Here's to 2022

Hoping all is well with everyone and that we all arrived in 2022 safely? This is going to be a FANTASTIC year. I wish all of you reading this a year that will be your best yet!

So far it looks like I am getting out more. That is great but quantity over quality is also not a good thing. Often we simply sit, enjoy the view and chat. Watching a nice sunset from a Landrover beats the best four walls any day of the week. For those who wish to know I also recently made a move away from a current APS-C mirrorless system to an "ancient" and trusted D-SLR camera system.

Yep, coming back to my first love, Canon. I am specifically very fond of Canon's EOS 5D Mk 1. So why this hugely "backward" move? A 12Mp body from 2005? Really?

Yes, indeed.

They deliver by the truckloads. Don't take my word for it though. Do a search on Youtube and see how the 5D Mk1 or 5D Classic enjoys an almost cult-like following.

It is almost as if I had a glimpse into the future when I sold my 5D Mk 3 and some lenses a while back. My expectations of my 5D MkIII were probably a bit unrealistic. I bought mine hot-off-the-press in 2012 and I was soon underwhelmed by it's low light performance. Story for another day but definitely unrealistic expectations on my side.

Now my landscape gear is a bit limited. My options are my very interesting Zeiss 21mm lens or Canon's trusty 50mm f/1.4. You may agree that there is a little gap to fill. I am looking at Canon's 17-40 to fill that gap. Another story for next time...

Now, me being me, I almost always act against good advice. Watch this space for a few future purchases I am planning. Gear acquisition syndrome, known as GAS for short, is a nasty thing. I have recently pruned the sentimentality rather harshly. Looking at my photography as an economic activity flowing forth from personal relaxation, I had to get a bit ruthless. It was a good exercise to go through and I am far from done but I have come a long way.

Those of you familiar with the work of Zack Arias will know that he also had to reinvent himself once or twice along the way. I specifically mention him for more reasons than one. For a start I admire his work and his approach greatly. If I could put it into one sentence I would probably say to stick with what works for you and build on it. Don't try to be a superhero. There are probably a few amazing people out there who excel in a number of genres of photography. I am not one of them.

Now that does not mean my cameras will never do anything but landscapes again? No, I love playing. I will shoot pets, people, food and the likes but purely for fun. One thing I will be exploring this year is the stitched panorama image. I finally woke up to the idea. I started some tests and found that, for me personally, the juice might just be worth the squeeze after all. I had to see if I could get past the banana horizons as seen on phone panorama images for a start.

Then there was the idea of stitching...

This image above was originally nothing but a test. I could hardly have done more things wrong.

It was shot in harsh midday sun and my settings were not exactly optimal. No nodal point rotation or any of those tricks here. The partial steel grey stormy sky was one of the reasons I bothered at all. It was also a fun day out and so the image is quite special to us in hindsight. Also, I had to prove Gary Gough wrong. He said there was no need for panorama toys...

I believe it is around 84 Megapixels from 9 stitched portrait images. The layered tiff I saved is over 950Mb. It measures 4400 pixels high by nearly 19000 pixels wide. It spans around 160-170 degrees field of view.

This image should not have worked from the "purist's point of view". For more on some technical info about panorama images and stitching, please click through to this great video by Gary Gough. In this video you will see how I, and you reading this, can save ourselves at least a thousand dollars. The panorama I show above was my attempt at proving Gary Gough wrong in saving me lots of money. I failed miserably and will find a way to buy tools I don't need. Why? Because I can.

I told you I never follow good advice, didn't I?

Go break some rules. Go be a rebel. Do a few things "wrong" on purpose. Have loads of fun doing it!

Happy shooting until next time,

Anton