What did you do this summer? I hope is was something truly grand and you photographed so you can share it with others. I’m going to be sharing three of our summer adventures this coming week in Las Vegas.
I’ll talk about chasing tornadoes in the midwest to the high speed thrill of the Reno Air Race school
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And of course, my passion with Grizzly Bears
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I’ll be doing a couple of presentations in the Nikon Theater which includes these stories as well as NX2 demos. You can hear these stories by stopping my the Nikon Theater at Photoshop World. What’s so cool, it’s FREE! That’s right, click here to get your free pass into the trade show floor where the Nikon Theater will be set up.Then just sit yourself down and I’ll do my best to entertain, enthrall and of course, tug at your heartstrings.
I don’t know if you noticed, but Vincent posted on his blog these cools images that make the subject appear to be a “minature” model scene. I’d seen some of his other images along with those taken by others with the same look in the past and enjoyed them but never tried it myself.
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Out shooting with Luke today, I was able to play a little as I start to explore this new technique (new to my camera) for some shooting coming up this fall. Since there is nothing easily found on the web on this technique, I was starting from scratch (what I found involved PS and I wanted an “all in camera technique”).
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While I got a couple of photos today that I like, the vast majority, well, ain’t fit for the public. I did learn a number of things that don’t work and two things that do. I hope to start changing that percentage and when I do, I’ll share what I’ve learned.
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One thing is for sure, this technique which is all done in camera, could easily become a gimmick like always shooting with a fisheye if it’s not explored for it own unique potential in very specialized situations.
Photos captured by D700, 24PC on Lexar UDMA digital film
As you probably know by now, Nikon introduced the D90. What you might not be aware of that it can do GeoTagging. Adding GPS to a camera is nothing new to the Mooster. What you might not be aware of that Nikon is now in the GPS business. What you see above is the GP-1. It works on the D3, D700, D300, D200 and D90. I ain’t got one yet, but I’m going to real soon. When I do, I’ll let you know all about it.
This guy is hot! I’m not talking about the D90 because I’ve not seen one, but rather Chase and his video machine. He sure makes you want one; looks like one helluva a lot of fun!
While Chase Jarvis isn’t on the radar screen for most wildlife / landscape photographers, he should be because the guy is good, real good! I personally don’t know him but I am a big fan of his work and bigger fan of his videos. Check em out like this one or this one, you’ll enjoy.
Update: Something many shooters don’t think about since they are not in the business Vincent talks about in regards to the D90. Give it a gander!
When it comes to charging the ol’ creative batteries, I don’t know of a better event then Photoshop World. This will be my 11th PSW and I get more and more excited each and every time I go (I won’t mention the butterflies from presenting).
Now there’s one hell of a lot of things to do, see and learn at PSW. I’m lucky, I have Sharon, Kathy, Julie, Kristen and oh yeah Scott planning my time for me. You’re probably not as fortunate so that gracious Canadian Dave Cross has created this very simple PDF planner. You use it prior to PSW and it helps you be in the right place and the right time to learn the right thing.
Now of course being MooseNewsBlog fans, the first classes you’ll look for are those from your’s truly. Please come by the the NAPP Photo Safari (with my good friend Joe McNally), classes, Art of Digital, Nikon Theater or just passing by on the floor and say hello. Because truly, that is the best part of PSW.
OK, I’ve been delving more and more into the SB-900 because it’s just too cool a toy tool not to speed up the mastering program. I’ve come up with a couple pieces of trivia to pass along.
*When in the Center-weighted lighting pattern, the maximum zoom is 135mm and not 200mm.
*The SB-900 has a Thermal Cut-out that prevents the SB-900 from blowing a tube from overheating. If turned on, the thermometer on the back LCD will actually raise as the temperature of the tube rises. Now interesting enough, I learned about this feature via my good friend Joe McNally (check out his latest blog). How would he know about that feature already..hum?
*The SB-900 is not gentle on batteries but does work with the SD-8a which is good since you can’t find the SB-9 yet. It does recycle mighty fast on its own.
*The SB-900 has a My Menu and it works just like the My Menu on the D3/D700. This is really cool. I have Illumination Pattern, M Zoom, AF Illuminator, Stby, Sound, in My Menu so far.
*The SB-900 has a low battery indicator that works and when it comes on, the flash goes off.
As more trivia flashes (get it?), I’ll be sure to pass it along.
I know, I wasn’t a big iPhone fan when they were first introduced but when my cellphone battery died, I was in the market. Brad seeing a weakness taunted me with his iPhone and all the cool things, business cool things it can do. From the planes I’ve NOT missed to finding Cold Stone ice cream, I find the iPhone an essential tool that I can’t live without.
I’m always on the lookout for new apps for the iPhone that will just make it better. I’m always on Terry’s blog because he’s a bigger gadgethead then me. I also cruise the App Store and I just found this app, PhotoCalc that I wanted to pass along to you. You can see just a couple of screens above, the Sunrise & Sunset is killer. If you have an iPhone, head to the app store and check it out.
With Fay safely moving away and hurricane season coming to an end, we think it’s safe to set our spring Base Camp. It will be based out of Ft Myers, FL (16-20, Feb ‘09) and its photographic focus will be birds like those on Sanibel Island, Ft Myers Beach, Venice Rookery and Corkscrew Swamp. Some folks were so excited to join us, they registered before we even had a confirmed location or dates so there are only 5 spots available.
