
A Better Photographer

My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
It feels like summer. Temperatures have been in the 90’s for several days. However, I’m thankful there is no humidity and the nighttime temperatures cool us off. The cool nights and mornings are a plus for living in Colorado.
I have for some time now wanted to take more black and white portraits. Actually, I have been taking more black and white images. Yesterday, a friend and I went downtown to Mugs for one of their chocolate eclairs. Let me tell you they are the best and made locally. Anyway, as we sat outside I took a quick image of Alex then asked if I could. He told me no! Too late, my friend! Thanks, I’ll buy the eclairs next time.
This beautiful young lady was working on her computer in a local coffee shop. I was drawn by her striking features and the wonderful window light on her face. I worked up the courage to ask her if I could shoot a portrait of her as she gazed out the window. Gratefully, she said yes.
“The camera doesn’t make a bit of difference. All of them can record what you are seeing. But, you have to SEE.” – Ernst Hass
I have been shooting with the Fujifilm X-E1 almost exclusively since October of 2013. My Nikon gear has sat collecting dust except for a few sunset and sunrise excursions. I find the X-E1 so much easier to grab due to its weight and size. I feel the images (jpeg) meet the standards for my use for posting on the web and any prints I wish to make. So, I sold all the Nikon gear. I intend to add one more lens, either the 23mm f1.4 or the 35mm 1.4, and probably the new X-T10. So, I apologize for the decrease in my quality of postings.
I’ve liked what I’ve seen done with Chris Klug’s black and white images. If you’ve not been over there for a visit I suggest spending a few minutes over there. I like the results He gets from Silver Efex Pro in his post processing. So, I bought it knowing it would make me a better photographer, like him. About a year later I received an email offering a free NIK software package that included Analog Efex 3, Color Efex Pro 4, Dfine 2, Sharpener Pro 3 and Viveza and an upgrade to Silver Efex Pro. I took it. Needless to say, I’m not any better photographer because of these software tools and I have done almost nothing with any of them except Silver Efex Pro.
I’m finding there are a ton of options available in Silver Efex and I’ve touched very few of them. There are helpful tutorials in the internet in using this software. I just have to dig into it.