Photo&Cameras

Chief Justice John Roberts and Barack Obama stumbled their way through the oath, Aretha sang beautifully but not in a way that any of us could sing along, and Elizabeth Alexander read the most boring poem ever – but seriously folks, it’s been a wild ride for Americans and their new Commander-in-Chief. Come hell or high water, President Obama promises hope for all Americans, and he won’t take “I can’t” for an answer.

Not so seriously is a look back on the days leading up to this new chapter in all our lives.

Damn that Biden and his tunas on rye.

Well that’s great that my luggage is in Washington.
Maybe you can call them and tell them to inaugurate
our first black quilted leather rollaway suitcase as president!

Focus, you goofy bastard!

the Obamas got the hell out of there while the gettin’ was good.

on what they thought was an 18th century piece of playground equipment.

Obama: (laughing) Dude, please.

of the repeal of “Don’t ask, Don’t tell.”

the first assassination attempt on Obama by a giant.

in one place for one purpose without everyone hurting each other.

Photo credits: Reuters, Associated Press, Getty Images

From: feedproxy.google.com

Read the rest of this entry »

Anybody can pick up a camera and snap off a bunch of photos that will serve as a memento of an occasion. However doing that has a much in common with the work of a photographer as the scribbles of a five-year-old have with the writings of William Shakespeare. For while the digital age has given us unprecedented access to the means to take pictures, it hasn't changed the fact that only a few of us have the ability to see and capture something special in a moment in time.

In his most recent volume of photographs, Mostly People published by Perceval Press, American photographer Robert Whitman, shows that not only does he possess that ability, he also understands the importance of environment in portraiture. Yet his skills as a photographer, as the title of this volume suggests, don't end with his ability to bring people and their surroundings to life; he is equally capable of letting us see meaning in the rust stains of a swimming pool as he is the frown lines of a brow furrowed in concentration.

Ask anyone who has ever attempted to take a picture of a loved one, or who has ever posed for their picture, about the process and you're almost bound to hear a variation of one of two complaints: that doesn't look like them/me, or I/they aren't photogenic. Sure all the bits and pieces that make up the subject are contained within the frame and are all in the right place, but somehow or other nothing that you or they do can make your pictures look like them.

Every holiday season it's the same thing; collections of photos filled with people who look vaguely familiar sitting on the family couch. Taking pictures of people so that we are able to see them is a skill that seems to escape most of us.

Where most of us fail is by attempting to capture an accurate representation of a person in an atmosphere devoid of life or activity. Unless we have trained to work in front of a camera, standing still, or posing, leaves the majority of us incredibly self-conscious and awkward. Without the focus that an environment can give – even if its something as simple as waiting in the lobby of a theatre for a play or movie to begin – the subject of a photograph appears lifeless or artificial. Yet the instant we liberate them from the shackles of posing and photograph them candidly, they miraculously turn into living breathing souls.

From: feedproxy.google.com

Read the rest of this entry »

In my prior review of the Lensbaby 3G I said, "Every once and a while a product comes along and you really misjudge it. It may be that you are too hasty, or that you just don't understand the potential that it really brings. Or it just may be that it, over time, has matured into a really great product." Well, the Lensbaby line continues to mature and grow. They have released a number of new lenses and accessories that I am planning on looking at. This first one is called Composer.

The 3G was a bellows style of lens. That is, it is focused by moving the lens to the sweet spot and manipulating the bellows device to gain focus. The Composer is a completely new style of lens that is based on a ball and socket configuration. This provides a much smoother selective focus and affords much more ease in movement. With the 3G you had to use two hands, one to manipulate the bellows, and one to focus the sweet spot, in the Composer, you simply tilt the lens to a desired angle and focus with a traditional barrel ring.

The Composer stays in the proper angle without having to use the screw locks to hold it in place. It also is capable of using the new Lensbaby Optic Swap System which is a series of add-on lenses that can give you additional looks for your Composer. I will cover some of these in a separate review.

While I loved the 3G, the Composer is so much easier to use because of the ball joint architecture. You just push the front element of the lens one way or the other to focus your frame. There is a black ring on the mount that will allow you to adjust how tight the ball joint is and therefore how much wiggle room it has. This one you basically set it and forget it.

From: feedproxy.google.com

Read the rest of this entry »

Announced late last night at Wired.com is an awesome new photography contest, whereupon the subject is the elusive and oft-captured shadow.

The contest trounced across my computer screen and into my head just a few hours later and I have not been able to forget about it! It's like a song you hear on a television commercial and cannot get out of your head, nor can you fill that space with another song.

