I was the volunteer photographer for the high school Freshman basketball team this year. I shot the games with my Nikon D80 and 50mm f/1.8 lens. All throughout the season, I was wishing I had a Nikon D700 for its low light, high ISO performance and a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for the flexibility of a zoom lens and its wide maximum aperture. However, I kept reminding myself that I'm not a sports photographer and shooting low light, indoor basketball games was a temporary gig. The rest of the sports were going to be shot outside, so my D80 and 55-200mm f/4-5.6 would be more than adequate.
Guess again! I shot my first high school track meet today....and today turned into tonight! My son's pole vault event was shot after dark, under the lights. I bumped up the ISO as high as it would go and set the aperture as low as it would go....and I still couldn't get enough light through the lens. Boy that D700 and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens would have been nice.
Below are a few more photos from the track meet. Kevin was pretty psyched. This is his first year doing the pole vault and he's loving it....and he set a new PR today.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Track and Field
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
For the Joy of Photography
I love walking around and snapping everyday photos with my Nikon D80 and 35mm f/1.8 lens. The beauty in this set-up is the simplicity. I considered bringing this rig with me to Dallas, Texas on my business trip, but decided on the wife's Canon SD780IS point and shoot camera instead.
The Canon is great because it fits easily into my pocket, creates vivid color photos, and takes decent quality images in good light. It's a really nice point and shoot camera. However, I just don't enjoy shooting it.
I like looking through a viewfinder of a camera when I'm framing an image and not the back of an LCD. When I'm looking through a viewfinder, my eye is focused (no pun intended) on the image in the viewfinder and how it's framed. All I see is the image, framed in black, and with no distractions. When I compose using the LCD, I find my eyes wandering to the buttons on the back of the camera, to movement in my peripheral vision, and to other distractions in my field of view.
I also like to control the camera instead of having it control me. I like fiddling with the aperture and shutter speed adjustment dials on my SLR in manual mode, controlling the look and feel of the captured image. This allows me to control the depth of field, control how motion will be depicted in the image, and determine the best exposure for the mood I'm trying to convey (which may not be what the camera's matrix metering had in mind). I also like focusing the camera where I want it to focus and not fighting with the camera when it decides to focus elsewhere.
I firmly believe great images can be created with any camera, whether it's the most expensive, professional SLR, or the most basic pinhole camera, made by a child. I decided to carry the Canon point and shoot this week to challenge myself and to see what I could produce with an "idiot" camera. It's definitely been a challenge, but I think I was able to create some semi-decent, artistic images.
The challenge with the Canon point and shoot is it's fully automatic nature, offering very little manual control. That's why I'm looking forward to the Nikon FM2, a fully manual camera, offering very little automation. It's a manual focus, manual exposure, film camera. The film is even manually advanced, manually rewound, and the ASA manually set (no DX encoding).
The camera is so simple, the only way to screw up the image is via the photographer! But it will fun. Once the film is loaded, it'll be just me and the camera, with no distracting automation or LCD screen. This will allow me to just go out and create images...for the joy of photography.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
T-2 Weeks
Just two more weeks to go and I will be done with my 365 project! I started this journey in March 2010 and it's taken me through some new and exciting territories. Right now, I'm captivated by black and white photography. Interestingly enough, the theme in my second week of the project (almost a year ago) was "B&W Nature"...and it was followed by three more B&W oriented themes. My interest in B&W photography lay relatively dormant in my heart for the subsequent months....but it finally jumped out and took over my camera!
The theme for my photography project this week is "geometric shapes." The wife and I walked to the bagel shop this morning for coffee and bagels. I love taking walks with my camera...oops, I mean, with my wife! The sky was overcast for most of the day (eventually turning to rain), so I didn't take many pictures on the walk.
For today's photo of the day, I decided to start with nature's geometry. The obvious shape in the succulent plants is the circular shape of the plants. However, when I looked at them more closely, I saw the beautiful triangle formed by the three plants.
I'm going to be in Dallas, TX for the next three days. I considered taking my SLR camera, but decided to carry the wife's little point and shoot. I hate to finish off the final weeks of my 365 project with a P&S, but it'll have to do. Ultimately, good photos come from good photographers and not good cameras....so my challenge for the next three days is to figure out how to make the best use of my eyes and tools to get a few good photographs.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Henri Cartier-Bresson
I've been studying the work of a few photographers over the last several months and I've been inspired by a few of them.
Galen Rowell influenced me to travel light on the trails and in the backcountry. He often carried a light weight, variable aperture, consumer grade, zoom lens. While these lenses aren't great in low light, they are very sharp when stopped down and are much smaller and lighter than professional f/2.8 zooms....perfect for backpacking. This inspired me to get the Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6. The longer focal lengths add another dimension to my photography out in the backcountry.
Ansel Adams was a master at B&W landscape photography. While my landscape photography over the years has been in color, lately, I've embraced the beauty of B&W landscape photography. I especially love winter scenes for the great contrast between the snow and the darker trees, mountains, and rocks. While I am not overly fond of the cold, I purchased snow shoes this year to enable me to get out into the winter wonderland with my camera. Some of my favorite photos are my recent B&W snow scenes.
Now there is one more photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson. Before I discuss Cartier-Bresson, first some background information. I've been interested in purchasing an old rangefinder camera, like a Leica M3 or a Nikon S2. Unfortunately, both are expensive, especially the Leica. I decided a Nikon FM2/FM2n manual camera would be a more cost-effective choice for film. I corresponded with a friend to get his advice. Interestingly enough, he suggested I do the "Cartier-Bresson thing" and get the Leica M3, for a pure photographic experience.
