robertwatcher

Not far from our home is a beautiful area for driving the country roads through the scenic Little Lakes area near Benmiller Ontario. I stopped to capture some images containing items and reflections that showed in the large bodies of water.

The sun was low in the sky, creating beautiful lighting. I took a selection of the Lily Pad shots, and processed them with custom settings that I have created in Nik Color Efex Polaroid Transfer filter. These shots were taken with my Olympus E-3 and 70-300mm lens

Today I came across a photocopy from a 1991 newpaper article that was written about me when I opened my new Main Street Studio. I didn't realize there was any copy of it as I misplaced the original years ago. I was 34 years old at this time and had been a professional photographer, working out of home and making a living for my family for 12 years already.

The newspaper reporter was a young woman - new to the paper - trying to make her mark with a creative style of reporting and shooting the images with a 35mm camera and natural light. She had quite a love and grasp of photography herself. This was in the days when reporters were conservative and formal in their approach in small town markets.

So what is pretty cool to me, is that I had asked if she minded me setting my shot up and then she could shoot that. I was really hoping to make a statement with the image and so prefered not to have the boring headshot that she wanted (of course she took it also, but didn't end up using it).

Part of that statement, was featuring my 35mm Olympus OM-4 camera - - - when a studio portrait photographer of those times would not be considered a professional or even serious if he shot with anything other than a medium format system. As well, I was seeking to establish myself in a higher price range market than what was familiar in the area and wanted to give the impression that the work that my clients could expect - would be different and cutting edge.I really loved that she included so many of the unique ways that I presented my work as well as my shooting approach and thinking process. Of course nowadays, most of what was stated in the article is what every website says about the photographer and their methods. But back then, relaxed portraits, many times taken outdoors with controlled natural light, series of story telling images using more speedy compact cameras, not using paper proofs, a predominantly candid style of wedding  photography as well as a fashion influence to the formals, emotional slide shows synchronized to music projected large on the clients wall, etc etc - - - were things not recognized by the general public.

And something that I hear all the time now is - "it isn't the camera, it's the photographer". That is a fact of course. But I always have felt that is the case, from the beginning of my career and have always promoted shooting with what a person has to other people interested in photography  - - - just get out and do it. I was so pleased that way back in 1991, this reporter included that sentiment that I expressed to her:

"I love cameras", said Robert. "I have what I need and prefer. Some photographers are crazy for equipment and think they are limited because they don't have the 'right' camera. It's the working with people that I find best about photography, and I've managed to get great shots of people using a snapshot type of camera."

She had confidence in posting this after I showed her many paid professional images that were taken with small 35mm cameras, cheap off-brand lenses, many from my Olympus XA clamshells, small portable flashes on-camera and even for studio use, APS cameras, even one or two from a throw away camera, as well as experimental darkroom work. Of course I had my medium format gear and studio lighting as well - but I used what was appropriate for the situation and if that meant as it quite often did, taking a bare bones setup to a portrait sitting - - - I never worried about how I was looked down on when I'd open my camera bag and see the faces of less than impressed people. I always let my images be the proof - and still do.

BTW - the setup that I chose for the newspaper article image of myself, was inspired by the man that I often went to his books to get support from - not only with shooting 35mm in a time when MF was demanded - but support in my choice of Olympus when if you were going to use a 35mm camera it had to be Nikon, Minolta and later Canon to be considered seriously.

One of the books that I had in my posession of Patrick Lichfield, had an image of him on the cover that I loved the look of and always wanted to have such a one of myself. It featured his Olympus gear on a tripod, with light meter in hand and a large softbox right behind his head. Here is a scan of the cover of the book:

As a long time Olympus camera user - I was intrigued when the first rumors came out that there may be a sort of digital renaissance with the possible release of a micro 4/3 system that resembled the OM film series cameras from the 70's and 80's. Although I owned most of the models, my favorites were my OM-2sProgram as well as  black OM-4 bodies. They were compact and they were perty.

And the rumour proved to be true when the official press release was given two weeks ago on February 07, 2012. With the release of the new body style, came the assurance that many of the features and capabilities that photographers had been asking for in the m4/3 system - had been addressed - - - and then some.

