Website

Visit my portfolio website here.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Spain- "Sketches of Spain"- Part 4


© Darryll Schiff

After "singing" the praises of Spain and how enchanted I am with the people and the country, I thought it would be time to more directly relate this last trip to my art and photography.  I have talked about the museums, galleries, and the wonderful Eloisa at Art Gallery Tour but now I want to talk a bit about my own art and what comes into play when I travel and shoot.

© Darryll Schiff

It used to be that any time I knew I would be somewhere making pictures, I would pack my latest heavy duty professional Nikon and lenses. I have been shooting exclusively digitally now for over eight years which means I don't have to deal with carrying around rolls and rolls of film, trips back and forth to the lab, worrying  about airport x-ray machines, etc. I don't miss it at all.

© Darryll Schiff

© Darryll Schiff
Now, besides my latest digital Nikon, a D800, I also extensively use one of my older Nikon P6000's, sort of a pro/am point and shoot, and.......my iPhone, of course. The pictures in this blog come from a mix of these cameras, and even my Nikon D300, and older camera that I still use. All the pictures were taken in Spain and are a mix of serious and fun shots - you have to keep the fun and excitement in it.

 

© Darryll Schiff

 

 © Darryll Schiff
© Darryll Schiff
I used my iPhone a lot more than expected, mainly for the touristy snapshots, but if you take time to really compose and time your shots right, the results can be amazing. Also, it's a great little device to do quick "sketch" shots, the way a painter might take a pencil to paper to map out their final image. The following is a shot from my iPhone that I treated as a type of "sketch":
© Darryll Schiff

The funny thing about my P6000s is how the way I use them has evolved.  Originally, when I 
bought my first one, it was going to be my "sketch pad", something I could have with me all the
time, to capture ideas, play around with, and get the occasional serious picture with. As I used the
camera more and more, I found ways to take advantage of a couple of its features that fit right into what I see (examples below). I now have four of them!

© Darryll Schiff


© Darryll Schiff
© Darryll Schiff

Although I print my work in all sizes, most of it is big--40x60, 58x88, even as large as 75x177. The D800 (Nikon's newest version is the D810) is the camera I use for those huge pieces. As I work on my pictures from this trip, I get really excited. I'm sure those big images will be hanging in my studio very soon.
-Darryll