Trinkets or Accessories?

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place!

The term accessories has come to include a host of photographic gadgets of questionable value...  Ansel Adams

A sucker is born every minute…  PT Barnum

The first accessory we’re going to look at seems to have some merit. At least, for the maker it has merit. It’s the Camera Clip. This is a clip that mounts to your camera’s tripod bushing. The other piece goes on your belt or backpack strap. The 2 pieces clip together to keep your camera in place for easy carrying. It has a quick release button, and when worn on the belt looks kind of like some space alien stun gun thing. I’ve always found the camera strap to work best at carrying the camera, and being slightly free, a painless way to get the shot. No fussing with a clip or having your belt stretched (or worse, your pants falling down) by the weight of your camera.

Then there’s the SLR Pin Hole Lens. This is the cap from an SLR with a pinhole in it. This allows for pinhole photography without a pinhole camera. It’s a good idea, and may have merit if you wish to combine pinhole photography with digital photography. There’s no way to change your aperture, and no way to focus, so auto focus is out the window. This may not be usable with some SLRs, as the focus point has to be acceptably sharp, even in manual focus. This would apply to many DSLRs, therefore check before using!

Next up is a device called the Super-Secret Spy Lens. This gadget has a hole in the side of the lens and uses mirrors to photograph through the side. It allows you to pint your camera one direction, pretending to photograph something, while actually sneaking a photo of something (or someone) unsuspecting. I can see someone getting into trouble with this really quick! By the way, this little lens add on says right on it “Angle Scope!” It even includes in the ad on Amazon a sample use, on the beach…

Last up, my personal favorite for the no merit award goes to the Bottle Cap Tripod. First, there was the tabletop tripod, which allowed folks to shoot their food in fancy restaurants without having to handhold the camera. Then cam the Gorilla-Pod thing that allowed you to mount your camera to leafy tree branches. The final step (I hope!) in this evolution will be this. It’s a standard sized “bottle cap” that mounts to your camera and allows you to put it on a water bottle, juice bottle, cola bottle, whatever bottle, and take a photo, presumably of yourself or your group.

Of course, no list can be complete. Many gadgets may be useful to you, even when no one else finds them to be. This list is only showing a couple money wasters that actually do nothing to help your photography. Who’s to say the bottle cap is bad, if you can get a family shot when you’re out to a special dinner or something similar. There are so many more items that purport to be useful, when they’re actually nothing more than trinkets to make you feel better about your photography.

The best accessory for any camera, of course, is the manual. Read it, learn your camera, learn your style, and you’ll have no need for many of these trinkets. Some good accessories to have include a multicoated circular polarizer, a UV filter, good storage for digital photography, a good camera bag, a good cleaning kit, maybe some black and white filters if you plan to shoot monochrome, a remote release cable, and a flash with a couple mods. These items will flesh a very nice little kit, and have you moving through your scenes with ease after some practice! A very important piece of gear is a meter. Since most cameras today have built in meters, that can come later, and be a life saver in tricky light! Although, whatever accessories you have or use, you have to keep them ready and practice them to get the most from them.


ISO 400, f/8, 1/30
One of the buildings at the Hermitage in Bayreuth. The feeling of being away from the world, even in the city, is something one can relate to in this age of stress! The feeling of splendor, yet remote contemplation make this place a winner. Shot with nothing but a Wratten #8, yellow, filter over my lens. No fancy tricks or gadgets were used, other than knowing what my camera would do and how the filter would alter the levels.

I hope that this will give you pause the next time you see that “magic bullet” device that will make all your photos super perfect! As any long time photographer will tell you, there are no magic bullets. Practice and knowing your gear is the closest thing to that magic bullet.

Get out and get making your photos! We’d love for you to share them with us on our Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. We’d love to see your work.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Autumn Care

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Here in Hohenfels, the Sun made a couple cameo appearances but wasn’t able to stir up any kind of significant warmth. The rain put a damper on the spirits, as did the fact that it’s a workday!

