Friday, March 6, 2009
Monday, July 14, 2008
Starting Point: One Light
I'll admit it, I have fallen in love with the Strobist way of thinking about light: Less gear, more thinking, better images.There was a entry today about Timothy Greenfield-Sanders who shoots with a large 8x10 camera, but with only one light proported light source. In the interview posted on the Strobist site, Timothy states that "There are critics of my work who say 'well he takes the same picture over and over again.'" He agrees with that comment, but states that he is is making a document of a person and a time. The images he produces have individuals with very stern faces in simple backgrounds. The viewer is forced to see the subject.
I have never been one to specialize in anything. I like being a jack of all traits, master or none. It has served me very well through the years and I intend to keep it up. I can see though the virtues of mastering every tool that you want to use. Off-camera lighting is full of tools and toys. I recently bought three pocket wizards solely for the purpose of being able to do off camera lighting. I have made the committment to myself, that before I buy anything else. I must learn how to squeeze every bit of usefullness out of what I have. Going back to simple light forces the photographer and viewer to slow down and look at the subject. Capturing essence is more important to me than documenting. One should never find being good at something as an acceptable criticism. However, to keep doing the same thign over and over, simply because it works, doesn't leave much room to grow either.
I have never been one to specialize in anything. I like being a jack of all traits, master or none. It has served me very well through the years and I intend to keep it up. I can see though the virtues of mastering every tool that you want to use. Off-camera lighting is full of tools and toys. I recently bought three pocket wizards solely for the purpose of being able to do off camera lighting. I have made the committment to myself, that before I buy anything else. I must learn how to squeeze every bit of usefullness out of what I have. Going back to simple light forces the photographer and viewer to slow down and look at the subject. Capturing essence is more important to me than documenting. One should never find being good at something as an acceptable criticism. However, to keep doing the same thign over and over, simply because it works, doesn't leave much room to grow either.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Strobist Love for the Nikon SB-600
It's no secret that Im a big fan of the website Strobist. So at Mr. Hobby's prompting I bought a set of PocketWizards. But at the same time I love my pair of Nikon SB-600s. I don't have a Nikon SB-800 or SB-900 so I'm sure I don't know what I'm missing with all their fanciness, but I really like the Nikon SB-600. They do everything I ask of them, but they don't have a PC connector that is required to use radio triggers.
PocketWizards are as the Strobist stated, are the gold standard for wireless flash triggers. Now just like the US went off the gold standard, these too might not be the end all (***COUGH, RADIOPOPPERS, COUGH***) but for now, they do everything I want. They are reliable triggering of my strobes. So I order myself a pair through Amazon and get all excited about their arrival. I already had a set of stands, a few umbrellas and a set of hotshoe adapters that fit nicely on my light stands. In my excitement I download the PDF to the PocketWizards and what do I find, Duh!, PocketWizards have a mini mono plug on one side and a male pc on the other. My hot shoe adapters which allowed me to use my ghetto Gadget Infinity triggers with my Nikon SB-600 flashes wouldn't work. So I turn to Strobist for some help. The suggestion there was a cable that was something crazy like $47. Craziness. So I turned to Google - Google knows all.
Google knows flashzebra.com
Google pointed me to flashzebra.com. There I found a nice set of PC to Flash Hotshoe Adapters (Item #0065). These things have a screw adapter on the bottom for my light stand posts, a hot shoe on top and two female PC connectors. Now we are cooking. The best part is these things are only $11 with very reasonable shipping ($3.50). I was very pleased with the service I received from flashzebra.com. The little adapters came nicely packaged, on time with little fuss and even a little note on my invoice thanking me. I appreciated that. So now I don't miss the fact that my SB-600 lack a PC connector. In fact, I would argue that this set-up is even better because there is no cable connecting the flash to the trigger - instead the trigger is connected to the hotshoe. This means I can leave the whole thing connected to the lightstand. If I need to take my flash off during a wedding and go back to on-camera flash it I can easily with just unlocking the flash from the hotshoe.
