5D, 35mm Olympus SHIFT lens.
Probably my last post for the year 2009.
I sold my 5D last week and this was the last shot I made with it few days back. What a wonderful camera. I have been thinking of getting a 5Dii, I like everything except the number of megapixels. I may prefer D700 with low mp count. Lets see. Or perhaps the new Pentax 645D.
Better version - http://www.prashanteju.de/PrK_Fall2009_091107_054.html
© Prashant Khapane
www.prashanteju.de
Monday, December 7, 2009
Goodbye Old Friend
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Favorite Images and their makers: Bruce Percy
9. Bruce Percy - The Landscape and the Land
All the images are copyrighted work of Bruce Percy.
Dear friends,
I'm pleased to announce the first installment of an informal chat or interview of sorts with my favorite artists. I know Bruce for past 6-7 years through chat, emails, forums, and his publications. He is one of the few who excels at landscape and people photography. He is also a fine teacher and has golden nuggets hidden in his articles and podcasts. If you have not done it yet, Rush!! Visit his blog, website and podcasts: The Light & the Land
Hi Bruce,
Thanks a lot for your time. Shall we start?
Please tell us about the Artists (not necessarily photographers) who have influenced you? and why?
The biggest influence was music originally. I'm a failed musician so this is really where my 'creative' side originated. I still find that music plays a big part in influencing me and I tend to like listening to people like Joni Mitchel, Lambchop, Classical, Electronic music. Anything that has a twist to it. I often find that music puts me in a place similar to the place that I go to in my head when I'm working on my photography.
For direct influences, Michael Kenna, although a black and white photographer only, has been very influential in how I go about image making. He has an almost religious way of working and it's all about what is within, and not about what is in front of the camera.
Galen Rowell first spurred me on to take pictures of the natural world, but Kenna has allowed me to be brave and depart from reality as and when I choose to do so in my photography.
Any upcoming talent you have become fond of?
I do keep up to date with photographers but there tends to be so many that it's hard to keep track. But I think when you're committed to your own work, you tend to find yourself thinking and working on your own work rather than thinking about someone elses work. I think that's what creates individuality..... I don't feel I do things because I've seen or admired someone elses work. I do what I do because I'm driven to do it.
When I found your website about 5-6 years ago I instantly became a fan of your work and the philosophy behind the work. It was you who convinced me, in a way, that it's not the camera that makes the image but the photographer. Ironically it was also partly your work (there were few others like Guy Tal, Darwin Wiggett etc.) which influenced my decision to purchase medium format equipment and eventually large format. Your thoughts?
It always surprises me how much of an effect or influence I've had on others. I think it's great if someone can inspire you and I've certainly felt at times that I've done that for visitors to my web site. I'm glad you went Medium Format as you were clearly looking to improve your work. But I try to convince people that the gear isn't important, and as much as they all tell me they understand that, they quickly follow it up with asking me what lenses and cameras I use as if it's going to make their images the same as mine !
But I'm pleased I've given you some inspiration.
I know that you used to own 5D and were quite happy for some time at least. However you recently sold most of the EOS lenses and I think also the camera. Would you like to tell us about this decision?
I don't think I was ever really happy with digital. I felt I had to keep giving it a go and thinking that a few months would not be enough time to give it justice. It's rather complex my decisions to get rid of it, but I think the main point was that I felt I'd lost something that was present in my earlier images and I wanted to regain it. I also find it hard to work with too many cameras. Cutting the systems down so you don't have an overlap and know what each are for, is a good thing. I found I was shooting film all the time and knew the digital wouldn't be used. I'm particularly unhappy about the colours and plastic look of digital imagery.
I have always thought of cameras as 'necessary evil - the cables' in a good sound system. Have you ever thought this way?
Yes, a camera is an interface between what you saw and the final image. It should be as transparent and easy to use as possible. Anything that hinders, stops you or takes you out of the creative 'zone' that you might be in is a bad camera. That's why getting to know your gear and working with it for a long time is beneficial. You get so used to it, it becomes second nature. People who buy new lenses and new systems all the time are always going to be impacting their photography and losing creativity because they're unfamiliar with the gear.
Tell us more about your workshops you offer, is it more of 1 to 1 or are there many participants involved? What do you do after a typical photo shoot?
