Reflections Redoux

For a compilation of the morning walk images, click here.

12mm F 2.0 Samyang lens. No adjustments made in post processing.

Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

"...He tasks me. And I shall have him!" Thus Khan, seeking revenge on James T. Kirk in Star Trek The Wrath Of Khan. Like Khan, I too was tasked, but by the imaginary bar patron from the last post, who started me thinking: Why were the reflections so difficult to minimize? I had assumed it was because I couldn't use the front bezel of the lens a a light shield. I decided that a second shot, made with a different lens, might eliminate the offending reflections.

Buy yours here.

I decided on a re-shoot using a Samyang 12mm F 2.0 lens instead of the more compact  7artisans I used for my first attempt. he Samyang was actually my first manual focus lens for my Fuji system, which I purchased in the hope it would be compact enough to carry in my bag as an emergency super-wide lens. Unfortunately, it was not as compact as I had hoped, being equivalent in size to to my Zeiss 12mm Touit. However, the Samyang has proven itself to be a significantly sharper than the 7artisans. 

The Samyang does have one major advantage:  The lens hood is removable, allowing the user to attach any 67mm filter or accessory one might wish to use. I could now create nearly identical "with hood" and "without hood" photos for comparison.

The photo at the top of the post was my first attempt. It was made with the four petals of the lens hood touching the glass. If you look closely, you can see my double reflection surrounding a centered region of relative clarity. 

For my second attempt, I removed the lens hood and positioned the camera to achieve full contact with the flat surface of the lens bevel (right). As you can see, all reflections should have been eliminated. To the good, the lens plane is now in perfect parallel alignment with the back wall. This would eliminate any perspective distortion, but interferes with my ability to make any off-axis adjustments. 

This image was closer to what I had in mind, but I was still puzzled by the fact that my reflection still surrounded the properly rendered central region. 

It was then that I realized that the window I was photographing through was double-paned. I had successfully eliminated the reflections on the first plane, but had yet to correct for those on the second. You can clearly see the knuckles of my left and at the right edge of the photo (above).

I made this photo as an illustration of the multiple reflections I had to deal with (left). Each of the two arrows points to one of the offending reflections. Pressing the camera up to the window only eliminated the first reflection. The second would require a bit more effort.

For the eagle-eyed among you, there is a hint of  some additional reflections in the photo. Each air-to-glass surface has the potential to create its own reflection, so in reality, I'm dealing with four, not just two. 

Taking a page from the Edward Weston/View Camera playbook, I removed my jacket and draped it over my head while using my hands to spread it over as much of the frame as possible. Since I needed full use of my right hand to extend this improvised drape, I held the camera in my left and tripped the shutter using the self timer. I lacked Mr. Weston's dignity when I made the shot. Were it not so early, I'm sure the whole neighborhood would have stared.

This the is the final image. All of the reflections on the left half of the frame have been eliminated, while a hint of a "ghost" appears on the right.

It appears that I managed to eliminate all of the reflections that so irritated me when I published the image. However, whatever I may have gained technically was lost in the absence of spontaneity, that singular source of joy that has kept this daily project going. Sure, I learned a lot about reflections from this exercise, But that first image, as imperfect as it was, proved far more satisfying.

Switching Out Lenses

For a compilation of the morning walk images, click here.

I decided to play with the 7artisans 12mm F 2.8 lens this morning because the window graphics at Finnegans Wake in Cole Valley had been updated. I used the 25mm lens several months ago and had to stand in the street to get an image. On my way there, I happened upon this corner bar where dressed mannequins stood in for customers. The background was fairly well lit when compared to my main subject who sat a few feet away from me on the other side of the window.

My reflection in the window adds a voyeur vibe to the photo. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. In reality, I was just unable to eliminate my reflection at the left edge of the frame. I can usually eliminate all reflections by pushing the lens right up against the glass, but this wasn't possible because the integral petals of the built-in lens hood couldn't prevent reflected light from sneaking between the gaps. What I needed was a means to attach a conventional flat-faced lens hood. I heard about this adapter from a YouTube video. It slips over the petals and is threaded to accept 77mm filters. I bought one from B&H Photo, and if you're in the market, you can get it here. If I need to make a similar shot in the future, the adapter will allow me to press the lens right up against the glass to prevent any stray reflections from sneaking into the frame.

Spend a moment and watch this video on the 12mm lens/filter holder combination.

Here are some photos that were made on the way to the Valley.

Potted Plant, Roosevelt Way In San Francisco. July 29, 2020. 12mm F 2.8 lens.

When working with a lens as wide as this one, you'll have lots of foreground and background real estate. In this case, I wanted to emphasize the geometry of the staircase.

Flower Bed, Roosevelt Way In San Francisco. July 28, 2020. 12mm F 2.8 lens

In this shot, it's the abundance of background that's the issue. Luckily, a shaft of clear light fell upon the flower while the background was rendered a bit darker. The lens is not a macro by any means, but seems to do a proper job if the subjects aren't too small.

For Sale, Ashbury Terrace In San Francisco. July 28, 2020. 12mm F 2.8 lens.

The stand supporting the sign had tipped over, so I straightened it in post production. The buildings aren't really tipped.

Finnegans Wake In Cole Valley. January 28, 2020. 12mm F 2.8 lens.

These updated window coverings were the real reason for my walk. If these painting are remotely accurate renderings of the regulars, I really need to spend some time there when we all emerge from the tunnel.

So many have suffered so much for so long. Let's remember to help others find their own way through this mess. If we all do our part to keep everyone safe, we're part of the solution, and not part of the problem.