Friday, October 29, 2010

Must keep track!

Digital Voice Recorder
Back in the days when I shot film, I carried a notebook and wrote down pertinent information about my shots.  I needed to know that information when I viewed my slides so I would know what I did correctly and what I did incorrectly.  In recent years, I have begun carrying a digital sound recorder on which I list information I will need later.  I can download the sound files onto my computer and save them with the image files.  Shooting film again has caused me to change the way I record the data because the Elan 7 does not record any information about the shots.  I have decided that I must learn to list the information in the order in which I enter it into my database. 

A sample of my image database

 I think that it will be better to do it that way for both cameras.  I think that shooting film puts additional emphasis on the need to keep track of what I do in the field!

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

I must choose the correct lens

image circle and frame for 35mm and aps-c


My current digital camera has an APS-C size sensor, in green above.  It is about the size of the seldom used APS format film.  It is not as large as 35 mm frame, in red above.   

APS-C sensor gets fully covered by even 35mm lens


I can use all my lenses on my current digital camera.  

image circle of aps-c lens does not cover the entire 35mm frame.


 I cannot, however; use all my lenses on the Elan 7 because I have bought lenses in recent years made exclusively for the APS-C sensor.  They would not cover the 35 mm frame.  I must remember not to use the wrong lens when shooting this film.  It adds another step of thinking that I must go through to plan a shot.

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

My goal in shooting Kodachrome 64.

An image which I could not capture on Kodachrome 64.


I was trying to learn how to compensate the exposure for the luminance values of the subject when I was shooting film.  Side film is different from print film.  With print film, you shoot for the shadows.  You make sure that you do not lose detail in them.  With slide film, you expose for the highlights to make sure that you do not lose detail in them.  This is similar to the CMOS sensor in my digital camera.  I must shoot for highlights and make sure I do not lose detail.
I decided that my goal in shooting this one roll was to see if I have learned anything from the immediate feedback provided by my digital camera.  Could I shoot this roll without blowing out the highlights?  I thought that I could use my digital camera as a tool if I were in a doubtful situation.  For frames 11 – 14, I stepped out, trusting my judgment and did not use my digital camera to check the exposure.  I still feel confident that I exposed it correctly, though I have not seen the processed slides.
A factor that has complicated my learning the intricacies of exposure is my eye being pulled to the point of greatest contrast.  I used to shoot into the sun.  It was part of my desire to be moved by the light.  I have approached my learning photography with the assumption that light is 95%.  I guess part of the 5% is to learn the limitations of your equipment.  I used to look on the sun side of the trail and now I look on the opposite side of the trail.  There, my equipment has a fair chance of capturing what I see.
I think that I have changed, as mentioned above, in what I perceive as a subject based on the dynamic range of the image.  I have learned that I must choose things that my camera can capture.

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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A Blast from the Past!

Kodachrome film box


I read in Photo Technique magazine recently that Kodachrome slide film processing is going away on December 30, 2010.  According to Wikipedia, Kodak discontinued manufacture of the film on June 22, 2009.  There is one lab in the US and one in Europe now processing the film.  The news article by Wendy Erickson pointed out that there is still film for sale on eBay.  I went there and bought one roll.  It is Kodachrome 64 which expires in November of 2010.  I still have a Canon Elan 7.  It has been about four to five years since I used it.  It was a “museum” piece in the living room.  I dusted it off and couldn’t remember how to turn it on.  I finally found the manual and again familiarized myself with the camera’s controls.  I have loaded the film, set the ISO, found a remote shutter release, and begun shooting.  I have exposed 20 frames thus far.  I am keeping track of my thoughts and reactions as I go through the process for you. 

Canon Elan 7 camera body
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Monday, October 25, 2010

American Sycamore Tree

American Sycamore Tree


My daughter invited me to the family's cabin near Jackson last weekend for her birthday.  We took a walk and saw this scene.  They have a beautiful place!  The children love to climb the trees, including this one.

I was telling someone that the National Champion American Sycamore is also in Ohio.  It is located on private property near Jeromesville, Ohio.  I was granted permission a few years ago to walk back to it.  The tree is quite large.  I found it difficult, even with wide lenses to really capture its largeness.  I finally settled for a detail shot, see below.  It has a circumference of  422 inches, height 129 ft., and 105 ft. spread.

National Champion American Sycamore
It has three trunks, two of which you can see in the shot.  My friend is over six feet tall.  He looks dwarfed by the tree.

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

The bird that made me fall.

Spotted Sandpiper
This bird, or one like it, had been feeding in the Frog Pond for more than a week.  The Frog Pond is a faux vernal pool.  The water is very low at present.  This presents a shore-like environment in which the sandpiper can feed.  It is fun to watch it work.  I have not yet discovered what it pulls out and eats.  I am wondering if it might be larval dragonflies.  One morning, recently, while I was photographing this bird, I slid in the slippery edge of the pond and fell, scaring the bird away.  The mud was soft and it cushioned my fall.  The mono-pod, on which my camera was mounted, had sunk into the mud far enough to steady the camera during my fall.  The next day when I returned, I thought I noticed the bird being more skittish.  That is certainly understandable!



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