thanks for sharing the photo, and your thoughts about it. Yes, I think you are right when you make that distinction between art photo and documentary photo, documentary photographs are supposed to convey a message closer to the truth. But I really find myself in a more comfortable situation when the obligation to truth is kept at a distance. I believe Ansel Adams once said that “There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer”, and even in documentary photo there is (I think) an element of interpretation. The photographer might have one reason for taking a picture, but the photo might tell me – as a viewer – something entirely different. And still, I think we both are “right”.

So, I really like the “after”-version of the the leaf better. The blurry veins hint toward IR, but at the same time the drops of waters hold a remarkable clarity. I think it is a great shot, this is nature at its best!

Yes, I totally agree, colour management is a big art – or pehaps rather science – in itself.

I do think using Epson inks for Epson printers is important over third party inks as well as using the printer driver that ships with the printer.

As for papers I do get good results with Epson papers, but equally I have had no problems using other papers as long as you use their specific paper profile for proof and printing.

I’m not a printing expert, but calibrating your monitor is absolutely crucial to get good results with your prints. I used to use a simple Colorvision Spyder for this together with a Dell monitor (software calibration) and it provided me some very fine prints that I was happy with.

However I have since upgraded to an Eizo ColorEdge CE210W monitor (hardware calibration) which is a very nice (and expensive) monitor. I bought it as I wanted the best colours I could get for my fine art prints, but I do think you can actually achieve some very fine results with a basic monitor calibration device and a reasonably good monitor.

Thomas

I’ve always struggled to get the colour management 100% right though – it’s a bit of an art in itself, I think. I’ve only ever managed to be successful using an Epson printer + Epson inks + Epson paper + Epson printer driver, which makes sense, as the whole print path is calibrated.

I did once use some cheaper inks in my printer, and regretted it. I didn’t manage to get one good (photographic) print out of the set of cartridges.

I’ve seen some great monochrome prints on paper with a high fibre content come out of home printers – I might try these myself.

As for using bricks for texture I agree they can often provide that little bit of extra, but I also like to experiement with lots of other textures. I have even scanned paper towels, tea towels and various papers.

I completely understand your preference.

I think you will get a lot of good images out of the G11 as you will no doubt carry it with you a lot more than a DSLR.

In many ways a converted infrared is a bit of luxury which I only afforded myself because I sold my Hasselblad Xpan II in order to upgrade my 20D to a 5D. As it happened, though, this allowed me to keep my old 20D, buy a second 20D cheap on Ebay, and then convert that second 20D to infrared.

This made sense to me as I then still had a back-up camera, plus I had a couple of the EF-S lenses which only works with smaller sensors.

Enjoy your G11!

I was actually thinking about turning my old Nikon D70 into an IR camera, but I ended up selling it to get the Canon G11. It would probably be more exciting to follow my first plan, but I really needed a smaller camera to bring with me.

Timo – the conversion Thomas speaks of for DSLRs involves removing an IR filter that is in front of the digital sensor, something that doesn’t exist on a SLR, so just using IR film would work fine.

I’m keen to see your results!

Thank you very much for your kind comments.

I’m particularly happy about your comment about ‘a special atmosphere’. I’m a big fan of mood in images, but it’s an elusive thing to try and capture.

I’ve never used IR film myself (only the converted IR digital Canon 20D I have), but yes, I’m sure you can achieve some fine IR results with film. However I’m not quite sure what your options are in terms of playing with colour when you scan your IR images from film?

It could be worth giving it a try and see what you come up with. I’d be keen to see your images.

Thanks,
Thomas

I want to buy a Lensbaby this year (probably Composer), so it is great to see it in use – especially in combination with IR.

About IR:
I also have an analog Nikon SLR (which I mainly use for occasional bw shoots) – does it suffice to use an IR film with analog SLRs or do they also have to be converted?

I know what you mean – I feel torn between photography (which is often a solitary pursuit, by which I mean boring for any non-photographer who comes along with you) and spending time with my wife and son. Family time usually has the biggest draw for me – I keep thinking I can always take photos another day, but kids grow up so fast, I hate to miss a moment. Luckily I have a great wife and we manage to make space for each other to spend a bit of time doing their own thing.

