Sergey Blog

It just hit midnight here in Southern California and its after dinner and 2 adult beverages. Wanted to give a quick update on my Leica M6.

My goal for this is simple 3 things:

1. Improve my photography – the most important. Slow down, no spray and pray, quality over quantity.

2. Gain a better perspective on where I want to go with photography. What is it that I want to do – portrait, architecture, studio work, street photography or just take pics of the family.

3. Shoot quality B&W. This what got me into this – plain black and white photos. Tri-X pushed 2 stops to 1600 ISO.

Here is where I am on day 2 after receiving the Leica:

• Got the Zeiss 50mm 1.5 rented lens
• Shot through the first Tri-X roll. I thought I was done rewinding the film and opened the camera, so maybe a 1/4 of the roll exposed and ruined. Will develop the film my self for the first time on Monday as all of the supplies are in.
• M6 is a WOW camera. Heavy and well built almost silent and stealth black. Everything said about it is true.
• I put a roll of Fujicolor Pro 400 into M6 and spent the roll in about 10 minutes. Decided to take it to Walgreens as I had to see if the camera was working and how my focusing with a rangefinder was. It is tough sneaking up on the kids and dog with a rangefinder. Alos, took a few pics outside the house by the park of the clouds.
• Had Walgreens develop and scan to a CD the Fujicolor 400 roll – total cost of $4.62 with a $1.00 off coupon.
• Got the CD. Very low resolution scans 1800 x 1215 at 96 dpi with a color depth of 24 FRUSTRATING because of low resolution. A few dust spots, smudges, but 39 images and quite a few usable ones. Going to try to scan at FedEx Kinko in the morning or try CVS. I can use recommendations on a home negative scanner.
• Overall, the qualities I was looking for in a photograph are present in my Leica. I will wait and see some high res scans for some final thoughts.

A few Walgreens images processed with Lightrooom and PS:

Overcast day just after the rain.

The worst possible lighting you can imagine.

Natural light from window.

Natural light from window.

Also with natural light from window.

More updates to come…… Still need a negative scanner recommendation.

I wanted to try and shoot film and instead of  one of cost effective solutions – purchased a Leica M6 TTL. I figure like this: Anything worth doing, is worth doing with style.

I shopped around for prices including the ol Ebay, but there is no place better then keh.com for used gear. Fair prices and great selection on used photography gear.

Ended getting a TTL version of the M6 as I will use the hot shoe for portraits and off camera lighting. I am aiming at improving my photography and film is one of the best ways. Sure, I will not be able to look at the back of the camera at an LCD screen to see what I just photographed. I am impressed with the ‘feel’ of the camera. Heavy, black and all manual!

I rented a lens from LensRentals.com and it was shipped quick. For 2 weeks I will shot with the Zeiss 50mm 1.5 Sonnar. For me 50mm focal length is just right. Patiently waiting until my Leica 50 F2 SUMMICRON-M arrives, also used.

I got some film 2 days ago from a local shop in Pasadena. I had my Panasonic LX3 with me shot a couple of pics at the City Hall.  See bottom of page for the pics or on Flickr. I wanted to try several brands and speeds and the most raved about black and white – Tri-X 400. Looking forward to shoot many pics with this film.

Dang, thats a lot of film

I realized that this film cant be developed at a local Wallgreens and quickly searched the web for film developing labs, techniques and mail order. I found groups which talk about film processing, pushing ISO and the best way is to do it at home. Kind of like making a cup of coffee they say. OK I am gamed. Signed up at an international Leica user forum (best places to learn) Leica User forum and started searching, reading posts and asking questions. Found a nearby supply house and film processing place: freestylephoto.biz and put the order through. Initially, I watched a few how to videos on youtube.com to figure out exactly what is needed. What got me excited was the Figital Revolution post on Tri-x and how to process.

Here is the list:

• Kodak Rapid Fixer to Make 1 Gallon

• Kodak Photo Flo 200 16 oz.

• Heico Perma Wash 1 Quart

• Paterson Universal Film Developing Tank with 1 Reel

• Paterson Developing Tank Reel

• Arista Changing Bag 27 in. x 30 in.

