Tag: street photography

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Flickr a Day 6: Double-Brass Buskers

Some people can’t let go the camera. “Compulsive photographer” is how Chris JL describes himself. He uses “flickr as a scrapbook” and warns: “Don’t expect much from my stream. I capture simple things”. He is too modest. Simple evokes complex emotions.

Chis is based in London and joined Flickr in June 2009, posting just over 500 photos through the end of 2014. By their number and quality, I’d say he is quite choosy about what’s scrapbooked. Self-titled photo “Double Brass (Tequila!)” is example of a simple photo rich with eye-grabbing detail. 

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Flickr a Day 5: ‘Style Over Speed’

At age 25, I begrudgingly got my driver’s license. How un-American, right? Or strange given I grew up in Northern Maine, where snow covers the ground seven months of the year. But anywhere I couldn’t walk, I biked. So it is with delight that today’s Flickr pic represents a bicycle enthusiast, and he has so many great photos posted (more than 26,000) choosing one is challenging. Self-titled “Style Over Speed” is by no means his best, not by any measure, but it’s such a poser I couldn’t resist.

Film director Mikael Colville-Andersen, who joined Flickr in August 2006, lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. His street photography is art. He writes: “Zakkatography is a state of mind. It’s a taste in your mouth, a warm fuzzy feeling. It’s groovy interior design shots, stunning architectural studies and it’s especially raw streetaciousness. Urban fragments with urban creatures. Zakkatography is your friend. Embrace it”. I will, and so should you! 

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Fujifilm X100T or X-T1?

My Fujifilm X100T arrives tomorrow (ordered from Adorama). Fabulous photos like this make me regret not choosing the manufacturer’s X-T1, which in all the samples viewed during my buying research produces sharper images. Then there is the benefit of all-weather use, as you can see.

Juan Gonzalez posted the photo last night on Google+ and gave permission this morning to use it here. The view is Times Square, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO 800. There’s a 3-D quality and sharpness that really appeals to my photographic senses. The X100T samples produced by professional photographic reviewers all look a little soft to me, by comparison. 

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The 80-200mm Nikon Lens on Parade

Today, marked an important test for the Nikon AF NIKKOR 80-200mm 1:2.8D ED lens, whether or not I would keep it. I got the lens as part of a trade for use with my new Nikon D200. Field test was dramatic: Kensington, Md.’s annual Labor Day parade. The newer model 80-200mm lens costs about $1,000, while I got this older 80-200mm for a fraction of the price. I don’t mind a used, older lens—as long as it performs.

I wasn’t disappointed, but I also wasn’t overly impressed, either. Maybe having used a Canon 135mm Prime lens had spoiled me, raising my expectations about clarity and sharpness. More likely, from looking at the photos, I needed a lens hood. More time with the D200 (I hadn’t used one for almost a year) would have helped. 

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I’m So Not Getting an iPhone

The impending release of Apple’s iPhone is good time for me to explain how the device led me to purchase another mobile—my first Nokia, the lovely N95.

When Apple announced the iPhone in January, I used the Samsung BlackJack, gotten mainly for the 3G Internet. But in the six weeks leading up to the iPhone announcement, I found that 3G wasn’t doing much for me. The reason, I think, was the Windows Mobile 5 software. There wasn’t much compelling there. In February, I ditched the BlackJack, returning to the boxy and thick Sony Ericsson S710a. I was thinking an iPhone might just be in my future, and the S710a was good prepartion, because of the size. 

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Labor Day Parade 2006

This morning, Kensington, Md., held its annual Labor Day parade, which was my first real-world test of the Nikon D200. I love the camera, but some kinks remain.

I snapped 380 pictures, on 4GB and 2GB memory cards. I chucked 110 pictures; many images were blurry. I’m finding that Program mode consistently favors ISO over shutter speed, even when set to Auto ISO. The best shots came later in the parade, when the sun shone and I switched to Shutter Priority at 1/500 sec.