With autumn’s brutally chilled arrival, we’re nearing the time to shoot some real color! There’s always some excitement about the colors, shapes, textures, and patterns that accompany autumnal photography. As I mentioned in yesterday’s quote, now’s a great time to think about negative space and the use of color to create tension, balance, and harmony in your photos, and bring about the connection you’d like to make.


ISO 800, f/11, 1/60
These flowers were shot at the Hermitage in Bayreuth. A Wratten #8, yellow, filter was used. By using the filter, the green was brought up slightly, and the white flowers separated from both the red flowers and green leaves. By allowing a rich grey-black to fall on the leaves and red flowers, a velvety feeling of negative space results. While fragmented and carrying visual detail, it is by no means the subject, and yet becomes a subject of its own.

Along with the march of color into the dreariness ahead, comes other factors that photographers should take note of. First, is the rapid decrease in temperatures, the drop in temperature can take the starch out of an exciting day. Another factor is the rain, always something to be ready for in our Hohenfels area. Getting your camera wet can lead to issues that no one wants!

One of the biggies, I’ve found, is the increase in static. For the most part, photographers don’t have to worry about while photographing with digital cameras. It’s when the time comes to change cards or clean your sensor, or even change your lens that it becomes an issue. A typical “zap” can have as much as 30,000 volts jumping from one surface to another. Enough to ruin your day if it arcs over onto your sensor. Since most folks don’t clean their sensors beyond a squirt from a bulb blower, it’s pretty reasonable to say that the standard precautions are sufficient.

With film, though, static can be a big problem. Advancing film, rewinding film, activating the shutter, removing a dark slide, all these things can cause an arc that will ruin your shot. The can also damage your shutter curtains if your camera uses cloth. In the driest and coldest weather, it could damage your sensor, but that’s unlikely.

The biggest threat to digital cameras during this time of year is the condensation from thermal transitions. That’s a fancy way of saying going inside from outside. I’ve found one of the best ways to protect anything is a Ziploc bag and 30 minutes. Don’t plug your camera in, put your card in your reader, or power on your camera when you first come in. The temperature change can cause moisture, which we all know, doesn’t sit well with electronics! Think about glasses fogging over when you come in from the cold!

Another awesome tip- when you get in from the cold, make a big cup of hot cocoa, with extra chocolate. It’ll warm you up, and give time for your gear to reach a suitable temperature! It helps if you have someone to share it with. A nice cup of cocoa with my little princess makes for some fun talk time, and 30 minutes is gone before you know it!

Now’s the time get scouting and planning your autumn shots. Figure out where and when, the rest will follow. Then, make your shot and share it with us on our Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. We’d love to see your work.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, Hohenfels Volks is on Google+, too!

A Tryst

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Another rainy reminder that autumn is upon us. The colors and clarity of the season provide so much to intoxicate the spirit, and numb the body for the long cold ahead! Here, in Hohenfels, it’s no different!

It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet.
Kojiro Tomita

Again, another taste of the artistic and spiritual side. Kojiro Tomita was an early 20th century art expert from Japan. He had come to America to expose the U.S. to Japanese aesthetics and art. He was curator of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston.

I chose to use this particular quote to express what our photography can do, and how we involve our audience in our work.

When we feel our shot is the right one, when we see the scene, and visualize our final image, we often feel something beyond our technical and expressive processes. If we stop and think about what we’re expressing, and who we’re expressing it to, we begin to see a relationship take shape.

Neither party may know each other; indeed, they may be separated by centuries. At the same time, though, we are brought together for a small moment, in some connection that shares our feelings and viewpoints with those of our viewer. We connect.

Just something to think about the next time your out. If you’re out to make a portrait, find a way to include your subject, as well as your audience and yourself, in that connection. You’ll find a photo that will touch lives for generations to come! When making a still life, try to visualize the final product, and put yourself in the shoes of the viewer. How does that visualization make you feel? If your reaction brings you deeper into the scene, then your audience will no longer be your audience; they’ll be a tryst you enjoyed while expressing your vision, and enjoying your creativity! Of course, that’s just my thought!


