Happy Buddha |
It is election time here in Sweden, so I think it is only appropriate to show an old unpublished photo of a happy Buddha standing in the middle between two opposing red and blue poles.
It is election time here in Sweden, so I think it is only appropriate to show an old unpublished photo of a happy Buddha standing in the middle between two opposing red and blue poles.
Since I take a lot of pictures, I'm often asked for advice by people looking to buy a camera. Here's the general advice that I give them.
Sunset through rainy window. I tried to get closer, but due to the angle of the sun and the window I couldn't get the macro lens close enough, and the non-macro wouldn't focus near enough.
Playing around with a macro lens at Långholmen. Långholmen is an islet in the Stockholm archipelago, located about a kilometer west of the center of town, and at the edge of what we'd call "Stockholm City". It used to hold the central prison, but is now more known for a bath and as a concert venue. Since much of it is covered in forest it was a perfect location to try out macro shots. In particular, I wanted to see how macro panoramas worked out with the subjects seen here.
The Raynox DCR-250 is an 8-diopter conversion lens that attaches to the filter ring of your lens, enabling close-up macro photography. It is also tons of fun in a small package. After experimenting with the Panasonic TZ7/ZS3 in macro photography, I wanted something that gave a bit more control. The AF tracking mode of the TZ7 did allow me to place focus anywhere in the frame, but the tracking was frequently erratic and would at times refuse to "lock on". Due to the lack of manual controls - especially manual focus - I found macro photography with the TZ7 to be fun, but messy. I also didn't quite like the idea of having to carry two cameras with me. The more I move around, the better the photos, and the more I carry, the less I move.
Macro photos of Purpletop Vervain (Verbena Bonariensis) at the city hall bridge in Stockholm. These were some of the first shots I did with my new Raynox DCR-250 conversion lens together with a Nikon 55-200mm. The DCR-250 is capable of much greater magnification: These photos were taken at 98mm and 68mm, and the magnification increases all the way to 200mm (and beyond, if you have such a lens). I'll do a proper writeup of this fun conversion lens, (hopefully) including the good-looking results of macro panorama photos, as soon as I understand more about how to use it properly. As with all macro lenses, you need to be a lot more careful with the technical aspects.
There was no time or place to stop as we drove out of Jerusalem, so I just held the camera out the right side window and let it go at continuous drive. Most of the photos were either angled wrong or had obstacles in them that obscured the view, but from three shots I managed to assemble the following picture.
The newest addition to the Jerusalem skyline, a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge called the Jerusalem Chords Bridge. It was intended to mark the entrance to Jerusalem where the Sderot Ben Gurion highway reaches Ets Haim. As the Sderot Ben Gurion branches off Highway 1, the main highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the bridge is quite prominent. The other purpose of the bridge was to carry the light rail that is intended to begin operating in Jerusalem.
Way back in 2005 I made a panorama of photos from the top of Granholmstoppen. I think it turned out great, with one caveat: It was shot using a small Cybershot DSC-U30, so the resolution that you see on the linked photo is more or less as large as it goes. I still think it is beautiful, but bigger is better in this case.
Pleasantly surprised by the macro abilities of the Panasonic DMC-TZ7, I tried out my technique on these flowers.
A couple of days ago I had some problems trying to get photos of Husby Centrum, the place where I lived the first 27 years of my life. I was told that I needed a permit to take photos there, because it "made people nervous". The whole concept that I should not be able to show people where I lived most of my life is stupid beyond words; this time I was armed with more than a vague idea of what the law stated - I had read up on Stockholm City's website, checked Fotosidan for articles about public spaces and the laws surrounding them. All for nothing. Because I walked around completely unhindered and shot the following photos:
The forest may seen quite uniform when viewed from six feet above ground, but close up and at ground level, there is an small wonderland. I found this spot just off the road when walking to Granholmstoppen. The first visit didn't go all that well - I got two shots, but was unprepared for the very short duration the sunlight stayed in the same place, so I missed some really good shots. I also hadn't figured out how to reliably use AF tracking to place the focus where I wanted it. (More about that below.)
At the north edge of Hagaparken is Frösundatoppen, an artificial hill that is a restoration of an old hill. At the beginning, this spot formed part of the Stockholm Ridge - a ridge that goes through Stockholm in a north-south direction and extends tens of kilometers in both directions. This ridge was used a source of building material throughout history. Its section near the center of Stockholm was eventually simply removed in the landscaping plan that created the modern Stockholm city layout. Not much is seen of it today, although you might notice it going from Norrmalm to Östermalm, crossing Malmskillnadsgatan at the top. |