RICOH GR III - Strong Contrast Black and White Pictures - Wellington at Dusk

Recently I went out late in the afternoon when dusk was starting to fall. I had my little GR III camera with me that I had put on high contrast JPEG shooting mode.

My idea was to shoot some contrasty pictures of the city (it is Wellington, New Zealand that we are speaking about) in the fading light, maybe using some street lights, maybe utilizing the light from the sky.

I hadn’t tried the strong contrast JPEG preset in that way before. I had shot some pictures on a beach and I liked the rendering of the dark tones. It complemented my style quite nicely. So trying this in the urban environment was a nice little challenge.

And I was lucky, I got into the flow.
You know the photographic flow? You immerse yourself into your shooting and all of a sudden nothing exists but pictures, scenes that want to be captured, light, contrast, maybe colors, a flurry of impressions that wait to be photographed.

This kind of flow lasts with me between an hour and two. Towards the end I feel that I am getting tired. It’s hard mental work, it is focusing on the environment and on composition and light all the time. Eventually by the end of a flow I get to the point where I feel that I have “shot myself empty”. The flow abates gradually, the rush ceases, the inclination to find yet another motif stops.

I love those moments of getting into the flow. It’s immensely gratifying and rewarding. And often the pictures that are shot in such a flow are good or even excellent. It’s a special mode and mood.

So, in such a flow I got myself during the JPEG shooting session. I found a narrow alley with wooden fences to both sides and, a street light and the bright sky at the end of this path. I shot this in many iterations. I will later come back to this motif.

At the end of my two hours walk I was indeed empty and my SD cart had filled up to a good degree. And I had the feeling of satisfaction and curiosity about what I might have found. I was keen on sitting down and processing my pictures and getting them ready to be shown on Flickr.

Flickr is a great motivation for me. The fact that I can show what I deem the best pictures in Flickr motivates me to shoot and to try out new ways of photography. Over the past 8 years this fascination and motivation has been continuing. Flickr is a great source of inspiration to me.

When I started editing the pictures on my computer I found out that they don’t have great “latitude”. This means that when playing with exposure, highlights, whites, shadows and blacks in post, the pictures tend to develop unnaturally looking white or grey areas that just don’t look appealing at all. Reason for that is that the pictures were shot in JPEG format which limits the way of editing them considerably. The pictures I took of the before mentioned fenced path suffer from this technical flaw.

The image looks nice. But if you take a closer look you can see that Whites and Greys have in some areas an unnatural look

The easiest way of circumventing this problem was to darken the pictures, to increase whites and to make local adjustments to the areas that should appear bright. In that way it was possible to create some pictures that obtained a graphical character.

The areas where I increased the Whites appeared bright and luminant and created a beautiful contrast with the dark or grey environment. This luminance you can indeed only achieve by editing JPEG pictures. RAW files are too flexible and do not “tip over” into very bright or deep dark tones, This only happens when we use JPEG pictures.

Sometimes it requires a little bit of luck (bad and good one) to achieve a certain look in pictures.

The Leica Q2 - it is that good!

Recently I have been shooting a lot with the Leica Q2. I used it for shooting portraits and very recently also for shooting pictures on a mountain very close to Athen’s city center. Together with my Flickr friend Alex we went on a trip to explore this interesting place (or I should rather say that he took me to a place that he knew well in order to give me the opportunity to experience it and take pictures - thank you very much, Alex! :-) ).

So what happened with regard to this camera? Well, it’s very simple - the photographic results from this little “field trip” are absolutely amazing.

I took pictures of the stunning view over the city of Athens and the Saronic Gulf. Shooting directly into the sunlight yielded amazing results. The camera was able to handle the strong contrasts and I could process the pictures by maintaining the contrast, playing with the colors and without encountering any banding that you would often find in backlit pictures with strong contrast.

View over the Saronic Gulf, Athens, Greece

When I took pictures of an abandoned building, shooting from dark rooms into the light outside I was able to recover the shadows and colors inside without any problems. Colors were beautiful, I could edit them even at relative high ISO of 3200 without creating any smear or ugly high ISO grain. I was amazed about the outcome.

