Law and Ethics in Street Photography

copyrights, opinons, thoughts, photography, public

“I believe that an essential part of man’s duty upon this earth is to bear witness to the truth as it has been revealed to him.”  John Godolphin Bennett (8 June 1897 – 13 December 1974) was a British mathematician, scientist, technologist, industrial research director, and author. ​

This is an interesting statement for the photojournalist. Who defines the truth.

Accepted Definition​

1. The quality of being true, genuine, actual, or factual the truth of his statement was attested

2. Something that is true as opposed to false you did not tell me the truth

3. A proven or verified principle or statement; the fact the truths of astronomy

4. A system of concepts purporting to represent some aspect of the world the truths of ancient religions

5. Fidelity to a required standard or law

6. Faithful reproduction or portrayal the truth of a portrait

7. An obvious fact; truism; platitude

8. Honesty, reliability, or veracity the truth of her nature

9. Accuracy, as in the setting, adjustment, or position of something, such as a mechanical instrument

10. The state or quality of being faithful; allegiance Related adjectives veritable, veracious​

So how does a photojournalist remain truthful in a world of complex truths? Difficult to say the least when one mans truth may seem a lie to another. How do we maintain integrity? the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.​

As an ethical concept, integrity depends upon consistency. To have integrity, a person must base his/her actions upon a well-thought-out framework of moral principles. What he/she does should be the same as what he/she says.

I live in South East Asia and am surrounded by truths that may have different realities for different people. Political truths, poverty truths, inequality of power and sex, confusion and lack of will.​

How do I as a photojournalist not allow myself to be misled, my work used to define half-truths or lies? Is it OK to allow my pictures to be used in positive ”propaganda”  that generates interest from people able to help the needy? 

The ability to see pictures that will tell the true story without biases is difficult because no matter how we try to keep our own views and thoughts from shaping an image subconsciously it will still happen.

An Evening walk with some Lomo CN 400 and; Fuji GW690III — Tim Dobbs Photography

opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, public, Uncategorized

Short and sweet blog post today featuring a recent evening walk with my “Texas Leica” .. my actual Leica M2 has had to go to camera hospital due to a shutter curtain problem but that’s another story. The other week after work I spotted some pretty nice light here in the Garw valley so popped […]

An Evening walk with some Lomo CN 400 & Fuji GW690III — Tim Dobbs Photography

Fujifilm X100 – what a fantastic camera for a bargain price.(Opinion)

cameras, fujifilm, opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures
Chris Orange. Interesting … just really like how much he thinks like me, that gear (newest of everything) is not EVERYTHING

I have just rediscovered my first generation Fujifilm X100, what a great little box.

Fuji Film Simulation X Pro 2

Fujichrome, fujifilm, photography

Simulate the effects of different kinds of film, including black-and-white (with or without color filters). (PROVIA/STANDARD)Standard color reproduction. Suited to a wide range of subjects, from portraits to landscapes. (Velvia/VIVID)A high-contrast palette of saturated colors, suited to nature photos. (ASTIA/SOFT)Enhances the range of hues available for skin tones in portraits while preserving the bright blues of daylight skies. Recommended for outdoor portrait photography. (CLASSIC CHROME)Soft color and enhanced shadow contrast for a calm look. (PRO Neg. Hi)Offers slightly more contrast than  (PRO Neg. Std). Recommended for outdoor portrait photography. (PRO Neg. Std)A soft-toned palette. The range of hues available for skin tones is enhanced, making this a good choice for studio portrait photography. (ACROS) *Take black-and-white photos with rich gradation and outstanding sharpness. Available with yellow (Ye), red (R), and green (G) filters. (MONOCHROME) *Take pictures in standard black and white. Available with yellow (Ye), red (R), and green (G) filters. (SEPIA)Take pictures in sepia.

* Filters deepen shades of gray corresponding to hues complementary to the selected color. The yellow (Ye) filter deepens purples and blues and the red (R) filter blues and greens. The green (G) filter deepens reds and browns, including skin tones, making it a good choice for portraits.

