Author: John

Chieftain

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One of the many very authentic looking characters at the annual Viking market at Lindholm Høje in Denmark this year.
To challenge myself a bit, I shot most of the day with the 85mm lens. It were challenging at times but when it worked out the 85 mm lens really proved at good as expected. I have had it for a while, but never really used it much. It is still not my favorite focal length, but it does perform very well.

Rafiki on Ice

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I took the family to see Disney on Ice a while ago. On such occasions, the primary thing is the family experience, so I do not haul my regular camera along with me. Instead I use a Powershot G16, which time and time again proves to be a very capable camera.

Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USD G2 rumoured to be announced this week

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Oh my.. The competition in the 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens segment seems to be extremely busy at the moment. Sigma should have an 24-70mm ART lens announced any day now, and now Tamron is rumoured to announce a new 24-70mm G2 this week too, according to canonrumours.com. (also here);
Interesting enough, both are rumoured to start shipping with an initial price tag of 1299 USD.
I guess I will have to wait for some real life test and reviews before deciding then. I used the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 VC a lot on my 60D, and it was an excellent lens. If the new Tamron proves to live up to this, I might be interested.
Additionally, Sigma released some MTF charts that people “wise” in such things seems a bit disappointed about. I never decide on lenses based on MTF charts, so my advice: Wait for some real reviews by trusted sources.

In Undead Colors: Green

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One of the many beautiful costumes from this years International Carnival Parade at Aalborg Carnival.
The British Carnival group Mandinga Arts had teamed up with Hasseris Gymnasium to create the most amazing and well-executed themes of the entire parade, a Mexican Day of the Dead tribute.

Get off the high horse

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Ok, I get it.

You only shoot with your Micro Four Thirds because it is the ultimate compact camera solution.

..or you only shoot with full frame cameras because small sensors suck.
..or you only shoot film because it is the only way to achieve that analog look.
..or you only use a wide angle lens when shooting in the streets because being up close is the only way to connect with your subject.
..or you never process your pictures in Lightroom or Photoshop because your pictures need to be authentic.
..or you only shoot in black and white because colors are taking away the pureness of a photograph.
..or you only shoot with primes because zoom lenses are filled with compromises.
..or you only shoot L-lenses because life is too short for inferior lenses.

I get it, but seriously, who cares?

It’s not like people are going to look at your pictures and say “Wow, best photograph in the world, just too bad it is taken with a zoom lens”. It doesn’t matter. Yes, of course the gear you use matters and you have to pick the gear that fits you best. But don’t try to make you choices the ultimate truth. It is not. It is purely your truth.

If you find a recipe that works for you, good for you. But that doesn’t give you the right to scoff at anybody else, just because they do something different from you or choose different gear.



The end result is what matters. The final picture, the work you have created is what counts. The gear you used or the approach you used to get the results you wanted doesn’t matter.

There is no need to think you are superior just because you think your way of producing photos is the only way. You are not superior. You’re a photographer who have found your voice. Good for you. But you have to realize that other photographers will find their voice using other gear or other ways.

In Undead Colors: Yellow

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One of the many beautiful costumes from this years International Carnival Parade at Aalborg Carnival.
The British Carnival group Mandinga Arts had teamed up with Hasseris Gymnasium to create the most amazing and well-executed themes of the entire parade, a Mexican Day of the Dead tribute.

In Undead Colors: Red

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One of the many beautiful costumes from this years International Carnival Parade at Aalborg Carnival.
The British Carnival group Mandinga Arts had teamed up with Hasseris Gymnasium to create the most amazing and well-executed themes of the entire parade, a Mexican Day of the Dead tribute.

Review: Stories of Home

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I just finished reading the eBook “Stories of Home” by photographer Kate Densmore.
I had been looking forward to reading it for a while, but other things kept distracting me until now. In retrospective that were a bit silly as the lessons learned in this book could have been really useful to have practiced through the long dark winter.

Kate Densmore specializes in taking pictures of families in their “natural habitat” and judging from the many beautiful pictures in the book, she prefers a 35mm lens and really knows how to put it to good use.

The book, coming just short of 200 pages isn’t the kind of book that offers advises about choice of focal length, ISO and other technical stuff, even though these issues does pop up from time to time. No, it is more the kind of book that tells you what to look for when you want to capture the big (and little) moments in family life. So, if you are looking for a recipe-book, Scott Kelby style, you will be disappointing. But, if you are interested in a more guidance oriented approach that more describes which moments to look for and what to try to avoid, you have come to the right place.

Kate Densmore writes in a straight-forward way that describes her way of working in a very private and intimate environment, and the way she writes really emphasizes that this is less about the technical aspects of photography and more about learning to captures moods and telling stories.

The book is split up in three parts, each covering different aspects of the topic:

  • Documentary Family Photography
  • Everyday Fine Art
  • The Art of an Ordinary Day

Each part guides you through the process of capturing the special moments of your family life, be it on special occasions or just a regular day and throughout the book you find beautiful pictures that are used to underline the points made in the text, and you also find some creative exercises, which in some cases seems to have been thrown in as an afterthought. (Or maybe I am just not the kind of guy who throws the book over his shoulder to pursue some creative exercise).

You will also find interviews with three other family photographers, which share their motivation and workflow. This works well as it sometimes gives the same takeaway point, but put in other words.

