Ice Cream

GRD II, f2.4, 1/680, ISO 80, RAW

After the rain of the last days we had a bit of sunshine today. On my way home I took a few pictures around Greenwich park.

Environmental Portrait

I chose to post a series for two reasons today. First I have been at an 'Environmental Portrait' workshop and took these pictures for the assignment there although I did not submitt any of these for critique afterwards but chose a different one. The second reason is because it is a series from the London Bridge festival.
All pictures have been taken with the Panasonic LC1 and have only been converted to b&w or sepia.

Guy in White

GRD, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 400, JPG b&w

Took this picture after work on my way to the cinema. I saw this guy from further away and knew it would make a great picture. I did take a few pictures around but this is the best, unfortunately I did not realize the people in the background walking into the picture. They are not too distracting but I think without them it would have been much better. I should have waited loger and retake the picture.

Plain Lazy

LC1, f5.6, 1/320, ISO 100, JPG, 61mm

Took a short trip to the seaside and went to Whitstable today. It is a very strange place, a bit messy as if the people could not decide if they like or don't like the sea. Most houses look onto the main road instead of the sea. The harbour is also quite small and most of it is taken over by a big cement factory. It makes for a nice day out but I am not sure if I would really come back here.
This picture was not my favorite for the day but in the end I quite like the funny old chap with his hat in front of the boarded up beach hut.

B&W Study

LC1, f2.4, 1/15, ISO 400, JPG b&w, 90mm

After my 500th post yesterday, I decided to post a different picture than my usual today. You can see the picture I initially wanted to post on Flickr.
I got the chance to take a few pictures of models during a photography workshop this evening. While I am generally not a big fan of studio pictures of models because they look a bit lifeless, I do like to take some shots in a studio environment when possible to see how they turn up. I never use the available flashes or the camera flash and think using the available light gives much better pictures.
I used the LC1 because it is very good for portraits due to the bigger sensor and fast lens and I have not used it for a while and wanted to use it again.

Having used the LC1, I know how I want the controls on the new Olympus m4/3 camera to be. I am looking forward to see what Olympus comes up with but more to see what Ricoh's response will be.

The Reader

GX200, f4.4, 1/10, ISO 200, RAW, 72mm

For low light work the GX200 is really not good unless you can get away with using a low ISO and can rely on steady hands and the image stabilizer.
Took a few pictures while having some drinks in a pub this evening and this I liked best. I did have to underexpose the picture to get a good result out of the GX200, unlike the GRD I where you have to slightly overexpose. Also you need to desaturate the blue channel quite a lot so as not to get blotchy noise after using Noise Ninja or other noise reduction methods.
I do hope the next GX camera will have at least a faster lens and better high ISO to make these shots easier.

Woman in the Painting

GRD, f5, 1/35, ISO 400, JPG

On my way home I decided to take a longer way and stop over in Greenwich. This was a good idea since I came upon a gallery opening and a Q&A session with the artists. I snapped a few pictures and this is my favorite picture for today.
It really pays off to always have a camera with you at all times. There was a thread in the DP Review forum what the best camera is. THe best camera is the one you have with you today. No other camera is or will every be better than the one you have with you.

Candlelight

GX100, f4.4, 1/2, ISO 400, 72mm

This is a heavy crop from a picture I took today in a pub with the GX100. The rest of the picture just did not work but I love the light and expression.

The GX100 is a great camera but the very slow lens at 50mm and 72mm is a big problem and why I prefer the GRDs with 40mm adapter. This is also one of the reasons people are interested in the Panasonic LX3. The lens might have massive barrel distortion and fringing problems but these are fixed by the software before you see them and the lens is still very bright. Why I just can't live with the handling of the LX3, I hope Ricoh can improve the GX series to include a fast f2 or f2.4 lens going from 21mm-90mm without making the camera bigger. A lot of people want bigger sensors in cameras but for me the most important aspect is a fast lens. This would actually benefit my photography more than any big sensor since I don't care about noise-free images, tiny details or shallow DOF (unless I'm using macro mode).