Take a picture once a day, whether you need to or not

[penfold]

When I grew up it was common to see a fighter of some sort rotting away on a display in front of schools, old airfields, scout huts etc. They've all gone now, the only one I regulary see is the SuperSabre in front of the US airbase on the way to my mums.

[Count Nerfedalot]

Still seems to be an old tank or artillery piece in every small town here (KY), generally in front of a VFW or National Guard Armory if not City Hall itself. But yeah, the only old war bird I've seen on such display this century, outside of actual museums, is at the entrance to actual air bases.  Usually a Super Sabre, Phantom, or StarFighter.

[IainC]

Bought a new camera today. Film, medium format. It's a rebuilt Kiev 88, which is a Soviet copy of a Hasselblad 1600.


My new camera! #hasselbladski #mediumformat #araxfoto #cameragear #kiev88cm #sovietgear #film by Iain Compton, on Flickr

[apocrypha]

Awesome camera. You can get digital backs for them, although they're kinda expensive. 

[IainC]

Awesome camera. You can get digital backs for them, although they're kinda expensive. 

The guy who rebuilds them says that they aren't compatible with the Hasselblad digital backs. There is a Polaroid back for it but only if you can find one used and good luck finding film for it. Even 120 film is in relatively short supply - I bought the last two rolls of Portra 400 from my local camera store on Saturday.

[Mosesandstick]

That's awesome! Have you got a film scanner?

[apocrypha]

The guy who rebuilds them says that they aren't compatible with the Hasselblad digital backs. There is a Polaroid back for it but only if you can find one used and good luck finding film for it. Even 120 film is in relatively short supply - I bought the last two rolls of Portra 400 from my local camera store on Saturday.

Ah, shame :/  Still, roll film is very satisfying to use, I love it. You should be able to get it online without too much problem.

[Khaldun]

Exciting!

[IainC]

That's awesome! Have you got a film scanner?

I don't have a scanner. I went out to look for one at the weekend at the local big-box stores and they didn't have anything except 3-in-1 units. I checked the local Amazon equivalent (Amazon doesn't deliver here) and the only ones that they had which could handle negatives, only scanned 35mm film. I suspect I shall have to buy one from Amazon and have it delivered to a friend in the EU for forwarding. In the meantime, I can get the film printed and scan it at work at a pinch.

[IainC]

I haven't taken my new camera out for a spin yet. Until this week I've had very little motivation togo out and shoot. Instead I've mostly been taking pictures of young ladies. Which is ok I guess.


Anastasia 18 by Iain Compton, on Flickr

If you click through on that image, be aware that the album might be a little NSFW. There's no nudity but if you shouldn't be looking at girls in underwear at your desk then don't click.

[MisterNoisy]

Tornado damage from earlier this week:

[Endie]

In my ongoing competition with Iain as to who can include the most snow in his pictures, I headed up into the Cairngorms, as far as the high pass at the Lairig Ghru, on Saturday.  My father came with me and I was pretty impressed at a seventy-year-old man covering 30km in just over seven hours on ice, through deep snow, high winds, in periodic white-outs and, less gloriously, soaked to the thighs where ice gave way when crossing a burn.

[Paelos]

Looks like a Total War battlefield. Nice!

[Khaldun]

Fantastically bleak landscape. Great shot.

[Ironwood]

Dude, Endie, that's NOT the competition you should be in with Iain.

Mor Anastasia.

[IainC]

Dude, Endie, that's NOT the competition you should be in with Iain.

Mor Anastasia.

Endie would win the most snow contest. It's been disappointingly warm here for the past week or so - almost up into positive numbers even. Anastasia did come back for more however so here are a few of the more SFW shots we did.


Anastasia 23 by Iain Compton, on Flickr


Anastasia 37 by Iain Compton, on Flickr
This one is currently a like-factory on 500px.


Anastasia 27 by Iain Compton, on Flickr

I have some pictures from the weekend that I need to process - shots of the 2nd anniversary of the Maidan protests, some street shots walking around the city and some NKVD prison cells in secret tunnels under the Arsenalna factory.

[Sky]

In my ongoing competition with Iain as to who can include the most snow in his pictures

Everybody is broken by Russian Winter.

I almost said Nuclear Winter. Should play Freedom Force again, I guess.

[Paelos]

What is the normal fee for these models to do shoots Iain? I'm curious as an accountant and a dude.

[Merusk]

This is the kind of question that leads to monkeys dancing about in skin suits.

 

[IainC]

What is the normal fee for these models to do shoots Iain? I'm curious as an accountant and a dude.

Melissa is a friend who will model for me for free because she likes having her picture taken. Anastasia is a friend of Melissa's. Neither of them have a set fee, I just give them a thumb drive with their photos on and about $25 for their time. Melissa refers her friends to me (who are all hot young ladies) and I just make the glass machine go click.

