Smoking Couple – Austin, Texas
On the third level of the Hanger Lounge, which is a rooftop patio, I met this couple from Houston. They were in Austin for a few days and marveled at the downtown development. Although Houston is a much larger city, with multiple pockets of high-rise development, they claimed that Austin is building more downtown residential towers. Combined with the restaurants and bars, there seems to be a critical mass that has transformed downtown Austin into a stay worthy destination.
The couple made for a nice portrait, with their cigars adding a bit of extra character. As part of the portrait, I asked them to coordinate their exhales. I talked with them for a while, giving my recommendations of restaurants and places to visit. It worked out well as I waited for Drink and Click to start.
I used the same camera and lens, the Olympus PEN-F and 25mm f1.4 lens, which I also used a few minutes earlier, for yesterday’s happy hour post. This too is a converted RAW image, like yesterday, which gave me more control. Though the processing is such that it closely mimics the look of the PEN-F black and white JPEG.
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I kind of wish her hand and cigar were in view (damn 4:3 format!) but this is great frame.
Yeah, that was a mistake on my part which I realized later. I too wished I got her entire hand and cigar in the photo. That would have been much better.
I didn’t have much space behind me, so I’m not sure if I could have stepped back. Downside of using the 50mm equivalent in tighter spaces.
Yeah, the 50mm equivalent makes you be very selective with your subject. Definitely a challenge in close quarters. The 4:3 format is truly challenging for me too. I find it difficult to compose. As good as the iPhone has gotten as a camera, that aspect ratio still drives me crazy. I have a hard time seeing that way. Not quite a square, not much rectangular width.
I have no problems with 4/3 format, in-fact I generally prefer it to 3/2. 3/2 especially doesn’t work well for one person portraits. I suppose landscapes might work better for 3/2 but this has not bothered me. The 4/3 format is also closer to medium format framing too.
The 4:3 format does work nicely for a tight head and shoulders portrait. I don’t know if it’s because I’m used to looking at wide screens but the 4:3 aspect ratio just doesn’t look natural to my eyes. Didn’t like shooting with a Mamiya 645 camera either for same reason. Different strokes – good that we have choices.