Natural World – Page 4

Friday’s flowers. The mood continues.

Soft. Overcast. Damp.

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Leica M, 75 mm Summilux + two OUFRO rings

Feeling the mood

damp, fog, end of summer
morning, coffee cup in hand, standing on the front porch
light ‘n’ easy

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from the bathroom window… after showering…

iPhone 6s, Captured in DNG RAW, processed in Lightroom

Friday’s flowers by crazy photographer…

As I contemplate flowers and cameras and lenses, to post a photograph for the “Friday flower,” I decide to play with the old Leitz 12.5 Photar on the Leica M. But it’s just not working out. Shutter speeds of 1/2 a second or more with wind blowing the subjects around; and it’s just too damn microscopic for my mood. Tried a Zeiss microscope lens and was reminded AGAIN why I never use this lens, just a circle in the middle of the frame. Tried the 60 Macro Elmarit – R. Just wasn’t feeling anything from it. So then (remember that I finally acquired an iPhone; 9 years after the initial release. And because I’m a crazy photographer I also acquired 3 Schneider iPro lenses for the thing) I thought, “Hey! How about that $39 Schneider iPro Century Macro lens for the iPhone on this here $5+K camera.” And looky here. Just all kinds of soft, pictorial beauty glowing off that sensor; perfectly expressing the overcast day; and my mildly gray mood.

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Leica M, Schneider iPro Century Macro
The tube to the right of the camera is the iPro lens case
which holds the Century Macro, 2x Tele, and .45 Super Wide.
It also serves as “grip” to the iPhone; if you like.

Yesterday… cycling in the rain…

For the first time, in over 50 years, I left home without a Leica within arms reach.
I decided to take the lightest possible bag:
the iPhone, 3 iPro lenses, a tiny tripod, ID, headphones, post it note pad and two pens.
Never travelled this light before. 15 mile ride. 7 of them soaking wet.
Sense satiating.

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iPhone 6s

iPhone 6s, using panning feature

Tree frog and rainbow

The tree frog seemed to find great comfort in the plastic tub containing the deck furniture cushions.
I continue to marvel at the view from my front door;
as well as the very human scale architecture of Cedarburg (after the rain).

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Leica M, 100 mm Apo Macro Elmarit – R

iPhone 6s

Friday’s flowers with iPro 2X Tele and .45X Super Wide

Curiosity drives exploration.
The ProCamera app, and many others, on the iPhone 6S, allows manual control of ISO, Shutter Speed and more.
And what about these other two lenses in my pocket?

iPhone 6S, iPro 2x Tele, ISO 32, 1/15, f:2.2

iPhone 6S, iPro .45x Super Wide, ISO 40, 1/15, F:2.2

iPhone 6S, iPro .45x Super Wide, ISO 25, 1/350, F:2.2

iPhone Camera and Schneider iPro Lenses

Every photographer, artist, musician, crafts person asks themselves, either consciously or subconsciously, “What can my tools do? What marks, or sounds, or tones can they produce; in my hands?” The iPhone camera qualifies as a photographic tool; a camera; which fits in your pocket, and includes a built in digital darkroom; as well as a publishing and distribution house. Remarkable to say the least.

Scheider Optics saw fit to provide iPhone photographers with a set of lenses which widens the optical choices and expressive possibilities of an already remarkable photographic tool. The iPhone and these add on lenses do not replace your so-called professional full frame, and/or medium format digital cameras. Though they do make for an extremely compact kit; which serves as one hell of a fine photographic, grab it, sketch book, tool.

The photographs seen below were all post processed in Lightroom on the desktop computer. The rainbow photographs simply used the camera sans auxiliary lenses. The flowers and dead bug made use of the iPro Macro Lens Series 2. Over the next few days I will put the 2x Tele and .45x Super Wide Lenses to some testing. Stay tuned.

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iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S, Using built in Panning Feature

iPhone 6S, iPro Macro Lens Series 2

Friday’s flower and other studies

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Leica M, 100 mm Apo Macro Elmarit

Leica M, Leitz Wetzlar 160/-4/0.10

Leica M, 100 mm Apo Macro Elmarit

Leica M, Leitz Wetzlar 160/-4/0.10

Last day of “summer vacation”

Yesterday… cycled to the Out ‘n’ Out to meet Tanya and Sophia… Last day of summer vacation for Sophia… After her mac’n’cheese and chocolate malt… Sophia waded in Cedar Creek… below the rapids… attempted to capture micro minnows… swimming upstream… in a tiny school… as I experimented further with the iPhone 6S and the “Slow Shutter” app… attempting to capture a sense of moving water.