While most photographers today use highly sophisticated digital cameras with large, expensive professional zoom lenses, Cartier-Bresson shot with a Leica rangefinder camera, outfitted with a single 50mm lens.
I found this very interesting because my favorite lens for my day-to-day photography work is my 35mm f/1.8 (which is equivalent to 52mm on 35mm film). Furthermore, if I were to purchase a Nikon FM2/FM2n, it would be outfitted with a 50mm lens (and perhaps a wide prime for landscapes). While I haven't been influenced by Cartier-Bresson (yet), our preferred tools of choice are very similar! I think we both enjoyed the simplicity of a fixed focal length lens and perhaps a more pure photography experience.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Live Like You Were Dying
I'm somewhat of a procrastinator, just ask my wife, she will tell you. She asked me to fix the hole in our floor before the baby was born. That baby turns fifteen this year...and that hole is still there. In 1993, I had a new rear window for my truck. In 2011, that window is still in a box sitting in my garage...and my brother now owns that truck.
Well, I'm turning over a new leaf. I've had a few loved ones pass away recently, went to funerals for friend's loved ones, and experienced a few near misses. Life's too short to procrastinate.
Take a moment to tell your loved ones you love them, hug your kids, plant a mushy kiss on your wife's cheek, and go to Italy. Yes, go to Italy. My wife's dream was to go to Italy, so we're taking the family to Italy. Not "maybe next year..." Not for our 25th wedding anniversary. Not after the kids are out of high school. We're going in June. Life's too short to wait!
Tim McGraw said it best....so hear him explain it by clicking here
My photo of the day is titled, "I Miss You." Don't miss the opportunity to do or say something from your heart....you never know if you'll have another chance.
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Home Stretch
I have three more weeks remaining in my 365 project. I cannot believe I've taken a photo per day for almost an entire year. It's been a long ride and I've learned a lot....but I'm going to be one happy camper when this project is completed.
If I counted correctly, my last day, Day 365, will fall on Saturday, 26 March 2011. I was thinking about heading out to somewhere special on that day to celebrate and enjoy the day....and maybe even snap a photo. =)
The theme for my photography project this week is "delicate." For today's photograph, I decided to totally ignore the theme....and headed to the Alviso Adobe Community Park to pursue another black and white image. The naturalist wasn't there today and the buildings were closed. I decided to shoot through the glass door to capture a photo of the interior of the building. I liked how the light entered the room through the distant doors and reflected off the floor.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
B&W Photography
So, that was my introduction to B&W photography. I'm sure Ansel Adams would be proud....well, probably not. Despite my failures in my early days of B&W film photography, I've developed an interest in B&W photography. I've even considered buying an old, Nikon S2 rangefinder camera. However, if I ever shot B&W film seriously, I think I'd want to build my own darkroom so I could create the final product according to my personal vision.
I'm reading "After the Photo-Secession: American Pictorial Photography, 1910-1955" and I love the grainy, moody, B&W photos of the period. In the upcoming weeks, I plan on creating a few B&W images...perhaps a few inspired by the great B&W photographers of the past.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Dallas
The new Cowboy's coach, Jason Garrett, was the guest speaker. As part of his presentation, he told a story of a Buddhist monk. Here's a seriously paraphrased version, courtesy of my very bad memory.
A Buddhist monk was walking through the woods, when he came across a pride of lions and tigers. The lions and tigers started chasing him, and he ran like crazy until he came to the edge of the cliff. He looked down and there were poisonous snakes at the bottom of the cliff. He looked back up and the lions and tigers were charging. Snakes, lions and tigers, snakes, lions and tigers...finally he decides to jump. On the long drop down, he reaches out and grabs a twig. He notices a strawberry at the end of the twig, picks it, and starts eating it. A passerby, noticing the monk's dire situation, asks the monk why he's smiling. The monk says, "because the strawberry is sweet."
So what's the moral of the story? Well, life is full of trials and tribulations, and other challenges. But, rather than stress over the lions, tigers, and snakes, you should look for the positives and be happy with the small wonders....like a sweet strawberry.
This story was a gentle reminder for me. Lately, things have been tough at work, but I'm going to try to focus on the positives.
Here's a shot of the big screen monitor at Cowboy Stadium.
The theme for my photography project this week is "shoes." Here's a picture of my gardener's size 13 shoe. I love my gardener....he does a wonderful job maintaining the yard....and even makes coffee for me and the old lady in the mornings!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Until We Meet Again, Mr. Owyang
While he will be missed on earth, I know we will meet again when it's my time....but God, no rush, I still have lots to do down here.
As I drove home from the service, I couldn't help but notice the incredible, fluffy clouds in the wonderfully blue sky. The beauty of His creation always amazes me. I'm looking forward to my next trip into the wilderness...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Happy Belated President's Day
The theme for my photography project this week is "Detail." The idea is to take a photograph of a portion of something, to show the detail. For today's shot, I snapped Kami's Nick & Nora house slippers. I've never heard of Nick & Nora, but I saw it printed on the button "eyes" and then googled it.
Disclaimer: Although this is a President's Day post, any resemblance of these slippers to the current president is purely coincidental and unintentional. Besides, I think the president has bigger ears....