Category: photography

Pentacon 50/1.8

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Morning WalkiesMonday morning I decided to take my camera along on morning walkies. I haven’t been carrying the camera given the really crappy atmospheric conditions the last week and change. But, the Rim Fire seems to be producing less smoke, or at least we’re getting less smoke here in Carson City. So, I thought a bit more walk would be good and there might be a few things worthy of a capture.

My friend Jimmy gave me this Pentacon 50mm f1.8 lens to shoot. I was going to shoot the Prakitcar 135mm f2.8 that I also have from him, but it’s in a Practica B-mount and I don’t have an adapter. [Aside: I ordered an adapter from Hong Kong this morning. I should be able to shoot the Prakticar in a week or two. It looks like good glass.]

So, I put the Pentacon 50/1.8 on my Sony NEX-5N and headed off. The Girl waited more or less patiently… well, less patiently this morning. She was ready for walkies.

With the improving atmospheric quality I elected to walk a bit more than we have been. The smoke really bothers me. It was a good walk and I found some pretty flowers along the way. I never tire of the colors that flowers present. It was overcast this morning. so the light was quite flat. Yet, I think that’s some of the best light for flowers.

The Pentacon has some interesting image quality. It’s not the sharpest lens in my collection wide open. It’s adequate, though. However, it has some interesting bokeh. I’m not sure if it’s good or not as it borders on the busy. Yet, I find this particular image interesting enough to share.

Big Light

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Young SonYoung Son needed a portrait for his college profile. I guess some of the teachers there actually use the images to get to know/recognize their students. That’s a good thing.

So, he engaged the dadbeast to do the shoot. I like natural light and I like big light, so I use a big window whenever I can. The slider was the perfect source yesterday evening. So, I had him stand back a few feet. I put the Konica 85/1.8 on my Sony NEX-5N, made an adjustment to the white balance, and made the shot. I can’t get the white balance right with this smoke, so I made an adjustment in post-processing.

I’m pleased with the result. I love informal portraits with big light.

Fire Dancer

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Fire Dancer

As Saturday evening wore on (and grew darker), the fire dancers came out. This was really fun, although the crowd made it more difficult to get good images. Also, I found the limit of my Sony 55-210 zoom. It doesn’t do so well as the light fades. Still, I managed a few good frames.

Hula Hoop Dancer

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Hula Hoop Dancer

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was in Reno to spend time with a friend. That evening I found myself at the Controlled Burn. The shows were wonderful and this image captured this beautiful young dancer who favors the Hula Hoop. She is a professional by any standard.

Hula-Hoop Dancers

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Hula Hoop Dancers

Last Saturday we wandered around the Controlled Burn event. The early part of the show featured a group of dancers working with hula-hoops. They made for some interesting images. I think the light was good enough that I was working within the sweet spot of the Sony 55-210mm zoom I had mounted on the NEX-5N. The images are decent, although not as sharp as I’d like. Still, it was a fun event and I’m glad I was there to witness it.

First of August

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Flower Bloom

One of the “interesting” things from Saturday evening was this fire sculpture. As I approached the Controlled Burn event from the south (I had to park a few blocks away), I noticed the flames. As we got closer, I hear one of the blossoms “bloom.” The sound was quite pronounced.

As we passed, the Girl moved to my side opposite the flowers. When the bloom bloomed, she shied away. She didn’t like the sound and maybe didn’t like the feel of the heat. It was both funny and pitiful.

The sculpture fascinated me and I came back once I found Jimmy. We spent a few minutes trying to capture the bloom. I came away with a few frames, of which this is one of the better. I probably had the wrong lens on my NEX at the time, but I was too lazy to spend the time changing it.

July is gone and now we are into August. The year is passing quickly. This is the beginning of 31 Days of Geocaching, and I think I’m going to see if I can do the streak. I’ll want to pick relatively easy finds for work days, but can spend a little more time on the weekends looking for some of the more challenging finds. Plus, Older Son and DiL will be here for ten days in August and I’m spending some of my leave to be with them. They like to find geocaches, so it will be fun.

Gear Drop

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Gear Drop

Last Saturday I was in Reno to have coffee with Jimmy and we walked the river area in downtown Reno. On warm weekends, there are always plenty of people about and some of them make interesting subjects for photography. The play of light on this young woman and her bright orange bag caught my attention.