Inspiration

Why I photograph wide open (Life as a dream).

2012, Inspiration, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Portrait, Q&A, Teaching point

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↑Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summilux @ f/1.4.

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“Wide open shooting for me

is a sort of visual short-hand

to communicate life as a dream.”

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For anyone familiar with my photographic work, it’s evident that I have a preference for shooting at wide open apertures.

There are plenty of reasons why I do this, but the main one is this:  the visual imprint of wide open shooting is one where some things are readily perceived, while others are only hinted at… which is an accurate representation of how we perceive the world.  And every single (fleeting) moment of life.

—Peter.


In praise of blurry images.

2012, Inspiration, Konica Hexanon 60mm f/1.2, Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH FLE f/1.4, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Nikon, Nikon 58mm f/1.2 NOCT, Portrait, Teaching point

Sometimes I choose to post a blurry image.

Admittedly, most of the time it has been generated as a result of user (me!) error.  Occasionally, I’ve planned it.  Regardless of how it’s arrived at, there is something about it that has caught my eye.  Invariably, somebody will condemn it by pointing out the obvious: “it’s blurry”.  End of story.

Or is it?

Sometimes, the out-of-focus-ness is adding more than it’s taking away.

Sometimes, the emotive intent of an image is made sharper precisely because it is blurry.

You’ll find some samples below.  They’re all blurry — and they all have left an indelible impression on my mind.

[And you?… do you have a favourite blurry image?  I’d love to see it…]

—Peter.

(please click on the images below to view)

↑Nikon D3S and Nikkor-NOCT 58mm @ f/1.2.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH @ f/1.4.

↑Nikon D3S and Nikkor-NOCT 58mm @ f/1.2.

↑Leica M9 and Konica Hexanon 60mm @ f/1.2.

↑Leica M9 and Leica 35mm Summilux FLE @ f/1.4.

Spring is here! (Jump for Joy)

2012, Favourite, Inspiration, Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH f/1.4, Portrait

Spring officially arrives today — its earliest arrival since 1896 — but unofficially it arrived in Toronto over a week ago, as we’ve been under the spell of unseasonably high temperatures.

Better yet for photographers, the light is back again…

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M9 and Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH @ f/1.4.

Little boy blue (before and after).

2012, Inspiration, Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH FLE f/1.4, Leica M9(P)/M-E (CCD Lives!), Teaching point

I’m posting an extra entry today, in response to a request from one of my viewers, Mark, who commented on the original Little Boy Blue image (please see the Comments section of that post, which also contains a detailed response from me).

Mark was wondering what the before-and-after images looked like (i.e., before-and-after post-processing was applied).

So Mark, this one’s for you.

Below, you will find the “before” image as it came out of the camera.  This is a DNG file loaded directly from my memory card and converted to JPG in Apple’s Aperture, without any intermediate steps on my part:

(please click on the image to view)

↑Little Boy Blue (before post-processing)

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Note how “flat” the file appears, and how I intentionally underexposed the image at the time it was shot (one of my techniques when working with digital cameras).

Now, here is the “after” shot, following my customized post-processing.  This could have been processed an innumerable amount of ways, but I chose to do it this way:

(please click on the image to view)

↑Little Boy Blue (after post-processing)

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I hope this helps, Mark.  If you ever make it to Toronto from Edmonton, I would be happy to take you on a Practical Photography Teaching session!

Regards,

—Peter.

2nd man out (Cinematic).

2012, Favourite, Inspiration, Portrait, Teaching point, Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

The coalescing of moving figures into a foreground-midground-background composition, the interaction with the observer… the split-second alignment of it all before it vanishes like a dream.

I live — photographically speaking — for moments like this.

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M9 and Voigtländer Nokton 40mm @ f/1.4.

The passionate breakfast (Cinematic).

2012, Inspiration, Portrait, Teaching point, Voigtländer 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

I spotted these two when I met Dominic for our 1-on-1 Photography Teaching Session, and they generously allowed us to intrude upon their intimate morning meal.

Winter is thawing, spring is arriving, and the light is finally returning… and you can see it on everybody’s face.

(please click on the image to view)

↑Leica M9 and Voigtländer Nokton 40mm @ f/1.4.

Thanks Dominic!

Inspiration, Q&A, Teaching point

Just finished a Practical 1-on-1 Teaching Session with Dominic this morning and had a great time.  As always, I tried to pass on some photographic pearls of wisdom — hope I succeeded. :)

Thanks Dominic, you are a gentleman and it was a pleasure meeting and photographing with you (I hope your planned solo shooting this afternoon was a success… please send some photos my way!).

Reminder:  if you’re interested in a practical, one-on-one photography teaching session, please have a look here, or contact me here.

—Peter.