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Archive 2013Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
p.3 #1Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Mirkoc, my first piece of advice is: prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Even though the Lofoten is an amazing place, with little travel from spot to spot, and where shooting is mostly just off the road, Boris' planning made a big ifference to how much we did each day, and nobody plans better than Boris.
My second piece of advice is that, if you shoot with somebody, or more than one person, it really helps if there is no competitiveness or rivalry involved. Because no two shooters will want to spend the same time doing exactly the same subject, except not in the other's field of vision. And the more shooters, the less efficient and "perfect" the team. So easy compromises are key. And again, with Boris, it is really easy.
Then you have to balance what I call "destination shooting", meaning whatever you have set your mind to doing, and opportunistic picture-taking. Meaning, you calculate your timing for a given spot, which you want to reach no less than 45 mn before sunrise. And, on the way, you see something you really want to shoot, so, what to do?
Finally, decide what your level of commitment to photography is on that trip. How much equipement you want to carry. How early you want to rise to get that perfect light. How much energy you have to take out your tripod every time, even though there is enough light for handheld shooting. How many lenses, apertures and filters you are willing to experiment with on every spot. On this trip, we met all kinds of other "togs". From a Spanish hiker with months of time and a film Leica to tourist groups doing sightseeing cum photography, and pretty much all kinds of people in between. You can be any of the above and be happy. Just make up your mind what it will be, and you increase your chances of achieving this goal...
I am sure that Boris has priceless advice in this area, and he is generous with his wisdom...
My second piece of advice is that, if you shoot with somebody, or more than one person, it really helps if there is no competitiveness or rivalry involved. Because no two shooters will want to spend the same time doing exactly the same subject, except not in the other's field of vision. And the more shooters, the less efficient and "perfect" the team. So easy compromises are key. And again, with Boris, it is really easy.
Then you have to balance what I call "destination shooting", meaning whatever you have set your mind to doing, and opportunistic picture-taking. Meaning, you calculate your timing for a given spot, which you want to reach no less than 45 mn before sunrise. And, on the way, you see something you really want to shoot, so, what to do?
Finally, decide what your level of commitment to photography is on that trip. How much equipement you want to carry. How early you want to rise to get that perfect light. How much energy you have to take out your tripod every time, even though there is enough light for handheld shooting. How many lenses, apertures and filters you are willing to experiment with on every spot. On this trip, we met all kinds of other "togs". From a Spanish hiker with months of time and a film Leica to tourist groups doing sightseeing cum photography, and pretty much all kinds of people in between. You can be any of the above and be happy. Just make up your mind what it will be, and you increase your chances of achieving this goal...
I am sure that Boris has priceless advice in this area, and he is generous with his wisdom...
Mar 02, 2013 at 04:28 PM
p.3 #2Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Yes, the PP Rich, quite different styles. Adding my thanks also.
'Nevertheless is was probably my last trip with the Leica equipment, but that's another story.'
When you are ready..
'Nevertheless is was probably my last trip with the Leica equipment, but that's another story.'
When you are ready..
Mar 02, 2013 at 04:32 PM
p.3 #3Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Boris, my favorites among your shots are 1, 6, 10, 13, 22, 34, 39, 43, 44, and my N°1, 49.
Mar 02, 2013 at 04:37 PM
p.3 #4Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Boris, Philippe, those are amazing images ! Congratulations to you both.
Boris, since you asked for favourites, I must say #40 is one of those that stand out for me. Most of the others are pretty incredible as well, so it's very difficult to pick a winner, but I'd definitely hang the 38-40 series on my wall
Philippe, that final red shed facing the ocean is wonderfully nostalgic as well.
Pascal, a little jealous!
Boris, since you asked for favourites, I must say #40 is one of those that stand out for me. Most of the others are pretty incredible as well, so it's very difficult to pick a winner, but I'd definitely hang the 38-40 series on my wall
Philippe, that final red shed facing the ocean is wonderfully nostalgic as well.
Pascal, a little jealous!
Mar 02, 2013 at 04:40 PM
p.3 #5Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Philippe, Boris,
Thanks for sharing these great photos of your trip.
Mike
Thanks for sharing these great photos of your trip.
Mike
Mar 02, 2013 at 05:56 PM
p.3 #6Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Lofoten must love when you guys show up and bring the beautiful light.
Mar 02, 2013 at 07:00 PM
p.3 #7Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Great trip, great pictures. I like 2, 12, 30 and especially 20, 38, 44.
Mar 02, 2013 at 08:52 PM
p.3 #8Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Gentlemen, I can't say which one is my favorite. But I can say this may be the most remarkable single thread I've ever seen. Bravo!
Mar 02, 2013 at 10:27 PM
p.3 #9Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Amazing photos! Well done.
Mar 02, 2013 at 10:45 PM
p.3 #10Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Boris and Philippe - you guys are my photographic heroes! And I'm not kidding. You take such outstanding images in amazing places and I know how much work it is to get these incredible photographs.
Boris, since yours are numbered, I can tell you that #22 is my favorite, closely followed by 32, 33 and 41. I would love to see what these look like printed.
Phillipe, though aesthetically different, I like several of yours just as much. I'm really drawn to your third image on the second page of this thread.
Since you had a lot of time together to talk about your future trips together, what do we have to look forward to?
Warm regards,
Jeff
Boris, since yours are numbered, I can tell you that #22 is my favorite, closely followed by 32, 33 and 41. I would love to see what these look like printed.
Phillipe, though aesthetically different, I like several of yours just as much. I'm really drawn to your third image on the second page of this thread.
Since you had a lot of time together to talk about your future trips together, what do we have to look forward to?
Warm regards,
Jeff
Mar 02, 2013 at 11:56 PM
p.3 #11Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Excellent photos from both of you 
Mar 03, 2013 at 01:22 AM
p.3 #12Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
ricardovaste wrote:
Absolutely stunning. I'm not one to throw around superlatives when looking at photographs, but many of these do have a "wow" effect. Stunning location, but great light & execution as well.
(genuine question)
+100
Boris and Philippe, wow...amazing series
Absolutely stunning. I'm not one to throw around superlatives when looking at photographs, but many of these do have a "wow" effect. Stunning location, but great light & execution as well.
(genuine question)
+100
Boris and Philippe, wow...amazing series
Mar 03, 2013 at 01:39 AM
p.3 #13Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Guys, your kind words are much appreciated!
Jeff, the present plan is to meet in Iceland for just a few days.
But let be me quite clear. Boris (bobu) is a super guy, a great phographer and I am proud to call him a friend. But that doesn't mean that he is the only guy I'd go shooting with. I've had a great time greeting some FMers in Paris, or shooting with them in the great Berlin group pulled together by Carsten (carstenw), or doing the Lofoten with Luka (denoir), or meeting krosavcheg in Tokyo.
I hold that shooting as a twosome or threesome is a very enjoyable, vastly underrated and thus too infrequent way to make great pics. 'Nuff said!
Jeff, the present plan is to meet in Iceland for just a few days.
But let be me quite clear. Boris (bobu) is a super guy, a great phographer and I am proud to call him a friend. But that doesn't mean that he is the only guy I'd go shooting with. I've had a great time greeting some FMers in Paris, or shooting with them in the great Berlin group pulled together by Carsten (carstenw), or doing the Lofoten with Luka (denoir), or meeting krosavcheg in Tokyo.
I hold that shooting as a twosome or threesome is a very enjoyable, vastly underrated and thus too infrequent way to make great pics. 'Nuff said!
Mar 03, 2013 at 01:55 AM
p.3 #14Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
This is FM at its best, thanks so much Philippe and Boris! 
Mar 03, 2013 at 02:03 AM
p.3 #15Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Incredible photos! thanks for share Philippe and Boris! Now I will go back to first pg again to see them once more and try to learn something from you guys! I envy you two can have trip like this consistently. What a lucky life as a photographer like this.
Mar 03, 2013 at 02:31 AM
p.3 #16Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Thanks Wayne, Gary, Jochen, mirkoc, Pascal, Mike, vaflower, VaughnA, serhan, Jeff, Lars, Charles, wfrank and zhangyue!
And thanks for telling me your favorites images. It would also be interesting for me to know which images you don't like and why (or where you would change something in the PP). Since saturation, contrast, lightness, sharpness, white balance, cropping etc. are highly subjective it is always good to get some feedback regarding these aspects.
Boris
And thanks for telling me your favorites images. It would also be interesting for me to know which images you don't like and why (or where you would change something in the PP). Since saturation, contrast, lightness, sharpness, white balance, cropping etc. are highly subjective it is always good to get some feedback regarding these aspects.
Boris
Mar 03, 2013 at 03:17 AM
p.3 #17Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
mirkoc wrote:
It would be nice to hear some tips for this kind of (winter) shooting and extended photo journeys in general.
I think Philippe already gave some really good tips.
I would just add:
- Take a tall tripod. Since you are often shooting in deep snow and from slopes, you need to extent the tripod legs more than usually (or use additional snow-plates for your tripod).
- Lofoten is not cold in wintertime (max. -12° C, we had max. -3°C. Additional precautions regarding extremely low temperatures for your camera equipment are not neccessary. A friend of mine was in Finnland this winter and had -42°C, that's a different story. But even -3°C can feel quite cold with some strong wind and the dampness from the sea. Therefore take some warm clothing.
- Take good water- and windproof clothing (I used a Gore-Tex jacket and trousers from Mammut).
- Take good warm boots. You will often just stay in the same place for some time, waiting for example for some change of the light and will easily get very cold feet. I used Baffin Shavkleton boots, which are really warm.
- Take some light crampons. If you plan to climb up some hills or go down to the sea at the coastline light crampons are really a good investment. I learned it the hard way by breaking my leg on my Lofoten trip in 2011 slipping on an icy surface. I used Edelrid 6 Point crampons (500g, 39€) on my 2013 trip and can highly recommend them.
Boris
It would be nice to hear some tips for this kind of (winter) shooting and extended photo journeys in general.
I think Philippe already gave some really good tips.
I would just add:
- Take a tall tripod. Since you are often shooting in deep snow and from slopes, you need to extent the tripod legs more than usually (or use additional snow-plates for your tripod).
- Lofoten is not cold in wintertime (max. -12° C, we had max. -3°C. Additional precautions regarding extremely low temperatures for your camera equipment are not neccessary. A friend of mine was in Finnland this winter and had -42°C, that's a different story. But even -3°C can feel quite cold with some strong wind and the dampness from the sea. Therefore take some warm clothing.
- Take good water- and windproof clothing (I used a Gore-Tex jacket and trousers from Mammut).
- Take good warm boots. You will often just stay in the same place for some time, waiting for example for some change of the light and will easily get very cold feet. I used Baffin Shavkleton boots, which are really warm.
- Take some light crampons. If you plan to climb up some hills or go down to the sea at the coastline light crampons are really a good investment. I learned it the hard way by breaking my leg on my Lofoten trip in 2011 slipping on an icy surface. I used Edelrid 6 Point crampons (500g, 39€) on my 2013 trip and can highly recommend them.
Boris
Mar 03, 2013 at 03:38 AM
p.3 #18Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
philip_pj wrote:
Yes, the PP Rich, quite different styles. Adding my thanks also.
'Nevertheless it was probably my last trip with the Leica equipment, but that's another story.'
When you are ready..
You can get some information about this in the thread about the Leica M240
If there are further questions regarding my decision I would prefer to discus this in the Leica thread and not here.
But, I've already ordered a D800E and 3 Zeiss lenses and will probably sell my Leica equipment soon.
Boris
Yes, the PP Rich, quite different styles. Adding my thanks also.
'Nevertheless it was probably my last trip with the Leica equipment, but that's another story.'
When you are ready..
You can get some information about this in the thread about the Leica M240
If there are further questions regarding my decision I would prefer to discus this in the Leica thread and not here.
But, I've already ordered a D800E and 3 Zeiss lenses and will probably sell my Leica equipment soon.
Boris
Mar 03, 2013 at 03:49 AM
p.3 #19Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Wow, beautiful photographs, really amazing. Bobu has an excellent sense for composition and light, and I really like the natural look of philber's photos. Well done both!
We'll be off to Lofoten in two weeks and seeing your photos is inspirational! There's no way I'm going to get anything near this good though, especially since my boyfriend isn't into photography, so I won't be able to wait for the best light. After have seen your photos that will probably feel frustrating at times, but at least I get to go there, so I can't really complain and I'm sure we'll have a great time anyway. I'm envious of your beautiful weather btw.
We'll be off to Lofoten in two weeks and seeing your photos is inspirational! There's no way I'm going to get anything near this good though, especially since my boyfriend isn't into photography, so I won't be able to wait for the best light. After have seen your photos that will probably feel frustrating at times, but at least I get to go there, so I can't really complain and I'm sure we'll have a great time anyway. I'm envious of your beautiful weather btw.
Mar 03, 2013 at 03:51 AM
p.3 #20Lofoten - 2 FM guys with Leica M9 and Sony Nex
Helena, if you can't wait for the best light, try at least to plan for it, i.e. try to arrive at the right times.
Mar 03, 2013 at 03:57 AM