Dan's blog about Photography and things

I don't like the cold.  When you see yourself knee deep in freezing water to get a shot, you're either stupid or crazy. I prefer the latter description.   ND filter (7 stops!) Its a Hoya multicoated. Fantastic filter. I "toned" like selenium (for you youngsters, its a darkroom thing) in LightRoom.  The cool tones makes you want to put on your wool hat. My foot slipped on a patch of ice on a rock dunking my leg into the freezing water.  Hopping from rock to rock in icy condition is not recommended to the uninitiated. For photographers, highly recommended! I used around 15 to 30 sec exposure. Iso set on 100 for low noise, around f9 to f11 for deep depth of focus, tripod, mirror lock up, 2 sec self timer so I don't shake the camera with my hands. This photosession is almost opposite of what I did on my last post. You do what you have to do to get the shot you have in mind. My 5d mk2 worked flawlessly in the cold. Battery life was good too.  Shooting in less th

Usually, when I photograph nature, I take my tripod. Today, I challenged my own idea of using the tripod. I asked myself why do I need the tripod? Do I need long shutter speed because I'm shooting stopped down to f8 or more to get greater depth of focus? No. Is the light level very low? No. Do I need to compose with most precision? No.   I know that I can safely shoot down to 30th or 15th of second if I really brace the camera up to my forehead. I also knew that the park was full of jagged branches, so knocking them out of focus by using an open aperture was a good idea. If the aperture was open that means faster shutter speed, which means... no need for tripod, since I can hand hold. Shot with 50 1.2L. Worked in Lightroom to get the colors (split toning). Shot at f1.8. I'm big on capturing the mood. For me, a photograph needs a human emotion to come alive. I also wanted to work on getting an idea across to the viewer. I always think depicting an idea is harder than depictin

Spent Thanksgiving at my sister's place in Brooklyn. I like it up there. I walked around the block with my camera and my dog. Just used one lens, 50 1.2L. Mostly shot pretty wide at maybe at f1.6. The vinetting is not from the lens. I add it in post. I always like the darken edges. It pulls the focus to the subject I think. When this lens is shot open, it looks almost like a tilt-shift. I read somewhere that shoes tied like this signals a "crack house".  The tungsten light and the day light mix worked to get this extreme warm and cool colors.  Wet pavement. Always picturesque.  rows of rusty bikes on fence.  Does anything needs to be painted in fluorescent green? Texture is what I miss, living in suburbia of Northern Virginia. Here in Brooklyn, there's plenty of that.