This is a quote from my early blog writing days in 2000: I’m still taking my G2 to work on the train every day — but I’m pretty bored. What I really want to do is put the camera over my head, during a particularly crowded ride and snap away. That’s the only view that has the potential. Would need to use the f2.8 21mm. But I’m too chicken!! Most of my shooting has been [more]
Many photographers, especially when they’re first starting out, are advised to find their own personal photographic style. And even after you’ve been shooting for many years, it’s one of the things you wonder about. Do you have a personal photographic style? If you do – can you define it? After decades of shooting I began to wonder whether I had a personal style? If I do – I couldn’t see it. What I saw as [more]
You don’t need to have your DSLR modified to produce “real” infrared images. But it helps. I began infrared with Kodak HIE film (no longer made) and a Leica M3 rangefinder. I used that for a very long time, and I have to admit, it was my favorite in terms of results, but using it could be a real pain because of how sensitive that film was to light. Maybe it was just me, but [more]
(This is another re-post from June 17, 2010) But it has held up well. At this time I shoot with the Canon T1i (though I admit to having a hankering for the T3i). For those of you that follow these ramblings, it struck me this morning after a couple of days of heavy shooting, that the switch to the Canon 500D has worked out well for me, and in fact I think I’m hooked on [more]
In the never ending search to produce high quality black and white prints from digital files, I have been looking into SilverDigitalImaging.com which offers Ilford Fiber Prints (similar paper as the Ilford Graded Paper I used for years) in both fiber and RC. Prints are exposed via a 3-color rgb laser and then go through the usual (or what was once usual) chemical baths. Here’s a related LAMBDA link with an offer for discount in [more]
Hyper focal distance is a popular technique used mostly with rangefinder cameras. If you are using a Leica or Contax manual focus rangefinder – you’ll find the lenses marked and easy to read the hyper focal distance. Look at the lens and see foot and meter distance measurements for a given F-Stop. Since most street photography is done between 7 and 15 feet you can easily set the lens so that everything that falls within [more]
I was sent on an assignment to photograph the New York Life Building. I couldn’t get inside because of the guards, and while I was outside the building I was also approached by two guards who wanted to know what I was up to. Anyway, I got a few decent shots of it but I did better with some other nearby buildings. Used infrared for most of the shots but had both cameras around my [more]
Adobe Lightroom can easily show you a list of what digital cameras you’ve used, and with what lenses, and how many shots you took with each. When you are in the Library Module, on the left hand column, select All Photographs. While in the “tile mode” click on the Metadata link at the top. You can then choose what you want to see. I thought this was an interesting way to see what cameras I [more]
In the days before I did photography for a living, I walked to work most days. It was a long walk: from 83rd street on the East Side to 22nd street and Sixth Avenue. I had different routes. Some mornings I would stand in the doorway of my apartment building, put my nose in the air, and say (to myself): it feels like a 3rd Avenue Day. Or I might decide to cross over to [more]
In today’s atmosphere where every photographer is a suspicious character, especially when it comes to doing candid street shots of kids, there are a few techniques you may find useful, though I offer no warranty. In fact, be ready for angry glances as their guardians believe you are probably up to no good. I would love to know what the Helen Levitt’s of the photography world would make of all this. In certain countries, it [more]
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