mrraz

<p>I recently had an experience at the local Amtrak station while waiting for a train to Chicago. A couple sat down right next to me with their child in a stroller. It was animated and was smiling at me. I started taking a series of shots to which it responded beautifully.</p>

<p>During the whole time neither parent said anything. About ten minutes latter after I finished shooting, the mother turned to me and said she had seen me taking pictures of her child, and that was not allowed. She had a British accent. I told her we were in a public place in America where there is no expectation of privacy. She didn't take it well. I never raised my voice, but did say she should have said something while I was actually shooting. I probably would have stopped shooting at her request had it been more timely.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>TAGS, TAGS, I don't need no stinking TAGS. All kidding aside, at my age I'm not inclined to put in the work required to add tags to the work I've already posted. I'm not even sure I will tag new shots as I post them. Let's leave it at, my confidence in internet security is so low that I do not willingly provide anymore information then absolutely necessary.</p>

<p>This is the third photo site I've joined, since I started posting my shots. I left the first one after performance issues made things more difficult then I could accept. I left the second after one of the site admins and I had an intellectual disagreement, and I was banned from the site. I only left thumbnails for people to view.</p>

<p>The point is. Both sites had excellent critiques because they were required. Word counts had to exceed 15, and there was logic that did not allow repeatedly saying the same thing. It seemed to work well except for the close circles of friends that would still manipulate the system for more credit.</p>

<p>Here I critique less and less often. I also post much less frequently because I post for critique only. The number of well thought out critiques of my work in the past year can be counted without having to take my shoes off.</p>

<p>When the POW is a stunner, how well can one excersize the critiquing chops? I'd like to see a mediocre shot turn up as the POW just to see what would happen. People need to practice critiquing on something that might offer a lesson in how to do it.</p>

<p>I recently watched an filmed interview with Cartier-Bresson shot in the '90s. I found it very insightful. He didn't talk about his feelings about being photographed, but he was very forthcoming about what he thought about being a photographer.</p>

<p>What I found most interesting was his pride in not being able to print his work. He pays to have his work printed.</p>

<p>Capa got a shot of someone catching a bullet. What lead up to the impact has little to do with the simple truth of a recorded death. Until you've actually see someone catch a bullet/get killed in front of you, the reality of the image can only be discuss by arm chair photographers.</p>

<p>Once you've worked at a particular job, photographer, for say 3 to 4 years the technical issues become second nature. You don't have to remember what to do. You know what to do in any given instance.</p>

<p>It's simply a matter of experience. The business side is another issue. That's why office workers are always a wise choice.</p>

<p>I was an Army Still Photographer, 84b20, which qualifies me as a combat photographer/war photojournalist. I did spent 2 years in Vietnam documenting the conflict. You don't need a degree in photography to get started as a war photojournalist. You will, however, need a total disregard for your life. The pay is not going to be good either. You could get started by just paying your way over to whatever conflict you want to cover. Get freelance credentials from one of the news agencies based there.</p>

<p>Paint a red 10 ring onto both your chest and back. You are after all going to be a target once you go to work. Show a little initiative, and you could be the next winner of the pulitzer.</p>

<p>Guffaw/YukYuk/HoHo/HeHe</p>

<p>"Glenn, Glenn, Glenn! Who knew you were <strong>a softie at heart</strong> ? :-)"</p>

<p>Don't be fooled John. Just because I know what cute is doesn't mean I like cute or shoot it. Only my grandchildren can pull the heart strings.</p>

<p>The more things change the more they remain the same. Every recession has caused this kind of reaction. Discressionary spending is down and will stay down for a long while.</p>

<p>One needs to find out what will sell in this market. I know cute; goslings, puppys, kittens and birds: still seems to sell locally. A local amateur just upgraded to a Nikon D90 by selling cute at the local Farmer's Market on Saturaday mornings.</p>

<p>Seems to me it was conservatives that brought this economic miracle to us all.</p>

<p>Johnny, I would like to see your work. When I can see your philosophy in practice, I can offer my thoughts on what I'm seeing. Even if I don't personally care for an image, I do recognize good work, when I see it and can provide a well thought out critique.</p>

<p>It would be nice to see your philosophy in an actual photograph. Highfalutin' verbage doesn't translate into visual understanding for me.</p>

