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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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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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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Winged predators

The fast buzzing dragonflies fly erratically in the summer heat, darting along the water.
And every so often they come to rest on their favourite patch that they claim their own.


adapted Pentax-110 50mm f2.8 (freelens technique)  1/30sec

Fascinating bright colors make them very attractive although at closer look some might appear a bit menacing. They are predators snatching other bugs mid flight


adapted Jupiter-11 135mm f4  1/1250sec



adapted Jupiter-11 135mm f4  1/1250sec

But what goes around comes around and themselves become meal for others.


adapted Jupiter-11  135mm f4  1/160sec


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Little green frogs

For years I thought green frogs were some kind of myth since I could never spot one.
Then one day somebody told me that if I looked carefully in the pond I would probably spot some.
And I did.


adapted Kodak Ektanon 102mm f2.7  1/200sec

Not larger than 3 cm most of them are very shy and hide under leaves or hop away if approached.
It took some patience and steady hands with my favorite Kodak Cine lenses to finally capture them.


adapted Kodak Ektanon 102mm f2.7  1/500sec



adapted Kodak Ektanon 102mm f2.7  1/400sec



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


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Mushrooms in the forest

The excitement was palpable when I stumbled across a group of mushrooms that looked like "porcini" (Boletus Edulis). As a kid I used to roam in the forests near my house and find them occasionally; it was like hunting, the thrill of the find.


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

It turns out that those mushrooms were not porcini but instead very bitter and not really edible, even if not toxic.
The real reward came from the variety of mushrooms that I stumbled across and instead of looking at them as dinner trophies I observed them with my camera


adapted vintage cine lens Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/60sec




adapted vintage cine lens Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/20sec




adapted vintage cine lens Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/160sec




M.Zuiko 14-42mm EZ    1/13sec



adapted vintage cine lens Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7   1/125sec


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From the beach

The long weekend holiday made most places swarm with people; I needed to escape and have a bit of green time instead of screen time. Luckily my favorite beach was rather quiet.


Helios 44-7 58mm f2   1/640sec



Zuiko OM 200mm f4   1/2500sec

With my friend Melt, I walked the beach at low tide, each of us interested in different beach-combed treasures, laying low on the foreshore exploring and capturing the light.


Zuiko OM 200mm f4   1/1250sec



Zuiko OM 200mm f4   1/100sec

And just like fishermen trying to harvest from the sea we chased the sun, instead of fishing rods we had cameras in our hands.

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Scorched by the fire

It was my friend Melt that pointed out how beautiful the bark looked. I didn't understand: all I saw was the negative side of the recent bushfire.


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



Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/125sec

Where I walked a few months ago now the fields and forest were all charred by a fire; my eyes were focused on the destruction of the grassy meadows and the green bushes. Then I shifted my concern knowing that it was only natural to have periodical fires go through these places, more so essential to the release of some seed pods.


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


Australian flora has adapted to survive a non devastating fire, where undergrowth get cleaned up and transformed into rich nutrient for the next generation of taller plants. Some seeds need to be exposed to high temperatures to germinate, a from of survival to give the new shoots a chance to become strong enough to survive the next fire.


Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/160sec

Now I was observing the saturated deep orange hues of a gumtree that otherwise looks mainly light grey. The charcoal details on trees showed ant activity while the grass was starting to recover with new tender green shoots.


Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/80sec


Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/125sec



Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/500sec


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Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm

In my discovery of adapting old manual-focus lenses I have come across the wonderful old ones intended for 16mm cinema cameras of the 40's and 50's: specifically the Kodak Ektar and Anastigmat.
It is possible to use them on smaller sensor digital cameras that have a flange distance so much closer than a typical DSLR. Micro 4/3 cameras are ideally suited for these old beauties.
The images that one can produce with them are truly unique, where the edges of the frame start to darken and the background that is not in focus begins to swirl.
Among them I found the Anastigmat 63mm f2.7; a rather long focal length with a unique capability to extend the focusing for close-up subjects.



I have tried several times to use modern lenses for details photography and none offer me the ease of use and the instant feedback as much as manual lenses. But the way the out-of-focus background (bokeh) is rendered by the Anastigmat is superb, in my eyes.



Prone to flare, the lens can be used creatively to achieve dreamy soft images, something I can not reproduce with any "app" or post production work. The lens is however hard to use, with its small focus ring and stiff actuation. Not best suited for fast moving subjects.


When I want to create a photograph with precise level of blurriness and depth, a touch of vignette or a unique soft bubbly look, I generally reach for the Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7.
And now Petra has discovered the same: it was "love at first click"


taken with adapted C-mount Cosmicar 50mm f1.4

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Invasion of blue aliens

At low tide an army emerges from the sand and invades the edges of the shallow ponds.

Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm f2.7 1/1250sec

In their impeccable blue uniforms for a few hours they work hard at making "cannon balls".

Kodak Cine Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/800sec

But as the tide floods again their conquered beach they retreat underground once more.

The relentless life of a soldier crab.

Kodak Anastigmat 63mm f2.7  1/1600

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Analysis and synthesis

Does great Image Quality of a lens lead to brilliant images?
It depends.
Depends on your interpretation of a great image and Image Quality.

I feel that the definition of Image Quality for a photographic lens is too often a misnomer to describe sharpness as to me IQ is a complex blend of optical properties that create photographs.
But can all the pixel peeping and perusal of resolution charts for the sharpest lens lead to captivating images?
I doubt it.


image by Pete Ware , used with permission

If a photographer heavily concentrates on analysis too often gets lost with synthesis.
The individual that highly values the ultimate resolution in a lens, the highest pixel count on a sensor, the widest dynamic range in a camera, frequently fails to see the forest for the trees.

I see technically perfect images, probably taken on tripods with the largest camera possible that don't deliver emotions. And if a photograph does not stir me inside then it is just an attempt to record reality, sterile and soulless. While it might be useful for analyzing a place or event, possibly for record keeping, it lacks vision.

The deeper I venture into the art of photography the less I obsess over the sharpest results in my photographs and rather concentrate on the passion behind the click. I forego technical perfection while chasing the aesthetic beauty of a scene, and if the image I create does not evoke any feelings then I have failed in my synthesis.


image by Mattias Kühmayer, used with permission

Thank you to Pete and Matthias for being inspirational and showing me that lens IQ is overrated :-)
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