Iceland - August 2015 Day 1
It was unfortunate that we had very poor internet service this trip to Iceland hence no posts. This was a small group photo tour to the Snaefelsness Peninsula and the Highlands. The trip was 11 days with 10 of them rainy and very windy - this is Iceland after all. We arrived at a decent hour in Keflavik and on to the car rental. The morning was spent organizing cell phone SIM cards, drinks and snacks. We had breakfast at a quaint little breakfast pleace in Reykjavik. Walked about town and then drove on to a fishing village Hellnar and checked in to the hotel.A brief trip along the Southern coast before dinner and bed. Note that this and most if the images in subsequent posts lack great skies.
China - a 15 day Photo Tour
Shanghai-Luoping-YuanYang
February 21st - March 6th, 2016 (15 days/14 nights)
Shiv Verma Photography in partnership with Adventures in Photography, LLC is please to announce a trip of a lifetime to China. (CLICK HER FOR DETAILS)
Panasonic Lumix FZ1000
Received an evaluation unit of this bridge camera this afternoon. The camera has an incredible 24 to 400 mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8 lens that will blow you away. BTW the lens has the Leica designation. More on this camera in a future post but this was the first image shot out my back door. A juvenile male Downy Woodpecker. Not the best lighting conditions but the camera and lens performed really well. The crop represents less than 15% of the original image before being resized for this blog. Click on the image for a larger rendition.
Unique Photo Expo
Unique Photo is having their 3 day extravaganza the Unique Photo Expo.June 26th – June 28th, 2015In association with AIP I am presenting Travel Photography With a Mirrorless Camera on Saturday afternoon. To learn more about this program, check out the following link:https://www.uniquephoto.com/event/728The event is at the Unique Photo Superstore located at 123 US Route 46 West in Fairfield, NJ 07004Details at: https://www.uniquephoto.com/expoAs a special incentive, anyone that mentions AIP at the door will get a $10.00 token which can be applied to any purchase.AIP will have a table at the event. Stop by and say hello.
Peony
"Dusk on the FlowerOf the white peonyThat embraces the moon."Gyodai - Haiku from the Edo period (1603 - 1868)
This image was inspired by Chinese/Japanese art where paintings of peonies proliferate. In this culture, it is not only the symbol of wealth and status but can also be a metaphor for female beauty. In Western culture the flower was named after the Greek God Paeon. The root of the white peony like many other plants is used for medicinal purposes.
As a photographer the beauty of this flower captivates and inspires me.
Since there is no direct translation of my name into Chinese, I had to create my own "chop" - an an S and a V.
Bridging the Gaps
June 12, I got to see the Greenway Project’s latest artwork a little over a month after its installation. Boston’s aerial rope sculpture created by the artist Janet Echelman is an exquisite sight at night. The ropes are over 100 miles long and the sculpture has nearly 550,000 knots. It is anchored to a few buildings and lit using multicolored led lights. A long exposure bridges the gaps between the ropes as I feel this signifies the coming together for all in this great city.
“My sculpture for Boston above the Rose Kennedy Greenway spans the void where an elevated highway once split downtown from its waterfront. Knitting together the urban fabric, it soars 600 feet through the air above street traffic and Pedestrian Park.The sculpture's form echoes the history of its location. The three voids recall the "Tri-Mountain" which was razed in the 18th-Century to create lands from the harbor. The colored banding is a nod to the six traffic lanes that once overwhelmed the neighborhood, before the Big Dig buried them and enable the space to be reclaimed for urban pedestrian life.” An extract from the artist’s statement.
Rendezvous with the Sensuous
"Every direction offers a lesson in form and aesthetic options; one element after another attracts the eye with texture, color and tension that provokes a spectrum of emotion."an excerpt from Rendezvous with the Sensuous: Readings on Aesthetics - Linda Ardito, John Murungi
Hummingbird Moth Hemaris thysbe
The Hummingbird Moth Hemaris thysbe, unlike most moths that are nocturnal or shade loving, is seen on bright sunny days. It is a fantastic hovering species that flies like a hummingbird and hence its name.They feed on nectar using a very long proboscis. Their wings flap at incredible speeds. This image was captured at 1/1600 sec and I was unable to freeze the wings.
