Discovery of Treasure

Wedding Photographer

This is why I hate weddings.

Alien Bee/Softlighter II Review

In January, I ordered off camera photo lighting. After quite a bit of research, I finally settled on AlienBee B800s, two of them. I ordered a heavy duty stand and a general purpose stand from the same manufacturer, Paul Buff. After further research I had Buff throw a remote activation system, the Cybersync CSR and CST into the box. He sent along a shoot through umbrella as well. I ordered a Softlighter II from another source in lieu of a softbox.

I immediately noted that the general purpose light stand did not seem stable enough with the monolights. I ordered another heavy duty stand from Buff, and set aside the lighter duty stand for speedlights. In general, I have been impressed with the Alien Bees lights and the Cybersync activation system. I have used the system on five photo shoots over the past month and a half. I have not had one misfire.

The AlienBee monolights can be set to operate as a slave, using the Nikon's commander mode to activate them, or they can be activated with a radio control system such as the Cybersync. My preference is to make my key light radio controlled, and operate the accent light as a slave. I have also modified a Vivitar 283 speedlight with a Wein Peanut Slave to use as a hairlight if desired.

The AlienBee monolights recharge fast. I have found that I can shoot a burst of five frames per second, with the two B800s set to half power and I will not have a single dim frame. If I raise the power up to 3/4 or above, a slight difference in the image lighting can be discerned in successive frames.

I like the fact that I can plug everything into a wall socket and forget about batteries. Already, the difference between the Vivitar 283 and the AlienBees is apparent. I would not want to be limited by my supply of Duracells or tethered to a convenience store. Sure, a wall socket and alternating current has it's limitations as well, but that is only a limitation of location. I can plan for that, and switch to all speedlights if I have no power.

The Softlighter II is a very well made light modifier. The system can be used as a softbox, a bounce umbrella or a shoot through umbrella. That is versatility. I have found the construction to be superb. When stowed, the Softlighter II is as small as an umbrella in a cloth case. In fact, it comes with its own cloth case that holds everything. It is quick to assemble, and simple to use. The only issue I have had is the fire resistant sock is about 1/32 too small to fit over the AlienBee monolight's square case. A little stretching of the stitches to the point of refusal, and the Softlighter fit, but a better fit would be appreciated. Of course, the Softlighter is from another manufacturer, and it can't be expected to fit everything perfectly. This would not be an issue with most monolights or with speedlights.

The umbrella shaft of the Softlighter II is a two piece affair, allowing the lower section of the shaft to be removed once the umbrella is opened. Then the Softlighter can be brought right up to the subject, resulting in incredibly soft light. Initially I was concerned about the quality of the threads on this shaft. I should not have been. They are cut well, and I have not had a single crossthreading incident. I have not placed any grease on them, but I might dab a bit of high temp white grease on them in the future as insurance. The Softlighter II is so flexible, so easily carried, and creates such a beautiful glow that I plan on ordering another one in the future, just to have a back-up and possibly use as a soft accent.

Now, I am a rank noob when it comes to studio lighting. I do not have the years of experience using different brands and set-ups on difficult locations that some people have. I have only used these lights and modifiers in five or six photo shoots thus far. Still, they have been packed, unpacked and packed again easily and without fail by a newbie. They have traveled down dirt roads and across railroad tracks in a plastic box tossed in the back of a Jeep. Did I not once say I don't baby my equipment? I think so. There will be some readers who will want to know how the equipment held up after a year of this, and that is understandable. At present, I can only give my assessment from where I am at now. The stuff is durable and it has improved my portraiture markedly. I should have made this leap long ago. It is exhilarating to have so much to learn again.

I once thought that lights were a nice addition to photography. I was wrong. Photography is all about light. Without the ability to control and manipulate the light, the photographer is at the mercy of the sun and clouds, or severely limited to amateurish on camera flash photography. That is not where I wanted to be. I have finally come to the realization that my lights and my ability to control them are as important as my camera body and lens. There is no reason that the investment should not be comparable.

The final indicator of quality lighting is in the images though, so with apologies to those readers who come here for the guns (see the Clark Meltdown 649 post y'all) here are some of my recent portraits with the strobist information............

