Some of my favourite Eos M Pictures

The Eos M received a lukewarm reception at launch...mostly because of the pedestrian AF speed. A firmware update did improve the AF but it is nowhere near the speeds one can get from some of the other camera brands.

Last year with a price drop interest suddenly picked up. I even bought a black one for myself with the fixed 22mm lens and EF lens adapter. This year I added a white paired with the standard IS zoom lens...I didn't really want another camera but I got the whole package for the same price as the lens alone would have been...

Swakopmund, Namibia 2014

Recently there has been some rumors of a new Eos M camera. I certainly hope that my 'dream' mirror less might be announced although I am not crossing my fingers. My dream Eos M would have a build in or add on view finder, and a  Eos 7D mk2 sensor.... 

Welcome to Strydenburg !

I don't have much to say about sleepy Strydenburg, except that on the day we were there it was very hot and dusty.  But the town is neat & clean and the people are friendly!

Welcome to Murraysburg !

Murraysburg is far from the main road to Cape Town...We drove through it on our way to Nieu Bethesda from Victoria West.

Our first impressions were rather sad as the first thing we saw as we entered town was the cemetery...

                                                           'God is love'

Eos 6D Review - Part 3 ( Homage to Tri-X with my Eos 6D )

Intelligent Life has an article in its March/April edition on Tri-X, the iconic Kodak b&w negative film. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Tri-X. The article is well worth reading and explains things from a photographers perspective, but of course we photographers must remember that the viewer knows none of what goes on behind the scenes and in the photographers mind, and can only judge what he/she sees in front of them. The viewer sees only the final product and doesn't know or care what camera was used, whether it was digital or film or if it was a modern Japanese 'plastic' camera or a German luxury metal one...

So in a moment of inspiration and homage I thought I would convert some of my very recent 'street' images from the also iconic Longstreet in Cape Town using the Tri-X filter from my Silver Efex 2, Photoshop plugin. 

Btw, the e book version of 'Intelligent Life' can be downloaded to I Pad,  available for free  from the I Store.

Greylingstad...

I stopped in Greylingstad on my way to an assignment at the nearby Sasol Impumulelo mine. 

This is what I saw in the short half an hour or so . . .

       

Review: Canon Eos M & Ef 50mm F1.8 - Part Six

My user report of the 'old' Ef 50mm F1.8 doing duty as a portrait lens on the Eos M.

When I tested the Eos M with the pancake lens last week I said that it was a perfect match with the Eos M and the EF M 22mm f2. The pancake lens has an equivalent focal length of  64mm and the EF 50mm f1.8 has an equivalent focal length of 80mm (in 35mm terms) on the Eos M. Traditionally a focal length of 80mm to 135mm is considered the 'ideal' for portraiture. The 64mm of the pancake falls just a little bit short from that 'ideal'. 

The 80mm to 135mm focal length is considered ideal because of the flattering perspective that it renders.

Review: Canon Eos M & EF 40mm f2.8 STM 'pancake' lens - Part Five

My user report of the 40mm F2.8 pancake lens and the Eos M . . .

These two were made for each other...

Read part five of my review.

                                                             

Review: My Eos M at Work - Part four

Well I have had my Eos M for more than a month now doing lots of tests and things....but at some stage one should stop testing and see how it works!

Read part four of my review:

                                                                         

Surreal moment in Rouxville...

Rouxville is in the Southern Freestate Province of South Africa.

We arrived there on a Sunday morning just after the end of the morning Church service. All the farmers were in their Sunday best having a chat in front of the beautiful 'klip kerk'. On the other side of the church there was loud traditional music blaring from a house with the front door wide open and no one to be seen. . .

Smithfield in the Freestate

After a long days driving from Centurion we eventually arrived in Smithfield at about 4h30 on  a Saturday afternoon in December last year.

Smithfield is on the main route to Port Elizabeth and a popular stopover. The are numerous b&b establishments and even a few restaurants etc. We stayed in 'Rusties place' for the night and we had a very unique two bedroom apartment all to ourselves . . .

Molteno

In December last year we traveled through Molteno on our way to Hofmeyer...

It was a Sunday afternoon and a typically summers day. Molteno lies in the Eastern Cape and the town has some interesting architecture most noticeably the Dutch Reformed church that was build by Italian craftsmen. 

Portraits of Poverty...

This group of about 21 poor and unemployed people stay in a 'white squatter camp' near Pretoria. They all live together in a fenced off plot. Each person lives in their own 'tin shack' made of corrugated iron sheeting . . . 

Gladys...

Two minutes with Gladys

I photographed Gladys early one morning as I was walking around the small village of Hofmeyer in the Karoo region of South Africa.  I asked if I could take her photograph and took about 10 photographs in 2 minutes. I think she was a bit shy that I had caught her not quite appropriately dressed because she quickly asked her son to bring her a jersey. She was sitting on her 'stoep'  (veranda) in full view of the passing parade in any event so I am not too concerned showing her here like that...She is having the standard South African breakfast of 'oats pap'  (oats porridge)...and it almost looks like she has some traditional marking or 'paint' on her face or maybe it was just a face mask

Nieu Bethesda in the Karoo region of South Africa

Two nights and one and a half days...

Nieu Bethesda has a very small population of about a thousand people or so. The last time I was here was in 2000, and in the preceding 12 years the town has definitely taken on a more touristy flavour. The are over twenty guest houses and almost all of them were full over the long weekend in December 2012. There are at least two restaurants that are open at night and quite a few more open for lunch...

Mozambique Portraits

 November 2011 my wife, Cheryl and I were invited by my very good friend, Johan  and his wife Margie, to a weekend of adventure in Mozambique. 

We were to go tiger fishing on the the Sabie river where it crosses the border of the Kruger National Park, in South Africa into Mozambique . . .

Weppener

At 599km's...

Weppener is a small Freestate town named after Kommandant Louw Weppener. It is a very sad looking town with one part of the once beautiful Town Hall burnt down...and with no sign of any activity to repair the fire damage. Once again, unfortunately, proof that many of the small towns are very poorly managed by mostly uncaring, unqualified and incompetent ANC councillor's.

It must have been a beautiful town in its hey day and there is even an arch across the main road signalling the pride that was once here...

click on images to enlarge...

I met a local mechanic, Stefan and he graciously posed for me at his mothers very color full house and garden. His mother complained about constant water shortages and Stefan said that there was nothing to do for the youth in town. Once again the local Dutch Reformed Church was in a relatively good condition which is remarkable if one takes into account the dwindling number of the people attending the churches on the platteland and as a result a shortages of funds to pay for the upkeep of the structures and salaries of the dominie's.

Just another once proud little town just off the beaten track on its way down...

regards. Ivan...

Selfportraits...

at 1000km..

From Colesberg to Philippolis is about 57 km. We didn't stop in Colesberg because by this time we had been driving the whole day and we just wanted to get to Philippolis to rest and eat something, preferably in a shady spot out of the sun!

Philippolis Portraits

Still at 1030km...

Before we leave Philippolis (I think you might have had enough by now! ) i will show my last few portraits I made here...

With my big camera slung over my shoulder I took a very early morning walk through town. I also had my small little X1 with me for quick portraits. As I walked and photographed the buildings I would come across early risers and ask them if I could take their photograph. All said yes, these small towns have very friendly people!

              Johan Louw, 30 year resident in Philippolis, fixes old trucks and drills water boreholes...

Philippolis, portrait of Claire...

Still at 1030km...

Here we have a portrait of Claire..she works at Ko Ma In ( Afrikaans for 'come in' ) a restaurant and coffee bar in Philipolis. It was very early on the Monday morning and Claire was on her way to work and she graciously agreed to have her photograph taken. She was a bit apprehensive about going to work and when I asked her why she replied that sometimes the customers give her a hard time...

Solarized Portrait of Karla

About a year ago. towards the end of 2010 I signed up at the Leica forum. 

I had bought a small Leica camera, the X1 and as the forum only allows images made by Leica camera to be posted on the forum, I could now post my images there. At the same time I signed up as a sponsoring member which had a few advantages such as no ads, and personal galleries could host 100 images instead of three etc etc. As a bonus for signing up I got a free download of Color Efex Pro software.

I don't use the software much but occasionally it helps with a colour problem I might have with an image.

Here is a portrait of my daughter Karla that has gone through some heavy manipulation using the solarization software.....its not really my style but my daughter thought it was ' awsum ', she's 15 and I, it being an image of my daughter, how could I not like it......