True Self-Esteem

"True Self-Esteem doesn't depend on the opinion of others for validation. Obama is like that; Bill Clinton is like that; Nelson Mandela was like that."
_Deepak Chopra

Sony Diaries #953: Saint Uber

May 25th.

CLEAN!!

Final Scoer: Toronto, 105 - Cleveland, 99. May 23rd.

Sony Diaries #952: dandelions at dusk

Macalister Park, May 23rd.

Sony Diaries #951: Cherry Trees

University of Guelph, May 20th

Sony Diaries #950: The Professionals at TrilliumWest

from top to bottom: Allison, Amanda, Carolan, Emma, Nathalie. Five of the consummate professionals at TrilliumWest Real Estate Brokerage.  Guelph, May 2016

Sony Diaries #949: Fast and Wide Primes for Portraiture

Ask most photographers, amateur and professional (paid amateur?), what lens(es) they use the most for Portrait Photography and the answer is very likely the focal lengths ranging from 70-200mm. Perhaps 50mm for environmental portraits where the background is essential for describing the subject. Wider lenses usually don't enter into the equation since one loses shallow depth-of-field, subject becomes too small within the frame, and distortion becomes a factor.

The following photos will show that one can   negate the 3 "negatives"mentioned. Wide lenses can have more impact, a more "in-your-face" feel since by necessity, particularly for a 24mm lens, one has to shoot as close as 2 feet  away from the subject.

A few housekeeping items to remember: centre the subject, at least within the middle third of the frame, keep level to the horizon, and observe proper posing techniques to accentuate positive features (sparkling eyes), and deemphasize negative features (prominent noses). And as always with any portraiture shoot, elicit a spontaneous happy look from your subject.

Minolta 50 F1.7, shot at either F2 or F2.2

 Sigma 35 F1.4, shot at F1.6, F2

Sigma 24 F1.8 macro, shot at F2, F2.2

All photos shown full-frame, shot with a Sony a99, no cropping. Photographed for TrilliumWest Real Estate Brokerage, Guelph, ON.

Sony Diaries #948: Photography in the Operating Room

What I've learned About Surgical Photography

Excellent, concise article on OR photography,
by Levi Sim in Photofocus. 

Some added thoughts on the subject:

Working as a biomedical photographer in the OR, my focus is more macro 1:1 - 1:4, my photos being used for teaching  and research purposes. Since I have to shoot directly over body cavities, sometimes with only seconds to get the shot (30 sec is way too long in cardiovascular surgery), I have to work really fast.

Two points to add to the article:

1) Because I have to be standing  from a surgeon's POV (he/she generally moves half a foot sideways to accommodate me), I have to be extra careful I don't brush against the sheets (I'm not as sterile as the surgeon is), and so I  gently request the nurse to drape an extra sterile sheet on the spot where I could potentially brush up. Saves on replacing the whole sheets if I do touch anything.

2) I prefer not to go on a step stool while I point the camera directly over the body cavity. I get a strange unbalanced sensation, as if I'm going to topple over. I'm only 5'8" and really, I'd  need to be at least 6'4'' to get a good view. So I use a Sony RX10 with an tilt screen, with my hands extended while standing beside the surgeon. . What makes the tilt screen really useable is Sony's excellent Live View implementation. The RX10 has a 1" sensor so F8 is roughly equivalent to F16 on a FF camera (or something like that, I don't know the exact calculations). You'll need lots of depth of field! The lens is not a 1:1 macro lens but at 200mm, I can get as close as 10", which covers an area 3" across. Believe me, no surgeon will want you closer than that to anything.

The RX10 lens is a Zeiss 24-200 F2.8, sharp wide open edge-to-edge, constant aperture. The zoom range is suitable for any type of shoot, short of an architectural shot of the whole room! Only 1 small camera to take into the OR.

For lighting, I use the smallest ring flash that I am aware of, which does away with the power-supply-on-the-hotshoe of the typical ring flash. It's the Metz 15 MS-1, which is so thrifty with it's power use that 2 AAA batteries goes a long way.

OR lighting is tricky to handle, with harsh light with a white balance that is not compatible with the ring flash. Fortunately, the Sony RX10's AWB is amazing, and I slant the camera's flash exposure/AWB to favour the ring flash. While the fingflash is not a TTL unit, it does have a sensor that is quite precise (repeatable consistency). I also request the surgeons (there's at least 2) to look away for a few seconds so their head lamps don't add more light with another third colour temperature.

I'd like to try out the new Sony a6300 with the Sigma 30 F3.5 macro. While it won't be as versatile as the Sony RX10 with its unique lens, I can see the faster focus speed and a real 1:1 macro lens as a huge plus. And I can keep on using the Metz 15 MS-1!

Sony Diaries #947: Grackles: resourceful and opportunistic

May 14th.

Sony Diaries #946: Orioles

A huge Thank You to Mary for bringing Orioles to our backyard! It takes patience and no doubt some psychic energy/communication to reach out to these creatures.
Attracting Orioles to one's feeder is facilitated if one's yard backs into the woods of poplar, willow, and similar woods. Leafy deciduous trees and shrubs offer shelter. Orioles prefer to stay on the edges of these woods for safety, carefully venturing into open spaces that afford food.

Mary started in late spring of last year to lure Orioles to an Oriole feeder: a bright red-orange unit with  dishes  for grape jelly and a holder for half an orange. It is commonly known that Orioles are attracted to their own colours. We may have attracted 1 bird that first year. This year, the feeder was out in late March and the Orioles showed up in late April. A female showed up first, followed by several males. 

May 14th.

Sony Diaries #945: Scenes from April weddings

April 2016