Tag: photography

Olympus High Res Mode

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Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

Well the day after my camera stopped working I had to go out and see if I could get a replacement. After having a good look around the Photography show at the Nec, I had a couple of ideas what would replace my old camera with. The final decision was to buy the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. I know a few people might think this is a odd choice for me, because of the kind a images I take. Most landscape photographers would normally go for a camera with a large megapixel count full frame sensor.

I was seriously tempted with the Sony Alpha system. But in reality the financial outlay on the system was just too big for me. To get all of the lenses I need it would cost me more than I could afford. I know I could buy them one at a time, but I was not prepared to make that compromise. The Olympus was not exactly cheap, once I had added a grip and a spare battery it was over £2,000. But one huge advantage was I already own the lenses I need as my last camera shared the same lens mount.

When I get the time and I have got used to the camera, I will try and write a bit more about the camera. For now I just want to share two image samples. One of the big selling points that the Olympus has is to quickly shift its sensor taking eight shots. The camera then combines them into one high resolution capture. The combined images produce a file that is effectively 80 megapixels. Below are some links to a standard 20 megapixel image and a 80 megapixel high res mode image.

Image Samples

Standard 20 megapixel unedited RAW file (20.3 MB)

Standard 20 megapixel RAW file edited as saved as a jpeg (22.6 MB)

High Res Mode 80 megapixel unedited RAW file (68.9 MB)

High res Capture 80 megapixel RAW file edited as saved as a jpeg (67.9 MB)

I should state the high res mode does need to be taken on a tripod or when the camera is totally stable. Also if the subject is moving this can apparently produce some strange results. I personally think the results from the 20 megapixel are fine for my needs, but having the option to produce a really large file is nice to have.

My Flickr Faves March 2017

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MY THREE FAVOURITE PICTURES BY OTHER
PHOTOGRAPHERS March 2017.

Here are my chosen three images from other photographers taken last month. Like before my chosen images will be put together in a gallery on Flickr along with all the previous ones.

The Trotternish Tree 2 BY Dave Fieldhouse

The Trotternish Tree

Sublime light and fantastic depth. It has been captured many times, but when it looks as good as this who cares. Dave had a great trip up to Skye and he capture some excellent images there. Have a look at them all if you have the time. Well done Dave.

Lost and Found BY Steve Palmer

Lost and FoundSteve has captured something that is very visually appealing to me. The reflections and the foreboding atmosphere are wonderful. It is one of those shots that I think I wish I had taken it

Survivor BY matt oliver
Survivor

Matt has a knack at capturing these moody scenes of the Peak District. This one is arranged perfectly and has some nice diagonals working together. I really like that bit of low cloud too.

Well done again Dave, Steve and Matt.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Here is this months list of photographers that also deserve a mention. Click on the names to see their images. Darren Rose Chris Dale Danny Howarth Darren Ciolli-Leach

My Flickr Faves January 2017

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MY THREE FAVOURITE PICTURES BY OTHER
PHOTOGRAPHERS JANUARY 2017.

Well it has now been a year since I started choosing my monthly favourite images by other photographers, and it seems to have been well received. As it is the start of a new year, I have decided to add a few honourable mentions at the end of the post. Sometimes it is really hard picking just three images, so I thought it would be nice to mention the other photographers and their pictures that almost made it. Like before my chosen images will be put together in a gallery on Flickr along with all the previous ones.

Curbar mist by Matt Oliver

Curbar mistAs soon as I saw this picture I knew it was going to feature in this month’s selection. I’m sure you will agree, the misty light in this picture is stunning. From the highlights on the foreground rocks to the rays in the distance, it all adds tremendous interest and depth to the image. Apparently moments before this, the visibility was only about 20 feet due to low cloud. I can just imagine the joy that Matt felt as this scene began to appear in front of him.

Frosty Footpath by Robert Birkby

Frosty Footpath

Robert has captured a super image here with some lovely sharp detail. I love the way the hoar frost frames the path into the woods. Then that path draws you into the wood and the lovely soft mist in the background. Beautiful work Robert.

Spine by Neil Burnell
Spine

I could probably pick a top three from just Neil’s pictures alone. Neil definitely has a eye for what makes a great image. It was a close call between this one and his Stilts image from the Essex Coast. But this one just had the edge as I’m a sucker for a moody mono square. I like the way this has the feeling that he has travelled to the end of the earth to capture it. The mixture of the jagged rocks and the curve of the shoreline also work really nicely together. Keep up the good work Neil!

Well done Matt, Robert and Neil.

honourable mentions

As mentioned above here is the list of photographers that also deserve a mention. Click on the names to see their images.

Claire Zaffin Roger Voller Neil Burnell (Again) Matt Lethbridge Matthew Dartford

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Choosing my Favourites Images

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A insight into me Choosing the images each Month.

I’m hoping to continue choosing my favourite images from other photographers throughout 2017. I am constantly impressed by the enormous amount of wonderful images that I see daily. But with this amount of images it is easy for some of them to get lost. By sitting down and choosing three images it gives me a chance to catch up and take some time to look at the talent out there and look at their images in more detail. It also gives me a change to say well done to the photographer and will hopefully mean something to them too.

I thought I would give you some insight how I make some of the decisions, as sometimes I see some images which I would like to include but can not. It might also tell you why I have not choosen one of your images in the past.

Some Rules

All of the images need to be posted on Flickr as this monthly selection started as a set of Flickr galleries. I will continue to grow these galleries along with the monthly blog post. So I need to be able to add the image to a gallery. There is the option to stop people from adding your images into galleries in the Flickr settings, so if you have this turned on I can not use your image.