High ISO interior shot of an abandoned building. The blur of the foreground is caused by focussing on the rear area with wide open lens (f/1.7).

When judging an expensive camera it always comes back to the question if this camera “is worth it”. For me I can answer this with a clear “yes”. This is simply the best camera I have ever worked with. It is a handy, small tool that is fun using, that does not get in your way and that yields amazing pictures. It simply is that good.

You find examples for Leica Q2 work in the “latest work” picture gallery https://www.chris-r-photography.net/latest-work and also in the “Inner Core Project” gallery https://www.chris-r-photography.net/inner-core .

Shooting Portraits with the Leica Q2

I bought the Leica Q2 for street photography, for landscape and travel pictures and for my ICM (intentional camera movement) work. I wanted to have a reliable full frame camera with a great lens and good file output, with files that can stand my sometimes very intense processing attempts. And admittedly I also bought the Leica for the fun of shooting with it.

What I certainly had not intended to do was using this camera for portrait photography. Everybody knows that using a 28mm wide angle lens for portraits is an impossible task, doesn’t yield good results, doesn’t make sense. Or does it??

I’ll tell you what happened. In Athens I had the opportunity of meeting Lina. Lina is an actress that I met through a friend. (Meeting friends of friends who know somebody who is somebody’s friend is one of the wonderful social accomplishments in Greece. You are not alone. You have opportunities that they create for you. Thank you so much, Loukia!). Lina agreed to participate in my Inner Core Project. However the moment we started shooting in a park in Athens it turned out that it was not the right time, nor the mood nor the intention to pursue the Inner Core idea. So the shooting turned seamlessly into a “conventional” portrait session.

The portrait shooting experience with the Q2 was the same as it had been in landscape or ICM photography. The camera was very easy to handle, I could shoot with both, viewfinder and LCD screen and it turnend out that the camera was, as should be in the best case, not in my way. Using a light weight camera like this “point and shoot” for portraits was actually a benefit in comparison to a much heavier DSLR.

Lina, Leica Q2 outdoor shot with natural light, no dishes or other equipment used

What about the pictures? That is when the big surprise happened. I was not expecting anything particular good because I knew I had the “wrong lens” in front of my camera. What I found on my computer screen were amazing pictures with a clarity, a rendering and an expression that surpassed by far what I had expected. They always talk about Leica lenses’ “micro contrast”. Here I experienced for the very first time what exactly this means. The pictures “pop” in a way that I have never seen in any other camera/lens combination before. They are just special in a wonderful, very eye pleasing way.

Lina, Leica Q2 outdoor shot, some cropping in post

And the 28mm distortion? Yes, it is there. Particularly if the photographer tries to use the full width of the picture and places his model eccentrically, to the sides of the frame. As this example shows, there can be clear distortion of the anatomy, my model’s nose does not appear straight in this picture. On the other hand, if you are aware of this phenomenon and try to avoid framing the face close to the margins of the picture and if you keep a certain distance and choose cropping in post instead of getting close to your model when taking the shot, then distortion is not a major problem. I even think that the 28mm lens emphasizes certain facial features in a way that makes a portrait more interesting.

So without even planning it I had the experience of shooting portraits with the Leica Q2. And I’ll do it again. This camera is amazing and I love exploring its possibilities further. Portrait photography entered the realm of my use of the Leica Q2.

Think out of the square. Try things out. Take the risk. That’s where creativity in photography (and so many other areas) happens. If you use a tool in an unconventional way the results will clearly surprise you. Here it was an exceptionally positive surprise.

Leica Q2 - a huge disappointment (but then....)

It’s good that I didn’t write my article about the Leica Q2 right after my first experience with it. Content and verdict would have been very different from what I am writing now. And it would not have been very flattering.

I bought a new Leica Q2 three months ago. I had been salivating for this camera for years. First I wanted the original Q, then after the release of the Q2 I desired the camera even more due to all the improvements that had been implemented. The price is steep, and that was the reason why I hesitated for so many years. But eventually I could not resist.

