This was the sunset image from the same evening as the last few posts. After some great light we had an intense rain storm and then the skies started opening up just before the sun set. All the photographers left the butte except one other PSA member and myself. This image was the reward for sticking it out.
Captured with the Panasonic Lumix S1R and the Lumix Pro S 70-200 mm, f/4 lens at 70 mm. Exposure triad: f/11, 1/125 sec at ISO 800.
Before leaving the Palouse, I would really like to venture inside one of the giant combine harvesters that the farmers use. The are specially designed machines that traverse the steep inclines and slopes of the Palouse without tipping over. The cab is fully climate controlled and has computers that monitor and measure things like quantity of the grain being harvested, the moisture content and many other indices.
This is an image captured on Sept 20, 2019, in the late afternoon before the storm. I used the Lumix S1R with the Lumix Pro S 70-200 mm lens. I have cropped a slight amount on the top of the frame to remove a distraction. The performance of the S1R is exceptional. This was a normal (not a high resolution) capture. A severe crop of the frame just to get the farmhouse is shown in the image below. (Please do click on the images for a larger rendition).
Exposure triad: f/11, 1/15 sec, ISO 200. Focal length 200mm.
I arrived in Spokane, WA for the PSA Board Meetings and the Conference. It was a long flight from Boston to Spokane but I was not going to pass up the opportunity to take a ride to the wheat fields of the Palouse. The weather did not look good but then bad weather can make for some great images.
Most of the afternoon the fields had barely any light and when there was some it was flat. As the afternoon progressed there were occasional openings in the dark cloud that were letting some light come through. The was a large expanse of rain clouds that were dumping rain while the sun shone through on either side casting some warm light on the harvested wheat stalks.
This image was captured in high resolution using the Panasonic Lumix S1R and the Lumix S Pro 70-200 f/4 lens. Exposure triad: f/11, 1/25 sec, ISO 200. Lens at 70mm. The 1440 x 934 pixel image is about 8% of the original file.
Please click on the image for a larger rendition.
When the sun was setting this past weekend (Sept 7, 2019) the moon was about 60% and quite high over the horizon. As the light from the sun was all but gone, the moon shining on the water created this cool/warm juxtaposition in harmony with these old pilings.
The breaking waves in the foreground appear to be trying to blend the warm and cold together. Also, notice the split in the color temperature how the light significantly affected the shadows of the pilings on the right vs. the ones on the left.
These situations remind me of George Eastman’s quote:
“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”
In this episode, TWiP host Frederick van Johnson and I discuss the Lumix S1R full-frame mirrorless camera. Amongst the topics of discussion are the features of this new system, the growing lens line-up, and the assertion that Lumix is not abandoning the micro four-thirds sensor size format.
Click on the logo or CLICK HERE to watch the episode
Learn more about the Lumix S1R: Panasonic USA Website
The weekend provided
I first shot this composition wide with lots of negative space but realized that with the rocks so small in the frame the beautiful texture was getting lost. So I composed tighter to show much more detail while the image still remained minimal. The setting sun cast some lovely light in the rocks and created a glow in the sand. Although the slow shutter speed remove the detail from the sand, I like the way the color creates a leading line to the rock formation.
The image was captured with the Panasonic Lumix S1R and the Lumix 24-105 f/4 L-Mount lens. A Benro circular polarizer was used to reduce reflections and a Benro 10 stop ND filter was used to slow the shutter down.
Exposure triad: f/8, 60 sec, ISO 100
Slow shutter speed images are interesting and many are minimalist. But by the same token the use of slow shutter speeds seems to have become overly popular. Here in this early morning capture I wanted to slow the shutter down to get the action but at the same time show the motion of the waves as they crashed on the Acadia coastline. The warm glow and blue waters created a harmonious conflict.
The image is a blend of two splashes where both were exposed exactly the same. I used the Panasonic Lumix S1R with the Lumix Pro 70-200 mm f/4 lens at
Aug 24, 2019 – we had just finished lunch and looked at the forecast. Clear night in Acadia – and perfect as the moon would not be visible during the time when the Milky Way core would be visible. We quickly grabbed our cameras, tripods and some snacks, and drove the 5 1/2 hours to Acadia.
We got to Bar Harbor and went straight to Sand Beach. Sand Beach is a location I had never shot the Milky Way from. My typical locations have been Boulder Beach looking out toward Otter Cliffs, or over one of the ponds. Sand beach did not disappoint.
Camera – Panasonic Lumix S1R with the Sigma MC21 adaptor, Lens – Canon 16-35mm, f/2.8 Version II. Truly waiting for the L-mount Sigma 14mm to be released. Exposure triad f/2.8, 20 sec., ISO 6400.
I am so thrilled to have been invited as a guest on the latest B&H Photography podcast. Thank you Panasonic and B&H for this wonderful opportunity and a special thanks to Host: Allan Weitz, Senior Creative Producer: John Harris, Senior Producer: Jason Tables and Executive Producer: Lawrence Neves. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion and your hospitality.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE AND THE PODCAST
In addition, if you don’t already, please do subscribe to the B&H Podcast for some great education and discussions.
Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team Red Arrows are on a major tour of North America. This is the first in more than a decade. It is intended to promote the best of British and deepen partnerships .
The Red Arrows are on an 11-week North American tour that started in Halifax, Nova Scotia July 8 and will end in Rapid City, South Dakota Oct. 8, 2019.
The aircraft are BAe Hawk T Mk1, a two seater trainer jet that has been replaced by the new Hawk T Mk2. However, the Mk1 will remain in service for another 10 years. Like the Mk2, the Mk1 is a fully aerobatic, low-wing, transonic, two-seat training aircraft that is still used in a number of roles for the RAF. 100 Squadron, based at RAF Leeming.
The show started about 20 minutes later than expected and unlike the flight path that was released the jets flew a completely different route.
My aim was test the performace of the continuous focus capapbility of the Panasonic Lumix S1R in a high speed fly by. The lens I used was the Lumix S Pro 70-200 f/4. The aperture was set to f/8 and the shutter speed was 1/2000 to freeze motion. The ISO was set to auto and resulted in ISO 250 to 320 for the incoming shots and 640 to 800 for the outgoing images. The focus was set to continuous, drive mode on high and the focus area “Zone Oval”.
There are two sets on images – 20 incoming and 20 outgoing. All images are from single bursts in the exact sequence and unedited. The RAW files were converted and exported to JPG using Capture One. As you will see from these images, the camera and lens performed exceptionally well in maintaing focus.
DP review