<p>If you choose a spot approximately 1/3 of the distance from your closest point of acceptably sharp focus and the furthest point of desired acceptable focus, you should be able to pull the DOF you require. It might take a little experimentation to determine the correct f/stop, but I think you'll find the results satisfactory.</p>

<p>This is one of tricks I learn while in Army Photo School way back in '64. Of course the name has changed from zone focus to hyper focus which really muddys the water for me.</p>

<p>Normally, I just don't care one way or the other.</p>

<p>If you have a dslr, copy the shot yourself. You can then process the shot however you choose. It's simply an matter of placing it on a wall with even light and have the camera on a tripod. If you look at my Vietnam shots, you can see what can be accomplished without using external services.</p>

<p>Don't worry about the copywrite issue. The original photographer is probably already dead, and his estate is unlikey to go after you.</p>

<p>PS. Stay out of big box stores. They are a vexation to the soul.</p>

<p>Film/memory has always been the cheapest part of photography for me. I never considered how many frames I was exposing, but I always figured 1 keeper for every 36 to 40 shots was doing good. Infinite variation is what I look for. There is nothing static, so I may take 30 exposures where clouds and ground shadows are involved. This way I get to chose the best moment in time.</p>

<p>As far as birds go, I can use a complete 8 gig CF card just shooting birds at my feeders in a couple of hours. I rarely shoot continuously because I like to keep my reflexes tune to the action.</p>

<p>When it comes down to it, it's just a matter of personal choice.</p>

<p>I grew up using linear polarizing filters with film and manual focus camera. I've been generally dissatisfied by how the circular polarizers function since switching to digital. I now use a linear polarizer with a manual focus lens when the occasion requires.</p>

<p>As the others have already mentioned. It's just not very practical to use a CP full time. It's just another variable with which to deal.</p>

<p>When shooting reflections DOF becomes important. You have to consider the distance between the camera(a), reflecting surface(b) and the reflected object©. The distance between b and c becomes the minimum DOF for both to be sharp. Sometimes that not an easy thing to accomplish, especially, when using a telephoto lens.</p>

<p>Experiment with mirrors around the house, and I think you'll find it's deceptively simple with practice.</p>

<p>I appreciate all the comments, thank you. It gives me some incentive to look into the local potential.</p>

<p>Damon, every time I've shot the deceased, usually during the wake, it has been at the request of someone in the family. It felt a little weird the first time, but now I'm comfortable with it. The attendees, who are not family, are the ones that have been most disapproving.</p>

<p>Matt and Harry, no one that knows me has ever thought of me as discrete, but I've photographed enough events to know how to act in almost any situation, professionally.</p>

<p>Maybe someone will get pictures of my ashes when the time comes.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Until the last couple of years I had never considered shooting anything at a funeral. Now, I seem to be attending them with much greater frequency, and people are asking me, if I brought my cameras. I've shot bodies in the casket, family members with the deceased and kids saying good-bye. What's really odd, though, is feeling more connected to the person who died.</p>

<p>I think I've found a niche that is largely unexplored.</p>

 

<p>I must have gotten one of the good 14-45 lenses, when I bought my e-500 in 2006. I've continued to use it since. It's not a great lens, but I have no complaints about sharpness. I've never lost a shot because of lack of sharpness. I also use it on my e-510. Unless you're planning on action work, it focuses just fine.</p>

 

<p>I wouldn't shoot a wedding with your camera! Ranks right up there with kids pictures.</p>

<p>It's not that I can't or haven't done them, but dealing with the bride and her parents is more then I'm willing to endure at this point in my life. The urge to kill gets too great.</p>

<p>Why don't you just buy the E-620. It's the 4xx series with IS built into the body. So far there isn't a real DSLR in the m4/3rd arena.</p>

<p>The Nikon F with the Nippon Kogaku logo on the top in front of the shutter release is my choice. All the parts were machined to finish. When the logo on top changed to just "Nikon" some parts became stamped, and the quality dropped a little.<br>

8x10 Deardoff View Camera with bulb release is the ultimate manual camera.</p>

<p>I've got Olympus internal IS in my E-510. It will take any lens and compensate including old OM lenses. It gains me 2 stops in shutter speed for all lenses. It works by adjusting the amount sensor compensation for each lens that's 4/3. Old manual lenses are entered manually, but it works the same way.</p>

<p>I'll go with the internal system over the long haul.</p>