CalevPhoto

Finally calibrated my monitor!

For a long time, I felt that buying a monitor calibrator was something that I should do, but it wasn’t crucial.  When I made my recent decision to focus more on print photography than on stock, I decided that it was now necessary to get a monitor calibrator.  I decided to go with the Spyder 3 Elite  I felt that right now the ColorVision S3P100 Spyder3 pro would do what I needed, but I wanted to leave room for growth open in the future. I’ll have a more in depth review of the Spyder 3 Elite in the future, though I must say that it took some work to get it running.

When I first installed it I received an error – spyder3.cpp 297 65550 (0×10004).  I am currently running Windows Vista 64 bit and I figured they probably didn’t test against that.  However their web site states that it is compatible, so I downloaded the 3.0.4 version of the software (3.0.1 is in the box) and I still had some problems.  Then I realized that the older version was still running, so I made sure that I was running the new version and the error went away.  I then had problems getting the suction cup to stay but like the software says if you wet the suction cup slightly it sticks much better.  Finally, the software had a hard time recognizing the device.  To fix this, I just unplugged the USB cable and plugged it back in and then it recognized it.

After all that, the monitor calibrator did make a difference with my monitor.  The before and after shots definitely showed and improvement.  More important, I opened a shot that I created before I calibrated my monitor and I fixed it.

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Changing how I approach the business of photography

As many of you know, though I currently do not make much money with photography what I do make is split between real estate photography and stock photography.  For quite some time I have been deliberating what the next step I want to take is – and I have finally come to a conclusion.  In short, I think it is time to stop monkeying around and become a real photographer.

As far as this blog is concerned, nothing much will change.  If anything, I hope that you’ll notice over the next year that the quality of my pictures increases.  You may also notice that many posts will contain fewer pictures – but of a higher quality.

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One of my grandfather’s pictures – found!

For some time I have been attempting to find pictures that my grandfather took during World War II.  During the war, he was a photographer in the Signal Corps and severed in the Pacific Front – serving in the Philippines among other areas.  However, it has been very difficult trying to find his photographs in the National Archives.  The chief reason for this is the fact that Signal Corps photographers were not credited with their work.  Therefore it is impossible to search for pictures with his name.  Instead, information such as location, military unit, and date are stored with the pictures.  However, much of this information we do not know.

Recently while searching on the Internet I found this picture.

This picture, taken from a hotel during the Battle of Manila, was taken by my grandfather.  I know this from the following information.

1) The picture begins with 111-SC in the National Archives, meaning it was taken by the Signal Corps.

2) It was taken during the Battle of Manila, where I know he served

3) It is almost exactly the same as another photo he once showed us.  Both were taken of the same building and through the same hole.

4) An interview my cousin did with my grandfather mentioned what he had to go through to get this shot.

This is a major find as I count it, as I hope to be able to use the number of the picture in the National Archives to find other photos he took in the same place.

One of my grandfather’s pictures – found!

For some time I have been attempting to find pictures that my grandfather took during World War II.  During the war, he was a photographer in the Signal Corps and severed in the Pacific Front – serving in the Philippines among other areas.  However, it has been very difficult trying to find his photographs in the National Archives.  The chief reason for this is the fact that Signal Corps photographers were not credited with their work.  Therefore it is impossible to search for pictures with his name.  Instead, information such as location, military unit, and date are stored with the pictures.  However, much of this information we do not know.

Recently while searching on the Internet I found this picture.

This picture, taken from a hotel during the Battle of Manila, was taken by my grandfather.  I know this from the following information.

1) The picture begins with 111-SC in the National Archives, meaning it was taken by the Signal Corps.

2) It was taken during the Battle of Manila, where I know he served

3) It is almost exactly the same as another photo he once showed us.  Both were taken of the same building and through the same hole.

4) An interview my cousin did with my grandfather mentioned what he had to go through to get this shot.

This is a major find as I count it, as I hope to be able to use the number of the picture in the National Archives to find other photos he took in the same place.

Time for some bubbles!

I finally had time over the weekend to take some pictures, including a number with my new 180L.  A review and comparison with the MP-E 65 is coming, but for now I thought you would enjoy some shots I took with the kids playing with a new bubble machine.  I decided to practice using multiple lights with this attempt.  I used a 580EX and a 580EX II triggered with Pocketwizards for the shoot.  On flash had a small softbox attached to it while the other used the white card.  In general I was happy with the lighting, but more tricky was getting the focus right.  Only a number of shots in did I realize it would be a better idea to only use the center focusing point – as otherwise I was getting only bubbles in focus!