Strobist: AlienBee AB800 with Softlighter II camera left. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. AlienBee B800 with reflecting umbrella camera right, 3:00. LumaPro speedlight as a hairlight. Triggered by Cybersync. Gold reflector at 4:00.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. AlienBee B800 with reflecting umbrella camera right, 3:00. LumaPro speedlight as a hairlight. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. AlienBee B800 with reflecting umbrella camera right, 3:00. LumaPro speedlight as a hairlight. Triggered by Cybersync. Gold reflector at 4:00.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 9:00. AlienBee 800 camera right 1:30. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 3:00. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 2:30. Reflector camera right. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera Right 9:00. AlienBee 800 with umbrella camera left 11:00. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II as Keylight. AlienBee 800 with umbrella camera left at 11:00. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. AlienBee B800 with reflecting umbrella camera right, 3:00. LumaPro speedlight as a hairlight. Camera rotated 45 degrees. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 10:00. Reflector camera right. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera Right 9:00. AlienBee 800 with umbrella camera left 11:00. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 9:00. AlienBee 800 with umbrella camera right 2:00. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist info: AlienBee B800 with Softlighter II camera left, 10:00. Gold reflector camera right, 3:00. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 10:00. Reflector camera right. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 9:00. AlienBee 800 camera right 1:30. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

Strobist: AlienBee 800 with Softlighter II camera left 9:00. AlienBee 800 camera right 1:30. Vivitar 283 with Wein Peanut Slave as accent. Triggered by Cybersync.

For those faithful readers who have endured thus far, or who might have an interest in photography. more of my work can be see on my photostream on flickr. Feel free to comment there as well as here.

Books I have been reading on photography and lighting:
Sculpting with Light: Techniques for Portrait Photographers by Allison Earnest

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography by Kirk Tuck

Beyond Portraiture: Creative People Photography by Bryan Peterson

And finally, because I feel I need help in this area,

Posing Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios by Billy Pegram

Please don't get me wrong, I totally love this as it is an awesome picture, and I have total respect for your photographic vision. I only wish my photographic vision were half as good. However there is one thing, which is that I see in color. Do you not? I hear dogs see in black and white are you a dog? When I look at this I see a totally unrealistic representation of reality as I see it. Why don't people understand that human beings see in color and black and white far from being artistic is just a depature from reality as bad as anything you could do in PhotoShop? That's my only comment otherwise I love this. I just really wish it had been in color as it would have been double awesome. dmofong999 please see my photostream

More totally awesome photo critique here...........

What is Xavier Reading?

"Visual Poetry: A Creative Guide for Making Engaging Digital Photographs" by Chris Orwig is an excellent read, although the author can get a bit verbose. The author makes good points though, and he wants his reader to understand and appreciate them. That can lead to tedious nit picking. Visual Poetry never reaches that level.

The concepts Orwig discusses are often lost on those who believe good photography comes from equipment. In fact, good photography no more comes from the latest and greatest Nikon than great paintings came from Rembrandt's brushes. The masterpieces came from the master's mind and soul, not his equipment. These are the ideas that Orwig harnesses and unveils in this work.

The creative process is a mystery to many people who have never studied the arts or investigated the artistic mind. Digital cameras have brought photography out of the darkroom and into the lap of anyone with a computer. Still, the snapshots many people take are just as common as those thirty years ago. "Visual Poetry" can give the uninitiated amateur photographer the first look, and a decisive look, into the creative process of making captivating images. After all, it is the photographer who must be developed, not just the image.

100 Strangers

One of the more challenging photographic endeavors I have been working on is stranger photography. I am participating in a group known as "100 Strangers." The group seeks to help it's participants build the skills and chutzpah to request a portrait of a complete stranger, and quickly compose and get the shot.

The social challenges are great. Getting past the reluctance to approach and request a photograph of a stranger is an obstacle for many photographers. Once the person agrees, getting them to relax and drop their guard is the next hurdle. All the while, the photographer must quickly evaluate lighting conditions, composition, and the best angle for the subject. Quietening fears of how the image will be used is also a challenge.

My first stranger photography actually was done years ago in the Orient. That was a different time and place though. Times have changed. I first began to approach strangers for photographs at the Tea Party I documented some time back. Most of those people were hoping to be documented by the media, and were happy to pose. People such as Anthony, who I approached as he was fishing, are often more reluctant.

