CalevPhoto

A Status Update

Wow! Things have been amazingly busy.  Between a very hectic schedule at work and a lot of things at home – including gutting the entire interior of our house, I think I am finally back to the stage where I can begin to write blogs again.

Photography-wise, much has happened in the last several months.  I purchased the Canon TS-E 17 and the Canon TS-E 24 II lenses for a number of purposes and they are now two of my favorite lenses.  I will discuss them more in a future blog.

I finally bit the bullet and purchased Lightroom – along with Photoshop CS4.  I am still getting used to Lightroom and have barely used CS4 yet – though I hope to ramp up on them soon.  I do rather like Lightroom – particularly the keywording feature – though I must admit I’m still getting used to non-destructive editing.  I think the thing that annoys me most about it so far is I cannot (or at least I haven’t figured it out yet) overwrite the original JPEG.

I typically use the RAW file as my negative and the JPEG as my currently edited version.  If I change an image significantly – I’ll generally save it as a new file.

I have also learned quite a bit about time management lately.  In the past, I heavily participated in photography forums – most particularly a photography alias at my work.  I have come to realize though that these forums are not that incredibly useful.  In particular I began to notice the following.

1) I was writing more about photography equipment than on actual photography.  This may sound rude, but I have noticed that those who write the most about photography generally don’t take the best pictures.  The reason is the exhausting amount of time it takes to create a decent review and research things.

2) In most forums, the truly professional photographers are few and far between.  If you really want strong criticism of your photos and techniques, you’ll generally need to go directly to the photographers – not to the forums.

Therefore I have ceased participation in most of these venues.  I do still occasionally post in a few places – but only when I have a very particular question and I know there are members there that are very familiar with that subject area.

This has allowed me more time lately, which I hope to channel into consistently writing blogs.

A great book for a greater cause

Check out this book!

You probably know that I am into photography and I am a member of the Microsoft Photography Club. This year Photography Club Members from around the world spent five months assembling and publishing a world-class, fine art photo book. The time and talent that went into this project makes every copy of the book a gift to its owner. We even put a full book preview online (160 pages of preview!) 100% of the profit from sales goes directly to the United Way and you get a valued and timeless reminder of how you too make a difference for those in need.

You can preview the book, or order the book, from your desk. Not only does this book make a wonderful addition to any collection, and a thoughtful gift, each copy you purchase contributes directly to the ongoing, important work of United Way. This book is offered for purchase at the cost of printing plus $25.00. This additional amount is contributed directly to United Way in your name and is fully tax deductable as a charitable contribution.

Even if you don’t think you’ll buy a copy of the book, go take a look at the online preview anyway. It really is amazing!

And yes, my photo is in the book.  It is this one.

Upcoming purchases and debates

Recently I have been debating quite a bit two questions.

1) What will I get next?

2) What do I eventually want to get?  In the end there should be some limit to what I buy?

In terms of what to buy next, I have had several thoughts given my budget.  I have already decided to pickup the Canon TS-E 17mm once our kitchen remodel is finished.  The question is what else to purchase.

Option 1

Canon 200mm F4 Hybrid IS Macro - This is only a rumor of course.  However given Canon’s press release about a hybrid IS coming out in a lens before the end of the year this is a very possible reality.

I am very torn about this one.  Recently I sold my Canon 180mm macro because I just could not get dependable results out of it.  I do not know what it truly was, but while I can get consistent results from the MP-E 65, I found that the sharpness on the 180L was lacking.  I suspect this new macro would not have this issue.

Canon 85mm 1.2L

This is one incredible lens, but my main worry is how much I will use it.  I would mainly use it for shots of my kids.  It would certainly allow me to sell my Canon 50mm 1.4 that I hardly ever use.

Canon TS-E 24 II

At first it seemed silly to buy this together with the TS-E 17mm.  However, they make an incredible combo.  While the TS-E 17mm has the width, the TS-E 24mm has the advantage that it accepts filters and has more shift.  For real estate, the TS-E 17mm is the best for interiors, while the TS-E 24mm is better suited to exteriors.

Buy nothing and save for the 600mm

This is my dream lens, but it doesn’t seem very logical to put everything into this lens right now.  Besides, at the end of next year they’ll probably announce a replacement.

And the answer is…

Continue Reading…

Time for some planes

I apologize that it has been so long since my last post. We are in the midst of a huge remodel here that has taken a great deal of my time.  I have also been busy photographing homes for Nelya as her business has really taken off.  Of course I have been photographing and I have a backlog of interesting shots to talk about.

Last weekend we took the kids to see the Blue Angels in their annual show in Seattle.  This was the first time I finally had a lens that could catch them decently in the Canon 100-400.  The lens worked fine and for the most part I felt the focal length was adequate on the full frame 5D Mark II.  The autofocus was quite slow, but I was still able to get some decent shots.

Continue Reading…

Friends don’t let friends take horrible fireworks pictures

Awhile ago I posted about how to take fireworks pictures.  Every year I see the same thing.  Shortly before the 4th of July I see tons of requests on how to take fireworks pictures, followed by a slew of truly awful fireworks shots after the event.  Let it stop!

Here’s the truth about fireworks shots.  In order to get that truly amazing fireworks shot you need to be familiar both with where the fireworks will be shot off that year as well as the optimal spot in the city to take a shot.  Typically this ‘optimal place’ will not be empty and you will need to set up way ahead of time in order to get the spot.

While you are setup in this spot, you will need to deal with photographers and spectators setting up right in front of you and if you need to use the bathroom you can consider your spot gone.  If you have kids, you’ll either need to not take them or they will get restless waiting hours before the fireworks.

The other thing to consider here in the Seattle area is that all of our fireworks shows suck.  The fireworks companies here simply do not utilize the more creative shells that many companies on the East coast utilize.  The one show I know of not shot by a local company here - the Seattle show shot by Pyro Spectacular - also sucks.  This puzzled me for some time, as Pyro Spectacular has a good reputation in the fireworks industry.  After some digging I found that the city of Seattle is not a fireworks friendly city and is such a pain to deal with in terms of budget and restrictions that the end result sucks.

Part of being a truly professional photographer is knowing when not to click the shutter.  Fireworks are pretty, but the chances that you will get a great shot haphazardly are close to infinitesimal.  If you are going out with the intention to photograph the fireworks show, my recommendation is to not go out at all.

Several years ago I got sick of fighting the crowds and found my fireworks shots no better than the millions of other horrible fireworks shots that plague the ‘Net after the 4th.  Therefore, I decided to go a different route and I now purchase some small fireworks items and shoot them off in our backyard with the kids.

Our kids now absolutely love the 4th of July and count the days before we shoot the fireworks.  As we have a small backyard I don’t buy anything big - mainly sparklers (the wood kind), some small fountains, bees, and pagodas (a yearly tradition - each child gets his/her own pagoda).  I do not shoot any festival ball and we stopped shooting firecrackers after some of our guests complained about the noise.

This year I hope to take some pictures of the event, as last year we used small sparklers that expired quickly and I spent all of my time distributing them.  My shots may not be masterpieces, but they will be far more memorable and valuable to me than the junk I would have taken at the fireworks shows here.

Therefore, please do your part this year and save energy by not forcing servers around the Internet to transfer your garbage among the millions of garbage fireworks shots that come after the 4th.

The Rule of Three Colors

I’m sure most of you have heard of the Rule of Thirds - which states that if you divide a picture up into thirds, the subject generally works best when it is not in the middle third.  I think this rule works quite well, though as with everything in photography there are times when it should be broken.

There are a number of other “Rules” in photography, but one of those I like most is what I call “The Rule of Colors”.  I’m sure it is not new - and there may be a more widely known name for it, but I did notice it myself before anyone mentioned it to me.

To illustrate this rule, what do these two pictures have in common?

Continue Reading…

Why Photoshop Sucks

Well, it doesn’t actually suck, but I am constantly annoyed by the number of people who believe that mastering Photoshop is the gateway to better pictures.  They rush to find the latest plugins that will perform some kind of magic and read tons of books from the latest Photoshop masters on how to improve otherwise boring photos.

Too often I see requests on how to salvage a photo in various forums.  In my opinion, it is simply not possible to salvage a photo.  It is possible to improve a photo, but if you feel the need to salvage it the truth is your photo simply sucks.

One of the key differences between true pros and amateurs is pros understand that some of their photos suck, and live with it.  Rather than trying to bring back a photo from the dead, they focus on improving their skills so they don’t need to worry about it the next time.

Another difference is pro photographers will not waste their time taking a photo of something with the hope that they will be able to salvage the photo later.  Sure, a stray pole or piece of garbage is easy to clone out.  However, if the lighting isn’t right or the view just not that interesting, they won’t bother with the shot.  One thing I have found out is understanding when not to take a picture is just as important as understanding when to take one.

