Photographs, Photographers and Photography

Archive for June, 2007 - click any heading for the full Article

30 Jun 2007

Keld and I

Memory is a strange thing
I wrote about the photography of the Dane Keld Helmer-Petersen here. His work deeply affected my sense of color and line when I was a boy and I had occasion to reflect on this when processing a batch of snaps from Laguna Seca racetrack, where I spent a pleasant […]

29 Jun 2007

Leica M8 redux

The hype, that is.

It is an iconic brand.

By the time it was announced expectations were already impossibly high.

It is wildly overpriced.

Unethical ‘journalists’ made it famous before its time.

The hype makes the Nuremberg rallies seem low key.

The execution is seriously flawed - lots of clunky accessories needed.

It does lots of things, most of them not very […]

29 Jun 2007

Canon 20mm - some further thoughts

Not perfect - you get what you pay for, I suppose.
I wrote in somewhat lukewarm terms of the underwhelming definition of the Canon 20mm lens here.
I took a more objective view of the vignetting issue by banging out four snaps on the old estate, camera and lens dutifully mounted on a tripod, at the four […]

28 Jun 2007

About the Snap: Holocaust memorial

Holocaust memorial, Paris

Leica M3, 35mm Summaron, TriX
Date: September, 1974
Place: Holocaust memorial, Paris
Modus operandi: Waiting a long time for this moment
Weather: Sunny
Time: 11 am
Gear: Leica M3, 35mm Summaron
Medium: Kodak TriX
Me: Really wanting to get this right
My age: 23
Unlike the warm and welcoming architecture of Paris, with its mansard roofs and lovely light, the Holocaust memorial is, […]

27 Jun 2007

Picture Styles in the Canon 5D

Tailoring based on experience
The Canon 5D offers a variety of picture styles, the one of choice being applied to your snaps. The choices include Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome and User Defined 1, 2 or 3.
Note that Picture Styles only work with JPG files; they have no effect on RAW pictures.
Each Style permits […]

26 Jun 2007

Robert Doisneau

Book review

Pure joy.
That’s what I’m feeling, looking at Robert Doisneau’s magnificent pictures of Paris.
It’s impossible to adequately convey the pure joy of his photography. So many scenes from the Tuileries, goodness. A setting that elevates all those who traverse its perfection. I’m not well travelled enough to pontificate on its world standing […]