The timing of my purchase was a little unlucky. I bought the camera right before I started my first shootings for the “Inner Core Project”. This project requires me to be extremely swift and flexible with my camera because I leave it completely up to my “models” how they move and what they do during the shooting.

My little Ricoh GR III camera fulfills all requirements for this type of photo shoot. It is light, easy to use, I can handle it with just one hand and the menus and buttons are very intuitive. It’s the perfect camera for that purpose.

I then tried out the Q2 in this shooting environment. It was a disaster. The camera was too heavy (800 g in comparison to 420 g of the GR III), it felt clumsy and I was far too slow because I didn’t know the camera and it’s functions well enough. So I used the GR III as my main camera during the shootings and only used the Q2 for some top up pictures just to try it out.

I was pretty disappointed. I bought my dream camera and I couldn’t handle it. I found that all the raving reviews had hopelessly overrated the camera.

Then I used it for some street shots. Still I wasn’t happy, exactly for the same reasons. Too heavy, too slow, too cumbersome. Yes, nice pictures and versatile files in pp but after all a huge waste of money.

And then I took the Q2 for a whole day outdoors into nature where I used it for long exposure work with intentional camera movement (ICM) to take landscape pictures. I visited the Emsland region in Northern Germany and there particularly some moors. I had a whole day, could do things at a slow pace, could expose pictures to my liking and play with the functions of the camera. And for the first time it felt as if this camera belonged into my hands. I learned how to move it intentionally according to my needs for blur effects. I changed exposure times, used the pop up menus on the screen and found that I could create a well working workflow.

And when I started processing the files some days later it was a revelation. It’s the best ICM pictures I have ever taken. The colors that I found in the RAW files are amazing. I only need to process them slightly in Lightroom and maybe give them some touch ups in Photoshop. I am a black and white photographer and in the past I found colour files difficult to handle. But that’s not the case with these Leica files. They shine and the colors pop in a beautiful way. It’s actually a joy to work with them.

ICM landscape picture shot with Leica Q2

The details in these pictures are absolutely amazing. I can create effects that I was not able to bring about with any other camera. I would call these pictures “dense”. There is so much information in them that they have an amazing expression.

So I was able to create a series that is to my full satisfaction. I love the ICM aspect, I love the colors and I was able to create a consistent series.

ICM landscape picture taken with Leica Q2

After that weekend I have changed my mind. This camera does live up to its expectations. You only need to be able to define the best use for it. And as with all tools you need to be able to handle it. Any camera is only as good as the person that uses it. I will certainly try again to use it for shooting people. Maybe with a little more experience with my new tool the results will be more satisfying.

My first disappointment has disappeared. I am keen on using the Q2 again. Next weekend I will be going to the Teufelsmoor (devil’s moore) and shoot like hell....

D850 and Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4

Looking at my photographic days in Tokyo I need to discuss the combination of the Nikon D850 camera with the Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4 lens, particularly for motion blur photography.

I have to admit that I had a difficult and problematic relationship with this 50mm lens. 50mm is not my favourite focal length. For street photography it appears to narrow for me, it does not cover the scene sufficiently for my taste and thus deprives me of creating compositions that I like. For portrait the lens is too wide. I prefer staying a little further away from my model which I find less intimidating for the person at the other end of the lens. Working with 85mm or the 70-200mm zoom also gives a nicer background bokeh.

In Tokyo I used initially the 70-200mm lens for motion blur street portraits. But I realised that due to the narrow focal length I missed quite a few shots and depended a lot on luck and serendipity. And later when watching the pictures on my computer I realised that the shots with this lens looked a little smeary to a degree that I disliked the results.

For the second part of my stay I changed the lens and used the Sigma 50mm instead. And man, this was a revelation. The rendering of this lens is crisp, motion blur causes beautiful lines, the colours are also beautiful and easy to work with. And doing the blur stuff was of course much easier with this wider lens than with the 70-200mm zoom. So I am really smitten with the Sigma lens and it seems that our relationship has good chances to recover.

