Pause for Thought
sydney
Apple Concentrate
The Apple store on George street is always interesting from a people-watching point-of-view.
The glass walls and free wifi means there are always groups of people concentrating on their devices to photograph.
It makes me think of the store as a combination of temple and social meeting place.
Time Passes
An early meeting took me into the city, with my new Fujinon XF14mm 2.8 R lens on my X-E1.
First impressions are really good. Actually, great. It feels precise and well made, and the manual mode is fantastic. You slip the focus ring back to go from auto focus to manual, which reveals distance markings allowing you to set the depth of focus. Although it is electronic focus, it feels mechanical, with end stops. If Fuji can produce their 35mm equivalent lens with this manual method, then zone focussing will be a doodle,and they will have a wonderful street photography option.
Distortion is incredibly well controlled (this is 21mm equivalent), and it produces really sharp results with good colour saturation.
This is up to my old Canon L glass standards.
I can’t wait to use this for some long exposure seascapes.
Cross that line
Song Dong: Waste Not
I attended an exhibition this week by Song Dong, as part of the Sydney Festival 2013:-
From his family home in Beijing, to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Waste Not is a transformative installation by one of China’s pre-eminent artists, Song Dong. Conceived by the artist following the death of his father, the work represents his mother’s process of mourning and remembrance. Consisting of the entire contents of her house, Waste Not reflects a journey of hardship and grief, resulting in a display of personal resilience and ultimately a celebration of life.
It was a memorable experience, and prompted me to think of how we remember those who have died, and how much we consume during our lifetime. Although the exhibition was almost entirely made up of manufactured goods that were anything but personal in isolation, when collected together they seemed to tell a unique story.
Homeward Bound
Seen on my walk between work and Redfern station, Sydney.
Taken with Fujifilm X-E1 + XF35mmF1.4 R.
Sculpture by the sea
Every year near Bondi beach, sculptures appear along the cliff for the enjoyment of the public.
(Click images for full size).
Available Light with the FujiFilm X-E1
A night out with the Sydney Street Photography meetup group proved a great first outing with my new FujiFilm X-E1 and the XF-35mm/f1.4. Shooting mostly at f1.4 and 1/125 second, I used auto ISO up to 6400 ISO. The low light capabilities of this camera make it excellent for night photography without a flash.
More thoughts on this little marvel to come.
If you click on any picture, you’ll get a full size image with the EXIF data.
Mike Baker | Photography 