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April 2018

05 Apr

Posted at 08:36h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

There are two photographers who have it taped - who will be able to succeed with any assignment, any project, any inspiration. They are: a. The person who has every single lens ever made for their camera. b. The person who has only one lens. Everyone else will be wallowing in a sea of indecision and angst - our two stars will be cool and confident: a. The optik-meister can call on the exact lens  - from their 5 acre climate controlled warehouse - to deal with any image. The perfect focal length to match the angle of view - the perfect aperture to capture just enough sharpness - the perfect focusing system to hit the exact plane that they want. No compromises - no half measures. If the image needs an 89.5 mm lens with an f:1:1.7 1/2 aperture it is there on the shelf - a bespoke one-off masterpiece grown on the south slopes of the Ruhr valley under a full moon. Just clip off the kit lens and snap on perfection. If the subject moves or the light changes, send the valet...

04 Apr

Posted at 07:56h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

I love photo lights. From the simplest wind-up pocket flashlight to the most expensive studio power pack and heads, I think they are just great. Because I have a simple philosophy when it comes to images - things look better if you can actually see what they are. Those of you who deal in mystery, darkness, underexposure, and lack of focus are welcome to it - I want light on the subject. So I use monolight strobes in the studio and speedlights in the field. Elinchrom and Fujifilm respectively. The former are perfect as they are fed from the mains power and recycle almost instantly. They have massive power and any number of light modifier reflectors and softboxes. They are fully adjustable by simple means - slider controls in the back of the heads and simply moving them back and forth on their studio stands. There are modelling lights to suggest what the actual flash is going to do. ( Though like all suggestions they are open to suspicion...

02 Apr

Posted at 08:55h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

That sounds vaguely like a Dashiell Hammett detective novel title, but it's really just the best way to introduce the big macro lens for my favourite camera maker - Fujifilm. The lens, the Fujinon XF80mm f 1:2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro, is the newest macro from the firm - their 60mm macro has been in the range of lenses since the introduction of the X-system. It's been a stand-by for close work and very sharp in it's favoured range, but somewhat of an acquired taste. To put it bluntly, the 60mm is a slow-working lens. Like the well-known divine mills, it grinds slowly but exceeding fine. If you've got a set of subjects that can stand a close approach and immobility, it is a wonderful choice - but I was delighted to be able to see whether the new 80mm macro was going to beat it. Of course there is the question of depth of field - you'll have little enough of it with the 60mm focal length when you close in and less with the 80mm - the DOFmaster tables show...

28 Mar

Posted at 08:34h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

How many times do we forget that pictures are all about us? What can we do to jog our memories? I was recently the guest of Mike and Jo at the Hope Farm guesthouse in York - courtesy of The York Society Inc. when I judged their annual photographic awards - and had time to consider this very thought. Thankfully, they were able to jog my photo senses back to life. Hope Farm is a somewhat historic building - many structures in York are - A doctor's farm that has become a well-appointed guest house and function centre. I had the unique experience of being the only guest in on the night and was very impressed with the standard and comfort of the accomodation. The morning brought a rather good breakfast: And I might have just sat there and  lapsed into a post-coffee coma if I hadn't seen the label on the table...

27 Mar

Posted at 08:44h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

Well, you enter the York Society Inc.'s annual photographic contest for one, as we reported in the last column. And you also a. Go up the top of Mt. Brown lookout and see the whole sweep of the place. b. Hit the York Motor Museum and lose the rest of the day looking at the old cars. They do pension and seniors discounts too. c. Shop in the local craft and country shops. Foods, pottery, clothing, utensils, collectibles and...

26 Mar

Posted at 09:06h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

Well, I scored a plum job this last weekend - I was asked to be the judge for the York Society Inc.'s annual photographic exhibition. And as Saml. Pepys and I are wont to say in respect to entertainments - I did goe and was greatly amused. The connection is one that comes through Camera Electronic - they, like other photographic and cultural firms, sponsored a prize for one of the entry categories - and the York Society Inc. kindly invited me to be their guest on Friday and Saturday to do the job. The exhibition was held in the Sandalwood Gallery on the main commercial street of the town - you may not have seen it on a casual visit to York as it is a little away from the shops but it is there with a historic school-house and well repays a bit of exploring. I had no idea what I'd find when I rocked up at the door. What I found was a work of art in the process of being constructed...

23 Mar

Posted at 08:24h in Blog, Dick's Rant by [social_share]

You all know Facebook, don't you? The addictive social media site that allows you to play computer games while viewing other people's lunches? And you all follow the side bar of Facebook News don't you? The one that tells us which superstar has carked it or been indicted for harrassment. It's my preferred window to the world, I can tell you. But I am somewhat concerned about the effect that Facebook journalism might have upon your reception of this column. It's all very well for marginal organisations like Reuters, The BBC, and the Washington Post to go off on their own little tangents with their reports - this is the Camera Electronic weblog column and we are expected to hold to higher standards. We're not allowed to tell you virtual truths or predicated press releases - when we report something it must be either 100% accurate or 100% imaginary - no middle ground. This may seem a restrictive thing - after all journalists are generally given some " wiggle room " when it comes to the stories they file. Indeed, on some...