A word to the D850. I have praised it already just a few days after buying it. This camera is incredibly versatile. You can try anything with it and the results seem to be very convincing. I love shooting portraits with her, results are predictable and reliable. Same now with my motion blur attempts. The files are great, I can process them easily, they never fall apart, even if I try extraordinary things in pp. I can clearly confirm my first impression. This camera is amazing and in hindsight I bless my crooked old D800 for having given up its spirit.

I will use bothD850 and Sigma Art 50mm in combination in the future and I am looking forward to the results.

My Old Canon Camera

For many years I owned a Canon EOS 10D camera. And I have to say that I never really developed a relationship with her. I found her too technical, too bulky, with far too many buttons that I didn’t understand how to use. So she lived her life mainly on a shelf. Until some months ago. 

Over the last months I realised that my photography is lacking one component. With my current cameras and lenses I can’t get closer to my objects. I am not able to shoot details. And I can’t compress images to enhance the effect of my objects. And I currently don’t have the money for a tele lens. :-)

So I remembered my old Canon camera with her 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 tele zoom lens that I had bought some time ago. And I took her from the shelf, checked if the batteries were still working (and to my surprise they were) and took some test shots. And I liked what I was seeing. So I took her with me to some photo shootings and I started using her more regularly. And i have to say that I love the effect of the tele lens. These pictures are very special to me. 

And of course is this camera technically completely outdated. 6 MP sensor. Every point and shoot has more nowadays. And ISO doesn’t go higher than 1600 and if I use it at that level the camera creates incredible noise. But converting the pictures to b&w and using the noise as a stylistic element doesn’t let it appear too distracting. I can even crop pictures a little. And as long as I am not trying to print them I am fine. And after having used other cameras in the past few years that have similar technical features (that feel exactly the same redundant as the ones on my Canon) I didn’t find her too daunting anymore. And I use her regularly and I thoroughly enjoy the effect of pictures shot with a tele lens. 

And maybe one day when I have saved enough money I will afford a Leica M camera. For simplicity. And peace of mind.

RX1

I'd like to write a little about my Sony RX1 camera. This website is certainly not intended to be a gear review site. There are thousands of others doing this and I am not the right person to follow them suit. But I'd like to tell my story with this camera and why I am using it now again. 

The RX1 was the first camera that I bought after I had re-discovered photography some two years ago. Steve Huff (http://www.stevehuffphoto.com) had written enthusiastic reviews on this camera and I found the concept appealing. Small, light, full frame, versatile and with a real good Zeiss f2.0 lens. So I bought it. And tried it. And kind of failed. 

A 35mm lens is very universal. And I wanted to use it for multiple purposes. I was particularly keen on trying it as a street photography camera. And honestly - as such it sucks. AF is much too slow, screen reflections are awful in bright sunlight, you can't turn off magnification on the screen when you focus manually. It is a disaster. And Sony are bold enough not to update the firmware to allow us simple and normal manual focussing. I was flabbergasted. This thing was really expensive and it fails in such details. 

For landscape 35mm often is not wide enough. So I found the camera not very fit for that purpose either. And portraits with a 35mm lens - hm, you can do that, but there are certainly better ways of pointing out the beauty of your models' facial lines. 

After all I didn't know what to do with this camera after some months and so it ended up in a drawer very much to my annoyance. 

Until - well until I had this camera with me when I went out for a night photoshoot some few weeks ago. Winter is coming in New Zealand and the days are much shorter now. So it's night photography season again. 

And all of a sudden I realised what a beautiful night shot camera this is. You can bump up ISO to 6400 or even 12500 and shoot it hand-held.  It creates an interesting grain that you can easily work with in processing. Colour rendering is nice and interesting in the dark. And the lens gives amazing details that you can use very nicely when you process the shots. 

So after all it turned out that Steve was right when he praised the night shooting qualities of this camera in his reviews. (http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/10/09/night-time-street-shooting-with-the-sony-rx1-amazing-high-iso-samples/) It took me only two years to find that out.... :-)  You can certainly call it luxury to have a "night-shot only camera" available. And I would certainly not buy this expensive thing for that purpose only. But as I am having it anyway I will use it and enjoy taking pictures in the dark. 

Please take a look at my recent colour night shots on Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisrsouthland/) and in the "urban" section of this site. They are all taken with the RX1.