2 areas of desire from my perspective that were supposedly the shortcomings of both the smaller sensor and the use of contrast detect autofocus and so could not really be resolved much better than they currently are - would be a fast autofocus as well as good high ISO ability. And claims of success in both of those areas, were among the announced features of what proved to be called the E-M5. Beyond that was a built in electronic viewfinder, an increase to 16MP for added resolution,  improved 1080 HD video with less wobble, a weather sealed body, and a brand new and improved image stabilization ability that would give an extra dimension of stability (rotational) to every lens attached - even in video mode. To boot - the camera is compact and lightweight and while bearing a resemblance to the OM film cameras - - - is current with its design and quite pleasing to my eye.

It appears that Olympus has provided a dedicated website to the Olympus OM-D - http://olympusomd.com/en-US/

So we still have to wait until April 2012 to get a hands on of the final product, to get a sense of how it really lives up to the promised abilities - but from information that has started floating around the web, there are going to be many Olympus loyals who will be very pleased and parting with their hard earned money to have one. I'm sure that the preorders have already attested to that. And it may just be that photographers loyal to other brands, who are looking for a lighter and more compact camera system that does not let them down in features and abilities - will dip their hands in the pot as well.  

Of the few 4/3 and micro 4/3 forums and rumor sites that I visit each day, I really trust and like just about anyhing that Ian Burley provides on his Four Thirds user forum and Ian did not disappoint when he recently posted his own sample images using  a pre-production Olympus OM-D E-M5 that he was provided with. In fact the page that shows the ISO samples and in particular what looks to be quite impressive results at high ISO settings that rival those of many other manufacturers and  results that many figured could never be realistically acheived because of the limitations of the smaller 4/3 sensor - hold out much promise. Just check out the really nice noise free and detailed 3200 ISO and 6400 ISO results. And to have access to usable 12,800 ISO and 25,600 ISO (although not by everyones standards of course). WOW is all I can say. Here is the link to Ian's ISO page - http://fourthirds-user.com/2012/02/image_samples_from_a_preproduction_olympus_omd_em5.php

There are a few photographers who regularly express their opinions on Olympus gear and in the case of Robin Wong has had access to a preproduction E-M5 setup - - - whose posts I also follow:

Robin Wong - http://robinwong.blogspot.com/2012/02/olympus-om-d-e-m5-first-impressions.html
Kirk Tuck - http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2012/02/olympus-fans-rejoice-om-d-is-real-and.html
Steve Huff - http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/02/07/the-olympus-om-d-e-m5-its-official/

As well I really do like Gordon Laing's Reviews and Video posts - http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Olympus_OM-D_E-M5/


This will definitely be something that I will be checking out and probably investing in after the final product hits the stores. I will have some opinions once I get my hands on one.

It was so sad for me to get the news yesterday, that a young groom that I photographed 5 years ago, passed away suddenly. WIthin a year of their wedding day, they got the bad news that he had cancer and they, their family and friends  did everything in their power to get the best treatment possible. I was contacted by the bride a few years ago about getting some more prints of the wedding day - and so was somewhat aware of what was going on. I had in fact heard not long ago, that there was very good news that things were looking good. However after hearing the news yesterday - I received a phone call today asking if I had any photos from the wedding day of him alone while he was still in good health. Fortunately I have quite a few.

They were a lovely couple and in love. One of my favourite Love Story images of all that I have taken - was from their session. This is it:Sequences from both the Love Story Session and the Wedding Day Formals, were photographed at this pier right near his home in Port Dover:This is the image that I have chosen to send them a print of, for the funeral service. I think it is evident that he was a genuine, caring and humble man:I am saddened for the family and for his young 24 year old bride (he was ten years older than her) who has spent almost all of their married life caring for his illness, and now experiencing the grief of death and being without her partner at such a tender age. I am happy to have spent the time I did with them - getting to know them - and being a part of their life for those hours that we spent together photographing their love for each other and documenting the happiest day of their lives.

Whether a professional or not - whether paid or not - if the job is ours to cover a wedding, we have to come back with the shots. Many times it means employing less than ideal techniques such as standing on chairs for vantage points or shooting sniper style with a long lens, resorting to wide shots showing the party, using elbows extended to give yourself room to maneuver, getting right in on the action and moving around with the flow, and in the case below standing right beside the videographer and giving him only one way to move. The thing is - if others make it impossible to get our shots or even if the bride and groom have not allowed time or want to change the timing because they are wanting to keep the party moving - - - we have to get our shots one way or the other.

Of course as a wedding photographer, what many would consider a nightmare or excuse for not being able to deliver - - - might be par for the course on many weddings and so they are normal to me and I don't fret it. I work around what I have to work with and gently and politely assert my need to get a shot when necessary.

