Sunrise in Austria

Getting up in the dark to then ride at sunrise: it doesn't happen often for me but sure it's worth the effort.

Olympus E-M1 with Sigma Art 56mm f1.4

Winestraße, Steirmark

A wonderful landscape that has been labelled the "Toscana of Austria"
While the images were recorder in full color spectrum I felt that color was not giving justice to these scenes: there was some haze in the air and the light was a bit harsh in some.
Converting them to monochrome helped conveying the unique features that these hills offer



M.Zuiko 75mm f1.8  1/160sec

On the Southern border the Winestraße in places runs right on both sides: vehicles straddle Austria and Slovenia. Before the political relaxation of this region there would be no such liberal thing but now there is no longer anybody to make you sternly aware that you a crossing into "enemy" territory :-)


Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f3.5-5.6   1/500sec



adapted CanonTV-16 50mm f1.4  1/800sec



adapted CanonTV-16 50mm f1.4  1/320sec

The little park

There is a park along a creek on my way to work, that I pass every morning.
The drive is short and sometimes I opt to walk that 1/2 hour to get a bit of fresh air.
In winter solstice the sun has been rising later allowing some low light to filter through the trees creating an interesting scene for me.
A few times I wished I was earlier and that I had a camera with me (a phone is not one, for my style)
So, instead of being the usual lazy and sleeping in, I got out of the house earlier last Saturday, with my camera.


refitted F.Zuiko 32mm f1.7 (from Pen EED)  1/1250sec

There was a faint remnant of fog left in the low laying area and the sun illuminated it burning it off. A few joggers were about otherwise the place was still very quiet.
The dew was glistening on the grass blades asking me to have a closer look.

 
adapted Kodak Cine 50mm f1.6  1/5000sec


adapted Kodak Cine 50mm f1.6    1/1250sec


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More Russian love

I had no idea that the cumbersome Russian would deliver so much love.
At first I had my doubts I would be able to handle such a big thing and appeared rather difficult to get along with.
Then I worked out where she shines best and how to focus on her strengths; if I am careful and don't push her too hard she does reward me.


refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120  1/3200sec

The images I can create with that big lens, that never was intended to make but rather show (it's a projection lens after all), are unique.
The blend of relative sharpness and the quirky bokeh for the background really help to isolate subjects where I want to tell a story, instead of just mere recording a place or event.


refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120   1/10000sec

refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120  1/1250sec

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Tiny rainforest mushrooms

The mushrooms I find in my area's rainforests are usually small, very small.
They often grown on rotten downed branches where there is plenty of moisture.


adapted Fujinon 55mm f2.2   1/13sec

Some are really delicate with an almost see-through consistency, some are very colorful but I don't believe any are edible.


adapted Fujinon 55mm f2.2  1/6sec

Trying to capture the magic in the depth of the rainforest requires a steady hand and careful focusing: I also wanted to emphasize the beauty by consciously framing them with lenses that produce an unusual look.


refitted Helios-89 30mm f1.9 (from 1/2 frame FED Mikron)  1/50sec

adapted Fujinon 55mm f2.2  1/60sec


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Texture and patterns in the bokeh

I am drawn to the abstract pattern that a lens can create when the the whole subject can not be in focus resulting in some areas of the image blurred.
Much can be said about bokeh and it's rather impossible to be fully quantified or describe it but most purist cherish the "smooth" out-of-focus backgrounds.
I, on the contrary, prefer to find lenses that offer "texture" in the blurred areas of my images.


refitted projector lens 35-KP 1,8/120   1/640sec

I do understand that such traits in these lenses are not so well suited for subjects where the attention should remain in the in-focus areas but a lot of my photographs are often of close-up and semi-abstract subjects where a "busy" bokeh might be the crucial component of an image


adapted Pentacon 50mm f1.8  1/1600sec

Initially my visual adventures were concentrated on "bubbles" in the bokeh; now I am pursuing the textured, busy and "weird" bokeh.
Some lenses are specifically sought after for those incredible traits and unfortunately my favorite looks are out of my price range (like the Dallmeyer Super-Six 102mm f1.9 lens)

