Slint, Vancouver 2014 :dltphoto

Thanks to a friend a went to see an excellent band called Slint.They are fairly artsy with their stage lighting and I only got one shot of any worth with my Nikon 1 V1 with the 18.5mm 1.8 lens attached.

Still, Not an Addict, D's Choice :dltphoto

Some of you music lovers may have come across a Band from Belgium called K's Choice who have some brilliant music and a classic track called "not an addict".



Well I am not an Olympus "dramatic tone" addict, it's a lie.

Raccoon left a hand print. I hope he didn't burn himself.

I didn't realise it until after the fact. A little bug friend invaded my shot.

Side by Side, Lenses:dltphoto

OK, so this isn't exactly a side by side comparison but it'll help you understand why some people buy the bigger, more expensive lenses.
Here are two images shot as close to being the same as I could by hand holding it etc... one image with the Nikon 1 V1 with 30-110 4.5-5.6 1 series lens attached, the other with my ancient Nikon D200 with the 70-200 2.8 VR1 version lens.

I think both have great characteristics, I really see the "bokeh" come forward in the D200 image. Since the Nikon 1 lens doesn't have the 2.8 capability I think it makes it obvious which is which.
Having said that the Nikon 1, 1" sensor, stacks up quite nicely against the older  APS-C sensor.
Both please me from a composition point of view and both have an equal opportunity to make it framed on the wall.

Lost Souls: dltphoto

Not that I have any morbid pleasure of death but I have always had a bit of a thing for shooting in graveyards. Because I thought it odd I have never really published anything about it, or that I want to upset people incase I intrude on someone's afterlife beliefs.
However I found a grave site that interested me. I didn't actually walk on to the site itself, I walked around the fenced area to respect the proprietors of the land.
Anyways, this one had a really distinct selection of headstones ( mostly made from wood), some extremely simply wooden ones and some more elaborate. Creatively its interesting and I wonder if the higher quality headstones reflect wealth and stature? and the opposite for the weathered basic headstones?

Camera's used : Nikon D200, Nikon 1 V1, Olympus Tough TG-850 and Sigma DP1s

Some Addictions are Tough to Break :dltphoto

So I have come across my new addiction. It's kind of like when you first get that fisheye lens you always wanted. You've dreamed of all the crazy things you're going to shoot with it, then after a few weeks you realise that damn it's cool but then the cool drug wears off. Your worst fear. They love has dried up and you have lost the ability to creatively use it or that you have just about "done" everything you think you can do with it. You retire it to the shelf, it gathers dust until your next creative fisheye dream.

Well I mentioned about the Olympus Tough TG-850 I acquired, I have had the same "fisheye" experience.
I suggested I wasn't going to use it for everything, but well, I lied. It's so addictive. Especially for sky images. It's adds mustard to your hotdog, it's the rum to your coke. It's the filter for your art.

It's simpler in Black & White :dltphoto

Once upon a time everyone's images where pretty much in black and white, even TV's where once only black and white also. Sometimes its nice to step backwards, which is also why I used the Sigma DP1s ( the stigma) since it's like stepping back in time because it's sooooooo slow.

 

 

 

Chuck it: dltphoto

Pretty sure Olympus had this on their minds when they created this Camera. Olympus Tough TG-850
, but don't forget the floating strap....

It's Tough, but someone's got to do it :dltphoto

Feeling very fortunate at this time as I was one of the lucky draw winners at the very recent Kerrisdale Camera's Staff Party. What did I win? Not a Nikon D810 or a Nikon 1 V3 or a Fuji X20, I won a Fabulous Olympus Tough TG-850. Wooooah. Oddly, the one thing I don't actually own already is a Shockproof/ Waterproof and Crushproof Camera. My girls have them but a lower end versions of Olympus and they're pink, they have been holding up quite well, so far.

 I figured I should take some pics of it now whilst it is still clean and tidy, I don't think its going to look like this for much longer, not that I am intentionally going to put it in harms way as I do prefer working camera's over dead ones. I fully expect it to have some mishaps in the line of fire, especially in the work environment I am now accustomed to.

 The best thing about these little cameras is that they are still 1,000,000,000 times better than a cell phone. I would much rather have a camera on my person at all times than a cell phone and now I can, come rain, saw dust, mud, ladders or lakes this thing is good to go. I must remind myself if I do get it dirty I can just wash it off!

First off this camera should probably be known as the 'Selfie' camera since its flip up screen is totally gearing up for nightclubbers, Its amazing 21mm Ultra Wide lens makes this a full on party camera. "Party On Wayne, Party on Garth".

The first thing I did was turn it to the brilliant "art filter" option and there it was.... the 'Dramatic Tone' filter. My serious blog readers will of course remember a previous post when I used the Art filter on one of Olympus's Micro 4/3 camera of which I scored an 10/10 at our local photoclub! Since I was only borrowing the camera from the rep I sadly had to let that filter go from my life, but now it's back and its tougher!
I am not going to bore you with all the specs, they can be checked out here on Olympus Canada.

Here's a few dramatic tone images to wet your whistle and don't worry I wont use it on this mode all the time, I promise.

Green Lake Sunset View, Nikon 1 V1: dltphoto

This year our "sunset view" side of Green Lake was disrupted due to the unfortunate Wildfires Burning around our province. Although the fires were many miles away, the smoke blew in our direction. It didn't actually ruin my photo enjoyment though, it just made things a little more challenging and interesting.

The Loss of a Legend : dltphoto

I lost a really good friend this week. I feel a great sadness and its hard to write about. So I am just going to post a photo that HE absolutely disliked and suggested I never submit it to the photoclub that we were a part of. The conversation we had about it made me laugh and thats keeping me from being so sad.