Worth listening to Kevin Mullins

Fuji XF 10-24 f4 R OIS Lens

cameras, fujifilm, Lenses, opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures

I recently got the opportunity to purchase, for a great price, the Fuji XF 10-24 f4 zoom lens (Version 1). Although it is one of the earlier releases by Fuji and does not come with weather sealing features, which does not really bother me, the XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS is equipped with excellent optical image stabilization that can work in conjunction with in-body image stabilization. I do most of my work hand held so this is a great thing.

Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Specifications

  • Mount Type: Fujifilm X
  • Focal Length (35mm format equivalent): 10-24mm (15-36mm)
  • Lens Construction (Elements / Groups): 14 / 10
    • Special Lens Elements: Four Aspherical Elements, Three Extra-Low Dispersion Elements
    • Optical Image Stabilization: Yes
    • Focus Motor: Stepping Autofocus Motor
    • Angle of View: 110-61.2°
    • Number of Diaphragm Blades: 7 (Rounded)
    • Maximum Aperture: f/4
    • Minimum Aperture: f/22
    • Minimum Focus Distance: 9.45″ / 0.24m
    • Maximum Magnification: 0.16x
    • Weight: 410g
    • Size: 3.07 x 3.43″ (78.0 x 87mm)
    • Filter Size: 72mm

I have found the lens to be of excellent construction, as with all Fuji lenses, not too heavy for a fairly large lens with lots of glass, and a good metal lens mount. Similar to other high-quality Fujinon lenses, the build quality of the Fuji XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS is excellent. The lens barrel is made from a combination of tough plastic and metal. The focus and aperture rings, along with the rear mount and the front part of the lens (including the filter thread) are all metal, so the lens is built to last.

I paired up the lens with my Fujifilm XT3 and as the result above show it is a most capable lens giving sharp and contrasty shots straight from the camera in JPEG. Shooting with the lens at f8 to f10 everything, as expected. Its sharp – even at wide apertures. The bokeh is beautifully rendered. Color rendition is excellent and there are no noticeable issues with vignetting or light fall-off.
Fuji XT3 + XF 10-24mm f4 R OIS at f10
Fuji XT3 + XF 10-24mm f4 R OIS at f10

The zoom ring is quite large in size and has a rubber cover. When zooming in from 10mm to 24mm, the lens does not change in size – only the front element moves in a little.

There is a rear lens element that stays in place, which does a nice job of keeping dust from entering the lens when it is dismounted. There is no weather sealing. The front lens element is bulbous but reasonably small relative to the lens and filter can be attached. The petal-shaped lens hood is quite large in size. It is plastic and attaches securely to the lens without any wobbling.

Fuji XT3 + XF 10-24mm f4 R OIS at f10

If you have a Fujifilm XF camera – get this lens. For sharp landscapes or interiors its absolutely essential. I will be using it for street photography also. While you don’t quite get the depth of field of say, the 16mm f/1.4, you still get some depth of field. Sharpness and rendition are the key features of this lens and it delivers. Highly recommended.

Photographing The High Desert of Northern Arizona — BigVince Photo Blog (GotFilm.org)

Uncategorized

I had this trip planned to Arizona several months ago – and due to unforeseen circumstances, had to reschedule twice. The plan was to fly to Flagstaff, visit Petrified Forest National Park, and then head north to Page, where we would stay for several days. High Desert around Page, Arizona I remember visiting Petrified Forest […]

Photographing The High Desert of Northern Arizona — BigVince Photo Blog (GotFilm.org)

My New EVERYDAY kit in the bag.

cameras, fujifilm, Lenses, opinons, thoughts, photography
Fujifilm X100

So what do I carry when I go out shooting around town and why.

Whatever it is that I carry it needs to be lighweight but at the same time sturdy and able to produce great results many times under adverse conditions, heat and high humidity;

Up until fairly recently I used to carry lots of different cameras and lenses, mainly Nikon or Canon Pro range, with a good selection of lenses. Not going to go into that right now but needless to say they were a heavy group to carry around for any length of time.

