On 8/17/2013 2:36 AM, Brian Swale wrote:
> Seasons are turning the corner. See
> http://zone-10.com/tope2/main.php?g2_itemId=7822
I enjoyed the crocus blooming sequence, and the final Blue Crocus is quite nice.
I also enjoyed the tripod set-up shots. They remind me of Walt's classic
getting down on the ground set-up, as well as
my own, less impressive, tripod set-ups.
What it brought home to me is how seldom I use a tripod now. With my latest
equipment, E-M5 and E-PM2 and stable of µ/4
3 lenses, I may go days in the field without using a tripod.
Here are some close-up and macro shots from the last couple of months, all shot
hand held.
<http://zone-10.com/tope2/main.php?g2_itemId=8184>
I've actually posted many C-U/Macro shots over the last year plus, but may not
have made it clear that virtually all are
hand held. These samples of using the extension tubes, for example, were done
without a tripod.
<http://zone-10.com/tope2/main.php?g2_itemId=4514>
There are several advantages for me. The large majority of my images are taken
outside, in places where one walks a lot.
Distances are often a few miles, and the number of potential subjects large.
Most often, too, I'm in company, with at
least Carol, and often others.
Extensive use of a tripod is socially awkward to untenable and impractical in
time. I suppose if I were working
professionally, and needed to make really large prints, it could be desirable
to travel slowly, be selective of
subjects, and turn back when dark starts to descend before the whole path has
been completed.
Another aspect is the advent of long lenses that focus close. Often in the
field, it's impractical to get close to a
small subject. On a trail across a steep, slippery slope, it's often
impractical or even dangerous to move up or down
slope, while a long lens can get the shot from where one is. A couple of the
images in the above link are of subjects I
couldn't otherwise approach, without at least water shoes, if not waders.
The ability to capture things that won't wait for a tripod is also nice.
The biggest drawback is shutter speed for unmoving subjects. The excellent IS
of the E-M5 is a big help, but I'm often
working at ISO 3200 in the shade. A fascinating thing to me, compared to film
days, is finding auto ISO moving from ISO
3200 to 200 and back over a small stretch of trail.
I only suggest that contemporary technology has made possible a viable
alternative to the style of photography expertly
practiced and so beautifully taught by John Shaw.
> ...
> Sorry not as sharp as more recent cameras/lens combos. That's the way the
> cookie crumbles.
Hard to say if that's inherently true, as processing has such a large part in
the apparent sharpness of digitally
processed and down sampled images.
Shoot and Run Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
--
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