No Photoshop; I just closed down to f.32 and 1/125th.sec. on manual, which is a favourite trick of mine for exaggerating sunset colours, and this is how it came out.
Spiffy, huh?
You do, however, need a lens that will go down to f.32. and those are like rocking-horse shit and cost more groats than I'd like to admit.
I was faffing about in the junk that sits under a bookcase in my gym and peered into the flight case which holds my old, steam-powered Olympus OM4Ti (still one of the world's most awesome cameras).
I was amazed to find it had an unfinished film in it so I toddled off to look at the sunset, finished the film and took it to Snappy Snaps this morning to see what else was on there …
Crap.
Just boring photographs of a building site at one of our schools over five years ago; the last time I took the steam-camera out for a spin.
Plus some sunsets from yesterday. This was the best one.
I might actually buy some film and take the old warhorse out again when the weather gets warmer. We shall see.
23 comments:
INCREDIBLE!!
And I WAS wondering why I can never take good pictures in the dark. Thanks for letting me know. I don't have tons of money, so I will just enjoy your work, Dive.
Isn't it disappointing when you find a film and rush it off for developing to find it's a big nothing. Done it many times.
I have these lenses Dive on my Canon and Yashica cameras but they're film of course and I don't use them anymore. I like the immediacy of digital and of course you can take as many as you like for £nothing. lol. I doubt I'll ever go back to film (I might if I had money to burn), but adore my cameras as you do, and often look at them adoringly and even touch them on occasions. LOL. Only a photographer would understand.
This sunset is gorgeous, I love it. Look forward to seeing the new shots.
It was actually quite light, Katherine. The sky was blue, but shutting a lens down that far and using a fast-ish exposure makes all the colours go funny. You can never be sure how they'll turn out but it's a fun exercise.
You're right, Lynn; the old steam cameras are lovely (and touchable) things.
Inconvenient, expensive and clunky but the results are awesome.
Like you, my photos these days are taken on digital but I've yet to find a digital camera with a lens that goes to f.32 so I'll hold on to all my old Olympus gear for a while yet.
Beautiful Dive - I need to take a few lessons from you!
Please take more pictures!
Thank you, Shazza; you are too kind.
If I had a scanner with a transparency adaptor on it I would be able to scan in the dozens of weird sunsets I took on the old steam camera.
But I don't.
Hey ho.
Hee hee, Robyn!
Rocking horse shit is extremely scarce.
Very dramatic photo. Of course I have no idea what closing down to f.32 and 1/125th.sec. on manual means, but I'm glad it worked for you. I used to have a Nikon film camera, but I never took it off automatic so I gave it to a friend. I'll stick with my digital point and shoot.
That is a beauty of a pic Dive. I have zero camera skillzzz and half the time I even mess up with my point and shoot. Usually I leave my camera on viideo so I have a ton of one second videos ending in me saying "oops". Ah well.
I tried to catch a beautiful orange sunset from my car while driving to Oklahoma last week, but it turned out so colorless that it promptly hit the wire waste basket on my screen with all the "oops" videos. :)
Katie, you get such wonderful results with your digital camera you don't need the old steam one.
Hee hee, Shan! I think you ought to save all those one second "Oops!" videos and let Jamey mix them into a song.
That's a great idea Dive! :) Baha
I could not take a photo like this if my life depended on it. And, I am not even allowed to take family photos with a regular camera as I cut off everyone's heads.
Very nice Dive. You are multi-effing talented. I have taken some photography classes and it is amazing just how much there is to learn about taking good photos. My results have been mixed, but a great photo is very rewarding. I have seen plenty of your photos and I consider you to be a photo whiz. You have captured some real treasures. While you may had had some luck shining on your arse,(Im trying not to picture that image) you also have a keen eye and a good deal of photo talent. Remember, "It aint braggin' if you can back it up." You have greatly enhanced your blog because of your extraordinary photos. Case in point, your cookery posts photos, your historical building photos, and let's not forget those wonderful photos of the Royal Family. I could go on and on but I dont want to inflate your head.
great photo, sugar! i should probably try using my camera more. xoxo
Gorgeous sunset! I love the old manual cameras. I am also partial to black and white. I taught black and white photography for three years. Our new school does not have a darkroom so I now have four enlargers, tons of chemicals and at least a dozen manual cameras between my garage and my basement. I also have a case of b&w film. I must admit digital is much more conducive to blog posting! I am just not very good with a digital camera yet. What can I say, I'm a bit of a slow learner when it comes to new technology.
Wonderful sunset Dive. Are the trees on the horizon any of your guerilla plantings that you mentioned in your latest email via Katie?
Steam camera? What am I missing here?
I have an old Olympus Pen-F and lots of accessories, but find the digital more to my liking these days. It's so much easier to ditch the bad shots.
Hee hee, Shan. You've got to go for it. I would love to hear the results.
Maria: I wish I had a camera that would cut off the heads of a lot of my relatives. And disembowel 'em, too.
Mark: I used to work as a photographer when I gave up the rock band thing and settled down and I learned a lot of tricks they don't teach you in college.
The secret of all professional photographers is pretty obvious though: "take thousands of photos and bracket 'em all over the place and maybe one or two will be usable".
We used to use Hasselblads with hundred foot rolls of film and just take EVERYTHING in the hope that something would be printable at the end of it.
Working as a photographer took all the joy out of it, though, so I quit.
Hee hee for the Royal Family quip!
Savannah: You really should.
I love seeing the results when you do use it.
xoxox
Neetzy: I'm a great fan of "manual" too. And black and white. I'm jealous of your darkroom equipment; I ditched all of mine years ago and regret it now.
I think you should scan in some of your b+w work for us.
Hi, Lupine Lady. No, those are just natural trees. We are not short of trees around the village so I don't have to plant here.
"Steam camera" is my old OM4Ti and my Rolleiflex; old-fashioned film cameras. I love them.
Like everyone else I carry a pocket digital camera everywhere these days which is wonderful for the blog but frustrating when I see something that really needs a professional camera. Oh, well; it's better than carrying a couple of heavy flight cases and a tripod around with me.
You and I can take photos together. I haven't got any Suffolk photos. We could drive down to the coast? :D
That sounds great fun, Joy.
Not until the weather's a little warmer though!
Sure sure. Hey, can you take me to a poppy field and a bluebell field? :D
Not at the same time. They flower months apart!
We'll see what's about.
Very funny. Bluebells in April, poppies in the summer! Keep your eyes peeled.
I think you actually painted this and then took a photo of your amazing artwork. It is a truly spectacular work of art Dive. You have an artists eye for photography and capturing sunsets is no mean feat. I've tried but failed to produce anything as perfect as this (ok, I don't have your camera or experience either).
So, bravo dear friend. This is brilliant!
I will, Joy!
Thank you, Mme. As always you are too kind. As I said, if you take a photo of a sunrise or sunset with those settings it's always going to be either weird or spectacular. I can never tell how they'll come out but that's half the fun.
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