[Pennilenko]

Rough life you got there.

[MisterNoisy]

Hilarious Engrish-text mousepad I received along with my new Chinese TKL mech keyboard:

[Ironwood]

What is the normal fee for these models to do shoots Iain? I'm curious as an accountant and a dude.

Melissa is a friend who will model for me for free because she likes having her picture taken. Anastasia is a friend of Melissa's. Neither of them have a set fee, I just give them a thumb drive with their photos on and about $25 for their time. Melissa refers her friends to me (who are all hot young ladies) and I just make the glass machine go click.

What the fuck.  God, man, can we help you out in any way ?  I can send a care package or a flight out of that hellhole or something.  I'm truly worried for you and I think depression could hit you at any time.

Let me know, I'm a bit of a grouch, but your plight is really hitting me in all the crying spots.

[Paelos]

This is the kind of question that leads to monkeys dancing about in skin suits.

 

EDIT: Wrong song. I meant the Goodbye Horses song. Bah.

[Nebu]

Anastasia 23 by Iain Compton, on Flickr

You have inspired me to quit my job and become a photographer.   

[Teleku]

There are some perks to living in Eastern Europe.  



I will probably make my way to Kiev to visit my co-worker/friend within a few months (probably when shit warms up again).  Would be happy to grab my new D7200, meet up for a day, and take pictures of all the hilarious shit you have out there (I don't get out of the core of Moscow very often, so not as many good picture opportunities).  You can also introduce me to all the various Svetlana's you know.  If there's time, of course.

[Sky]

Do you have to wear a fishing vest?

[Sky]

Or pants?

[IainC]

There are some perks to living in Eastern Europe.  



I will probably make my way to Kiev to visit my co-worker/friend within a few months (probably when shit warms up again).  Would be happy to grab my new D7200, meet up for a day, and take pictures of all the hilarious shit you have out there (I don't get out of the core of Moscow very often, so not as many good picture opportunities).  You can also introduce me to all the various Svetlana's you know.  If there's time, of course.

Sure, drop me a PM when you are able to make plans and we'll figure something out. Even if you are a filthy Nikon deviant.

[Teleku]

Funny thing, I was all in on Canon before this.  My digital rebel was getting way out of date, needed to get a new setup, and spur of the moment decided to give Nikon a try.  A decade with Canon made me want to see how the grass tasted on the other side.   

The camera takes great pictures, even on full auto!  Unfortunately, they use a fairly different control scheme than Canon that's a lot harder for me to wrap my head around, so I'm still having issues figuring out how to make the fucking thing do what I want.   

I probably just need to take a lot more time to dive in and play with it.  But I have a feeling I'll only be buying lenses for this that I can also use on a potential future Canon....

[Endie]

Dude, Endie, that's NOT the competition you should be in with Iain.

Mor Anastasia.

Endie would win the most snow contest.

I strongly suspect he is advising me that of all the contests for photo subjects that I should be taking you on in, "most snow" is fairly low down the enjoyability league table.  And you helpfully demonstrated why.

Although the most snow one is also pretty challenging to keep up with since I need to drive 200 mile round trips and walk through the mountains for seven to twelve hours to keep up.

[Mosesandstick]

I think I'll refrain from competing in either the attractive Eastern Europeans or snow category. PPed some more of my old photos and there was a photo, nothing outstanding about it, but I spent a lot of time on it because I couldn't figure out whether I preferred it in colour or black and white.


2013-05 Japan 020 by Aled Moses, on Flickr


2013-05 Japan 019 by Aled Moses, on Flickr

A few others:

2013-05 Japan 003 by Aled Moses, on Flickr


2013-05 Japan 007 by Aled Moses, on Flickr

[RhyssaFireheart]

I see what you mean for those first two pics, Moses.  The foreground on the b/w version is just beautiful, but the background loses something, and vice versa for the color version - foreground doesn't pop for me but the background seems to have more detail there.  Love the composition either way though.

[Count Nerfedalot]

PPed is obviously not PowerPointed, so what is it?

And Rhyssa nailed it on the differences between the two.  Sadly I think it's the blur of the bare trees that makes the color foreground bland. I've had lots of that with winter shots in the Appalachians.  B&W never occurred to me! I wonder what a mashup of a B&W foreground to lakes edge with color lake and beyond would look like? Corny or cool?

The lake itself is interesting too. I'm guessing volcanic caldera/crater like America's Crater Lake?  Being Japan makes that even more likely I guess.

[Khaldun]

I like the B&W better, but maybe if you de-lume the blue a bit, dial highlights in the clouds down some to give them more shape and volume, make them more contrasty, and then convert to B&W? The sky loses something in the B&W as it stands.