Regardless of your political affiliation, you cannot deny the impact this slideshow has from Barrack Obama’s victory speech. Paired with the audio, it is truly moving. Not much more to say.
Archive for November, 2008
Impact
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008New Singh Ray Vari-N-Duo
Monday, November 3rd, 2008I’ve been using Singh Ray filters ever since I actually started getting serious about photography. For the first couple of years, I chose to go with a lesser grade filter and my images were “lesser grade” as can be expected. Singh Ray has just released a brand new filter incorporating the Vari-ND and their LB warming polarizer into one filter. In a word: awesome. Check out my review below.
In my (humble) opinion, a great or meaningful image is separated from a good or forgettable image by subtleties. It’s the little things that make a big difference, and in a world where so many photographers have access to the best equipment available, it becomes even more important to separate yourself from the pack through creative vision and flawless execution.
The Vari-N-Duo is a filter that allows your creative juices to “fill to overflowing”. It gives you options when in the field, and most importantly, it allows you to produce images previously impossible to create, or very difficult to execute.
When I arrived at this scene near the headwaters of the Henry’s Fork River in Idaho, I was struck by the juxtaposition of swaying grasses, fleeting clouds and this sturdy log that likely hadn’t moved since it hit the earth. This was the perfect opportunity to test out my new Vari-N-Duo.
Employing this filter, I was able to lengthen my exposure to six seconds, thus capturing the movement in the grasses bordering the log, and give just the slightest bit of movement to the clouds in the sky. This combination of movement and still detail makes for an engaging image, one that begs to be inspected, studied and (hopefully) appreciated.
The subtle difference in this image, for me, lies in the slightest improvement in FG detail as well as the darkening of the sky—both attributable to the polarizer in the Vari-N-Duo, which removed the natural sheen from the foliage/log and allowed the clouds to pop just enough to complete this image. To some, this may seem insignificant, but to me, this is what separates those that truly aspire to perfection with their imagery, from those content with the status quo. I also used a 3-stop Singh Ray Reverse ND Grad to hold detail in the sky and keep the highlights in check.
For me, the Vari-N-Duo is not the answer for every image, but it offers up countless opportunities to flex your creative muscles behind the lens, and come away with images that are likely to make a lasting impression on the viewer.
