On User Manuals, Digital Books, Travel, The Importance of eBooks and The Foresight of Thom Hogan I like physical books. By that I mean I like a book I can hold in my hand, feel the texture, and maybe even revel in the smell of the paper and the ink. I like to consume well-done images that inspire or instruct. I like books that open themselves flat and allow me to look at them without having to hold down both sides of the tight binding of a signature in the book without being … [Read more...]
After a week with the iPhone, what’s great, what’s not
August 24, 2008 By Leave a Comment
I've had my iPhone for a little over a week now and figure it's a good time to settle in and talk about what I like and dislike about it. I have not really changed my calling habits too much as a result of having the iPhone; the way I use the phone in general is about the same as I've done in the past. Where it has changed my daily activities is in the additional stuff I can use it for outside of being a simple phone. No longer do I get stressed out about having to waste time standing in line … [Read more...]
Musings on Washing Machines and CompactFlash cards
August 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
If you have read any of my previous articles, you will already know that as a writer I tend to ramble, and that I am a photographer and computer geek. I like cameras more than computers, but use both every day. One personality trait I have not shared in the past is my hang-up about things working… I like objects to work the way I want, when I want, every time. Yes, I will spend more money on an object if I believe that it will perform the way I want over a lower priced version of the … [Read more...]
Whatever Happened To The “Decisive Moment”?
June 9, 2008 By 3 Comments
Photography has been evolving constantly from its birth in 1839. There have been many different kinds of photographs and processes through the years, including the daguerreotype, calotype, ambrotype, tintype, prints from sheet film, prints from roll film, and now images from digital capture. Each process had its advantages and disadvantages but most of us would agree that generally advances in technology have made life easier and better. But in this “Instantaneous, quantity over … [Read more...]
Seven Key Techniques For Taking Your Images From Flat To Fantastic
June 2, 2008 By 1 Comment
I used the sub-title as the title because I think it makes the subject clearer. I think that describes why Scott Kelby's book is not just another Photoshop book even if you don't know who Scott Kelby actually is. If you don't know, then I suggest you crank up GOOGLE and pick a couple of dozen of the 999,000 entries it says it pinged up for your perusal when you punch in his name. I'll give you the summation—he knows Photoshop. He knows it very well! I secretly think he is at least a … [Read more...]
The Nikon D3
May 26, 2008 By 2 Comments
I was always an F kind of guy. My first Nikon pro camera was the original F - a 1971 black body FTN. It supplemented my FM2 and I had it until just a couple of years ago when I sold it to a close friend, who bought it with the understanding that I might occasionally need to fondle it... call it conjugal visits. A few years later I found a really nice F2 that I still have… I skipped the F3 and F4 entirely … [Read more...]
EXPLORING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY & GROUP THERAPY, TOGETHER
May 19, 2008 By Leave a Comment
When I studied traditional photography over twenty years ago I did not see how much the art would shift for me in the way I executed it and what it meant for me. I believed like many of us that the silver halide was a thing of exacting beauty that could never be replaced. … [Read more...]
Exposure & Lighting for Digital Photographers Only
April 25, 2008 By 1 Comment
I recently encountered a relatively new book by Michael Meadhra and Charlotte K. Lowrie entitled Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only published by Wiley Press in 2007. … [Read more...]
The Nikon D300 Camera at Work
April 21, 2008 By 1 Comment
My job as a Still Photographer in the motion picture industry requires me to get the best possible images for publicity purposes. This requires me to constantly update my equipment when new and better technology is developed. Such is the case with the Nikon D300 camera which hit the market in Dec 2007 and is now available without the waiting list that it had for several months. I had been using the Nikon D2x and the Nikon D200 cameras for several years, and a Nikon D100 and D1x prior to that. … [Read more...]
Camdapter by Jim Garavuso vs Nikon SLR Hand Strap
March 10, 2008 By 2 Comments
A former student of mine dropped by to show me his new Nikon D80 camera. He stopped in because he knew my wife had the same model and he wanted some help with a couple of menu choices. I noticed a handstrap on the right side of his camera, into which he slipped his right hand, which left his other hand free to support its long lens. This is a feature he uses frequently shooting sports and wildlife. Having just come back into the world of pro-weight cameras, and being older than I once … [Read more...]
