Recent content by Larry Bolch

While I will not exclude anything that may catch my eye, I would say photographing people while hiding in plain sight is primary. My goal is to capture interactions—and life in general without intruding upon it—or changing it. I have been chronicling events in a family, and members of an...

You have a very high day rate, understanding clients who pay you without negotiation, and are very patient with truly cranky equipment, capable of producing the highest possible digital quality. The problem is that a $3,000US camera may be all but indistinguishable from a $30,000 camera and much...

A Nikon ad relating the Df to legacy cameras—related to their "Pure Photography" slogan. Digital backs for 35mm chassis have been tried and failed as a product. They only succeed with medium format cameras, because the buyers are willing to trade convenience for quality. Consumers would never...

Like any other tool in the bag, it can be used well or not. Certainly it is useful to isolate a subject or wipe out an intruding background. Very useful. Where it falls down is in the hands of a newbie, who buys into the idea that an f/1.2 lens can make every shot a masterpiece. Isolating a...

The first three primes that shipped were the classic photojournalist's kit, and tended to be tested as a group. The 60mm is a macro to 1:2, and outstandingly sharp. The 35mm is a fast, superb normal. Of the three, the 18mm was the least—but only when compared to the other two. Of course...

Many years back, I took the plunge and bought a WideLuxe 140. Same idea as the Noblex, but 35mm. The film plane is curved and the lens rotates through a 140° angle. The shutter is a vertical slot directly behind the lens. Shutter speed limited to 1/15th, 1/125th and 1/250th. It was a real...

I love it that they release a fully functional camera, but with enough power to continuously improve it over the next couple of years. I was happy with both my cameras on day one, but they are much better now. Most impressive is the X100 which got a significant firmware upgrade months after its...

How many Border Collies does it take to change a lightbulb. Only one, but she will totally rewire your house and bring everything up to better than standard specification at the same time.

Conscious decision to leave it. Content-aware healing tool could have easily eliminated it, but it is such an odd effect that I decided to let it be. Almost like the glowing-eye cliche that fantasy film-makers use when the wiz turns to magick.

The Works Festival, Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Nikon D700 ISO200, f/8.0 1/500th

I thought that the X-Pro1 might well be my last camera. I was delighted with it from day one. It was the Contax G2 Digital that never was made. However, it has grown even better with each firmware upgrade. I am happily in no rush to move on. However, I like what I am seeing in the X-T1, and in...

As should be obvious, an optical system can not be better than its poorest element.

Lake Louise in Banff National Park, is probably one of the most photographed landscapes in the World. However, while driving there, at 6,000 feet altitude, we ran into snow. At the lake. I was presented with a scene that included a blizzard across the lake, and blue sky right beside it. Breaks...

Perhaps worth bringing up, is that very high resolutions are really not needed where action is taking place. There is nothing to be gained by covering sports with a 36MP camera. High resolution is great for landscapes, or product-shots for trade-show booths, to be done as huge prints. Neither...

As John Cleese did often say, "Now for something entirely different." Brought to mind I little project I did a couple of years ago. Denton County, Texas posts mugshots of those arrested for all to see, on the InterWebs. I used a morphing program to evolve through something like 80+ images...