Monday, January 12, 2009
Quick Links
Fish Eye View: (or it looks to me more like Shark Eye View! Vincent Laforet's blog has some footage of the RED One and Panasonic HVX200 in the water filming Jamie O'Brien surfing. This is a pretty cool clip, music by Beck.
Lighting Essentials: Working on the edge of Natural Light
DP Review reoprts that Canon has released updated firmware for the EOS 5D Mk II. Firmware v1.0.7 addresses the 'black dot' and vertical banding issues experienced by users of firmware 1.0.6. The latest version can be downloaded from Canon's website. The company also asks users to update their DPP and Picture Style Editor software. Details here.
The Online Photographer- Digital vs. Film for Large Prints - via Forward 5 TV.
Luminous Landscape - Sony A900 vs. the Canon 5D Mk II
Strobist - How to choose an umbrella
Party!
Yesterday we celebrated my Nephew's 1st birthday. I have a couple of shots to share with you. These were all taken either with on camera pop-up flash or hand held without flash at very slow shutter speeds.
I know Dave Hobby at the Strobist would be appalled at the lack of off camera lighting, but there were about 10 of us in a dark restaurant so I did what I could do.
I don't have any off camera equipment yet, but I do have a strobist 2 light kit I ordered from Midwest Photo Exchange that is supposed to arrive today - so hopefully in the future I can do better.
With Daddy.With flash, 1/60 Second at f5.6, 400 ISO.
Hey that's my cake! With flash, F4.5, 1/60, ISO 400
With mom and dad!ISO 400, 1/30 second at f3.5
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Project: eee PC Remote Capture -Part 3
Well, I am making some progress on the eee PC remote capture project. (See Part 1 and Part 2 here) I succeeded in configuring the eee PC with eeebuntu.
Screenshot of eeebuntu
The eee PC doesn't have a CD drive from which to run the Linux installation disk (iso). So, I had to copy the iso to a bootable USB flash drive and run the installation from there. I was afraid this was going to be a hassle requiring me to find, download,and run Linux based formatting and partitioning software, but it as it turned out is was super easy.
I downloaded the iso from eeebuntu.org . They have 3 versions available for download. Standard, Netbook, and Base. I chose Netbook and it was about a 900 meg download. Liliputing has an excellent guide to creating an eeebuntu iso on a USB flash drive and a link to UNetbootin at sourceforge, which is a general iso creation utility . UNetbootin truly did all the work. Just click the buttons as outlined by the Liliputin guide and UNetbootin does the rest.
Screenshot of UNetbootin
The whole process after downloading the iso from eeebuntu.org took about a half an hour including updating gphoto2 and related programs that I hope to be using for the remote capture. Unfortunately my experience with gphoto2 has not been as smooth. I will outline some of my difficulties next time, and hopefully by then i will have solutions to the problems I am experiencing.
As always, wish me luck.
Screenshot of eeebuntu
The eee PC doesn't have a CD drive from which to run the Linux installation disk (iso). So, I had to copy the iso to a bootable USB flash drive and run the installation from there. I was afraid this was going to be a hassle requiring me to find, download,and run Linux based formatting and partitioning software, but it as it turned out is was super easy.
I downloaded the iso from eeebuntu.org . They have 3 versions available for download. Standard, Netbook, and Base. I chose Netbook and it was about a 900 meg download. Liliputing has an excellent guide to creating an eeebuntu iso on a USB flash drive and a link to UNetbootin at sourceforge, which is a general iso creation utility . UNetbootin truly did all the work. Just click the buttons as outlined by the Liliputin guide and UNetbootin does the rest.
Screenshot of UNetbootin
The whole process after downloading the iso from eeebuntu.org took about a half an hour including updating gphoto2 and related programs that I hope to be using for the remote capture. Unfortunately my experience with gphoto2 has not been as smooth. I will outline some of my difficulties next time, and hopefully by then i will have solutions to the problems I am experiencing.
As always, wish me luck.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Proofing with Portable DVD Player
David Tejeda has a video on his blog showing how he shoots tethered to a portable DVD player and is able to "proof" the shots on the DVD screen. He indicates that it not only helps him but also allows clients to see the shots as they happen which seems to help the relax. View the video here.
I may have to try this with a portable DVD player we bought recently.
I may have to try this with a portable DVD player we bought recently.
Project: Remote Capture (Part 2)
As I noted yesterday, I am working on a project setting up remote capture for my Canon 20D on my Asus eee PC using Linux freeware. Based on initial research, I will be jumping through quite a few hoops to get this project up and running.
However, for those of you with a lap top computer running Windows or Apple OS X, there are a few easier options.
Note that Canon includes a remote capture utility in the EOS Utility software with their DSLRs and Powershot models. The software is available here as well.
I have heard mixed reviews on the Canon software, so I guess I will have to try it for myself on my wife's laptop or from my desk top to assess how it performs vs. my Linux solution.
Nikon publishes Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 software that apparently works well with Nikon cameras but they do not provide it with the camera and it must be purchased separately. It is available from Amazon for about $160. Appears to be both Windows and Apple compatible.
Another commercial option (PC only) is DSLR Remote Pro by Breeze Systems - $95.00, works with Windows Vista or XP, works with all Canon DSLRs including such oldies as the D30, D60 and the original Digital Rebel (300D), and there are versions for Nikon 300D, Nikon D90 plus preliminary support for Nikon D700 and Nikon D3, and another for Canon Powershot cameras. This product has good reviews and there is a free 15 day free trial available for download.
