Photography Highlights • Painting with Light
- Thread starter XPan
- Start date
XPan
The Living Force
Thank you for letting us know what was going on. I'm sorry you had to go through that rough patch and glad that things have worked out for you. Although, they say that we need challenges to make us stronger. Glad you're back XPan.
That is exactly the case, Nienna - and that's how i looked (and felt) about the events (while in progress at that time) too;
That they are challenges (lessons) to make us stronger.
So true !
Oh; and i am happy to be back
Thank you again.
XPan
The Living Force
Carnival 
Party
Stockholm • 17 March 2024
Not exactly photo light painting - yet lots of light painting our guests and captured with my camera (with manual focus!) Last Sunday we had a CARNIVAL PARTY, and I thought to share some photos with you, my Cassioapean family here. Because dressing up in endlessly fun - it really is ! So much warmth and laughter, as well manners and kindness.
The last time i had a carnival party was back in 2011. So, from now on, we are going to have this more often in our home.
The people were warm, gentle, fun. Some of my work colleagues from the subway, and all the others from Sal's work who deal with learning customers in Stockholm, how to cook Italian dishes. Nobody bailed due to alcohol in any way - in fact, we had plenty left over. So, booze is clearly a bit overrated. People also brought home made food, which was delicious. From vegetarian pie, to Chicken with sesam, and Jannsons frestelse (Jansson's temptation); a typical Swedish dish you bake in the oven with fine striped potatoes, anchovies and fresh cream - which Roger did. And that was the most popular dish - absolutely stunning (I am normally not a fan of that dish). And cakes... oh we had huge amounts of German cakes; from Cheesecake, to Plum cake, to Cherry cake to Apple cake. Far too many...
Oh, by the way, the VAST majority were straight
The names below the photos are just made up. Our guests didn't specify what exactly they represented.
So, here we go - HAVE FUN !!
May the Force Be With You.
My husband Sal (I called him "Gonzalez", a kind of Pirate being, and his daughter Paola (as a Pirate Girl) in action.
Paola, the "Pirate Girl" and Marco "Neptunus" - A sort of King of Oceans (or something).
My best friend Claus as "Madame Edna" and Daniel as "Batman boy"
Henrik as a "Swedish Football /Soccer fan", And Roger as "Glitter boy".
Henrik and Gabriella - they are a married couple
Now Italian Lorenzo thought Swedes automatically would understand what he dressed up as. Well, nobody did...
He represents Pippi Långstrumps horse.
Dancing time...
My outfit was (an aged) "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Jedi from Star Wars.
Sal, Paola and Ralf "XPan" | Pirates and Jedis
Paola and Lorenzo.
Daniel and Jonas
Parodia / joke. Based on my beloved Grandmother from the 70s, who apparently sang a song, which i picked up as a 5 year old and sang after her (and to other people whose jaw dropped)... So, i applied her german (schwäbisch) saying to Claus in this photo.
Dancing in Action
Daniel and Jonas. Jonas put his masks too high *LOL* and couldn't see anything downwards.
Paola and Lorenzo
Diana
Roger "Glitterpojken" / Glitter Boy
PartyStockholm • 17 March 2024
Not exactly photo light painting - yet lots of light painting our guests and captured with my camera (with manual focus!) Last Sunday we had a CARNIVAL PARTY, and I thought to share some photos with you, my Cassioapean family here. Because dressing up in endlessly fun - it really is ! So much warmth and laughter, as well manners and kindness.
The last time i had a carnival party was back in 2011. So, from now on, we are going to have this more often in our home.
The people were warm, gentle, fun. Some of my work colleagues from the subway, and all the others from Sal's work who deal with learning customers in Stockholm, how to cook Italian dishes. Nobody bailed due to alcohol in any way - in fact, we had plenty left over. So, booze is clearly a bit overrated. People also brought home made food, which was delicious. From vegetarian pie, to Chicken with sesam, and Jannsons frestelse (Jansson's temptation); a typical Swedish dish you bake in the oven with fine striped potatoes, anchovies and fresh cream - which Roger did. And that was the most popular dish - absolutely stunning (I am normally not a fan of that dish). And cakes... oh we had huge amounts of German cakes; from Cheesecake, to Plum cake, to Cherry cake to Apple cake. Far too many...
Oh, by the way, the VAST majority were straight
The names below the photos are just made up. Our guests didn't specify what exactly they represented.
So, here we go - HAVE FUN !!
May the Force Be With You.
