Dream Tomorrow, Live Today, Cherish Yesterday

Super Supermoon

Canon 6D, 400mm F/5.6, f/5.6, 1/900, iso 125

Nice living where the air is clean enough to get great shots of the moon!

Fearless Nature

Leica M9

She will not be denied!

Nature's Cradle

Canon 5D Mark II, 180mm F/3.5 Macro, 1/60, iso 1000

Came across this very lovely, but very tiny, scene on a walk yesterday. Nature is so wonderful and unpredictable.

Sign of Life

Leica 35mm F/2, f/9.5, 1/180, iso 160

When I saw this wall in San Diego the first thought that came to my mind was the naturally occurring composition. Nature is amazing, no? And the early leaves: a sign of life. Nature will not be denied.

GH2 Update

Panasonic GH2, 100-300mm, f/5.6, 1/200, iso 320

The other day my good friend John Barclay asked how I'm getting on with the Panasonic GH2 I acquired in January. So this is a good time for an update.

Going along with our location move to the Seattle area, my wife and I are intending some lifestyle changes. One of which is that we plan to walk several miles every day. There is a lovely park by our home just right for walking. Yesterday I brought the GH2 along with me.

The camera was tucked away in its case when the most amazing thing happened. Directly in front of us a bald eagle, with about an 18" long fish in its talons, broke through the trees not ten feet over our heads. Chased by three ravens, looking to hijack the meal. Welcome to the PNW! It was really something.

Had the camera been in my hand, I don't believe I would have gotten a decent shot of the scene (which lasted only seconds). Maybe if I had the Canon, and the right lens was on. But the GH2 is just not that fast. You can bet I got it out and began carrying it at that point though.

So as to the camera itself, I would say that I really like what it can do. Like today's image. The effective focal length is 600mm when fully zoomed.  In a comparitively tiny package. No way I'm going to carry this kind of Canon glass on a casual walk. Or any walk for that matter.

So I like what it can do, i.e. very decent images, and several lenses in an easy to carry format. It's size means you don't intimidate people (and birds?) when you point it at them. But I have to say the actual experience of making images with the camera doesn't do that much for me. This is as compared to my Canon gear. If someone is stepping up from a point and shoot, I'm sure it would be great. For me, when I'm changing settings to get what I'm after, it always feels a little clumsy. Perhaps I just need to use it more. Been kinda busy these past few months. We'll see and I'll let you know!

All to Myself

Canon 20D, 300mm F/4.0, f/6.3, 1/800, iso 200

Must be nice to be a pretty butterfly, and have a feast of a plant all to yourself. This was from a hike I did back in 2005 with Stephan Dietrich and his brother. I can't believe I carried my 300mm the whole way. I must be getting old!

Still Whirlpool

When I came across this particular fallen tree I was taken with the texture and patterns, all courtesy of Mother Nature. You know I love tree trunks but often feel I can't create an image that evokes the same feeling I get in person. I feel this one conveys the sense of motion I saw in the wood. Kind of a whirlpool effect.

Spring Flowerdancer

 

Canon 5D Mark II, 180mm F/3.5, 1/640, iso 400

So it isn't Spring yet, but I'm betting you wish it was, right? Just a little tast of what its to come...

Coming Up For Air

Canon 5D Mark II, 85mm F/1.2, f/2.5, 1/5000, iso 400

Another trip to my favorite koi pond. These guys are very happy to model for me.

Maple Abstract

Canon 5D Mark II, 135 F/2.0, f/32, .3 sec, iso 100

I almost called today's post "Maple Extract" as that is nearly what it is. The subject is a maple tree, a Japanese Maple, to be exact. My favorite tree, yet I can rarely make a good image from one. This was shot last year at my favorite nursery, and once again I wasn't doing anything worthwhile.

These "shimmy shots" are well known in photography. Generally you either pan left to right, or up and down, on a decent scene, often trees. In this case I went low ISO and high aperture, to get the longest shutter I could, still not that long. Then I just held it down and went round and round. This was my favorite of that set.

There is just something about abstracts...