Month: January 2015

Photo Story on Russian Pastor by Don Rutledge

by Stanley LearyPhotography
 
© Don Rutledge

I returned today to look at Don Rutledge’s coverage in Russia in the 1980s. Don, more than anyone I ever knew, could tap into the audience’s subconscious through symbolism.

© Don Rutledge

I love the photo of one of the pastors in Russia with the kids. What makes the image even more, is the artwork of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci on the wall behind them.

© Don Rutledge

I remember sitting with Don as he projected each Kodachrome slide on the wall.

The Berlin Wall was still up at the time, and most Americans’ perceptions of the Russians were not reality. Don wanted to show how much we have in common with the people.

© Don Rutledge

Once the audience can relate to the subject, then the message can come through. You can see how Don starts by first establishing the father’s role as a pastor. Then he shows the part of the mother cooking and taking care of the family, just as many women do here in our country.

© Don Rutledge

I was fascinated by how Don talked about just showing the teenagers’ room. He demonstrated how this would look like many teenagers in the state’s rooms might look.

© Don Rutledge

Here he shows how while dad is working on his sermon, his son is working on his homework.

© Don Rutledge

Here we see the family as curious as anyone would be about what is inside the box.

© Don Rutledge

Here the kids are playing follow the leader. What is important to me was hearing how excited Don was about how similar the families were to Americans. Don’s excitement was genuinely childlike.

© Don Rutledge

I felt a father’s love for his family as the photos continued. Here the children play tag with their dad.

© Don Rutledge

Here we see the children being mischievous in plotting something against their dad.

Lesson from Don Rutledge

  • Give your subjects honor, dignity, and respect
  • Look for visuals that you can include in the frame to drive home a message
  • Leave things out of the distracting frame
  • Keep a child’s perspective and excitement
  • Look for visuals that have cross-cultural and language barriers to connect the subject and audience.
  • Know your gear well enough to capture moments as they happen with natural light
  • Be genuine and authentic with your subjects, so they permit you to capture them in any setting because of the trust you have established and honor.
© Don Rutledge

Slide show of the complete coverage:

Nikon D750 vs Fujifilm X-E2 on test chart

by Stanley LearyNikon D750
 
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/16, 1/180

I posted a blog earlier today showing my observations with my moon shots comparing the Nikon D750 to the Fujifilm X-E2. I received many comments that this was not a good test. Well, it wasn’t a test.

Here is a test of the difference between the Nikon D750 and the Fujifilm X-E2 shooting a test image under studio strobes at the same ISO, aperture, and highly close shutter speeds.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/16, 1/180

You can see the overall image of the test image, and then I came in closer on both cameras. Mind that the 24 megapixel is a larger file and has more information than the 16 megapixels of the other camera.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/16, 1/180

I will let you come to your conclusions about the two cameras. The Fujifilm X-E2 shot 83mm, and the Nikon D750 at 85mm. Again some minor differences.

Nikon D750, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/16, 1/200

I will let the photos speak for themselves in this blog post.

Nikon D750, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/16, 1/200
Nikon D750, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 200, ƒ/16, 1/200

Photographing the Moon with both the Nikon D750 and Fujifilm X-E2

by Stanley LearyNikon D750
 
Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 100, ƒ/9, 1/200

I was not planning on comparing the two cameras but ended up noticing quite a difference between the two cameras when taking some photos of the moon.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 800, ƒ/8, 1/4000

While editing the two photos, I noticed a sharpness in the 16-megapixel Fuji image that wasn’t in the Nikon 24-megapixel. Of course, I would expect the Nikon D750 to be sharper.

Nikon D750, ISO 4000, ƒ/5.6, 1/4000

I just put this photo here shot at 1/4000 to quiet those who think the softness of the D750 was from camera movement. It is the filter.

Until recently, virtually all digital cameras had anti-aliasing or low-pass filter over the sensor. This filter softened the image very slightly to reduce the likelihood of moiré patterning happening in parts of the photo close to the sensor’s resolution limit.

There is no filter on the Fuji, and there is one on the Nikon D750.

The benefit of leaving off the filter is that the camera can record a little more detail and produce slightly sharper images, with less need for post-capture sharpening.

Nikon just introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show this week their new Nikon D5500, whose high-resolution sensor has no optical low-pass filter. It joins the Nikon D810, which doesn’t have an anti-aliasing or low-pass filter over the sensor.

I think we may be experiencing a change in the industry. Since the Nikon D800E, we have seen more cameras without anti-aliasing, or low-pass, filter over the sensor. Removing the filter is because the pixel density of sensors has become so high that there are fewer and fewer patterns that we are likely to photograph with a high enough frequency to cause moiré patterning.

