In The Garden

A few days ago I felt like taking a few macro shots, so I put on my Sigma 105mm 1:2.8 macro prime lens on one of my Nikon DSLRs and just went outside.
That was a good decision as I managed to get some decent pictures (click to enlarge; others to follow in the next weeks).
I really love this lens. In combination with a Nikon body you get an incredible sharpness (sometimes it can be brutal), no post processing required whatsoever in this regard.
When I use it for portraits (headshots) I really have to soften everything (you know what I mean).

BTW: Thanks to all new followers on various Social Media and of course thanks to all those who are still there after so many years.

Cheers,

Timo

Busy

Summertime is macro time.
And yes, I know, officially we don’t have summer yet. 😉

Another Hoverfly

The time for hoverflies is as good as over here, so I thought I should post a picture of one.
Interestingly you can see the reflection of the ring flash I used on it. Not sure whether I should have removed it during post-processing, but eventually I decided to leave everything as is.

BTW: If you click on the picture you see a version that it is a bit larger and sharper. I suppose pictures resized for the preview might suffer a bit in the process…

Welcome!

Through my Eyes

Many of my visitors will know me from my project blog 365 Days, 365 Photos. Welcome back! A warm welcome also to all new followers!

Forget the camera, it’s you who takes the picture.

Well, I admit that I love all those cameras, lenses, gadgets, etc. and that they give you the means to take technically good photos.

However, you don’t need a high-end DSLR in order to take awesome pictures that move people. You can create photographic pieces of art with a Polaroid from the 70s, a Lomo plastic camera or even a crappy mobile phone camera.
Just look on platforms like Flickr for those pictures and you will find true masterpieces.
Of course, I would not choose a Polaroid or Lomo camera for taking a macro picture like the one above, so yes, the camera (and especially the lens) actually DOES play a role if you have a certain specialization.

But that’s not my point.

Of what use is the best camera in the world if you actually don’t see there is something worth taking a picture of? Or if you don’t know how to express your ideas with it?
If a good photo means for someone nothing more than the reproduction of reality via an image that has sharpness, neutral colors, no noise, no vignetting and no distortion, then a decent DSLR in combination with a good lens indeed lets them make “better” photos (but are they really better?).
However, no camera sees that even mundane things can be breathtakingly beautiful, if you only recognize their beauty and know how to convey it. No camera anticipates what Cartier-Bresson called the “decisive moment”.

It’s the photographer who recognizes the subject, has the idea to show it in a certain way, chooses the viewing angle, compositon and settings accordingly – the camera does not do this.
The camera is a tool – not a complex brain with the ability to think and feel.

Ken Rockwell said “Photography is the power of observation, not the application of technology.”
And he is right. I would like to modify this a bit:

Photography is the art of seeing things and showing them in a certain way.

Let’s admit it guys, that would have been a horrible blog title, so I hope you’ll excuse the polemic but more catchy phrase I have chosen.
So this blog here is about the art of seeing.

And now grab your camera, go out there and see!

PS: But don’t forget to drop by now and then or visit my Portfolio.