The Digital Photo Guy

What Can I Say? I’m a Little Slow!

I never understood the fervor over tablets. Who the heck wants to pay $500 to play games or watch videos on a tiny screen? What advantage does a soft keyboard offer over real keyboards? How can I run Lightroom on such anemic hardware?

Nevertheless, I knew my target audience was buying them so I had to understand their appeal. When Costco reduced the Vizio VTAB1008 tablet to $189, I rolled the dice. After playing with it for a few weeks, I finally understand the tablet’s role. This is the new TV, stereo, newspaper, map, GPS, Yellow Pages and Post Office, all rolled up into one device. In other words, it’s strictly for entertainment and info lookup. Instead of looking in TV Guide, use the tablet. Instead of watching TV, watch YouTube on the ’net. No more Yellow Pages, order take out Chinese on-line.

If you want to do serious work such as enhancing and editing photos in LR, PS or PSE, you still need a real PC. Analyzing the genetic makeup of a killer rhinovirus outbreak in Hong Kong ain’t gonna be on a tablet! The catchy phrase of the day for tablets is “information consumption.” The whole idea is to sell you more “stuff,” ie, e-books, videos, music, games, anything to entertain. Bottom line, tablets aren’t really computers.

I found the tablet useful during a recent roadtrip for checking diesel prices, reading e-mail and, in general, entertaining myself. But, when it came time to download, review, rate, enhance, optimize and store nearly 200 photos of bighorn sheep, my big honkin’ laptop was, and still is, the tool of choice. Writing even simple e-mails is a chore on a soft keyboard. Teens with overly developed thumbs, typing in pidgin Textglish, might like it but if you type in complete sentences with proper grammar, soft keyboards are abysmal.

I have, however, discovered tablets are wonderful portfolios. My print portfolio weighs about 10 pounds while the Vizio weighs 1.2 lbs. Of course, an 8″ screen doesn’t have near the impact of a 17″ x 25″ print from an Epson 3880. A tablet is essentially a toy, albeit a fun toy, and there’s no way it’s worth over $250.

Photos from Pt Loma Lighthouse

After all, this is a photography blog so here are some rcent photos. The San Diego Photography Collective had a Meetup at the Pt Loma Lighthouse during its 156th anniversary celebration. The very top of the lighthouse, which is normally closed, was open to the public. I used Topaz Labs Adjust and B&W Effects because those were prizes for a photo contest we concocted for this Meetup.

Given the age of the lighthouse and the docents in period costumes, it seemed appropriate to process these in B&W. The left photo above is Jimmy and a docent. Jimmy is from Quebec and he flew down to San Diego for this event! He had never been to California and thought it might be fun. He’s a great guy and a talented photographer. This was a first for us, no has ever flown in from a foreign country for one of our Meetups.

The middle photo is a docent and the right photo is the spiral staircase inside the lighthouse. Notice the ghost on the landing below! All three were processed in Topaz Labs B&W Effects. The first is an antique sepia preset while the middle is an opalotype preset. I don’t remember what I used for the right photo but I believe it was a classic B&W effect.

On the Snake Oil Salesman, I cranked up the grain and simulated an old daguerreotype. Topaz has a daguerreotype preset but it was too refined for my taste. I wanted this to look like one of the old west posters processed in chemicals long past their useful life. The last one of a gargoyle on the lighthouse roof was processed in Topaz Labs Adjust 5. Afte applying a preset, I pushed it over the top to create a photo appropriate for slasher movies. TA5 was just released and has over 130 presets to get you started.

If you’ve never used Topaz plug-ins, click this LINK and download the fully functional trials. Best of all, Topaz offers FREE upgrades. I bought the entire Topaz suite about 3 years ago and have upgraded most of the plug-ins at least once and some have been upgraded 2 or 3 times.

Ansel Adams Would Have Been Proud

For years, I’ve tried to practice Ansel Adams’ concept of previsualizing an image before releasing the shutter. To be perfectly honest, I never really felt I had a handle on the concept but, hey, it made me feel as if I knew what I was doing.

Yesterday, while flipping through a past issue of Outdoor Photographer (the only magazine to which I subscribe and read on a regular basis) I came across an article titled “Think Like Ansel Adams Today” that sparked a thought in my tiny brain. I suddenly realized I had been previsualizing many photos.

Ever since I first made this photo at Lake Tenaya, I’ve had in mind the same image on a calm, windless day when the reflection is as if on a mirror. Add in clouds and snow and the photo would, in my mind, be perfect.

