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Year of the Pig...Oink!


Guest WPalank

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Guest WPalank

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I've just had time to look over a few images I shot two weeks ago at San Francisco's Annual Chinese New Years Parade. It's the first time in about three years that it wasn't raining and the weather was absolutely brilliant. Of note: San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest in the nation and typically tens of thousands come in to view this very festive occasion.

 

One of my favorite tricks is to hit the staging area of the parade before it rolls. All shots with a M8 and 50mm Lux (coded and with IR cut). In this day of point and shoot DSLR Auto Focus, I wanted to show what is possible from the Rangefinder world of Manual Focus.

 

So sit back and put on "Un bel di, vedremo" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly and let the slide show roll. Welcome to San Francisco's Chinatown:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/wpalank/cny2006/index1.html

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Some really nice images in there, William. Fantastic color. May I ask what software you used to process these?

 

Another question--I know that some of the images are cropped, but in general, how much are you cropping? Perhaps another way of asking this is what was your typical working distance with the 50mm?

 

This of course has to do with whether I get the 50 Lux or the 75 Cron with my 30% discount :)

 

Cheers.

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Guest WPalank

Etherfarm,

I would definitely go for the 50 as a more all around lens as I have a 75 lux as well. The cropping was variable, but I would say that 5-6 feet was a comfortable distance for a portraiture sort of shot. Thanks for looking!

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Guest WPalank

Sorry for not completing above, but Light Room is now my go to program. I don't understand why a lot of people are having so much trouble (maybe they shoot JPEG). With the white balance tool I try to look for something in a middle gray with 74% across the board. For skin tones, just decrease the orange and red by a smiggen and you're there.

I love the vibrance slider as well which keeps the color in line without pushing things over the edge.

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Wiliam - Thanks for the link, I really enjoyed the images. Good to see street photography that is neither sneeky or obtrusive, it looks like you were on a 'high' when photographing, and your subjects were clearly at ease with being photographed. Well done.

 

.....................Chris

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Guest WPalank

Stuart and Tim, thanks for the encouragement.

Chris, I find that the M8 and it's line-up of prime M lenses doesn't send children and babies crying to their mothers like my 5D or Mark II with a 70-200 IS.:p

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