• Camera Equipment

    The New (Perfect?) Tripod

    August 14, 2023

    Back in late May I ordered the Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod. I sat undecided for months before ordering it because of its high price. Please don’t think this is a review with any ratings but it’s my way of sharing my experience at how the tripod is working for me after almost 3 months of use. 

    My current tripod is a carbon fiber Manfrotto 3443 I’ve had for over 20 years. I have had no complaints or issues with this tripod, it has served me well. However, I do not carry it with me primarily due to its size. At just over 5 pounds and a folded length of about 29 inches I’m not excited about lugging it around at my age.

    Here are my impressions. I was pleasantly surprised with the size of this new tripod. They call it a travel tripod for a valid reason. Because it’s small and lightweight, at 2.8 pounds and just over 15 inches in folded length, it is very easy to carry. And, since it is easy to carry I am finding I bring it with me far more often than my other tripod. And, I use it!

    I am going through a learning curve in setting it up and taking it down and finding what works best for me. Each time I use it I find myself getting into a routine, it becomes easier and quicker, which is something I really want in a tripod and entices me to use it more often.

    I was concerned with how stable the tripod was going to be. I shoot with a mirrorless camera so my gear is much smaller and lighter. My largest lens is the 70-300mm zoom and the tripod has no issues supporting it. It is stable enough for my photography. Gusty winds will be an issue with any tripod.

    For my stature its minimum height of 51” inches is good enough for me, only 3 inches shorter than my Manfrotto. I love the ball head. It is easy to place my camera in the ball head and lock it down. I did forget to lock it down once and had a close call. I also like how easy and quickly the one ring is to adjust. I seldom shoot vertical images and when I do it has not been a problem for me. I raise the center column about 4-5 inches and have begun to use my LCD more when on the tripod. It really is easier than looking through the viewfinder. The tripod is not capable of doing a panorama series but I’ve only done that once in all my years of photography. I so enjoy not having an L-bracket on my camera. Their little standard plate is small and much less intrusive.

    I also find it to be physically attractive, a state of the art tripod. Its design fits my hand very well because of the shape of the legs and how it’s folded. There is no wasted space. I probably will never use the stowable mobile phone mount but it’s there. Peak Design also has several useful videos on their website for using and servicing the tripods.

    So, I am pleased with my purchase but still reeling from the cost. It will not make me a better photographer and I knew that when I ordered it. However, when I use it as a tool in the craft of photography it will help in my photography. Just taking a tripod with me does that. Was it worth the money? Probably not. Well…

    In closing I’ll say it is not the perfect tripod because there is none. But we can argue that when I have it with me and use it, it is the perfect tripod at that moment. Oh, and it’s guaranteed for life. It’ll probably outlast me.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Photography,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    Nostalgia

    June 12, 2023
    Sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area

    nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

    I was cleaning out a drawer when I came across a set of graduated neutral density filters, a filter holder and adaptor ring. Not sure how long ago I used them. But, nostalgia took over and I took them with me to play with one morning. That was all it took for me to remember why they were in the drawer and not in my camera bag. They were awkward, brought on frustration and reminded me that I’m not a professional photographer selling wall size prints. I shoot because of my love for the craft, its creativity, the time it offers me in nature and its simplicity. The improvement in Lightroom masking has made it easier and better to bring forth the images I want for my enjoyment and this blog.  No need for graduated neutral density filters or the nostalgia.

    They had some major flooding east of here yesterday and we are expecting more rain today. Stay dry!

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Photography,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Frames of Reference

    June 6, 2023
    Final image of what my eyes saw

    To be human is to continually mistake our frames of reference for reality itself. We so readily forget that our vantage point is but a speck on the immense plane of possible perspectives. We so readily forget that there are infinitely many kinds of beautiful lives.

    Maria Popova

    Yesterday, I had lunch with someone who’s frame of reference of themselves is different from how others see them. They are frustrated and also hurt because others to not see them as they do. I’m also aware that people who have had the same experience in the past, such as a car accident, will remember it differently due to their frame of reference. The reality each of us experiences is definitely not the same. The same is true of the reality my eyes see and what my camera sensor can see.

    As I watched the sunrise this morning I was fascinated with the dewdrops clinging atop each blade of grass glowing in the sunlight. When looking at the scene on my LCD or through my viewfinder I could barely see those dewdrops. This is because my Fujifilm X-T3 has a dynamic range of around 9-10 stops of light while the human eye can see up to 24 stops of light. However, I know the sensor is able to capture a bit more detail than the limited range of the viewfinder or LCD are showing me and know that my editing software will be able to increase the dynamic range, drawing some of the details out of the shadows. This allows us to see the glow of those dewdrops closer to what my eyes see. So, I press my shutter button with confidence. This reminds me how our frames of reference for reality differ. 

    Straight out of the camera

    The second image is what the LCD showed me and the top image is what my software was able to pull out of the data captured by the sensor. If you click on each image you will get a larger view. And if you click on that image it will give you the full size image. You will also notice a couple of dust spots in the second image that were removed in the final image.