I have been shooting regular (as opposed to unleaded?) photography for a couple of decades and stock photography for a few years. I have become accustomed to the fact that the shadow will, on the norm, kill a good stock photograph. Kill it!

That has not deterred my fascination, neigh obsession for capturing the shades of gray human form, nor has it allayed my desire to do so, but there has, fortunate for me, not been that many opportunities to suspend the aforementioned form in a digital format, as I shoot in a digital format.

The fine print entails that the submitted photograph be one that you shot, the bigger the better (800×1200 is the accepted minimum), and a description of the image to include exposure, employed hardware, along with whatever else you would like to include. It must also be hosted on a Web site and the link submitted to enter the contest.

The winning image will be selected by popular vote. The top ten of those will be displayed on the Wired.com homepage.

Here is my chance! Here is your chance! And this is our chance to shine like the brightest photographic stars that we are.

So, go! Rush out into the streets, the alleys, the caverns, the piano mills, and the shopping malls.

Aim for the gray, the other side of the road, defy the wind, the rain, and the obnoxious and go for the gold! This is your chance.

From: feedproxy.google.com

Read the rest of this entry »

If you have years of schooling and experience in photography, thousand-dollar lenses, and a half-million dollar studio, that’s great. But most of us have to make do with what we have. Many people make up for this by digitally altering the photographs they’ve taken — not as enhancement, but as repair. Wouldn’t it be nice to take a photograph that doesn’t need anything but a frame?

Here are six tips (and one piece of unsolicited advice) you can put into practice right now no matter what kind of camera you have. You’ll instantly improve your photographs and you might not have to spend as much time in your photo program fixing pictures. Most of these tips can be applied to landscapes and wildlife, but the primary focus (no pun intended) of this article is how to take better pictures of friends and family.

As proof that the photographer matters more than the camera, and in hopes of encouraging those who are short on money and long on desire, all the photos I’ve used as examples were taken with available light (no flash), expired film (because it was cheap when I had little money), and a low-end point-and-shoot camera.

Flash is the Devil

The flash that’s built into disposable cameras and less expensive digital cameras is intense and not adjustable. Red-eye is the result of direct flash. If you simply must use flash, take the picture when your subject is looking away from the camera.

In addition to the red-eye plague, flash often washes out most skin tones, and can distort makeup just enough to make a person look clown-like. It makes darker people look even darker (hiding facial features and emotion) and makes lighter people look sick.

Use the light you have for indoor shots. This includes daylight — direct or by window — candlelight, and lamps. Overhead lighting is not recommended because the shadow it casts on faces is unbecoming.

Unless you’re going for a silhouette effect, make sure the light source is behind you, not your subject. At the same time, don’t expect a person or animal to look directly into the sun. Sometimes a photo comes out fine with nothing more than a car’s dome light (see darker photo above).

Background Noise

Most people don’t think to do a quick scan of the area before taking a picture, because they are focused on their subject rather than the area around their subject. This is why a picture of a cute baby on a park swing also showcases a man scratching his crotch not 30 feet on the other side of the swingset.

The park isn’t the only place you’ll find visual debris. Set your cute baby on the couch and then look through the camera at her. Now check the entire frame for other people, trash, toys, dishes, and laundry – and stains on the couch that you’re so used to you don’t see them anymore unless you’re looking for them. Cover those stains with a baby blanket.

From: feedproxy.google.com

Read the rest of this entry »

My look at the i1 product line has taken course over several articles that began with the i1 Basic.  In this installment I am going to look at the i1 Beamer Module Upgrade Module. The use of this module works much in the same way that the basic works to profile your monitor. This time though you have to work with a projector and so the spectrophotometer has to be aimed at a distant screen to measure the colors. The goal of this module is to build a custom profile that you can use on your computer for use with your projector.

There are two fundamental paths that you can take with the i1 line: i1 Basic and the i1 XTreme. The i1 Basic is marketed as an affordable, upgradeable, professional spectral color measurement solution and monitor profiler that will allow you to add on additional features as you need them. Once you own the i1 Basic, you own the capabilities of the other modules, you only need to purchase an access code to activate them. Here I will look at the ease of use of the i1 Beamer Module Upgrade Module. This will enable the i1Match software to calibrate and profile your projection display (beamers), and will allow you to accurately match the colors that your projector displays on the screen with what was captured from your camera or scanner, as well as accurately represent what is displayed on you monitor. This module comes standard comes as a part of the i1 XTreme.

