M 262

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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 8:25 pm 
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My compliments, as well. The head and shoulders portrait is simply excellent, and I echo double negative's comment on your compositions.


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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 8:43 pm 
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Since we're on the subject of portraits (among other things), here's one I made of an artist colleague in a weekly workshop we participate in. Copying the works of masters is a long-standing tradition among serious art students; my friend is copying a beach scene by Joaquin Sorolla. M-9 with 35 'Cron ASPH.


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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 9:39 pm 
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Thanks James and a very nice portrait of an artist.


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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 1:55 pm 
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James - it has come to me from many sources that many of the foundations learned for drawing & painting apply equally to our photography, so this workshop you attend sounds like it would be very beneficial. Or are you also actively involved in these other artistic endeavors? My wife is a serious art docent at our local fine art museum, & I think I really benefit from it as well when she shares some of her knowledge with me. Also the image you captured in this studio environment is really quite nice. I like the composition & the over the shoulder view of both the artist & his work (which also is certainly very excellent). Thanks for sharing it.


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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:30 pm 
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Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Jedorme, I agree that there are some parallels between photography and the other visual arts. However, in the workshop environment, my main effort is to gain some mastery over the basic technical skills...the tools of the trade. Loading and handling the brush, mixing colors and controlling values, understanding how to "turn the form" and the related need to understand the logic of light, practicing laying-in the basic forms of head, hands, and figure, and expressing volume and form in space, with due regard for perspective.

I was very fortunate to be invited to participate in this workshop, or atelier as this kind of arrangement is often called. Rather than taking short day or evening art classes from different teachers, and ending up with a scattered, diffuse bunch of methodologies, I have taken the approach - recommended to me by a noted local portrait artist - of committing to work on a consistent method or set of principles under the guidance of a single, accomplished master. I have been working this way for about 5 years, and I have not regretted taking this approach. The small workshop size (4 or 5 students) enables the teacher to spend ample time with each of us (the workshop is 4 hours long).

I know there are such workshops for photography in general, and street photography in particular. However, based on what I've seen so far, they are priced very highly, and they have considerably larger groups of students. I may have posted here something about Jay Maisel's workshops in New York City, which have been going for a long time, with smaller student groups, and which are highly regarded. One look at his books and you can see he is a photographic artist of real merit and has strong teaching chops, as well. His workshops last one week and cost $5000. Unless you live in New York City, you have to add travel and room expenses. Would I take the workshop? If I had $7000 or so in completely discretionary cash, you bet I would...at the earliest opportunity. But I don't. :(

The Leica Akademie programs are interesting, but also very expensive. I recently received an e-mail announcement about the upcoming programs, which I will share in a later post under the appropriate topic.


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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 9:08 am 
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Image

Image

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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 11:34 am 
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Wow! Awesome work! You have a great eye for both color and shape composition, and I get the impression you exercise a lot of patience, waiting for some of your compositional elements to fit together. The first photograph, with the seagull combined with the strong color contrast of red, yellow and green, is an example. Another was the way you waited until the man pushing the cart reached the shaft of light, in the third photograph.

You inspire me to be more analytical in composing and more patient in making my own photographs.


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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 10:44 pm 
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Thanks so much for the kind words.
I didn't have time to fully answer you yesterday James but wanted to thank you again for your thoughtful post. I sometimes wait, the pink flamingo was a wait but the guy pushing the cart was really in the moment. The red coat I was waiting a few seconds for the boat to move into a good spot and the bird flew in. LUCKY ha I'll take luck...

For these type of shots I hyper focus so my focus is set and I pre determine my exposure so that is set. I then just wait for something to happen. When it does I am ready. Most of my work is in the moment. Did you get a chance to see my work and article in Viewfinder? If so what did you think? I really like the print quality of Viewfinder. Loved the Manos piece. He is one of my favs.
one from today.
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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 1:15 pm 
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Sorry to take so long to reply, Allen. Yes, I did see your piece in Viewfinder and I thought it was excellent. That magazine has very nice print quality, and I think it served your black & white images very well. I enjoyed the accompanying text, too.

Thanks for describing your street-shooting approach. To the extent your "juxtapositions" result from luck, I'd have to say you must be fast "on the draw" (even with the advantage of hyper focus) in order to capture your images. Like Cartier-Bresson, I imagine you stalking your "picture prey" with your camera always at the ready. I think you also have great visual concentration (if that's the right word), to be aware of such potential images as you move along.

I don't hyper focus all the time, although I do reset my speed and aperture as I move from, say, indoors to outdoors, and I sometimes preset my lens focus. However, I keep my ISO setting between 400 and 680 on my M9 and M-E, and I tend to use wider apertures to isolate my subject (which presupposes that I am not- usually - looking for juxtapositions of multiple subjects). My subjects are usually people at work and play, as close-in as I can get. Faces and expressions are of greatest interest to me, currently. I suppose it relates to my main activity: portrait painting.

The color shot in your most recent post is wonderful.

Apropos your Viewfinder article, I've been giving some thought to changing the M-E for a M-D. I'm on the fence as to giving up the LCD screen, but I think I can live without it in exchange for a faster processor and quieter shutter. I'm very happy with my 35mm and 50mm Summicrons; I'd like to have 28 and 75 Summicrons too, but I can easily live without them.


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 Post subject: Re: M 262
Unread postPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 4:00 pm 
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Thanks James.
I tend to put myself where things can happen and I walk slow. Always ready to push the shutter.

Have you thought about an M 262? Quiet shutter and faster processor.

I tend to like a lot of DoF for my street work. I really try to pay attention to backgrounds and how other elements are working in the frame and I like the edges of the frame to. So I usually have the ISO at 1600 or 3200 on my MM shutter speed at 1/500-1/1000 of a sec and apertures form f/8-f/16.


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