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  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  quotes

    Light is our paint brush

    May 19, 2023

    The greatest tool at our command is the very thing that is photography. Light. Light is our paint brush and it is a most willing tool in the hands of the one who studies it with a sufficient care.

    Laura Gilpin

    Sometimes it all comes together and sometimes it don’t. Maybe the latte art is almost perfect and maybe the latte taste is almost perfect. But maybe the two coming together is what makes it perfect. It is overcast this morning with low clouds and high humidity so a latte is the main focus for this Friday.

    In reference to the quote, I do know after a fews years exploring photography, taking a lot of lousy photos, even disgusting photos, that light is so important to my photography. I know that today would be a great day for portraits with all this diffused light. Sure not a morning for a bright shiny sunrise.

    Have a celebration of life for a friend tomorrow who died a week ago at way too young of an age. She had a difficult life and I will miss her. May you have a wonderful weekend and find some good light to paint with! 🤗

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  • clouds,  haiku,  landscape,  natural areas,  Photography,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    Our Buddha Nature

    May 10, 2023
    Sunrise this past Sunday morning

    haiku is not a poem,
    it is not literature;
    it is a hand beckoning,
    a door half-opened,
    a mirror wiped clean.

    It is a way of returning to nature,
    to our moon nature,
    our cherry blossom nature,
    our falling leaf nature,
    in short,
    to our Buddha nature.

    R. H. Blyth

    I normally crop all my landscapes in 16 x 9 but this image is cropped in 16 x 10. It’s a subtle difference. So, fair warning as I may be on a new kick for awhile.

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  • clouds,  Humor,  landscape,  musings,  natural areas,  Photography,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    Sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area

    May 6, 2023

    I’ve read where we should never place the subject in the middle of an image because placing the subjects off-center yields a stronger, more natural-looking composition and allows us to make creative use of negative space. Well I do did will break that composition rule technique. I’ve also read that we should not should on ourselves, so I suppose I should stop that.

    The top image is predawn light over Dixon Reservoir taken at 5:49 am and the second image was taken seven minutes later at 5:56 am about 40 feet from the first one. Again, showing us how nature continuously creates. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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  • quotes

    Built to make mistakes…

    March 20, 2023
    Rolland Moore Park – 2014

    Mistakes are at the very base of human thought, embedded there, feeding the structure like root nodules. If we were not provided with the knack of being wrong, we could never get anything useful done. We think our way along by choosing between right and wrong alternatives, and the wrong choices have to be made as frequently as the right ones. We get along in life this way. We are built to make mistakes, coded for error.

    Lewis Thomas

    I’ve written about the subject of making mistakes in the past so I apologize for once more rambling on about them. Or is that a mistake? Seems that somewhere in my youth I learned that mistakes were bad and I began avoiding them at any cost. School was one place where we were measured by how many mistakes we made. There have been multiple times in my life I failed to try or finish due to my fear of making mistakes. I do not remember being taught that mistakes were essential at improving. Having said that though, I will also admit I was a decent shot in basketball but only because I tried again and again each time I missed a shot. I also did not jump on a bicycle and ride the first time. I had to crash and burn more than once. Rather silly when I look back at it where I considered mistakes were not allowed and where they were. I believe Thomas is spot on when he states that we are built to make mistakes, in all areas of our lives. My growth towards any perfection or accomplishing goals requires me to make mistakes, lots and lots of them. My photography pruves that. So due my attempts at haiku. So does my attempts ar creating good blogging content. Hope you had a wonderful day!

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  • quotes,  shadows,  street photography

    A Look at Shadows

    January 16, 2023

    “The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.”

    Carl Jung

    The sun shines brightly this morning casting shadows all around me. I watch the tree’s shadows stretching across the street outside the window of the coffee shop. Shadows fall upon these pages as I journal. And, on the wall next to me I see my ever present shadow. Quite handsome I must say. And, as with many photographers, shadows are a subject of interest for me. I share many images of shadows on this blog.

    Additionally in my practice of self-examination along with prayer and meditation I’ve come to know those dark aspects of my personality as present and real, what Jung is referring to as our shadow side. Discovering the dark aspects of my shadow side reminds me of the enjoyable task of learning more about myself and eliminating or reducing those that are negative and harmful. I’m grateful for shadows as a subject to photograph but also because they remind me there is yet more to know about myself. Time to post this as the setting sun is casting long shadows across my front yard. The end of another day.

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  • Food,  gratitude,  writing/reading

    Grateful for…

    January 9, 2023
    This mornings avocado toast at Mugs

    … the breath of life, family, friends, sobriety, journaling, photography, nature, coffee shops, solitude, quiet, prayer, meditation, books, serenity, courage, an open mind, willingness, avocado toast, chocolate and …

    mws

    I would like to invite all who read this post to add to this short list above those things which you are grateful for. You do not need to add them in the comments necessarily but maybe find a piece of paper and write them down as you go through the day. Sunshine and blue skies here. Happy Monday!

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