Peak Design - CLUTCH - an excellent hand strap
This is the second in my three-part review of the Peak Design camera strap product line. Here I review the Clutch. This is a comfortable and beautifully constructed support strap. This is no ordinary hand strap, it is not only easy to attach but has a wonderful feel around the back of your hand.
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The top end is attached to the strap loop of your camera via a looped band that is then attached to the strap using a spring-loaded trap-door style locking mechanism. The other end is connected via an Anchor Link attached to the supplied camera base plate or your Really Right Stuff compatible plate.
I attached this to all three of my mirrorless cameras and my wife’s Canon 6D. I found it to be most comfortable when attached using the supplied plate or the RRS plate on my Panasonic GH4 and with the Canon 6D. On the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the Sony A7R the RRS plate extends too far to the right that provides too much slack. This slack has the Anchor Link clasp interfering with your hand and is not comfortable at all. However if you use the supplied base plate this is no longer an issue.Once the Clutch is properly attached it is a breeze to tighten it for a perfect grip by pulling on the tab of the tightening band. To loosen, you simply lift on the end of the friction loop to release the tension.
As with any hand strap there is a concern of the camera possibly slipping out of your hand and falling to its doom. If this is a concern, you can easily solve this by attaching a second Anchor Link to the base plate and use a to secure the camera to your wrist, using the “Cuff”.
Specifications (from the Peak Design product page)
- Weight: 45 g (123 g as packed)
- Strap length: adjustable from 18 cm (7 in) to 29 cm (11.4 in)
- Strap width: at the widest point, 51 mm (2 in)
- Strength rating: Vectran®-corded Anchors can withstand over 200 lbs (90 kg), making Clutch safe for use with the largest of professional cameras
Build quality
Of all the straps that I have used in the past and currently, I find the Peak Design Clutch to have been made exceptionally well as I have found with the other Peak Design straps. As with the Slide, every component is beautifully constructed, all the stitching is truly well executed. The adjusters, the loops and the tripod plate are all of the highest standards.I have been using the Clutch to my Panasonic Lumix GH4 for two weeks and am very pleased with the performance. . With the cuff as added security this is an excellent combination.
My final assessment
This is undoubtedly the most comfortable hand strap I have used. It is ideal for the lighter DSLR’s and any mirrorless bodies on the market. Of significance is the easy of tightening and loosening the strap.I would not hesitate to recommend the Clutch and give it 4 1/2 star rating out of a possible 5. The street price is about $40.To get any Peak Design product click on the logo below for a 10% discount.
Peak Design - SLIDE - an awesome camera strap
This is part one of a three-part review of three camera straps made by the kick starter company called Peak Design. I had heard about these from a number of sources including my friends at TWiP (This Week in Photography). Peak Design were kind enough to send me the Slide and the Clutch and I ended up getting the Cuff. After this bit of testing I should consider getting the leash too as you will see from my review.
Let's start with the Slide which is the most versatile strap in this family of straps. The strap is made of materials similar to those found in automobile seat belts. The two ends of the strap terminate with a unique attachment system made off a spring loaded slide-in connector that connects to a Kevlar loop clip system. The strap is actually two belts fused together in the central area that would typically wrap around your neck or across your shoulder. The fused area has a slight padding with one side same as the belt while the other side has silicone striping to provide enough friction to prevent it from slipping off the shoulder. I find this double-sided arrangement very convenient. It is so easy to switch between the surfaces for those times you want to use the strap as a slide or have it in it's nonslip mode across your shoulder. To maintain uniformity there are two adjustment loops at either end. An anodized aluminum metal handle mechanism allows you to extend or retract the length of the strap but you must do on both ends to keep the padded area in the middle.The Slide strap kit comes with the strap, four Anchor Link connectors, one square Arca Swiss compatible camera plate, an allen wrench on a ring, a carrying pouch and a user manual. These are all nicely packaged in a well-designed box.