All in a very good book, well worth the price. it has given me some new inspiration and shown me what family photography can also be. Most people regard family photos as merely snapshots, but maybe we should actually put more effort into these pictures as they really cover the most precious moments in life. As Kate Densmore writes in the conclusion:

“Treat your everyday images like art. Respect yourself and what you do, and honor your story and the story of those you love. No one is ever going to care about your work unless you care, deeply.”

I highly recommend reading this book. You can buy it over at Craft & Vision

End Of The Lines (Lo-Fi vol. II, 20/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 20th and final picture in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Faceless Punk (Lo-Fi vol. II, 19/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 19th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Lifescan (Lo-Fi vol. II, 18/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 18th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Why are you posting pictures?

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I recently wondered “Why am I posting pictures at all?” It does not make me rich. Or famous. So why bother?

I guess part of the answer is a need to be recognized. But the sad truth is that the Internet is flooded with pictures and the chance that mine would stand out is quite small, no matter how hard I try. So why bother?

Another part of the answer is that photography is about creating. And if you create you want the stuff you create to be “used”. If not, why bother? Creating without purpose doesn’t really make sense.

So, even though posting pictures to this site, or social medias doesn’t make me rich and famous, it does serve a purpose. To keep my desire to create alive.

The Grip (Lo-Fi vol. II, 17/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 17th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Cracked (Lo-Fi vol. II, 15/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 15th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Feedback (Lo-Fi vol. II, 16/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 16th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Samoan (Lo-Fi vol. II, 14/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 14th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

The face of a memory (Lo-Fi vol. II, 13/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 13th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Sane (Lo-Fi vol. II, 12/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 12th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Eye (Lo-Fi vol. II, 11/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 11th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Ripped Skull (Lo-Fi vol. II, 10/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 10th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Choke! (Lo-Fi vol. II, 9/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 9th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Lupin (Lo-Fi vol. II, 8/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 8th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Micro adjustment made easy

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Micro adjustments has always been a bit intimidating to me. The idea is that the lens and the autofocus sensor in the camera does not always result in an exact focus on the actual image sensor. Focus might be a bit in front or behind the point that were focused upon when autofocus were engaged. This happens because of a tiny offset between the distance between Lens/Autofocus sensor and Lens/Image sensor.

To fix this, most Mid-/High range DSLR’s allows you to perform micro adjustments per lens. But the procedure included buying advanced focusing gadgetry that had to be set up very precisely, taking photos of the gadget and then trying to determine how far off the focus is.

In short, complicated and with a bit of magic involved.

This weekend I read a bit about a procedure called Dot-Tuning. It is kind of the same procedure as explained above, but much more simple to understand and do. Instead of a complicated setup, you print out a sheet of paper with a high contrast pattern which you then tape to a wall or similar. Next you place your camera on a tripod at a distance of 50x focal length of the lens (e.g. with a 50mm lens the distance would be 50x50mm=2500mm). Position the camera to point directly at the high contrast pattern with the center focus point and enable Live View. Now use the 10x magnification on the Live View to set focus, either manually or with the focus button. Once focus has been acquired, set the lens to manual focus to avoid refocusing.

Next the idea is to micro-adjust up from 0 to +1, +2 and so on, one step at the time, each time looking in the viewfinder and checking if the camera can acquire focus instantly without any hesitation. Once you reach this point, write down the number of the offset that were the last giving a positive focus dot. Now do the same micro adjusting down from 0 to -1, -2 and so on.

When you have two points, e.g. 6 and -2 you find the middle value, in this case 2. (-2, -1 ,0, 1, [2], 3, 4, 5, 6).
To make this step simpler, the video above links to this calculator.

The idea is that since 2 is dead in the middle of the values giving positive focus confirmation, the auto focus should be much more precise than without the micro adjustment.

I tried it on my 35mm, 50mm and 85mm primes, and so far it is too soon to determine if this were a major difference, but the camera / lens combinations seems to be faster to acquire focus when I try to focus on my fast moving 7 year old daughter or in low light situations. I will still have to test this further before I can say anything with absolute certainty, but at least the Dot-Tuning procedure has made micro adjustment easy to do.

Further details about the method, as well as an ongoing discussion can be found here.

Please note that I did not invent this method, nor am I trying to take credit.
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Birds Of A Feather (Lo-Fi vol. II, 7/20)

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Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 7th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Another Sun Down (Lo-Fi vol. II, 5/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 5th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Glowing (Lo-Fi vol. II, 6/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 6th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

The Right To (Lo-Fi vol. II, 4/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 4th of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Shattered (Lo-Fi vol. II, 3/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 3rd of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

NAR (Lo-Fi vol. II, 2/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
This is the 2nd of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.

Record (Lo-Fi vol. II, 1/20)

Posted on by John

Back in 2015 I released a collection of images with only one thing in common: they were all taken with a smartphone and processed in Snapseed. Other than that they didn’t really have much in common.
Since then I have continued to take pictures with my smartphone and process them in Snapseed, but this time trying to make them all kinda “fit” as part of a collection, being more “gritty” and “Lo-Fi
By the end of November 2016 I were finally so close to being satisfied that I decided that I would release this collection.
It is a bit different from what I usually do, but I think I needed to try something else for a while.
So.. this is the 1st of 20 pictures in my collection “The Lo-Fi Collection Vol. II: Gritty and grungy.