Stanley Kubrick at LACMA

03/15/2013

I admire and enjoy Stanley Kubrick's films and seeing this exhibition at LACMA was a real treat.

www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/stanley-kubrick

The museum allowed still photography with out flash in the exhibit so I packed up my trusty Nikon D700 with a Zeiss ZF 25mm 2.8 Distagon.

Stanley Kubrick loved photography and worked as a photographer for Look magazine. Here is his Graflex Camera.

 He was always very involved in the photographic aspect of making his films. He also loved his prime lenses!

Here is a look at Stanley Kubrick's Directors finder. And yes those are fast Zeiss primes in the background!

A few things from 2001: A Space Odyssey

Set re-construction from the final sequence of the film.

The actual lens for HAL 9000 POV!

A Clockwork Orange

The Shining

A great collection of important and very cool stuff!

03/12/2013

I prefer to use prime lenses and one of my all time favorites is the Nikkor 180mm f2.8 AFS.
A prime lens with a passable autofocus the 180mm is imho a wonderful lens to learn how to use.
It takes some getting used to but once you get comfortable with the focal length and the general mechanical characteristics of the lens I think you will find it an amazing tool to work with.

for example.

I admit to a little crop here. The autofocus worked well and locked on the helicopter just fine. The full resolution file reveals detail fine enough to resolve the men in the aircraft.
Processed with Aperture, and On One Perfect Photo Suite

while still on the subject of the 180mm

as well

The lens worked wonderfully for this photo of the LA skyline. I think this lens delivers amazing detail under the right conditions.

Warning: HDRI ahead

A nicely textured and saturated sky with fine details and color. The light is a bit flat but allowed for a wide dynamic range of tone and detail. The 180mm can be used for landscape photography.

Light weight and versatile fast prime lens!

03/10/2013

 I have been reluctant to use my lenses at their widest aperture because of my obsession with sharpness and clarity.  I know this is not the accepted artistic norm for photography but I have a tendency to swim upstream while everyone else is gliding effortlessly down.

Introducing the Zeiss ZF 85mm Planar 1.4

Many people are not impressed with the performance of the Zeiss 85 but I really like it. I have had the lens for a few years, I should have learned how to use it sooner because it has some very sweet qualities.

www.zeiss.com

Here is an example at 1.4

and another

and just one more

There is more fun to be had with this lens. Maybe it will end up on the selective list again!

Until then, stay focused!