I attached two Anchor Links to either end of my camera where you would typically attach your OEM camera strap. I attached a third Anchor Link to the loop connector of my existing Really Right Stuff extendable camera plate. With three connectors I am able to use the strap in various configurations. The most convenient is across the shoulder where I can easily bring the camera into shooting position with my hand on the grip and index finger on the shutter release with no obstruction. If I need to Carry the camera around my neck, I can easily detach the connector from the base plate and attach it to the free connector at the top. For the various ways you can sling slide I found carrying the camera on one shoulder to be the least secure and also not very comfortable.
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For hand holding the camera the I attach the Clutch (more on this in Part 2) by attaching it to the two Anchor Links attached to the side of the camera body top and bottom (RRS Plate).
Specifications (from the Peak Design product page)
- Weight: 171 g (281 g as packed)
- Strap length: adjustable from 99 cm (39 in) to 137 cm (54 in)
- Strap width: 45 mm (1.8 in)
- Strength rating: Vectran®-corded Anchors can withstand over 200 lbs (90 kg), making Slide safe for use with the largest of professional cameras
Build quality
Of all the straps that I have used in the past and currently, I find the Peak Design Slide to have been made exceptionally well. Every component is beautifully constructed, all the stitching is truly well executed. The adjusters, the loops and the tripod plate are all of the highest standards.I use the slide mounted to a Canon 6D and on my Sony A7R for about 10 days now and am very happy with the performance. I always like to remove my camera strap when I mount the camera on my tripod so as to prevent any shake as straps tend to act like mini sails in windy conditions. This requires constant disconnecting and connecting Anchor Links. So far, they have all performed extremely well and it appears these will not give or come loose for a long time..
My final assessment
I am very happy with the performance and comfort of this strap the Slide. It is really designed for any camera but my preference would be to use the Slide for heavier DSLRs and mirrorless camera bodies. A slimmer version but with the same wide shoulder padding would be ideal for the smaller minimalist mirrorless bodies. The Peak Design Leash comes close but does not have the comfort padding.I would not hesitate to recommend the Slide and give it 4 1/2 star rating out of a possible 5. The street price is about $60. Keep in mind that a small Arca Swiss camera plate will cost you a minimum of $20 - here one is included. This to me is a great bonus.To get any Peak Design product click on the logo below for a 10% discount.
Martha's Vineyard - Workshop
A extended Memorial day weekend workshop in Martha's Vineyard was absolutely fantastic. Friday through Tuesday of great weather even though it was cold (very cold and windy). The Ashley Inn a B&B was large enough to accommodate all 16 of us with great rooms and a homemade breakfast each morning. Winters and erosion have taken their toll on the Island and the Aquinnah (Gay Head) Light House is in the process of being moved further inland. 4:30 AM departures and Midnight to bed resulted in very long but fruitful days for the group. Here are some comments and feedback from the participants:[audio mp3="https://shivverma.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/05/wscomments.mp3"][/audio]In-between classes and field instruction I was able to get a few shots and this is one of my favorites. (please click on the image for a larger view)
Topaz Simplify 30% off through the end of May
Effective today Tuesday, May 19th Topaz Labs is running a promotion on Topaz Simplify. The discount will be for 30% off, reducing the price to $27.99 for the month of May. The coupon code is: MAYSIMPTopaz Simplify gives you the tools to easily and quickly create beautiful and unique digital art effects. From a coloring book effect to a graphic painting effect, Simplify has a wide array of artistic possibilities.CLICK HERE TO GET TOPAZ SIMPLIFY
Lumix® G VARIO 100-300mm / F4.0-5.6 / MEGA O.I.S. Lens
Went out to photograph the marsh wrens at the Great Meadows NWR yesterday. The wrens were there but the windy conditions kept them deep in the reeds. I had taken my Lumix 100-300 lens on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 body. I have a lens collar and at the foot manufactured by Roesch - www.r-roesch.de which really helps with this lens when mounted to a tripod.As there was not much in the vicinity I took a few shots of a Red-wing Blackbird - the bird was a little spec in the frame as you can see from the image below. The full image may be seen by clicking on the image itself.
