Friday, September 17, 2010

Pushing flash X-sync to the limit

Dan Carr | 09/17- 07:24 PM

As Photokina is fast approaching us there has been a fair bit of new gear to discuss in the last couple of weeks.  I would expect this to continue for a little while longer but I also wanted to get this quick strobe technique article up as well. 

For people that shoot fast moving action with strobes like myself, we are always worrying about sync speeds and flash durations.  Today I’m going to talk a little bit about flash sync and give a quick example of how you can push the boundaries of what can often seem like a very limiting factor with DSLRs.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Black Friday Deal - 50% Off on David duChemin eBooks

Matt Jeppsen | 11/27- 02:25 PM

Titles at just $2.50

David duChemin is offering 50% off his Craft & Vision photography ebooks until December 7…use discount code BLKFRIDY to make these $5 titles just $2.50. Titles include:
Drawing The Eye - Creating Stronger Images Through Visual Mass
Chasing The Look - 10 Ways to Improve The Aesthetics of Your Photographs
TEN – Ten Ways To Improve Your Craft. None of Them Involves Buying Gear
TEN MORE – Ten More Ways To Improve Your Craft
I’ve purchased Drawing The Eye and Chasing The Look and am loving them. They are beautifully laid out, and the info is fresh and relevant. A steal at $2.50.
Get ‘em while they are hot!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Timelapse Motion Control

Chris Meyer | 11/20- 10:43 PM

Combining dolly moves with timelapse photography to show off my favorite region of the country.

Having made the move recently from California to New Mexico, loving to shoot both states (and points in between), and having recently bought a Canon 5D Mark II, I was happy to have recently encountered Timescapes.org, who is currently working on a film about the area - Southwest Light - which is being shot timelapse with DSLRs such as the 5D. What makes some of these scenes particularly interesting is the motion control dolly they are using: A stepper motor is incrementing the camera’s position between shots along a slide rail, combining the sensation of panning (a “dolly shot”) with timelapse - nice work.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Deconstruction 1.1

Chris Meyer | 11/01- 10:50 AM

Distressing a photo to accidentally create a prize-winning collage.

The journey from a clean photo of a modern building to a distressed, impressionistic print.

Although I have spent a fair amount of money to buy camera equipment and digital printers which can produce a more-perfect image, the truth is that my personal aesthetic is more along the lines of wabi-sabi: an appreciation for the aged, weathered, and decayed. So what happens when I take a clean photo of the San Diego Museum of Modern History, a fine modern architectural example of a glass, metal, and stone? I have to distress it. The irony is, the result won a prize - and few realized it was a digital print of a photograph. Here’s one photograph’s journey into the realm of accelerated aging:

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Let It Snow

Chris Meyer | 10/28- 10:56 PM

Eye candy: A quick shot at photographing falling snow.

We had our first good snow in the mountains today. At one point when the flakes got particularly large, my wife Trish asked if I could get a photo that showed off the individual flakes, as her PowerShot SD870 IS was insisting on too long of a shutter time. So I picked up the Canon 5D mkII, slapped on its stock 24-105mm L IS lens, opened it up all the way to f=4.0 with a 1/2000 shutter speed at ISO 500, and fired a few pics through the office window (I know - a real man would have went outside).

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Project Icarus: Near-Space Photography for Under $150

Chris Meyer | 10/18- 01:57 PM

A balloon story that isn’t a hoax.

For those who have made the move to digital cameras, an inevitable consequence of the relentless march of technology is that we end up with cameras that are “obsolete” (because the new model has more pixels, less compression, video capabilities, etc.).

So what do we do with those old cameras? How about using them to get a shot we otherwise wouldn’t consider going for, because we might lose the camera in the process?

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Extended Shutter Fun

Chris Meyer | 10/07- 11:10 AM

Shooting hot-air balloons (and robot vacuum cleaners) with extended shutter times.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is on right now, and it is truly one of the more joyous man-made phenomenon to shoot: hundreds of balloons of all shapes and colors from over 50 countries over a 200-acre area.

But as much fun as they are flying, even more fun for an experimental photographer is seeing them at night during a “balloon glow.” After the sun sets, the pilots inflate the balloons (but keep them on the ground); the flames that generate the hot air also illuminate the balloons from inside.

And, even more fun than a balloon glow, is setting your camera to very long exposure times and experimenting with different camera movements.

Monday, July 06, 2009

Stunning Posing Examples for Couples Photography

Matt Jeppsen | 07/06- 04:33 PM

Photographer Laurence Kim offers beautiful (and free) advice

As a learning photographer, orchestrating subject poses is consistently one of the most difficult things for me to do. I have extensive experience with documentary-style videography, so directing posing is not a natural thing for me. It is particularly difficult when you have a subject or couple that doesn’t move organically with each other, and seem apprehensive about interaction in front of the lens. So I’m always on the lookout for tips and advice on poses, posing guides, etc. And today I just stumbled across an excellent resource on the subject…this one in the form of a simple blog post by photographer Laurence Kim. It’s a great resource…there are example images and a quick text blurb that talk about the shot. Simple, effective, and beautiful imagery. I’d recommend taking a look at this one.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Big Brucie Bloviates at Macworld…

Bruce Dorn | 01/02- 03:03 PM

“Digital Art Pioneers and Trendsetters” - an Inspirational Panel on the Digital Arts

I wanted to take a moment to wish all of our readers a Happy New Year and mention a personal appearance that is just around the corner…

I’ll be winging my way to Macworld in San Francisco to participate in the Corel sponsored discussion panel entitled “Digital Art Pioneers and Trendsetters”.  The details were included in a press releases posted by Scott Gentry.  I just thought that I would elaborate a bit….

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

5D Mark II Video, Part Two

Bruce Dorn | 12/23- 10:50 AM

Digging deeper: Exposure Control Under Daylight Conditions

Cinematography, photography, and videography are undeniably machine-based crafts.  Just as a painter needs to understand the character and limitations of her brushes, so too do we need to understand the nuance of our camera systems. A mastery of technical craft doesn’t assure the ascension to Art but it certain helps to smooth the path.  While the mastery of our craft can become a fascinating obsession in itself, my preference is to take the long view and treat technique as an enjoyable means to a gratifying end.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Welcome to Studio B!

Bruce Dorn | 12/05- 01:20 PM

As a cursory glance at my long-winded resume will quickly reveal, I’ve been shooting for a very long time.  I’ve never done anything else, actually; every meal I’ve enjoyed – and I do enjoy my meals - has been paid for with monies earned from behind a viewfinder.  Over the course of my thirty-five year professional career as a photographer and filmmaker I’ve seen tons of changes in the industry and well, here we go again… 

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Christmas gift ideas for the photographer - Part 2

PPC News Staff | 11/26- 09:17 PM

Memory, more memory, and faster memory

Today I’m going to recommend a great gift that every photographer who shoots with a digital camera always needs more of, memory cards - but first a word of caution for you who don’t know about camera gear - be sure that whatever memory card you buy it will work with that particular brand and model number camera that your photographer owns.  Digital cameras accept only certain sizes of memory cards and there are several formats/types of memory cards on the market.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Christmas gift ideas for the photographer in your life - Part 1

PPC News Staff | 11/26- 05:13 PM

No matter what your budget here are some good ideas for Christmas gifts for the photographer in your family.

Its that time of year again where you’re trying to come up with gift ideas for the people in your life.  Well, if you know anyone who’s interested in photography I’ll be posting a few articles with gift ideas that will cost you from nothing but your time, up to several thousand dollars.

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