Yet another magazine is under crticism regarding a retouched photo that appeared on the cover of Parenting and Pregnancy in the UK. Guess the fat rolls were too distracting?
To see the full story:
Gasp! Babies’ fat rolls being airbrushed away?
Seth Godin writes on his blog:
“The reason they want you to fit in is that once you do, they can ignore you.”
So don’t fit in, be different, create unique art. If you do that “they” surely cannot ignore you!
The “unique” work above is Carhenge which is in a farmer’s field just outside of Alliance, Nebraska. It is often listed on the top unusual roadside attractions to visit. Although it is hundreds of miles from most tourist exhibits it attracts thousands of people a year. It is a full scale replica of Stonehenge in England, except that it is made of cars.
Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 70mm, f/8 1/640 sec.
Over the Sea of Grass
When I was a young lad I had a 35mm Kodak camera that I had won at a contest in Montana. About once a year my family and I would go on a trip, usually to a national park and I would be sure to pack the camera. I would take several rolls of film and I would ultimately end up exposing most of it in the first couple of days and then I would have to ration the rest for the remainder. During the time I was scurrying up on rocks and running up to lake shores to snap a quick photo, I had no idea that one day that would turn into something greater. My only goal in those days was to capture the beauty around me so that I could be reminded of it later.
As time has progressed, so has my equipment. During college I used a completely manual Pentax K-1000 to capture almost solely black and white images. I did quite a bit of dark room work in those days, rolling and exposing my own film, and creating prints until the dead of night with only a singular red light for illumination. I learned of different lenses, apertures, and shutter speeds. I first used a tripod and a medium format camera. Needless to say, the quick point and shooting slowly morphed into more deliberate, careful shooting, I had become a “serious” photographer. Besides, now I had a grade depending on it.
Under the Skies of Fall
Over the weekend, I was setup at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge’s “Art of the Wild” show near Missouri Valley, Iowa. I want to thank everyone who stopped by and saw all the artists’ great work. It was so nice to visit with everyone and I had some great conversations. I look forward to attending again next year.
Additionally, I did get a couple of opportunities to grab a couple of new images. This particular image was taken in the parking lot with a leaf that I found on the ground. The sky was so beautiful I had to capture it in the background. The contrasting colors work well with this centrist composition.
Technical Details:
Canon G10, 6.1mm, f/3.5
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa Side
This photograph can be viewed on my website at: Under the Skies of Fall - An Autumn Leaf Against a Blue Fall Sky
I have to admit, I was pretty pumped when Canon announced the 7D a couple of months ago. On paper, it appeared to have many features that people wanted. If one was to review my announcement from that day, it would appear that I whole-heartedly endorsed this camera. Now that the camera has made it into hands that would test the practicality of this camera, though, the buzz around the ‘net has been, well, disappointing. Unfortunately, I do not have the money, nor the time right now to test such a beast, but the links below will direct you to other reviewers and what their opinions and thoughts are. Only you can know if a camera is right for you… but I always like a little guidance before I shell out $1,700.
The reviews are in the order in which I recommend reading them.
Darwin’s Review - Real life test with 3(!) different models
If you decide that this camera is right for you, they are available at Amazon.
Myth: More megapixels will always lead to a sharper enlarged image.
This is without a doubt the greatest myth perpetuated by the camera industry today. Marketing tells us more megapixels=better camera. Back in the film days there were only a few choices, 35mm, 4×5, 8×10, 110, etc. In those days, (with a few exceptions, of course) the film size DID dictate how far an enlargement could be taken. I remember years ago taking my 35mm black and white film that I had developed in the dark room and making test strips, then enlarging it to 6×9 and then to 11×14. The sharpness of the image would begin to break down around that point. The three main things I had to remember in achieveing the sharpest, largest prints in those days was 1: Shoot big film. 2: Proper focus when taking the photograph and 3: A grain finder. For those of you who don’t know what a grain finder is, well, let’s just say its the equivalent of 100% zoom in Photoshop.
So, if larger film led to sharper, larger enlargements, shouldn’t more megapixels do the same thing? I mean after all all those technical sites speak about resolving power and lines per inch and its always better bigger - right?
Well, the answer is somewhat elusive and lies in three basic parts.
Occasionally, I receive some great shopping tips from some my friend Jayson. Unfortunately, I cannot always take advantage, but I do pass the better ones along. Yesterday he sent me this a deal at Adorama, a 3 pack of 8 GB SanDisk Extreme III CompactFlash cards for $70 after rebate. Not a bad catch. To stock up visit http://www.adorama.com/IDSCFE38G33X.html.
This is the time of year that migrating birds of all sorts make their way south for their yearly sojourn. Since most things are losing their color and going to earthy muddy tones, I like to take the opportunity to see some colorful, beautiful birds. This graceful Blue Heron is a prime example of some of the birds that make their way through this part of the country.
Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa Side
This photograph can be viewed on my website at: Graceful Glide - A Blue Heron Glides Effortlessly Through the Air
Technical Details: Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 180mm, f/4, 1/400 sec.
So, once again I had the chance to photograph a couple of stellar subjects, little McCoy and little Tommy. These photos are from two different shoots, but both little guys decided that eating leaves was for them! Needless to say this activity did not continue for too long as both mommies made sure they saved room for dinner.
On a technical note, some may notice that I use an original Canon 5d for these photographs. While the 5d Mark II also does a spectacular job, I have found that this camera really works for me for portraits. The file size is perfect since I really don’t need 21 megapixels for these images. I liked it so much that when my 5d wouldn’t power on, I had to send it away for repair quickly since I knew these photo shoots were coming up.
Anyway, here are a few of my favorites!
Technical Details: Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 126mm, f/4.5, 1/200 sec.
Technical Details: Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 200mm, f/4.5, 1/640 sec.
Technical Details: Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 140mm, f/5, 1/500 sec.
This is an image of the same tree from Autumnal Brillance, close to sunset with the sun low in the sky. The leaves were completely gone in a matter of days after this photograph was captured.
Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/16, 1/60 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa Side
This photograph can be viewed on my website at: Fall’s Final Curtain Call - A maple tree bursts forth into glorious autumn colors.