People moving along the street are even more recalcitrant about a quick photograph. Tabitha was attending a concert, and at first wanted five bucks for a photo. When I turned to walk away, she agreed to a photograph or two for free. The spontaneity of the resulting images is one of it's greatest attractions for me. It's a lot like fishing with shiners. You never know what you will come home with.

The objective of the group is to learn a little about the person, to make contact and have them agree to a photograph. Candid shots and long range telephoto shots are not admissible. 100 Strangers is one of the most energizing photographic endeavors I have undertaken. I am up to fifty-nine strangers now. I am using my Nikon D200 with a 50mm or 28mm lens. I noticed early on that I had a tendency to stay within my comfort zone with people not unlike myself, and I took steps to rectify that. The experience has been exhilarating. After I reach a hundred strangers, I intend to continue with the project.

Portraiture

The first portrait session with Michael DeVault went well. Michael approached me for a few portraits after seeing some of my work online. I took photos of him in his office, as well as in a friend's courtyard.

So far, I have not relied on strobes or typical photographer's lighting gear. I rely on sunlight. I'm cheap and low tech, I guess. That's the main reason. I suppose investing in some lighting equipment would give me more flexibility, enabling me to shoot when and how I would like. It would also involve managing more gear however, and also invest in the time required to learn to use it well. I like to see what I am getting when I press the shutter. I do own a collapsible reflector. I haven't used it much....

Michael is a novelist, currently working on his third book. He is the author of Anything But Ordinary and Thunder in the Distance. The shots I took will be used on the "about the author" section of the book jacket on subsequent books. These two frames are my personal favorites, and aren't necessarily the ones he will chose to use.

I find that I enjoy the spontaneity and serendipity of shooting environmental portraiture. Being able to adjust to available lighting conditions and still squeeze out a decent shot is what excites me. Taking a bunch of supplemental lighting gear up a couple of flights of stairs does not. If I continue to shoot portraiture for profit though, I may have to readjust my way of thinking........

How Not To Do It

Remember those picture games as a kid where the challenge was to find as many things wrong with a photo as possible? Here's one for gunnies.

For advice on taking better gun photos, take a click to this link.

The Bat Mitzvah Lesson

Yesterday a friend gave a bat mitzvah for his daughter, and I agreed to photograph it. Thankfully, he had several other friends with cameras because my results fell far beneath my standards. In fact, the majority of them are unusable. I learned a few things though.

1. Always scout the location and learn the plan of events. Know where people will stand and what they will do. I had the opportunity to do so on Friday evening, but was too tired from work to go. Knowing where to sit for the best shots, and getting there early enough to garner that seat is essential.

2. Know the distance you will be shooting from. Take a few shots before the event of a model in the available light, from the distance you will be shooting. Determine which lens will be most suitable. Have that lens on your camera. If you use flash, and if flash is permissible, know which setting will get adequate light on the subject.

3. Be bold. I had been given permission to roam, yet I stayed in my seat. I did not want to disturb the proceedings with my digital SLR's mirror clacking. Out of respect, during the service, I used a digital point and shoot with the noise muted and flash turned off. Limiting my ability to take good photographs even though I had been given permission to move about was a serious mistake.

4. Have your batteries charged and your gear at hand. Shoot as though you might never get another chance. You won't. If the event is a milestone in that person's life, it will not be repeated. The ceremony is, however, predictable. Bobby Knight once said that everyone has a desire to win, but very few have the desire to prepare to win. I know that. I did not heed it.

5. You cannot get fine image quality by increasing the frame size and cropping out the good parts. As soon as I realized my subject was going to be miniature people in a sea of synagogue, I increased the frame size. I was able to crop out images with better composition, but the overall quality was badly degraded.

6. Don't throw in the towel. After the bat mitzvah, I went to the reception. While my wife chatted with friends, I continued to shoot photographs. The lighting in the reception hall was worse than the synagogue. After twenty or so shots of people with hollowed out eyes from spotlights directly overhead, I had two choices. Change technique, or go outside. I decided to change technique and shoot the reception as though I was a street photographer. The music was loud enough to cover the sound of the SLR mirror, and I could move inhibited among people who were expecting to be photographed. I learned another lesson. Good street photography on the level of Joe Wigfall and Bruce Gilden does not come easy. If I'm going to do that, I need to go manual with a wide angle lens. But that's another lesson.