Another option in the Flickr settings that prevents me from using images is the “Allow others to share your stuff” option. If this option is set to no, I can not embed your image in my blog post. All of the blog posts need to link back to the photographers Flickr page. I feel it would be very wrong for me to make screen grabs of any image and then post it to my blog. I have seen plenty of images with this option set to no and would have chosen them as probably the number one image. But I respect that they do not want others using their image in their blog posts.

Sometimes I also need to double check whether the image was taken in the month that I am working from. Images that are not obviously from that month or have their exif data disabled will sometime get put to one side if I can not be sure that they were taken that mouth. Again I understand some photographers like to hide their exif data, which I totally respect.

Apart from those rules that’s about it. Interacting with me on Flickr or Twitter is going to give you a big advantage. I like to look through a couple of groups like Doug Chinnery’s natural landscapes and the private UK Twitter Togs group. But apart from them I just take some time looking through your photostreams and picking out the ones I like. Sometime I will make a list of the ones I like as I see them in the month or just sit down and make a selection when the month is over.

Keep up the good work everyone, I look forward to seeing what you capture in 2017.

Flickr Faves December 2016

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MY THREE FAVOURITE PICTURES BY OTHER
PHOTOGRAPHERS DECEMBER 2016.

Each month I pick three of my favourite images and group them together in a gallery on Flickr. The full collection of these galleries can be found here. These are my favourites from December. A little insight on how I pick these images can be found here.

Plantation – by Michael Gibbs

Plantation 051216/01

This is a super image by Michael that lets your imagination run wild. I have stood next to Michael and watched him build up these layers of exposures to create something magical.
This image really draws you into it with the tunnel effect from the surrounding arch and the light from behind the trees in the background. Very inspiring work Michael well done.

Midwinter – by Cathryn Baldock

Midwinter

Another beautiful multiple exposure from Cathryn filled with golden light and refections. It looks like a little world in the sky with a heavenly floating feeling. I really like the line of trees at the bottom, and how there is no real up or down.

A Glimmer of Hope – by Karl Mortimer

A glimmer of hopeThis is a rather melancholic image from Karl, but it has the feeling of reaching out towards  better things. I like the central position of the main branch and how it separates out in all directions. That velvety green moss and the few orange leaves add a nice touch of colour too. Oak trees are always such interesting trees with their contorted branches, Karl has framed this one perfectly.

Buying a Hasselblad 500cm

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The choices I made when I bought my Hasselblad system.

I have been looking at Hasselblad cameras on and off for several years. The design of the V system has always appealed to me, but I always seemed to talk myself out of buying one.

500c/m

Back in August I found a nice 500c/m body at a reasonable price and decided to snap it up before I could talk myself out of it again. Of course, the body is only part of the system. I would still need to get a lens, a viewfinder and a film back. So I started my search for all of the pieces to put my system together. The beauty of the Hasselblad V system is that it is a modular system, so you can pick and choose what you add to the body. The system dates back to the 1950s and Hasselblad only stopped producing its latest model in 2013. This means that plenty of different options are available and the prices can be very reasonable for the older versions.

So what did I decide to buy? The body as I mentioned before is a 1974 500c/m. I know it is over 40 years old, but these things are built like tanks. My body looks like it has been well looked after and has only had light use. The more modern versions are much the same but carry a higher price tag. The A12 film back was easy to source as there seems to be an endless supply of them. All I had to do was choose one that was in good condition and had a matching insert. For the viewfinder, I have always had my heart set on a waist-level finder. I know that this is not everybody’s preferred choice, but I love the look of them and how they fold down to nothing. Again this was easy to find a nice example that was in keeping with the age of the body. The biggest decision was what to use for a lens. Hasselblad has always used Carl Zeiss lenses, so I knew whatever I chose would be good quality. I opted for a 150mm f/4 Sonnar C type, then a few weeks later I found a 60mm f/5.6 Distagon for a low price.

Now that I had everything together I had the decision of what film to use. Considering that most people are now shooting digital I was surprised how much of a choice there still was. I knew I wanted to shoot in black and white, so that made the decision a bit easier. I opted for a roll of Ilford FP4 as it ticked all the right boxes, especially the part about the enormous latitude for exposure error. This was important to me as there was going to be a certain amount of guesswork in my exposures. Armed with a homemade notebook for recording all my data, I set off to try and make the most of the 12 shots on the roll of film.

To be continued…

Flickr Faves September 2016

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My three favourite pictures by other
photographers September 2016.

Since January this year, I have been adding my three favourite images from other photographers into a Flickr gallery. The plan has always been to add them here, and write a little something about why I like them so much. I will continue to create the galleries, but hope to make them more of a thing here.

Holme Fell I – By Dylan NardiniHolme Fell I

Having visited Home Fell myself for the first time this year, this picture instantly took me back to my visit there. Dylan has captured the rugged beauty of the location perfectly. The colour palette is spot on and I particular like how the light is lighting up the grass and the birch trees. The light also draws your eyes nicely through the scene too toward the mountainous background moody sky.

Across the Moor – Darren Ciolli-Leach

across the Moor

Darren’s work has featured in my favourites a few times this year and I’m sure this one will not be the last. He certainly does have a great eye for a good image. This image was certainly an instant like for me. I love the misty back drop and the feeling of isolation. The image is perfectly composed making me want to walk up that path into the mist.

Misty cobwebby morning in the woodland yesterday – Shona Grant

Unfortunately I am not able to embed Shona’s image here, as she has the feature disabled on Flickr, but it can be viewed here. I think it is wonderful image full of interest and nice features. The mist works wonders to soften the background and make the shapes of the trees stand out. I know Shona shares my love of trees and that really shows here.

A big well done to Dylan, Darren and Shona.