Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Examples Without Judgement
Friday, January 19, 2024
The 2024 Freedom Train
The Freedom Train: Since the Pandemic, participation in the annual Martin Luther King Freedom Train appears to have dwindled. In years past, the event included presentations to civic leaders and teachers who furthered the promotion of Dr. King's ideals. While other residents chose to use the holiday as a Day Of Service, many continue to ride the CalTrans Freedom Train to a commemorative parade in San Francisco. While not a dedicated train, it provides free transportation for those who were ready to pick up their tickets at the San Mateo Train Station and board when it arrived at 10:10 am.
When I arrived at the station, I was surprised to find that there had been no presentation ceremony, and that staples of events past were gone, specifically the customary singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” I found a relatively small crowd milling about, bereft of the sweatshirts, caps, posters, and other items commemorating Dr. King.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw several children mugging for their mothers, each carrying a graphic of Dr. King at the Washington Monument. As I approached, I attempted to make several "if nothing better comes along" shots in case nothing better could be had. When they saw that I had taken an interest in them, they became very eager to cooperate with me. For the record, the camera was a Fuji X-T2, the lens was a 10-24 F 4.0 lens and a Godox V1 Round Head speedlight with a grid installed. I had set my exposure (1/250 of a second, F 11, ISO 400) as a starting point. The sky and clouds in the sky were not particularly attractive, so I changed to F 16 in the hopes of improving the background. When the background exposure was satisfactory, I adjusted the flash output to achieve a reasonable exposure on my subjects' faces. Since the flash was mounted on the camera and there wasn't time to experiment, I ran with what I had and hoped for the best.
The edge softness of the Godox V1 makes it a personal favorite so long as I resign myself to shooting manually. The TTL controls is just to fussy, and by applying the proper adjustments, brings a lot more control than most conventional speedlights.
Sunday, January 7, 2024
7Artisans 28mm F 5.6
Photo Source: Click Here |
My friend Shawn, in his infinite wisdom, loaned me three Voigtlander lenses, prompting me to get adapters for both the Leica screw mount (M39) and Leica bayonet. After playing with those lenses, I decided that I absolutely had to own a 25mm Snapshot Skopar of my own. I got a used one with the Leica screw mount as it was designed to be zone focused and therefore wasn't manufactured with a focusing cam. I passed on the optical viewfinder because I could accurately compose using the Sony's electronic viewfinder. For the record, I love this lens, but it did make me think about buying/using some of the new and inexpensive Chinese made Leica mount lenses. I found a 7Artisans 35mm Pancake Lens at Seawood Photo in San Rafael, and I bought it for a bit of dumb fun. While it wasn't expensive, the 35mm focal length was a bit too long for my taste. I proved too difficult to actually use, and can only conclude that it was purchased as a gag gift for a rich uber-enthusiast.
TTArtisans Lens. Buy yours here. |
The TTArtisan Esthetic: Shawn suggested that I should consider purchasing one of the new Chinese lenses that attempted to duplicate the look and feel of those elegant Leitz lenses for a fraction of the cost. One of the lenses , the TTArtisans, copied the look and feel of the expensive Leitz Sumarron-M 28mm F 5.6. It was designed with the film shooting Leica enthusiast in mind, as it comes with a rangefinder cam to aid in critical focusing. I must admit that the lens is attractive, and those who have reviewed it have commented on how well the manufacturer has simulated the true rangefinder experience. Improper calibration of this focusing cam is one problem that my digital workflow has deftly sidestepped, since I use the focus peaking feature when viewing through the electronic viewfinder.
7Artisans Lens. Buy yours here. |
On January 24, 2024, the lens still costs less than the TTArtisan at B&H Photo if you are willing to wait. |
17th Street, San Francisco |
Cole Valley, San Francisco |