• Printfile Archival Negative Preservers 35mm 7 strips of 5 negatives – 100 pack (357B)

• Acufine Diafine Film Developer to make 1 gal.

Now the waiting begins on getting all the chemicals/supplies….. I will go out and shoot some film and will update in a few days.

My wife always asks me why we never take any video of our kids? I decided to give video a try.

I always check product ranking and reviews on Amazon. I decided to give the Flip UltraHD Camcorder a try as the price is right of under $200, 120 minutes of 720p HD video and the compact size.

Talk about a easy to use interface with just one single button for start/stop. Software that is included is also simple to use. I was shooting video in 5 minutes.

Top 3 features I liked right out of the box:

1. One touch recording. Huge red button in the back.
2. 2 inch anti-glare LCD screen is fantastic
3. Very quick from powering on to recording time.

Top 3 things that bugged me about it:

1. Flip out USB plug. Kind of an after thought and cumbersome to plug in. I have my PC on the floor and plugging in the USB cord means having to leave the Flip on its back. I kept thinking its going to fall or worse scratch the screen or lens.
2. No cover for the lens. I must be crazy because I am always imagining that I will scratch the lens. Manufactures, please put covers on all photo/video equipment with a lens.
3. I carried my point and shoot Panasonic LX3 (my review) and Flip….. Flip Ultra is just a bit too bulky and with a photo camera….. Cant see me carrying both.

I would buy the Flip UltraHD again. It shoots great video and it is very simple to use, easy to download and create movies at home. As anyone who shoots video understands that its tough to shoot 120 minutes even when on vacation 2 hours is more then enough. Also, it performs well in low light conditions.

Photo taken with my old Nikon D60 at the San Diego flower fields……

Purchased the book about a month ago. I put it on my shelf which is kind of a book reading queue and now it is my current read. Main reason for getting this book? Review after review and I also want to increase my creativity through photography. Reading books, tutorials, looking at other peoples photos, Flickr (see my older post on Can Flickr Make you a Better Photographer). I understand from watching my kids that learning by example or emulation is very natural for us humans and works.

My current photography book top 5 list is:

1. Understanding Exposure – I have read this 5 times now and will read again (I will write a review of this book soon).
2. Understanding Shutter Speed – same author as above and the same for this book a must read and re-read.
3. Photography and the Art of Seeing – a workshop based book, a must have for any level photographer!
4. Ansel Adams in Color – amazing….. got to have it book.
5. Hot Shoe Diaries – Flash photography at its best…..

Suggestions are always welcomed. I would like to know what everyone else is reading……

Amazons Best Selling Camera and Photo list

I love lists and love to follow them even more. One of my faves for lists is Amazon. The have a list for everything! The number one is the Flip UltraHD which I have had for a few months now and I like it quite a bit. I will publish a small review this coming Monday.

Other Panasonic cameras on the list are:

# 2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

#17 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

#26 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7

My Panasonic LX3 is not in the list (see my review here) but its still my favorite small camera and the price is dropping. Until I get the Leica. Have a look at my LX3 stream:

Any lists you like to follow?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Visit my PhotoBlog.

Finished setting up my photography site. Would like to know opinions and suggestions.

photography.sergeys.us

I am not sure that people who are not photographers or hobbyists care about bokeh. Not to be confused with DOF. I love it!  Based on my own experience and after asking a few friends they were not familiar with the term or its meaning. The nearest I’ve hear someone say that they liked the subject separation from the environment via ‘blur’. I do enjoy photographs which contain both type of bokeh the “Hollywood” and the “Cream Cheese”.

Just wanted to put that out there and I am really curious if that is the case.

Here is a link to Flickr bokeh search from all users: Bokeh

I am addicted to Flickr, but can it be used a learning tool? I have been on Flickr for almost a year and can say that my photography improved ten fold as a result. Here are some of the ways I use Flickr.

