Lady in red

  Saturday was a big day for my friends, Nikolaj and Petya. I had the honor to be the photographer, so later when the post processing is done and the couple has got their images I'll try to post a few photos. At the venue I saw this beautiful (mysterious) lady, dressed in red. Just couldn't help my self, but had to ask her to pose for a couple of shots. Used my old faithful Nikon SB-600 on a stand behind a white glass door to the right from the model.

10 years of photography: Shoot the ugly and use flash

  Light is good. Sunlight is the best (IMHO). But then there are those moments when you really might want to combine the sunlight with a little strobe light. Today for example, was a beautiful sunny day and because it still is kind of wintry the light is pretty nice throughout the day. Then I stumbled across this nice little dead horse. Not really a beautiful subject for a photo, actually quite gross, but still somehow I felt I really have to make a photo of it. During these 10 years I've not tried to shoot only those nice things, but the ugly too. If a piece of poop can be a good subject, then a carcass for sure will do too. Three a clock, even if the light is good, you might get some pretty bad shadows on your subject. In this case the horses rump shadowed its head quite badly. The good thing was that I had my speedlight (old trusty SB-600) with me. Attached it on my D5100 and fired away. Probably the results would have been even better if I would have placed the flash unit on the right side of the dead horse, but sadly the D5100 don't allow me to use my SB-600 off camera, without a sync cord or a radio trigger, which I do not own. So... Why is there a dead horse corpse in the middle of nowhere on a field? I don't have a clue. Whatever the reason, it was the most interesting thing to shoot today.

         

DX / FX

  Just did a test out in the yard. FX / full frame and DX / crop sensor. Not really a big test, just to see the difference in the images taken with the same 150 mm macro lens, from the same distance with a Nikon D300s and D700.

                                                                Nikon D300s, @ f11

                                                                 Nikon D700, @ f11

  As you can see, there's a small difference. At the same half of the life size magnification (1:2) the crop sensor gives you bit more reach, a nice thing to have when you want to shoot tiny small things like bugs. Otherwise when shooting @ ISO 200. there's not too much of a difference in quality. Not really a big thing, but just to kill time a nice small test.  

  From time to time probably all photographers who shoot with a DSLR will hear comments like, "cool camera. It have to make good images". Cameras don't make any images, people do. No mater which brand or what type of a camera you own, you can make great pictures. Does it mean that it don't matter what camera you use? Yes and no.

  I started photography with a point and shoot camera. It was a 5 mp Canon Powershot A95. This canon was not big or fast, just a regular P/S camera. When I got it, the idea was to try out if this hobby would last (usually I'll start and quit as fast.) so the camera had to have at least the possibility for full manual controls, just to make it possible to improve and then eventually to get a "better" camera. Even if just a P/S, did it make any decent images? Nope, but I managed to do with it. Here's a couple I like...

Eventually there came a time when I "grew out" from my Canon. I had a hunger for a DSLR, so my wife mercifully got me a Nikon D50 with two lenses, a 18-55 and 55-200. This camera was good. I just loved how it felt in my hand. Even if not perfect in low light, I still had the possibility to pump up the ISOs and still get some usable images even at ISO 400, something impossible with my Canon. And if the D50 made some nice images? Still not. I had to do the work. Here's a few samples...

My third camera was a Nikon D80, a step up from the D50. I would say; from a beginner to an enthusiast. Instead of having just one command wheel, this miracle had two, one front and one rear. Better ISOs, a bit faster when shooting series, better AF, even bigger in size (really felt good in hand) etc. What kind of images did it make? You guessed it right, I had to press the shutter. Here's a few results...

  Some were on the road I had started to understand that it is not enough just to have a subject, point a camera towards it and shoot and rely on luck. It is good to understand something about composition, shutter speeds and f-stops. Gradually I got a hang of these things too, so more and more my images started to be a result of thinking, not merely pure luck. At this point of my photography life, my wife got me a Nikon D300S. Big, heavy and fast "pro" camera (I know there is bigger and "proer" cameras). Did my images improve? Yes they did, but not necessarily because of the new camera. Here's a few images...

Then, just to have a new backup camera I got my self a Nikon D5100. Not as pro but when you press the shutter it'll make an image. Here's a couple...

Moving from a tiny little sensor camera to aps-c sensor cameras and of course the next step would be a full frame DSLR. A used D700 was my next move. What a great camera. The low light capabilities are just so good compared tho the crop sensor cameras. But, you know... Here's a few...

Even if I used to lug around at least one system camera no matter were I went, lately I've started to get a bit lazy. DSLRs are heavy and bulky. The good thing is that there are good phones around these days. Even if they are called "smart" phones, they still don't make images, you have to do them. More and more I find my self using a smartphone to make images. It's just so convenient. Here's a few images...

Does this mean that it don't matter what camera you are using? Yes and no. For the most part, great images are not dependent on the gear used. It all starts in the head of the photographer. If you know the possibilities and the limitations of your gear you can make great imagery with all kinds of cameras. Know your subject, think about the composition, use your imagination, have a story in your mind... These are things your camera can't never do, no matter how much they are advertised as "pro" gear. It is YOU who make good images not the camera.