Also on flashzebra.com is the same thing I had before, a hotshoe with a connector wire, but instead of a male pc connector, this has has a mono mini plug to connect to a pocket wizard. It only costs $17, so price isn't a big deal, but to me, I think having two PC ports has more uses. PC cables are cheap and very versatile. So I'm very happy with the decision I made.
So, moral of this post is if you have a small flash like the Nikon SB-600 and you want to connect a pocket wizard to it, I would suggest you pony up $11 and send it to flashzebra.com. Very cost effective. Simple.
UPDATE: I have since sold my PocketWizards and bought a set of CyberSyncs. Why? Because they are smaller, cheaper and work just as reliably as my PW's. The CyberSyncs work exactly the same as above with the PocketWizards. FWIW.
PocketWizards are as the Strobist stated, are the gold standard for wireless flash triggers. Now just like the US went off the gold standard, these too might not be the end all (***COUGH, RADIOPOPPERS, COUGH***) but for now, they do everything I want. They are reliable triggering of my strobes. So I order myself a pair through Amazon and get all excited about their arrival. I already had a set of stands, a few umbrellas and a set of hotshoe adapters that fit nicely on my light stands. In my excitement I download the PDF to the PocketWizards and what do I find, Duh!, PocketWizards have a mini mono plug on one side and a male pc on the other. My hot shoe adapters which allowed me to use my ghetto Gadget Infinity triggers with my Nikon SB-600 flashes wouldn't work. So I turn to Strobist for some help. The suggestion there was a cable that was something crazy like $47. Craziness. So I turned to Google - Google knows all.
Google knows flashzebra.com
Google pointed me to flashzebra.com. There I found a nice set of PC to Flash Hotshoe Adapters (Item #0065). These things have a screw adapter on the bottom for my light stand posts, a hot shoe on top and two female PC connectors. Now we are cooking. The best part is these things are only $11 with very reasonable shipping ($3.50). I was very pleased with the service I received from flashzebra.com. The little adapters came nicely packaged, on time with little fuss and even a little note on my invoice thanking me. I appreciated that. So now I don't miss the fact that my SB-600 lack a PC connector. In fact, I would argue that this set-up is even better because there is no cable connecting the flash to the trigger - instead the trigger is connected to the hotshoe. This means I can leave the whole thing connected to the lightstand. If I need to take my flash off during a wedding and go back to on-camera flash it I can easily with just unlocking the flash from the hotshoe.
Also on flashzebra.com is the same thing I had before, a hotshoe with a connector wire, but instead of a male pc connector, this has has a mono mini plug to connect to a pocket wizard. It only costs $17, so price isn't a big deal, but to me, I think having two PC ports has more uses. PC cables are cheap and very versatile. So I'm very happy with the decision I made.
So, moral of this post is if you have a small flash like the Nikon SB-600 and you want to connect a pocket wizard to it, I would suggest you pony up $11 and send it to flashzebra.com. Very cost effective. Simple.
UPDATE: I have since sold my PocketWizards and bought a set of CyberSyncs. Why? Because they are smaller, cheaper and work just as reliably as my PW's. The CyberSyncs work exactly the same as above with the PocketWizards. FWIW.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Why I Hate eBay and PayPal
I became a member of eBay October 1, 1999 and I am regretting the decision completely now. I recently went digital and therefore have found myself not needing my film based cameras anymore. Where do you sell cameras? eBay I thought. I have a Nikon N90s that has been a real workhorse for me. So I put it up on eBay and it sells for a good price. I mail it to the high bidder. He writes back claiming there are three deficiencies with the camera 1) That it did not include a cover on the eyepiece, 2) that the multifunction back didn't work because it was flashing, and 3) the camera did not work and was defective. So I write the guy back and say 1) I didn't include the cover because Ive never had one, nor claimed it was included, 2) the multifunction back works, it just needs to be reset, 3) the camera worked fine before I sent it, but if it got damaged in shipping I would be happy to take it back, but he should try putting batteries in it. Well, the buyer didn't like those answers so he just shipped it back to me. When I got it back, I opened it up and put four batteries out of one of my flashes and turned it on. WHOA! It works. Crazy. You put batteries in the thing and it works. Here's the short ending. I asked the guy to accept a refund that was the price he paid minus the shipping. He refused and initiated a chargeback. I got screwed by both eBay and PayPal. I got charged for all the eBay and PayPal fees, plus a chargeback fee, plus I had to sell the item again - so I got hit with eBay and Paypal fees again. Bad luck right? .
