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Sigma DP1 Merrill Shots

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Shelby Lewis

Guest
Was shooting a headshot session the other day... and pulled out the DP1M for a few frames. Not exactly "flattering" from a perspective viewpoint, but interesting none-the-less.



Cheers!
Shelby
 
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Shelby Lewis

Guest
A little stitching... perspective correction in post.



Cheers!
Shelby
 

Rand47

Active member
Was in Austin, TX this weekend for a baroque trumpet gig... dropped into the Texas State Capital. Neat space.

Worked up on the laptop while on the road. SPP to LR.

. . .



Cheers!
Shelby
This last composition is absolutely wonderful, IMO. Musical.

Rand
 

geoffbillett

New member
Thanks Andrew. Faye was a favourite back in the day. I have a number of her books.

I've almost forgotten monochrome, and regrettably don't use film any more. Digital is so convenient and colour so enticing. It was a grey day in Burnham and am still gingerly trying to find a way around the Sigma's colours; they are not easily managed. But I love their resolution and almost large format character making them a natural for monochrome conversion.

Full series here http://geoffreybillett.photoshelter.com/gallery/Burnham-on-Sea/G00004iuBnnfBjRk/

I am still deciding whether to take them ( DP1 and 2 Merrills ) to India with me in January to give me a different look to my Canon gear.

Is this you? Andrew Lamb Photography
 
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Andrew Lamb

New member
Yes, that's my website.

I like all your Burnham pics. Like you, I have a preference for colour. For me, one problem with the Merrills is the lack of an EVF. I want to be able to hold the camera to my eye. Also, it looks like a lot of your India shots were taken in low light which is another area where the Merrills fail.

I would still like to be able to shoot film but it's prohibitively expensive and my eyesight struggles with manual focus cameras these days. I just about managed to do a group portrait on a tatty old Pentax 67 last month.
 

geoffbillett

New member
I just need to practice with them more, especially in PP. Obtaining consistency is key. I bought a Seagull finder which I share between the two and helps composition. Autofocus seems reasonably quick and accurate - possible for street photography if not overly ambitious. I thought the quality of light and colour in India would suit the Merrills especially for landscape and record type work. I also thought I would be less conspicuous - a DSLR is quite large. Yes a lot of the India stuff was at the margins of the day and would trouble the Merrills, unless a small flash is used with them for fill. They would also be lighter - I am almost 60 and feel tired more easily.

Re film I still have my large format cameras ( gandolfi, canham and ebony plus lenses ) and enlargers and keep promising myself to dust them off and revisit that world. A Mamiya 7 and RB outfits are similarly unused and a Bronica etrs outfit as stored too. I never owned the Pentax 67 but admired its reputation. Financial values were not what they were but the LF kit might raise some money on auction. I miss the slow approach and 'craft' side of it, touching and feeling the materials and feeling immersed in the history of photography but wonder if I really miss all the darkroom work, fumes and mess. Probably not in reality, but digital still seems another step removed somehow.

Its a privilege to talk to someone successful in the business. Deceptively simple but engaging and balanced images of people are difficult to manage, especially under pressure. Kudos to you. My career was as a health care professional until retirement 2 years ago. Now trying to partially live the dream. At some point will start looking for outlets but dont want any pressure for now :) Wish I did it years ago.....
 

Andrew Lamb

New member
I wouldn't consider myself particularly successful now :(

I had a good run, with lots of interesting work, but those days are mostly behind me. Magazines and newspapers don't have the budgets they used to have.

I used to shoot mainly with a Mamiya RZ, a system I really loved. Everyone now and them I would buy a 5x4 and fail miserably. Sold it all off as no one wants to pay film bills anymore. I bought the Pentax 67 with a 105 mm lens for £140 a couple of months just for personal use.

Back to the Merrills :) you are right to think of using them for landscape and record type work. That's where they sing. I'm trying to use my DP2M much as I would use my Leica M3 and I'm failing miserably. The image quality is not in dispute, ease of use is.
 

geoffbillett

New member
And more. It was very gloomy with the statues and the church sign. OK results for just messing around I think. Gives me a bit more confidence in the Merrills. A little saturation and vibrance, and a little clarity, earlier iages iso 100, later 400. Colour mode neutral. Reduced sharpening.

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Geoffrey Billett
 
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