Thank God

While this country advocates free speech in it's many shapes and forms, quite frankly some speech carries consequences with it. Today, the Westboro Baptist Church which has gained infamy for holding demonstrations during funerals for military members killed in Iraq, was ordered to pay nearly 11 million dollars to Albert Synder, whose funeral for his son they protested. Interestingly enough, the net worth of the church is said to only be less than a million dollars, so it is unclear that they will ever collect the damages awarded. What is clear is that this verdict will send shock waves out to exactly how free speech can be practiced. Clearly, as a member of the armed forces, I have no love for this group and truly am disgusted by the message of hatred they are spewing as well as their method of expressing it. Nothing is more disrespectful than to hold a hate rally at the funeral of a soldier who died protecting your right to do so. Quite frankly I feel that religion is one of the worst things in this world, especially when groups use it to fuel their own personal agenda. However, that is just me exercising my own modicum of free speech in a public forum.

One night, some time a yonder...



An old photo from earlier this year, but was recently rediscovered on Flickr. Not sure what captivates me about it, but it's one of my best captures, strangely before I even knew much about photography. I think now I get too much into the technical aspect of the art and have lost a bit of the creativity I had when I was still exploring and experimenting. Would love to get a film camera just for the fun of taking pictures again. Its no secret that many of my newer images I have tried to give an old film effect to them. More to come.

D3 vs D300? Duuuuuh

I love reading all the D3 vs D300 thread I've been seeing cropping up on Flickr recently. Really, Nikon has moved to the forefront with their move to release two very amazing cameras in the near future. However, it goes without saying that the images coming from the D3 are nothing short of revolutionary, especially the high iso examples, changing the foundation of what was thought not possible before. But at $5000 a pop that just comes with the camera alone (don't you dare ask about a pop up flash), there should never be a question in mind about comparing it to an obviously lesser camera that is catered to a far different market. You have an industry need for it, or a personal desire for it. 99% of the thread starters are in the latter camp. I've even seen someone lamenting that his 18-200 VR will only work in cropped mode if he were to purchase the D3. Oh the folly! To get a little geeky on you and quote a Star Wars Jedi Master "Do or do not...there is no try".

For the industry leaders and professionals, they will most likely pick up 2; one as a back up camera. For all the rest, if your pocket books can afford it, by all means, go for it. Just please do yourself a favor; of that 5 grand you just blew, invest in some professional glass. I'll have to lay the hand of smack down if I see someone walking around with a D3 and a 18-55 lens.

Images from the rest of us mere mortals:

Glass on Glass



Peaches...Patches?



Second Spring

Unsexiest Woman Maxim Award

Here's one that have men everywhere going "well...duh!". Sarah Jessica Parker was named the Unsexiest Woman alive by Maxim. Mind you, this isn't the ugliest woman alive; it's the unsexiest woman alive. The kind of woman if they was laying naked under the covers, you'd probably solemnly go "no thanks". Others who graced the list included Britney Spears, Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), Amy Winehouse (singer, songwriter) and surprisingly, Madonna. Personally, I feel with the exception of Madonna, they nailed the list. I think in the case of Madonna, she is just getting older, and the relinquishing of her to an old Jewish woman a little unfair. I'm also surprised that with Britney's latest escapades, she doesn't grace the top of the list, instead of the number 5 position. But, replace Madonna with Sarah Silverman and you pretty much have my list.

On the flip side to this, a hearty congratulations to Washington State Troopers for being named the Best-Dressed-State-Law-Enforcement-Agency. How often do you get pulled over by a state trooper wearing a bow tie?

Virtual Camera

I know for many who make the leap from P&S cameras to DSLR, the most daunting task can be understanding the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and iso. Indeed, many go out and purchase $500+ cameras in the hopes of more control and the ability to take better pictures, only to use the auto and scene modes because they have no idea how to use the controls available to them.

There is a neat little Virtual Camera over at dryreading.com that is setup to let you experiment with camera settings and seeing what happens with each setting change. The applet also has helpful explanations such as the different modes usually found on a camera, what the iso, aperture and shutter speed is and how it relates to photo exposures, and different scenes with different lighting conditions to experiment in. I found myself playing with it for a bit and imaging the many friends and family members who I know have DSLRs and shoot in Auto mode; a crime in and of itself.

To Frame, or Not to Frame...

There was a well opinionated debate that started on Flickr in the Nikon Digital group about the uses of borders in digital images. Contenders from both sides argued the pros of cons of using borders, with, strangely enough, arguments for both sides peculiarly alike. "It looks cheesy without it" "it adds/detracts from the image". Eventually the subject died and everyone agreed to disagree.

Then in this world there are those who I believe sole purpose in life is to resurrect dead threads. I mean, this topic was 7 months old from my last comment, and here it was again, back in the limelight with both sides waging the same bitter comments. I of course not able to resist a good debate had to once again pitch my 2 cents in.

Really, when it comes down to it, it's subjective as the photograph itself. Some people like it, some hate it. Personally I'm middle ground. I find that sometimes, a good clean border can help an image stand out a little more, especially when displayed on Flickr's white backgrounds. However, I do believe an image should be able to stand on it's own without one. I've seen some absolutely hideous framing jobs where the image is 1/4th frame and you wonder whether you're looking at a picture or a giant black frame. But I have also seen framing doing very cleverly. The type that makes you want to go out and try similar techniques. You know, the kind that inspires.

