Camera: Canon Eos 5d
Exposure: ISO 400 between
f1.4 and 2@ 1/160
Lens: Nikon 50mm f1.4 +
Vello Nikon to Canon adaptor
File size: Approximately
12 x 12 @240 dpi
Up to
recently it’s been either rainy, bitter cold, or both; weather unsuited to
staying out for hours far from one’s neighborhood. Still, if the tools are with
with me, there always seem to be things that turn up, so I don’t leave the
house without a camera. This time, the weather nastiness worked to my advantage.
It was a rather
drizzly Friday afternoon when I spotted the big Christmas tree that goes up in
Rittenhouse Square every year. What had been a symbol of holiday cheer was
forlorn and wan in the gray and rainy park. Soon it would be curb fodder.
Because
there wasn't much light, selective focus was the way to go. I set the lens at
or close to wide open, composed the shot, focused and simply waited-- it did
not take long. I captured a few images with random people entering the frame,
and then the person with the umbrella came along. Of course, I wanted to do a
second similar one, but as it typically is, you get only one whack at it.
The original
black and white image just didn't have enough graphic impact; it needed color.
I will defer printing this one. Crop and adjustments of tone and contrast in
Lightroom and Photoshop were the extent of post processing. I’m gravitating
towards square formats, which is interesting to me, since my first professional
camera a Rolleiflex Automat, was a square but for years I didn’t think I liked
that format. This older Nikon 35mm lens,
has a creaminess that is much like the Schneider Xenar which my Rollei has. The Vello adaptor, which allows this lens to
be used on the Canon, has no aperture or focus coupling, so the shooting is
essentially manual—no autofocus, no anti-shake, and you stop down the lens while
keeping an eye on the meter. Slower and more contemplative, it is a good fit
for this kind of subject.
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