Shooting Portra 400 film on the Golden Gate Bridge
Read MoreStreet Photos of Mardi Gras in Nevada City
After an interesting and eye opening chat I had with Reuben Redding a few weeks ago, I have been shooting various subjects with different cameras in an effort to try and find my way. One thing that came up in that discussion was that I seem to want to label myself a “street photographer” or a “landscape photographer” instead of just a “photographer.”
Read MoreChristmas Trip to Disneyland in Black and White
During the holidays, the park is transformed into a winter wonderland of festive decorations and classic holiday music. The celebratory mood of all the families, the the aroma of baking treats, mixed with the holiday-themed decorations, evokes a nostalgia of days of Christmas past.
Read MoreWalking Tour of Historic Folsom with the Leica Q2 Monochrom
I recently acquired a Leica Q2 Monochrom to see how I like it compared to my M10 Monochrom. As I'm getting older, autofocus is something I'm becoming more interested in having, especially for candid and travel photography.
Read MoreNavigating Burnout in Photography
Making a living with photography is my goal, but am I willing to kill my love of the art form to achieve it? And if I’m not, am I really going to make any money? These are questions I’m constantly wrestling with and are likely behind my periodic bouts of burnout. And when I burnout on photography, I mean it.
Read MorePost Processing Leica Monochrom Images in Lightroom
A behind the scenes look at my post-processing techniques for Leica Monochrom image files using Lightroom, Silver Efex Pro, and Photoshop
Read MoreWhat Makes A Good Street Photograph?
Street photography is a bit of a mystery to me. Probably because its origins are surrounded in mystique and filled with famous names and even more famous photographs. But what sets an iconic street photograph apart from just an average or a not very good one?
Read MoreElk Sunset
The sun was setting, the waves were crashing, and I didn’t have a tripod to capture the moment. On top of that, all I had with me was a black and white camera. Who shoots coastal sunsets in black and white? The answer: I do.
Read MoreUsing Lightroom to Post Process Your Leica Monochrom Landscape Photos
As the owner of a Leica Monochrom, you will know that there is no color information available with the .dng files from the camera. Since the color filter array has been removed from the sensor, there will be no way to manipulate the different “colors” of grayscale like when you convert a color photo by setting the Treatment to Black and White in Lightroom.
Read MoreQuarantine in Roseville
How the Pandemic is Affecting My Hometown
I’ve spent most of my time during shelter-in-place secluded at home. I’ve been doing what a lot of photographers have been doing and taking pictures around the house and backyard. This past weekend I finally had had enough and needed to get out of the house and take some pictures of the local area. I felt it was important to preserve the impact the pandemic has had on my local town in pictures.
Roseville is best known for its Automall and the large shopping mall. I didn’t drive by the Automall but I did go to the popular local church and a couple of restaurants. Also, I took a walk through downtown Roseville to see how the local shops and restaurants were dealing with the crisis. The place was a ghost town with only a handful of people out and about on a beautiful spring day. The last places I visited were a strip mall with lots of popular restaurants and one of our movie theaters.
It’s such an eerie feeling to see a normally bustling society shrink back inside its walls. Life is scary and unpredictable at the moment, but it has also been simplified. I think the one silver lining that will emerge at the end of all of this will be the appreciation for the quieter aspects of life: spending time with family; enjoying a meal at a restaurant with friends; watching a ball game on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Perhaps a lot of us will realize that all the stress and constant motion in our previous lives were unnecessary?
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you and yours stay safe and healthy during these precarious times.
David
Weekend in Napa with Lomography Color 800 Film
Lomography 800 Film: An Interesting Color Palette
On a beautiful weekend at the end of March, my wife and oldest daughter went down to Napa for the weekend. The weather had been rainy and cold for most of the month but the sun and warmth came out for that weekend. Before our trip, I had recently received Lomography’s 800 speed color film in the mail and I was anxious to try it out. I thought the way the film treated colors was pretty cool and I thought Napa would be the perfect place to try it out. I left all my digital equipment at home and just brought along my Leica M6 with the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 lens. The 800 speed was a little too much in the bright daylight, but it definitely came in handy indoors. I really like how it handles the warmer tones, especially reds and oranges. I have more rolls in the fridge and after the results you see here, I will definitely be using this film again.
David