Wedding Photography January 23, 2010
Posted by tsidock in : Blog , add a commentThere is likely no form of photography more stressful, or more important get it right the first time than wedding photography. While style have certainly changed over the years, capturing the beauty, emotion and pageantry of a brides wedding can be no more rewarding.
Bring on the new year of freedom! January 4, 2010
Posted by tsidock in : Web Service, Blog , add a comment2010, twenty-ten it matters not, but 2010 may be the year of what matters is free. Free as in no $. As a photographer there are times when a quick video can set you apart. There are many slide show video programs out there most either don’t work well, have weird interfaces or are painfully expensive. There is a site I am using that give you access to free 30 seconds embedable videos with sound for free. That site is Animoto.com. Here is a sample:
Now, they do offer two tiers of pay access, with the least expensive tier at $30 per year for ‘all access’! That may well be worth it as it includes high resolution output and down-loadable ISO files to burn Disks from.
End of the year - Holiday Recap December 30, 2009
Posted by tsidock in : Blog , add a comment2010, or will it be twenty-ten? The end of the year is here and it’s time to fess up. The sidebar timer, counting down to Chrismas for a new 5DMKII, well, it just didn’t happen. In this economy even the 7D didn’t happen. I would certainly go with a crop sensor that works as well as that one does. I know, I have friends who have this camera and I have seen first hand, what it can do that my 5DMKII cannot! But make no mistake, there are still things the MKI can do that the 7D still only hopes to do.
A funny thing happened in the mean time, I gave some thought to medium format film and began seeking an RB67-SD Pro kit. Which I would still like to do some day. But if I could afford that, I could afford a 7, almost. So I tempered my search and began looking at Yashica-D’s nice quality TLR’s with sharp optics. But again a bit pricey. I saw a Vioghtlander 120 camera, post WWII and thought, Tom, that is all you need, and I can buy them all day long on ebay! While narrowing down the search for the Voightlander, I stumbled upon a nearly forgotten camera, the Rapid Omega 100. The Rapid is a military grade nearly indestructible body, that takes several inexpensive but tack sharp lenses and removable film backs for 120 and 220 film. A quick buy-it now on eBay landed me a nearly new 220 model with a 90mm lens for $99! I found a 120 back for $30, bought the obligatory short cable release and am now taking High quality 6×7 photos that scan into 35MP digital images with awesome dynamic range and clarity.
All of the cameras mentioned above are great ways to make the initial move into medium format. I like the Rapid because it not only gives a quality image and is user maintainable, it was also the mainstay of many a Wedding photographer in the 70’s. This thing is so tough that military used them for several decades. I can and have put a pocket wizard on it and fired off my Alienbees in sync! Here is the current work flow:
1- Set up shot
2- adjust lights with a flash meter
3- Chimp shots with a digital camera in manual mode to fine tune the shot.
4- transfer the aperture and shutter speed to the Rapid Omega and take a perfect shot!
I feel so ‘Ansel Adams’ with this thing, it’s big and heavy and quite fast to use as the film advance resembles the cocking of a shotgun. The cocking mechanism is built in to the removable back and pulls out about 6″ and then you push it back in. Film is advanced and the shutter is cocked. It is also possible to cock the shutter on the lens and take a double exposure! You digital guys may be miffed at that feature :-) Did I mention that this camera is a rangefinder? I have always loved rangefinders, good rangefinders (Like this one on the Omega) can produce some of the sharpest pictures you have ever seen. Don’t worry about parallax, this is taken in consideration during the change of focus and all without computers or electronics of any kind!
The rangefinder has crop marks for the telephoto lenses and the wide angle lens comes with a hot-shoe viewfinder. No worries, there 3 hot-shoes on the top of this thing!!
SAMPLE PHOTO This photo was taken with the rapid, scanned on a flatbed scanner and Photoshopped (sorry purists) Still has a tonal quality I have not seen in digital.
So the year is over and a new year begins. Photography is changing faster than we can write about it. What we will see in 2010 can only be guessed at the moment. One thing is certain, more people will be taking better pictures, than ever before!
Have a happy and safe new year!
New Flash Tool by Imagin.ro December 10, 2009
Posted by tsidock in : DIY, Blog , add a comment
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Your Browser Sucks
Kodachrome - The Final days November 27, 2009
Posted by tsidock in : Blog , add a commentJust a few more weeks and the legacy of color photography will come to it’s final end. The epitome emulsion of the chemical color process has ceased to exist and the only lab in the world that still processes Kodachrome will clse at the end of the year.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Friend buys last 7D in San Diego! October 25, 2009
Posted by tsidock in : Blog , add a comment With the recent arrival of the new Canon 7D Professional DSLR. Inventories around the city have been low to none.
My buddy Nick, who has been doing fabulous work with his Canon Rebel system, has finally decided to get a camera that will allow him to utilize his existing lenses and hardware and at the same time, join the ranks of single digit Canon professional camera owners. See him at the cash register:
The Sale, the purchase, the joy! -Click
Shameless Self Promotion October 15, 2009
Posted by tsidock in : Blog , add a commentTechnology and the Camera - Oly EP1 Digital Pen-F August 27, 2009
Posted by tsidock in : Blog , add a commentAnd that pretty much sums up how I feel about the Olympus EP1
Netbook Alternative July 30, 2009
Posted by tsidock in : DIY, Blog , add a commentI am sitting here in the lunchroom where I work. Typing this entry into my Blog. I am not using a traditional notebook, although the manufacturer would like to have you think so.
Last Christmas I started to really look at the new netbooks. They were at once cute and utilitarian. I soon began to lust for an eePC. It is such an invitation to hack! What really caught my attention was that some of the less costly netbooks were running a variant of Linux! I have been playing with Linux for about 7 years with ever increasing success. I usually have at least 1 PC running Linux at any given time. Lately I have set up a larger notebook with Linux. Actually, ever changing versions of Linux, as so much is happening in that area.
With the problems present with Windows (Vista), I have been using Linux about 70% of the time. But still, I don’t have a netbook. Something, really portable. Something that doesn’t pretend to be anything but useful. Last week I lucked out and acquired a IBM/Lenovo X40. The X40 is sweet. It has a 12.1″ screen and a 1.8″ 40GB hard drive. It was running Windows XP, but it took 7 minutes to boot up. Not very practical for quick portable use. I decided to load Liinux on the tiny hard drive, the version I chose was Ubuntu 9.04. The install went perfectly and now the notebook, ooops, netbook, boots up in 60 seconds!
What I like about this approach to a netbook is the screen is nice and big, 12.1″ with a resolution of 1024×768. The keyboard is a better fit. The cost was right. And yet it is still nice and tiny and above all light! My X40 came with the extended battery, so it will stay running for about 5 hours! The next hack is on it’s way from Hong Kong. I will be replacing the 1.8″ hard drive with a 64GB compact flash card! How cool is that?
I really like the use of Ubuntu 9.04 on this machine. I think it is a perfect fit. Other OS’s I would recommend: PC Linux, Puppy Linux, Mint and maybe the next version of Tiny Linux.
Each have their strong and weak points and each may fit a particular user. I would not think to use KDE unless a pretty interface is more important to you than performance.
FYI - The point of this report is that according to this blogger, Linux is ready for prime time. At least in the Netbook arena.
FOR SALE! June 16, 2009
Posted by tsidock in : Blog , 1 comment so farOk, I’ve been a mess. I have been very sick for a while. Nothing life threatening, but debilitating for sure.
I want a second camera! Another 5D body will do.
I looked in my photography armior and all this cool stuff I never use fell out on to the floor!
I wll update this as I list more:
