A super inexpensive Tilt Lens Adapter!

A new toy for Micro 4/3rds - A super inexpensive Tilt Lens Adapter!

A tilt lens can be used for all sorts of cool  effects, such as selective blur or, like in these examples, a "miniature"effect.

The most popular accessory of the moment for achieving this is a "Lensbaby", but those run around $250.00!  Instead of laying down that kind of cash, I found this Tilt adapter on Amazon for $50.00.  I attach a Nikon lens to one end and my Panasonic Lumix G5 to the other.  It can tilt from 0 to 8 degrees.  At 0 degrees it can be used to convert a Nikon lens to fit a Micro 4/3 camera body.  Then when tilted it can be used for these awesome effects!  It's solidly constructed and it works great!

Link to tilt adapter at amazon.com

Space Needle - Panasonic Lumix G5.  Tilt Adapter with Nikon 50mm lens

Glass Museum - Panasonic Lumix G5.  Tilt Adapter with Nikon 50mm lens

Long Time No Write - Slow Shutter Creativity

I found myself on the 30th floor overlooking a beautiful pacific northwest sunset over Vancouver BC.  And this was a treat because it was a welcome break from 2 straight weeks of rain back home in Seattle.

I started taking some photos from the balcony, having trouble bracing for camera shake without a tripod handy.  But then I realized rather than fight it why not embrace it!  So I slowed the shutter down to about 4/10 seconds and intentionally moved the camera in various patterns - side to side, in concentric circles, etc...

Below is a boring "typical" shot, followed by my favorite "creative" slow shutter shot from the set:

Boring:

Cool :)

Travel - Italy - Panasonic GF1 - People

I've been away for a while because I've really been "away for a while" - spending a month in Tuscany and touring northern Italy.  It's probably obvious that the region is exceptionally photogenic, but so are the people, and they seem to be oblivious to cameras and photographers.  Here are some of my favorite street photographs from the trip, all taken using my Panasonic GF1 (Micro Four Thirds) camera with the flat 20 or a 14-48mm zoom lens.

Taking photos at the leanssc 2011 conference

I got an opportunity to attend a very enjoyable and educational technical conference in exchange for helping photograph the event.  While I took typical photos of the speakers, I am posting the shots here that I decided were more artistically pleasing in that they show the "action" of the conference.  One thing I really enjoyed was using a long lens and working with a very narrow depth of field.  The lighting was a challenge and in order to not wash out the subjects in a big flash blast I used a higher ISO and bounced the flash off the ceiling or used a Stofen.  I also occasionally strapped a homemade grid spot to the flash head, which allowed me to shoot through the crowd and light up the speaker without blasting the backsides of those seated near me.  Here are some of my favorite images from the event.

 

 

And don't forget the "after-party"!