The next image is a crop from the region where the bird was sitting. Except for RAW conversion and a slight opening of the shadows, no other post processing has been done. Click to open the image at 100%
For the price this is an exceptional lens and hope Panasonic make a G X version of this lens soon.
Testing Affinity from Serif
Have not had a lot time to test the 2nd Beta release of Affinity but gave it a good shot yesterday. Still a lot to learn, but on the whole, I like it a lot. Has some great features built in, the filters are great but not sure I like the fact that it creates an intermediate file. The following is an image processed entirely using Affinity (Sony Raw to a TIFF export).
Martha’s Vineyard - May 22 - 26, 2015
Join me and AIP when we return to Martha's Vineyard for a wonderful 3 full and 2 half days of a photography meetup/workshop. There are a few spots left.Date of event: May 22nd thru May 26th, 2015Starts at 4:00 p.m. in Martha’s VineyardLocation: Ashley Inn, 129 Main Street, Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, MAGo to for complete details and to register:http://www.meetup.com/Adventures-in-Photography-New-England/events/220244286/
70 South Gallery - Lighting Workshop
The 70 South Gallery - Lighting and Model Photography workshop was a huge success. Thanks to some great organization by "Adventures in Photography" (NJ, NY and New England) and the 70 South Gallery, Morristown, NJ. The workshop was sold out and we were fortunate to have decent weather for some of the outdoor shoots. I would like to thank the participants, the models and the organizers for all the hard work and support that made this so awesome.Studio lights were Profoto and Arri, outdoor speed lights were Nissin and personal on and off camera flashes. Lastolite reflectors and the Phottix Luna but dish were also incorporated in the various sessions.
LRTimelapse 4 Released
LRTimelapse 4 is the latest enhanced version of the popular tool for generating ultimate time lapse sequences and provides new editing capabilities that will help you to bring your time lapse videos to a whole new level!This upgrade brings improved workflows, enhanced performance and many new features!With the new visual previews you get "What you see is what you get" within LRTimelapseThe new Visual Deflicker is now one of the best deflicker tools available. This tool works with the metadata of the RAW files in single and multiple passes resulting in silky-smooth sequences. The Visual Defliker when used in combination with the "Holy Grail"-Wizard, even difficult Day-to-Night and Night-to-day transitions are generated as smooth and visually appealing clips.Video export enhancements allow up to 8K video resolution in MP4, ProRes (Mac and Windows) or the new H.265 formats.Most importantly LRTimelapse 4 and the LRTExport Lightroom Plugin now fully support Lightroom 6 / Lightroom CC for faster Rendering including the new Lightroom Features like Filter Brush and 16 bit HDR DNGs.Click on the icon below to order or to upgrade.
ZEISS announces 2 Full-Frame Autofocus Lenses for Sony A7 Cameras
ZEISS Batis 2/25 and ZEISS Batis 1.8/85 – Designed for Sony A7 camera series
The ZEISS Batis 2/25 and ZEISS Batis 1.8/85 are the first full-frame autofocus lenses for Sony's E-mount cameras to be exclusively developed and distributed by ZEISS. This new family of lenses is particularly suited for the use with Sony's alpha range of mirrorless full-frame system cameras. The two new lenses will be shipping in July 2015.The new ZEISS Batis 2/25 and 1.8/85 lenses are the first full-frame autofocus lenses with an OLED display for the mirrorless Sony α series and therefore the pioneers of a new era. As professional tools, they enable outstanding image performance, impressive contrast and maximum resolution down to the very last detail.The innovative OLED display shows the distance of the focal plane from the camera system and the depth of field, ideally supporting creative image composition. Of significance is the fact that you will be able to see the readout in low light conditions. The display is powered through the camera. The OLED display is an absolute highlight – an innovation that is currently unparalleled in camera lenses.The Batis 2/25 is a Sonnar lens while the 1.8/85 is a Distagon lens
Available this summer - The ZEISS Batis 2/25 and 1.8/85 lenses will be available for purchase in April and start shipping in July 2015. The recommended retail prices are $1,299 for the ZEISS Batis 2/25 and $1,199 for the ZEISS Batis 1.8/85.Click here for more information