how I use categories on chromasia

All the entries on chromasia are placed into one of seven primary categories: six to reflect the aspect ratio of the image, and the seventh to indicate that an image isn’t available as a print. Additionally, each photograph may be assigned to one of more additional categories or subcategories, e.g. my travel category, children category, and so on.

about the ‘children’ category

Most of the photographs in the 'children' category are shots of our own kids, but there are one or two of their friends and other children too.

28 April, 2016 // Dubai 2016 #10comments & reactions

Another street shot from Dubai, and while I don't have much to say about the image itself it is worth mentioning that this one was processed a bit differently, i.e. I just used Capture One 9 - no Camera Raw, no Photoshop, no Curves - so the original you can see here is the RAW file prior to any changes in Capture One. Having done quite a bit of testing in recent days I suspect that a large percentage of my subsequent images will be processed in Capture One, as try as I might I can't quite get Camera Raw to produce an initial conversion that has quite the same quality.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
12.53pm on 8/4/16
Fujifilm X-T1
XF 90mm f/2
f/2.8
1/210
manual
n/a
average
200
no
RAW
Capture One 9
n/a
none
minor
10 March, 2016 // Rhowan 2016 #1comments & reactions

Rhowan and I spent an hour or so shooting some new portraits today, and while I didn't get many I especially liked I am pleased with this one. I messed up the lighting a bit - not enough light in her eyes - but there was sufficient detail to rescue.

As always, let me know what you think.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
1.41pm on 10/3/16
Fujifilm X-T1
XF 90mm f/2
f/11
1/160
manual
n/a
average
200
Wescott Rapid Box
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CC
none
very minor
15 October, 2015 // The Joker (Take 1)comments & reactions

The preparations for Halloween have begun - a shot of Rhowan's boyfriend / The Joker. Shots of Rhowan as Harley Quinn will no doubt appear at some point soon :)

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
9.54pm on 14/10/15
Fujifilm X-T1
XF 90mm f/2
f/4.0
1/180
manual
n/a
evaluative
200
Nissin i40 / Wescott Rapid Box
RAW
None. Buggered up and shot in JPEG
Photoshop CC
none
minor

Me: Tiggy, stop being silly!
Tiggy: I'm not being silly!
Me: You're pulling silly faces!
Tiggy: No I'm not!
Me: ... OK.

On a more technical note: this was shot with the new Fujifilm 90mm f/2 (the focal length equivalent of 135mm on a full-frame camera). It's a stunning lens, even wide open as with this shot. Watch this space for more of the same over the coming weeks.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
4.26pm on 10/10/15
Fujifilm X-T1
XF 90mm f/2
f/2
1/400
aperture priority
+1/3
evaluative
200
no
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CC
none
no
10 October, 2015 // time againcomments & reactions

For one reason and another it's been an age since I posted anything, so here's a new image I took this afternoon. Libby and I went to the park with Tabby and Tiggy - to shoot some stuff for her degree - so I snapped a few images while we were there. Of the three that are worth posting, this is my favourite: a shot of Tabby rubbing an errant piece of leaf from her eye.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
4.15pm on 10/10/15
Fujifilm X-T1
XF 90mm f/2
f/2.8
1/80
aperture priority
+2/3
evaluative
200
no
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CC
none
minor
5 July, 2015 // Untitled #179comments & reactions

Libby and I took the kids over to Preston yesterday afternoon, to visit our good friend Neil Simpson and his wonderful family. While we were there I took quite a few shots of the kids in the park, but I think my favourite from the trip is this one: a shot of Rhowan taken in Neil's back garden.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
6.30pm on 4/7/15
Fujifilm X-T1
XF 56mm f/1.2 R
f/1.6
1/1250
aperture priority
+1
evaluative
200
no
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CC
none
no
9 May, 2015 // baby sittingcomments & reactions

When Tiggy (5) and Tabby (8) asked Rhowan to look after their "babies" I suspect they hoped she'd take the job a bit more seriously :-)

captured
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
5.15pm on 9/5/15
Fujifilm X-T1
FF 58 + Baveyes 0.7x optic reducer
58mm
f/1.5 (or thereabouts)
1/10500
aperture priority
+0.7
average
200
yes
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CC (2014)
none
minor + rotation

I still have a few shots from Dubai and Oman to post but thought I'd put this one up first. It's an old image, shot in 2009, and features Tabby, our youngest but one daughter. It was taken when we were still living in Bulgaria, just after she discovered the ash pile from our wood stove. This wasn't the last time she decided to play in it, but it was one of the better photographs of the resulting mess. I have no idea why I haven't posted it before - there must have been something I didn't like about it - but I couldn't come up with any good reason not to post it now.

