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6X12 in Jerusalem
- Thread starter Ben Rubinstein
- Start date
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Joe, can't wait!
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Herodian, an artificial hillock built some 2200 years ago as the site for Herod's palace about 8 miles outside of Jerusalem and near Hebron. Just underneath the hill is a tiny cheese making community where this picture was taken. I didn't realise it until afterwards when I saw it on the screen but subconsciously I had produced an image inspired by a tiny painting my father in law has on his dining room wall. I had noticed it some 7 years ago and although it's cheap mass produced junk with little artistic value, many of the compositional lines are the same as in this image.
I'm not sure whether to add it to my Jerusalem collection on my website (Hey Herod thought it was close enough to the capital
), it's less urban than my previous work in this project though I think it would qualify for the term 'timeless' which is my yardstick. Thoughts?
BTW here is the colour version, it's good, very good, perhaps I'm just a B&W snob...
I'm not sure whether to add it to my Jerusalem collection on my website (Hey Herod thought it was close enough to the capital
), it's less urban than my previous work in this project though I think it would qualify for the term 'timeless' which is my yardstick. Thoughts?BTW here is the colour version, it's good, very good, perhaps I'm just a B&W snob...
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
This is a new chapter for me of my 'Dream Project', shooting very shallow DOF landscapes. I have two versions of the first picture in this series, the first shot with a simple and cheap 50mm @ f1.4 and the second shot with about 50 frames stitched using a 150mm lens @ f3.5, not sure whether the incredible tonality of the 2nd outweighs the convenience of the first for regular print sizes.
Single shot, 50mm @ f1.4
Stitched shot, 150mm @ f3.5
To be honest I think I prefer the first. Opinions?
Single shot, 50mm @ f1.4
Stitched shot, 150mm @ f3.5
To be honest I think I prefer the first. Opinions?
Ben, it is difficult to tell the total impact of the tonality with such small images. The first seems to have a bit more contrast in the leaves.
The first one isn't as shallow as the DOF on the second one if that is your goal, but the compositional balance of the first feels better to my eye with the top left corner containing more image.
Marc
The first one isn't as shallow as the DOF on the second one if that is your goal, but the compositional balance of the first feels better to my eye with the top left corner containing more image.
Marc
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Try the zoomify versions Marc, easier to get an idea when you can zoom right in on the image. The DOF of the second is equivelent to f1.2 rather than the f1.4 of the first but using a longer lens results (IMO) is a more sudden focus fall off in general. The composition difference was due to me screwing up the stitch .
I'm not actually trying to compare the final images, as you say due to the composition the first is a stronger image. I'm just wondering whether the 'look' of the tonality and focus fall off in the 2nd is worth the bother.
.I'm not actually trying to compare the final images, as you say due to the composition the first is a stronger image. I'm just wondering whether the 'look' of the tonality and focus fall off in the 2nd is worth the bother.
Double clicking on the posted shots does nothing on my Browser Ben.Try the zoomify versions Marc, easier to get an idea when you can zoom right in on the image. The DOF of the second is equivelent to f1.2 rather than the f1.4 of the first but using a longer lens results (IMO) is a more sudden focus fall off in general. The composition difference was due to me screwing up the stitch
I'm not actually trying to compare the final images, as you say due to the composition the first is a stronger image. I'm just wondering whether the 'look' of the tonality and focus fall off in the 2nd is worth the bother.
I just dragged them to my desktop and increased the res to 155 ppi. It's good enough to get a better idea.
I think the stitched one softens the lantern and doorway just a tad to much so you struggle to make out what it is ... however with just a slight contrast boost, the foreground element looks more 3D in the stitched version than the straight shot. More of a feel like an old view camera with a brass lens than the slightly more clinically correct straight shot.
Marc
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Woops, reason they aren't there is that I forgot to put them, sorry Marc!
www.studio-beni.net/Psalms.html
www.studio-beni.net/Psalms2.html
www.studio-beni.net/Psalms.html
www.studio-beni.net/Psalms2.html
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Here is the 2nd from this new rendition of 'The Dream Project' using a 50mm lens wide open rather than the lenbaby but aiming for the same kind of feel. This image taught me that I'd got very lucky with the first image with a perfect blend of lighting and subject distance to make me think my Canon 50mm f1.4 can do wide open well. The wall through the arch in this image is very 'crunchy' due to the busy bokeh of this lens whenever there is a highlight anywhere near the frame and the focus to out of focus rendition is less than smooth. I've treated myself to a Takumar 50mm f1.4 Super for it's combination of amazing bokeh and dreamy wide open rendition to hopefully cure this problem. Hey for $70 it was worth the try and the prices on these old gems are only rising! If that doesn't work then the smooth king is the Sigma 50mm f1.4.