So here are the rules I follow when deciding whether to use a border on my photos:

Is the image strong enough to stand on it's own? Quite simply, if I didn't put a frame on it, would it still be a strong image? The border should be the cherry on top. It should compliment and enhance an already wonderful piece of work. This is subjective of course, so use your best judgment.

Is there a lot of negative space where the eye can wander? Sometimes images that contain negative space as a purposeful feature (and not just center focusing and leaving large gaping areas open) can lead to the eye wandering off a bit when viewing the photo. A slim border can help to contain the eye and keep interest on what's important in the image.

Keep your border to no more than 10% of the image size Huge borders are just ugly. It shows an individual is uncertain of his talent, and hopes to hide within the safety of a large border. Borders should be presentable, maintain the theme of the image (a grunge image could have dirty border, but may not work for child photography) and lastly, minimalist. Remember, it's the cherry on top, or the garnishing if you well. Just a little something extra to sweeten the deal. Less is definitely more here.

Be Creative Mix it up. Sometimes a simple plain black border works, and sometimes you can try more interesting ways to frame your works. I've experimented with quite a few styles, but have finally decided I'd rather not use them. It's an opinion and you're welcome to your own.

Examples:

A small thin border designed to separate from Flickr's white background. Also there is a small copyright logo in the bottom.



A bit creative as I used the image itself to create the border by cutting out a small piece, and darking the edges around it.



Small, thin and neat and designed to help contain the eye within the image.

Glass Exoskeleton

I've seen this done quite a few times. Usually with a macro lens, a clear plastic or glass bowl, and a lemon or something. I have none of those. So instead I said to my wife I'll just drop a hot dog into a glass and call it a day. Well, I didn't even have a hotdog (thanks to my little girls). What I did have was one flash, a foam core board, and a lot of time.

Bouncing the flash off the board gave a pleasing effect, especially once I adjusted the aperture and flash power to settings I wanted. It would have been nice to have a macro lens, but I got by just fine without.

My friend Angel came by afterwards and wanted some portraits. So grabbed the camera and headed out. About 3 dozen shots later, got two I can brag about--one even being of me.

Simulated Dave Hill Photography look.



My own special recipe.

"One last wish"

Fall is definitely in full swing, and I hope you're out there enjoying it all. The season I most associate with, I've been out trying to capture as much of it as possible.

The idea for this came to me while looking out into my backyard. Most of the trees were just now starting to turn, but one had already become pretty barren, with just a few leaves left waiting for the wind to carry them away. The idea came to me in a flash and I grabbed my D80, trusty 50, and sb600 and ran outside.

A little bit of setup was required on the branch, so I picked one of the leaves, and plucked the others off. There was a wonderful amount of sun shining through and just enough clouds in the sky to give the image contrast. I definitely wanted the sky well exposed, so I exposed for the sky, then brought down the exposure by a stop. I then exposed the leaf using my sb600 handheld to left at 1/4th. Took a few, but really, the first was the keeper. I probably could have easily taken it and popped it online after the raw conversion, but part of the fun of digital is post processing.

I've seen people complain about getting flak about film enthusiast that say it isn't a real photograph unless you can get the image from the camera itself. There is a certain joy to being able to capture an image right the first time, but fact of the matter is even film photographers post processed images in their dark rooms to add certain effects. Secondly, we're in a new age and era here. There's no need to cling to the old "uphill both ways" mentality. Photography is a form of art, and with any work of art, it's all about the end result. An individual should feel free to use the tools at their disposal to achieve their artistic vision. If that tool is the lens alone, so be it. But for some, it's filters, darkrooms and Photoshop.

Long Road Home

I got lucky with this one. I didn't even look at the meter or through the viewfinder. Guessed at the settings (1/50s @ f/7.1, iso100) held it up while driving home, and got an image worth keeping. It really was a beautiful sunset. It had rained most of the day and the sun just so happened to peak out right before setting. Took a few more after this, but none of the others were keepers. It's not uncommon for me to get an image like that where the first one comes out perfect, with subsequent images trying to mimic that magic just not quite getting it.

Really that brings to light two kinds of photographers; the ones who take the time and effort to painstakingly plan a photograph, sometimes waiting months for the perfect lighting to create that special magic, and the ones who instead of creating magic, just go out and look for it. It calls to question whether the photo that took more effort is better than the spontaneous one. Personally, I think not, as photography is a form of art after all. Get too wrapped up in the technical details and one might forget that.

A few more random shots from the day. Click for larger view.

Virgin Mary statue outside of Sacred Heart hospital.



South of the hospital is a small park completely covered in fall leaves.



Savanna doing what she does best.

RAW

So I've recently started shooting in raw. My lack of before was not so much about the fear of using raw as it was an apprehension of the images taking up all my HD space. After all, each raw image approaches 8mb each (and these are Nikon compressed raw). However, I recent purchased the 500gb Western Digital Mybook which I've been using as a backup and soon to offload archived folders. A good backup plan is a must, especially with collection just passing the 30,000 image mark.

There are many benefits to raw, but the two that most people should be interested in is the unlimited whiteness balancing adjustments and the increased saved image information. If you think of raw as a digital negative, you'll have a good idea of the benefits.


I'll still shoot in jpg if I'm practicing, but for the most part, I stick to raw these days and worry about the hd space later. Memory is cheap anyway.