2015 Time For New Beginnings

by Stanley LearyNikon D4
 
Fujifilm X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 500, ƒ/14, 1/500 
It is the beginning of a new year, and we need to look back for a great perspective on the year ahead of us.
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S, Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/160
Aeneas Demetrius Williams is a former American football cornerback and free safety who played with the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was the featured speaker at the FCA Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Breakfast — at Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Aeneas said his strength is the ability to forget about a bad play and focus on what is happening right now. He can move on where many players go down a spiral of bad plays because their head is on what they screwed up and not on what they need to do. That is an excellent message for all of us at the beginning of the New Year. A New year is a time for a new start, and the reality is we should always be looking at what we can do rather than what we could have done.
Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/500
We must choose between two paths or more. Which direction will you take in the year ahead?
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 800, ƒ/9, 1.3 sec
Where do you want to go?
Take a moment and look around you and be realistic. What are some places where you see the potential for growth that the community needs–not just what you want to do? Then, bounce these ideas off a few people for their perspective and listen.
 
What is missing in the portfolio?
Once you have an idea of some things you want to pursue, take a moment and review your portfolio. Does your portfolio show you have done what you want to propose to clients and potential customers?
 
Find the personal project.
Take the time to create a portfolio of work and specifically show what you can do if given a chance. Very few clients, if any, will provide you with the opportunity to shoot something for them that you haven’t done before. So go and create a work package showing what you can produce. A couple of things happen once you have made a package that will be in your portfolio that offers all you can do. First, you may get people’s attention to want you to do this for them. Since you have done this before, they may give you more creative control since they haven’t managed a project like this before.
 
Create a plan and timeline
Once you have an idea, then execute the idea. You need to get that unique project on the calendar now, not in a couple of months, or you are losing time to show clients. Find a way that you can execute your creative concept efficiently. Try and minimize all the variables that you will not have control over. For example, you may want to shoot something in your hometown or backyard instead of traveling worldwide.
 
Make 2015 a Remarkable Year!
This time next year, you want to be able to say that you did something new and different this year to stretch and grow. 

Nikon D750 best portrait lens

by Stanley LearyNikon D750 / Portraits

Click Here for Enlarged View

Choosing the right lens for doing a portrait can significantly impact your subject and how they look. Above, I shot these photos, filling the frame so that the head size was pretty close to the same size in the frame.

I shot all these photos on the Nikon D750 using three lenses: 1) AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED; 2) AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR; & Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G.I believe the wide angle and the extreme telephoto lens affect how a person’s face appears.

The wide angle makes a person’s nose bigger because it is closer to the camera, and the ears are much wider. The distance between the nose and ears compresses as you go to a longer focal length.

My favorite lens for portraits with the full frame DSLR is the Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G.

Nikon D750, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 250, ƒ/1.8, 1/100

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Highlights

by Stanley LearyNikon D4 / Sports
 
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S [600mm], Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/2000

These are just photos from my daily coverage of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl held at the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome.

It starts early in the morning, covering the FanZone before the game. FanZone is where fans can have fun at different exhibits.

Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

The fans also see their teams and coach up close during the team walks.

Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

Bowls are not just about the game. Bowls are where fans travel a long way, and the cities that host these significant events do everything they can to welcome them and make them feel like this was a remarkable experience.

It is not just to show something happened; it is essential to show how fans emotionally connect with the city and each other.

 
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S [600mm], Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/800

One of the most challenging things to cover for a sports photographer is a blowout, or maybe even just a low-scoring game comes close.

Why is this so hard? First, the offense looks like they are the only ones on the field. The defense isn’t up on the offense, giving pressure, which shows competition and creates excitement with the photos.

Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S [600mm], Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/1000

I shot ten excellent photos before the defense caught up with the offense in this play. TCU’s wide receiver #7, Kolby Listenbee, was wide open and had a lot of room between him and Ole Miss before they finally stopped him.

Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S [600mm], Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/1600

After editing some 2000+ images from the day, I can tell that TCU’s defense was always moving toward the ball, as you can see in their pursuit of Ole Miss’ quarterback here. Compare this to the Ole Miss player watching the play in the photo below.

Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S [600mm], Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/1600

I took the time to move around to the press box to get the different angles of the game and halftime.

Nikon D4, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM, ISO 4000, ƒ/2.8, 1/2000

Capturing the branding of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl helped to quickly distinguish this photo from a typical game and other games.

Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S [550mm], Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/1250

The one thing I like about the game is the logo is on the uniforms, so even when you shoot a tight photo, you capture the Bowl Game distinction.

Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S [360mm], Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/500

On paper, I thought this would be one of the better and closer games that the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has held. Last year’s matchup between Duke and Texas A&M, to me, on paper, was going to be the blowout. That game was the 4th best-rated game for the entire season.

Ole Miss Rebels’ defense was ranked first in the nation, with its average of only 13.8 points allowed. The TCU Horned Frogs fielded the nation’s most improved offense in total yards and scoring this season and set new school records for points, passing yards, and total offense. How could this not be a great game?

Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S [600mm], Sigma 2X, ISO 12800, ƒ/5.6, 1/800

The Horned Frogs delivered one of the most telling statements of the 2014 bowl season by demolishing No. 9 Ole Miss 42-3 in the Georgia Dome. They did it against one of the most formidable defenses in the country, and they silenced critics who questioned TCU’s spot among college football’s premier programs.

Technical

I have been using the Sigma 1.4X and 2X converters.

I do know that not using this will render even sharper photos. Sigma has new converters, but they have yet to make it to the camera distributors. I hope to upgrade my converter and possibly get better results.

The new version only works on a couple of lenses and is specifically designed for the Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM S. Stay tuned for when I finally have one and can test this.