My first attempts at High Dynamic Range editing. Photos processed using Paint Shop Pro X2.
This link explains how.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Pop Photo names Panasonic G1 Camera of the Year
This little camera is getting a lot of attention.
Popular Photography just named it the Camera of the Year, recognizing it as "the camera that best refined or redefined photography."
"No, none of us will be trading in our DSLRs for a G1. After all, the lens selection can, at this point, be counted on two fingers; the camera's high-ISO performance isn't especially good; the lenses are small, but the camera's body isn't appreciably smaller than the tiniest DSLRs (such as the Olympus E-420 and Pentax K2000); and, as good as it is, the EVF isn't yet as sharp as a DSLR's prism viewfinder.
In other words, much like Apple's first iPhone, the G1 is expensive and imperfect. But like the iPhone, it is brave, and forward-thinking."
As I wrote in an earlier post, this camera does represent a new breed and whether it catches on will depend on other manufacturers jumping into this new category, and the price settling down to earth. Already the G1 has dropped from it's introductory price of $800 to $735 at Amazon, (as of today), which is a good sign. But for a mere $105 additional, you can buy the Nikon D90, (body only), a 12megapix DSLR with an enormous array of available lenses, which is garnering stellar reviews and is on this photographer's short list for upcoming purchases.
I suspect the winning price point for the G1 and similar micro four thirds cameras will be closer to that of advanced bridge cameras, $500-$600. Certainly, we'll continue to monitor "the little camera that might".
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Free for Fotographers!
Here are two freebies that every photographer should know about:
ONE: SmugMug is a photosharing website where I have hosted my galleries at edspadoni.com for several years. They cater to all photographers, from beginners to pros with a range of pricing and feature sets.
Recently, through my friends Scott and Michael at the Digital Photography Life podcast, I learned of a sweet offer from SmugMug. For a limited time, the good folks at SmugMug will send you a free camera strap - all you have to do is be a listener to Digital Photography Life podcast (which I recommend) or be a member of a photography forum such as DPreview, Flickr or SmugMug's Digital Grin, or have an account on SmugMug. Mine arrived yesterday and I have to tell you, it's quite an improvement over the strap my Nikon DSLR came with. It's made of a slightly stretchy material, with padding for the shoulder/neck, and is very well made. Click here to order yours - there's absolutely no obligation.
Of course, as they say, there's no such thing as a free lunch, which applies here: the SmugMug name is prominently featured in a tasteful white on black motif (!) Since I'm a Smugger myself, I can vouch for the quality, stability and value of their photo-sharing capabilities; so I'm not shy about giving them some free advertising in the space around my neck.
But wait there's more! SmugMug is also offering a 50% off coupon for first time users. The coupon name to enter in the email/coupon field is flickr, and can be worth from $20 to $75 to you.
Ed's note: Despite the way it sounds, I have no affiliation with SmugMug other than as a customer, and I am not a paid actor! But I know a value when I see it.
TWO: I wrote a post a few months ago about photo-editing software and mentioned a free Google application named Picasa. Google recently unveiled Picasa Version 3 which has more features and functionality, and the price is still the same (yep, free). This 5 minute video gives you a brief overview of the new features.
While it's no Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, it does provide quick editing and a wealth of creative sharing options. It links seamlessly with SmugMug and Picasa Web Albums so you can share your photos easily with friends and family. With this release comes enhancements to Web Albums, the neatest of which is facial recognition: once you turn it on, Picasa Web Albums will match similar faces and group them allowing you to label all similar faces with a tag, e.g. "Dad". Photos with multiple faces will have multiple tags, allowing you to rapidly retrieve photos with "Dad and Mom" if you'd like. Very cool.
I have installed Picasa 3 on all the computers I use so that I have a useful editing and organizing tool wherever I may be. You can read more about Picasa 3 here, and download it (for free!) here. For a quick fix, to organize your photos and to get really creative, I recommend Picasa 3.
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