Instagram, My 2¢

What is Instagram? Have a look here, here, and here.

So, you need a mobile devise. Which I don't have ...... yet. The attraction of the app, from what I can see, is that anyone who can take a photo with their iPhone or Android can then apply some quick processing and upload the image for all the world to see. Everyone can bathe in the incredible creativity that the app allows to blossom (because, of course, given that we all have the spark of God in us, we are all artists). I'm sure there are many millions of photos uploaded every day. And I'm sure that there are very capable photographers who will invest the time and effort to generate a following and gain recognition for their work. As with everything else, cream will rise to the surface.

I may embrace this technology, maybe not. It's too soon to tell, and since I don't own a device (again .... yet) that would allow me to indulge in the frenzy I can't make any evaluations about my personal involvement.

But what will the phenomenon do for photography in general? Well, it can't hurt. The digital photography revolution has changed the way we all view pictures because so many people have some kind of picture creating devise now. Sure, most of them may be crap. And sure, most of the picture takers haven't got a clue as to how to take a good photo. But many more people are involved now than ever before. Our awareness of images and the impact they can have on our lives has increased exponentially - no matter whether they are viewed on an iPhone, iPad, computer screen, in a gallery or museum, or a publication. 

There will most definitely be much more dross mucking up the bottom of the picture barrel, but there will also be more cream rising to the surface. At my age I recognize that I'm on the downside of my creative life. Although my capacity to do so is limited, I still push forward and embrace new technology. I can be happy using whatever new tools I can absorb into my workflow to enhance my creative output, even though it may not be everything that becomes de rigueur. 

Here's my image for today, created with my very old workflow which employs technology that I began using about six months ago (heaven forfend)!

Go, Man, Go!

Columbus Park is at the  lower end of Chinatown, just behind the New York City municipal complex of police buildings, jails, and courthouses. On weekends throughout the year the park is a space for social gatherings, Chinese opera performances, card games, and Go. 

Go is a Chinese board game that developed early in the first millennium CE and spread to Japan and Korea. There are variants of the basic game, which in its Japanese form uses a board of squares 19x19 and small checker-like pieces of black or white. The rules and basic idea of the game seem simple, but the strategy is quite complex (at least to my occidental mind). The version of the game played in the park uses a board (or cloth) comprising squares 8x8 and large pieces with chinese designations on them.

Saturday was a very sunny day, but the park is surrounded and filled with very tall trees which, when in full foliage, create a wonderful tapestry of light and shadows. I was attracted to one game in particular because the sun was streaming through the leaves to highlight the Go board, and the light was reflected back up to the player's face.

I was fascinated by the intense expression on the player's face, and the opinions reflected in the faces of his 'advisors' standing behind him.

Back To Me!

I feel as though I've been given a new lease on life. I'm going to try a pool workout tomorrow morning. After over two weeks away I probably will be buzzing and tired at the same time. I was out for a long photo walk in Manhattan yesterday. Started across Canal Street, down to Columbus Park in Chinatown. then back up West Broadway through the West Village to Penn Station - just about four miles.

Canal Street, on a weekend when the weather is good, is buzzing with activity. Shoppers for jewelry and clothing bargains, chinese fish and vegetable markets, street vendors selling $25 Rolex watches (yeah, right.....). It's a streettog's dream. Columbus park always buzzes with goings on - chinese opera performers, Go players, card games - it's a mad social scene. 

As much as I've been practicing with my focus technique using the Fuji X-Pro1, I still have a little ways to go. I discovered a flaw yesterday squeezing the shutter button with my very impatient right hand index finger. For moving subjects, when I don't have time to get the camera up to my eye for a proper framing, I've been firing the shutter in one motion - as opposed to my old DSLR technique of depressing the button half way to get the focus set (after the zzzzzz sound) and then firing, works with the DSLR because the motors are so fast. With the XP1 I can nail movement most of the time by the one motion squeeze because the shutter won't fire until the focus is locked, so there's a very slight delay in the firing. The trick is to keep the shutter pressed and the camera still until I can feel the shutter click (it's impossible to 'hear' because the shutter is so silent). I started off with a squeeze and immediately release, so I missed quite a few shots. Then I tried the more patient and relaxed way, and shazam (as in Captain Marvel), it worked! 

Here's two shots on Canal Street of the same young lady. I processed this first one and was quite pleased with it, especially the leg position of the mannequin and the girl.

