New Hardware Alert: Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR

So, Canon released it's newest addition to its Digital SLR line up...the 1D Mark IV. I'm super excited to see how well the extended ISO settings look. I'm sure it'll be phenomenal otherwise they wouldn't offer it...but still! Any excuse to get my paws on one or to see the results...I'm there! Check out the Canon Page linked below...

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Dreamboat

Super cool stuff, but now...it puts me one more step behind the times...methinks it's time to upgrade! YAY!

Photo-Go-Round: Rural

Hello All!

I promised a continuation of the Photo-Go-Round project from my little book of tricks. So now I give you...the Rural set.

Rural Panorama

Final installment of the first group (The "My Choice") location to come next week.

Till then, have a great week!

Great new website to edit your photos

I read about this last night and I think it's awesome!  A boon to us crazy kids with iPhones that want to do some quick editing as well as home computer users. Plus it does all of the things that beginners and casual snapshot-shooters need!

http://www.photoshop.com/

The folks at adobe rock...we all know that...but this just seals the deal! You can do basic editing (exposure correction, color balancing, cropping and rotating) and you can go so far as to distort your pics with a faux fisheye type look, add some text and thought bubbles, and just generally have fun with your snapshots without having to shell out the $79.99 for Photoshop Elements.

Go forth my babies, shoot and edit...now for free!

Selections from "Trash the Tranny" Shoot

What happens when 3 photographers and a plucky Graphic Designer get together with an open minded guy/model who is up for anything?

I give you...Trash the Tranny.

Geek Hardware: Cactus Wireless Flash Trigger Set V4

Off camera lighting is the best way to get that professional look that we all strive for in photography. There are countless ways to do it that range from those self contained light heads that we see in every studio across the country, to a tiny little external flash stuck on top of a light stand.

To trigger them many pros lean towards Pocket Wizards. Awesome little triggers and recievers that will allow you to set up your off camera flashes and trigger them from a ways away. That gives us latitude to selectively light a scene and get the look we want. The problem with Pocket Wizards...they can be SUPER expensive for us beginning professionals. The solution...a great little setup from our friends at Gadget Infinity.


Cactus Wireless Flash Trigger Set V4.

These little gadgets do the same thing as our Pocket Wizard friends..at a FRACTION of the price. Thus enabling we kids who live in a super tight budget, to start dabbling in the world of off camera flashes while we save up for the spendier Wizards. So now...there's no excuse to resign ourselves to our on board pop up flashes any longer!

Got your credit card out yet?

Irving Penn

His work in fashion photography was ahead of it's time...resembling the work of his peer Richard Avedon, with their use of stark white and grey backdrops, allowing their subjects textures and forms and their use of light to stand out.

Read up on Penn and his photographic legacy here.

Photo-Go-Round: Urban

Last year I found myself in a photographic slump. I wasn't sure what to shoot, was uninspired, and just wandered around aimlessly with my camera hanging around my neck (or even worse, still sitting in the bag in the trunk of my car) and just needed help.

My buddy the Graphic Designer came to my rescue and created a handbook of concepts and ideas. Now, I'm primarily a technical photographer, I like to find things that present a challenge in that regard. This book helped me use my tech. know how and parlay it into some conceptual works.

A new series of blog entries simply tagged "Book Project" will show some of the assignments and what I was able to come up with.

For my first installment, I present "Photo-Go-Round".

"Pick 3 locations, one rural, one urban, one your choice. Stand in a central location, start in one spot and shoot frames all the way around. Make sure there is some overlap from frame to frame. Shoot one version with a tripod, one handheld and all horizontals, and one version hand held using horizontals, verticals and variable zooming."

Click to view the panorama.

Now, it has to be said that in full resolution...the final print would be 8" tall and just under 11 FEET wide. Awesome! Two fun things to notice - The magically disappearing Tri-Met Bus, and my friend Matty's confused face as I panned all the way around.

Coming Soon: Rural and My Own Choice of Subjects. Stay Tuned!