Portraiture on the Fly

Over the years, I have made a practice of studying people and their interactions. Years ago when me and my swabbie buddies would hit the bamboo bars and honky tonks around the far east, they had tractor beams to the pretty girls. I was always the sailor who would get a beer and settle into a dark corner to watch the people and let the prettiest girl come to me.

I have used this self taught mental data base to quickly process information that has kept me safe, but it is also something that is now coming out in my photography. I am fast discovering that that I am a portraitist. People have always fascinated me. Now I am simply recording it.

I am gaining the audacity to simply walk up to people and ask if I can photograph them. I make it a point to dress conservatively and have my camera ready. If they look confused, I quickly explain that I am an amateur photographer, and just why I would like to photograph them, whether it is their hair, their shirt, or their poise. I haven't been refused yet.

I have usually studied the potential subject at a distance to assess their willingness and the light they happen to be standing in. I have the Nikon set to 4 fps, and if they agree to be photographed, I line them up and squeeze off a few shots. Then, I thank them and let them get back to what they were doing. If they want to converse a bit, I talk about what ever they want, and possibly continue to get a few shots. If they are willing, I get their name and give them my own. I suppose I will have to get some business cards made up now. I haven't had the moxie to ask a stranger for a repeat session in the future, but I have a feeling I will soon.

It is fairly easy to spot those people willing to be photographed. The young ones are the ones who make themselves stand out. The older ones are the people with a life lived etched on their faces. These people want to be photographed, remembered, and celebrated, but they want to be respected as well. Sometimes, I think the key is making the person comfortable and confident that they will be respected in the image.

The best places to find willing subjects is where people feel uninhibited. Festivals are excellent opportunities, as are concerts and museums, gallery openings, and live theaters (if you can get a camera inside). People tend to go to these places to be seen, they dress appropriately, are prepared, and perhaps liquored up a bit. Ultimately, they become a bit bored. The chance opportunity to be photographed intrigues them. I have even had people approach me to have their picture taken when they see me taking photographs. That was surprising indeed.

Black & White

I like black and white photography. Monochromatic photography teaches the eye to see. Shooting film in black and white teaches the photographer to see contrasts, and and manipulate the camera settings to make the most of them. The end result is more graphic impact when the camera man does switch to color.

There is something about black and white that provides an immediacy and a truthfulness to a photograph that color can't seem to match. It is odd that a monochromatic image can achieve a greater sense of reality than color can provide. Perhaps it is because black and white has been a staple of photojournalism for so long. Whatever the reason, B&W is appealing to me.

Another advantage that I have found with digital photography is the ability to shoot in color and later convert to black and white. That was impossible with film. Through the magic of a good digital processing program, anything that can be adjusted in the darkroom can be adjusted on a monitor. I'm finding the ability to switch my images from color to monochrome to be particularly gratifying.

Today I went to visit a couple of old friends and had a portrait session with each. It was good to see them doing well. As for the gun section, Duff and I shot a bit of lead as well. Duff still out shoots me, but then, he grew up buying 22 bullets and using them to supplement a diet of greens and peas with small game.

Perhaps tomorrow I will write about shooting lead. The plan is to take Little Darling to the range. Today, I shot an old Colt Woodsman as an afterthought, to enjoy some time with a friend. Sometimes I wonder how long that will remain a possibility. Today, my focus was on shooting a Nikon, and getting back to black and white.

Southern Gothic

I have a fascination with street photography. I tend to associate candid photography on the streets with New York City, and have shied away from it. It is becoming easier for me to ask strangers for a photograph. I will simply ask politely, but other times point to my camera and wait for an affirmative nod. I'm not opposed to the surreptitious photo, but it doesn't seem right for me. I have found that the motor drive is a great tool. The second or third photo is often the best, as the subject relaxes, thinking the encounter is completed.

Another aspect that I have deliberately avoided in my photography is the peculiar convergence of social tensions that make up the region in which I live. That is a mistake, I think. Just as religiosity, sweltering heat and guns are an indelible part of life in the South, so are the social tensions of racism, self-righteousness, and the well known but unspoken etiquette that allows a peaceful co-existence of many dichotomies.