6 November, 2014 // Rhowan Phoenixcomments & reactions

Despite her being under the weather I managed to convince Rhowan to spend some time letting me photograph her with my latest Fujifilm lens, the XF 50-140mm f/2.8. As you can see, it's not half bad :)

If you'd be interested in seeing a high-res version you can do so here:

chromasia.com/blog/images/50_140/rhowan_phoenix.jpg

captured
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
9.18pm on 20/9/14
Fujifilm X-T1
XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR
140mm
f/4.0
1/180
manual
n/a
average
200
2 x Catcus RF60's
RAW
Capture One
Photoshop CC (2014)
none
minor

A shot of Tiggy, taken during our recent trip to Bulgaria.

captured
camera
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
2.49pm on 30/7/14
Fujifilm X100S
f/4.0
1/80
aperture priority
+0.0
average
200
no
RAW
Iridient Developer
Photoshop CC 2014
none
minor

Another portrait of Tabby, chilling out with one of her workbooks we brought over for the summer.

captured
camera
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
1.57pm on 9/8/14
Fujifilm X100S
f/4.0
1/250
aperture priority
+0.0
average
200
no
RAW
Iridient Developer
Photoshop CC 2014
none
minor

Our trip to Bulgaria certainly seems to be agreeing with Tabby :)

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
11.00am on 7/8/14
Fujifilm X-T1
35mm f/1.4 XF R
f/2.0
1/280
aperture priority
+0.7
average
200
no
RAW
Iridient Developer
Photoshop CC (2014)
none
no

It's difficult to describe the experience of being and living in Bulgaria, but this shot captures some of its flavour: taken during a recent trip to a local waterfall for a barbecue. Libby's in the foreground, and our good friends Andy, Petsi and their young son Mario are in the background (along with Finley, our eight year old).

captured
camera
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
4.16pm on 7/8/14
Fujifilm X100S
f/4.0
1/80
aperture priority
+0.0
average
200
no
RAW
Iridient Developer
Photoshop CC 2014
none
yes

As a counterpoint to yesterday's portrait of Finn - which didn't really show him off at his best - here's one I took about a minute earlier.

captured
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
9.59am on 4/8/14
Fujifilm X-T1
XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS
24mm
f/5.6
1/80
aperture priority
-0.7
average
200
no
RAW
Iridient Developer
Photoshop CC (2014)
none
minor + canvas extension

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Finley (our nine year old son) was in a terrible mood when this was taken, but in reality he was just a bit miffed that I asked him to look up. Clearly, playing on the iPod is a lot more important than having your portrait taken ;)

captured
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
10.00am on 4/8/14
Fujifilm XT-1
XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS
24mm
f/4.0
1/80
aperture priority
+0.0
average
200
no
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CC (2014)
none
no

I thought that I was done with the sugar skull portraits of Rhowan but thought I'd try something slightly different with this one, i.e. combining two separate RAW conversions: one for most of the image, the other for her eyes. The first has a clarity setting of -48, which is why this one is a lot softer than the other two I posted, while the second had the clarity set to around +20.

Let me know if you think this approach works better.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
2.54pm on 4/5/13
Fujifilm XT-1
XF 56mm f/1.2 R
f/11.0
1/180
manual
n/a
evaluative
200
yes
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CC
none
no

This started out as an alternative to the shot I posted yesterday, and I had intended it would be in colour. The more I played with it though the less I liked it, so it ended up in black and white too.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
2.32pm on 4/5/13
Fujifilm XT-1
XF 56mm f/1.2 R
f/9.0
1/180
manual
n/a
evaluative
200
yes
RAW
Iridient Developer
Photoshop CC
none
minor

I posted some shots of Rhowan back in November when she first tried sugar skull makeup (here, here and here) but we thought we'd try it again today: a) because I think it makes for a good portrait, and b) because I wanted to shoot some more images using the 56mm lens on the XT-1. We shot a whole bunch of stuff and ended up with two that we both like: this one, and a colour version that I'll post tomorrow. We both prefer tomorrow's shot.

captured
camera
lens
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
2.36pm on 4/5/13
Fujifilm XT-1
XF 56mm f/1.2 R
f/9.0
1/180
manual
n/a
evaluative
200
yes
RAW
Iridient Developer
Photoshop CC
none
no
18 April, 2014 // tilt #2comments & reactions

Here's the second shot taken with my new Kipon M42 Tilt and Shift adapter along with an Asahi Pentax Super Takumar 50mm f/1.4. Like yesterday's it's largely experimental, but I think it has a bit more creative merit than the last one.

Let me know what you think.

17 April, 2014 // tilt #1comments & reactions

Here's the first of what I hope will be many shots taken with my new Kipon M42 Tilt and Shift adapter along with a Asahi Pentax Super Takumar 50mm f/1.4 that I picked up on eBay recently.

If you're not familiar with tilt shift lenses take a look at this link. It explains the basics of camera movements and how these affect the appearance of your images.

For those of you who are more familiar: this shot was taken with 8 degrees of horizontal tilt at an aperture of f/4. Having taken a closer look at it - i.e. on a decent screen rather than the back of the camera - I think I probably overdid it a touch: there's just too much blur on the right, and the outer edges of both of Rhowan's arms are a bit soft. Next time, if I'm shooting a similar shot, I think I'll try somewhere around 5 degrees instead.

As always, let me know what you think.

Remaining entries in this category
Categories & Archives Etc.
Stats