Water Tower

The local water tower is always a photo opportunity especially when it is lit up at night.

Ice Cold Citadel

Went down to the Landskrona Citadel this afternoon to take a few pics while the snow lasts. VERY cold but it certainly has a stark beauty with the harsh freeze of winter blanketing everything. I used a Nikon 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye AF-D mounted to the D850.

Contrasty Colourful Glasses

 Sometimes I photograph something just for the colour of it. The contrast of the bright neon sign with the dark foreboding sky just caught my attention.

Flizans Te & Kaffe - Window Display

Nice Christmas window display by a store in downtown Landskrona. I'm a sucker for a cool window display.

 

Landskrona Theater - Ho Ho Ho

 

Landskrona Old Town Hall

Morning Walk - Downtown Landskrona

I took a little morning walk around the center of Landskrona this morning to photograph the Christmas lights just before sunrise. Turned out quite well. Mostly I used the 50mm f1.8 at f8.0 but the shot of the old Town Hall was with my 24-120mm at 24mm & f8.0 just so that I could get it all in.

Landskrona Citadell Christmas 2023

Landskrona Citadell looking a bit Christmassy... had to get some photographs of course. 😎

 

Light, Form and Texture 11

On a discovery of minimalist black and white photography where light, form and texture are more important than subject matter.

Nikon D850, 70-300mm lens, handheld, edited in DXO PL 6.

 

Moonrise over Borstahusen

I tried to photograph the sunset over Denmark from Borstahusen yesterday but the sunset failed miserably to produce anything other than grey haze... however when I turned around and saw the moonrise in the opposite direction I was right chuffed!

Nikon D850, 70-300mm lens @ 170mm, hand held and edited in DXO PL 6.

Light, Form and Texture 10

On a discovery of minimalist black and white photography where light, form and texture are more important than subject matter.

Nikon D850, 70-300mm lens, handheld, edited in DXO PL 6.

 

Pepper Corns

Today the subject is Pepper Corns! One light from overhead and slightly behind, pepper corns in a plate on a small table, Nikon D750 & Sigma 105mm Macro, ISO100, f16, 1/60s, SB-910 Speedlight triggered remotely via the SU-800 Commander, handheld. Spicy!

(another) Computer Screen As Backdrop

I tried a different scene this time, more moody with a different subject, a cool little VW Beetle with groovy 60's hippy styling. Mostly the same settings as the previous post but had to tone down the flash quite considerably to get the right kind of light I was looking for.

Pull back shot.

I kinda like the effects I'm getting and will have to explore this more extensively in the future!

Computer Screen As Backdrop

I am currently off sick from work and instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself I have withdrawn into my studio and tried something new, at least new for me because I know others have done this before.

I have used my computer screen as a backdrop, with the desktop sporting a cool Pacific Ocean scene of wide open water and clouds. The toy boat is standing on a blue sheet of cardboard and is being lit by a Nikon SB-910 Speedlight on a light stand, up and to the left, and triggered remotely via an SU-800 Commander unit mounted on a D750 with a Sigma 105mm macro lens attached. Settings: f11.0, ISO100, 1/60s, handheld and then edited in DXO PL 6.

Pull back shot.

How Does Focal Length Influence Portrait Photos?

Just a quick test to see how portraits look at vastly different focal lengths. I used two lenses for this starting off with the 24-120mm for the wider to "normal" portrait pics and then the 70-300mm for the two longer focal length pics. I tried out the following focal lengths: 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 120mm, 135mm & 200mm. 

I would like to say at this point that I don't think there is any right or wrong in which focal length you prefer to use for portraits, it really is up to you and your own vision. Don't let anyone try to tell you different.

As you can see from the series of photos below the wider the focal length the more distorted the face and also more background. The longer the focal length the more compressed the face and background become.

I prefer fairly standard focal lengths for my own portraits, more specifically the 85mm for headshots and 50mm for half or full length portraits as well as environmental portraits if I have the space, otherwise the 35mm is great for environmental portraits as well.

The choice at the end of the day depends on vision, so everything goes because it's an art, not a science.

200mm

135mm

120mm

85mm

50mm

35mm

24mm