Green Between Yellow and Blue

These were used to brighten up a back alley in downtown Toronto. I don't know why they depict bicycles which aren't anywhere near as ubiquitous as around here.

Yellow Green Divide │ Sony RX1 │ 35mm F4.0 1/3200s ISO100

Green Blue Divide │ Sony RX1 │ 35mm F4.0 1/2500s ISO100

Curvaceous Shadow

I can never resist having a little fun with geometry. Since getting the RX1, I'm also much more prone to shoot into the shadows; areas not in the direct sun are more subtle while still retaining a rich gradation and crispness. Gone are the flat, murky shadows I had to deal with before.

Into the Sun │ Sony RX1 │ 35mm F2.8 1/1250s ISO100

Pour the Shadow │ Sony RX1 │ 35mm F4.0 1/1600s ISO100

A Change of Scenery

Normally this time of the year, I'm outside reveling in the return of warmer weather. Not so this year with uncomfortably cold winds still blowing out of the east. The wind made it feel so cold that we sought refuge in the art gallery's warm interiors.

Among the Flowers │ Sony RX1 │ 35mm F2.0 1/80s ISO1250

In the Shadows of St. Paul's

I just love contemporary art, especially art that transforms our perceptions of the environment around us.

Changing Directions │ Sony RX1 │ 35mm F2.0 1/60s ISO2000

Ephemeral Clouds Over the Amstel

Undulating Color │ GF2 + Carl Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50mm F1.5 ZM │ 50mm F2.8 1/5s ISO100

OVO Part 1

This will be the first post in a series on Amsterdam's Light Festival. Although most of the works won't be unveiled until at the end of this week, a few are already transforming the dark December nights along the Amstel River. This 7m tall egg is aptly named “OVO.” I had noticed the colors changing but the mist spraying from above caught me off guard: the bulbous front end of my ultra wide lens was immediately coated in fine droplets.

OVO up │ GF2 + Lumix 7-14mm F4.0 │ 7mm F4.0 1s ISO100

OVO down │ GF2 + Lumix 7-14mm F4.0 │ 7mm F4.0 2s ISO100

I had hoped to start shooting the light festival with the RX1, but the camera that I ordered way back in October still hasn't arrived. I console myself with the thought that these kinds of dramatic, all-encompassing perspectives wouldn't be possible with an RX1 anyway.

Between the Lines

Through the Gaps │ NEX-7 + Carl Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50mm F1.5 ZM │ 50mm F5.6 1/250s ISO100

Dancing Containers

Corner Art

Touched │ NEX-7 + Carl Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50mm F1.5 ZM │ 50mm F2.0 1/3200s ISO100

Seeing the Photo

A few of you thought that yesterday's photo “Miniature City” would work better in a vertical orientation. It's a valid point and certainly worth trying, so today I returned to the scene to try my luck at a vertical composition. At the water's edge, I immediately found out why I stuck to horizontal photos the first time around. Framing shots close to the water means having to fold the screen up unless you want to crouch down in the mud (it's still a little cool to be playing around in the water). With the camera in a vertical position, however, the screen can't be tilted up. Usually you can see enough, even when viewing the screen at an angle, but in this case the glare off the water caused the screen to  be almost completely washed out. That translated into a lot of cropping when I got home.

Click on photos to view then in their entirety

Art Zuid (South)

These were taken today at the Art Zuid outdoor sculpture exhibition. It's not just the artworks that are interesting subjects, but also the diverse people that are attracted to the event. I have a lot more photos and maybe I'll post a few more after we return from London next week.

Patrons of the Arts │ GH2 + Leica 45mm F2.8 │ 45mm F2.8 1/250s ISO160

Rusty Plain │ GH2 + Lumix 20mm F1.7 │ 20mm F3.5 1/320s ISO160

A Wall in Amsterdam

I've now progressed from a pile of components to something which hums along smoothly and provides internet access. At the moment, I don't have any image editing software installed, so this is a photo that I took a few weeks ago: one in my yellow series.

Self Portrait

Fuzzy │ GH2 + Lumix 20mm F1.7 │ 20mm F3.5 1/320s ISO160This has to be one of the strangest self portraits (the photo, not me). I was busy taking abstract photos of a sculpture from close to the ground. Peering down over the upward pointed lens, I saw myself on the screen (that's actually possible with a screen that folds forward). So while I was staring at myself, I couldn't help but notice the wonderful contrast between the furry silhouette of my hat and the smooth, metallic finger of the sculpture ascending above me. So this photo has earned the dubious right of being the first self portrait on this blog.

Fingers │ GH2 + Lumix 20mm F1.7 │ 20mm F3.5 1/800s ISO160

Undulating

Undulating │ GF1 + Lumix 7-14mm F4.0 │ 7mm F5.6 1/400s ISO100There are quite a few unique sculptures that adorn open spaces in Amsterdam. This is one of my favourite. Steel, normally hard and straight edged, forms a feather light banner being shaped by the wind. Contrasting the undulating steel form is the arrow straight contrail of a jet plane above.

Location: Intersection Apollolaan and Stadionweg, Oud-Zuid, Amsterdam