Ricochetrider

Hi @dave_thomas8 Nice! And yep, I get it. I so often shoot old cars and bikes... we all pretty much know what these things look like- and as often as not, lots of folks are also shooting the same things so right out of the gate I wanted to get "something different" than everyone else. Kinda like vacation shots where there's millions of the exact same photo of whatever iconic structure... the whole world knows what a model A Ford (or whatever) looks like. But historically, there's been a lot of artful design in the automitve and mechanized/motorized world - same as with architecture too, something else that's near and dear to my heart. I brought my vision in to capture details or snippets. Eventually, I figured out I wanted to shoot these sort of shots with my biggest lenses, so I began using my 250mm Sonnar for "close ups". Not sure how I got onto that but I really like the lens and the shots I get with it. It's a bit odd, going the other way, on the 500cm that 250mm doesn't really give you all that much reach. But for close ups it's great.... Maybe shooting deatils with a telphoto lens is a by-product of my ignorance of the craft... ? But my "long distance close ups" have become one of my signature "looks".

Hi Alan IMO there's no wrong way, I believe we all seek our own level of comfort with our gear and find the technique that works best for us. It's really great that you are comfortable shooting "your way" to get the shots as you want them to look. 👍

Hi guys, and thanks for the thoughts. Dave, I paprticularly like your comparison to musicianship. I love jazz, so that really resonated with me. Josh, speaking to your point about the beach (aka background?), maybe this is where a different aperture would play better- something that would give me a deeper DOF, F8 or whatever. Looking closer at this background, there are definitely elements or goings-on that would bring a stronger sense of context to the shot. DOF and apeture settings is another thing I want to work on improving. I do (by now) have a reasonable understanding of the rules... so I'm conscious of things like getting the horizon level, metering for exposure, and telphone poles! I still tend to focus so much on my subject tho, that I often forget to see what else is happening in frame. This I've gotten much better at, especially if I'm not being pressed by any sort of time constraint. Some times, I'll even look over the camera because I so often don't pay close enough attention- someone will walk into the shot as I'm pressing the shutter button, for example. I feel like I need to be seeing all things, as much to help frame a shot- but so I dont end up with some errant human in my photo, too! With the Hasselblad, I most often shoot with a tripod and cable release. This comes from havng blown a shot or two by jiggling the camera around- hate to admit it but it's happened enough that I rarely hand-hold this camera. But the technique is helpful because I can frame a shot, stand up and keep an eye on everything, then pull the trigger when the coast is clear, knowing I've got it all framed up.

Spent Christmas & the week after up in Vermont where it rained most of the time.

To address some of these things… the sky was bright but overcast this day. Can’t recall if I’d metered this- but probably not. Either way, I like the way the whited out sky enhances the subjects without distraction. As to the “cut off” bits… I honestly don’t shoot with “rules” in mind. I also rarely take much time to set up a shot. By the time my camera is aimed, I’ve had the shot framed in my head. This guy with his back to us was saddling up so there wasn’t a lot of time for me in this. All my film photos are shot using prime lenses. I generally choose each shot based on which lens is on whatever camera. I prefer to capture whatever details, generally at or near the center of attention (but not necessarily at the center of the photo). I basically shoot whatever I want however I want- without a lot of thought. It’s kind of automatic in me…. for better or worse, lol. Digital cameras give one lots more options, you can shoot a lot of stuff in a very short time. Not so with film. I was lucky to get this photo before the guy got on the bike and rode off. EDIT: this setting is always very busy. you can see part of another bike’s front tire in the lower left corner. I suppose that’s one reason I got in this close. Didn’t want a bunch of other stuff in the shot. It’s about the bike and the guy saddling up; the other dude in there IMO is icing on the proverbial cake. OH and BTW this exhibit and the Association are pretty down tempo. Not like I had to submit to a panel of judges, I showed the shot to the Art Associstion president asking if it’d be appropriate- and she said “yes please bring it over”

This photo, shot on Kodak Tri-X 400 with my Hasselblad 500cm & the 80mm Planar lens, is among the dozen or so I had prints made of last year. The full set was kind of “on tour” in 2023, being exhibited around the South Central PA area. This particular photo has now been accepted as part of a presentation of artworks entitled “Figuratively Speaking”, on exhibit at the Art Association of Harrisburg (Pennsylvania), Jan 12 thru Feb 15. It’s one of my favorite shots from The Race Of Gentlemen, a vintage beach drag racing event for pre WWII cars and motorcycles. Please give me your opinions on this photo. Thanks very much. PS: I’m not 100% certain I’ve not posted this shot here before; I hope not but in case of redundancy, please forgive me! Thanks and Happy New Year to everyone.

Leica film “comeback” rangefinders seem to be enjoying a moment. ARTICLE

Little Christmas statuettes

Certainly one of my favorites from 2023 from my old Olympus 1st gen OMD EM1 and the lovely Pro 12/40mm lens. It's The Red Rabbit Drive In (hence: Bunnyburger).

The Aegean Sea

I mean there’s still time left in the day but here’s something from today, 12/31/2023

I still have to say honestly that I don’t consider my phone a “serious” photographic tool… but it’s always with me, and I’ve taken a bunch of shots I really like with my phones. The shot of the car below, I got printed in a size of roughly 11 x 17 - loosely 3:2 format which varies slightly somehow, on this phone pic print, from my 35mm 3:2? In any case, the print looks great!