Square 1….

The start of wonderful relationship? I don’t know but I am certainly infatuated. Have the stars aligned – Black Friday, early Christmas present or months of planning? Probably a bit of all of them. I’ve splashed the cash and bought myself a new camera – a Sony A7CR. Today I feel like I have come home to a form factor that suits me best.

Of course there are many things I still need to set up as well as learn about the characteristics of camera which will no doubt change my view of the camera. The one thing I can say for definite is that, for me, the shorter Zeiss Batis lens fit the camera perfectly. I have watched several YouTube videos about the latest Leica Q3 43. Most of the reviewers seem to have an insane devotion to this camera, as well as its sister the Q3. Now I have no idea whether this is warranted but I am starting to have same feelings about the CR and the Batis 40mm. Of course this could be dismissed as an old man’s folly and it may well prove to be that. I hope not but I cannot discount the possibility.

One final thought. I have been able to build up my entire Batis collection as well as the new camera body for less than the cost of the Q3. Does this matter? At one level clearly the answer is no. A photographer uses the best tools available to them and cost shouldn’t matter. But cost does matter to most of us. It has taken me four years to build up my lens collection and now it feels like the CR was the last piece in a puzzle I didn’t even know I was trying to work my way through.

Oh I do hope I feel so positive in six months time.

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Deep Digital Past…

I have been sorting out some very old digital images and this one has always been my favourite. It is an image I made somewhere near the start of my digital image journey back in 2003. I used to think I was quite knowledgeable about digital images, and to a degree that was true. However, with the benefit of 23 years of extra knowledge I have come to see that I didn’t know as much as I thought.

Of course I couldn’t resist the challenge of making a 2024 version. and these are the two attempts.

I was able to throw all that accumulated knowledge as well as computer technology undreamt of back in 2003 at the image. Whether the resultant images are better is a matter of taste. What is not beyond doubt is that today we have so many more opportunities to make images than we did in 2003. Whether we take advantage of those opportunities is really down to us.

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2012…

Who needs the latest and greatest camera gear to make decent photographs? These images were captured in on this day in 2012. The camera I used was a Sony NEX 5N with it standard kit lens.

Anyone who knows me will smile at this. They know that I suffer from gear acquisition syndrome (GAS) and that is true up to a point. Of course I have remastered these images using the latest versions of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. This has enabled me to bring out details that I couldn’t back in 2012. But the digital images were captured back in 2012. Using a camera which by then was out of date and had been replaced/updated by Sony.

Will I stop buying new photographic equipment? I doubt it. But I have almost reached the end of this journey. Both camera gear and computer technology chase ever decreasing improvements in performance. An example of this is latest iPhone. Yes it is a bit better than previous year’s iPhone but not really by that much. Hence the drive for Apple Intelligence which of course you have to have the latest chips to use.

Is this the wisdom of age? Possiblyish…

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When Will There Be?…

One of the problems with Street Photography, when compared to videography, is that you don’t capture the noise and sounds of the place. You don’t capture the smells either but neither does videography so I thought I wouldn’t mention it. But now I have, which sort of makes the last sentence redundant. As most people don’t expect photographs to smell of what they capture then this downside is ignored. Of course some people claim that when seeing a photograph they can almost smell the place. I think this is meant as a compliment. The same compliment is passed about the sounds.

Whether you too are able to experience the sensation of ‘being there” from these images I captured yesterday whilst walking around central Leicester is only something you’ll know.

What I don’t think you’ll really get is the sounds of the last image, the entrance into the Market Place from Cheapside.

Whilst I was crouching down to get the low angle, please don’t try and imagine this, all I could hear was a Police Community Service Officer having a argument on her phone with someone. It was probably some petty disagreement, I don’t think it was work related. Whatever the cause of this conversation her loud Leicester voice serenaded the passing people. I doubt few were there long enough to listen. Oh the joys of street photography.