The often slightly flamboyant characters that emerge from the simmering gumbo of the South are unique. A few weeks ago I was lamenting that I am not able to travel to far off places to take photos as I did in the Far East years ago. Yet, there is an exotic spice that surrounds me. I don't think I will reject the photos that show this imagery any longer. If the sunburned biker has a tattoo of a Confederate flag on his bicep, so be it. If the Red Hat Society is sipping mint juleps with too much bourbon, who cares? It's time to accept the quirky oddities that make up the life around me.

"Anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is going to be called realistic," declared Flannery O'Connor years ago. I suppose that's true. Trying to filter out the "Southerness" from my photography is choking the life from it. Southern writers, from William Faulkner to Lewis Grizzard, have embraced the Southern Gothic theme in their work. I'm not going to embrace it, but I am no longer going to run from it. The complexity of the region and its people is fertile ground for intriguing photography.

Yesterday, while attending an antique automobile show, I came across a pair of musicians playing Christian Bluegrass beside their pick-up truck and photographed them. The older string bass player appeared to be a good old boy patterned after Jackie Gleason in Smokey and the Bandit. He couldn't be closer if he tried. The guitar player wore a T shirt with a religious message. Being obscured by his instrument, the message appeared to be of a neo-nazi bent. His fleeting glance towards my camera was reminiscent of Jeffery Dahmer. Now, the bass player could be a Methodist minister, and the guitar player could be the president of the National Honor Society, but the unity of the colors, hair styles and the separateness of the individuals who were making music together made for a photograph that should not be discarded.

There is a swashbuckling exuberance of life spent in the South. Perhaps it springs from too much time spent in the unrelenting heat and humidity. Perhaps it exists because more sane people have left for temperate climes. Whatever the reason, I will not discard the Southern Gothic genre from my photography any longer.

The Dance of Light

Saturated colors and high contrast are two elements of photography that will grab me every time. I admit it. I'm a sucker for eye candy. One of the more interesting informative articles written by Ken Rockwell is his methods for capturing the colors in his images.

There is a time at sunrise and at sunset when hues become intensely saturated in the fading light. At twilight, the light from mercury vapor street lamps and incandescent and neon lights add to the music. I am finding myself prowling the streets with my camera more and more at these times of day to catch the dance of the fading light across buildings and structures.

When I was in Japan, I was stuck by what I called the colors of Nippon. Pink bulldozers, lavender bridges, and other pastel colors on strong, masculine things created a softness that was unusual, unexpected, and somewhat amusing to my western eyes. Now that I am landlocked back in the Southern United States, I am finding the familiar prevalence of religious icons interesting. When combined with the saturated colors attainable at twilight, the combination can be rather bizarre and unsettling.

I find myself taking the long way home to evaluate another set of decorated crosses beside the road, another facade on an itinerant preacher's refuge, or the symbolic professions of faith that a farmer might erect beside the road. The South is ripe with such spirituality.

Although they have been photographed to a cliche, old Louisiana cemeteries are another source of this type of spiritual symbology. Among the Woodsmen of the World tombstones and disintegrating marble crypts stands proud statuary meant to immortalize those who have long turned to dust. These monuments to spiritual beliefs interest me as well, even if they have been photographed over and over again.

It's my hope that I can photograph them in a new way, and that I can do so in a manner that shows respect, but also illuminates and causes the viewer to ponder the belief systems that join people together. If nothing else, perhaps the images will simply be a reminder to myself that a person is made up of more than flesh and bone.

Rainy Day Shooting

It was a rainy day, so we were looking for a dry place to shoot a few photographs. My son was in town, and I was wanting to get some shots of him. He would be my primary model. He had his Canon digital camera along for the ride too.

After a bit of discussion, we decided to go to an old parking garage to shoot. The neutral tones of the concrete would be great for reflecting available light, and the hard geometric structure would form a distinctive background for a strong male portrait. The parking garage we chose had huge open air areas with diffused directional sunlight streaming in.

The upper decks of the parking garage were empty, so we had a huge studio with natural light in which to work. What I was not expecting was the color available. Because the skies were so dark, the incandescent lights of the parking garage been triggered. When I white balanced the camera for the incandescent lights, the exterior became a deep glowing aquamarine color.

The effect was an illumination that reminds me of television screens and high powered, high tech executives. The pinks, lavenders and oranges were as unpredictable as they were stunning. Thankfully, I was shooting digital images. I ran through a lot of bytes. Luck played as big a roles as knowledge in my experimentation. Had I been shooting film, I would have floundered, or not had the quantity of shots necessary to cherry pick the good ones.

