Monthly Archives: April 2007

28Apr / 2007

About the snap: Terns at Oceano Dunes

Terns at Oceano Dunes.


Date: July 10, 2006
Place: Grover Beach, CA at Oceano Dunes
Modus operandi: Thinking about Edward Weston
Weather: California gorgeous
Time: 9:03 am
Gear: Canon 5D, 24-105mm at 105mm, ISO 400, 1/2000, f/8
Medium: RAW original processed in Aperture
Me: Thrilled at this bit of serendipity
My age: 54

It is impossible for any photographer to visit Oceano Dunes, here in central coastal California, without thinking about Edward Weston and the generation of early American photographers who did such land breaking work here. So I was walking on the beach with the intention of clambering up the dunes to absorb some of Weston’s spirit. Parking by that little restaurant, I was walking down the path to the beach when this blast of noise and commotion caught my eye. It was literally a second’s work to crank the lens to its longest setting followed by a stab at the button. Thank God for automation! The image reports 1/2000 at f/8, but I can assure you I had nothing to do with that!

And if you wonder about that broad aspect ratio, well, I can seldom go to any beach without Boudin’s paintings dancing in my head.

I never thought there were decisive moments to be had on the beach …. and you can still smell the sea in this one.

For a daily snap be sure to visit my photoblog Snap!

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27Apr / 2007

Morning Paper 2

Another early morning snap

Just walking the dog, Lumix in the trouser pocket as usual.


Lumix LX1, ISO 80, 1/400, f/3.6

For a daily snap be sure to visit my photoblog Snap!

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26Apr / 2007

California sky

Another reason to live in the Socialist Workers’ Paradise

True, California’s politics redefine corruption, the public schools are in the bottom decile and the taxes amongst the nation’s highest.

Then again, your are wandering around and glance up.


Basketball. Lumix LX1, ISO 80, 1/1250, f/4.5


Moonrise. Lumix LX1, ISO 80, 1/1000, f/2.8


Broadway. Lumix LX1, ISO 80, 1/1000, f/3.6

It may not pay the taxes, but it beats living in Nebraska. Or just about anywhere else.

For a daily snap be sure to visit my photoblog Snap!

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25Apr / 2007

Morning Paper 1

Mooching about in the Bay Area

This one’s a tad unusual for me.

First, I actually used the LCD screen to frame it on the Lumix LX1; indoors, it’s usable.

Second, the reason I had to use it is that my glued on viewfinder only frames accurately (well, sort of in the ballpark, if you get my drift) at the 28mm setting and here I had to zoom the lens all the way out to 100mm to get the composition right.

Shades of the Leica M2 and the 90mm, but much quieter!

I cranked the ISO up to 200 (400 is really too grainy) and held the camera as steady as I could.


Lumix LX1, 200 ISO, 1/13th, f/4.9. Processed in Aperture.

The Panasonic’s image stabilizer did its job as best it could and the result is more pointillist than blurred; the palm in the foreground was pure luck and the Lumix’s native 16:9 aspect ratio doesn’t hurt either.

Well, I didn’t know what would come out and the sparse color palette is my sort of thing.

For a daily snap be sure to visit my photoblog Snap!

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24Apr / 2007

Balloons

A little bit of nonsense seen this weekend

Lumix LX1, processed in Aperture

If you would like to see how to process images from the unsupported Panasonic Lumix LX1 in Aperture, please click here.

For a daily snap be sure to visit my photoblog Snap!

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