But then, after a second review of the images I shot yesterday, I also liked this shot. The leg and body positions are a little more subtle, and the processing a bit brighter.

There's nothing wrong with liking them both.

What.....?

As I was walking back to Penn Station yesterday, I turned the corner onto 57th Street and saw a woman facing away from me. Leopard skin hat, paisley jacket, striped pats suit - I had no idea what was in store for me when she turned around, but I knew it had to be interesting. I picked up the camera to compose the shot of her back, and just as I was ready to push the shutter she turned and looked right into the lens. I knew there's be no chance for a second shot so I pressed the shutter and prayed that the autofocus would click in. After I walked past her I was tempted to 'chimp' the shot (look at it on the LCD) but I knew if I'd missed it I'd feel terrible, and if I got it, I probably wouldn't pay attention for the rest of the walk back.  Her hands came up when she saw me with the camera almost in her face, as if to say 'What ......?'

Just another typical New Yorker.

Back At It

Finally, I'm getting back into my New York street peregrinations. I'm still not at 100%, but I was out this afternoon and it felt really good. I didn't see much, but that's not because it wasn't there to see. I'm still fuzzy headed. What I could shoot had some substance to it, but could have been done better technically. But still, it was fun.

I've pretty much got the hand grip and position of the X-Pro1 worked out. I'll be getting at thumb grip that fits into the hot shoe, and that should go a long way to getting my fat thumb out of the way of some buttons and controls. My focus timing still needs some work - I miss quite a few shots still - but it's coming along. 

What I really need most of all is a heavy dose of patience. That's the biggest hurdle for me to overcome with the XP1. Shooting with it is so different compared to the DSLR experience. Working with the XP1 is much like handling my Leica M6. That's a good thing for me. I fell into a trap with my D700, using it's technical speed and accuracy to replace my intention. The XP1 really forces me to think ahead and prepare the moment better. And that can only help to make me a better photographer.

As I was walking across West 57th street this afternoon, I passed these two girls. Something clicked in my head when I saw them, but I was thinking about a shot I'd just taken a few moments before and I was past them when it finally registered. Luckily I was still close enough to turn and catch up to them. I actually like this shot better than if I'd gotten their faces - which would have distracted from what originally caught my attention.

Say hello to the polka-dot sisters.

On The High Line

I went out for a walk on New York's High Line yesterday to get my walking legs back into shape after a layoff of two weeks. The High Line is an elevated rail line that was built after World War I so as to move freight between the New York Hudson River docks and manufacturing sites. The original tracks were at ground level, but there were so many accidents with pedestrians and other vehicles that the elevated tracks became a necessity. The elevated line runs between very narrow gaps of buildings. It's been made into a city park with interesting views of the city skyline and the Hudson River, and in the couple of years since it's beginning the trees and other horticulture has really begun to develop and grow. It's also an ideal spot for people watching and candid street shooting.

I continue to be surprised by the quality of the images the Fuji X-Pro1 is capable of producing. The camera's color renditions are strong and its ability to handle a wide exposure range makes it a match for any pro level dslr. Here's a color shot with very little processing to it, mostly white and black point adjustment. The camera registered the bright highlights of the clouds and the white building in the background, as well as the subtle differences in the white and yellow stripes of the girl's shirt, and still held detail in the shadows of the dark girl's shaded face. The details in the black hair and the knitted pattern of the girl's blue blouse give the image a real feeling of texture.

Back At It

After two weeks of no shooting I was back at it again today. During the two week layoff I acquired some rust. I think that no matter where I decided to go today, it would have been an uninspired walk. I was just too preoccupied with monitoring how I felt to be able to really see what was going on around me.

The walk, however, gave me a chance to experiment with a different camera strap. Up till now I'd been using the standard neck strap on my X-Pro1 which I liked because it was very lightweight and thin. I could hang the camera around my neck, over my shoulder, or wrap the strap around my wrist and carry the camera in my hand at my hip. But that presented some difficulty in taking vertical shots from chest level - that was my favorite position for the D700 while walking. I transferred the R-Strap, which I'd been using for three years, from the Nikon to the Fuji camera. At first it felt a little strange, because the XP1 is so light I felt as though there was nothing on the end of the strap. But it did the job. I could hold the camera in vertical orientation much more comfortably in the middle of my chest. I wish I had gotten some good shots to show you today, but I'm sure there will be another opportunity this week. For now, here's two horizontal shots from last month.