For a long time I've been impressed with the technology at Wix (our sponsors). The engine behind their flash galleries and SEO optimization caught the geek sides of me. So taking a small step aside form DIY, I asked Ron Uriel, a leading commercial photographer to take them for a test drive. His sample site is here. Full review after the jump.
It is always nice to see a good DIY project turn into a product. It is even better to see a nasty DIY project turn into a product.
This is just what happened with Matthew G. Monroe's Clamp-It-Anywhere Project A.K.A Nasty Clamps.
In fact he has so many requests to just-make0one-for-me from other photographers that he upgraded the CIY to a full professional grade product. In fact, big part of the production chain is located in Oregon, just near Matt's house, and the rest of it is done right at Matt's Garage. Talk about home grown business.
This is why I was so happy to give them Nasty Clamps a go. And they are nasty indeed (in a good way). Read on for the full review.
Just a quick news flash, if you're not up to date yet with the Magic Lantern.
Similar to CHDK, a firmware hack that allows you to take control over all the hidden features in your Point & Shoot, Magic Lantern unlocks some very nifty features on your New and shiny Canon 5D Mark 2.
Magic Lantern Firmware is mainly focused on video, but hey - if you're techie enough, feel free to jump in and download the source code and add whatever feature you'd like. (A movie, feature list and some thoughts after the jump).
UPDATE: coolest app added at the end of post.
The iPhone (or THE iPhone) is gaining popularity fast with photographers. Well, it has an in-phone camera. That kinda means that you carry a camera whenever you go (admit it!! you carry your cell anywhere!!). See Chase Jarivs's Twitpic iPhone pic stream for example. Just another argument to show that it is not the gear that makes you a good photographer.
Another evidence is the ever increasing number of "how to take good pictures with your iPhone" tutorials. Here are a few that I like: Wired, Goodtree & company, Chase, Neutralday, but really, the net is loaded with tons of tips, guides and creativity enhancers for iPhone images.
So iPhone is popular. OK; no news here. The news (at least for me who still wears black headphones) is that iPhone also packs great applications for photographers. The round up below, courtesy of Ladislav Soukup, is probably just the first mushrooms in the post forest rain of iPhone apps for photogs. I'd love to hear (on the comments) what's your favorite iPhone app.
I love cards. When I was young I collected cards. Cards of anything and everything. I used to collect Rambo Cards, Fame cards (yes I did), The Garbage Gang cards, you name it. I even collected science cards.
I got to reunite with my old trading cards love when Trade Secret Cards came up with a photographer Strobist deck.
So, what is this Strobist Deck? Zeke Kamm, whom you may know from Nice Photo Mag compiled a set of 24 cards. Each card face has an image, and each card back has a quick how to and lighting diagram.
OK, the title has to be read British accent style ALA Austin Powers, cuz this is how much fun I had testing the Lensbaby composer.
The general idea, much like the Lomo Action Sampler, the composer is about letting go. Sharpness is low, repeatability is almost out of the question and state of the art electronics are relinquished in favor of artistic control.
The full review is just after the jump, and I'll discuss the lens operations, thoughts and trade offs, however, if I had to squeeze it all into one word I'd say FUN.
I believe that the best way to understand lighting is to experiment with it. But understanding the basics of light and the general scheme of things can help you set foot in the right track. This is why I think reading lighting books is a great way to improve your photography.
Today I would like to review on of those books, Matters of Light & Depth by Ross Lowell.
Just before I dive into the content of this book, I'd like to say something about style - Ross has plenty of it. The book got a smile on my face more than once. With titles like Light of Passage, Light Philosophy, and Shedding Light, you take in valuable lessons while not feeling too serious.
What do you get when a programming guru decides that enough is enough, Flickr Lightroom users should also enjoy direct uploading to Flickr just like Aperture users.
You get Jeffrey’s “Export to Flickr” Lightroom Plugin. This is great plug in which I heatedly recommend if you are a using Adobe Lightroom and have a Flickr account. Hey, I am not affiliated with Jeffery, but after using his plugin for soooooo long, that I just had to share my joy.
One of the things I like best is High Speed Photography, it is an art that combines a hard technical challenge, along with an opportunity to have an artistic say. We've featured a few DIY articles about DIYing it, but nothing beats dedicated controllers.
This is why I was really happy to play a bit with the Universal Photo Timer - a heaven for High Speed Photographers. I'll write a review about it soon. (I know - the name says timer, but it is actually way more then just a timer) Till then, I'd like to share a High Speed shot I did, and with it the process of polishing a picture (or some aspects of it) till it is good. I will also discuss about what's missing from the final image. Click to continue ›
A while back, I asked your advice. I was contemplating between two lenses and did not which one to choose. I was being torn between the Nikkor 60m/2.8 and the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 D.
I was leaning towards the 1.8 (AKA sharpy) and your strong response helped me to make up my mind. So first of all - thank you all for some great advice.
After a few months with this lens, I would like to share my experience with the lens. Now, don't expect a Ken Rockwell kinda review, Ken does this much, much better then I can. Instead, I'd like to talk a bit of the general experience that I had with the lens.
