Project 52 by Letrow

[johnbharle]

raindrops on a window, photographed with a macro lens and pp-ed in gimp

nice!

[Letrow]

Self portrait week!!



Now and then I get the urge to shoot myself. Mostly when I am slightly bored and have no other subjects I can think of.

There are a few things here that I am always conscious of.
First of all, this is how I see myself. I need a mirror for these shots, if I want to have some control over my expression. The mirror means that the Nikon (see the mirrored lettering??) shoots me as a reflection of myself.
When I show this to the family there is always an element of surprise. They know it is me, but at the same time I look slightly different from what they are used to.

I flipped the image in Gimp and suddenly it was ok again (for them). For me it now looked slightly weird.

And we are of course always very critical of portraits of ourselves. Most people suffer from this and I was thinking it might be connected to the fact that you see yourself in photos as other people see you, not the way you are used to seeing yourself each day (in the mirror).

And the second item I am always struggling with is background.
Either you do it the Cartier Bresson way (find a nice background that complements the person) or you use a blank background (like in a studio). I just spotted something nice from Linkstar (two tripods with different coloured sheets), which would be cheap and quick to use, when shooting portraits.

Hmm, enough to think about.

[Geoff F]

Yes, Peter; that is getting a bit deep and philosophical.

It can be a touch alarming to see ourselves as others do. Possibly beneficial in some ways but also risks losing too much implied self esteem.

And it can be difficult to pose for your own photo. Which is why some people make good models while others never look their best. Not relaxed enough.

Recently, I had to photograph myself for a bus pass. It looked terrible, like a wanted poster for an escaped dangerous criminal lunatic.

Getting some proper backgrounds sounds like a good idea if you do enough portraits. Just using a blank matt finish wall is always risky, particularly with regard to obtaining even lighting.

Some of those Victorian photographers seem to have used rather elaborate painted backdrops to create an illusion that the photo was taken in some exotic location etc.

[Letrow]

This weekend I was testing out two lenses. My new (secondhand) 85mm F/1.8 AF-D and the established macro 105mm VR (but this time at different F/ numbers.



three objects found around my window-sill today. First is a detail of a swarovski crystal, the second detail of a physalis and once again (on third) some raindrops.

For the shots with the 85mm I used one of my dogs as a model



the first shot taken in daylight at F/4 and the second at night at F/1.8 and ISO 6400

[Geoff F]

There is a most noticeable difference in the focus depth at F1,8 but it is surprisingly clear for such a high Iso.

[Letrow]

There is a most noticeable difference in the focus depth at F1,8 but it is surprisingly clear for such a high Iso.

I was surprised about the colour of the eyes actually. There was light behind me, so that will have helped, but this dog (because of his dark colour) is very difficult to photograph unless you use a flash. And I hate using flash, so this lens positively surprised me.

[Donald]

The 85mm f1.8 certainly seems like it's capable of producing good material.

[Letrow]

Another try with the 85mm.
The advantage of the lens is that although you get tele reach on my DX crop, it can still shoot in poorly lit situations like this. This shot was taken around 5pm, so dusk was already setting in and it was a cloudy day anyway.
At F/1.8 with two dogs held on a leash with the left hand, I could still shoot this with just the right hand. And the lens has no VR, so I was impressed.

[Letrow]

A nightshot taken in Gent with the Ricoh GX200

[Geoff F]

You are certainly getting good exposure with these, the shadows are solid while the highlights are bright, but without any hint of over exposure. Good natural looking colour as well.

[Letrow]

I skipped a week. Away for work so I couldn't really spend time on the photos. That is why I love the project 52 actually. It forces me to think about a photo, otherwise I feel guilty.
Funny thing is, and someone else already remarked on this, there is a very limited number of people interested in the project 52 threads. There are just so many of them! I would love to see them all, but there is so much else to do...

Anyway, this year was useful for me, as it forced me to experiment a little, get more acquainted with flash, umbrella and background and also to come up with a photo (almost) every week. It had to please myself and TBH a lot of photos did not make it through.

There is still a lot to learn, especially about PP. There is someone on the forum (Frank, you know what I mean) who really makes me envious (or just plain desperate, as he is so far ahead).

Tomorrow I'll post my weekly photo, now I have to get to bed.

[Letrow]

(99)
I love night shots. The contrast between dark and real light works nice.

[johnbharle]

These are all wonderful shots, Peter. I had to let my project go. Just too many "real world" problems vying for my attention. They seem to sap my energy and creativity. Sorry, I'll quit whining now :-) There's always next year to start anew!

[Donald]

I love night shots. The contrast between dark and real light works nice.

I have not done enough night shooting. I must do more. You are correct, Peter, it can lead to wonderful images and in this one the lighting works very well. I think the idea of including the person in the foreground also gives the whole image shape and depth.

[FrankMi]

I love the lines in this one and as Donald says, having the lone figure driving out attention to the scene provides needed depth and causes us to wonder why he's not 'over there' with the others!

[Letrow]

Thanks guys. The biggest surprise for me was that these shots were taken with the Ricoh GX200. It does not do dark situations very well, due to the noise levels you get normally (e.g. indoor scene in the evening without flash). Apparently though, if you shoot for the dark situation consciously it does work, because looking at these shots the noise does not bother me much.

[Letrow]

New York street, taken last week with the GX200. The light at the top of the tower...it was actually there, so it presented me with a nice shot. Probably mist or something similar reflecting the light.

[Letrow]

I am testing out a new camera and lens at the moment. The D600 with the Nikkor 70-200mm F/4 lens. Quite big compared to what I had before (D7000 and the 18-200mm). The camera is very alike to the D7000, just a bit bulkier, full frame and with a few extra menu items. I like the camera. Being quite adept with the D7000, this is easy to handle.

The lens is big and a bit heavier than I am used to. First impression is that focus is very fast and that the VR works really well. Focus shift is better than what the 18-200mm shows. Probably better than the focus shift of the 70-200mm F/2.8 as well but we will have to wait for a good review to be sure of that.
Nice lens, with great possibilities.

A few extras on the camera are HDR mode and an auto function for shutter speed in the auto ISO menu. This means that the camera will detect what lens you are using and adjust the shutter speed to that automatically. Very useful with a zoom lens.
The camera has FX and DX mode, so can be used with DX lenses. I don't have much DX, so this is not an advantage to me.

I can use the DX 12-24mm lens on the D600 and from 18-24 it functions like a FX lens. Great!!!
It means that I have a very wide angle of good quality. I love that.

One of the dogs indoors


Bokkedoorns landscape. It was quite hazy at the time, so the photo is not really as I would like it, but it gives a good impression.


All in all a happy transition. Selling the D7000 and the 18-200mm was relatively easy. With new DX cameras on the way you never know what will happen to prices in a few month's time.

[Letrow]

A few more examples of the new combo. Resolution seems to be good and focus is bang on. No back focus issues and the lens is quick in normal light, but searches a bit when it gets darker (I don't use the autofocus light on my camera, which isn't a help to him of course).



Self portrait and reflection of a Christmas ball/decoration



Severely cropped landscape



Man's second best friend I guess, if dogs are number one.

[Letrow]

A few landscapes


Against strong sunlight just to the right of this photo


Water tower


Bokkedoorns lake