DP1 & The Streets of Philly

[Streetshooter]

This is the 1st of many from today. I had a good day. I carried the GX-200 in my pocket with a wrist strap and the DP1 on a neckstrap with the hood and finder.....

As I wondered around, I realized that I was seeing like my old Leica daze~~~

As I set the camera to my eye, it became clear that the DP1 and I have a mutual point of view and enjoy the same perspective.....

I made around 80 frames with the DP1 and 8 with the GX-200.....All this means is that as usual for the last 40+ years, I prefer 1 camera and 1 lens..not a zoomie......anyway, here's the first processed...I'll post more when I have the time to do so.....

nighty nite all......shooter

 

[smokysun]

very nice, don. i'm finding, too, the simpler the better, at least for now!

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

 

[Lili]

Don, my God, that image has almost a medium format tonality.
In Addition to being a powerful image as well.
Bravo!

 

[Streetshooter]

Wayne,
Thanks...it's that old "Inverse Square Law" we photographers have to abide by....

Lili,
Thanks......Yeah, the DP1 really is worth the effort....

 

[Streetshooter]

Some more from the Street......

The window is for Wayne.......

The color just proves that I can do it.....I don't like it but I can do it.....

The other one is just a gift.....

shooter

 

[trisberg]

Don,

I really like these shots, you are getting some great results with your DP1. Makes me want to rethink my decision to pick up a G1 - maybe a DP1 would server me better. They are about the same price and I would probably use the G1 kit lens at its widest setting anyway.

-Thomas

 

[Streetshooter]

Thomas,
Thanks...the thing is to remember that a camera is only a tool, (hmmmm) but any decent photographer could make a decent image with any camera.

Personally, I don't like the zoomie lens thing and also the SLR thing....The DP1 suits me because I have established a relationship with it. There are compromises with any relationship and once you identify these, you can usually make things work.

I have the GX-200 thing going and it's a wonderful camera but it's not the DP1....not because of IQ but because of speed of working....I know, the DP1 is cursed as being slow...

I don't believe that.....for me, it works without intrusion.....
I want to see my image before I release......then choose my perspective, then frame all before raising the camera.....then when it's all right, I raise the camera and release....

that happens with the DP1 lighting fast......
The GX-200 and other cameras intrude on vision because ya get that crop thing going with the zoomie and then ya loose sight of the original intent.....

I carried a M4 and other M's around for years with a 35mm Summi....I did events, weddings, portraits you name it...all with 1 camera and 1 lens.....

I had more and still do but for making images, I need 1....
A part of the beauty for me with the DP1 is....there is no choice in focal length...learn it...use it......that's it...this free's the mind to just work with the eyes and see.....

I was in the Historical Park yesterday....(Independence Historical Park)..and I moved amongst the tourist with ease.....Sometimes I even stop and look like I have a camera problem.....then...Watch Out Baby.......Shooter's on the scene......

 

[trisberg]

Don,

I do agree that it's really not the camera, but if you have to pick one it makes sense to pick one that you are comfortable with. It does become an integral part of your image making and the last thing I want to do is fight with a poor camera interface when I'm taking pictures.

I don't care much for zooms either and typically shoot with a lens that is from 28mm to 50mm so the DP1 would be at the wide end for me, but I could live with that. I do have the GRDII but it has a some difficulties time with blown highlights at times and it has some different noise characteristics at 400-800 ISO that I'm not always happy with.

What ISO did you shoot this series of pictures with?

-Thomas

 

[Streetshooter]

Thomas......Come on, as an old Streetshooter..what else is there but Tri-X...iso 400

good point about the noise with the Ricoh's....I'm trying hard to love it but when the DP2 is out...some one here gets a good deal on a GX-200.....fer sure

 

[trisberg]

Don,

Must say they look good for ISO400. Here is a GRD II shot at 400:



Not bad in terms of noise, but not quite as smooth. Some people like the harsher grain like structure of the GRD noise but I'd prefer to have less noise if possible.

-Thomas

 

[Streetshooter]

Yeah noise is a funny thing fer sure.....Lucky I do B&W for almost anything and everything....if I was a color shooter, I'd be with film.....

My 5D, D300, M8 etc all read digital to me...I have a problem with that...my friends know...but the DP1 is very analog and that solves that for me...

Maybe you should try to loose the selenium toner in the above image...and see if the B&W smoothes out.....I'd bet that in Silver Efex...it would come alive....

 

[Michael S]

First one is a good strong street photo, Streetshooter.

 

[Will]

I really like these streetshooter.

I took my GRD2 and my DP1 out in the snow today and the difference in the unforgiving conditions was very striking. I'm starting to find it easier to like using the DP1 now. I've always liked its image quality.

 

[trisberg]

The toning was an experiment and I'm not sure I like it too much. Here is a version without the toning effect using Lightroom's Grayscale conversion:



One great advantage of this forum is that you get an insight into how others work and think. Cuts down on our own trial and error process and hopefully allows us to get where we want to go a little quicker.

Cheers,
Thomas

 

[smokysun]

thanks, don, for the window picture. this is when you need the dp1 for all that detail: quintessential philadelphia history!

as for color, just read a concise new book on hcb:

http://www.amazon.com/Discoveries-H...bs_sr_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233624472&sr=8-9

which i can recommend. turns out he did a fair amount of color for clients. his only comment on the one color pic in the book: i like it, but i descended into aestheticism. he always wanted meaning in his photos and i think it is tougher in color. (many news photos depend upon blood).

on the other hand, we live in a colorful world and see it that way (unlike cats who see in b&w).

keep em coming.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp

 

[Streetshooter]

Thomas,
Now the image sings....LR does a decent job on B&W...ya have to tweak it carefully...I was never satisfied with the depth of tone from LR or PS. I had a program a few years ago from The Imaging Factory...now gone...but it was a wonderful analog way to work...great but it's gone...Silver Efex is pricey but well worth every cent.....

Wayne.....I see it like this....

photography is about abstracting a 3 dimensional reality to a 2 dimensional reality...
b&w lends more to the abstraction....color for me holds the viewer back from getting into the depth of the image...like a crutch...color nurses the 3 dimensional reality we try to convert to a photographic image.....

More often than not, the viewer looking at a color image struggles to identify with WHAT and WHERE the image was made....whereas b&w forces the viewer to abandon the 3 dimension reality and study the image for it self....

A photograph is it's own reality and should be viewed as such.....I'm not discounting color images...I just don't respond to them the way I do to b&w...

Bresson's color work does nothing for me.....I have a few autochromes from Frank Eugene and they are just brilliant.....

This could be an interesting conversation and maybe we should all get something going on a thread.......

Don

 

[Streetshooter]

PNC Interior, Market Street

 

[smokysun]

don,
this is a very hard distinction to pin down, though i agree with you. ie. color usually tells us too much too soon. (look at the work of alex webb's attempt to get around this by making one pic of two or more scenes and actions). printing color very big seems to help if it's full of detail.

i'll start a thread and see if it goes anywhere.

wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp