Stabilizing Your Camera Without a Tripod

Posted Wednesday, August 27, 2008

A nice collection of tips and products from Shutterpad.com.

Lego Tableaus Re-Create Classic Photos

Posted Saturday, August 23, 2008

From Wired's Culture blog: "Lego fanboy and amateur photographer Mike Stimpson found a way to combine his two loves: He recreates scenes from historic photographs using the plastic bricks, then snaps his own photos."

Enjoy.

Lumisonic: Software for Seeing Sound

Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008

Here's a fascinating BBC News report on a research project aimed at enabling deaf students to assess the vocalizations they make.

Think iTunes visualizer, but with far more meaning.

Leave Your Heart in a San Francisco Panorama

Posted Monday, August 18, 2008

I love to shoot panoramic photos -- taking multiple shots, with a lot of overlap between each one, and then using the Photo Merge feature in Photoshop to stitch them together.

And I'm particularly smitten by Photoshop CS3's ability to export images in the Zoomify viewing format. I've just posted a panorama of San Francisco on Flickr. Check it out, then click the link in the caption to explore the Zoomify version.

Given that it's Monday and exploring panoramas is more fun than working, you may be interested in a few more Zoomify panoramas that I've done.

Labels: flickr photography panorama zoomify

2008's Best Digital SLRs for Newbies

Posted Sunday, August 10, 2008

Ready to move beyond your point-and-shoot digital camera? Good for you. For so many reasons -- better image quality, more exposure controls, a vast selection of lenses, and more creative options -- a digital SLR is the way to go.

ShutterPad.com has published a nice overview of the best digital SLRs for beginning photographers. The site recommends choosing between Canon and Nikon due to each company's commanding presence in the photography business. And the top-recommended digital SLR for beginners? The Canon XSi.

Thoughts on Flickr and Photography

Posted Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Prolific photographer and blogger Thomas Hawk has updated a post he wrote a couple of years ago called Top 10 Tips for Getting Attention on Flickr.

It's a must-read for Flickr aficionados, if only for the first paragraph, which is quote from Flickr cofounder Caterina Fake. I particularly love this: What, lastly, equals the enchantment sparked off by the delighted attention we receive from those who profoundly delight ourselves?

Reading that paragraph got to me thinking: Why do I spend so much time on Flickr? It isn't for the social networking connections (though I've met some lifelong friends through the site). It isn't for the accolades that photo-comments bring (though I appreciate every one of them). It isn't for the procrastination value (though, well, never mind).

One reason is to improve my photography. Practicing behind a closed door can indeed improve your musicianship, but it isn't a substitute for putting your stuff out there in public. The same applies to photography. That butterfly-in-stomach feeling that I get when I post a photo -- "Egads, I'm putting this out there for the world to see!" -- makes me take photography more seriously.

Another reason is to be inspired by the work of my fellow Flickrites. When you see images that move you -- whether through their subject or their process or some combination of both -- your visual sense becomes that much more attuned. As a visual thinker, you grow.

But another reason I contribute to Flickr is just that: to contribute. Flickr represents an astonishing ocean of images, a visual history of our present world and of the things that are important to us. I consider it an honor to be able to contribute in some small way to that record.

If you love images -- and you shouldn't pick up a camera if you don't -- then you owe it to yourself and to your love of photography to enjoy the work of others, to be inspired by it, and to attempt to engender that inspiration in others.

Otherwise you're just listening to the sound of your own voice.

Labels: flickr photography

Have a Nikon or Fuji Digital SLR? Know Where It Is

Accessory manufacturer Wolverine Digital has announced the Wolverine GEO, a $189 GPS receiver that adds location information to photos taken with certain Nikon and Fuji digital SLRs.

The GEO attaches to the flash shoe of the camera and draws power directly from the camera's battery. You can easily integrate "geotagged" photos into mapping programs, such as Google Earth. And if you're a fan of Flickr, the geotagging data are automatically uploaded when you add photos to Flickr.

According to the site, the GEO ships soon. I want one for my Nikon D200.

The Five Essential Camera Settings You Must Know

Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2008

I talk about much of this in the iPhoto chapter of my book, but this article is an excellent summary of the five essential settings -- shooting mode, aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and exposure value -- that every avid digital photographer should know.

Go forth and master.