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Fun with MF images 2021

J

jng

Well-known member
San Francisco Fogscapes
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P07_28_20211268_1m00s_AFA-sharpen-focus_v2-FrameShop_3.jpg
WRS 1250 | IQ4 150 | Zeiss 350 Tele-Superachromat + APO 1.4XE | f/11 | 1m00s, Automated Frame Average

P07_28_20211275_16x9-FrameShop_1.jpgWRS 1250 | IQ4 150 | Zeiss 350 Tele-Superachromat + APO 1.4XE | f/11 | 4 sec​

A few more images from my evening of chasing the fog earlier this week, both captured after the sun went down.

John
 
MGrayson

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
As all of you are well aware, shooting with a tripod is very much not the same as shooting hand-held. Or, at least, if you're only used to one, the other is strange. I actually went out with a tall-ish tripod today and started the long road of practice and experimentation that, one hopes, leads to competence. Here's the best of today's bunch.

Untitled by Matthew Grayson, on Flickr

Matt
 
D

docholliday

Well-known member
MGrayson said:
As all of you are well aware, shooting with a tripod is very much not the same as shooting hand-held. Or, at least, if you're only used to one, the other is strange. I actually went out with a tall-ish tripod today and started the long road of practice and experimentation that, one hopes, leads to competence. Here's the best of today's bunch.

Untitled by Matthew Grayson, on Flickr

Matt
Click to expand...
I'm one who will handhold before placing on a tripod always. It allows me the fluidity to view different perspectives before finally fixating on a "proper" position. When I first started shooting, I did a lot of wedding and events. That is primarily a handheld activity and it was very important to get the location of the camera right, as it controls the viewer's perspective on how you want to tell the story. A lower perspective (crouching) gives a more "friendly", child-like perspective and a higher (step stool) perspective gives a more commanding, serious perspective. However, too low and you end up looking up the subject's nose, which is a no-no. Too high, and you'll diminish the subject to being dispropotional (midget or giant). There's a fine line being low enough to tell the story and an inch lower means you suddenly have massive nostrils. Even though a waist-level finder gives a more natural perspective for portraits, it is too easy to make it excessive. It really should be called a "chest-level" finder for portraits. The same perspective that gives models a great proportion or emphasis can make a typical portrait subject uncomfortable because of emphaised belly or chest sizing.

When I quit doing events and concentrated on studio work, the same skills learned immediately came in handy. Placing a product on a set and immediately tripoding/standing the camera isn't always best. A half-inch up or down on the camera can make or break a studio shot - say looking into the side of a plate over-emphasizing the space between it and the table vs being up a hair and giving the subject ON the plate the viewer's attention. In studio, "too high a tripod position" can sometimes mean 2 inches! Cups and glasses become distorted or lose dimensionalism, labels become dispropotional, and common items (like silverware, plates, ribbons, or even reflections) start to feel unnatural.

In studio portrait work, the difference between slouching and standing straight up while shooting slightly downward on the subject can make the difference between great face symmetry and a disproportionally large nose on some people. A lot of seated people look better when shot slightly downward (camera center at eyebrow level) to hide chin features.

For architecture and landscape type work, it changes the foreground/background proportions and can make the image look unnatural. Too low a camera in a room emphasizes the foreground and can make the carpet fibers huge (and gaudy looking). Too high and the room feels tight with too much ceiling. The same goes for landscapes where too low and it feels like the ground is long and wide - the viewer feels like the space is small. Too high and the foreground becomes pinched, and can also give some a sense of vertigo! The human mind has been programmed throughout life with scenes we see and we instantly notice when something feels unnatural (at least to our database of scenes). There's a difference between an image that looks good and another that feels good!

There's obvious reasons at times to shoot really high or low, like when emphasizing a leaf in the foreground or shooting a group of cars from high up. That's when the choice of lens comes in to add/remove perspective distortion or compensate for depth of field/focus.

The key to picking a "proper" height has always been to think about how you want the viewer to perceive your shot and story - where you want them to see your perspective from. Then, you've gotta establish the limits to make the image technically "right", realistic, and natural feeling. And I've always found that easiest to do handheld before placing the tripod.

If you want an interesting exercise, try putting a tumbler or small glass on a table, then an object like a lemon a few inches to the front of it and slightly off to one side. Line up your camera and take a shot. Then, move it up or down an inch or two and take a few more shots. Examine them on a large screen or print - notice how the "feel" or realism of the glass changes despite the image looking "correct" to you at first! You may not see it at first, but after a few minutes, you'll suddenly start noticing that one image doesn't feel as good as another...
 
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scho

scho

Well-known member
A few shots using the GFX100s with Fujinon 23/4 on a walk around the pond at Sapsucker Woods. The ornithology lab visitors center is still closed to the public because of the covid pandemic.



Stainless steel whooping crane sculpture entitled "Invitation to the dance".


 
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