A first shot at HDR

My first attempts at High Dynamic Range editing. Photos processed using Paint Shop Pro X2.

This link explains how.

 

 

Technorati Tags: HDR,Paint Shop Pro,PSP,Nikon,D50

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".

Technorati Tags: Nikon,Panasonic,G1,Micro four thirds,D90,Camera of the year

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.

Technorati Tags: SmugMug,Picasa,Digital Photgraphy Life

Be thankful!

 

Despite these difficult times, if we can still find something to be thankful for, then we are truly blessed. 

 

May this holiday be spent with friends and loved ones and offer a brief respite from the challenges we face in our daily lives.  And, may we remember those less fortunate with a donation, a kind word, a helping hand.

 

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving."
--WT Purkiser

 

Technorati Tags: Thanksgiving

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The Micro Four Thirds Camera...neither fish nor fowl.

In an earlier post, I wrote about selecting the right camera for you.  Excluding camera phones and disposables on one end and medium and large format cameras on the other, most people choose from these three categories:  the point and shoot models that fit in your pocket and are by far the most popular and easiest to use; the bridge or advanced point and shoots that provide a better picture and offer more control over your picture-taking, but won't fit in a pocket unless maybe you're wearing cargo pants; and a digital SLR, the most advanced cameras with the most flexibility, that will only fit in a custom-made pants pocket and require suspenders.  The complexity of the cameras climb as do the prices, as you move from the first category to the third.

But recently, Panasonic announced another category, the oddly named: "Micro Four Thirds" camera.  This camera fits somewhere between the advanced point and shoot and DSLR cameras.  Think of it as a point and shoot on steroids, or maybe a dSLR with weak knees.

The Micro Four Thirds is smaller than a dSLR and accepts interchangeable lenses like a dSLR, but lacks a mirror and prism like a dSLR and as a result, relies on an electronic viewfinder or rear LCD for picture composition.  There are only a few lenses available currently and so far only one manufacturer has taken the plunge, but another, Olympus, is rolling out their own soon.  Oh and cost?  More than the cost of a starter dSLR.  Picture quality is reported to be very good, but not necessarily better than a good advanced P&S or dSLR.  Hmmm.

There has been much speculation about which photographers this new camera might attract and whether it's destined to be groundbreaking or if it will go the way of  the "Pneumatic Shoe-Lacing Device" (U.S. Patent 5,205,055).  It seems to me that it could attract some of the people who are now buying the advanced point and shoots, and some of those who are considering stepping up to an entry-level dSLR.  Two people whose opinions I respect have already written on the Micro Four Thirds, and I present their opinions here, for your consideration.  David Pogue writes about all things gadgety for the NY Times (check out his video and samples from the G1), and Scott Sherman is a photographer, blogger and who's podcast, Digital Photography Life, I listen to regularly. 

It's too early to tell, but it's safe to say that innovation and creativity are still alive and well in our favorite hobby.

Technorati Tags: Micro Four Thirds,Panasonic,G1,David Pogue,Scott Sherman,Digital Photography Life,which camera,Olympus

A Flowering Gift

We met a woman atop the Empire State Building who, seeing me with a camera and speaking in broken English, asked if I would take a picture with her camera of she and her husband.  She was carrying a bright bouquet of flowers with her which looked very familiar to me.  Earlier, while touring the open Observatory Deck, I spotted those same flowers and took this picture:

The fragility of the flowers seemed like an interesting contrast against the steel and concrete that surrounded us.  So now, thanks to our shared interest in photography, I met the flowers' owner.   Of course I was happy to take her picture, and then asked her to do the same of us with mine.  She took this photo:

After we said our thank you's and good-bye's, as much through gestures as words, we wandered in our separate directions.  Until a few minutes later, when the woman reappeared and handed my wife a yellow flower from her bouquet, with many more thank you's and well wishes.  That yellow flower accompanied us the rest of our trip and even survived the train ride back to Massachusetts.  Before we left our hotel, I took this photo. 

I call it the NYC Flower, complete with dirty window! 

I will always remember that woman and her yellow flower, our chance encounter, her generosity and friendliness. 

Technorati Tags: NYC,New York City,Empire State Building,Nikon,D50,18-200,yellow,generosity,friendliness

Technorati Tags: flower

Autumn

 

 

Technorati Tags: Nikon D50,Nikon 18-200,Autumn,Fall,cemetery,Bell Rock,Malden,Sherborn,Dowse

Times Square, early October

Technorati Tags: New York,NYC,Times Square,Nikon D50,Nikon 18-200

A view from The Empire State Building

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: New York,NYC,Empire State Building,Manhattan,Nikon D50,Nkon 18-200

Cutler Park Reservation, Needham, MA

Despite living in this area my entire life, I only recently discovered this gem of a park. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photos taken with Nikon D50, Nikon 18-200 VR lens

Technorati Tags: Cutler Park,Nikon D50,18-200 VR,Needham

Black and White

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Black and white,B&W,Nikon D50,Paint Shop Pro X2

Which Camera should I buy?

This is a question I am asked frequently. And although we were taught never to answer a question with a question, that's exactly how I reply - with more questions! There are so many options out there: by category, (point and shoot, bridge or DSLR); by price; by brand (Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, Pentax, etc.); and of course, what kind of photographer you are matters immensely: what do you want to shoot, how experienced are you... and so on. There's no one right answer that applies to everyone.  The key is to know what best fits your needs, talents, plans and pocketbook. 

I think this article on CNET.com does a good job of guiding you to the camera that's right for you.

The article starts by asking you what type of shooter you are. If you already know, you can jump to that section, if not, see how CNET defines each and go from there. My advice - be honest with yourself: don't say you're a Serious Amateur if you're really a Snapshooter - we all start out at the beginning. On the other hand, if you have a passion for photography and are committed to growing your skills, you might want to stretch yourself by purchasing a camera that's a little ahead of your current skills but that you can grow into.

This piece won't tell you that you should buy the Splinky 9000x digital camera, but it will tell you what features would be important and what to look for. Armed with that information, you can scan the Sunday flyers or better yet, go online to one of the reputable retailers such as Amazon, to make your selection and purchase.

Good luck and if I can help, drop me a line.

Technorati Tags: Which camera,Nikon,Canon,Cnet

The Streets of Philadelphia

Technorati Tags: Philadelphia,streets,Nikon,D50,18-200 VR

My new ride - or - Wow, you took that with a cell phone?!?

The cameras found in cell phones are getting better and better all the time. A recent Wirefly.com Survey reports that:

"A whopping 96.3% of adult cell phone owners report that they have a cell phone with a camera, and

19% of adults prefer to use their cell phone as their primary camera for all photography".

That's stunning when you consider that cell phones have had built in cameras for only the past few years.

This photo is not intended to show off my new car (although I do love it!) but to demonstrate what you can do with a cell phone camera. This was taken with my Blackberry Curve which sports a 2 megapixel camera. Now granted, it has no manual controls, the lens is tiny, and it's biggest shortcoming is it's softness. This shot was edited slightly in Photoscape and sharpened but it's still pretty soft. But in a pinch, when you really want to capture a picture, what could be more convenient?

If your cell phone has a camera, you might want to check out this post from the Digital Photography School on taking better pictures with your cell phone. You may not capture a contest winner, but you may also be surprised at just how useful it can be.

Technorati Tags: Cell phone,Blackberry,photos,Photoscape

Chesapeake Bay from 35,000 feet

These two photos were taken during a recent flight home from southeastern Florida north to Boston.  We took off through low clouds and most of the flight was above the clouds.  I was disappointed, having brought my Nikon with great hopes for a interesting shot of something.  We were heading N-NE and from my left side window seat, I could see the setting sun just off my left shoulder, once we got above the clouds. 

After about two thirds of the flight, a bright red light caught my eye from the window and I was pleasantly surprised to see that we were flying over a break in the clouds.  The setting sun, still directly to my left, was casting a golden red light on the water below, and cleanly defining the terrain.  I hurriedly put away my novel and set my Nikon D50 to a fast shutter speed (1/2000 in one picture, 1/3200 in the other) due to the very bright sunlight and in order to be free of any effects the vibrations of the plane might have.  I also set the white balance to cloudy, not because of any clouds but because I know that that setting tends to warm the picture a bit, which would enhance the golden colors.  I was using the very versatile Nikon 18-200 VR zoom lens, so I was able to compose the shots without any part of a wing or window frame getting into the scene.  My first few snaps were too bright (you have to love digital cameras for the instant feedback), so I set the exposure bias down by one stop. 

Later on the computer, I could see some unwanted haze in the pictures due to the sunlight reflecting off the plastic (double) windows.  I would have backed away further from the window and then zoomed out a bit more, but I doubt the woman in the seat next to me would have appreciated me in her lap, even if it meant a great picture!  I used Paint Shop Pro X2's brightness and contrast curves to clear up the photo and enhance the contrast. 

Thanks to the TV screen in the back of the seat in front of me, which was set at the Live Map channel, I was able to see that we were roughly over Salisbury, MD at an altitude of 35,000 feet when I took these shots.  West of Salisbury is the Chesapeake Bay. 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Chesapeake,D50,Nikon 18-200,Paint Shop Pro X2,Sunset

An "Automatic" Success!

You're certainly aware that there are countless websites and blogs out there, with information ranging from the useful to the unintelligible. I want to share with you a photo blog that I came upon not long ago written by Natalie Norton, named "Pics and Kicks", which is not only useful, it's a pleasure to read.

Natalie is a talented photographer, avid blogger, and although I haven't met her, seems like a genuinely nice person. It was Natalie's posts a few months ago on creating a photo blog that inspired me to create Swell Shot. I recommend you spend some time visiting Natalie's blog and be inspired by her photos and explore her posts.

In particular, I want to bring your attention to this post on "Shooting in Automatic". If you have a digital SLR or an advanced point and shoot, you may be confused by the program modes typically found on the top dial: P (program) A (aperture) S (shutter) M (manual) and Auto(matic). While each mode has it's advantage, the Auto mode is the easiest, and as Natalie points out, a great way to start using a camera until you're ready to move on to the others.

If you have a camera, the most important thing is to use it, and not be intimidated by features and functions you don't understand. Natalie's post is terrific advice. So snap away!

Technorati Tags: Natalie Norton,Automatic

Fenway Park, Home of the Boston Red Sox

 

 

 

 

Since April 1912

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manny Ramirez

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Youkilis

 

 

   

 

 

 

Mike Lowell

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for a pitching change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An overzealous fan provided a break in the game

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date night!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Faithful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Priceless!

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photos taken with Nikon D50, 18-200 zoom lens

Technorati Tags: D50,Nikon 18-200,Red Sox

Getting started in Photo Editing

There are several reasons why we, the average photographers of today are better photographers than the average "snapper" was in the "old days". And by better, I mean, we take more "keepers" and have fewer "Oh rats, that picture didn't come out right" moments. Here's why:

1. Consumers today have access to much better cameras. In the OLD days, many people might have used a good old Kodak Instamatic or other camera with a fixed (non-zoom) lens, of poor to average quality, with a fixed aperture and shutter speed. Heck, we've all used those disposal 35mm cameras too. Today's digicams however put good glass, variable ISO, faster shutters, zoom lenses, image stabilization, and much more into the hands of just about anyone who can afford to spend as little $100 to $200 for a point and shoot, and upwards for even more sophistication and quality. The result, better pictures.
2. With a digital camera, we have instant feedback on the quality of our shots: we can immediately see and experience delight or delete. Gone are the days of headless relatives from Grammy's last birthday party. Do you have an Uncle Stan who is best remembered for his nice shoes, but no one can quite recall his face? Hmmm.
3. And finally, Photo editing. Old days: you needed a dark room, which required knowledge, space, and expense: all in all, a commitment most average photographers were not willing to make. Today: software, and more and more often, in-camera editing features, allow us the ability to make improvements to our pictures after we've taken them.

And yet, there are some people I meet who are averse to photo editing because, they say:

"Photography is not art, it is reality; we shouldn't manipulate a photo - it should capture things the way they are". In other words, "It is what it is". That's certainly true, photography often is a means to capture reality, and that's what many photogs do. But do your photos always capture reality the way you saw it? Too often we snap away and get a picture that is too bright, too dark, has flat colors, our loved ones look possessed with demonic red eyes, the horizon is drifting off towards the southeast, and worse. I think all would agree - this is not reality. Photo editing can get your photos back to the reality that inspired you to take the picture in the first place.

In fact, today's best cameras, as technologically advanced as they are, cannot capture the dynamic range of light that the human eye can. So it's not uncommon to view with our eyes a picturesque scene, (such as a bright blue sky over craggy mountains with lots of light and dark contrast in the details), only to later look at the picture we took, and see a sky that is all white or the mountains just a dark shadow.

