Up Close – Page 2 – Imagist Blog

Friday’s flora, fungi and old stuff

This past week /
i reflected on past times /
as i repaired a 100 year old fountain pen /
with flexible 14 k gold tines /
and a sac gone brittle into dust /

(Settles Supremacy Pen, photographed with iPhone 6s, iPro S2 Century Macro)

Then, on this overcast, chilly, fall morning /
I pickup a lens made in 1970 (Leica made 1,000 of them that year) /
and attach it to a Visoflex III, made sometime between 1961 and 1984 /
and attach all that to a full frame digital Leica /
that only makes black and white image files /

and in doing all of that /
i actually seem to ‘connect’ /
with a younger version of myself /

(click photograph for larger view)

(Last flower and Shaggy Ink Caps, photographed with Leica M Monochrom, 65 mm Elmar on Visoflex III)

(Leica Monochrom, Visoflex III and 65 mm Elmar, with ink on a page, photographed with iPhone 6s)

Friday’s flour…

…fresh-out-of-the-oven sourdough bread
baked a tad too dark, though with the brie
tastes almost too magnificent; as I can’t stop eating them
together

(click photograph for larger view)

iPhone 6s

The Fallen

Front Porch Meditation

for some
the growing and saluting the sun
every morning has ended
and the returning has begun

(click photograph for larger view)

iPhone 6s, iPro s2 [Schneider] Century Macro

Friday’s flower

down to wild ones
blowing about in the fall winds
had to grab hold of it
to hold it still

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M, 35 mm Summilux ASPH + 2 OUFRO

Friday’s flowers. The mood continues.

Soft. Overcast. Damp.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M, 75 mm Summilux + two OUFRO rings

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.

(click photograph for larger view)

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.

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).

(click photograph for larger view)

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.

(click photograph for larger view)