My husband Sal (I called him "Gonzalez", a kind of Pirate being, and his daughter Paola (as a Pirate Girl) in action.
Paola, the "Pirate Girl" and Marco "Neptunus" - A sort of King of Oceans (or something).
My best friend Claus as "Madame Edna" and Daniel as "Batman boy"
Henrik as a "Swedish Football /Soccer fan", And Roger as "Glitter boy".
Henrik and Gabriella - they are a married couple
Now Italian Lorenzo thought Swedes automatically would understand what he dressed up as. Well, nobody did...
He represents Pippi Långstrumps horse.
Dancing time...
My outfit was (an aged) "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Jedi from Star Wars.
Sal, Paola and Ralf "XPan" | Pirates and Jedis
Paola and Lorenzo.
Daniel and Jonas
Parodia / joke. Based on my beloved Grandmother from the 70s, who apparently sang a song, which i picked up as a 5 year old and sang after her (and to other people whose jaw dropped)... So, i applied her german (schwäbisch) saying to Claus in this photo.
Dancing in Action
Daniel and Jonas. Jonas put his masks too high *LOL* and couldn't see anything downwards.
Paola and Lorenzo
Diana
Roger "Glitterpojken" / Glitter Boy
XPan
The Living Force
I love costume parties and dancing but have not done so since before covid, feels like so long ago. I’m loving all the silliness and smiles, thank you for sharing with us!
Thank You
Candice. PERLOU. Lilea, Tuulikki 
The feelings afterwards, I mean days after the carnival party afterwards, where profound. Almost like "snapping out of a long sleep" - e.g. the past 4 years which let's face it, pulled some really dark strings, sephing though endless stuff attached to the dark wherabouts behind the Plandemic and lethal injections... Man, i don't know how many times i was totally exhausted (but then day after right back at it again). (I know many of you guys and gals, too) I mean the last 4 years have been absurd and grotesque !
You're right, Candice ! IT FEELS LIKE SO LONG AGO. That startled me, too... Why did I forget about the fun ?!?
Somehow, I noticed a shift in my way to look at people after the party. It did something... this "togetherness" among warm people started a profound dynamic, pulling up deeper (positive) strings. I looked at people (in general) in a more friendly way the days after While I was at work. Calmer. More tolerant. Less on edge. (Not looking though prink glasses though, but with a generally warmer sight)
So, throwing a party with sensible, warm people in a group, having fun, even doing silly things and musings... ah, it does make the soul happier, and reminds me that there is whole lot more to life in the hidden. The natural (positive) dynamics that unexpected quickly can have a healing impact on a soul. As if it remembers... again.
Guess what. We are going to have another Carnival Party.
It seems like Universe loves speed. The ex-wife and best friend to my husband, and the mother of two daughters (of which one lives here at our home), so Mary is coming from Sicily to Sweden. Even that was a surprise - and i just love it !!!
So, first i suggested - why not having a little party among ourselves ?
Oh man... it didn't take long - and we got right into planning for a new carnival party soon (while she is here). Mary LOVES dressing up. An elegant, pretty lady (63) who can do anything out of nothing. The thing is also that we have left so much wine, and so many cakes from the first party - and the decoration is still up - that it felt natural to continue (albeit now on a Friday, instead of a Sunday where people naturally have to go home in order to work next day).
My message i wished to express:
A little party goes a long way for the souls of many. Reconnecting to the warmth among loved ones and friends with some sparkling togetherness.
XPan
The Living Force
Photo geek info:
I wasn't really prepared at all to take many photos of the party. nor did I prepare myself like I usually do. But it worked much better than i ever would have thought. The essentials where a 20 MP Canon EOS R6 camera, attached with the manual focus Laowa Argus 28 mm f 1.2 lens.
The lens turned out to be a true gem.
It is in fact a unique lens
without any equivalent on the photo market, nor particularly expensive, which is surprising given it's high quality - and of very recent making (2022/23) (Chinese lenses get better for every year, I have noticed). The Argus 28mm f 1.2 lens is a moderate wide angle lens covering a fullframe sensor - and has an extreme bright aperture of ƒ1.2 - which literally "sucks in the light". (It allows you to take photos at lower light levels and still get away with it).
The available light at our party wasn't really so bright as the images suggest.
But thanks to this bright lens, in combination with high ISO (sometimes up to ISO 5000) it was possible to make all the photos the way they turned out. One of the characteristics of this lens - when used wide open at ƒ1.2 aperture - is that you get plenty of background blur. Rather unusual for a 28mm wide angle lens.
