Sometimes the past and present come together, giving you a good reason to go “click.” I captured this wonderful sight quite early in the morning when walking across the Ponte Vecchio in Firenze. The photo is as-is from the camera, and I used the high-contrast monochrome setting for the jpeg. The lens I used is … Continue reading Air travel
Tuscany
Tuscany on Film
My most recent trip to Tuscany was a first of sorts. I took along a film camera and some film to understand why everyone makes such a fuss about film photography. With my Konica Hexar AF camera, I knew at least I would at least get the photos right. In addition to my digital photos, I used up four film rolls, shooting at the same time and locations where I was also using my Leica SL camera. Continue reading “Tuscany on Film”
Tuscany from the lens of iPhone 8+
I was in Tuscany, Italy recently and had a chance to put the new iPhone 8+ through the paces. While I made a lot of photos with my Leica SL, I wanted to take a moment and share some of the fantastic photos that came out of the iPhone. These photos are a joy — straight JPEGs out of the phone, with my special, presets applied to give them a more uniform feel. The iPhone8+ is a spectacular camera, especially under good light — much less noisy compared to its predecessors. These are handheld shots and you can see the improvement from the early iPhone models in optical stabilization is incredible.
I don’t see any reason why anyone needs a point and shoot, or even a medium priced camera. Most of us don’t print photos. We share and consume photos on digital screens. And if these are good enough to be a desktop background, they are good enough for sharing. For me, smartphone photography is the future. One needs to learn how to make it professional grade by applying skills and not thinking about the camera.
Flummoxed by Summilux SL
I recently visited Tuscany and spent a week with friends, unplugged; spending as much time eating, hiking and photographing the beautiful landscape. It has been a fun week, but I have struggled with photography. Continue reading “Flummoxed by Summilux SL”
Tuscany (2014)
Summer 2014 was the first time I took a real vacation and went to Tuscany, Italy. I wasn’t really obsessed with photography the way I am right now, and was using a simple point-and-shoot camera, Sony RX-100 (Mark II). At that time, I was randomly snapping photos, and was still trying to figure out composition, … Continue reading Tuscany (2014)
Abandoned
On our drive back from Siena, we decided to take a scenic route through Tuscany’s famous vineyards, driving on what the English call the backroads. The dirt track snaked through little hamlets, olive groves, pocket vineyards and overgrowth. It curled up the hills and slithered down some, over a babbling brook and a dried river … Continue reading Abandoned
40 Kilometers
I am known to go to great lengths and even greater distances to meet great bootmakers and shoe stores of some repute. Most people make vacation itineraries around the idea of seeing ruins or really old buildings. I prefer shoes and fantastic food (in that order) to be my guiding light. Continue reading “40 Kilometers”
Cole Rise’s Tuscan Edit
A few days ago I met with Cole Rise, who is an amazing photographer and founder of Lite.ly, a photo editing app, which I often use to touch up my iPhone photos. We ended up talking about everything under the sun. Towards the end of that conversation, I asked him if he would be open … Continue reading Cole Rise’s Tuscan Edit
Sitting Still
The hardest thing for me to do is sitting still, so when I have a chance to do so, I do. When planning my first (real & no-work, no-computer) vacation, I promised myself — I will learn to just sit still.
Write stuff
I stepped away from writing and the world for two weeks and here I am writing and writing — and not a word about technology or business — but writing. All sorts of random stuff that is just for my eyes only. I am writing so much that I have finished a notebook Matt Mullenweg … Continue reading Write stuff