Examples. Yes, learn by examples is the best way hands down. I have looked at thousands of photos from other photographers and continue to do so on daily basis. I learned about framing, cropping, tones, contrast, subject and composition. Top 5 Flickr users I respect most and  follow are:

• isayx3 – Has influenced me the most. Great photographer, designer and nice guy.
• Hazman Zie – great photography skills, images and a great contact.
• Tony_V -Excellent perspective, motion shots and metro.
• Dr. Cullen – Fantastic photo stream, amazing dof and a genuine person
• California CPA – Learned quite a bit form his photos, amazing stream.
• jwlphotography – takes the best portraits of kids. blog

Applications. Flickr has quite a community based development and many applications for everyone. Highly recommend checking the Flickr apps. There are many other application around the that provide tools and a way to access and browse photos from self or other users.

• flickriver - the best way to browse Flickr. Have to try it for yourself.
• bighugelabs - many toys/utilities for photos and a great site. I use it most for view large and on black. Here is an example.

EXIF. Most photographers make the EXIF data available in the photo under properties link. This tells the most technical information about the photograph for example the camera, focal length of the lens, aperture, and shooting modes. This section is the go to section fro understanding “how” the photo was taken. I also use a program called PhotoME for viewing my personal photographs. I have learned a great deal from this section.

Contacts. This is perhaps one of the unique items about Flickr. This allows to befriend another photographer and a great way to tell them you enjoy their work as well as be notified when they post anything new.  One can always ask the photographer a question and they will be happy to reply.

Groups. I participate in many groups in which other photographers share a similar interests such as favorite lenses, cameras, areas to shoot etc… All groups have photo pools as well as forums in which questions can be asked or answered. Great way to meet and interact with others. If you cant find a group, start your own!

Comments. This area is offers a way for others to tell what they like in a photo. I know that I am a “comment whore” the more I get the better I feel. Others are the same and its a way to make new friends, ask questions and have others reciprocate. Notes can be also used and placed on photos.

Locations. A new locations for taking photographs can be easily found by searching tags and groups. Simple as that.

There must hundreds of other ways I did not think about.

Visited Getty for Drawings by Rembrandt and His Pupils: Telling the Difference exhibition. I have seen a few Rembrandt painting, but have never given much thought to his drawings. A master of detail he is. His pen work is like nothing I have ever seen. I got the audio guided tour and that was well worth the $5 as it provides additional insight. Magnifying loop was in every room which allowed me to get a better look at each drawing and I looked at every single piece of work.

No photography was allowed, but I was able take some photos outside of the center itself. Architecture, gardens, views of LA are just a few things to see. Getty is a great place to visit with free admission and $15 parking (free if someone can drop you off at the front).

Other interesting exhibition is Irving Penn: Small Trades its only showing until January 10th. An amazing photography display of original gelatin silver prints. They are displayed in several galleries. Each individual piece is an artwork and stands on its own. Just the shear number of photographs made my head spin.

I have only had 3 point and shoot cameras. I started with a Sony Cybershot then a DSC and a year ago a Canon SD-750.  I wanted a camera that can be carried every day and everywhere without weight and attracting attention like DSLR would.

The cameras I considered:

1. Panasonic DMC-LX3
2. Leica D-Lux 4 (almost the same as LX3)
3. Canon PowerShot S90
4. Panasonic GF1
5. Olympus E-P2

I chose Panasonic DMC-LX3 based on price, lens and quality of photos.

Reviews on any camera are all over the web. I liked dpreview.com as it was quite a meal to chew over with information. A great review on the D-Lux 4 from Boxed Light with fantastic sample images. Informative review from www.luminous-landscape.com made me feel even better about LX3.

After receiving the camera – everything that reviewers say about build quality, menus, usability is quite true for LX3. I have 2 Vivitar 285 and a Cactus trigger system which allows me to shoot pictures flash off my camera.

Spending the New Years weekend in Big Bear, CA provided a great opportunity for me to test the camera and shoot many photos of family, lake and landscapes. To date I took over 500 photos with off camera lights and on camera flash. I would recommend the LX3 to anyone who is looking for a easy to use camera packed with features.

The best thing about LX3 is the scene modes and the quality of the photos that it produces. 2 Flickr LX3 photographers which inspired me are Phototmas nmx and chealse 88813.

Samples from my Flickr stream: