The Mackinac Bridge. Michigan. Photo © Jim Doty Jr.
Can you take nice photos with an iPhone? Yes. Does it have its limits? Of course.
I have been experimenting with the photo capabilities of an iPhone 3G. The files are small, 600×800 pixels, but the image quality can be quite good under certain circumstances. This is a switch for me since I usually take photos with a full frame digital SLR. But I have been having fun with the iPhone and learning what it can and can’t do.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Today is Martin Luther King Day in the United States. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born January 15, 1929. He was a Baptist minister and a prominent civil rights advocate. King was the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize when it awarded to him in 1964. He was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
One of his most famous speeches was delivered at the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 1963. Often referred to as the “I have a dream” speech, it is one of the most significant and powerful speeches of the 20th century. A portion of the speech follows. Links to the full speech and an audio file are at the end of this post.
U.S. Gas Price Heat Map - January 18, 2010
Some photographers do a lot of traveling, and finding the best gas prices is important.
Driving across the country, I have learned which states have better gas prices. If I am headed east on I-70 in eastern Missouri, I always buy gas before I cross the Mississippi River into Illinois where the prices are much higher. I don’t by gas again until I get to Indiana.
Drew. Sunlight with Fill Flash. Photo © Jim Doty Jr.
Today’s question is brought to you by Powdermilk Biscuits.
Wait – wrong show. My apologies to Prairie Home Companion. (The delightful movie was on TV recently.)
Today’s Q&A is for all of you that learned to use Guide Numbers and manual flash exposure. If you are a little rusty in that department, or if you were weaned on TTL flash, you can brush up on how to use the guide number (GN) for your flash to determine a manual flash exposure by reading the Flash Basics article at my photography web site. If you are a little rusty with f-stops and exposure, go here.
Now for the Q&A:
Sunstar Over Turnagain Arm, Alaska. Photo © Jim Doty Jr.
May the wonder and joy of the season be yours.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Rule of Thumb: When buying photographic equipment, check the price at B&H Photo, Adorama Camera, and Amazon.com (all three are linked and recommended at my main photography site). If an item is selling for significantly less than at these three companies, something is downright suspicious.
A friend of mine is looking for a Canon 7D. Prices from reputable dealers are generally in the $1700 price range. He found it at SkyPoint Digital for $879, an apparent savings of over $800. I told him that a price that low raises all kinds of red flags for me. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I might believe someone can sell the 7D for $1600 (and it would probably be gray market), but not $879.
Each new version of Photoshop has new and wonderful tools, but each version requires more and more computing horsepower. If you are buying a computer today, what do you need to run Photoshop?
How do you pick a good online photo lab, and how do you get the best results from your lab?
It is almost Christmas (or any other time of year), you want some prints or cards made from your digital files, and you are thinking about sending them to an online photo lab. With so many labs out there, which lab do you use? And how do you get the best results from your lab?
My short answer: Use Mpix and Shutterfly for prints of all sizes, plus a host of specialty items. Use EZPrints for panoramas. Why these three labs? Keep reading. For maximum color accuracy, convert the files to the sRGB color space before sending them to the lab, and turn auto enhance off at the online photo lab. More about that later.
You can’t go far wrong buying a recent model Digital SLR. They are all good cameras and most of them are great cameras.
Over the last twelve months, the following DSLRs received a “Highly Recommended” rating from DP Review, their highest rating (with sensor size in megapixles – mp):
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 21 mp
Canon EOS 7D, 18 mp
Canon Digital Rebel T1i, 15.1 mp
Nikon D3X, 24.5 mp
Nikon D300S, 12.3 megapixels
Nikon D5000, 12.3 mp
Olympus E-620, 12.3 mp
Olympus E-30, 12.3 mp
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1, 12.1 mp
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, 12.1 mp
Pentax K-7, 14.6 mp
2009 SHORT LIST (Top rated cameras listed by name, sensor size in megapixels – mp, and the zoom range of the lens):
Best point and shoot “transitional cameras” (point and shoot cameras that take interchangeable lenses):
Olympus Pen E-P1, 12.3 megapixels, interchangeable lenses
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, 12.1 megapixels, interchangeable lenses
Best point and shoot cameras:
Canon PowerShot SD880 IS, 10 mp, 4x zoom
Canon PowerShot SX110 IS, 9 mp, 10x zoom
Canon PowerShot SX10IS, 10 mp, 20x zoom lens
Fujifilm FinePix F100fd, 12 mp, 5x zoom
Fujifilm FinePix F200 EXR, 12 mp, 4.4x zoom
Panasonic Lumix FZ28, 10.1, 18x zoom
Panasonic Lumix LX3, 10.1, 2.5x zoom
Panasonic Lumix TZ5, 9.1 mp, 10x zoom
Panasonic Lumix ZS1, 10.1 mp, 12x zoom
Panasonic Lumix ZS3, 10.1 mp, 12x zoom
Best underwater point and shoot cameras:
Canon Powershot D10, 12.1 mp, 3x zoom lens
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1, 12.1 mp, 4.6x zoom
How do you learn the basics of Photoshop before going on to the books I recommend in the MASTERING PHOTOSHOP series? Look at the books below. And why did I lump Photoshop together with digital photography? Because some of the basic and intermediate books cover both.
There are any number of good, basic and intermediate photoshop/photography books. Look for books by Tom Ang, Rick Sammon, Tim Grey, Martin Evening, Bruce Fraser, and Scott Kelby. Also worth reading are Deke McClelland, Barbara Obermeier, and Peter Bauer who authored the popular “Dummies” series of books for various versions of Photoshop.