I thought of a recent "all at one location event", where I was hired as the photographer - but was not informed that there would be a professional videography team with 2 large wieldy roving tripods and lights, who felt their job was most important and they controlled the shooting areas most of the night. On a few occasions I was in their shot (which was almost impossible not to be in being they were shooting from 2 sides) and before I knew it I was getting taps on my back and  a snarky growl about staying out of their area. Like I was going to be shooting everything from 15 to 20 feet or more back all night.

Anyway, I didn't make a stink - said I was sorry and I would watch for them when possible  - - - but I got my shots. Sometimes I was in their shot - other times I was standing right next to one of the cameras (and it would still be in my shot) - and other times I just included them in my shot. At a certain point in the evening, I realized that the best option for me to get a series of nice formal images of the bride and groom, was to suggest that we sneak out of the room for 15 or 20 minutes for some peace and quiet and of course there were no crowds of people and no videographers. I didn't specify that - they just didn't know what happened to us.

Thing is - although I wasn't really aware at the time - this could easily have been considered a "nightmare of a wedding" and given me plenty of excuse to blame the arrogant video guys or the planning with the packed dance floor with people pushing me from behind and my having to sneak shots from between people arms and legs at times. But I delivered 500 shots to them of which virtually none show any of those irritations. The client doesn't know what I went through to get the shots - and I don't need to tell them. It all went as planned and the results were as expected.

I went through the raw camera files and found a few that showed the biggest issue I had to deal with - the video guys (who were in no mood to accommodate me). THESE ARE ALL OUTTAKES - not images used for the client.

The 2 large video cameras on roving tripods controlled the room - shooting from opposite sides most of the time.As the night progressed the shooting area got smaller and smaller and everyone was on top of each other. The 2 video cameras were constantly moving from side to side of the room, and I always had to be aware of where they were to keep them out of my shots and try and stay out of theirs as a courtesy.Many times I had to just park right beside a video camera and shoot (which irritated them I am sure) - look how close the tripod legs are to the dancers. It may not look like there are many people, but there were tons crowded in - - - they are just all behind us in these shots.Sometimes I just couldn't get a view and so I used the video guys in my composition.
This is just one of many difficult situations that have to be dealt with in a professional manner - where there can really be no excuse for not being able to deliver great images. Weddings require patience and accommodation - but also a bit of persistence in making sure we have our shots regardless of the hurdles.

Anne and I were recently in Niagara Falls for a few days - and on this evening with the rain and extreme fog, I decided to walk down to the falls and grab a few shots taken with my Olympus E-PL1 and 14-42 kit lens.

I used bracketed exposures to combine together - in order to not only hold detail is as much of the image as possible - but also to allow for an image that shows virtually no noise in the shadow parts.

My settings were > Manual Focus, Aperture Priority Exposure (changing exposure compensation between shots - mostly -3, -2, -1, 0, +1 compensation) > 100 ISO. For firing on my tripod, I set the camera to the 2 second shutter release. Anne held an umbrella over my setup to keep as much rain off as possible.

I shot with both RAW and JPG - but with my limited abilities on my Macbook, I had to use Photoshop CS3 to handle the Jpegs - - - at least until I get home. I haven't done his type of shooting before, but it was pretty rewarding for the 4 or 5 shots that I took the time to capture.

Prints are available of these photographs. Feel free to contact me at robertwatcher@inbox.com

The Skylon Tower was not visible with the fog - but once in a while we'd see a Flying Saucer in amongst the treesFrom our Hotel BalconyThanks Karen for braving the weather and taking this nice BackShot of my camera setup with Anne and me at work.
The 2 images below are not taken using HDR techniques - but were shot the day before and the day after the above.

After supper, we headed up to the observation deck where I stuck my camera through the protective fencing, and gripped the wire on each side for stabilization. I absolutely love this shot that keeps the Horseshoe Falls as secondary and shows the lines and colors of Niagara Falls - Olympus E-PL1 - f3.5@1/8'th - 1600 ISOOn the Thursday, we headed over to the U.S. side to do some shopping at a Mall. On the way back we stopped at Goat Island and walked around a bit. It is was pretty tough weather and not really too apealing and we didn't have great access - but my wife and I had never been on that side before - - - so it was cool. We were there at midday and so I shot at high 1600 ISO to create mood being I didn't have lighting