Probably my favorite photo of my son from the day's shooting is the one on the right. My son was still wearing a coat and tie from the Easter service at church. It was nice to have him dressed up for a photo. The lighting on his face is good, the bokeh is interesting, but not distracting, and the little serendipitous red blob on the margin holds the entire photo in balance.

Little Darling got into the act as well, using my son's Canon EOS. She had such a good time on the other side of the lens that I am considering upgrading her to a DSLR camera. If nothing else, having her shoot as well educates her as a model. While its difficult to take a bad photograph of her, having her know what the photographer is trying to capture through the lens can only make her better.

I took most of my shots with my 85mm prime auto focus lens with the 1.8 aperture cranked wide open. This lens has become a favorite of mine. On a DX camera it translates to a 105mm lens, but the real bonus is the backgrounds it gives. The 85 mm lens allows me to keep some distance, and since it has a large aperture, the depth of field is narrow enough to throw most backgrounds out of focus, while the auto focus keeps the subject sharp.

As the afternoon continued, I found that the interaction between my models produced some of the most interesting results. I swapped over to an 18-70mm zoom and opened the glass up to ƒ3.5, again wide open. I keep the ISO of the D-200 set to +1. The environmental studies that resulted surprised me.

I had not realized just how blue the light pouring into the garage was, nor did I realize how orange the artificial lights were. The complimentary combination of the two light sources led me to play with composition even more, integrating the light sources themselves into the balance.

For all of the intriguing nuances of the light though, adjustments had to be made and otherwise good photographs were discarded because of horrible lighting. A superb portrait of my son was in the folder to be culled because his face was a glowing red orange. I decided to convert the image to black and white, and then I rebalanced the tonality to allow the grey sky to become white. Voila! The orange light had the effect of a orange filter on black and white film.

I am looking forward to using the parking garage for portraiture again. I want to see how morning light, as well as afternoon light and a sunset illuminate subjects in it's dark recesses. I think I may have found one of my favorite locations to shoot photographs of people.

Transform

Finding a Happy Medium

Wow! What a response to my last post! Rather than having my response lost in all the comments, I decided to just make another post. First, thank you all.

Yep, I got the manual offline, as well as Ken Rockwell's guide. I had not seen Phil Askey's review, I will be reading that tonight. You all know how it is..... When all else fails, read the manual.

I had figured out how to get to aperture priority mode, but I was trying to chose my aperture with the lens ring. Same as I used to do on my X-700. I guess a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I never expected the camera would tell the lens to open up or close down as well. I have found that with this particular lens I can use the lens ring to set the aperture in aperture priority mode, as long as I have the ISO set to automatic. Otherwise, it balks. Speaking of that...... I'm loving the automatic ISO setting. That's better than a penicillin dispenser in a Tijuana bordello!

The lens works great and focuses fast at its designed focal length. It's when I go manual and try to make an 85mm lens focus at 18 inches that it is a little tough to turn the focus ring. Probably just the way an AF lens is when used manually though.

Chris, you are absolutely right. I need a UV filter on that glass. Problem is, the rim has taken a couple of smacks before it came to me, and it is no longer round. I use UV filters on all my Minolta glass, and am a believer in doing so. If I can not safely straighten out the rim, I will attach a black foam lens hood to help protect the glass. Yes, I have an Op-Tech Pro strap on the way too. At present, I'm using an old hippie strap. It sucks.

When I was learning to use a manual camera, I would take trips to the Ueno Zoo in Japan and take endless photos of the gorillas and orangutans. They were willing, non-curious models with a neutral background of concrete. The concrete was a suitable distance behind them to place it out of focus with an open lens. At present, I am using the dogs as models while I learn. They are ever willing and patient models with a lot of activity to give the auto focus a workout. Most of these images will be deleted into pixel dust, as they are for learning the camera only.

The Nikon D-200 has three image sizes, 3872 X 2592, 2896 X 1944, and 1936 X 1296. All are humongous in comparison to my needs for online work. Fortunately, I have a pretty good photo editing program and can crop the images down and compress them as needed. With a manual film camera, I often used a zoom lens to crop prior to having images developed, that is no longer a concern now. The best thing, in my opinion, is that I can control the image, allowing only what I want to be in focus. Manipulating the depth of field to accentuate the subject matter has always been a major consideration for me. I can tell that this particular lens will be a favorite of mine. I will likely use it to photograph my daughter in theater, for portraiture, and for candid shots.

Going DSLR AF

Arrrrrgh! Does anyone know how to set this thing for aperture priority?
Simple instructions please.

I was faster focusing with my manual X-700 than this auto focus thing is...... Overriding it to manual results in a lens that is still difficult to manipulate. I wonder if the servos are still engaged in manual......

Time and patience Grasshopper, time and patience........

I hate coming into the modern age!

Outfitting the Nikon

As I continue surfing the web looking for information on the Nikon D-200, I am getting more and more charged over the great deal I found. Of course, not having purchased the camera new, I had to take what I got. I went over to Adorama to do a little shopping. I was missing lens caps and body caps, and I needed a strap.

Back when I was carrying my X-700 and assorted gear all around the Far East, I learned to love the Op-Tech Pro line of camera straps. Surprisingly, Adorama had the one I like for less than I could find it on ebay. I started an order.......

The lens caps I was missing were available. Click. An extra battery so one can be charging while two are working. Click. A Compact Flash memory card. Click. A rubber eye cup. I like those. Click. Op-Tech hood hats. Those will be handy. Click.

What's this? Used equipment? No stopping me now..... Time to make this order worthwhile! I poke around a while until I find a Nikon 18-70 3.5/4.5g ED-IF A-fs-DX w/cs lense. I read up on digital SLRs at Ken Rockwell's website, and I learn that this lens would likely be my workhorse if I had it. At $239 it was a deal. Click.

I have a feeling that a long dormant passion is coming back to life. I have a lot of reading to do to catch up with the changes over the past two decades. Photography isn't what it used to be. One thing hasn't changed though. It's not the camera that makes the photo, it's the photographer. A better camera just gets out of his way.

Alien Elements

The Power of Association

My son, whom I'm very proud of, knew everything as a teen. I told him then that he should make notes because he would never again be as smart as he was at nineteen.

One pearl of adolescent wisdom that he sowed among my middle aged furrows of bigotry is that it did not matter how he dressed, nor did it matter much how he and his friends behaved, as long as they were law abiding citizens. Thankfully he never went for the gangsta sag look, I would have never allowed that. Connor was too much of an individual anyway. He was more of a Goodwill store "I don't care" type who saw clothing as the malicious trappings of a society that judges on appearances. He viewed the clothing industry as a cog in a vast hidden machine of systematic mind control.

Recently, he has spent several weeks in Paris. Not Paris Texas, but rather that other Paris, where all those Frenchmen run around. He has decided to leave his job teaching applied mathematics at a major state university. He is joining an international corporation that uses mathematics to somehow determine where to drill for........oil. ....... Ah, Capitalism......Good old Capitalism. When a young man finds the girl he loves and decides to settle down, there's nothing like having a few greenbacks in your pocket instead of a bunch of philosophy in your head.

Connor called me to enlist my assistance on his resume and to garner some advice on what to wear to his interview. Shave off facial hair for the interview? Darned right. Get a Republican haircut. I'm rather proud that he didn't ask whether he should wear shoes or sandals. Instead, he asked what type of shoes, and if he really needed a tie. I informed him of my opinion. My son is approaching wisdom, not because he now understands why he needs a good paying job, and why he needs to act and dress appropriately to obtain it, but because he now knows that there is much that he does not know.......Without the knowledge of one's ignorance, the search for enlightenment will never be undertaken.

This afternoon, as I was re-photographing a small revolver, I thought about that......How much the trappings of our personal personae affect how others perceive us, and ultimately the direction our lives take.

I thought about my own choices, the one time artistic prodigy who enlisted in the US Navy, sailed the world, who became a rabid imperialistic Republican expansionist, and then left to become a nurse. The guy who now sports a French forked Balbo and rides a bike to work. The guy who advocates for the care of those who do not speak for themselves.
I thought about the son who has gone from voting for Al Gore and saving the rain forests from the horrors of human indifference, to a burgeoning Capitalist ready to do some expansion of his own.
Yep. That's my son. I'm proud of him. I hope he's proud of me too.