Test drive

My old EOS 5 has been replaced with its successor, the EOS 5d Mark II.

I've also replaced my old 50 f1.8 with the new 1.4 version. Last Sunday I decided to test both out on a walk.

Fresh out of the box

A friend told me about a popular trail called the "1000 Steps" in the nearby Kanton (county) of Aargau. which leads up the side of a hill. I thought to myself that one thousand steps is only a name. It's probably a couple of hundred at most....

 First image with the new combo. 

1/400 sec Av Mode at f2.8

 1000 Steps (in local dialect)

1/250 sec at f2.5

 Big mistake. 

 One thousand steps is actually 1140 steps which go up an incline of about thirty degrees.

 The steps are thoughtfully labelled.

The first one hundred were OK. Perhaps because I had the rucksack on my back and was leaning forward. This adjusted my centre of gravity forwards and "helped" (maybe only psychologically) to keep up an even pace.

Another 600 to go.

Or so I thought.....

I was really pleased that I had the rucksack with me. I would really have considered giving up if I'd had my shoulder bag with me. With the rucksack, I had both hands free to steady and guide myself.

The Hama Katoomba 190RL

Over the halfway mark but still 

another 400 to go.

It's a bit of a let down when you reach the 1000 steps mark and there's still more steps to go!! Another one hundred and forty to be exact.

Steps as far as you can see.

Heart pounding and completely out of breath, I reached the top forty five minutes after setting off. "So what was at the top?" I hear you ask. Nothing much. Just a forest trail and a vantage point about three minutes walk from the top of the steps.

A place to rest and gaze out over the county.

1/200 at f13 (see here)

This is one of my favourite images taken on that day with the 50mm lens. There is no Photoshop jiggery-Pokery involved. I processed the RAW file in DPP, sharpened it a bit and added some saturation. All in all I am well pleased with the camera.

 1/80 sec at f2.8


Thanks for reading. BTW All images were taken with the 200 ISO speed set on the camera.

How did I do that? (Part 1 of many to come)

In an effort to bring more visitors to my blog, I will from time to time dispense hints and tips that I use in my photography in a "behind the scenes" manner.

This time I'm showing how I made this HDR.

As you may have read earlier, I took a holiday this year in the Italian region of Switzerland. From time to time I came across really beautiful, photogenic places of worship. When I see really old churches with frescoes, I know that I have to record them using HDR. This was no exception.

It was a really warm day and to get to the church, I had to climb LOTS of steps. For this reason and because of the winding alleys and streets, I decided against taking a tripod with me. I did however, take a mini G-Clamp table top tripod. This little beast which I bought many years ago can be clamped to a ledge, table or shelf or if there are none available, can be stood of a surface thanks to two small support legs. On this occasion, I lay on the floor (to get the perspective I wanted) and mounted the camera using the G-Clamp in its "tripod" mode.

 Discussing perspective with Nikita

The clamp itself is a bit flimsy so I used the camera in self-timer mode in order not to shake it too much. Ten seconds later, I had three shots of varying brightness which I fed to my HDR programme, the results of which you can see here.

The finished result after treatment from Photomatix

The image can now be seen in Google earth or on Panoramio at full size here.

To my left was an alcove which I also found interesting. For this image, I clamped the G-Clamp to a pew.

HDR has captured the highlights and shadows

The church is "Sta. Maria del Sasso"located in Morcote, Switzerland.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Preparing for the Streetparade

This Saturday sees the 20th annual Streetparade in Zürich.

I've been quite a few times although lately I seem to be getting a little jaded by it all. Last year's effort really disappointed me.

The weather this year promises to be a scorcher so apart from my two camera bodies and maybe three lenses plus ear-plugs, I'll also be packing some water and sun cream.

I've decided to travel light because I really can't be bothered to be weighed down with gear. I was originally going to take my stuff in a camera rucksack that I'd ordered online a week ago but it hasn't arrived yet. It would also have given me a chance to write about testing it "in the field".

I decided to buy a rucksack because my back was really aching whilst on holiday this year from carrying my stuff in a Tamrac bag. I ended up leaving most stuff in the back of the car and venturing forth with one body, one lens (a 17 - 40). Actually, I could have taken just the 17 - 40 with me and I wouldn't have missed all the other stuff.

I'll be posting some pics from the southern (Italian) region of Switzerland some time soon but it the meantime there's a selection of them over at Panoramio.

Bye for now.

Abroad in my own land.

My holiday this year is in the Italian region of Switzerland. It's like being abroad in my own land. Everything is different. The language, the food and the attitude. Only the currency is the same. So much to see, explore and photograph.

It's nice to see them so big!

I work for an international company and as such, I get to see my pictures used all over the world in everything from brochures, posters, newsletters, catalogues and in magazines etc.

The images normally range in size from small postage stamp dimensions for use in pocket catalogues to A3 (29.7 cm x 42 cm) in books.

I was therefore pleasantly surprised recently to see some of my images blown up to 3 meters and used to cover walls at exhibition stands.

The following two images were taken at the "Restauro Ferrara" exhibition in Italy. The original image on the wall was snapped last year at the "Giannada Fondation" when I was in the French speaking part of Switzerland on a photo-tour last year.

What I find especially pleasing is that it was taken with my EOS 5d and a 17 - 40 L lens! That's right. A 24 x 36 sensor. Granted, a bit of post production work went into the image (not from me though. My thoughts of after image editing are here.)

This second image was taken at the "Sisseg" exhibition in Paris.

You can see two images on the walls. One was taken again with my 5d and the 17 - 40 The other was taken with a Rolleiflex SL66 and a 40 mm wide angle lens, using Kodak EPT tungsten balanced film in one of my studios in Basel. Which is which? Well the 5d is the one on the left.

 

On closer inspection, they both look equally sharp.



I took delivery of a digital Hasselblad earlier this year and am already blown away by the amount of details recorded. It'll be interesting to see what level of enlargement we can achieve with it.

 The old

... and the new (pic by Marcel Brodbeck)

As a side note. Both of the exhibition stands you see here were conceived, designed and produced by our in-house Visual Communications director Marcel Brodbeck.

Comments anyone?

Because I want to...

For the past nine or so years, I have been driving to and from work during the early months of Spring and have been awestruck by the beautiful blossom visible on (it seems), nearly every tree .

In previous years, I always made a mental note to go and photograph them. Fate however, always conspired against me and I was never able to dedicate sufficient time to the task or perhaps the weather was never optimal.

This year however, was different. We experienced unbelievably beautiful weather with temperatures in the high twenties and cloudless blue skies.

I work full time as a photographer photographing products etc. for the premier lighting company in Switzerland, then at the weekend, I take a sort of "busman's holiday" and make images for myself. Not to sell or anything like that but simply because  want to. I find it therapeutic and relaxing.

I also decided to make use of several accessories etc that don't get out of my cupboard much. Namely my 300mm f4 and a couple of polarising filters.

My son Nicholas came with me and used the Sony Bloggie that I briefly mentioned in a previous post to record some video.

Here are some of the images from the weekend.

Taken after recording the video

Zoomed in

Same scene but from further away.

I had also previously seen a ruined barn from the road which I wanted to photograph. Stephan, my colleague obtained permission from the landowner so we went and recorded it as well.

Ruined barn from a path

I used HDR because the barn is in shadow

The next day, Sunday, I went out alone and made more images .

300mm on my 7d gives 420mm

 Sheep grazing. 7d with 300 mm lens

 17mm + polariser on a 5d

 17mm + polariser on a 5d

I'd be interested in hearing if any other working photographers reading this blog also go out purely for themselves to take pictures. I find that it keeps the passion alive.

Take care.

In Canon's eyes, I am no longer "professional"

I have been using Canon cameras and lenses since 1982.

They have always served me well and have proved very reliable and long lasting. In fact I've only had problems twice with the same camera when the shutter magnets failed on my old AE1's

When Canon launched their Professional Services division in London back in the early nineties, I immediately signed up. In those days, it wasn't as strictly controlled as it is today and I was able to join

with only two T90 bodies and a number of non L lenses.

I've been a member ever since and now have all my gear including two bodies and three L lenses registered on their website. They promise a quick repair turnaround and the loan of a camera or lens if the repair takes too long.

I've only used their services once, when I had to "doorstep" a prison from several hundred meters away. A quick call to CPS headquarters in London resulted in my being loaned a 500mm f4.5 telephoto.

I haven't used their services since but it's good to know that they are there should I need to.

And that dear reader is the problem. I haven't had a need to use them because my stuff is so reliable. I therefore also have no need to buy the latest and greatest lenses etc because the gear I have is perfectly adequate for what I do.

New from CPS is the fact that you  now have to re-register your gear every year or so. I went to the website to affirm that all my gear was still in my possession and was informed that I was no longer eligible for CPS membership.

"Why was that?" I wondered.

The answer is simple. My beloved 300mm f4L lens is no longer covered. I say beloved, but in truth, I only use it maybe one or twice a year if needed (Like the CPS service centre).