What does it take to run the i1 Basic? Either a Windows 2000, XP, or Vista with a 300 MHz PC or better, or Mac OS X (10.3 or higher) Power G3 or higher processor, a powered USB port, 128 MB RAM, and 100 MB of hard-drive space.

Once you have your module installed, you need to make sure that you have your monitor calibrated as in part one of this series. With your monitor calibrated, you fire up the Eye-One Match software. When it starts up you will choose the projector module. Please note that although there may be other modules visible, they will not be active unless have purchased the add-on functionality, or have purchased the i1 XTreme. Also note, on the right of the screen there is context sensitive help that can guide you if you are having some problems. If you have the i1 Basic and purchased the Beamer module and your projector module is not active, make sure that your access code was properly installed.

With everything installed, the first thing that you need to do is to determine if you want to use the easy or advanced mode. The only difference is that the advanced mode will require you to select your white point. If you choose advanced then you will select the desired white point. The white points range from a warm (5000) to a cool (7500) Kelvin. Typically, 5000 (or D50) is the recommended viewing condition for proofing. You then place the calibration module in the beamer assembly and perform a calibration.

From: feedproxy.google.com

Read the rest of this entry »

You have just purchased a digital video camera and now you are confused on how to work it. Most of the time when you purchase one of these, it isn't months, or even weeks before you need it, it is usually a day or two before the event. It is usually because you have found that your old one is no longer working, or there is something coming up that you want to capture and you are under a deadline.

Now you have this new, complex piece of equipment, and you need to figure out how it works in a hurry. You don't want to spend time drudging through jargon and software editing manuals. Enter The Little Digital Video Book. This little book was written just so you could get up to speed fast. This book contains 240 pages divided into seven chapters.

Chapter 1, "The Basics," start off by hoping that you have not yet purchased your camcorder or editing system, but if you have, not to worry, you will still be able to use what you have. This chapter is divided into two parts: your tools, and your process. Your tools include the camera, recording media, computer, software, and other tools. Next is your process. This goes into preparation, shooting, editing, and finishing.

Chapter 2, "Your Camera," begins with the basics of your camcorder. Not all of the fancy things that it is capable of, but rather the primitive capabilities: turning on/off, rewinding, finding the menu, etc. Once done, you will get your first "Assignment" – a blindfold test. What you have to do here is, with a blindfold on, is show that you can completely work your camera. You will also learn about logging and labeling your tapes and how to work with your timecodes.

Chapter 3, "Shooting," assumes that you are now comfortable with your camera, and are ready to shoot. This chapter goes over terms and concepts that are associated with shooting to edit. As you get more practice, you will better be able to anticipate what you need to do in the field. Here you will learn about how to shoot, building structure in your shots, camera shots, coverage, and framing and design. You will also learn about lighting, sound, and what to shoot. There are more assignments as well.

From: feeds.blogcritics.org

Read the rest of this entry »

Photoshop Studio: Lessons In Digital Painting is the companion DVD to Bert Monroy's book Photoshop Studio with Bert Monroy: Digital Painting. In this video, you get to meet with the author as he explains on a more personal level the techniques that are described in the book.

Photoshop Studio: Lessons In Digital Painting is a very interesting concept and one that I hope is continued with more authors. It is contained on a single DVD that runs just under two hours and can only be used on a computer based system. It is aimed at users new to digital painting and those who want to move into this medium. The author goes over the material in what are essentially 11 lessons.

Lessons 1 & 2 provide a brief introduction that show you the Berkley home where the artist lives, and then you get a tour of his studio. In this tour you will get an insight into Monroy's influences, how he got started, why he refers to himself not as a photo-realist, but rather as a hyper-realist. Finally you will see the set up of his equipment and how it all interacts.

Lesson 3 — "How I work" — examines the management techniques that Bert Monroy uses to create a digital painting. First it starts with the inspiration. He explains where this comes from. Then he shows how he takes reference shots, does sketches, and takes notes. The latter of these is very important because the photographs do not always capture all of the detail that is really there so instead he has to refer to his notes. Next he shows how he also uses Adobe Illustrator for both illustrations, as well as to set up perspectives for his paintings. Finally he shows how he organizes everything on his computer system for reference and easy access. When you have this many files, you must have good organizational skills.

Lesson 4 — "Light & Shadows" — looks at how light and shadows interact. In this lesson you will see how you can use light to create a mood. To do this you have to study reality, and see the impact that one object has on another. You must not rely on imagination, rather you must see reality. Here he shows how to create models as well as how to insert new objects into an existing scene.

Lesson 5 — "Reflections" — now takes a look at how reflections work within your digital painting. Some are easy, like the reflections of a mirror, and others are harder, like the reflections on glass, or through glass. Here Monroy guides you on how to make reflections look real.