The photo above of a Roseatte Spoonbill was taken earlier this spring in FL, St Pete to be exact and is an example of the great bird photography Florida offers. You can see more examples in the current issue of the BT Journal (as well as a 12pg article on the subject) and if that wasn’t enough, you can watch the photography unfold in our newly posted Bird Photography video. Dang, all this bird photography talk gets me all hot to shoot and right now. Gotta go!
Photo captured by D3, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
As some of you know, I’ve been making some online classes with the very creative (often times wacky) folks at Kelby Training. The first two on Landscape Photography have been incredibly popular with many folks greeting me with my familiar Howdy after watching them. Well, I’m quite excited to blog that the one I’ve been waiting for is up and ready for you.
Filmed in Florida, our Bird Photography online class is posted and here’s the link to it. This hour+ long class provides you with the ground work to photographing birds. Following the link you can see all that is discussed in the class. I hope you enjoy it and it helps you get more out of your bird photography.
The photos above are from the filming of our Landscape Classes in MT and Birds in Florida. I want you to note the extent we go to make the best possible classes. You can see our son Jakeunder the bridge with the sound mic and me out in water at North Beach. I don’t want your to think for one moment we were having any fun, it was all serious, challenging, arduous and dangerous work! And in that grand tradition, we’re heading to Yellowstone this fall to film the next class. Check out the new class and stay tuned.
Ever had your mom or wife (or dad or husband) tell you, “That’s a great photo, you should sell it and become a professional?” Did you just shrug it off and think it’s not possible? Got an Epson printer sitting in your office/home and the prints coming from it just don’t match what you see on the monitor? Ever have a great set of images and killer story that goes with them you wanted to see published but just didn’t know how to make that happen? Got digital images here, there and everywhere and you just want to learn how to organize and protect them? Now YOU can do something about it!
Nov 20-23, 2008 RC Concepcion (the genius behind the Moose Gallery and so much more) and myself (that would be Moose) will be your instructors at our first You Can Do It Too workshop (held in our office/home). RC and I will bring 60yrs of photographic marketing and web expertise and put it in your hands. Everything from taking the photo, finishing the photo, finding the photobuyer, creating your blog and website to creating the perfect print, we will explode your head and send your heart into palpitations with all we have in store for you!
We’ll thoroughly go through all this and a whole heck of a lot more. You’ll be required to bring your camera gear, notebook, 30 images to project and share with the group, an article you wrote containing 1500 words and 10 additional images to illustrate it. And, you’ll need a LARGE notepad to write down all you learn. You will be shooting, finishing and preparing to make your photography pay for your passion. To register (only taking 8 and it’s already half filled) call 760.924.8632 (M-F, 9-5PST). If you need more info, this is not the right photographic experience for you. $895 for instruction only. Oh yeah, come rested, you’re in for LONG days!
08.25.08 – the workshop is full and we’re now taking a waiting list. With the huge response we’ve received, RC and I are planning the next one.
Jake & I headed out this morning after reports of “ten of thousands of phalaropes” coming in o Mono Lake. With August being a slow wildlife month, this fall ritual is cool to pass up so 05:30 finds us at the lake. And what did we find? Five phalaropes way, way, way out in the lake. So over to “The Ponds” we went to see what we could scare up. In the first two ponds, all we found were lots of immature American Coots (I just love trying to make them look good). Ok, since that’s all we had, we stayed and played.
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This Marsh Wren picked a fight with its neighbor which meant they climbed as high as they could on the cattails and sang their hearts out. But the surprises didn’t stop there, oh no!
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This Virgina Rail and its FOUR young (the little black blobs) appreared. No this is no way the photo of the century but they are a rare bird in our backyard. They are rare for me to get in the viewfinder I know, this was the first digital images I’ve taken of them. I’ve not photographed them since 1997!
It seems that no matter how “bad” the shooting looks when you first set up the lens, you just never know what mother nature is going to drop in your lap. While you might not come home with “the” shot(s), getting out is a good thing!
Photos captued by D3, 600VR, TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film
It’s testing time and the test subject is a juvenile White-headed Woodpecker (above is the with and without flash). Here’s the deal, I’ve just not got this new SB-900 dialed in for flash fill for bird photography. Flash is not flash is not flash especially when it comes to birds. In bird photography, we don’t have the luxury of telling our subject to hold still, adjust lights, take a bunch of exposures to perfect the exposure. It’s generally real basic, 1 flash over the lens barrel and either flash fill or flash main light (yes, there are special cases where this is not the case)
So, I’ve been out testing the SB-900 with my standard rig using the 600VR, SB-900 & SD-8a. The testing involves changing the lighting patten of the SB-900 from Standard, Center-weighted and Even. The first thing I’ve run into that I’ve not solved is the exposure compensation I used with the SB-800 doesn’t directly work with the SB-900 except in Standard. The photo above was taken with the SB-900 set to Even so the compensation was set in the SB-900 to -1 2/3 stop iTTL where in the SB-800 it would be -2/3 stop (zoom head was set to 135mm, no Better Beamer used).
I ~really~ like the light quality coming from the SB-900 but more testing is required before it’s an integral and intuitive part of my bird photography.
Photo captured by D3, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film
