Self Portrait Photography, a Review

Olympus E5 and 35-100 Zuiko f2 lens at ISO 200 f5.6 1/250 of a second.  Two image composite

Sometime this fall I did a photo on a whim at the last minute during a session.  We had wrapped up and it occurred to me that I wanted one more photo, so in about five minutes we pulled off the above image.  I posted the image on Facebook and received a question if I was inspired by Miss Aniela.  I had no idea who that was so I looked her up.  Miss Aniela who's real name is Natalie Dybisz became well known on Flickr for a series of self portraits, some of which showed her suspended in air by some photoshop trickery.  I thought I had never heard of her, but once I looked her up I recognized some of her images and realized I had seen her in a magazine or looked her up previously.  So, possibly I was inspired by her.  Who knows.  Sometimes that's how photography works, you see images you like and your brain just catalogue's them.

This all inspired me to order her book on Amazon which is titled 'Self Portrait Photography; The Ultimate in Personal Expression.'  You can find a link on the top right of the blog.  When the book arrived and I started reading it I was a little underwhelmed.  It started off with discussion the art and history of self portraiture (which was interesting) and then several pages on equipment and technique such as why you should use a tripod or a remote shutter release.  This bugged me as I hate buying books with information I could have written myself, but once I pulled my head out of the sand I realized her target audience for the book is likely people wanting to get started with self-portraiture.  Meaning people that might not have any equipment or photographic knowledge of any kind.  So, it wasn't really about appealing to photographers.  If you have any basic knowledge of photography, I encourage you to look at the photos in the beginning chapters and skip the text.  If you are new to photography it's a good read, though not really a detailed step by step photographic 'how to' section either.

The discussion then moves onto subjects like posing, locations and hair/makeup.  This is pretty helpful for photographers working with models as well as self-portrait creators.  A chapter on post processing follows which again might appeal to the more novice reader. Having said that, I appreciated her philosophy on post processing and particularly on getting the capture in camera as correct as you can before the editing process.

Chapter five of the book showcases several other self-portraitists.  This was probably my favourite section of the book and in fact my favourite artist of the book was featured here, Annette Pehrsson who's melancholic yet peaceful imagery really inspired me.

The book wraps up with a discussion on marketing images which can be helpful to photographers that are self portraitists or just us regular types as well.  Overall I really liked this book.  I appreciated the art, and the process by which Natalie works.  Several of her images were really inspiring for me as a photographic artist.  I was even inspired to improve on the quickly produced image above with one that showed a better use of the environment which you can see in this post on the blog from December 7th.  If you are wanting to pursue self portraiture I can't think of a better or more relevant book on the market.  This book should also be of interest to photographers that find 'Miss Aniela's' images of interest as she does talk in general about how she produced several of her photographs.

Thanks for dropping by the blog, I wish you a happy 2012!

Christmas Play

I'm sitting waiting for my daughter's Christmas play to start, Canon 5D MKII in hand with the 135 f2.0 lens. Wondering. Should I have just used this iPhone I'm typing on? I love just being the parent, not the official guy with the big camera.

I just wanted to add that I came across a site called Kickstarter where people put up projects they are working on and try and get some crowd sourced funding to complete it.  I have actually visited the site before but I had forgotten about it.  There is a whole section on photography and one project in particular caught my attention called the "Unknown Photographer," so I ended up making a pledge for it.  If you have a minute go ahead and check out the site, there just might be a photography project that strikes a cord for you!  And no, I don't have any projects on there looking for pledges!  

Thanks again for dropping by the blog!

The Interview

My good friend Adam and I were interviewed for the Vancouver Island Photography blog recently.  I thought that was pretty cool so wanted to share.  You can view it HERE.  Thanks for dropping into the blog!

Canon 5DmkII with 50mm f1.4 lens at ISO 160 f9.0 1/125 of a second

Olympus XZ-1 First Impressions

My wife recently asked me to help her buy a camera for her office as they wanted something decent that they could use at trade shows and conferences etc.  Of course she must have known that whatever I suggested it would be something that was going to meet their needs and peek my interest as well.

Yes this is an iPhone photo......sorry  :)

When I first saw the XZ-1 I was impressed with the build quality and the lens, but thought it was a bit too small.  It struck me as interesting competition for the Panasonic LX5 and Canon G12 crowd.  I liked that they kept megapixels down to 10 and that they seemed to understand that photographers wanted a hotshoe, manual controls and if they couldn't have a viewfinder (an optional add on one is available) then they wanted a great screen.  After holding it in the store though I didn't like how small it felt in my hands. It just broke the barrier into being too small.  

f2.0 1/80 second ISO 200 with grainy black and white filter.  Out of camera jpg.

Well my wife often takes photos indoors at business events.  She isn't going to lug around a DSLR, and is intimidated my most cameras.  The XZ-1, while being a true enthusiast camera with full manual controls also has a i-auto function and several automatic settings.  It has a separate video recording button for high definition video when she needs it, and it's well suited to her small little hands and will easily fit in a purse with it's point and shoot size.  The fact that the camera is well suited and designed for low light shooting with that 1.8 lens and unpacked low density 10mp sensor is something she doesn't understand, but will appreciate in the results.  Especially since their general use is for web photos, not large prints.

f2.2 1/80 second ISO 200 with grainy black and white filter.  Out of camera jpg

So I used the camera indoors the day we bought it, and after the battery was charged.  To be honest I did quickly get used to the small size of the camera.  I didn't spend too much time with it though as we were to spend the day Christmas shopping.  Today my daughter and I went out with our cameras for a walk (she brought her indestructible Olympus 850SW waterproof camera seen above) and I gave it a good shaking out.  It was a short test though so this post is meant to be a first impression post, not really a full review.

f1.8 1/1000 of a second ISO 500 out of camera jpg.

We walked through a forest with some strong sunlight going through the trees, then went to the park to hit the swings.  Finally we went to a graffiti covered wall near the railroad tracks by our home.  You can view the full sized images in this post on my flickr stream though the link by clicking on the image.

f1.8 1/1000 second ISO 400 in 'Sports Mode' out of camera jpg.

Lets start with the bad and what I don't really love about the camera:

• It is a bit too small for regular to large hands (I have very average sized hands) 
• It doesn't have a built in viewfinder (though you can get an external one and the screen is quite good)
• It doesn't track moving subjects too well, but it is good for a point and shoot, just won't beat your DSLR.  To be clear, the camera focuses faster than any point and shoot I can remember using, but it did miss most of the photos of my daughter swinging which is a hard test even for a DSLR as she was swinging toward me.  It's good for a point and shoot, but it isn't a sports camera.
• the auto white balance isn't very accurate in tungsten lighting (much too warm).  If indoors, shoot RAW.
• While the camera feels well built, the buttons and little wheel on the back feel a little flimsy
• I've never really been a fan of the zoom with the toggle switch on point and shoots.
• The lens cap attaches to the camera via an included little string strap, but it's kind of annoying.
• You have to charge the camera with the battery inside the camera either through USB cable to your computer or a USB power adaptor (included) in a regular wall outlet.  This isn't great if you want to charge a second battery while still using the camera.  Pretty much defeats the purpose of buying a second battery actually.

f2.2 1/80 second ISO 100 with dramatic art filter applied, out of camera jpg.

Here is what I do like:

• The camera feels very well constructed
• The lens has a wheel around it for changing aperture much like the old aperture dials on lenses.  I LOVE that!  It is used for other settings when in modes where you can't control the aperture, such as changing art modes etc.  I hope other camera manufacturers pay attention to this.  
• 10mp restraint is a bonus
• the lens which starts at a super bright 1.8 on the wide end to 2.5 on the longest zoom end is very nice.  As usual with Olympus, this is a very nice lens.
• A hot shoe gives so many options from flashes and Pocket Wizards to adding the viewfinder and audio accessories.  
• The LCD screen is bright and clear.
• Full manual controls
• You can shoot in RAW
• Good image quality
• the art filters are fun.  I enjoy them on all the Olympus cameras.  I can't believe I like them as much as I do, but there you have it.  

f2.0 1/60 of a second ISO 100.  Grainy black and white filter, in camera jpg.

I think this little camera is going to be perfect for my wife.  I'd like to play with it some more, and I'm sure I'll get too.  In my opinion the point and shoot market is pretty much dead and sold over to cell phones in today's market with the exception of exceptional cameras.  What I mean by that, is that the point and shoots have to offer something that the phones can't.  The Olympus XZ-1 offers superior image quality, full manual controls and really exceptional low light performance for a small sensored camera.  My daughters drop proof, water proof, crush proof, freeze proof camera offers me, the parent peace of mind.  It's these types of things that manufacturers have to emphasize, and I think they have realized it and don't need me to remind them.  The Olympus XZ-1 is a big hit for me.  I think that they are on the right track in a market started by Canon with the G series and nearly perfected  by Panasonic with the LX series while being innovated by Fuji with the X10.  For about $450, the Olympus is money well spent.

f1.8 1/60th of a second ISO 100 in dramatic tone art filter mode, out of camera jpg.

Thanks for dropping by the Photography Ramblings blog.  I appreciate your visit.