"Refugees Welcome"

After a lot of debate I decided to title this image "Refugees Welcome".  In the past 6 months the topic of refugees has been dominant in the news. With Canada as one of the countries that has openly welcomed refugees, I felt this image represented the statement appropriately.  The concrete totems can be viewed as either emerging or going into the St. Lawrence river in Northern Quebec.A little back story on this image:  we had picked a number of location to photograph this morning but the incessant rain messed up our plans.  So we stopped for a second breakfast and more coffee.  - Well one just cant keep sitting in a restaurant for ever so I decided to get this image rain or no rain.  It was pouring but I had my GH5 with the 12 - 35 mm f/2.8 (version 1) lens attached.  I wanted to slow the shutter down so as to prevent capturing the water drops splashing on the water but was not going to venture back to the car to get my ND filters.  I had my polarizer on so I closed down the aperture to f/18 that was enough to give me a shutter speed of 60 seconds at ISO 100  - yes it was quite dark and miserable.  I held my hand over the front of the lens to prevent rain from ruining the image.  The camera and lens were soaked but I got the image.  I am convinced, first hand - the Panasonic Lumix GH5 is great in the rain.  One day I might consider doing a dust test - Africa or India would be great for that.The following images are ones I have already posted on Facebook but wanted to include them as a record of the trip to Northern Quebec and New Brunswick over the 4th of July weekend 2017.     

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The Joy of Mirrorless and IR

Lumix G7 converted to Super Color IR (590nm)Typical cameras are designed to capture the visible spectrum. Geting your camera converted to capture IR opens up another world of photography.Keep in mind that IR wavelength is longer than the wavelength range of the visible spectrum and thereby focuses differently.  When you convert a DSLR you are limited to certain focus adjustments that must be made so as to achieve the best quality of images with sharp focus.  As lenses with different focal lengths behave differently you need to select one lens and have the camera sensor calibrated to achieve sharp focus with that lens.  Any other lenses will not be in a position to achieve good focus.  Live view can help but it is not the best option.Mirrorless cameras on the other hand rely on the imaging sensor for focus attainment and metering they are able to discern the IR focus shift in real time and adjust accordingly. This feature allows you to use any lens, prime or zoom and capture sharp IR images.In my opinion a mirrorless cameras with no in body image stabilization is a better choice for conversion.Lifepixel is who I use and their service and conversions are exceptional. Click on the icon to get started.LifePixel Digital Infrared Photography IR ConversionUse the coupon code shivverma50 to get $50 Off with a Priority Processing Upgrade - this coupon code expires on August 6, 2016

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