Slowly I am starting to understand which subjects, what patterns and what light will be a suitable theme for my experiments. Repetition of small objects and lines, combined with the correct subject/background ration and lens will reveal surreal images.
And it's a look that the mighty iPhone has not conquered yet :-)


adapted Kodak Cine 63mm f2.7  1/50sec



refitted Helios-89 30mm f1.9 (from FED Mikron)  1/4000sec



refitted Russian projector lens 35KP-1,8/120  1/800sec


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Images from a Russian projector lens

I have a case full of modern lenses that can deliver ultra sharp images, all with the comfort of auto-focus, yet I am drawn to use old manual lenses that somehow give me a feel in my images.
In my book sharpness is overrated and the bokeh is king, but that must be textured and dynamic, not just soft out-of-focus blandness.
In my search for unusual glass, that often was never intended as photograph-taking lens, I came across an old Russian projector lens that is rather long and bright allowing for particularly interesting shallow depth of field.


refitted 35KP-1,8/120 (120mm f1.8)  1/1600sec

The lens is heavy and very cumbersome to use: it took some effort to refit it and make it usable on my small cameras. The images I take with it are often a bit soft, low contrast and they exhibit flare easily if pointed towards are strong light source, yet I love the results.


refitted 35KP-1,8/120 (120mm f1.8)  1/8000sec

Images that come straight of the camera could be considered a fail by some but with a bit of contrast and sharpness enhancement often they give a feel to my image that modern lenses can not.


refitted 35KP-1,8/120 (120mm f1.8)  1/1000sec

The eye has not got the opportunity to scrutinize the details but rather takes in the whole scene as one and draws on my recollection of places I have vised before for an unconscious trip down memory lane.


refitted 35KP-1,8/120 (120mm f1.8)  1/1000sec


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Autumn leaves

Finally the summer heat has given up and opened the doors to more temperate days, the harsh light replaced by more subtle and lower angle with softer warmer hues for a longer "golden hour".
And while there are no frosts around to change the color of the leaves, like typically in the Northern hemisphere, autumn foliage takes its own twist here in Queensland.


adapted Kodak Cine 63mm f2.7  1/400sec

Recent heavy rains have reversed the typical role of spring new shoots making it happen now, in autumn. Some bushes have come alive with new pink and purple leaves


Kodak Cine 63mm f2.7    1/320 sec



Pentacon 50mm f1.8    1/1250sec

On the other hand other trees are starting to change color and shed some of their leaves. It's a mixed combination of spring and autumn at the same time.


Kodak Cine 63mm f2.7   1/10sec



Kodak Cine 102mm f2.7  1/200sec



Kodak Cine 102mm f2.7   1/80sec


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Damsels and Dragons

It has been a rather hot and long summer.
I usually stay out of the sun in the middle of the day but these strikingly beautiful insect have kept me chasing them even in the blazing sun.


Kodak Cine 102mm f2.7  1/500sec

Where most other animals worthy of attention are hiding in the shade or sleeping, dragonflies are most active buzzing around hunting.


Kodak Cine 102mm f2.7  1/1600sec

The delicate cellophane wings are in stark contrast to the menacing looking body, certainly inspiration to the modern helicopters.
And every so often they land to rest, usually in the same favorite high spot, giving me the opportunity to take a few quick images.


Kodak Cine 63mm f2.7  1/200sec



Kodak Cine 102mm f2.7  1/3200sec



Kodak Cine Telephoto 152mm f4.5  1/100sec

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Closer look at the bark

The simple natural beauty of a tree, looked up closely.


refitted Hexanon 45mm f1.8 (from rangefinder camera) 1/160sec

There is great variety of trees in my part of the world and the bark is most intriguing at times.
I particularly like the shape and texture of some gumtrees that shed the bark and reveal a smooth and colorful new skin. The "exfoliation" seems to be constant and the colorful patterns revealed are most abstract.


adapted Pentax-110 50mm f2.8   1/100sec

Often when having a close look I notice a miniature world of ants and insects that are often hidden to the casual passer-by


refitted projection lens 16-KP 50mm f1.2   1/100sec

And then everything suddenly changes; the fire completely alters the look of a once smooth bark and creates new textures.


adapted Kodak Cine 63mm f2.7   1/640sec


adapted Kodak Cine 63mm f2.7   1/60sec


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Role reversal

What happens when one reverses the role of the intention?
When a lens that was meant to "show" images suddenly "captures" them?
That is what actually happens when I use a projector lens mounted on a camera, the role is reverses.


