reflections in Lagunitas Creek

click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

f-32 at .5sec ISO-100
As modern-day photographers we have it pretty darned easy. We no longer have to spend mountains of cash on film and processing chemicals. And no longer is there a need to spend hours in complete darkness, or under a yellowish-red light during arduous hours of printing and chemical dunkings.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

f-32 at 1.3sec ISO-100
Usually I don't worry about getting everything tack-sharp from foreground to the objects in the distance, but for these images that was my goal.

In the "old" days, using a large view-camera I would have one particular advantage--maximum depth-of-field. Not only could I stop my lens down to a small opening, but the flexibility of the view-camera would allow me to tilt the top of my lens forward with relationship to the film plain, almost magically bringing everything on the horizontal axis into focus, near to far.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

f-32 at 4sec ISO-100
There are a few tilt-shift lenses available on the market, but today with our modern digital single lens reflex cameras about all we can do to achieve maximum depth of field is to stop the lens down to its smallest aperture. This often will result in a long exposure that is not conducive to hand-holding or just bracing the camera against a solid object.

Bring out the tripod... As much as that thing might slow me down or kill the spontaneity of the moment, sometimes there is just no way around its use.


CLICK for 40 new photos on my "NEW" photo website.