I showed this picture to my friend, a Yemenite Jew who grew up in the old back alleys of Jerusalem. He said "It takes me back to going to the synagogue with my father holding my hand, the quiet alley, the small doorway, the dim lighting, the old men and the smell of books".
Taranto
I showed this picture to my friend, a Yemenite Jew who grew up in the old back alleys of Jerusalem. He said "It takes me back to going to the synagogue with my father holding my hand, the quiet alley, the small doorway, the dim lighting, the old men and the smell of books".
Taranto
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
2 more images from the Dream Project (part 2), using a Pentax Takumer Super 50mm f1.4 wide open on my Canon 5D. It has a very nice rendition with the OOF highlights, the 2nd image would have looked very ugly with the canon 50mm. It isn't quite as ethereal though and doesn't have quite the amount of sudden focus fall off of the canon.
This old house stands on the corner of a street dominated by large apartment blocks. It has a lot of space around it, is a single story building and as I sat opposite eating a croissant I asked the barber sitting outside what the story was of this georgous house which hadn't been snapped up by the developers. The story goes as follows. The house belongs to an 80 year old lady who had never had children and lives there alone. She walks stooped over with her cane but goes out every morning to volunteer in the nearby hospital. The college nearby offered her 3 million dollars for her house and her lifetime in the best old age home in the country. She told them that after her death they could do what they liked with it but until that time, it's her home and she's not moving.
My respect for a little old lady who I've never even met is incredible. I hope the college and property developers are gritting their teeth over her continued refusal for decades to come!
Her home:
This old house stands on the corner of a street dominated by large apartment blocks. It has a lot of space around it, is a single story building and as I sat opposite eating a croissant I asked the barber sitting outside what the story was of this georgous house which hadn't been snapped up by the developers. The story goes as follows. The house belongs to an 80 year old lady who had never had children and lives there alone. She walks stooped over with her cane but goes out every morning to volunteer in the nearby hospital. The college nearby offered her 3 million dollars for her house and her lifetime in the best old age home in the country. She told them that after her death they could do what they liked with it but until that time, it's her home and she's not moving.
My respect for a little old lady who I've never even met is incredible. I hope the college and property developers are gritting their teeth over her continued refusal for decades to come!
Her home:
These are sublime Ben.2 more images from the Dream Project (part 2), using a Pentax Takumer Super 50mm f1.4 wide open on my Canon 5D. It has a very nice rendition with the OOF highlights, the 2nd image would have looked very ugly with the canon 50mm. It isn't quite as ethereal though and doesn't have quite the amount of sudden focus fall off of the canon.
This old house stands on the corner of a street dominated by large apartment blocks. It has a lot of space around it, is a single story building and as I sat opposite eating a croissant I asked the barber sitting outside what the story was of this georgous house which hadn't been snapped up by the developers. The story goes as follows. The house belongs to an 80 year old lady who had never had children and lives there alone. She walks stooped over with her cane but goes out every morning to volunteer in the nearby hospital. The college nearby offered her 3 million dollars for her house and her lifetime in the best old age home in the country. She told them that after her death they could do what they liked with it but until that time, it's her home and she's not moving.
My respect for a little old lady who I've never even met is incredible. I hope the college and property developers are gritting their teeth over her continued refusal for decades to come!
Her home:
So, where is the photo if the little old lady? I just imagine her walking in one of these shots.
-Marc
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
I never even met her , these were taken from the street. I was told the story yesterday went back there today.
, these were taken from the street. I was told the story yesterday went back there today.Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Another image from the Dream Project (part 2). This is an image which the Canon 50mm would have ruined outright due to it's bokeh but the 1962 Takumar has handled beautifully.
Shabtai
Shabtai
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
A momentary return to my old project for this image. I had originally shot it last week with the intention of it being part of the dream project, shooting with the Takumar wide open. It was a nice soft picture which made the most of the contrast but the moment I saw it on the computer I knew it needed proper treatment, stitching, resolution and huge amounts of tonality. The latter was incredibly difficult actually, I've never had an image so difficult to process. The image called for midday winter sun for that soft shadow from the tree and bright but still low sunlight. Trying however to keep the tonality on the building soft has taken up the entire day! The stones are filled with hundreds of tiny pits which all collected their own little shadow rendering the wall either harsh and dirty looking from the contrast or grey from lack of it. I'm believe I've gotten there in the end however. I shot the frames for the stitch leaving the floor for last. While I was doing the rest of the frames there were birds aplenty on the ground but when I got to that final frame they had all flown off. It took 20 minutes of waiting until a bird finally walked into the frame but it was walking too fast for my 1/15 shutter. I was about to dispair when it suddenly turned to profile, froze for enough time to get one shot and then flew off. Heaven!
