Notes on Gallery 1

Gallery 1 is made up of photographs taken with my Canon Rebel XT, from Summer 2006 to Summer 2007. While my earlier photographs tend to confine themselves to relatively small objects or areas, I made a conscious attempt to try to photograph bigger things. “Think big, think big,” I would mutter to myself.  Some of these photographs are more subtle than my earlier ones. The flip side is that they may lack the more immediate appeal of my older photographs.

During this period, I purchased two wide format printers,* so that I could print images as large as 13 x 19 inches. This made me examine my “keeper” photographs more carefully, as flaws that were effectively invisible at 8x10 were noticeable at larger sizes. I also started taking pictures of landscapes and buildings whenever I could, with admittedly mixed results. I think I’ve managed a few decent landscape and architecture pictures, which has made me almost as happy as a Beluga whale.

Most of the photographs in Gallery 1 were taken with either my 35 mm lens or my 17-40 mm lens. Mounted on the Rebel, the 35 mm lens is the equivalent of a “normal” lens, which means its view is roughly equivalent to that of the human eye; it also has a maximum aperture of f2 so it can shoot in low light. The 17-40 mm lens is expensive and somewhat bulky, but its optics are delightful and it provides the flexibility of a wide angle to normal lens zoom.

* Much to the chagrin of my spouse. Foolishly, I didn’t consult with her before the purchase of the second wide format printer, and even my son (who was along for the ride) knew I was doing something wrong. “Daddy, you’re going to get in trouble,” he told me. He was right.

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All images © Tom Onyshko, 2008