has a fancy for what I have a fancy for.

This preset is the basis for the new color ones in the set. I can’t give him credit cause I’ll never hear the end of it but he done good.

If you want to try a few to see if they work in your work flow, drop me a line anywhere and I’ll get a few to you. No charge for the pleasure of doing so.

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Olivier Told Me I Was A 63 Year Old Hipster.

May 9, 2013 streetshooter 1 Comment

I do not can know if I should be happy or well…that’s an ugly thought. See, Olivier is much younger than me and he has these ideas that well, maybe at times they could be called exciting.

So I’m off to the VA Hospital again because my Electrolytes are as high as Duane flying in his aeroplane. Now here’s the thing. I always carry a camera. Olivier said I carry a camera all the time and don’t use it. Never I said. If I carry, I use.

The guys a bad influence. He suggested that I use my iPhone 4 and not carry any other camera. I mean to tell ya….this is much easier said then done. I left the house and just carried the phone. It felt natural cause I have my phone with me all the time.

I kept reaching in my pocket for my camera but alas….empty. So I committed to getting this going.

It took about 1/2 hour to get the camera to be non-intruding. It’s almost a true Point n’ Shoot. I use the widest lens FOV and the release technique for capture. The phone has great DOF so I pre-focus about 5′ in front of me….then I press the shutter release but I don let go until I frame and the moment is right. The ya just release and the camera does it’s thing.

All in all, it’s not a bad way to work. I managed to get very close to people but those shots Olivier is using for an article.

Once the camera stuff is out of the way, it’s time to go to Lightroom. That was cool as I’m already designing Presets for Mobile cameras.

Do I think that my iPhone will take the place of my cameras? No. Just like I choose what camera to take on a shoot, I now just increased my choices by 1.

There’s a lot of photos out there and even inside and such. We should stay open minded as to what camera is best to use for any given session. One thing doesn’t work for me. A lot of times I carry my camera and make photos using one hand. The other hand has my phone in it and I pretend I’m talking to someone. It’s a very good way to disguise what your doing.

I promised Olivier that I’d make an honest effort to use the iPhone as a camera. At first I was reluctant but I’ve come to see the light, once again.

It’s not a hard thing to pursue. After all, a camera by any other name is still a camera. Which brings me to an important point.

What Name does this camera get.

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The Fuji X20 as a Street Camera…….and More

May 5, 2013 streetshooter 16 Comments

This is not a review, well, not a traditional review. These are my thoughts and findings on the Fuji X20.

With any camera that I use and hopefully end up keeping, I need certain things from it. The most important is…..the non intrusion, don’t bug me when I’m working, I’ll adjust you when I need to thing. Yeah, that’s a big sentence with a whole lot of meaning. The X20 is up to the chore. As my feelings respond to the street, so must my camera adjust to those feelings. I need to be able to change working settings without hassle.

With the camera in Manual Focus, the focus scale is tricky. Do not pay attention to the DOF marks…they are so wrong. The actual focus mark is close. So, I set the focus indicator to 4′. At f/4,… f/5.6,… f/8,… I get around 3′ or less to about infinity in very acceptable focus. Of course this is using 28mm. I may try DOF settings at other focal lengths but not for a spell. If anyone else has tested and has settings….I’d be glad to post them and give you credit.

I would also give you free copies of the free magazine.

The Auto Focus is very fast and accurate. From 28mm to 112mm, the focus is almost instantaneous. The AF Target Box is very easy to change size. This is very important to me as I change it to suite the light and movement.

Just click the control wheel up…then use the jog wheel to adjust size. Can’t get easier or better than this.

The finder works very well and I tested it so that I know what it sees. It’s nice and now that I know how it works, I can forget about it. The screen is where it’s at…for any camera. Here’s a very cool thing. Sometimes I shoot chest shots. The camera is on a neck strap and hanging around my neck against my chest. The sensor turns off the screen and saves power because your shooting without the screen anyway. This is real nice to save power and also if your in a darker area, no light from the screen.

I go from neck strap to wrist strap in a flash. I use the Le Hook and that’s as fast as it gets.

It’s Sunday morning… 0755 and I need more coffee and I have to mow the lawn. I’ll take the X20 with me cause it’s a great macro shooter also…..

to be continued…….

Street Photography Chronicles by Don Springer