Amiel
There is a print in the orthapedic clinic across the street from me where I get my shoe inserts which although a bad print of an horrific painting, has always interested me. Not for the picture itself but for the juxtoposition of strong light streaks and a doorway. I'd always imagined that it just would never work for a photograph (it doesn't particularly work in that painting for that matter). I was wandering back yesterday from an appointment through the old narrow alleyways which lead up to the shuk in Jerusalem when I saw this doorway and the light streaking around it. I knew I had to come back and shoot it for the Dream Project. This small alley is just one of the most incredibly photogenic streets/alleys in Jerusalem (the first image was also shot in this area), places where if you don't come out with portfolio quality images then you're just not trying. I'm very pleased with both of these images, they encompase the quiet splendour of these narrow alleyways which have been Jerusalem for time immemorial.
Amiel
There is a print in the orthapedic clinic across the street from me where I get my shoe inserts which although a bad print of an horrific painting, has always interested me. Not for the picture itself but for the juxtoposition of strong light streaks and a doorway. I'd always imagined that it just would never work for a photograph (it doesn't particularly work in that painting for that matter). I was wandering back yesterday from an appointment through the old narrow alleyways which lead up to the shuk in Jerusalem when I saw this doorway and the light streaking around it. I knew I had to come back and shoot it for the Dream Project. This small alley is just one of the most incredibly photogenic streets/alleys in Jerusalem (the first image was also shot in this area), places where if you don't come out with portfolio quality images then you're just not trying. I'm very pleased with both of these images, they encompase the quiet splendour of these narrow alleyways which have been Jerusalem for time immemorial.
Gaon
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Go for it! It really is a georgous little lens. I bought an EE-S focusing screen to help me out with the focusing but then found out that I needed to shim the viewfinder, I did that last night with the aid of 3 layered strips of scotch tape on the edges of the focusing screen (looks real ugly in the viewfinder!) but now the focus is accurate to what I see. Or at least it would be if I wasn't the worlds worst manual focuser due to an eye condition. Oh well, I'm getting 1 in 2 in focus now rather than 1 in 5! The struggle is worth it I believe. I could use my viewfinder magnifier but that means using a tripod and I was trying to move away from that need to be honest for this specific project, bit silly to need a tripod when your shutter speeds with a 50mm lens are usually over 1/1000 due to shooting wide open.
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Couple more from this morning for The Dream Project (part 2). A bright cold day with a low sun that gave georgous light. I'm getting about 1 in 2 in focus with my scotch tape shimmed viewfinder and manual focus at f1.4 though I get consolation from the fact that the AF on my 5D ain't even as good as that! Both images from my old radioactive 1962 Takumar Super 50mm f1.4 shot wide open.
I underwent an operation on my foot two months back, I'm still not walking very well post operation and after the images above (the last two) I could hardly walk the rest of the day. Infact I shot a 2 hour job the next day and couldn't walk for 4 days after that! Yesterday however I managed to get hold of the right pills (I'd run out) and loaded up with a zillion types of pills I went out this morning. I had a great walkaround of the Nachlaot area of Jerusalem, I'd had far more 'keepers', good photos though more street photography than the stuff I was looking for but evenso, having two which fit into the project for a mornings work was very very acceptable!
The area is riddled with tiny alleyways, rarely named and not marked on the map, you walk down the streets and alleys always with the thought at the back of your mind that you could never manage all of them, who knows what gems are lurking down the alleys you just didn't have time to explore! Each one is a treasure and I only managed a fraction of them before making my way out of the maze. Just a few meters away from this scene a teenager out from school on his lunch break sat down on the steps, with his books on his lap and a steaming coffee next to him he was oblivious of the photography and even the cold, he belonged to a different world surrounded by the pathways of history.
Givon
Pipes and electricity cables crisscross the walls and air spaces above the alleys but with some judicial composition you can avoid the worst of it. Sticking to a single FOV/Focal length as I've done since the very beginning of my work in this country, a 50mm, does train one to make the composition work for you, to only use the elements and geometry which are necessary to accomplish the artistic goal of the image.
Yosef Haim
I had a young aspiring photographer with me, I take him with on my walkarounds sometimes, he finds it educational (heaven help him if he thinks I'm someone to emulate!). I walked past this scene as we headed back for the bus stop, I literally span round 360 degrees and shouted out to him 'Jonathan, how on earth can you continue walking past this!'. The winter bare tree was backlit beautifully and the windows and stairway were just perfect for the composition. I took this picture as in the background of the square, old Russian men called to each other as they returned from their mornings shopping in the nearby shuk and a group of chefs from the surrounding resturants carried boxes of food to the walls and then grouped together for a lunch of showing off their latest creations to each other. Cold and bright with a low winter sun even at midday, that light was just inspirational!
