Urban motorcycles

I am not a big fan of urban riding with all the stop-go traffic and congestion. But admittedly there are some spots in the city that lend themselves as a backdrop for interesting images.

 

Yamaha XSR700. M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

Honda CB650R.  Zonlai Discover 25mm f1.8

Yamaha XSR700. Kodak Cine 102mm f2.7

Yamaha XSR700.  Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  (C-mount)

Yamaha XSR700. M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8

Yamaha XSR700.  Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  (C-mount)

Benji. Cosmicar 50mm f1.4  (C-mount)

Genuine feeling

While often I am drawn to the conventional "pretty features" of people, beauty can also mean something different to me: often not just their physical appearances but their sincerity and genuine disposition
I found that in a very small village on the Coral Coast in Fiji; somehow the look on their faces seems to radiate the altruism that they carry within.



refitted F.Zuiko 32mm f1.7  (from Pen EED)  1/25sec

They share their passion for helping others, would that be trough singing and praying, on a mission that doesn't discriminate religion; all are welcome.
I was invited to their humble premises where I was welcomed to sit on the floor to listen to their beautiful voices accompanied by a guitar.




I didn't notice any shyness and no reservation in me taking a few photographs there. Nobody asked me: "What are going to do with those photographs?"
A very refreshing interaction, so different than the self-image obsession of the Western world.


refitted F.Zuiko 32mm f1.7  (from Pen EED)  1/2500sec

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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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Swirly bokeh for portrait

Isolating my subjects from a distracting background has been a quest of mine for some time.
In the past I have mainly used longer lenses or wider apertures to create a bokeh that serves as backdrop, while still trying to give context of the location.
Lately I have been exploring the virtues and faults of lenses that were never intended for my camera, let alone a digital sensor and even less size of format (originally film).
I have been playing with lenses that were designed for 16mm film (much smaller than the sensor in my cameras).


Bell&Howell 16mm film projection lens 2" f1.6 (fixed aperture) 1/250sec

As the image circle does not fully cover my larger medium the edges of the lens render with great distortion. Most photographers would never accept that, myself included, just a few years ago.
Sharpness was absolute priority, anything else had to come second.
Times have changed: I have grown my artistic sense and I am distancing further away from razor sharp modern glass that unfortunately often lacks of character. My auto-focus lenses are gathering dust...
I have shifted from my professional days of capturing a "true" representation of reality where everything must be sharp to something that, through de-focusing fields and adding possibly motion blur, leads to different results. I want my images to create an emotion rather then a recording of a place/event.
Some lenses create a peculiar background blur when the focused subject and background are at the right distance from each other and the lens is often used wide open.
I call it swirly bokeh.


Bell&Howell 16mm film projection lens 2" f1.6 (fixed aperture) 1/1000sec

As I view now photography more art than science I gravitate towards images of a different nature; extreme sharpness has taken a back stage spot.


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