ISO 3200, f/5, 1/30
Flowers in Vase, my tryst. This was taken in a little Vietnamese restaurant in Bayreuth during my last day trip. I made the shot knowing that the flowers in stark isolation against the background would create a sense of isolation, especially with all the negative space. I also noticed, even in that sea of isolation, that the flowers were not alone. Their isolation created a balance that allowed their relationship to transcend appearances and become tryst like in its relation of tones, shapes, and placement. I knew this one would speak to someone as a reminder that we are never alone, even when we feel like it. To paraphrase Ansel Adams, "There are always two people in every photo." That seems to go along with today's theme nicely.

I hope all our Hohenfels Volks readers will get out and create something of a tryst in their photography, and share it with us on our Hohenfels Volks Faceboook page. We’d love to see your work.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Presence

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Rain, sun, wind, chills, and warmth. All the seasons were experienced in one day here in Hohenfels!

Be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence.
Minor White

It's amazing the insight in that little quote...

Communication exists between the photographer, the subject, and the viewer, and can only be understood by those few who feel the affirmation of the object upon which you've cast your attention.

I posted that earlier today on our Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. It’s meant to call attention to the fact that our expressions have a link to the subject.

Many of the early and famous photographers were quoted saying things about the importance of creativity. They were also famously quoted speaking or writing about expression and the relation of photography to communication. Ansel Adams said there are always 2 people in a photograph, even one devoid of people, the photographer, and the viewer.

It’s important to remember that even though we see no person when we make the image, we are indeed communicating our feelings, thoughts, and ideas about the subject to our future viewers. We are also expressing something of our feelings and thoughts about our potential viewers. When we think of our viewers, and what we hope for them to feel and opine on our images, we are indeed receiving their affirmation. If our viewers are not an object of our attention, then what else is? Beyond our subject and ourselves, there is little left to affirm our presence.

Of course, our subject affirming our presence may seem ridiculous, as often we photograph the inanimate. This affirmation can be almost spiritual, it’s an awareness of the light, the shade, the texture, and the myriad other things that make our expressions our own, and help us communicate across all boundaries. We generally feel this affirmation as what Cartier-Breson called the “decisive moment.”


ISO 1600, f/8, 1/30
Another angle on yesterday's photo. I love the way the green leaves stand out both visually, and metaphorically, against the orange, and even above the greens of the moss. By creating a connection with the scene, I was able to express my love of the way new lives grow from the old, and yet remain part of the old.

I hope everyone gets the chance to seek the their object's affirmation, and will feel their images. I also hope you’ll share them with us on our Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. We’d love to see your work.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Jaunty in Hohenfels

Greetings and welcome to Hohenfels Volks, THE place for our place! Several days of beautiful weather have made life comfortable here in Hohenfels and our surrounding areas. Bayreuth last weekend was especially beautiful, as the clouds and lighting made for some magnificent wooded shots. Yesterday’s clear skies made the Nuremberg flea market, scattered throughout the old parts of town, a place full of photographic treasures.

Today’s post is short and simple. We’re going to talk about day jaunts to local areas. We’re not going to expound too much on places, it’s more about finding and making photos we like. Expressive images make the creative process a reward in itself, and being prepared can make a big difference.

I’m planning a mid-Autumn trip to Bayreuth to make some photos. The intent is to make some beautiful photographs of the autumn state at a couple places there. The first one is the Hermitage. I fell in love with this place on my first visit. The lighting, textures, and wooded areas make for something magical. The second one is at the New Residenz, which is similar, but has a completely different feel. I also hope to make a portrait or 2, and shoot some slide film.

The reason I mention that, is our main reason for the topic today. When we make our jaunts and trips, it’s always a good idea to know what to expect. By making a trip or 2 in advance, and maybe some shots of our ideas, we can be prepared for the situations we’re likely to encounter. For instance, at the Hermitage a reflector is a good idea. On a sunny day, it can be used to fill in the shaded areas with light streaming through the trees. Because of the large volume of trees, autumn will increase the warmth of the light, and a clear day will help keep it from going to warm. In Regensburg, I might rely on a golden reflector or gelled flash, as the light in the park by the bahnhof feels quite different. In either place, flash and gels are vital to getting a portrait to be more in line with our vision and intent.