Sometimes I did misfocus of course - given that i had to constantly adjust the focus manually (while also having had plenty of wine) and people were moving and dancing. Plus that the very shallow depth of field at aperture ƒ1.2 is limited - and you can easily miss the exact focus range. But given the character of the event - being a fun party - it didn't really matter. It turned out much better than i expected.
Another character of this lens is
that it has (especially in black & white) a unique character (at open aperture ƒ1.2) which i often attribut to the same character some older Leica lenses have, such as Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f 1.0 - which is something of a legend. I can show you that special character in this portrait taken with the Laowa 28/1.2:
You have this gentle kid of sharpness (you set on the eyes) - and then in front and behind - things transition into a gradual, gentle blur - while the background is lovely blurry without being over the top. I would almost call it a "cinematic character / rendering style" That's why I chose this lens. (mainly for low light portraits; people in in their natural environment, preferably shown in black & white).
Laowa Argus 28mm f 1.2 lens
Leica Noctilux 50mm f 1.0
Both lenses (Leica Noctilux 50/1 and Laowa 28/1.2) work perfectly in tandem when it comes to that gentle, kind of classic Black & White Noir / Vintage character. When you make portraits, giving them a lovely soft yet sharp-ish character at the same time - while the background transitions gently into an increased with "character". Highlights are often rendered in a special way (either you love it, or hate it).
Modern lenses tend to blur the background in an uniform blurry mess, without any outlines in the highlights. Modern, optically perfect lenses also have a "clinical" style in their rendering - which some also call it "boring".
Here ends my geek-entry
I wasn't really prepared at all to take many photos of the party. nor did I prepare myself like I usually do. But it worked much better than i ever would have thought. The essentials where a 20 MP Canon EOS R6 camera, attached with the manual focus Laowa Argus 28 mm f 1.2 lens.
The lens turned out to be a true gem.
It is in fact a unique lens
without any equivalent on the photo market, nor particularly expensive, which is surprising given it's high quality - and of very recent making (2022/23) (Chinese lenses get better for every year, I have noticed). The Argus 28mm f 1.2 lens is a moderate wide angle lens covering a fullframe sensor - and has an extreme bright aperture of ƒ1.2 - which literally "sucks in the light". (It allows you to take photos at lower light levels and still get away with it).
The available light at our party wasn't really so bright as the images suggest.
But thanks to this bright lens, in combination with high ISO (sometimes up to ISO 5000) it was possible to make all the photos the way they turned out. One of the characteristics of this lens - when used wide open at ƒ1.2 aperture - is that you get plenty of background blur. Rather unusual for a 28mm wide angle lens.
Sometimes I did misfocus of course - given that i had to constantly adjust the focus manually (while also having had plenty of wine) and people were moving and dancing. Plus that the very shallow depth of field at aperture ƒ1.2 is limited - and you can easily miss the exact focus range. But given the character of the event - being a fun party - it didn't really matter. It turned out much better than i expected.
Another character of this lens is
that it has (especially in black & white) a unique character (at open aperture ƒ1.2) which i often attribut to the same character some older Leica lenses have, such as Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f 1.0 - which is something of a legend. I can show you that special character in this portrait taken with the Laowa 28/1.2:
You have this gentle kid of sharpness (you set on the eyes) - and then in front and behind - things transition into a gradual, gentle blur - while the background is lovely blurry without being over the top. I would almost call it a "cinematic character / rendering style" That's why I chose this lens. (mainly for low light portraits; people in in their natural environment, preferably shown in black & white).
Laowa Argus 28mm f 1.2 lens
Leica Noctilux 50mm f 1.0
Both lenses (Leica Noctilux 50/1 and Laowa 28/1.2) work perfectly in tandem when it comes to that gentle, kind of classic Black & White Noir / Vintage character. When you make portraits, giving them a lovely soft yet sharp-ish character at the same time - while the background transitions gently into an increased with "character". Highlights are often rendered in a special way (either you love it, or hate it).
Modern lenses tend to blur the background in an uniform blurry mess, without any outlines in the highlights. Modern, optically perfect lenses also have a "clinical" style in their rendering - which some also call it "boring".
Here ends my geek-entry
Thank you for such a appetizing explanation.Here ends my geek-entry
You read my mind because I didn't dare to ask about the lens or the technique, very beautiful and appropriate too. Your photos look very "guay!! looking forward to the next session...
XPan
The Living Force
Oh please. You can ask anytime, anything, Liliea !Thank you for such a appetizing explanation.
I am more than delighted to answer.
