This was taken at Watson’s Bay in Sydney. It is a 5 shot HDR compilation and I have found a way to process the photos without making them look over psychedelic. The GF1′s bracketing function only allows me to go in 2/3 of a stop, hence why I got 5 shots. Would have preferred to just grab 3 shots at 2 EV apart.

I am pretty happy with how the image turned out, with only some ghosting from the red flowers at the bottom from the wind (which I could easily fix up if I took the time) and it shows how versatile the GF1 is. I pretty much propped the camera on my knee/leg and just held it steadily to get the 5 frame burst. The camera is light enough that it balances well and I didn’t really miss a tripod. Even if the camera has limited dynamic range, you could make up for this for scenery shots by bracketing.

Heh, also finding ways to make the 28mm (35mm equivalent) frame work for me. I could personally do with something wider as I find at times I need to frame something and can’t step back any further.

* * *

Was in Sydney for 3 days and the GF1 performed admirably for what I needed it to do. The two pancake lenses were quickly changed and I just left the other lens in my jacket pocket for quick access. Being light, you don’t really fumble around with it when trying to change lenses on the go, which is a plus. I think the last useful lens to add to this range would be the new Olympus 45mm f/1.8 for the extended zoom. It would allow me to take portraits while isolating people from the background.

Heh, so the GF1 is like a poor man’s Leica, but the pictures I’ve taken so far I’d be more than happy to print and display. The best thing is that the entire package of 2 lenses and one camera is still under 600gm, which is still less than the body of my D300 alone, and I found travelling with these photographic tools more enjoyable as it did not get in my way. Having said that, it doesn’t supersede my Nikon setup, as you still need fast AF, burst speed, the versatility of fast zoom lenses to do event photography. That plus off camera flash for creative lighting that I can’t match with the current micro 4/3 setup.

* * *

Going to Sydney was good for the soul, helping me to take my mind off the daily surroundings and doing other stuff gave me a different perspective on things. Also visited the Sunday market at the Rocks and saw lots of creative stuff on sale, which has given me ideas to do other things.

One thing that has piqued my interest is frame making as I have always had trouble finding the right sized frames for inserting prints to hang on the wall. They also cost an arm and a leg to purchase as you go up in size and the pricing doesn’t look linear (heh, it might if I plot it but I’m not into that).

There is an initial investment to get the tools for cutting the boards and frames plus a slight learning curve but I think that should be worth it. I recently learned to differentiate between cost and value. Something may cost x amount and seem obscene for the price you have to pay, but if it brings you a greater overall value, then it should well be worth the initial costs.

* * *

Feeling reinvigorated to do stuff, the warmer weather in Sydney helped out. Now it’s back to getting things done.

Scenery by the river. At times I’ll just look out the window from the study room to get a feel for the quality of light and take Alfie out for a walk, with an excuse to grab some pictures.

* * *

Looking at camera gear again. Heh, no intentions to buy anything new and it’s only made me dig out my GF1 manual so that I could figure out some of the functions as some of the icons in the menu have strange naming conventions that doesn’t really explain much on what it does to you.

Was looking at the Panasonic Lumix G3, which seems pretty spectacular as a travel camera. It has an EVF, great image quality even at high ISO and fast AF but not so stellar battery life. I like my GF1′s size but the sensor is from early 2009 and going into mid 2011, the imaging sensor and image processing engines within the cameras have made remarkable strides in performance. I am still limiting my shooting to ISO800 most of the time, compensating with fast glass and slower shutter speeds when lots of cameras these days do pretty clean images at ISO3200. It just reminds me to go back to basics, where people have shot better photographs with lesser equipment. Sometimes style just trumps technical precision.

I need to push boundaries. Like the shot above, habit makes it easy to pick out shots like these. Truthfully, it is familiarity that allows you to fine tune what you shoot as each subsequent opportunity allows you to fix something you did wrong previously. I have not given myself any tasks which make me sweat, like needing to take the essence of an event. I am trying to move away from just being opportunistic with moments but also trying to make the scene work within the constraints of the setting.

Heh, I just want to go out and shoot and churn out more photos to be posted.