daily

Congratulations

 something old, something new, something borrowed, something full frame

 something old, something new, something borrowed, something full frame

I might have to work on my rhyming skills. I did some photography at a wedding last week and while it was a long day, it was sunny and enjoyable every minute. Weddings are a special time and this wedding was certainly that involving a ceremony, party at a cafe and a trip on the local Frankfurt apple wine tram!

On my part, before the wedding I researched the locations, hunted for good photo places online and in person, did lots of research, found an able assistant and made tons of prep notes which all went out the window as time and circumstance didn't work in my favour at all...

Even so, it was a great event that I was proud to be a part of, and hopefully have recorded some decent memories of! If anybody needs any advice for wedding shoots - definitely have a back up camera even if you just borrow; take more batteries than you think you will need and make sure they are all fully charged; take time to relax amongst the chaos and have fun! 

Fish eye by night

level view point

level view point

low view point

low view point

The difference between a level camera and one that isn't straight is so extreme with a fisheye that you really need to use a tripod to take your time, get the camera level, check everything is completely aligned as you want it before taking the shot. The slightest angle puts everything out of line and distorted out of shape in every possible way! I never had to think so much with my other lenses before taking a shot. The Canon 15mm on a full frame camera has almost a 180 degree angle of view which is a whole new world if you are used to zoom lenses. You have to watch everything-particularly where your hand and arms are holding the camera and even your feet. It's very easy for them to stray into the edges of a shot without noticing.

 The fisheye is potentially the worst lens for making people look beautiful but if carefully done, it could have a niche look you don't normally see. Hope to get some portraits with it soon... Keeping a flash out of the shot is going to be interesting!

 

Day 261

Bought a 15mm Canon fisheye on eBay and giving it a test run. One thing I noticed, there's a little vignetting wide open and it's less sharp right in the corners but it is clinically sharp as a knife! If anything, it could even be too good. Everybody is into retro filters and making things look less than digitally perfect but even this extreme wide angle has limited colour fringing in high contrast areas and blows other lenses out of the water!

elephant's trunk

elephant's trunk

Day 248

Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren

The annual Offenbach Strassenfest is accompanied by the German Garrison of the 501st Legion of Star Wars troopers. All the costumes were really impressive and correct down to the finest detail. Due to my son being petrified of the sand people (that noise they make still scares me too) and having to prepare for his birthday party, I couldn't spend as long as I'd hoped to take photos of all the troopers. Hopefully, I can get more next time!

Day 243

the unstoppable hands of time

the unstoppable hands of time

I got a watch for my birthday present and because my daily update photos have been conspicuously absent I wanted to commemorate it with a photo before it gets any dings or scratches. I had forgotten how complicated it is to get photos of shiny things without too many bad reflections!

Day 240

The Street

The Street

While looking for the right person to take a photo of this morning, I spoke to an inelligent guy (who I didn't photograph) who really got me thinking about what I am doing when I talk to somebody and ask them for a photograph. I haven't completely formulated my thoughts into words yet but can say there is something distinctly different between street photography and street portraits. They employ different skills and a different way of looking at the world. I perceive subjects in street photography as demonstrating humans in their natural world doing what they do without noticing the photographer which forms a barrier between them and the observer. Sometimes the cameraman holds a power that may be abused and results in a stolen moment in time. Galleries everywhere are filled with such moments but there is seldom any true connection between the subject and the viewer - we are just voyeurs looking down on somebody without them being able to reciprocate. On the rare occasion that the subject looks through the lens at the viewer and breaks that 4th wall, there is an expression that cannot be gained by having spoken to that person to receive their permission before having taken the shot and this tends to give the person in the photo a greater connection to the viewer.

However, being allowed to take somebody's portrait while on the street invites the photorgrapher and viewer to enter into that subject's personal space with their express permisson. The look the person has is completely different and the overall tone of the image feels softer to me. Even though there is the briefest of exchanges before the shot, there is a trust from the subject that the photographer respects them and their personal property will not be misused or abused. In constrast to this, knowing that a camera is pointed their way, the subject stops behaving normally and will try to pose and look as they feel is apporopriate and this might be at odds with what would make the best photograph for them. This can form quite a dilemma as a photographer needs to balance their own desires with the rights of the person in the image and what would be the best method for obtaining a photo that could satisfy all parties.

As yet, I don't have a clear vision of what is the best way to approach my own photography to push myself in the right direction regards street photography. However, the more I talk to, and take portraits of people on the street, the more I see the beauty in them and the value in making a connection and learning from each by coming out of our comfort zone. I think we miss out so much by being engrossed in commuting, playing mobile games, reading books and so on that we ignore a vast wealth of potential from the amazing people who are within touching distance of us sat on a train or at the next cafe table and one of the things that stops us from talking to each other and strengthening our communities against prejudices is the fear of rejection which may ultimately be why it feels easier to be a street photographer than a portrait photographer.