The workshops to date have been in South America. They're really photo safaris where I take people to some special locations for the best times of the day. On a trip like that its hard to give any real solid tuition but everyone goes away happy because they've had an entire week of being immersed in making images. Lots of chatting and sharing thoughts and if we have time, some critiques. I do spend some time with everyone in the field and show them what I do. It's up to you to decide if you like my way of working but I think people find they are more aware of composition, light, etc when they leave.
I know your passion for the light and from what I have gathered via your podcasts that you go beyond the obvious. Any interesting experiences to share about the adventures?
I've fallen into a crevasse in Patagonia once. That was a bit scarey and I knew this all happened because I was determined to get photos in a remote part of the world. There have been a few silly incident for me - often involving cliffs or places I shouldn't have got myself into. I think sometimes it's easy to go too far with photography to the point that you overstep safety at times.
You rarely see photographers doing 'people/portrait' and 'landscape' at the same time. In that sense you are one of the few who manages to come up with fantastic images of people and the land itself. How do you manage this?
I think it's devlopment. I love landscapes and I feel I want to convey a sense of atmosphere in my images of them. But I'm quite a people person too. I love communicating and love different cultures. I think when you become comfortable with photographing landscapes, it's natural to want to graph that know-how onto other areas that you are interested in. I feel if I were just doing landscapes, that it would all be a bit one dimentional for me.
It is difficult, I know, to choose few favorites from a wonderful portfolio of yours. However if you decide to which ones will they be, and why?
When I used to write music, I tended to be very precious of my efforts. It's strange, because my photography has had an impact on a lot of people and as much as I'm passionate about what I do, I find it very easy to distance myself from my work quickly and move on to the next thing.
So I tend to think that the images I like the best are often my most recent images, simply because they're fresh for me.
I had a look at the new portfolio and must congratulate you. I'm looking forward like a kid in the candy store to the images from India.
Thanks!
PS: This entry was published in May 2009, however I managed to delete it from my blog. I have now recreated it. Hope you enjoy it.
All the images are copyrighted work of Bruce Percy.
Dear friends,
I'm pleased to announce the first installment of an informal chat or interview of sorts with my favorite artists. I know Bruce for past 6-7 years through chat, emails, forums, and his publications. He is one of the few who excels at landscape and people photography. He is also a fine teacher and has golden nuggets hidden in his articles and podcasts. If you have not done it yet, Rush!! Visit his blog, website and podcasts: The Light & the Land
Hi Bruce,
Thanks a lot for your time. Shall we start?
Please tell us about the Artists (not necessarily photographers) who have influenced you? and why?
The biggest influence was music originally. I'm a failed musician so this is really where my 'creative' side originated. I still find that music plays a big part in influencing me and I tend to like listening to people like Joni Mitchel, Lambchop, Classical, Electronic music. Anything that has a twist to it. I often find that music puts me in a place similar to the place that I go to in my head when I'm working on my photography.
For direct influences, Michael Kenna, although a black and white photographer only, has been very influential in how I go about image making. He has an almost religious way of working and it's all about what is within, and not about what is in front of the camera.
Galen Rowell first spurred me on to take pictures of the natural world, but Kenna has allowed me to be brave and depart from reality as and when I choose to do so in my photography.
Any upcoming talent you have become fond of?
I do keep up to date with photographers but there tends to be so many that it's hard to keep track. But I think when you're committed to your own work, you tend to find yourself thinking and working on your own work rather than thinking about someone elses work. I think that's what creates individuality..... I don't feel I do things because I've seen or admired someone elses work. I do what I do because I'm driven to do it.
When I found your website about 5-6 years ago I instantly became a fan of your work and the philosophy behind the work. It was you who convinced me, in a way, that it's not the camera that makes the image but the photographer. Ironically it was also partly your work (there were few others like Guy Tal, Darwin Wiggett etc.) which influenced my decision to purchase medium format equipment and eventually large format. Your thoughts?
It always surprises me how much of an effect or influence I've had on others. I think it's great if someone can inspire you and I've certainly felt at times that I've done that for visitors to my web site. I'm glad you went Medium Format as you were clearly looking to improve your work. But I try to convince people that the gear isn't important, and as much as they all tell me they understand that, they quickly follow it up with asking me what lenses and cameras I use as if it's going to make their images the same as mine !