Both images from my old radioactive 1962 Takumar Super 50mm f1.4 shot wide open.I underwent an operation on my foot two months back, I'm still not walking very well post operation and after the images above (the last two) I could hardly walk the rest of the day. Infact I shot a 2 hour job the next day and couldn't walk for 4 days after that! Yesterday however I managed to get hold of the right pills (I'd run out) and loaded up with a zillion types of pills I went out this morning. I had a great walkaround of the Nachlaot area of Jerusalem, I'd had far more 'keepers', good photos though more street photography than the stuff I was looking for but evenso, having two which fit into the project for a mornings work was very very acceptable!
The area is riddled with tiny alleyways, rarely named and not marked on the map, you walk down the streets and alleys always with the thought at the back of your mind that you could never manage all of them, who knows what gems are lurking down the alleys you just didn't have time to explore! Each one is a treasure and I only managed a fraction of them before making my way out of the maze. Just a few meters away from this scene a teenager out from school on his lunch break sat down on the steps, with his books on his lap and a steaming coffee next to him he was oblivious of the photography and even the cold, he belonged to a different world surrounded by the pathways of history.
Givon
Pipes and electricity cables crisscross the walls and air spaces above the alleys but with some judicial composition you can avoid the worst of it. Sticking to a single FOV/Focal length as I've done since the very beginning of my work in this country, a 50mm, does train one to make the composition work for you, to only use the elements and geometry which are necessary to accomplish the artistic goal of the image.
Yosef Haim
I had a young aspiring photographer with me, I take him with on my walkarounds sometimes, he finds it educational (heaven help him if he thinks I'm someone to emulate!
). I walked past this scene as we headed back for the bus stop, I literally span round 360 degrees and shouted out to him 'Jonathan, how on earth can you continue walking past this!'. The winter bare tree was backlit beautifully and the windows and stairway were just perfect for the composition. I took this picture as in the background of the square, old Russian men called to each other as they returned from their mornings shopping in the nearby shuk and a group of chefs from the surrounding resturants carried boxes of food to the walls and then grouped together for a lunch of showing off their latest creations to each other. Cold and bright with a low winter sun even at midday, that light was just inspirational!Ben Rubinstein
Active member
I went out today to shoot in the area where I'd found the 'Gaon' and 'Amiel' pictures above. Possibly the most photogenic set of alleyways in Jerusalem this small area is across Jaffa street from the Machanei Yehuda Shuk. I went back there today flushed with the success of yesterdays shoot and itching to make my Takumar shine again but it was one of those days when however hard you try you just don't seem to be able to take a photograph that works, you just can't create and the harder you try the less it seems to work. Instead of getting fustrated however I just enjoyed the experience of walking through these georgous alleyways, quiet and serene for all the distant noise and bustle of the shuk some few hundred yards away. The air was cold, the sun warm and it was a privilige to walk through one of the nicest areas of this incredible city.
and then I got home and discovered that, quite by chance and without ever thinking that it would work when I had raised the camera to my eye, I had managed to pull this one off!
Charity Box
It's hard to try and picture compositions which with every fibre of their being say 'Jerusalem'. Many pictures could have been taken in any number of old Mediterranean towns and villages. These shutters however are quintessentially Jerusalem, specifically the older parts of Jerusalem and with the charity box on the wall, the same charity boxes that have adorned the outer walls of so many of these tiny synagogues throughout the city, unspoiled and unvandelised for a century or more in many cases, this picture is indeed Jerusalem.
and then I got home and discovered that, quite by chance and without ever thinking that it would work when I had raised the camera to my eye, I had managed to pull this one off!
Charity Box
It's hard to try and picture compositions which with every fibre of their being say 'Jerusalem'. Many pictures could have been taken in any number of old Mediterranean towns and villages. These shutters however are quintessentially Jerusalem, specifically the older parts of Jerusalem and with the charity box on the wall, the same charity boxes that have adorned the outer walls of so many of these tiny synagogues throughout the city, unspoiled and unvandelised for a century or more in many cases, this picture is indeed Jerusalem.
Ben Rubinstein
Active member
Just a BTW with that same Takumar which has been making all the recent pictures above, me with my son last night.
Fustrates the heck out of me that my wife can focus that lens accurately and consistently at f1.4 even in light like this (1/30 f1.4 iso 3200) and I can't get it right in broad daylight. Oh well, one day I'll be able to afford the 50L....
Fustrates the heck out of me that my wife can focus that lens accurately and consistently at f1.4 even in light like this (1/30 f1.4 iso 3200) and I can't get it right in broad daylight. Oh well, one day I'll be able to afford the 50L....