Under the Magnolia Tree, originally uploaded by lichtmaedel.
This shot was taken with a Helios 40-2, an 85mm f/1.5 lens by lichtmaedel over on Flickr. This is definitely on the want list. Take a look at the Flickr Search, sorted by interestingness, to see the amazing sharpness and bokeh this lens renders. It has a character unlike any other lens I have seen personally.
Yashica Electro 35 GT Rangefinder Camera, originally uploaded by Rob McKay Photography.
This is a shot of a Yashica Electro 35 GT by Rob McKay Photography much like my own. I have been using this camera quite a bit lately and it impresses me more every time I use it. It’s a very simple camera to use with an accurate light meter and a sharp lens. Focusing is easy with it’s rangefinder style, just align the ghosted image in the viewfinder with the actual image to ensure sharpness.
The fixed lens is 45mm with a maximum aperture of f/1.7. At this aperture, it still produces adequate sharpness for me, with nice color and contrast rendition. It shoots in aperture priority unless you wish to shoot with a flash or on the bulb setting. These can be had quite cheaply on the well known auction site. I paid a bit more than usual for mine last year as it had been CLA’d and had a lens hood. Click through for the related Flickr search on what it can do.
Here are a few of my own shots:
, originally uploaded by The Farr.
That’s the claim on this shot. I came across this some time ago in a discussion on I Shoot Film! It’s a really nice capture no matter the technical details of it, but to think of Delta 3200 being pushed three stops and getting this kind of results is quite amazing. Makes me want to try it actually 
52/52: Untitled, originally uploaded by photomat-.
For those that don’t know, I spent 2010 taking one shot a week on my iPhone with an app called Polarize. It’s a free Fauxlaroid style app that really isn’t the best one out there but I liked it’s ability to be able tag the border with your own text. If I had to do it over, I would have probably gone with ShakeIt for it’s color and lower contrast. The shot featured above is the final shot. I had spent some time thinking about various way to end the 52 Week Project. Some ideas included a self portrait, NYE fireworks from the Las Vegas Strip which was how I started at the beginning of the year, something symbolic of an ending…. all of these thoughts went out the window about three days ago when I walked into our bedroom and saw this scene. I am quite sure she was supposed to be doing something more useful but had hopped into bed because she was cold! That’s my wife and the perfect way to end “52 Weeks, 2010 Polarized”.
I am not a prolific shooter by any means, I am active in spurts I would say. I take my hat off to anyone who can get anywhere near completing a 365 Project. For me 52 weeks was doable when combined with my other shooting. I think my next project will likely be film based which has it’s own challenges with timing. We shall see.
I plan on doing a blurb photobook of this project and will post it up here and on Flickr once it’s done. Don’t hold your breath waiting on it though, life has been pretty hectic of late with hobbies such as photography take a backseat.
Cheers for watching 2010 unfold via my iPhone.
She’s in fashion, originally uploaded by goodbyebyesunday.
Fung, or goodbyebyesunday as she as known over on Flickr is someone you can always rely on to create an interesting image. One look at her photostream or blog will confirm this. Whether you like your imagery digital or something from a film camera like the Pentacon 6 she uses, there is a great variety of style for you to peruse over.
Night Light, originally uploaded by Latyrx.
This is Night Light by one of my contacts, Latyrx, over on Flickr. This gentleman deals in the sublime and I encourage you to set aside an hour or so of your time and explore his body of work. To generalize, atmospheric would be a word I would use to describe his imagery. Every shot is striking and these are a few of my personal favorites.
If you are interested in purchasing a print of his work, check out his Redbubble page.
The flowers from a Lantana are really quite small and seem to be common in the Las Vegas valley area. They come in all kinds of colors
Having a bit of backlog clearing of flower photos on my Flickr photostream. I tend to process a bunch of shots at one time, usually in Lightroom, then let them sit on my hard drive for a while. These are some of the better ones I have. Check my latest uploads at the bottom of the page.
Red, White and Black, originally uploaded by pairadocs.
A cool iPhone shot from Pairadocs seen in my newly launched group on Flickr, Just Another iPhone Group. Come check it out, join up and contribute. No rules, no mandatory comments, just some iPhoneograpy goodness. Cheers!
Repeat After Me : I Am Free, originally uploaded by CpPhotoNZ.
Saw this in the Strobist group on Flickr, priceless piece of graffiti. The quote:
“Go to work, send your kids to school
follow fashion, act normal
walk on the pavements, watch T.V.
save for your old age, obey the law,
Repeat after me: I am free”
Handling the Situation, originally uploaded by Matt Burrows.
If you are looking for superb iPhoneography, you need look no further than Matt Burrows over on Flickr. Matt uses a number of different apps to make his shots such as Cross Process, ShakeItPhoto and Hipstamatic. His compositions are often very simple, yet blindly brilliant at the same time, featuring graphic shapes and vivid colors.
More often than not, he leaves me scratching my head how he got such a brilliant shot with a mere camera phone. Goes to prove that an artist can make art with the simplest of tools and need not have a flashy multi thousand dollar setup. Still, makes me wonder what would happen if we stuck a Canon 5D2 or Nikon D700 in his hands!