Fujifilm X-E2 always in my bag.

  • Sensor: 16.3 MP (1.5x crop factor), 4.8µ pixel size, same as on X-E1.
  • Sensor Size: 23.6 x 15.6mm.
  • Resolution: 4896 x 3264.
  • Native ISO Sensitivity: 200-6,400.
  • Boost Low ISO Sensitivity: 100.
  • Boost High ISO Sensitivity: 12,800-25,600.
  • Sensor Cleaning System: Yes.

Its small, its lightweight and just gives great result for the kind of stuff I shoot, usually mounted with the XF 18mm f2 its 16MP sensor is excellent.

Almost always in the bag FUJIFILM XT3

This is one wonderful piece of machinery, high MP with great functionality and produces crisp and clean images even at very high ISO.

Even with its attached battery pack it is comfortable to carry and the extra power means I can go all day and not run out of power. I like to mate this with my most recently aquired lens the XF 10-24 f4 R IOS as the result can be superb and the wide angle can be challenging. The X-T3 brings with it a brand new sensor, improved autofocus and video performance that makes it competitive with Panasonic’s GH5, taking the X-T series from being a very good stills camera to one of the best stills/video hybrids on the market. This is a true professional camera, and it’s already NOT the camera that a Fuji user would buy if they wanted a truly portable, lightweight APS-C kit. It weighs in much heavier that the XE2 but it has much faster AF and battery life that IMO make up for the little extra weight. I also have a XT2 as a back up but that is not carried all the time.

Fuji X Pro2

Used probably as much as the XE2 but a little heavier to carry. The results from this camera mated usually with an XF 35mm f2 are no less than astounding. Easy to carry and easy to use once you have it set up the way you like it. As with all Fujifilm cameras the menus can be a little complex but once you understand how they work the cameras can be tweeked to how you like your images to come out if you use JPEG’s out of the box. (which I do).

Fujifilm X100 (original)

I have just rediscovered why I went over to Fuji when I bought this camera with its fixed 23mm f2 lens. Its just a superb piece of retro design. It has a smaller sensor but gives lovely feeling images of great quality. The X100 is still surprisingly usable, even 10 years later. Technically, the X100 is not a rangefinder camera. (but it looks like one) … For most practical purposes – other than manual focus – shooting with the X100 feels a lot like working with a Leica M9 or any other classic rangefinder camera. The 23mm f/2 lens – equivalent to a classic 35mm lens on a full frame camera – is convincingly sharp.

I only ever carry 2 cameras, which they will be I decide when I know what I may be shooting. I carry them in an old Lowepro bag that I have had for years. It keeps them safe and it does not look too much like an expensive camera bag as it is quite battered.

Its an OBSESSION it really is.

opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, public, Travel, Uncategorized

Wandering the wet markets of Phnom Penh,and watching the people go about their hard daily lives. is my not so secret obsession.

These people appear to have such hard lives, they work constantly and I have the privaledge of documents that time to the best of my ability.

Man, Woman and child all working and trying to make a decent life for themselves. Up early close late. Fresh fruit and Vegitables, live fish and sea food, freshly slaughtered pigs and live chickens all to be made ready for those who buy.

This is my ongoing obsessional project

New Builds. Good for the city ??

opinons, thoughts, photography, pictures, public, Uncategorized

Phnom Penh city is a changing place with all the new and apparently empty, for the most part, high rise structures, offices, apartment, condos.

Little thought or planning as to where and how these new structures are placed and how they will fit into the local area, it all seems very higgle de piggledee. Palace next to hovel.

Buildings seem to be getting taller and taller, big and shiny but with IMO little charecter and I sometimes wonder about their foundations and safety. Fire could be a big problem considering the ill equipped fire services here. Towering Inferno, the movie, comes to mind.

Money, money, money is what its all about, getting the most revenue from the smallest amount of valuable land, going skywards is the only way. I does beg the question, how do you make money from and empty building that few can afford to rent.