 The offending "no more professional" lens

What annoys me though, is that it (in the eyes of the CPS), is no longer a "professional" lens and I am no longer worthy of Professional Services membership.

Last year alone I took some 3000 images with my Canon stuff. Many of these were used in brochures, catalogues, adverts, product reports and posters etc. I use my gear in a PROFESSIONAL capacity. i.e. I get paid to do it.

In my own (humble) opinion, I think that these instances should be separately examined by Canon because I'm sure that there are plenty of other photographers who, like me, work professionally using Canon products but don't have, want or need the very latest kit.

I am therefore a professional.

Spring is in the air

Well I know that technically, Spring hasn't yet begun but the countryside around where I live is at long last, starting to look attractive again.

The skies have been a fetching shade of blue lately, buds are starting to show on the trees and snowdrops have made a welcome appearance.

Today, Oksana (the missus) and I went for a drive to the countryside. I took my light weight benbo tripod, my EOS 5d and a 17-40 zoom lens.

I found a nice location by looking in "Google Earth". It was called Schöntal. A little village in Baselland.

We arrived and went for a walk. There is a "sculpture park" near the village but that costs Fr 10 for entry. I hadn't bought my wallet with me so we explored the village itself.

A five minute walk outside the village revealed a piece of "artwork" on a hill so we went there and I recorded it for posterity (and this blog) .

As I've mentioned in a previous blog post, I don't pretend to understand modern art but this was interesting to photograph with the village in the background. It was an extremely hazy day but shooting HDR helped to minimise it.

Shot into the sun

The same image in Monochrome

Different viewpoint

From there, we took a walk back to the village and I took a few more HDR's. I wanted to take a picture of the former Cloister, which is now a modern art gallery, but the sun was shining directly into my lens so I've made a note to return when Spring is fully underway.

This was the only image that I took of the former monastery.

Thanks for visiting.

Grossmünster Church Zürich

Had an interesting job last week.

My friend, the Swiss lighting designer Renato M de Toffol has made a new installation in the Grossmünster church in Zürich.

It is programmable according to whatever event is happening in the church and the lighting changes accordingly.

I spent from one thirty in the afternoon until about seven in the evening documenting the different moods available.

The crypt

I photographed everywhere from the crypt to the outside where it is also illuminated.

The pictures will shortly be appearing on his website but in the meantime, I experimented with HDR which was necessary to provide details from the highlights to the shadows.

Here's some of the results.

Stained glass window by Giacometti

The choir seats

 

Loved this old door with the massive lock

 

 

Dusk is starting outside the church

On my way back to my car, I stopped to take a picture 

across the Limmatt river.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading

The Hermitage. Verenaschlucht Einsiedelei

North of the city of Solothurn, in the silence of Verena gorge, is a hermitage. There is still today, a recluse who carries out his religious duties

 I've been in Switzerland for 15 years and only heard about this place about two weeks ago. The weather today was lovely with bright sunshine and deep blue skies so we decided to venture out for some fresh air. naturally I took some photo gear with me. namely my EOS 5d, a 17 - 40 zoom and my Benbo tripod.

I actually didn't hold out much hope for good photos because it was in a gorge (shadows) and the sky was bright. I therefore decided to take only HDR images direct from RAW files.

I wasn't too inspired with the scenery on the way to the hermitage as it was typical February weather. No leaves on the trees and a bit muddy.

 The first exposure I made.

Memorial candles

 

Plenty of small waterfalls

Then I caught my first glimpse of the religious buildings.

 In the distance

A hollowed out cave and the church loom into view

 This was looking promising. I was in photo heaven. I didn't actually see the hermit but after all that is the nature of being a hermit isn't it?

I spent about forty-five minutes or so recording images. It would have been quicker but there were lots of hikers and I was using the self timer feature on my camera to reduce as much as possible, my touching the camera. This meant that I'd compose the shot and then look around to see if anyone might walk into my field of view in the next ten seconds (which was the self timer setting.)

Most of the images were converted to HDR from my normal three exposures but when I thought that there was too much "clipping" (i.e. no details at all in the highlights), I took six images.

 This was the first one using six images

 Another HDR using six images

 This one as well, use six images

 Inside the chapel which is carved into the rock.

The last image of the day

also using six images.

All in all, we had a great walk through some lovely countryside and discovered a hidden (from me anyway) gem.

The HDR process certainly saved these pictures and I'll definitely go back in summer or autumn when the colours will be fantastic.

Thanks for reading. Your comments are as always, welcomed.

Further details about the hermitage (Einsiedeln in German) can be found (in German) on the Solothurn tourist site