Tag: Photography

Trying to improve my composition

Today I shot with an 18mm prime (via the Ricoh GRIII). This is the first time I have shot with such a wide angle. I love being able to capture so much of the scene but it really challenges my composition skills.

In the still lifes below I tried to make an interesting image by playing with the composition.

I admit I needed to crop the one above. A challenge for next time will be to get the composition right strait out of camera.

I really enjoyed shooting with the discrete Ricoh GRIII today. It’s so small I could carry it in my pocket! Nice!

On a side note — the construction site below was super interesting. The amount of excavation required to build a tall building is insane. In the future, I think I might enjoy taking more construction pics (if just for the fascinating engineering).

Street photography from the hip

Today I got my X-T5’s flippy screen out and tried shooting from the hip while walking. My goal was to flow through the crowds without standing out as an obnoxious photographer.

A few things I learned:

  • Shooting in motion requires a high shutter speed. 1/800 minimum, but probably 1/1000 to be safe.
  • I missed focus on several shots because I was shooting in single focus mode. For motion, continuous is a better fit.
  • Composition while moving is even harder. I got lucky a couple times today, but it will take practice.
  • Moving and shooting did make me feel more stealthy and secure taking pictures.
  • Flippy screens are awesome.
  • I love the 23mm focal length.

A stroll through a Japanese garden

Today I shot with the Superia Xtra 400 recipe from Fuji X Weekly. These shots were taken at the UW Japanese garden. I am pretty tired, so there isn’t going to be any fancy prose with this one. Here, just look at the pictures.

It cost 10$ per person to enter (my daughter was free).

There was some rain in the morning which left a pretty dew on some of the leaves and flowers.

My daughter loved the colorful Koi.

Lunch time walk with film simulations

All of the following photos are strait-from-the-camera JPEGs taken on my X-T5. I am using the Kodak Ultramax 400 recipe from Fuji X Weekly.

I have to be honest here. I thought the film simulations were cool, but I was always planning to shoot RAW. That changed today. The results I got with the film simulation are amazing! It was kinda liberating to pull these off the camera and be satisfied immediately without hours of toilsome editing.

An unintended side effect of enabling this film simulation is that the camera takes an additional 3-4 seconds to save each shot (apparently this is due to the clarity adjustment). In other words, no rapid fire photography. Initially I found this annoying but, it forced me to be more thoughtful about my composition and timing. All things considered, I think I am happy with the compromise.

I will definitely be using film simulations in the future. They might even become my preferred way to take photos.

The quest for lenses

Picking lenses is hard. I find myself in pursuit of the sharpest, most-critically acclaimed, bokeh-tastic lens I can find and lose track of the art. Lenses don’t make you a better photographer.

I recently picked up the Fujifilm 56mm f1.2 R WR. Mostly because of this excellent review by Christopher Frost.

However, after using the lens for a few days I realized having the BEST EVER IMAGE QUALITY didn’t actually make me enjoy photography more. The lens made gorgeous pictures to be sure, but it was big and I was nervous about hurting it. Also, it didn’t focus quickly enough to track my daughter running into the camera (a minor nit).

I went back to the camera store and traded it in for the 50mm F2 and 23mm F2. These lenses are each half the cost, half the size, and super lite weight. Their size and weight make it easier to have my camera out. Also, they are cheaper (relatively speaking) so I am less nervous about hurting them. Here is a shot of my daughter running at the camera moments before crashing into me.

At the end of the day photography is about taking pictures and enjoying yourself. Even if the image quality is only 90% as good, if I take more pictures I have more opportunity to grow.

I’ll leave you with more pictures of my old dog. Even with cancer, she’s still rolling around in the yard like a puppy. These were taken on the 50mm F2. Honestly, the bokeh is totally lovely. I don’t know why I obsess over having the best. Sometimes good enough is perfect.

Vector Seattle cityscape

This was made with Affinity Designer on an iPad Pro. The inspiration for this piece was the photo below, which I took while riding the ferry away from Seattle.

The inspiration the for the piece above. I took this photo from the ferry.

We had this printed on a large canvas (using the high resolution download below) to hang in our living room! This was done via the Costco Photo Center. The print quality was excellent!

The piece printed on a canvas displayed in our living room.

High resolution download

High resolution PNG for printing or wallpaper: