shift + tilt
the fifth white tree
01/11/2011 04:56 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso800 - f/5.6 - Michael Grobe
During a few days of business meetings in London I stumbled upon the fifth white tree.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. Canon's best image quality as of 2011 makes this camera also highly desired for nature and landscape photography.
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II: the image was shot with the discontinued version I predecessor, get the newer TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II to straighten perspective with shift and create that magical miniature look with it's tilt.
Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 3x: the Zacuto viewfinder is invaluable to properly focus a TS lens using the tilt feature. Through the viewfinder of the camera it is very hard to get the exact rotation and location of the plane of focus right, but judging it through a Z-Finder Pro 3x in live view (going to 5x or 10x magnification for absolute accurate focusing) gets it done quickly and precisely.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
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summer over germany
23/08/2011 02:06 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso100 - f/4.5 - 1/400 sec - Michael Grobe
Finally some summer in Germany after all the cold and rain. So the best thing is to jump on a plane and explore the world from above, when you are lucky enough to have a flying friend. And I love to take a shift and tilt lens with me into the skies, as this lets you rotate your focal plane exactly where you want it for that special look.
The gear used to create this image:
FK 9 Lightplane: the light way to fly
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. Canon's best image quality as of 2011 makes this camera also highly desired for nature and landscape photography.
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II: the image was shot with the discontinued version I predecessor, get the newer TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II to straighten perspective with shift and create that magical miniature look with it's tilt.
Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 3x: the Zacuto viewfinder is invaluable to properly focus a TS lens using the tilt feature. Through the viewfinder of the camera it is very hard to get the exact rotation and location of the plane of focus right, but judging it through a Z-Finder Pro 3x in live view (going to 5x or 10x magnification for absolute accurate focusing) gets it done quickly and precisely.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
alien invasion : Mil Mi-24
10/03/2011 20:07 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso160 - f/4.5 1/40 sec - Michael Grobe
Rocket launcher of a Mil Mi-24 shot during an extensive VFX photography session at Luftwaffenmuseum in Gatow, Berlin. More stuff to follow from that shooting soon.
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-5D Mark II: 21 Megapixels resolution, fullframe sensor with gorgeous 1080p video, great high ISO noise performance.
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II: the image was shot with the discontinued version I predecessor, get the newer TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II to straighten perspective with shift and create that magical miniature look with it's tilt.
Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 3x / 2.5x: the Zacuto viewfinder is invaluable to properly focus a TS lens using the tilt feature. Through the viewfinder of the camera it is very hard to get the exact rotation and location of the plane of focus right, but judging it through a Z-Finder Pro 3x / 2.5x in live view (going to 5x or 10x magnification for absolute accurate focusing) gets it done quickly and precisely.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
vienna coffee house
02/03/2011 05:01 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso5000 - f/4.5
- 1/25 sec - Michael Grobe
One of those great afternoons at a Viennese coffee house, Cafe Schwarzenberg. You can spend a whole afternoon just ordering a coffee, no one will push you out to make room for the next party. Try that in L.A. ... where the check comes a second after your plate is empty.
After all you wont stop at that one coffee, as there is Kaiserschmarren, Apfelstrudel and Sachertorte, Gulaschsuppe mit Salzstangerl ...
And there is music as well, piano and violin create the perfect ambience.
The Tilt and Shift lens allowed me to place the focus on the upper part of the wall and through the window, while gently fading the musicians out of focus.
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. Canon's best image quality as of 2011 makes this camera also highly desired for nature and landscape photography.
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II: the image was shot with the discontinued version I predecessor, get the newer TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II to straighten perspective with shift and create that magical miniature look with it's tilt.
Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 3x / 2.5x: the Zacuto viewfinder is invaluable to properly focus a TS lens using the tilt feature. Through the viewfinder of the camera it is very hard to get the exact rotation and location of the plane of focus right, but judging it through a Z-Finder Pro 3x / 2.5x in live view (going to 5x or 10x magnification for absolute accurate focusing) gets it done quickly and precisely.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
land of the moonking
23/02/2011 19:01 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso100 - f/4.5 1/800 sec - Michael Grobe
On June 13th 1886 Ludwig II King of Bavaria died mysteriously in Lake Starnberg, being declared crazy and seized just the days before. Up to date the theories around his death are cultivated and his fans still believe in a murder complot. I wanted to capture a view from his famous castle Neuschwanstein conveying the mystery of the whole story and came up with this look into the surrounding mountains in deepest Bavaria. The tilt feature of the TS-E 24mm again translated my vision into the image I had planned to shoot and the final color grading was done to the raw image file in Lightroom.
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. Canon's best image quality as of 2011 makes this camera also highly desired for nature and landscape photography.
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II: the image was shot with the discontinued version I predecessor, get the newer TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II to straighten perspective with shift and create that magical miniature look with it's tilt.
Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 3x / 2.5x: the Zacuto viewfinder is invaluable to properly focus a TS lens using the tilt feature. Through the viewfinder of the camera it is very hard to get the exact rotation and location of the plane of focus right, but judging it through a Z-Finder Pro 3x / 2.5x in live view (going to 5x or 10x magnification for absolute accurate focusing) gets it done quickly and precisely.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
my home is my castle
19/12/2010 00:11 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso640 - f/5.6
- blending of 3 hdr exposures - Michael Grobe
Not exactly my home, but the castle "Schloss Schwarzenberg" overlooking my small home town. Grew up here, so lots of memories, experiences and adventures. A small wooden cabin on a hill near the castle was and is a place as close as any place could get to "Aventurien"...
close encounter
13/09/2010 04:50 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso1600 - f/3.5 2sec - Michael Grobe
A close encounter in the woods - or just some flood lights at a corner of Griffith Park. We were scouting for some spots for the next night time photography tour, while I spotted this shot, the tilt of the TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L added to the mystic mood here.
manhattan nights
28/08/2010 01:20 Filed in: video
Manhattan Nights from Michael Grobe on Vimeo.
Night impressions of Manhattan, New York. A few timelapses and shots taken during a few nights of still photography in New York. The Manhattan skyline is enjoyed best from the New Jersey side over the Hudson. You just have to love New York. Shot with the Canon 1D mk IV and 5D mk II at ISO 2500-6400. Obviously there is some noise present at 6400, but nothing that can't be cleaned with the help of Neat Video Noise Reduction in Final Cut. With the latest generation of dslrs it is a joy shooting at night, stills or video. I shot stills with the 1D mk IV at ISO 12800 without hesitation, as long as the are well exposed. Some cleanup in post and you get printable images. The timelapses are shot at ISO 800 to catch decent shutter speeds (less than 10sec) once night has fallen in, so that I could have a picture taken every 10 seconds.
miniature germany
19/04/2010 01:02 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso100 - f/3.5 1/160 - Michael Grobe
The great weather got us flying again. This time I took the 24mm shift+tilt. Tilting gives this miniature feel due to the tilted plane of focus and using that from high above can result in an unusual look at the usual. We were flying despite the volcanic ashcloud from Iceland, wasn´t really a problem at 300-700m flying altitude, only the range of vision was somewhat reduced, whether that was the volcanic stuff or just usual haze, who knows...
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso100 - f/3.5 1/500 - Michael Grobe
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso50 - f/3.5 1/800 - Michael Grobe
the last guest
18/11/2009 03:14 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso6400 - f/4.0 1/10 sec - Michael Grobe
The last guest in “Seehaus“ at the “Kleinhesseloher See” in Munich´s English Garden.
The lamps are indeed beer mugs...
Canon EOS-7D - EF 70-200mm 1:2.8L IS USM - iso1600 - f/4.5 -
HDR exposure blending of 3 shots - Michael Grobe
scheimpflug in alcatraz
09/06/2009 14:38 Filed in: photos | techniques
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5L - iso100 - f/3.5 1/1600 sec - Michael Grobe
Tilting Canon´s TS-E 24mm Tilt + Shift lens rotated the focal plane for an unusual depth of field. Called the bird in focus “Scheimpflug”, but it wouldn´t listen...
And I like crushing the blacks in this one, something that we always avoid in the world of feature films. Guess that´s why I like it once in a while...
death valley II
02/12/2008 13:28 Filed in: photos
shift and tilt
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III - TS-E 24mm 1:3.5 L - iso100 - f/4.5 - HDR exposure blending of 7 bracketed shots
- Michael Grobe
First shot with the recently acquired Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 shift and tilt lens. Tilted to the right, the focal plane rotates away from the image plane, the power pole in the middle is in focus, while the ones to the left and right are out of focus. That Scheimpflug Principle opens some fascinating possibilities.