So the next time you look at a picture and are hoping that you can ’save’ it, just give up and let it go.  Instead, consider why the picture sucks.  What could you have done better?  That way, the next time you will be able to improve.  In this way, you will find yourself slowly getting better as a photographer, rather than spending hours in vain rescuing a photo and remaining in mediocrity.

A trip to the Museum of Flight

For some strange reason, we never bothered to take Eitan and Nathan to the Museum of Flight.  While figuring out what to do one weekend, we decided it was time to take them.

Of course, I couldn’t resist taking my camera and decided to be a bit creative with the shots.

In particular I found the exhausts on the planes to be rather interesting.  The museum itself is very interesting and had quite a few planes for the kids to look at.  We wound up spending five hours there!

Continue Reading…

Equipment that I hope to buy

In my previous post, I covered the equipment that I currently use.  The following is a list of what I am still planning to get.

Canon TS-E 17 - This is simply too tempting, especially for my real estate work.  I am currently saving for this lens, which is good as it is not out yet.  I hope to have it by the end of the year, even though it is quite pricy.

Canon 600mm F4 IS - I will most likely start saving for this lens after I buy my TS-E 17.  I will use the TS-E 17 for real estate shoots that will help pay for this monster.  I’m still debating between this and a microscope, but the around town opportunities to use this are just too tempting.

Canon 135mm 2L - I am a bit conflicted about this lens and am unsure it will truly be on my list.  The issue is that I already heavily use my 70-200 4L IS for pictures of my kids and I’m not sure I will have room in the bag for this lens.

Microscope - The problem is I don’t want any microscope - but a DIC microscope, which will set me back more than the 600L.

Really Right Stuff pano kit - I love doing panoramas and the only thing keeping me from getting it right now is the price and the two lenses in front of it. :)  I almost bought it a few months ago but chose to buy a monopod instead - which I do not regret.

Singh-ray vari-ND - I haven’t done much landscape work lately, but I hope that will change.  When it does I hope to have one of these to do some long shutter shots.

Confessions of an equipment junkie

I admit it.  I am an equipment junkie.  I want all of the best photo equipment and lenses no matter how much they cost and I love showing my equipment off.  In particular I love hearing now that’s a camera, as people walk by.

You know that you are the same, so it’s best to admit it now and get it over with!  Therefore, with that spirit in mind I will discuss the gear that I currently use.

Camera:

Canon 5D Mark II - I really like this camera and have already discussed it at great length on this blog.

Lenses:

Canon 70-200 4L IS - This is my walk around lens and the lens I most commonly use for shots of my kids.  I bought it over the 2.8 because it is much lighter and the IS is better.

Canon MP-E 65 - This is the lens I use for the majority of my insect shots.

Canon 180L Macro - I use this less often than my MP-E 65, but it is my main lens for larger insects and flowers.

Canon 16-35 2.8L II - This is the main lens I use for real estate and for landscape shots while traveling.

Canon 50mm 1.4 - I rarely use this lens, but it does come in handy for low light situations.

Canon 100-400 4.5-5.6L - This is my zoo and wildlife lens.

Lighting:

Canon 580EX - This is the first flash I bought and I still prefer it in some ways to the 580EX II, which sometimes has difficulties with the Pocketwizards.

Canon 580EX II - It’s nice to control the flash from the camera, but otherwise it is no big upgrade.

Canon MT-24EX - This is the flash I use for most of my macro shots.

Pocketwizard MultiMAX - I love the added versatility over the Pocketwizard Plus II, but I rarely use multiple lights in my shots these days.

Other:

Really Right Stuff L Bracket - IMHO their L brackets are the best.

Gitzo 1348 tripod - The tripod is a bit big, but is extremely sturdy.  It is great for real estate and for around town, but not so great for traveling.

Markins M20 head - Great head for less price than the Really Right Stuff head.

Gitzo GM-5561 monopod - Expensive but amazingly small and strong for a monopod.  I almost always have this on me.

Really Right Stuff Tilt head - Works great when tracking birds or other things.

Kirk Macro Rail - I shoot most of my macro shots handheld so I now use this mainly for panorama shots - to adjust the nodal point of the lens.  It’s not a bad macro rail but I would probably buy the Really Right Stuff one if I had to do it over again.

Lumiquest 80/20 system - I almost always have this on my flash.

Wimberley macro brackets - When I am using a flash with my 180L, these are always on.  I also use them for drop shots.

In my next post I will cover the gear I hope to get.