Response to Scenes From Our Life (Response #44)

Uploaded 497 Days Ago by Flatline - 9 comments

Photo © Flatline (Iron Flatline) - www.westernflatline.com/
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User Comments

Ana said 497 days ago:

Busy train station? I like the movement.

Flatline said 497 days ago:

No, Schiphol is the Amsterdam airport - after London Heathrow the busiest in Europe.

Right now I travel A LOT. I'm on a plane at least twice a week, but usually even more than that. A lot of my flying is trans-Atlantic as well. I spend a lot of time in Berlin, London, Amsterdam, New York or Los Angeles.

I have actually made a photo project out of it (trying to do an "Arrivals & Departures" like Garry Winogrand did) and bought a specific small camera with manual controls that makes it easier than some of the bigger gear.

I am moving my family from LA to NY, and then in a few weeks to Berlin (this week actually) and work in all those cities, but for the last few months I have no neighborhood to call my own. So airports and train stations are the scenses from my life.

nattfodd said 497 days ago:

Very good shot. My only complaint is that the man on the left is only half blurred. Very crisp and well composed.

mysight said 497 days ago:

I seem to remember a song with the words
"people in motion".
That came to mind the instant I clicked here.
Everyone is going somewhere,obviously.
This is a very catchy scene.

King said 495 days ago:

More travel images. When I first saw this, I think the time it was posted precluded its being by Vernon Trent and I guessed Flatline at the time. Well done. High marks.

King said 495 days ago:

Hey Flatline, what "specific small camera with manual controls" did you buy? I might want one. Can you recommend it?

beckn32 said 495 days ago:

Hey, I was just in this airport. Hehehe, I'm all excited because I recognize it. Amsterdam's a great place. We loved it there. Perfect shot for the theme as well.

Flatline said 495 days ago:

I can recommend it - but it is quite expensive. It's the Leica D-Lux 3, which can be gotten (sort of) for 30% less by buying the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2. They're effectively the same camera, with slight firmware variations. Leica offers a MUCH better warranty, and is a camera company rather than just a consumer electronics manufacturer.

...and it has a red dot, of course.

I have a lot of gear, but have found I need something small. My first real project that I am working on for myself is this variation on Winogrand's series. But when you're hurrying through an airport it is virtually impossible to use the Leica M8, or some giant Japanese photo-brick like my 5D with a 24-70mm L lens.

The little Leica has full manual mode (incl. manual focus, though no Viewfinder) as well as Aperture and Shutter Priority modes. It also has three ratios (3:2, 4:3, and 16:9, which is loads of fun for urban scapes like this one.)

Most importantly for me: it shoots in RAW mode.

It is VERY expensive though. The Pana is $500, the Leica is $750 - for that price you can get a nice dSLR. But for me this little Leica has become indispensable. It's in my pocket all the time, and I'm able to get shots that I would have simply not had a camera available for before.

I can send you to some exhaustive review if you're interested.

Flatline said 495 days ago:

By the way, this was shot using Tv (Shutter Priority mode) at 1/30th with the OIS (image stabilization) off. The camera is resting on a little stand-up table at a coffee bar near the exit to the taxi stand at Schiphol.

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