Nikon D3

How to take a pretty nice portrait in really bad artificial light…

You can start with a high ISO monster camera like the Nikon D3 and a great pro-zoom like the 24-70 Nikkor 2.8. But I’m sorry, that’s not going to get it done in light as as bad as this was. Color falls apart even on the D3 at a certain point in the higher ISO ranges and especially in gross fluorescents like we see here .

The 2.8 is a help of course. There again, however, and I’m sorry for the equipment-fail negativism, but I think even that great lens has to be stopped down a little bit to be as good as it should be.

What to do?

Well, you have to do things the old fashioned way. Long shutter speed, in this case i believe it was 1/15th of a second, and instructions for everyone to be as still as they possibly can. Just like 150 years ago.

Of course, with a flat Leica rangefinder pancaked against your face, 1/15th of a second is like your comfort zone. lol. No problem on your end, ever.

But with a D3 and THAT monstrosity of a pro-zoom, with all that heavy glass, sticking out 8 inches in front of the camera, huh, just try it. That’s why this picture stands out in my mind as a minor accomplishment.

And don’t forget the instant-after shots when everyone relaxes. Have to have those.

Sheri’s Wedding

Just remembering one of the happiest days of my adult life. The wedding of my best friend Sheri just five years ago. I’m not a wedding photographer but she didn’t trust the one she hired so she told me to be sure to bring my gear.

Good thing, he was a hack. She loved my shots and everybody was happy. All pictures were taken with a Nikon D3 and either a 70-200 2.8 Nikkor VR or the 24-70 2.8 Nikkor. Would give anything to go back to that day.

I’m Dreaming of Another Time of Year

Summer has finally arrived in Los Angeles this week. We didn’t even have our portable air conditioners in the windows until July 19th and have barely had to use them since then. We’ve been very very lucky while the rest of the country has sweltered in record breaking heat.

At night, every night this summer, the temps drop to the very low 60s. Run a fan out of the kitchen window and by morning you’re pulling three blankets up over your head.

But now, LA is slowly beginning its annual and inevitable imitation of the surface of Venus. Toxic gases replace the sea breezes and the blistering sun scorches everything it touches.

But I’m thinking of that drive I love to make across the desert to Las Vegas. The Cajon Pass. The chill wind blasting over the landscape.

The top photo is at the far reaches of one of our drives, near Zion National Park in Utah. It was absolutely freezing as the sun set that Saturday night in between Christmas and New Year’s Day. You can see the snow clinging to the faces of the cliffs in the distance.

The bottom images was taken out of the car window near the aforementioned Cajon Pass on the same trip. Snow on mountain tops. Wish I could roll down a window and breathe in some of that cold clean air right now.