MooseNewsBlog

Lenscoat has some cool new protection for our gear just in time for summer travels with TSA. Their new BodyBag Pro is cool because it really takes up no room yet provides a barrier between your camera body and the outside world (the body is faded in above so you can see how easily and custom the BodyBag Pro fits a D3). You can even use this with the body attached to a neckstrap. The FlashKeeper does the same thing for your flash unit while providing an extra compartment for batteries or gels. It easily holds the SB-800 with the 5th battery chamber attached. And the BeamerKeeper is super for holding the Better Beamer. I rely on all of these products to protect my gear when I’m flying and when it’s being shipped in the Pelican to locations. It’s never let me down!

It’s here! We’re quite happy to tell the world (well sort of, it’s in our current BTJ) about our latest photopack, the MP-7. In my mind, I call it the Joe McNally pack because it can easily carry 4 SB-800s and all the other gear I’ve seen my hero take out when he works his magic. To learn more and to place your order, head here. The majority of our first shipment is already gone, so new orders might not be shipped for two-three weeks. But it’s well worth the wait. This is the photopack I was carrying around Photoshop World a couple of weeks ago that many were asking about.

As the sun was getting ready to set, we were driving back from dinner and there was spring! This grand old Valley Oak has been a favorite of mine for decades, photographed it many times over the years. Tonight, it just had that look of spring with the new greens popping out unlike just a couple of days ago. So, parked the truck and off I ran.

I finally found some green in the Central Valley and then what do I go and do….

yeap, I like it better as a B&W! Go figure. I guess the rash slowly growing up my leg and driving me nuts is what I get for thinking B&W for a spring image (and wearing short pants running through a field).

Photo captured by D3, 14-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

That has been a common question in the last few days. Actually, it’s something I’ve been trying to photograph for 21yrs, only got it once and that was back in 2000. This was my view, what I stared at for nine hours yesterday (while sitting in the heat and dodging dust devils). These are the baked hills of CA’s Central Valley and no matter what I try in Photoshop, they ain’t going to look good, so I made the photo look old.

And we knew the subject was there, we’d tracked the family right to the den. In fact twice I saw a couple of ears, eyes and nose. But I never got the shot I was after.

But what I was after were Fuzzheads. Now, if you don’t know what that is, I suggest it being Earth Day, you do a little web searching and find it out (you don’t have to email me the answer). Hopefully in June I’ll be back with them and even though they are no longer fuzzheads, I just love working with them!

I should add that if I got skunked with the fuzzheads, I’d do some wildflower photography. Hah! That’s dried wildflower photography.

Nikon has posted correcting firmware for the D3.

This is my first blog using the iPhone, now that’s a challenge. It’s all I have with me in the blind. Technology is amazing!

Back when I was in school in the ’70s, there use to be a book called American Showcase that was published yearly. It was a place where commercial shooters of the day would buy a page or 3 or 5 and showcase their best work in the hopes of finding new clients. There were always cool shots of oil storage fields that I just loved, admired and wanted. They were usually shot at highnoon with the tanks looking like high polished aluminum and the ladder’s shadow painted in with ink.

On the way back in last night I saw these tanks. The late afternoon light grabbed my attention but I couldn’t stop to make anything of the opportunity. Tonight, I made a point to stop. So, I jumped out and handholding the 600VR, I shot for about 10min until I got what I desired. I’ve always wanted shots like this. Now I’ve finally got a cool start to them.

And yes, I was skunked again today.

Photos captured by D3, 600VR w/1.7x on Lexar UDMA digital film

Drove five hours (it was snowing when we left the house) and put in our time at the spot the biologists had emailed me about yesterday. What you see above is what I have to show for my time. Zip!

Why am I blogging zip? This is just as much a part of my success as an actual image. Wildlife is just that, wild life and it does whatever it wants to do whether I’m sitting there waiting or not. Coming back with nothing is simply part of the game.

And tomorrow, I’ll be in place before the sun comes up and waiting there until the sun sets. If things go my way, I’ll be spending my time tomorrow night going through images rather than blogging. If not, well, I’ll be looking at the same thing, an empty flash card. Either way, I’m still ahead of the game.

It’s been one heck of Monday and I’ve been stuck at my desk the whole entire day. That’s the way it goes when you run a business that’s successful. Knowing how I just hate four walls, when we built our office, I designed it so I can literally sit at my desk and turn right and work at my desk, turn left and shoot. The 600VR sits set up right at my desk, it’s purty schweet and a huge relief valve from sitting at my desk!

