Almost a year ago my wife and I were sitting in our living room and I looked out the window and noticed a beautiful cloud formation. We rushed into the car and drove west. I was able to capture this with my 35mm summicron.
ISO 160 1/750 f/2.0 35mm
Happy Easter!!!
Re-post September 2011
If you have not noticed, I don’t stick with one photography genre very well. My last 10 posts have been a combination of portraits, HDR’s, sunrises, sunsets, black & white, wildlife, etc. I’ve always been someone who likes to explore, try new things, and have many interests that have no relation. Probably my only constant enjoyment is my wife (I’ve been with since junior high). For example, I am a foot and ankle surgeon by day, an avid photographer by night, I enjoy playing basketball 2-3 times a week, I weight lift, enjoy politics (but don’t talk about it openly), and have a very strong interest in anything technology related (I’ve always been the go to guy with computer repair or technology related questions). I’ve yet to find anyone with similar interests (it’s usually one or the other).
Having all these interests have made me well rounded. I feel as if I can find some association with all people I talk to, and credit my broad interests in allowing me to do so.
In keeping with my theme or I guess “no theme” todays post is taken at the cemetery that I wrote about a few days ago. What really caught my attention was this large Jesus crucifixion on the east side of the cemetery. It set on a large slab of concrete about 4 feet off the ground and all that could be seen behind it was the sky. I felt it would be a great place to take an HDR or time lapse shot but after attempting this many times I really didn’t like the angle (I wish I was at eye level with Jesus). I decided to put up my 28mm summicron and take a few shots with my 50mm summilux wide open. After taking this shot I realized I was wasting time with my 28mm summicron. The 50mm summilux with it’s beautiful bokeh was definitely the way to go!
Last July 4th the family and I vacationed in the Outer Banks. We were always told it had nice beaches and was very family friendly. I have to agree with that assessment. We stayed further down near Avon, NC which is away from the tourist stuff. It was a much more rural area with local shops and restaurants. Typically when we vacation we are on the go trying to see as much as possible but this time our intention was to relax and bathe in the sun. There are definitely picture opportunities and probably one of the more famous areas to take pictures is at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. I was hoping the clouds and sun would cooperate. Fortunately, the sun came out for only a few minutes and I was able to get this shot.
Repost June 2011
I’ve posted many pictures from our trip to the Outer Banks last year. We had a wonderful time and I was fortunate to capture many great pics.
One evening we went to the Avon Pier at sunset. I setup underneath the pier to try to capture the waves that were coming in and the many post that held up the pier. The picture is a 5 exposure HDR utilizing my old Canon 5d Mark II. I really like the texture in the piers posts.
Here are other post from the Outer Banks: The Orange Sunrise, The Empty Pier, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Recently I decided to sell my Leica 21mm elmarit and move to a 28mm summicron. This decision didn’t come easily. I’ve enjoyed shooting with wide angle lenses (I had Canon 16-35mm on my full frame 5d Mark II) but have noticed recently my interest is beginning to change. As I have become more educated in photography, I’ve realized that wide angle lenses are not always the best for landscape. Wide angle lenses can flatten your image and typically have a lot of distortion. They are best, when you have something relatively close to you in the foreground and are attempting to add some depth of field. Telephoto or at least 90mm lenses are often times better for true landscape with no subjects in the foreground.
Leica 28mm summicron is still considered to be a wide angle lens but it doesn’t have any noticeable distortion. On the Leica M9 it also will allow you to use the internal viewfinder versus an external (needed for anything wider than 28mm). This lens is very popular with journalist because of its wide angle, no distortion, low light performance, and sharpness. So far i have to agree with their assessment. Hopefully soon I’ll post a few more pics using the lens.
A few days ago I drove to a small rural Catholic church. Behind the church lies a small cemetery. I captured this image using my 28mm summicron at sunset. I really like the sharpness and bokeh produced.
Living in Cleveland, OH for 5 years I got accustomed to grey skies. It seemed as if we would have one blue sky in the winter maybe 1 or 2 times a month. When I moved to Fort Wayne, I was hoping to see more blue skies and fortunately I do but still not as often as I would like (I’m sure others agree in Northeast Indiana). One evening in January, while driving home from work we had one of those rare events. I was driving on the interstate staring at the sun and noticed 2 trees in a field with nothing around them. I immediately took the next exit and drove into the field where they were located. Fortunately, I was able to catch one of these rare Indiana sunsets.
P.S. This is a good reason why you should always carry your camera equipment, you never know when you will find a good picture opportunity.