But I'm pleased I've given you some inspiration.
I know that you used to own 5D and were quite happy for some time at least. However you recently sold most of the EOS lenses and I think also the camera. Would you like to tell us about this decision?
I don't think I was ever really happy with digital. I felt I had to keep giving it a go and thinking that a few months would not be enough time to give it justice. It's rather complex my decisions to get rid of it, but I think the main point was that I felt I'd lost something that was present in my earlier images and I wanted to regain it. I also find it hard to work with too many cameras. Cutting the systems down so you don't have an overlap and know what each are for, is a good thing. I found I was shooting film all the time and knew the digital wouldn't be used. I'm particularly unhappy about the colours and plastic look of digital imagery.
I have always thought of cameras as 'necessary evil - the cables' in a good sound system. Have you ever thought this way?
Yes, a camera is an interface between what you saw and the final image. It should be as transparent and easy to use as possible. Anything that hinders, stops you or takes you out of the creative 'zone' that you might be in is a bad camera. That's why getting to know your gear and working with it for a long time is beneficial. You get so used to it, it becomes second nature. People who buy new lenses and new systems all the time are always going to be impacting their photography and losing creativity because they're unfamiliar with the gear.
Tell us more about your workshops you offer, is it more of 1 to 1 or are there many participants involved? What do you do after a typical photo shoot?
The workshops to date have been in South America. They're really photo safaris where I take people to some special locations for the best times of the day. On a trip like that its hard to give any real solid tuition but everyone goes away happy because they've had an entire week of being immersed in making images. Lots of chatting and sharing thoughts and if we have time, some critiques. I do spend some time with everyone in the field and show them what I do. It's up to you to decide if you like my way of working but I think people find they are more aware of composition, light, etc when they leave.
I know your passion for the light and from what I have gathered via your podcasts that you go beyond the obvious. Any interesting experiences to share about the adventures?
I've fallen into a crevasse in Patagonia once. That was a bit scarey and I knew this all happened because I was determined to get photos in a remote part of the world. There have been a few silly incident for me - often involving cliffs or places I shouldn't have got myself into. I think sometimes it's easy to go too far with photography to the point that you overstep safety at times.
You rarely see photographers doing 'people/portrait' and 'landscape' at the same time. In that sense you are one of the few who manages to come up with fantastic images of people and the land itself. How do you manage this?
I think it's devlopment. I love landscapes and I feel I want to convey a sense of atmosphere in my images of them. But I'm quite a people person too. I love communicating and love different cultures. I think when you become comfortable with photographing landscapes, it's natural to want to graph that know-how onto other areas that you are interested in. I feel if I were just doing landscapes, that it would all be a bit one dimentional for me.
It is difficult, I know, to choose few favorites from a wonderful portfolio of yours. However if you decide to which ones will they be, and why?
When I used to write music, I tended to be very precious of my efforts. It's strange, because my photography has had an impact on a lot of people and as much as I'm passionate about what I do, I find it very easy to distance myself from my work quickly and move on to the next thing.
So I tend to think that the images I like the best are often my most recent images, simply because they're fresh for me.
I had a look at the new portfolio and must congratulate you. I'm looking forward like a kid in the candy store to the images from India.
Thanks!
PS: This entry was published in May 2009, however I managed to delete it from my blog. I have now recreated it. Hope you enjoy it.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
100 % ALT
on the lines of '100 % Pestenkaka' by PL...am now 100% ALT gear holder.
I now have my old and beaten 5D.
24mm, 28mm, 35mm SHIFT Olympus
35-70/4 T* Carl Zeiss
more later
I now have my old and beaten 5D.
24mm, 28mm, 35mm SHIFT Olympus
35-70/4 T* Carl Zeiss
more later
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Favorite Images and their makers: Guy Tal Part II
This is the second part of the interview with Guy Tal. First installment can be found here.
Almost every other person has got access to a decent camera and digital darkroom tools. Technology (tools like google map, internet sources) has turned many spots which were relatively unknown until few years back into semi-icon status. You see tons of similar images posted on websites such as flickr. Where do you think this is taking us to? What will happen to the professional photographers who earned their bread and butter via stock images?