refitted projector lens Meyer-Optik Diaplan 100mm f2.8  1/30sec

Technically speaking a lens from a projector lens is designed and optimized to show images there were once created with a different lens.
A projection lens, apart from being often not corrected for optical "faults", lacks mechanisms that most camera lenses have: a focusing helicoid and an aperture control diaphragm. They are really just a tube with several lenses arranged to project an image on the wall or screen.


refitted slides projection lens Will-Wetzlar Maginon 85mm f2.8    1/2000sec

So why would I want to cripple myself trying to capture images with a tool that clearly is "inferior"?
There is no clear answer and most likely not one that most people accept: because images photographed with projection lenses for me are more capable to deliver the concept of fantasy rather than reality.


refitted projector lens Meyer-Optik Diaplan 100mm f2.8   1/2500sec

Since trying to faithfully represent real life in a 2 dimensional format is a futile exercise that is simply limited by conventional constraints (perceived accepted unspoken rules) I much more prefer to explore the emotions that an image can create. Projection lenses enable me to create an in-camera look that modern lenses designed for digital imagery often can not.
While I am not interested in manipulating excessively a concept in post production, by compositing and editing conventional photographs, I allow myself to exploit the design faults of old simple optics to convey a sense of supernatural in my images.

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The gaze

Two black and white images of wild animals
I used an adapted old Russian lens (1957circa) from a rangefinder camera since I like it renders the out of focus background more than my auto-focus modern lenses


adapted Jupiter-11 135mm f4  1/60sec




adapted Jupiter-11 135mm f4  1/160sec


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Rainforest birds

The subtropical Queensland rainforest is an incredibly rich and diverse natural environment.
The canopy is very dense allowing for little light to reach the bottom floor: a photographic challenge.
This time I tried to capture some birds even tho I insisted on using manual focus lenses.
I missed a lot of great images as the birds fly around randomly in tight places or scurry erratically on the ground. My auto-focus lenses would probably have given me sharper images.
However, sometimes it's not about sharpness


Kodak Cine Ektanon 102mm f2.7   1/80sec

A very elusive Albert's Lyrebird, something I have only seen twice.


Duo-Tamron 135mm f4.5   1/100sec

Hard to spot as they strike the "tree-trunk" pose these well camouflaged Tawny Frogmouths stood still trying not to be detected


Duo-Tamron 135mm f4.5  1/320sec

I also managed to spot this baby pademelon hiding in the grass, on the edge of the forest.


Kodak Cine Ektanon 102mm f2.7  1/100sec




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Water dragon: 3 different views

I like to see wild animals unrestrained and I am very saddened by anything that is meant to be free kept in captivity. I can't stand images taken at the zoo, they bother me.

 At my local botanical gardens among the many plants there are resident bush turkeys, magpies, ducks and other birds. They are of course free to go as they please, no cages, but they hang around and are much less timid than in other outside areas, knowing that they won't be harmed by humans.
There is also a healthy population of water dragons and in the early hours, before too many visitors come, they often are found warming up in sunny spots.
If approached slowly they can be observed at relative close distance.

I have on occasions photographed them and each time I had a different vintage lens on the camera. The same subject (not the very same dragon) looks a bit different with each lens and the background blur is more or less pronounced with a different character. While each lens has its quirks and strengths some are easier to use on moving subjects and some are more suited for contrasty scenes than others.

The easiest to use is this series is the C-mount Navitar 75mm f1.3. Extremely sharp lens with a relative fast aperture it forms an interesting bokeh. It is the closest in resolution to my best Olympus lenses but with a different character, and of course it's manual, focus and aperture.


D.O. Industries Navitar 75mm f1.3    1/1250sec

The longer reach of the super-diminutive Rotar (made by Fujita) 135mm f4.5 is harder to get focus since it shows less contrast, while exhibiting a more bubbly bokeh. 


Rotar (Fujita) 135mm f4.5  1/250sec

 The hardest to use it the refitted Russian projection lens that can be only used at a super wide aperture of f1.2. Any slight mis-focus and the image is not usable. The strongest trait of that lens is that it can isolate the main subject from a busy/disturbing background while giving a more structured bokeh 


refitted Russian projection lens KP-16 50mm f1.2    1/1600sec

 Which lens is the best? All of them, depending on what I want to create and what my subject is.
 If I had to keep only one? ...well, I would not want to part with the Navitar :-)


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