Around our area, going place to place is simply a matter of taking the train. A train to Bamberg doesn’t take too long, and can lead to some quiet contemplation of what our intentions may be. We can also relax on the way back and reflect on our efforts. Trains also provide an easy way to scout a location. They run close to our own schedules in most cases, and we can leave when we see fit, or stay as long as we want. Avoiding the traffic allows for more insightful planning and reflection.


ISO 1600, f/8, 1/30
Rebirth in Bayreuth. Green against orange. Leaves intensified by shooting with a yellow filter. Yes, black and white filters can be used on digital cameras. By bringing out the green slightly, the leaves are made to stand out. Just a small fraction of the beauty in Bayreuth. The leaves growing from amidst the decay of an older tree brought a sense of rebirth, and second chances, the shallow DOF allows a more meaningful contemplation. I plan to re-do this shot when the leaves are changing for a different mood.

On another note, I’m hoping we can get some volks to contribute a small article about a place they like to shoot, and maybe some pics. It’ll help flesh out our “Your Works” and “Our Places” pages, and help others out with their day trips.

I hope all of you will get out and plan a day trip to make some shots. I also hope you’ll share it with us on our Hohenfels Volks Faceboook page. We’d love to see your work.

Is there anything you’d like to see here? Do you have a question? Share your thoughts here or at the Hohenfels Volks Facebook page. Of course, commenting on both Facebook and here is always appreciated, too! Don't forget, we're on Google+, too!

Around Hohenfels

Welcome to another Hohenfels Volks post.

“Location, location, location!” It’s something we hear all the time, in the movies, television, news, it’s an old saying that seems to be everywhere around us. In photography, the saying should be “Light, light, light!” Our medium requires light to work. However, like most things, just having light isn’t enough.

We’re going to talk about light in another post, which is why I led off with the location quote. Today, we’re talking about an excellent location for photographers! Hohenfels seems to be perfectly located for quick access to so many places. Bayreuth is no exception. Guess where we’re going.

Bayreuth is a city in Bavaria and is located north of Hohenfels and Amberg. It takes about 2 hours by train to get there. That includes a stop in Nuremberg. The city is home to quite a few historic sites and buildings, which provides an incredible array of photographic choices. Let’s mention a few and some of the challenges and nice things about shooting there.

First stop, the Opera House. It was built between 1744 and 1748 for Margravine Wilhelmine, sister of Frederick the Great. She composed music and created much of what is the beauty of Bayreuth. The details are incredible, the splendor and glory here just blow the mind! For the photographer to work here, an off camera flash or two, high ISOs, and wide apertures are very important. Shooting with one remotely triggered flash and an ISO of 1600 resulted in this image.


The Margravine's Opera Box
1/60 f/3.5 ISO 1600

Bayreuth is famous for its association with Wagner, the great German composer. They host a Wagner festival annually. His house is a lovely place for some photos, with great blocks, gardens, tomb, and ivy covered walls nearby! A great place for some truly nice outdoor shots at lower ISOs, and with some light cloud cover, you have a natural soft box to make for some pretty light!

The last place on this visit is the New Palace. Although the inside is incredible, photography isn’t allowed in the actual palace. The entry museums allow photography, though. The best shots here are to be had in the Palace Garden. With a lake through the middle, and rows of tree-covered paths, this is a place to recharge, and practice your shooting skills. The trees can make for challenging light, but knowing your settings and visualizing your shots can make for something great.


Placing the island just a touch higher than the middle of the frame, and allowing the lake shore to converge created a nice composition and created some depth. Turning my circular polarizer to allow the sky to reflect in the lake added a bit of light and balance.
1/60 f/8 ISO 400

There are more great places in Bayreuth. The king of them all is the Hermitage, but with all the photographic opportunities there, that’ll have wait for another post.

Bayreuth, definitely a place for the photographer in all of us! Give it a visit and you’ll be back for more!

Don't forget to leave a comment. Post your questions to our Hohenfels Volks Photo Club Facebook page.

Wishing you a great evening!