Lesson 6 — "Layers & Layer Styles" — describes how the instructor uses layers. For digital paintings as complex as his, he not only uses many files, but many layers in each file. Here he clearly shows you exactly what he does and how he does it. Next he goes into the use of Layer Styles and shows you exactly how they can be used to create effects like drops of water.

From: feeds.blogcritics.org

Read the rest of this entry »

The holidays are upon us, and here you are again, not sure what to get that far-away loved one. Want to send someone all the pictures of your vacation, or update the grandparents on what the kids are doing, Kodak-style? Sure, but original photos are fragile and can get bent or damaged during shipping. Instead, pre-load a digital photo frame with the images, ship it off, and you're done. The Digital Foci Image Moments 6 digital photo frame is one such frame you could use for this very purpose.

It should be that easy, at least. Just to get new images into a playlist, you're going to have to spend a good bit of time reading the manual and making sense of the frame's often-inconsistent setup and unreliable buttons.

Full specs on the three different models in the Image Moments product line can be viewed here, but let's cover a few of the bases now. The six-inch (5.7" viewable) frame's brushed two-tone chrome plating and overall small footprint combined with the sharp backlit screen and built-in speakers get it off to a good start.

The frame comes standard with ports for many compact media formats, including Memory Stick Pro/Duo, Compact Flash/Micro Drive, SD/MMC/xD, and a mini-USB port for connecting to a computer for transferring from any other format you might have. However, a computer is not required for operating the frame or importing images. You can transfer them from the memory cards onto the 450MB of internal memory in the frame, or leave the card in the frame and display images directly from there. It also has a tilt sensor inside it to know whether it's oriented horizontally or vertically, and will display pictures accordingly, as well as stretch them to fit or display original size, depending on how you set it up.

Unfortunately, there are a number of drawbacks once you actually start using the frame and managing the content you want to display. Navigating the software within the frame can be confusing, especially for people not comfortable with technology. If you pre-load it for the grandparents and set it so all they have to do is plug it in and turn it on, they should be fine. However, if they hit any buttons on the frame, you might soon be getting a phone call asking how to "make it work again."

From: feeds.blogcritics.org

Read the rest of this entry »

Infrared Photography is the practice of recording that part of the light spectrum that is referred to as infrared. Infrared light is outside the range of what the human eye can see, but with the digital camera we are now able to not only block the visible part of light, but see the invisible, infrared, part of the light spectrum. Artists have been using infrared film and filter techniques since back in the 1960s, but now with the digital innovations available to us in our new technologies, we have many more opportunities to experiment with this medium.

The goal of Digital Infrared Photography is to not only show you the beauty of infrared photography, but teach you how to shoot this type of photography with your digital camera. Digital Infrared Photography is 112 pages in length and covers five sections.

Section 1, "Theory," examines some of the history of infrared photography and takes a look at how it has been greatly simplified since the introduction of digital cameras. Then you will look at some of the basic principles of infrared and what uses there are for this style of photography.

Section 2, "Equipment," next takes a look at what kind of camera one needs for infrared and what other equipment is necessary. In this section you will learn how to perform a test to determine your camera's suitability for infrared and then you will see what other items are necessary or desirable for pursuing this type of photography.

Section 3, "Specialty Cameras," looks at the aspect of what can be used beyond production cameras. That is, a camera that has had its infrared blocker removed. Canon owners also have the option of using a clip filter system which can also be used for astrophotography. Also discussed are the pros and cons of various optimized infrared cameras.

Section 4, "Practical Aspects," now examines the technical aspects of digital infrared photography. This includes the file types, ISO settings, white balance, aperture and shutter speeds, and hotspots. Also examined is a comparison of infrared filters.

Section 5, "The Digital Darkroom," shows that in just about all cases post processing needs to be done when working in infrared. Here you will work with Black and White conversion, grayscale conversion, color levels, and how to optimize your pictures by using levels. There is even an examination of color infrared photography.

Digital Infrared Photography makes for a very good introduction to the subject of infrared photography. It nicely transitions from the technical topics of what infrared photography is, through what equipment you need, to the last third of the book focusing on the digital darkroom.

Digital Infrared Photography also has a lot of beautifully done images as well. These images serve as examples of what can be accomplished. Is this a complete book of infrared photography? No, this book will only give you an introduction into the field. If you are new to infrared, and are looking for a book that will give you a start into this type of photography, then I can easily recommend this book.

From: feeds.blogcritics.org

Read the rest of this entry »