A PDF Book…

Recently I heard a photographer talk about he created books in PDF format of his images as a way to share his work with others.

I thought it was a great idea so below you’ll find a link to my first PDF book “Musicians of Mountain View.” It a collection of images of various musicians I photographed during the three years that I lived there.

I used Pages on my iPad to create the book and exported it to my Google Drive where I gave access to anyone interested in taking a look.

More books to come.

Musicians of Mountain View

“Tri-X, f/8, and be there”

Update Finally…

 OK, so it’s been a few months since my last post. A lot has happened in that time.

Gone are both Fuji X-T30s replaced by one Fuji X-T3 and two Fuji X-Pro3s. 

The Fujifilm X-Pro3 is a rangefinder style mirrorless camera with a hybrid viewfinder and LCD that is only viewable when flipped down. The viewfinder can be optical with guidelines and shooting information overlaid, or fully electronic. When the LCD is closed, a sub monitor on the rear of the camera shows shooting information or the current Film Simulation mode.

Now a lot of camera reviewers have trashed this camera because of the inward facing LCD, but it’s my favorite feature. No longer do I have the urge to review the images I’ve taken. I know what I’m getting when I use the EVF so there’s no need to review.

In addition, most if not all reviewers claim that this camera is only good for street photography. I say bull feathers. You can use this camera for almost anything.

My other favorite feature is the shutter speed dial on top of the camera with the integrated ISO dial. Add the exposure composition dial and I’m all set.

Add a lens with an aperture ring and it almost feels like shooting with the Leica M4 I used to own.

I love shooting with this camera. It reminds me so much of how I used to shoot when I first started out in photography over 60 years ago.

“Tri-X, f/8, and be there.“

What’s’ Going On...

 It’s been awhile since my last post so I thought I’d do an update on what’s been going on.

First I sold all my Nikon gear with the exception on the D1X. I don’t think anyone would be interested in it. I also have just one Nikon lens left, the 20mm f/2.8 that I bought 22 years ago.

I made the switch to Fuji which I’ve mentioned in my two previous posts. After trying out various combinations of bodies and lenses I’ve settled on two X-T30 bodies, a 16-80mm f/4 lens, the new 70-300mm lens, and the 100-400mm lens. In addition I have the 1.4X tele extender. I also have a couple of third party lenses in Fuji x mount.

And after trying and returning numerous camera bags I’ve finally found one that work for me. The Wandrd Prvke is perfect for my needs. I have the 31L when I want to take everything and the Lite when I want to take one body and three or four lenses.

Here are some recent photographs.

I am really pleased with how this equipment preforms. Tack sharp images, excellent high ISO results, great ergonomics. I’m glad I made the switch.

“Tri-X, f/8, and be there.”

A Tale of Two Cameras...

 This photo says it all.

On the left is my Nikon D1X that I bought 20 years ago from Calumet Photo in Chicago. It was the replacement for my Nikon D1 that I bought in 1999 from Keeble & Shuchat Photography in Palo Alto, California. The Nikon D1 was a 2.7 megapixel camera and was the first real professional level DSLR. 

The D1X is a 5.3 megapixel camera. I can still charge the battery and it still works just fine. I used it when I lived in Arkansas for three years photographing musicians, crafts people, and nature. It cost a little over $5000.00. It’s big, it’s heavy, its a brick. The tiny LCD screen on the back it pretty much useless. There’s no menu system to speak of. Anything ISO 400 and above is very noisy. But at the time it was the best professional level DSLR available.

At 5.3 megapixels I can print on A3 paper and made outstanding prints.

On the right is my new Fujifilm X-T30. It has a 26 megapixel sensor. It weighs only a little more than a feather. It has an extensive menu system. It has a nice big LCD on the back. You can easily customize the look of your JPEG images using the built in film simulations. So many more features that I’ll probably never use. I bought it from B&H Photo in New York for $899.00.

Shortly after getting the Fuji X-T30 I sold all of my remaining Nikon gear with the exception of the D1X and a 20 year old 20mm f/2.8 D lens. So for the first time since 1973 I no longer shoot with Nikon.

Shortly after getting the X-T30 I rented an Fuji 100-400mm lens from Lensrentals.com. It was the first time I’ve ever rented a lens and what a truly great experience. I had it for a week and after that week I ordered one. Here’s an image from the first time I went out with it.

And here are a couple more photographs from last week when I was out along the river below Big Hill Park.

I’ve added a 16-80mm f/4 lens as well as two third party lenses; a Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 and a 7 Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 Fisheye.

I am really enjoying shooting with the X-T30. A very nice, small, feature pack mirrorless camera.

More to come.

“Tri-X, f/8, and be there”

A New Year Brings New Gear...

 I’m so glad 2020 is finally over. It certainly wasn’t much fun.

February has turned into new gear month for me. This month I’ve purchased two, that’s right, two Fuji X100 series cameras. First was the X100F and second was the X100V. They are small mirrorless APS-C cameras with a fixed 23mm f/2 lens.

There is a combined shutter speed/ISO dial on the top and an aperture ring on the lens. They both have film simulation settings that you can customize or you can create your own.

X100F

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X100V

What I really like about these cameras is the feeling that I had when I first started taking photographs 60 years ago. Simplicity. I know, there is nothing simple about a digital camera. But I find I can forget about the complexity and concentrate on the image.

I’m sill figuring out how to best set up these cameras for the style of shooting I want to do and what film simulations I think best fit my aesthetic sense. If it ever warms up I’ll get started.

Here are a few images I’ve taken. Just stuff around the house.

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“Tri-X, f/8, and be there.”