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Been a bit busy…

I apologize that I haven’t written a post in a few days or responded much to the comments.  Things have been quite busy around here.  Between working hard to meet a deadline for the next version of a product at work, refinancing our house, changing all of our insurance policies, planning and purchasing our next vacation, watching after the kids while Nelya shows houses, and helping my parents-in-law clean their house and yard for the upcoming sale of their home things have been extremely hectic.

I have a number of new camera goodies to play with now after receiving an extra 580EX II flash, three Pocketwizard Multimaxes, insect collecting equipment, and the Canon 180L.  However, I have had very little time to play with any of it.  Luckily we’re signing for the refi this week, we just booked the vacation (Riviera Maya, Mexico), and my deadline at work is Friday so maybe this weekend I’ll finally have some time to get some pictures and write some blogs.

In the meantime here are a few photos I took of my wife’s parents’ home.  This is the view from the back – nothing special but I like how the clouds came out.

Here is a panorama of the interior.  Things got a bit warped but the panorama is more than 180 degrees.

Interestingly, the home that I mentioned previously has already sold.  In a depressed market it sold after being on the market all of four days.  Of the last five homes I have photographed, three of them have now sold within the first week.

I sure hope Nelya doesn’t read this

Sometimes, when I am not working or photographing or playing with the kids, I think about where I would eventually like to get to in terms of photography in general.  In general I like macro photography and would like to stay within the macro realm.  I will of course continue to shoot other things, but certainly as I grow I intend to improve this area first.  However, eventually I would like to spin off a bit, so here is my plan in general.  Note that this is more of a “what other things I would like to do” kind of plan rather than a general photography plan.  If I want to become better, I need to spend my efforts on improving my technique rather than purchasing additional things (my wife will like that part).  However, there are of course other – rather expensive – things I hope to get into in the future.

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I sure hope Nelya doesn’t read this

Sometimes, when I am not working or photographing or playing with the kids, I think about where I would eventually like to get to in terms of photography in general.  In general I like macro photography and would like to stay within the macro realm.  I will of course continue to shoot other things, but certainly as I grow I intend to improve this area first.  However, eventually I would like to spin off a bit, so here is my plan in general.  Note that this is more of a “what other things I would like to do” kind of plan rather than a general photography plan.  If I want to become better, I need to spend my efforts on improving my technique rather than purchasing additional things (my wife will like that part).  However, there are of course other – rather expensive – things I hope to get into in the future.

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L-plates, camera plates, and lens plates

When buying camera equipment, one of the most confusing areas I have found is in the area of lens plates and camera plates.  Therefore, in this post I will attempt to give the best explanation of them possible.  This information, with hope, will save you some money in the future, as you can quickly spend a lot of it when you start getting into brackets.

Lets get some basic definitions out of the way before we start.

Tripod – Those things, usually with three legs, that we use to hold our camera still.  Note that when you talks about professional tripods, only the legs are considered.  The head is sold separately.

Tripod Head – There are many types of heads you can buy for tripods – ball heads (the most common), panoramic heads, gimbal heads, panning heads, etc.  However, the important thing to remember is the tripod isn’t very useful without a head.  The head is what you put the camera on.

Plate – There are a number of different types of plates, which I will explain in more detail later in the post.  The short definition, though, is a plate is what allows you to place your SLR on the tripod head.

Bracket – This is a general term, but when I write about brackets here I generally mean something that holds something for the camera.  Usually, brackets hold lights – and flash brackets are among the most common types of brackets.  Note that macro rails and panoramic heads are not brackets.

OK, now that we have some basic definitions, lets look at what types of plates there are.

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Future trends with this blog and my photography

I am still new at blogging but I am very happy with the direction this blog has been taking.  Therefore I thought I would discuss some future directions I intend to take with it.  I also have some questions for the regular readers, because I want to make sure that you still find the content interesting. 

I started this blog a few months ago in order to improve my photography skills and learn things from other photographers.  With each post I often have to spend extra time researching things (though I admit I am sometimes lazy with bug Ids), which has added to my knowledge across the board.  Recently I have been thinking about what direction I want my photography to take.  Currently, I take primarily three types of pictures – macros (mostly insects), travel, and my kids.  On this blog the first category has certainly received the majority of the attention.  In a few cases I have also discussed real estate photography, which I am doing more and more.

Lately I have been pondering what additional equipment I should buy – and I still face a huge decision on where I should invest more – in additional macro equipment or in better lighting.  I can now say that I have made up my mind here, which will affect future directions on this blog. Continue Reading…