So I put it up on eBay again. It sells again, this tile for $50 less than last time. I package it up and send it to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a part of the US right? So, I can use my good old USPS to get it there. Well the package made it as far as Florida and now it seems to be lost again. I have a feeling Im going to get screwed again by eBay and PayPal. I would have been better off throwing the camera in the garbage - I would be money ahead.
So where do I go from here? I guess I find a new place to sell things and a new shipper. We will see if the USPS helps me out. The package has a tracking number and insurance. Oh boy.
Here's the update...
So USPS finally decides that Puerto Rico is a part of the US, Iguess, and the deliver the camera-- beat up box and all. The buyer posts good feedback for me and says the camera looks better than the pictures. I sigh in relief. Next think you know, I get an email saying the cameras autofocus is defective. I ask what kind of lens he has on it. He says an off-brand. I suggest he finds a nikon lens to put on it and see if that doesn't fix it. I heard nothing for a while and then he comes back that the camera must be defective because the autofocus searches. At this point I loose my cool and tell him that I will be happy to give him a refund if he ships the camera back, and how displeased I am because I know the camera worked fine before I shipped it. I am finding those who are buying film cameras right now don't know what they are doing. GRRRRRR. Short of the story is the PayPal dispute that the guy filed gets dismissed because he never replied to my offer to refund his money. But again I get to pay the stupid PayPal dispute fee plus they charge my account the money that may get refunded to the guy. Stupid PayPal/eBay/People that don't know how to use cameras.
So I put it up on eBay again. It sells again, this tile for $50 less than last time. I package it up and send it to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a part of the US right? So, I can use my good old USPS to get it there. Well the package made it as far as Florida and now it seems to be lost again. I have a feeling Im going to get screwed again by eBay and PayPal. I would have been better off throwing the camera in the garbage - I would be money ahead.
So where do I go from here? I guess I find a new place to sell things and a new shipper. We will see if the USPS helps me out. The package has a tracking number and insurance. Oh boy.
Here's the update...
So USPS finally decides that Puerto Rico is a part of the US, Iguess, and the deliver the camera-- beat up box and all. The buyer posts good feedback for me and says the camera looks better than the pictures. I sigh in relief. Next think you know, I get an email saying the cameras autofocus is defective. I ask what kind of lens he has on it. He says an off-brand. I suggest he finds a nikon lens to put on it and see if that doesn't fix it. I heard nothing for a while and then he comes back that the camera must be defective because the autofocus searches. At this point I loose my cool and tell him that I will be happy to give him a refund if he ships the camera back, and how displeased I am because I know the camera worked fine before I shipped it. I am finding those who are buying film cameras right now don't know what they are doing. GRRRRRR. Short of the story is the PayPal dispute that the guy filed gets dismissed because he never replied to my offer to refund his money. But again I get to pay the stupid PayPal dispute fee plus they charge my account the money that may get refunded to the guy. Stupid PayPal/eBay/People that don't know how to use cameras.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Geotagging Photos
So why would you want to geotag your images?
Geotagging is the inserting of GPS cordinates into your photos. The ability to be able to tell when you took an image is great and with almost all digital cameras you can also know how you took the picture (f stop/shutter/iso). With Geotagging you can also know WHERE you took the image. So say you are wandering around Ireland and you tale a picture. A year later when you finally get around to going through your pictures you wish you could remember where the picture was. Ah HA! now you can.
