Clarity and sharpness

So that you know, I can take just as bad of a picture as blurry one even if the focus is spot on.

Pentax K-7

Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/1.4

1/250 @ f/2.8

0 ev

ISO 200

RAW

Monitors with calibration

Monitors are a source of frustration for me. When I started shooting pictures few years ago, i didn't think much of it. I only noticed when I got into printing. I suppose I ought to talk about that sometimes.

The thing was that when I printed, it did not look as I remembered it on my monitor. In fact, it looked completely different. I knew then that I had to sink some money into displays.

There are many choices. There is a company called EIZO, and they produce outrageously expensive displays specifically built and calibrated (so they say) for digital photographers. It was too pricey for a shitty photographer like me. So I researched around, and ended up with NEC multisync P221w with x-rite calibration. More about calibration later.

Problems were solved almost instantly. With color and tone calibration, which I must repeat ever 30 days or so, my display correctly shows how it is going to appear on my Epson 3800. Now they are literally identical.

How you see my pictures on your monitor, I have no control, and I am almost certain that it does not look like the way I want it to. I know it doesn't. I have two monitors; crappy LG, along with my NEC. On my LG monitor, which I use for everything other than photography, looks nothing like the other monitor. So I try to adjust for it when I post it on the web.

I don't really like posting my pics on the web for this reasons. This is why I save my worst work for nobody to see . . . . .

Pentax K-7

DA* 50-135

1/60 @ f/2.8

-0.3 ev

ISO 400

RAW

Worst birthday party photo

Birthday party photos should also be called "accidental photography." You just cannot plan anything ahead of time. You certainly cannot stage anything, because that would take away from their playing time, which is what the kids really should be doing anyway.

I don't usually like to do things that way. I would typically want to have an idea of what I want to express with my photo, and then go look for suited subjects for that specific purpose. At occasions like birthday parties, I suppose I have to recognize before that very situation present itself as worthwhile. Because it happens so fast, and without warning of any sort, I have no control over what can unfold any minute. So, if it happens at all, it is nothing but a convenient accident, not a whole lot more.

If you take photos a lot, I think it can get to the point where you know before it happens. I haven't decided if I like that kind of photography. I want to try it out and see if there is anything in it.

I do think that this photo says a lot about what is happening. Very interesting.

Pentax K10D

Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/1.4

1/80 @ f/2.8

-0.3 ev

ISO 200

JPEG

iphone

I am a long long time Mac user. It used to be that I wouldn't dream of using anything other than Mac. I still use Mac, but I don't feel as emotionally constrained by Apple products any more.

In the old days, and until recently, I just didn't see other platforms such as windows as viable options. Now, their operating software has grown, improved, and became more of an option, but not enough to switch over, yet.

Especially someone like me who tries to play with graphics. I am so used to the "system" that too many things are of second nature already.

Having said that, I am becoming less and less fond of Apple products. Their OS has become somewhat complicated, and I find myself unable to work it out by playing with it for a while. This was never an issue before. It is now.

Since the arrival of iphone, things are even more different. They even admit it, that they are no longer just "computer" company. I wish they still were.

Now they sells not only computers, smart phones, softwares, online services like Mobile me, along with other crap like iTune store.

I used iphone for about 8 months. One day my iphone was in my bag, along with a not so tightly closed soda bottle. As a result, it got doused in it, and the screen went dark. So, I went back to Apple store, wanting to buy another one, naturally. They wanted to charge $700 for it, since the replacement will not be subsidized by AT & T, another lame ass company. At the time I bought my iphone, they wouldn't let me buy insurance policy; I knew then why they wanted to do that. So, I took the sim card out, and left that stupid iphone right there on the counter. The store clerk asked me what I wanted them to do with it. I told them to throw it away. I went straight to AT & T, and canceled my line, and gladly paid early termination fee. Their service was just awful, not to mention reception.

I had iphone withdrawals for about a day, then that was that. I am now with Verizon, and yes they suck just as bad in terms of customer services, but the reception is slightly better. I am ditching them too though, in about a year. I don't need a contract. I don't make that many calls with it anyway. A pay-as-you-go phone is more than adequate.

The new iphone 4 just came out, and apparently, you have to hold it in certain ways to optimize the reception signals.

You have got to be kidding me, right??

Pentax K10D

DA 35/2.8 macro ltd

1/20 @ f/4

0 ev

ISO 400

RAW

Manual focusing with a long tele - how stupid

These are examples of what you should not do if you have to have everything tack sharp. A long big tele, manual focusing, single shot mode, and no shake reduction. Just can't get any harder than that. There are no reasons why one ought to make it that hard himself. But I do.

Diligent practicing with manual focus will certainly improve sharpness, but it is becoming a lost art form; I hear most shooters these days shoot with auto focusing. Nothing wrong with that though. Not all of us have 20/20 eye sights. All of us, as we get older, do not see as sharp as we once did.

I for one, partly because I am resigned with the fact that I am a horrible photographer, don't mind not so sharp pictures such as these. At least in series, these pictures do what I want them to do; that is to represent motion. A photograph is 2 dimensional. But with a bit of creativity, you can add more dimensions to it.

I know many people disagree with this concept. I can see that, by the way. But, I need to look further, deeper, else where. I don't want to be constrained. I want to be free, just like a kid.

Pentax K-10D

SMC-P Takumar 300/4

1/125 ~ 1/250 @ f/5.6

- 0.3 ev

ISO 400

RAW

Multiple frames per second (fps)

I am not bagging on photographers who shoot multiple frames per second. In fact, I am sure that there are genres of photography where something like this is very helpful.

I typically don't. In fact, I have my K-7 set so that in only takes one picture at a time.

But, on this particular photo I did have is so that it would shoot as fast and many as the camera allowed me to.

What I do have issues is that there are people out there who complain that 5 to 6 frames per second that K-7 does is not good enough. I don't get that. When is it going to be enough???

Pentax K-7

DA 70/2.4 ltd

1/90 @ f/3.5

0 ev

ISO 400

RAW

Another Takumar Lens

About a year ago, I got this old Takumar fisheye lens that I somehow don't use too much. The thing about Fisheye lens is that I have no idea how to use it. My guess is that since this lens is designed for 135 mm format, when used on aps-c sensor, the outer part caught by the lens is probably cropped; therefore, it doesn't look as warped as other pics taken by fisheye.

This is an interesting lens. The lens is equipped with this colored filters (red, green, and uv) that you can rotate at the tip of the lens, and as you turn, the color of the picture changes. I think it is pretty obvious which picture had which filters . . . .

I ought to use this lens a bit more. But I think it takes a while to learn this thing.

Pentax K-7

Takumar 17 fisheye/4

1/30 at f/8

0 ev

ISO 200

Raw