Another excellent question and one I can only partially answer. I'm
not a stock photographer myself so will concede there are many others
who can offer a more educated view. My personal sense, seeing the
explosion of Royalty Free imagery and the astounding quality of work
posted on various sites every day, is that stock will never again be
as lucrative as it used to. On the other hand - being financially
successful with photography is only partly attributed to the quality
of the work. Being a good business person is paramount and those who
know how to market and sell will probably continue to thrive but may
need to adapt their business model or add new revenue streams to
remain viable (e.g. workshops, etc.)
As far as unknown locations - that's a double-edged sword. In many
cases sensitive places simply can't sustain high traffic. On the other
hand, if they are unknown they are in danger of being sacrificed for
various extractive interests with no one to protest. I'll avoid the
politics though and say that from an artistic, creative, and spiritual
standpoints I strongly discourage copying other artists' personal
compositions and ideas. I consider it unethical to pass someone else's
image as your own, and by image I mean the concept and visual
arrangement rather than the physical file or film. Just because it's
captured on your memory card doesn't make it your image. The vision
belongs to the artist who conceived it.
I wrote about this quite extensively in the past. Here are a few
relevant articles:
Thoughts on Original Work
Originality and Soul
The First Step Towards Personal Style
In my favorite (and I know it is your favorite too) book 'Mountain Light', Galen Rowell mentions a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Wind, Sand and Stars
I disagree with the interpretation. My view is more in line with the
Confucian principles of Great Leaning -- that every person has the
inherent ability to become great. I have no doubt that much of a
person's future success and potential to realize their talent is
dictated by their upbringing and socioeconomic background but great
art can be found everywhere and cuts across all cultures and tiers of
society. In fact I think at the core of producing great art is the
belief in one's self. I wrote about it in the Third Bullet of my
article Six Silver Bullets.
What I believe Antoine de Saint-Exupéry meant was that people become
set in their ways after the formative childhood period and it becomes
harder and harder to adopt new perspectives and ideas as you get
older. I think one of the most important exercises a person can go
through at any point in their adult life is to take some time to tear
down everything they believe in and that shapes their world views and
question and re-examine it as objectively as they can. It takes a lot
of courage to realize and admit it when your core beliefs (politics,
religion, etc.) no longer align with your perception of reality and to
be willing to rethink your life and be honest with yourself. I had to
do it, and it was a painful experience but looking back I have no
doubt I'm a better person for it.
Who is your hero when it comes to photography and why? Any upcoming talent that you are really become fond of?
There really are too many heroes to list. To me a hero is not just
someone that makes great images but also a great role model in
general. In that sense people like Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Eliot
Porter and others transcend the simple distinction of "great
photographers". They were also great thinkers and activists.
Same for upcoming talents. If you spend any amount of time on
photography forums you will quickly recognize some incredible
photographers, some of whom I'm also proud to have as personal
friends. The ones I consider great are those that not only create
beautiful work but are also passionate about their subject matter and
work to promote their beliefs. I'll stop short of naming individuals
because I'm sure to miss someone.
You recently published two books. How was the experience of working with fellow photographers?
and tell us more about your new book 'Exposures'.
Working with the Mountain Trail team was a wonderful experience.
Everyone brings to the table incredible talent and skill and we were
able to put together a book with a richness and diversity of content
that a single author simply couldn't have. I hope we have more such
projects in the future.
"Exposures" was more of an experiment. I used a print-on-demand
service for it because honestly I didn't know what kind of interest it
would generate. To my surprise I sold quite a few copies, despite the
high cost of print-on-demand publishing, and responses have been very
favorable. It falls into the category I call "vanity books". It's
really about what I'd like to say and hope people will care enough to
be interested. I was very encouraged by the experience and plan to
publish a few more similar titles.
Guy, I would like to thank you very much for your time and wish you all the best.
It is my pleasure. I appreciate the opportunity to share my view and my images!
Best regards,
Prashant
All the images are copyrighted work of Guy Tal.
Almost every other person has got access to a decent camera and digital darkroom tools. Technology (tools like google map, internet sources) has turned many spots which were relatively unknown until few years back into semi-icon status. You see tons of similar images posted on websites such as flickr. Where do you think this is taking us to? What will happen to the professional photographers who earned their bread and butter via stock images?