Here's the simpliest ways to get geotagged images:
1. Buy a camera with built in GPS.
Nikon Coolpix P6000 13.5MP Digital Camera
OR
2. Buy a GPS Tracker that connects to your camera
Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Geometr Gps Receiver For Nikon
OR
3. Buy a GPS Tracker and Sync with software
Amod AGL3080 GPS Data Logger
GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr
Helpful Software
Any GPS device that can make a track log can be used to geotag photos. It takes syncing the clocks on the GPS and the camera and then finding a program that can merge the two. I personally use Downloader Pro 2.2 ($3o) and think this is the greatest tool for the job. It is simple and effective. Geotagging is very easy in Downloader Pro though it takes a little forethought. You have to download the tracklog from the GPS unit and then tell Downloader Pro where that file is. Then you can downlod your images. It really is rather slick and because I like to use Downloader Pro anyway its a nice added bonus.
Microsoft Pro Photo Tools 2 (Free) is a free program that like Downloader Pro can geotag your images automatically for you based on a track log you provide to the program.
Geotagging is the inserting of GPS cordinates into your photos. The ability to be able to tell when you took an image is great and with almost all digital cameras you can also know how you took the picture (f stop/shutter/iso). With Geotagging you can also know WHERE you took the image. So say you are wandering around Ireland and you tale a picture. A year later when you finally get around to going through your pictures you wish you could remember where the picture was. Ah HA! now you can.
Here's the simpliest ways to get geotagged images:
1. Buy a camera with built in GPS.
Nikon Coolpix P6000 13.5MP Digital Camera
OR
2. Buy a GPS Tracker that connects to your camera
Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Geometr Gps Receiver For Nikon
OR
3. Buy a GPS Tracker and Sync with software
Amod AGL3080 GPS Data Logger
GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr
Helpful Software
Any GPS device that can make a track log can be used to geotag photos. It takes syncing the clocks on the GPS and the camera and then finding a program that can merge the two. I personally use Downloader Pro 2.2 ($3o) and think this is the greatest tool for the job. It is simple and effective. Geotagging is very easy in Downloader Pro though it takes a little forethought. You have to download the tracklog from the GPS unit and then tell Downloader Pro where that file is. Then you can downlod your images. It really is rather slick and because I like to use Downloader Pro anyway its a nice added bonus.
Microsoft Pro Photo Tools 2 (Free) is a free program that like Downloader Pro can geotag your images automatically for you based on a track log you provide to the program.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Upline Falls - Mozy Still loves you
I am still a big fan of Mozy. I think their service is just A'OK. Speedy and reliable. What more do you want in a backup service.
If you have felt the wrath of Upline's downfall, or you just want to save a bit of extra dough on Mozy, they have a 25% off coupon right now for a yearly subscription. You can almost always find a 10% coupon, but 25% is something better. The 25% off coupon is short though - one week. The 25% off coupon code is UPLINE. It expires on May 1, 2008.
Mozy can help you avoid taking a million Pulitzer quality images only to have your hard drive die, or worse yet stolen. Mozy quietly sits in the background and uploads your images securely to a far away land to be held in trust until you need them. It's digital insurance if you will.
A yearly Mozy account would normally cost you about $55. But with the coupon UPLINE it will only cost you about $40. Cheap protection. Just for your information, the total Internet crash that I reported on a while ago was a joke.
If you have felt the wrath of Upline's downfall, or you just want to save a bit of extra dough on Mozy, they have a 25% off coupon right now for a yearly subscription. You can almost always find a 10% coupon, but 25% is something better. The 25% off coupon is short though - one week. The 25% off coupon code is UPLINE. It expires on May 1, 2008.
Mozy can help you avoid taking a million Pulitzer quality images only to have your hard drive die, or worse yet stolen. Mozy quietly sits in the background and uploads your images securely to a far away land to be held in trust until you need them. It's digital insurance if you will.
A yearly Mozy account would normally cost you about $55. But with the coupon UPLINE it will only cost you about $40. Cheap protection. Just for your information, the total Internet crash that I reported on a while ago was a joke.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Keep Your Gear Dry :: Eva-Dry Mini Dehumidifier Review
Here's a little toy that should find its way into every camera bag: the Eva-Dry Mini Dehumidifier. This little device is full of water hungry crystals that will help keep your gear dry, and mold free. This is a must if you are going from hot to cold or cold to hot a lot. It will pull moisture from the air in your bag and around your gear. Clever. At $17 its a no brainer.
Order Eva-Dry From Amazon
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