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Come On E…

There was a time when cold mornings would see me out and about with my camera. No more. I’m just getting too old for all of that. Instead I remastered an old photo taken on this day in 2013 using an iPhone 5s. My recollection of the day is that it wasn’t as cold as today. Not bad for Whitby in late autumn.

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Soggy Feet…

I really must gets some new boots. This morning started with me wondering around in the mist and damp by the river. It hasn’t rained for several days yet the grass is soaking wet from the dew – hence the soggy feet.

After I got back, had a shower we were off again. This time having a nice coffee and cake. Then some shopping.

Thankfully the mist and fog cleared away and we were left in a wonderfully bright late autumn day. Given the gray days we’ve endured just recently it was nice to get some sun on our faces. Not quite A day in the Life but it was a typical day for me.

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Bargain Basement No. 02

A new month and yet another new lens. Amazon made an offer I just couldn’t refuse. This time a second lens for my ‘traveling’ set up.

It doesn’t quite have the punch of my 25 mm Zeiss lens but it is a lot smaller. Ideal for traveling when I don’t need the Zeiss look. If you know what the Zeiss look is you’ll understand.

As with all my new camera gear the first place I try things out is in the local park. The light was terrible but the lens held up well. I’m looking forward to trying this out i anger later this week.

Changing the Subject.

The other day I revisited images that I captured back in 2013. It is a fascinating experience to remaster images. This time around I was able to throw Adobe AI at the image creation. Did it make any difference?

Of course, it isn’t just AI that I was able to add to the editing process. I also have 11 years of experience and maturing tastes. (In case you are not sure which one is which the first image is the one I created in October this year.)

The thing that brings these two separate instances together is that they were both captured using my ‘traveling setup’. Today it is a 25 mm and 40 mm compact Sony lenses. In 2013 it was a Canon G1 x (I’m not sure which version). Both setups can capture great images.

Just to complete the story here is an example of the 40 mm being used as my ‘traveling setup’.

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Walking Through my Past…

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I spent a lot of time walking the streets of Leicester. Yesterday, with my good friend, I revisited old haunts. Things have changed a little: the place is a lot cleaner for one thing. Also, many of the walls of the cultural quarter have just had fresh murals painted on them. I don’t remember what the connection is between Gilgamesh and Enkidu and Leicester is. Matters not the mural is really quite impressive.

We spent some time at the Leicester Print Workshop, a really welcoming place. Then it was pound the streets again around the cultural quarter. The aim was to try and bag all of the Walk of Fame stars.

Unfortunately, walk of fame as fallen into the great hole created by austerity. After the first tranche no further names were added. Those that remain are neglected. Times are tough for Gerry Dorsey

After an excellent lunch at the Good Earth we continued our exploration. This time around the Market Place which appears to be undergoing something of a face lift.

We then came across the very imposing statue of Alice Hawkins, one of the Walk of Fame alumni.

She stands redoubtable above the temporary market shoppers. I wonder if this was the reaction when she gave speeches in favour of votes for women?

All in all a great day: good company; food and an ever changing melting pot of a city. Worse ways of spend a pleasant autumn day.

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They Would Say That…

The nights are drawing and so I spend my evenings listening to the TV whilst concentrating on the digital art I’m producing.

Useful use of my time? Don’t care. I enjoy the process and am happy with the results.

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Decay…

The garden is slowly closing down for the coming winter. Mellow fruits have been harvested and a few morning mists have been spied stalking the lower parts of the river.

Some morning soon we’ll start to get the first real frosts. Not the slight chills that have hung around with the damp in the morning but rather car windscreen icebergs. Autumn has just over a month to go before the embrace of winter.

According to my AI Overlord the above has only a 5.82 reading grade score…no sorry it has now risen to a magnificent 6.00. If you find it too complicated to comprehend then you clearly agree with the Overlord. Is it me or is this whole AI nonsense just nonsense? Many very brainy people seem (Overload: weasel word) to think not so they are probably (Overlord: another weasel word!) right and I am definitely an old git so what do I know?

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