Of course, photo editing can be used to enhance details or characteristics of a photo to make it different from reality. Famous American photographer Ansel Adams frequently used dodging and burning techniques in the darkroom to make his photos even more dramatic than they appeared in reality. We can add or remove distracting objects from a scene; we can even add or remove a person. Wouldn't you like to have a photo of yourself with a famous historical figure, celebrity or standing somewhere unique, say, the moon?? All possible with photo editing.

Click on this Web Album for examples of before and after photos where simple photo editing was performed to bring a photo "back to reality", or in one case, to create something a little different. View in Slideshow mode for best results.

"Photo editing is too difficult to do, I can't figure out those programs and don't have the time or desire to learn. And besides, they're too expensive". Yep - all true, unless you know which programs to use, and where to get them.

There are many options available to you so that you can get started and learn to improve your pictures, whether your goal is to have a picture that really reflects the reality of what you saw, or to enhance a shot to be better or at the least, different, from reality. And some of these options are not only easy to learn and use, but they're FREE! That's right free and easy. What's not to like??!!

The first on my list is Picasa, a bare bones but effective, free, easy, photo viewer and editor that you can begin using almost immediately. The Basic Fixes panel allows you to Crop, Straighten, remove Redeye, adjust Contract and Color effortlessly. There's even an "I'm Feeling Lucky" button which will let Picasa analyze your photo, determine what changes are needed (if any) and make them. All changes can be undone so experimenting is not only a good way to get your picture just right, but also the best way to learn Picasa's feature. The Tuning panel gives you more fine control over lighting and color adjustments and is effective at removing color casts. The Effects tab gives you 12 push-button effects so you can really get creative. Some of these Effects are fine-tunable, like saturation and the black and white converter, some, like sharpness are not.

Picasa is owned and offered by Google, so you know it will be around for a while. Google offers free upgrades periodically; the current version is 2.7. It's also very stable on a Windows PC, but unfortunately, as of this writing, Picasa is not available for the Mac. Picasa has some RAW handling capabilities and integrates with Blogs (like this one). It does not have the ability to make selections, so you can't for instance, brighten or otherwise edit just an area of a picture - it's all or none.

Two of my favorite features in Picasa are the ability to make edits to your photos without having to save the changes. That is, if you make a change to a photo in Picasa, then come back the next day and call up that picture again (in Picasa), any edits you made yesterday are still shown and can be undone. Many other photo editing applications require you to save your changes or you'll lose them. With Picasa, you can undo previous changes and make new changes at a later date. If you want the picture, with your edits, to be viewable outside of Picasa, such as if you were going to email it or print it, you would Export it, which creates a copy with your changes saved, although your original image is still available.

The other great feature is that Picasa integrates seamlessly with Google's Picasa Web Albums. This is a terrific, free way to share your photos with others, either publicly for all the world to see, or privately with only the people with whom you want to share.

If you're looking for your first photo editor, or something that you can use in seconds with very good results, I highly recommend Picasa, which you can download here.

Another application is one I just discovered recently, and have only explored briefly, but so far, it has impressed me. Photoscape is another free program that you can download and easily use to view and edit your photos. I can best describe it as Picasa on steroids. While not quite as easy to use as Picasa it has much more functionality. The editor gives you greater flexibility in controlling brightness, color and with the filters options, you can get very creative and reduce noise. It also has a screen capture feature which is handy and a brightness control that works wonders on a photo with dark areas from which you'd like to bring out some detail. Photoscape provides numerous frame options so that you can surround your picture with some interesting borders before printing or posting. It has some RAW support but like Picasa, allows no selections. Nor is it available for the Mac.

Oddly, the Photoscape online home page has Google Picasa banners above and below, although as far as I can tell, Google has no connection to Photoscape. Also, Help is skimpy and not always clear. If you've never used a photo editor, start with Picasa. If you've already used a basic editor, try Photoscape for some of it's "better than basic" features. You can download Photoscape here.

There are many other fine photo editing applications including Adobe's Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Elements, and my favorite, Paint Shop Pro Photo X2. The latter can be downloaded for a free 30 day trial. These programs are much more advanced than the two I described above, and recommended for the intermediate amateur and above. But if you're just beginning, give Picasa or Photoscape a try. Don't be afraid to experiment - you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results, and your ability.

Technorati Tags: Photo editing,Picasa,PhotoScape,paint Shop Pro X2