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Contender in the Photography Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Contest Finalist in Green Shades Photo Contest
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Honorable Mention in Rusty And Old Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
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Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
I captured this image at my friends business. He buys, collects and resells cars. I am glad I took time to photograph this vehicle along with several others that day, many had to be sold off during the pandemic to avoid permeant closure of his business.Time
I shot this around 12:30 pm. the car sat in an open gravel parking area and it was an overcast day.Lighting
It was mostly overcast that day, so the lighting was soft and diffused.Equipment
I used my Nikon D850 with a Nikkor 14-24mm lens. Camera was handheld.Inspiration
I really enjoy photographing all things old & worn. I find a car with lots of patina has a more interesting visual story to tell. My friend Frank owns many cars just like this and message me that he had some interesting cars added to his collection. Of course I jumped at the chance to photograph this wonderful piece of history. As I struggled behind the camera with composition I decided to change lenses, I wanted a different POV. I pulled out my 14-24mm to create this image, as I moved in close to the front it reminded me of bending down to a child or dog and looking at them nose to nose, this inspired the title of the image "Nose to Nose"Editing
I use several editing tools in post-processing. I import my RAW files to Lightroom and make a few adjustments. After that I am in Topaz Studio where I spend the most time post-processing. I end up with some finishing touches in Photoshop. Most of my life I spent in the darkroom printing for professional photographers. Often you would here professional photographers say a lab can make or break the photographer. That still stands true in today’s digital environment, most photographers now post-processed their own images. I see so many nice images photographers have posted only to end up being a ho-hum, spiritless image due to poor post-processing or even over processing. When I worked with negatives in the wet lab, I would have a final print sitting in my work area that I felt was a winner, the next day I would come in and say to myself "What was I thinking"! It is the same with digital post-processing, sometimes walking away and leaving it for another day can be your best decision.In my camera bag
I use a Nikon D850 with a variety of modern lenses as well as vintage film camera lenses with adapters to fit Nikon and Sony E-mount. I recently had my Nikon D700 converted to infrared. I enjoy using vintage c mount lenses designed for 16mm cine camera on my Sony A7R. The lenses I use with my Sony are Kinoptik 9mm, 32mm, 40mm and 75mm. I also use Wollensak, Schneider and Angenuiex lenses. I also enjoy free-lensing also called lens-whacking with a Helios 44m, some Russian lenses and any other vintage lenses that will produce nice flares and pleasing bokeh.Feedback
Personally, I have to take a deep breath and slow down. I’ve struggled with mental focus my entire life, so even at 59 years old I have to really concentrate on slowing down as well as not getting discouraged while shooting. I still think of the acronym FAST - Focus, Aperture, Shutter and Think. I enjoy exploring several different camera points of views to find something that may tell an interesting visual story. Post-process is as important as the capture, invest in creative editing software then learn your software. There are many free tutorials out there that can teach you and give you the edge you have been looking for in your images.