Exploring the wonders of creation through a 50mm lens...and other lenses too.

Ah, the classic Theta Pond Fountain shot. You can’t go wrong with pictures like this, and even though there have probably been thousands of images just like this one taken by thousands of photographers over the years here at OSU…this one is unique and this one is mine and I like it just the same. It’s something I’ve written about before here on Weekly Fifty and something I still struggle with–the idea that my photos have to be new and original or they won’t be of any inherent worth, and that’s simply not the case at all. Of course it’s good to try new things and experiment with new techniques, but there’s nothing wrong with going out and taking pictures of familiar subjects at familiar settings just because it’s what you like. And this is something I happen to like :)

I’ve had the Fuji X100F for about half a year now and I’m still kind of amazed at how useful this little camera really is. I went out for a walk on at work an overcast afternoon in the middle of May and the conditions were perfect for getting a shot like this–lighting was good, there was no wind, and campus was basically empty since graduation was the previous weekend. With the built-in ND filter on the X100F I was able to set the camera down on a rock, set a 2-second timer (to eliminate shake from pressing the shutter) and fire off a short burst of 1-second images that left the water silky smooth and the background tack sharp too. I shot this in RAW, unlike a lot of pictures I take with the X100F, so I could adjust the exposure and some other settings in Lightroom, and the result is the kind of picture I really like to have in my catalog.

And I guess I should say a disclaimer here too: I don’t mean to come across as someone shilling for one particular brand of camera, but good gravy I sure do like that X100F :)

I know I posted a windmill picture last week but I couldn’t resist sharing another one from the return trip on my visit to Nebraska. This was south of Junction City, Kansas, and I shot it at about 2pm on May 6. The weather was nice and I liked how the clouds streaking through the sky gave a bit of scale to the image while adding some dynamic elements too. On my return home I didn’t plan on stopping much since I wanted to get back to my wife and kids, but as I approached this windmill I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a picture. What really stood out to me was how perfectly it was positioned in the sky, with the vanes and nacelle clearly visible in the afternoon light. If it had been turned a bit to the left or to the right the image would not have had nearly the same appeal, but as it stands I was able to get what seems (to me, anyway) to be a pretty solid photo of a windmill on the prairie. Basically, when I think of the classic image of a midwestern windmill, this is what comes to mind and I’m glad I was able to get this particular shot.

Shooting with my X100F meant I could not change my perspective or alter the composition by zooming or fiddling with levers and dials, and instead I had to park my car on the west side of the highway, walk across to the grassy hillside, and move around until I got the shot I was looking for. Or, rather, until I got a couple dozen shots while not really being certain of what I was looking for. I knew that the overall scene would make for a good picture but I wasn’t quite sure of precisely what angle to use, where I should stand, what I wanted in the foreground, etc. Playing around with those elements turned out to be kind of fun and I ended up with a handful of images that were interesting and fairly compelling, but something about the way the sunlight bounced off the rudder in this particular shot made it stand out from the rest.

I did try moving around so I could see the fence receding into the horizon but that had the downside of creating a composition wherein the windmill was somewhat sideways and despite the fact that I tended to prefer the natural elements in that type of picture I kept coming back to the image you see above with its distinct windmill shape set against a bright blue sky. I shot that at f/5.6 since there was clearly no lack of daylight, and I wanted to get a picture that was nice and sharp where shallow depth of field is simply not needed.

Taking these two pictures (this one and last week’s) was a fun way to get out and see my surroundings a bit more than I’m used to, and even had the practical benefit of helping break up my drive a bit and allow me to get out and stretch my legs. And my advice for anyone reading this post is to do the same: the next time you find yourself traveling, consider the road less taken and see what sights you will discover along the way.

Edit: My dad found this windmill too, just like the one from last week. Thanks again, Dad!

In early May I drove up to Nebraska for the weekend to see some family and, as I often do when I’m traveling alone (as opposed to with my wife and kids) I took a slightly longer but vastly more scenic route compared to the interstates and freeways. I cut through Kansas on Highway 15 instead of I-35 and I-135 and in the process managed to see some interesting sights in the Flint Hills that make long drives like this a little more enjoyable. There’s a judgement call to make whenever passing something that might be worth a photo, though: is it worth my time to stop and try to get what might be a good picture, or should I press on towards my destination knowing that each stop along the way gets me there just a little bit later?

That was my dilemma on this particular drive and though I did park my car several times to get out and take pictures, I knew I also wanted to visit with my family before everyone went to bed and every photo I took along the way meant I would pull into even farther past my planned arrival time. Because of that I tried to be intentional in the photos I took, and kept my eyes open for two specific things: lone trees in the middle of a grassy field, and windmills. Both make for interesting picture opportunities and both are not exactly easy to come by, though one might think that on the open Kansas plains a lone tree wouldn’t be too difficult to spot. (They’re actually a lot more rare than you might think!)