Well, about 10 days ago, our Stellar Jays returned and they just now are starting to take on their great looks for nesting season. We’ve got around 20 in the yard right now, vying for territories and get fattened on our seed (they go through about 20lbs of seed a day). They wait in line for the feeders there are so many. In the late evening, this one perch has just the most subtle of light this time of year, so the lens is focused on that perch waiting for a subject. Typically, when the Band-tailed Pigeons are feeding, the jays stack up and hold still for a moment so I can get a shot off. Shooting at 1/30, their holding still is important.

I just love the background. I move the lens ever so slightly to rim the bird by lit pine needles way off in the background. No, I don’t like the foot being cut off but I’m not going to delete the photo because of that. The power of the eye overrides the missing foot. Of course, now that I’ve brought your attention to it, you’ll have to decide if you like it.

Photo captured by D3, 600VR w/1.7x on Lexar UDMA digital film

So, we’ve got these gorgeous *^+%#@# lillies in the house. They’ve been driving my nose to the extreme of sneezing explosions. But they are gorgeous, and they just won’t die! So, it occurred to me that I should get even in my own unique way, I’d shoot them bastards!

The lighting is a very simple two flash set up. On the lens (105VR) is a single R1C1 flash unit (the SB-R200) with a second R1C1 flash on a C Stand holding it right behind the petals. And this is what I came up with.

My bad luck, after shooting them, they are still gorgeous (didn’t even have to do anything in post) and still they live so back they go to the living room to continue on tickling my nose.

Photos captured by D3 (firmware 1.10), 105VR, 2 SB-R200 flashes on Lexar UDMA digital film

Termination of D3 Digital-SLR Camera Firmware Ver. 1.10 Download

On April 15, 2008, an announcement was made on the Nikon website that the Ver. 1.10 firmware update for the D3 digital-SLR camera was available for download. However, it has been confirmed that when the following settings are applied with the updated firmware, image data may, in some rare cases, be corrupted. Therefore, we have terminated the firmware update download. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused.

Release mode: Continuous high speed (CH), or Continuous low speed (CL) with Custom Setting d2 set to 9 fps

Image area: FX format (36×24) or 5:4 (30×24)

Image quality: NEF (RAW) or NEF (RAW) + JPEG fine/normal/basic

NEF (RAW) recording>NEF (RAW) bit depth: 14-bit

*The issue related to NEF (RAW) recording>NEF (RAW) bit depth may occur regardless of the option selected for NEF (RAW) recording>Type (Lossless compressed, Compressed, or Uncompressed).

If you have downloaded the D3 Ver. 1.10 firmware update but have not yet updated the camera’s firmware, please do NOT perform the update. If you have already updated the D3 firmware, please do not shoot with the combination of settings indicated above. This issue does not occur with other combinations of camera settings (for example, when NEF (RAW) bit depth is set to 12-bit, or when shooting in continuous low speed (CL) release mode with Custom Setting d2 set to 8 fps or lower.)

The download version of the revised firmware update is expected to be available in late April. For more information regarding this matter, please contact Nikon Customer Support.

Again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused. We hope that you will continue to choose Nikon for your photography needs.

Heyya…Nikon just posted a firmware update for the D3, here’s the link for both platforms. Here’s the IB PDF of the updates.

04.17AM: Despite my pleases of no emails in regards to the firmware, I’ve been flooded especially in regards to the always faithful internet rumors. I have loaded the firmware update into the 3 D3s I have and found no issues, the D3s work just perfectly. I like being able to make the AF sensor indicator brighter and with my latest project, having the AF Illuminator work with all focal lengths is a HUGE help. But please, don’t send me more examples of your issues, I don’t run a repair shop, I don’t write the firmware and I have no ability to fix it. If you feel you have a problem, I highly recommend you contact Nikon. Thanks!

04.17PM: It seems the saga continues and the mystery deepens. Rob G just posted this, it appears there are many plagued by the mysterious D3 Ghost. Rob G is saying you might want to hold off on installing the new firmware. I’ve yet to get my D3s to create the ghost, so there is something going on in either the installation or a combo of settings not yet determined either causing or not causing the problem.

That’s right DLWS is heading to Hawaii, the island of Kauai to be exact. 08-11 March, 2009 you’ll find the DLWS staff (and hopefully you too!) at the gorgeous Hilton Kauai Beach Resort making beautiful images. If you need more info, head here, or simply CALL NOW!

Those of you who already expressed a desire to join us, we’re holding your spot for a week before releasing it. Two of you have already made the call so spots are going fast.

PS…this is SO special, we have the special DLWS room rate for our folks starting four days prior and extending to four days after. Schweeet!