Another excellent question and one I can only partially answer. I'm
not a stock photographer myself so will concede there are many others
who can offer a more educated view. My personal sense, seeing the
explosion of Royalty Free imagery and the astounding quality of work
posted on various sites every day, is that stock will never again be
as lucrative as it used to. On the other hand - being financially
successful with photography is only partly attributed to the quality
of the work. Being a good business person is paramount and those who
know how to market and sell will probably continue to thrive but may
need to adapt their business model or add new revenue streams to
remain viable (e.g. workshops, etc.)
As far as unknown locations - that's a double-edged sword. In many
cases sensitive places simply can't sustain high traffic. On the other
hand, if they are unknown they are in danger of being sacrificed for
various extractive interests with no one to protest. I'll avoid the
politics though and say that from an artistic, creative, and spiritual
standpoints I strongly discourage copying other artists' personal
compositions and ideas. I consider it unethical to pass someone else's
image as your own, and by image I mean the concept and visual
arrangement rather than the physical file or film. Just because it's
captured on your memory card doesn't make it your image. The vision
belongs to the artist who conceived it.
I wrote about this quite extensively in the past. Here are a few
relevant articles:
Thoughts on Original Work
Originality and Soul
The First Step Towards Personal Style
In my favorite (and I know it is your favorite too) book 'Mountain Light', Galen Rowell mentions a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Wind, Sand and Stars
Nobody grasped you by the shoulder while there was still time. Now the clay of which you were shaped has dried and hardened, and naught in you will ever awaken the sleeping musician, the poet, the astronomer that possibly inhabited you in the beginning.. When I read it my friend he responded in German which can be roughly translated as - He was Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and interpreted as 'You are either born or not as an artist'. Your take?
I disagree with the interpretation. My view is more in line with the
Confucian principles of Great Leaning -- that every person has the
inherent ability to become great. I have no doubt that much of a
person's future success and potential to realize their talent is
dictated by their upbringing and socioeconomic background but great
art can be found everywhere and cuts across all cultures and tiers of
society. In fact I think at the core of producing great art is the
belief in one's self. I wrote about it in the Third Bullet of my
article Six Silver Bullets.
What I believe Antoine de Saint-Exupéry meant was that people become
set in their ways after the formative childhood period and it becomes
harder and harder to adopt new perspectives and ideas as you get
older. I think one of the most important exercises a person can go
through at any point in their adult life is to take some time to tear
down everything they believe in and that shapes their world views and
question and re-examine it as objectively as they can. It takes a lot
of courage to realize and admit it when your core beliefs (politics,
religion, etc.) no longer align with your perception of reality and to
be willing to rethink your life and be honest with yourself. I had to
do it, and it was a painful experience but looking back I have no
doubt I'm a better person for it.
Who is your hero when it comes to photography and why? Any upcoming talent that you are really become fond of?
There really are too many heroes to list. To me a hero is not just
someone that makes great images but also a great role model in
general. In that sense people like Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Eliot
Porter and others transcend the simple distinction of "great
photographers". They were also great thinkers and activists.
Same for upcoming talents. If you spend any amount of time on
photography forums you will quickly recognize some incredible
photographers, some of whom I'm also proud to have as personal
friends. The ones I consider great are those that not only create
beautiful work but are also passionate about their subject matter and
work to promote their beliefs. I'll stop short of naming individuals
because I'm sure to miss someone.
You recently published two books. How was the experience of working with fellow photographers?
and tell us more about your new book 'Exposures'.
Working with the Mountain Trail team was a wonderful experience.
Everyone brings to the table incredible talent and skill and we were
able to put together a book with a richness and diversity of content
that a single author simply couldn't have. I hope we have more such
projects in the future.
"Exposures" was more of an experiment. I used a print-on-demand
service for it because honestly I didn't know what kind of interest it
would generate. To my surprise I sold quite a few copies, despite the
high cost of print-on-demand publishing, and responses have been very
favorable. It falls into the category I call "vanity books". It's
really about what I'd like to say and hope people will care enough to
be interested. I was very encouraged by the experience and plan to
publish a few more similar titles.
Guy, I would like to thank you very much for your time and wish you all the best.
It is my pleasure. I appreciate the opportunity to share my view and my images!
Best regards,
Prashant
All the images are copyrighted work of Guy Tal.
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