I hope we make it to Sydney or Melbourne this year (depending on where I can find work) – we certainly don’t fancy another Scottish winter!

P.S. I’m really enjoying your critiques – it’s great to see how someone else thinks about a photo. Your responses are really well though through, and I am continuing to learn.

Thanks for your comment.

Well, it seems like a natural progression, to capture images when you can, from A to B, because it’s extremely difficult to take the time out for shooting we used to do, at least so it is for me.

I can’t remember the last time I took my camera bag and headed out for a few hours with the sole intention of creating images. If I do this today I immediately feel like I’m missing out on what is already quite scarce spare time with my daughter.

Hence the solution is to try and incorporate photography into life as it is now which might mean less dedicated time and more opportunistic photography.

However, on the other hand I upgraded my 20D to a 5DMKII, and I really want – and should – use that camera A LOT more.

Well, who said life was ever easy!?

Happy New Year to you and yours! Will we see you down under in 2010? Perhaps if we met up – just the two of us – that could be a good excuse to give the DLSRs a good workout!

Thomas

I did take my DSLR to work with me every day for a few weeks, but I couldn’t keep carrying it all the time – certainly not on the way to meetings etc.

How many times have I seen something that’s held my attention for a while, such as that lovely set of reflections in your ‘photo? More than I can remember. There is something beautiful in scenes that have occurred once and will never be quite the same again. I don’t want to say “if only I had my camera” again!

I know what you’re saying and I believe seeing even when you don’t have a camera with you (or perhaps when you just a mobile phone camera) is really great practice too. As you say it helps keeping you thinking about images and photo opportunities all the time.

Do you have the book by Chase Jarvis? I’ve got it on my shopping list for my next round of photography book purchases eventhough I don’t own an iPhone (not that you have to in order to enjoy the book).

Sounds like Santa was kind to you with that Speedlite 270ex too!

Look forward to see your new images!

However, inspired to bring a camera along a little more often, I have invested in a G11, and I have to say that I´m really happy with it. And for christmas I got a Speedlite 270ex, so I hope I will be able to identify new photographic opportunities…

Anyway, Happy New Year, Thomas!

It’s a great idea to keep the compact near your other daily things like your keys as you mention. Simply but effective, I think I’ll adopt that idea!

Sorry, I must have expressed myself a bit unclear about the Canon G11, I still use the Canon G9, I simply meant to say that the latest model from Canon is now the G11.

The G11 is said to perform much better at higher ISO settings whereas I find that the noise levels in the G9 are quite high at ISO 400 and up.

Happy New Year!

Congrats to the G11! I would be interested to see some pictures. All I have read so far are technical reviews, not personal ones.

Read their privacy policy carefully and perhaps send them an email with any concerns or questions and see how they respond. A quick and professional response is one good indicator of a good company.

Personally I’ve become less paranoid about the internet, but there will always be people out there who don’t necessarily have your best interest at heart, so it pays to be careful.

Thanks for your kind words on the photos.

Yes, Laura was too old for the basinette as well, so I definitely think we will wait to travel long distance again until she is two and get her own seat.

I’m pleased to hear it gets easier as they get older although I do worry that they seem to get even more active at the same time. However I think you’re right about the inflight entertainment and generally just being able to sit still and concentrate on something for longer periods of time.

I wish you and your family all the best for 2010.

Thomas

I’m back in Sydney again and I’m pleased to tell you the trip home to Sydney went much, much easier. It also helped that the flight was only half full on the second leg back to Sydney!

We had snow in Denmark too which was nice. I had brought along my Canon G9 which I used to create the above images.

I’d have to say I miss the cold weather and winter to some extent, but I had kind of forgotten how short and dark the days are in Denmark at this time of the year. That said the sun never gets very high in the sky (when it’s not hidden by a thick cloud cover ) and the light remains quite beautiful throughout the day.

I think shifting position from your home base from time to time is always very visually inspiring. I would have loved to spend a lot more time making photographs than I did, but after all it was a holiday with the family!

I hope you had a good Christmas with your family and wish you all the best for 2010. Thanks for your support, input, feedback and ideas for the site in 2009.

When are we seeing you in Australia?

All the best,
Thomas