However, for those of you with a lap top computer running Windows or Apple OS X, there are a few easier options.
Note that Canon includes a remote capture utility in the EOS Utility software with their DSLRs and Powershot models. The software is available here as well.
I have heard mixed reviews on the Canon software, so I guess I will have to try it for myself on my wife's laptop or from my desk top to assess how it performs vs. my Linux solution.
Nikon publishes Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 software that apparently works well with Nikon cameras but they do not provide it with the camera and it must be purchased separately. It is available from Amazon for about $160. Appears to be both Windows and Apple compatible.
Another commercial option (PC only) is DSLR Remote Pro by Breeze Systems - $95.00, works with Windows Vista or XP, works with all Canon DSLRs including such oldies as the D30, D60 and the original Digital Rebel (300D), and there are versions for Nikon 300D, Nikon D90 plus preliminary support for Nikon D700 and Nikon D3, and another for Canon Powershot cameras. This product has good reviews and there is a free 15 day free trial available for download.
Sites I Like: Ryan Brenizer
Blogger Ryan Brenizer has a nice photo blog going on Amazon. A couple of posts in particular caught my eye. They involve using photo stitching software to create pictures like that below - shallow depth of field with wide angle coverage. To my eye this picture below reminds me of tilt shift photography.
He also has some shots of people using the same technique.
Look at his entry Stitch yourself a thinner depth-of-field .
From his post "This is the Poulnabrone Dolmen in Ireland. It's a tomb, and large enough for men to fit comfortable inside. Normally to get a thin depth-of-field around something so large, you'd have to stand way back and use a super-telephoto lens, which wouldn't give you the perspective of the surrounding countryside. Is there a way, I asked myself, to use a telephoto lens on a large object and not have to stand far away? You bet there is: panorama stitching."
Ryan also has a video showing the process posted here under the title of Video: How to shoot a panorama quickly and easily Warning - the audio on his video post is horrendous, but you can see how he does this technique.
He also has some shots of people using the same technique.
Look at his entry Stitch yourself a thinner depth-of-field .
From his post "This is the Poulnabrone Dolmen in Ireland. It's a tomb, and large enough for men to fit comfortable inside. Normally to get a thin depth-of-field around something so large, you'd have to stand way back and use a super-telephoto lens, which wouldn't give you the perspective of the surrounding countryside. Is there a way, I asked myself, to use a telephoto lens on a large object and not have to stand far away? You bet there is: panorama stitching."
Ryan also has a video showing the process posted here under the title of Video: How to shoot a panorama quickly and easily Warning - the audio on his video post is horrendous, but you can see how he does this technique.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Project: eee PC Remote Capture
Remote Capture is the process of using a computer or other device to control your camera. My main camera is a Canon 20D, and it came with bundled software, known oddly enough as Remote Capture, that can control the 20D (as well as many other Canon cameras) from a PC.
Unfortunately, I do not have a lap top running windows that I can use to run the software. I do have an eee pc though. Have you heard of the eee pc? It is a small netbook made by Asus that was released in 2007. It is like a small laptop computer, with small (7 inch) lcd screen and a full, but small, qwerty keyboard. The fact that it is small would make it a great remote capture device and also while the screen is small, it absolutely dwarfs the screen on the 20D. I am hoping that the eee pc can be configured to display each photo as they are shot and also scroll through the images on the camera.
The eee pc runs a scaled down version of Linux made especially for the eee pc. Canon's remote capture program won't work on it so I am looking for other solutions.
There are Linux programs available that should do the trick - specifically gphoto2 with gtkam front end. The only problem was that I couldn't get them to run on my eee pc using the current operating system.
My current idea is to install eeebuntu Linux (this is a special version of the popular Linux distro Ubuntu made especially for the eee pc). I am leaning toward eeebuntu because I run the full ubuntu distro on my desktop pc and I like it. Ubuntu tends to be easier to install programs on then the default eee pc Xandros Linux, and I understand that gphoto2 and gtkam will work with Ubuntu.
So over the next few weeks I will try to find some time to complete this project and then put it to use capturing some photos!.
Wish me luck!
Sites I Like: Strobist
Here is a good blog for learning about off camera lighting - particularly small strobes such as the Canon EX series or the Nikon SB series: Strobist Dave Hobby has been running this site for a couple of years and his motto is "Less equipment, more Brains". Hobby believes in traveling light and is a big believer in DIY projects when they make sense. He studied photojournalism at the University of Florida. He had a 20-year career as a photo journalist and has shot for the Leesburg (FL) Commercial, the Orlando (FL) Sentinel, UPI, and lots of other publications as a freelancer/stringer/intern. He was a staff photographer at Patuxent Publishing (Columbia, MD) from '88-'99 and at The Baltimore (MD) Sun from '99-present.
First Post
Well, here I am.
Staking out my space on the web. I hope to use this blog to bring together a lot of information from across the Internet and make a convenient place to check back on all my favorite photography spots.
I hope to post at least once a day and I hope others will find this useful.
Time to get started.
Staking out my space on the web. I hope to use this blog to bring together a lot of information from across the Internet and make a convenient place to check back on all my favorite photography spots.
I hope to post at least once a day and I hope others will find this useful.
Time to get started.
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