I believe I got this shot near Abeline, Kansas, though I can’t remember if it was north or south of the town. The sun was setting and I knew I would be losing all daylight soon, and even though I had stopped to get a windmill photo about an hour before this one I thought I might as well give this a try just for kicks. I pulled over, grabbed my X100F, and sat down as close to a barbed-wire fence as was humanly possible in order to reach my hands through it and get a decent shot of the windmill. I dared not cross the fence on to private property, but I hope that just reaching across wouldn’t count as tresspassing!

I shot this from a low angle to give a sense of presence and authority to the windmill, and purposely put it on the left side to help the viewer see the wide expanse of grass and sky on the right. Highway 15, along with some overhead power lines, are just outside the frame on the left side and while I wish I could have mowed down some of the pesky grass sticking up from the bottom third of the image I figure it’s all part and parcel of living in the midwest so might as well just embrace it.

My wife likes windmills and shortly after I returned home from the trip I got this printed on canvas for her to hang in her office. She likes it a lot, and that’s probably the highest compliment I could hope to get on a picture like this :)

Edit:
My dad found the exact windmill after a lot of searching on Google Earth. Thanks Dad!

Ah, back to the classic setup of shooting with a 50mm lens and a set of close-up filters! I posted a ton of photos with this combination in recent years but since getting my X100F I haven’t thought about the good old close-up filters much, so when I awoke to a rainy morning in late April I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get them back out and take some pictures. And my oh my, was I ever reminded of how much I like doing macro-style shots.

One thing I’ve learned from working with close-up filters is that virtually any subject can make for a compelling picture, even bits of flotsam and jetsam you might have on your desk as you read this post. Look close enough at almost anything around you and you’ll start to see intricacies, patterns, and small details that transform the mundane into something magical. Combine that with a bit of precipitation and you’re good to go, which is exactly what happened for this week’s image.

This picture didn’t require anything special in the way of gear, but it did necessitate a bit of planning in order to get it right. I waited until the rain had abated somewhat so as not to drench my D7100 (I know it’s got some weather sealing but I’m still probably a bit too careful with it) and then found a tree with some water drops hanging off at various spots. This particular one was interesting because the bud right above the drop added just the right touch of color, and also because the reflection in the drop was pretty cool to look at :) I believe I kept my lens at f/8 to get a wider depth of field and, if memory serves me correctly (which it often doesn’t!) I think I shot this with my +4 filter though a +10 would have been interesting too. I focused manually because relying on electronic focus with shots like this is so tricky and often unreliable, and bracketed my shots in the hope of getting at least one that turned out OK.

I know I’ve been talking about the X100F a lot recently but taking this photo reminded me how much I enjoy doing this type of photography and helped me realize, yet again, that there is no such thing as the perfect camera. It’s all about what works for you, and what helps you get the shots you want on any given occasion. Maybe it’s a big DSLR, maybe it’s a point-and-shoot, and maybe it’s your cell phone. If it works, then go for it.

Another example of how photography, as Forrest Gump might have said, is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get. A few weeks ago I was walking past the School of Geology, as I’ve done many many times before, and happened to notice something strange about a little brick wall that I had seen before but never really thought much about. I paused and saw that there were openings on either side of it large enough for a person to pass through, so I stopped and took a short detour to check out what, if anything, was on the other side. What I saw wasn’t all that much in the grand scheme of things, but it was a nice little patio with kind of a mini arboretum, if you will, that I would imagine most people on campus (just like me) didn’t even know was there.

If you’re curious, click here and zoom in a bit on the School of Geology. The black rectangle where the sidewalk jutting out from the curved rode hits the other north/south sidewalk is right on the other side of this week’s picture. And ask yourself: would you ever think to look behind the wall? I sure didn’t!

When I first stumbled across this tiny oasis I had my X100F with me and took a few shots from about waist level, but they didn’t really look how I was hoping they would turn out. I returned the next day and took a couple more shots with my camera right on the ground and pointed upwards in order to capture the garden as well as a bit of sky, and got just the shot I was envisioning. And once again the 35mm focal length of that camera proves to be just about perfect for the type of shooting I like to do on a casual everyday basis.

I had to edit the sky just a bit to bring out some of the color (I used a gradient filter in Lightroom and then erased parts of it on the tree leaves using the filter brush with auto-masking enabled) and made a few other color adjustments, but the one thing I really wish I could get rid of is the…uhm…white markings on the wall. Let’s just say it’s not paint :) I suppose someone with a lot of time and Photoshop skills could remove those but I’m content to leave the image as-is and enjoy the story behind it of discovering a hidden gem right in front of me. And now that you know about it too, maybe you’ll check it out next time you’re at OSU :)