Gib........... I appreciate your input and queries. Your question about the use of f16 was interesting. The weather here in Acapulco is a melange of lower levels of humidity, heat, coastal fog, soupy skies and a dose of something that everyone you chat to has a different way of explaining. Push comes to shove it makes my job very difficult.
Between shoots I sought refuge in my air-conditioned room ruminating on your surprise that I squeezed my gigantic landscapes through a tiny little f16 tunnel in my pin hole camera. Ever the professional, I took your query as an interesting challenge and an opportunity to question my modus operandi.
Conventional wisdom has over the years dictated that f8 for the most part is the optimum aperture for maximum resolution. Please keep in mind as per Bill Mc Brides comments, I am not a techie (next Bud Lite on me Bill when you stop off at the T). That said, when I decided to delve into the world of digital photography I took my lens's and tested them at f8 through f16. I then took the individual results and blew the up to 16x20 prints. I have to be honest I saw no discernible difference.
I will be shooting at Ojai Valley next week and will do a test which I am happy to share with all.
I was so concerned about Gib's observations that I contacted some nationally known golf course photographers whom all of you have been privy to their fine photography over the years. One said he shoots at f9, just because he heard that f8 was where it's at and because he is delightfully contrary, he snubbed his nose at conventionality and bumped it it up to f9. You got to love a rebel.
My other esteemed colleague shoots between f16 and f22. His concern is depth of field and he backs it up with images that are perfectly sharp from tee box to green. Now, before we get involved in minutia, lets talk about how imagery is used in todays brave new world. I don't have a sugar mommy nor was I born with a silver seven iron in my golf bag, but I do make a living (meagre as it is) photographing grass.
Where do my images appear? On your I Phone, your I Pad, your computer, and as spreads that you see in Links Magazine and a few of the other remaining golf periodicals that will soon become dinosaurs. How big does that file have to be? How sharp does it have to be? I have seen my images blown up to large billboards in Dubai, Portugal, and Acapulco and I was surprised to see how amazing they looked. Now I know that everything looks fine when you are whizzing by at 100 mph in your brand new BMW but I did stop long enough to be impressed at todays technology (not my BMW).
From a puritanical point of view, yes we should always strive to produce the finest product possible but lets not get carried away with the technic or the technology, after all, we are just (as communicators) trying to evoke an emotion, a response , a feeling or a passion with others that may share a common thread. Enough of my inane ramblings, back to the questions at hand.
I have never been asked to shoot a course in B&W. There are many pieces of software on the market that do a great job converting color to B&W. It would be a fun assignment to see which approach provides the best result.
Yes, I have heard about RED. It's a brave new world out there, its just a matter of finding round pegs for round holes..........
I would like to stay on topic so I will not address the "pink panties" issue on this forum but I will be more than happy to remind you of the occasion it surfaced when we get together to discuss the merits of fine Tequila.
As to whether Armenians or the Irish are more sane, lets go play 18, enjoy a fine Single Malt Irish whiskey(I will provide) and then have that conversation. My guess is that we will both be delightfully sane and more important, pleasantly merry. Cheers.