If you had to choose one photo to represent the species "human"...

...which criteria would you use? The article suggests color, ethnicity, and occupation.

Getting to Know the Sony RX100

After a bit of research I decided on the Sony RX100 as my pocket-camera.  Nothing wrong with the Nikon I've been using the past year except for the sometimes inconvenient size.  I wanted something easily portable and a little less conspicuous.  I am also interested in the landscape feature on the new pockets and look forward to using this during my upcoming summer travels. What follows is an exercise in getting to know the camera, something I picked up from a Better Photography course.  And what a better way to get to know something new than by comparing to something you already know.  What follows is a comparison with my Nikon D5100.

Exploring the possibilities - Assignment 4

I started building on a set-up for Assignment 4, which involves demonstrating a variety of lighting techniques, and shot a few preliminary images.  My idea is a series of self-portraits.  Ironically, a coursemate is considering working with skulls.

More images below the break. Click Read more>> below.

Test Driving the Sony RX100

I wanted a small camera to carry just about anywhere.  Research showed the Sony RX100 to be the best pocket-size available.  Having used a Sony for five years before switching to the Nikon about a year ago, I found the RX100 controls to be not at all dissimilar to what I was used to.  I can see, though, that it will take some time to develop a feel and a handling technique for the RX100.  It's quite tiny and doesn't have a comfortable handle or grip. I was out in Satwa this morning to visit the Arabic scribe and wandered about for a bit of trial shooting. 

How things have changed

I don't know how accurate the photos might be (I found this on Facebook), but what they express seems genuine.  Everyone, it seems, takes photos these days.

Exercise 36: Contrast and Shadow Fill

One more exercise today, this time using the same set-up as last with a few modifications.  As I alluded in the last exercise, what I needed to make a side-back lit photo better was a reflector on the opposite side of the object to bring some light onto the shadowy side of the face.  That's what we're doing here, experimenting with different types of fill.  

We start out above with two controls.  I needed one of the foam boards for a reflector for this exercise, so the one in back has been replaced by a white wall.  The light is about one meter to the right.

Exercise 35: The Lighting Angle

In this exercise we are asked to do a little still-life set-up and shoot a series of images using our newly built diffuser demonstrating light from a number of different angles.  The two images above waere taken with light in front of the object - left naked, right with diffuser.

Exercise 34: Softening the Light

I built my own diffuser from a sheet of foam board found at the nearby printer.  Half of it I saved to use as a reflector (and backdrop, as seen here).  The other half I cut out the middle, leaving a frame over which I taped tracing paper.  Voila!  Perhaps not a permanent solution, but a quick and inexpensive one.

Exercise 33: Outdoors at Night

I went to Satwa specifically to shoot the roundabout seen above.  I didn't expect to get this shot.  I visited all the surrounding commercial buildings hoping to get to a rooftop, but all were locked and the one security guard I could find seemed cooperative but my request was turned down by his superior who insisted I get permission from the building owner.

Exercise 31: Cloudy Weather and Rain

I thought it might be a while before I was able to shoot photos for this exercise.  If ever.  Dubai experiences only 25 days of precipitation per year, which on average - 2 days a month - doesn't seem so infrequent.   But look again at the amount of annual rainfall - 94mm - and you see how paltry rain actually is.  If you divide that annual average by the number of days, you get a daily average of less than 4mm. That's about the width of a wedding band.

In reality we seem to have a few days each year when we get a substantial downpour. For the others we have some clouds and a bit of drizzle.  You might not even know it rained until you saw a car, which is a great surface for showing the mess that results from water being splattered on a surface lightly coated with fine sand.  Like this:

Review: Master Photographers: Andreas Feininger, BBC, 1983

Feininger was by training an architect who was unable to support himself in his profession and so began doing architectural photography.  By the end of the 30 minute interview and a visual sampling of his work one can see the obvious connections with engineering.  Feininger seems like a person who was very precise in his thinking and his work.  He is able to speak quite clearly and directly about his intention and motivation. He knew the science of photography and worked with his equipment to achieve specific results.  He even built his own cameras.

This series has so far been a review of German- American photographers:  Eisenstaedt, Brandt, and now Andreas Feininger.  We may note the series producer, Andreas Landshoff, was himself a German emigre and thereby draw a rather obvious conclusion.   I assume it is Landshoff (who passed away in 1988) that is doing the interviewing.  I have been unable to otherwise identify who this person might be as he is not noted in the series credits.