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Two essential and challenging Photoshop skills are Masking and Compositing. Fortunately for all of us out in Photoshop land, Katrin Eismann has written a masterful book on developing these skills, Photoshop Masking & Compositing
You will learn about selection tools and techniques, how to use masks and layers, advanced selection techniques for difficult subjects like human hair, and how to do flawless composites.
Katrin Eismann is a world class expert on photo retouching. She is one of the best of the best. In 2005 she was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. Anything she writes should be high on your reading list if you are serious about making the most of your Photoshop skills.
Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (3rd Edition)
If you aren’t shooting RAW files with your digital camera (as opposed to jpeg files), you should think about the advantages of shooting in RAW. Read the article RAW vs JPEG Camera Files at my photography web site.
A lot of the quality of your final image will be determined by what you do with your RAW files when you open them in Adobe Camera RAW (ACR).
Everything you need to know about Dan Margulis is in Advanced Color Correction, Part One.
After you have devoured the book I recommend in that article, you will know why you need to get Photoshop LAB Color: The Canyon Conundrum and Other Adventures in the Most Powerful Colorspace
If you want to master color in Photoshop, Dan Margulis is the best of the best. He is one of the first three persons to be named as a member of the Photoshop Hall of Fame. And the book to get is Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction (5th Edition)
Updated December 13, 2009.
It is the time of year that I get asked a lot of questions from people who are buying gifts for photographers, or from photographers wanting to drop hints. (In this post, “photographer” means anyone who likes to take pictures.) “What is the best book for . . . ?” “What are the best point and shoot cameras?” “Is there any really good image editing software for less than $100?” Many of those questions are answered in the posts above and below.
Short List:
SanDisk
Lexar
Memory cards are the “film” for your digital camera. You don’t want to have a card failure and lose your photos. A reliable brand is important.
Short List: Arca-Swiss
The Arca-Swiss quick release system is arguably the best quick release system and certainly the most universal among professional photographers. The system is simple and you can start for less than $80 and use almost any tripod head you now own. . . .
The short list.
3-Way Tripod heads:
Manfrotto 056 3D Junior Head (replaces 3025)
Manfrotto 3025
Manfrotto 115 3D Super Junior Head (replaces 3028)
Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head
Ball Heads:
Slik Pro Ballhead 800
Kirk Enterprises BH-3
Kirk Enterprises BH-1
Really Right Stuff BH-40
Really Right Stuff BH-55
Looking for a tripod? This is the place to find information, recommended models, and links to more information.
It is best to buy your tripod legs and tripod head separately. The best brands are interchangeable so you can match the legs you want with the tripod head that you want.
For years I have been recommending Bogen/Manfrotto and Gitzo tripods. . . .
Short List:
Christopher Grey, Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers
Jeff Smith, Posing for Portrait Photography: A Head-to-Toe Guide
J. D. Wacker, Master Posing Guide for Portrait Photographers
One of the best ways to improve your photography is to read some good instructional books and then go out and try what you just read about. My favorite landscape and nature photography books are here and here.
Some of these are out of print but they are still well worth finding on the used book market.
So you want to be a better photographer. Start here.
Some of these are out of print but they are still well worth finding on the used book market.
Don’t lose your digital photos to disc rot or a hard drive crash. Choose the best archival options. . . . .
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Wet Mountain Valley, Marble Mountain, Crestone Needle, and Crestone Peak (Sangre De Cristos Range), Colorado. Photo © Jim Doty Jr.
The air is getting cooler and fall is on its way (if it hasn’t already arrived, like in Alaska). It is a great time to take pictures. Fall colors will begin appearing in the northern U.S. and at higher elevations and work its way south and down to lower elevations.
At Denali National Park in Alaska, fall color is well under way in late August, and wintry conditions can arrive by early September.
In Colorado, fall color starts up north at the higher elevations in mid-September and works its way south through early October. At Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National PArk, the aspen usually peak in mid to late September. When the aspen at Bear Lake at bare in early October, the aspen at lower elevations in the Park should be be hitting their peak. In southern and southwest Colorado, the aspen should be a pale green in late September and usually hit their golden peak in the first 10 days of October.
In Michigan, fall color starts in the U.P. in early October and works its way south through the rest of October.
Weather conditions can change the usual fall color season in any part of the country, and the quality of the color can change from year to year. I timed my last trip to southern Colorado for the peak color season but the leaves weren’t at their best when they turned, and heavy rain, snow, and high winds combined to strip the trees early. No aspens for me down south but I was able to catch a few patches of color at lower elevations up north.
“Leaf peepers” can keep track of conditions and plan their fall color trips by keeping a close eye on a variety of web sites.
I have a long list of fall color web sites for much of the U.S. on this page. Fall color web sites become active at various times during the fall.
Marshall Pass, Colorado. Photo © Jim Doty Jr.
Bay Area Bridge. Photo © Jim Doty Jr.
I was asked recently how to re-size images for the web using Photoshop. The person asking the question was not only having problems resizing images, but the photos looked desaturated with muted colors. My instructions (below) are for using Photoshop CS3 for Windows, so some menu items may be a little different in other versions of Photoshop or with Photoshop Elements, but the basic principles and steps are the same.
My reply follows.
Check out the items on sale this week at Adorama. Be sure to note the Buffalo external drives (Buffalo external drives are my current favorite) and Nik Sharpener Software. If you like to do closeup photography, look at the extension tube set for Canon EOS film and digital cameras. There are special prices an Kata bags and Kata rebates, and much more.
NASA Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Walking on the Moon
Photo details: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the Moon near the leg of the Lunar Module (LM) “Eagle” during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA). Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the Lunar Module (LM) “Eagle” to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the Moon, astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) “Columbia” in lunar orbit.
Sending astronauts to the moon seemed like an amazing thing in 1969. They landed 40 years ago today. Like millions of others, I was glued to the TV set.
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