This particular attempt was made late in the day when the last remnants of daylight cast a soft glow. At the time I made this photo, I was pleased with it but, now, in retrospect, I see many things I want to improve.

You don’t have to travel to Yosemite to previsualize a photo. Here’s another I made in my front yard that I’d like to replicate and improve.

In this case, I’d like to see the bee turned a bit more so I can see its eye and antenna in sharp focus. I lost the original in a hard disk crash so all I remember is that it was taken with a 20D with Canon 100/2.8 macro at f/2.8.

The take-away? Review past photos and think how you can improve them the next time. In short order, you’ll be able to previsualize new photos as you come across new scenes.

Check All Memory Cards Before Formatting

Back on October 9, I posted photos from Alabama Hills including a night shot of Mobius Arch framing Lone Pine Peak. I wasn’t happy with the full size print because the photo was slightly out of focus (OOF) and a large print emphasized the misfocus.

While taking photos of the two B&W prints in the last post, I discovered a dozen in-focus photos of Mobius Arch at night made with my Canon 40D and Sigma 10-20. I had switched to the 40D after framing the Mobius Arch with the 24-105 and realizing it was too long. I had completely forgotten these photos and nearly formatted the card without checking. Ergo, I am an idiot. The take away is very simple: Always check and double check your memory cards before formatting, d’oh!

The one on the left is 20mm and the one on the right is 10mm. These were made within 2 minutes of each other. They appear quite dark because a) it was night and b) compressing and resizing reduces the brightness. Printed at 13×19, they appear fine.

As an afterthought, although I typically print at 13×19, the Epson 3880 is capable of printing 17×24. The reason I don’t is because of increased cost and greater hassle to store and display larger prints.

The Complaint Department is Closed

I received an e-mail stating George Jardine’s video on B&W conversion was, “…filled with too much technical stuff…” I deleted the reader from my mailing list to protect him from himself. I’m sorry if everything isn’t simple and easy but, if it were, any 6 year old could make photos like Ansel Adams or David Meunch. The complaint department is now closed!

Alabama Hills

Mobius Arch is possibly the most photographed arch in the Alabama Hills. It’s so popular that to get a position on the boulder just to the east, it’s necessary to be there by Oh-Dark-Thirty. Of course, there’s no reason to sit there in the dark, freezing your buns. I made this photo in near pitch black conditions. If you look carefully, you can see that I misfocused. Almost everyone frames Mt. Whitney through the arch but, being a contrarian, I prefer Lone Pine Peak. This was made with a Canon 7D with a 24-105 at 24mm, ISO 400, 10 seconds, f/4.0 on a Gitzo 3530LS and Markins Q-20. I was there about 5:45AM and barely beat out a guy from New Jersey who took a wrong turn getting there.

This was made the day before while scouting the area around Mobius Arch. The first photo is what everyone makes. This is an angle I’ve never seen. The gear was the same as the first photo. Settings were ISO 400, 1/200, f/4.0.

I was hoping the next morning would have the same heavy cloud cover for a shot at gorgeous alpenglow. Unfortunately, there were just a few wispy clouds the next morning.

By 6:30AM, GWCs (Guy with Camera) were crawling all over Mobius Arch, getting in the way and, in general, acting clueless so I left. On the way back, this thin, wispy alpenglow-like light lit up Mt. Whitney for 15 seconds.

Gear info is exactly the same. Exposure was ISO 100, 1/25, f/4.0. All photos have been cropped, adjusted levels and sharpened in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.

I still have over 600 photos to process so I’ll post more info on future images with explanations of how and why I set up as I did.

Cuties for a Cause Calendar Launch – Friday, October 14

Don’t forget the Cuties for a Cause 2012 calendar launch party at the Lafayette Hotel in San Diego. It’s just $10 and you’ll have an opportunity to photograph professional and semi-professional pin-up models in a fun venue. You can see the Cuties website HERE. The 2012 supported cause is the San Diego Animal Support Foundation.

Life is Hard at Olmsted Point

My Friends, the Ancient Bristlecone Pines

The Magic of Bodie in Snow

This was the second time in four years that I managed to get to Bodie for the first snowfall of the season.

All photos were taken with a Canon 7D and 24-105 or Canon 40D and Sigma 10-20. These have become my favorite “go-to” combos. All photos are SOOC (straight out of camera) except resizing, compression, cropping, very minor levels adjustment and sharpening in Lightroom 3.

More photos and Exif details after I get back to the office next week.