Category: news

The Lensbaby Composer

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For those of you that are regular podcast listeners, you know I talked recently about the Lensbaby Composer and what it can do for your photos.  In the podcast you heard the terms “selective focus” but the term is kind of hard to explain without a visual, so I thought I might be able to do it better justice with a visual here today.  Take a look at this setup:

lensbaby1

So, if you are looking at a scene from camera view 1, and you want the sharpness of your image (your viewers attention) to focus on something at point B, it’s easy to do this.  Simply drop your aperture wide open and the depth of field will throw points A and C out of focus naturally.  Pretty easy, no photo editing, no trickery or anything involved – the mechanics of apertures and depth of field handle this for you.

Well, take a moment to consider things from the viewpoint of Camera Two.

lensbaby2

You still want the focus to be at point B, but because both A and C are also positioned relative to the camera at the same place (they are not in front of or behind the point of focus, they are merely off to the sides of the point of focus), dropping your aperture wide open will not throw A and B out of focus – they still there, just as sharp as point B.  Well, up until now, you’ve always had to take images taken under situation 2 and bring them into image editing software to blur, dodge, burn, and otherwise minimize the attention that points A and C got from the viewer eye.

Well, what the Lensbaby does, through it’s unique combination of lens elements that include an actual curved optic and a curved field of focus, giving you a round spot of focus, so that it allows you to set point B as a single point of focus, so that A and C will fall off in sharpness, bringing the viewer back to your desired point of what to look at.  (The eye will almost always naturally look for sharpness and light in images…)

So now, dodging, burning, blurring and other darkroom and software techniques are no longer needed!  The Lensbaby allows you to create these visions in camera, not afterward in post processing.  What does this mean for you?  More time shooting, and less time photo editing!  Who doesn’t want that?

The coolest part of the new partnership with Lensbaby is that they’re also offering anyone reading the blog or listening to the show an opportunity to get a 0.6x wide-angle/macro conversion lens for the Composer lens totally free! Imagine taking your creative visions to a whole new level with the Composer lens from Lensbaby – and then add the macro capabilities, and literally, the sky is the limit!  Your creativity knows no boundaries with lens-work like this!  So, if you are looking at adding the Composer lens to your gear bag (and you can purchase it from any retailer), then look no further, because from here you can get a free 0.6x wide-angle/macro-conversion lens from Lensbaby as a way of saying thanks.

Expanded creativity + Free gear = lots of fun

Sounds like a perfect equation for me!  So, stop on over to the partner website they made just for Canon Blogger listeners and readers to get your free lens today.  This is a limited time offer, and I am not sure when it will end, but the Composer and the companion 0.6x wide-angle/macro conversion lens (which you can get for free) would have been very useful this last weekend on the Eldorado shoot.  Remember the rock fissure?  Imagine if I had a chance to fade the DOF out away from the rock completely?  What about the rear window reflection?  Imagine if I could have faded the front window part out of focus completely?  Both of these shots might have ended up in my portfolio!  As they are, I’ve got two snaps that while interesting, will likely never get added to the print portfolio…

Does this help clarify how the Lensbaby works and what it does?  I know it’s a very simplified version, and the folks at Lensbaby have a lot more resources to help explain it than I do so be sure to visit their partner landing page here to learn more about it!  If you’d like to see some samples of the lens at work, (my lens hasn’t arrived yet) make sure to stop over to the gallery page here too!  Got some pics you’d like to share?   Link them here in the comments section (or even share then with the good folks at Lensbaby – they like to hear feedback from the field so share your thoughts and shots with them too!)  Finally, to learn all the details about this promotional offer, stop over to the page the folks at Personal Life Media have set up here.

If you do have pics and thoughts to share here, feel free as always to drop me an email, and you could be on the show!    For those interested in buying the composer, make sure to visit this link here to get the free macro conversion lens!  Questions, comments, feedback and ideas are welcome at my email address (as always) is jason <at> canonblogger <dot> com!

Check them out today – then get back out and keep on shooting!  Hope all your shots are good ones and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

HDR, Web links, and a podcast!

Jason3 Comments

fissure2

So, this last weekend I went on the photo meetup group outing for the month of February into Eldorado State Park, south of Boulder, and had many an opportunity to capture some landscape and macro work. Some great views were had and I only hope that they all come out as well as this one did. While hiking up a trail of slippery snow and ice (it was cold out Saturday morning), I saw this fissure that was pretty intense looking because it was only partially lit. I thought about it for a second and decided to bracket some exposures to see if it would turn out with some HDR massaging. Not only did it turn out better than I would have thought, I was also very pleased with how Photomatix did with this. I would highly recommend this software to anyone interested in HDR work. Not only is it more intuitive than Photoshop, the results were much more gratifying! You can buy Photomatix for PS, Lightroom and for either Windows or a Mac over at www.HDRsoft.com.

Some other web links I learned about recently also include www.fotoblur.com and www.usefilm.com Both are much more cognizant and respective of photography copyright than other social and photo networking sites like Flickr and Facebook (we all know about the Facebook Terms of Service fiasco, right?). One thing I like about both Fotoblur and Flickr is that you are limited in how many images you can upload daily. This requires you to be more careful about what you publish, and as a result, you are more thoughtful and objective of what work is worth posting and sharing online.

Last but not least, the podcast that I had intended to put out last week was delayed for a few days as I put the finishing touches up on a home improvement project. (We finished out one of the basement rooms – expect to see some photos on that makeover forthcoming!) The good news is that not only is the basement room on the verge of completion, but that the podcast is up for this week. Naturally, the title of the podcast will match the blog post title, as the show notes follow closely to todays content. Stop on over to Personal Life Media for the show, or pick it up in iTunes! (Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the review section of iTunes too…the more the merrier!)

Until tomorrow, when I’ll have some more HDR shots to share, keep on shooting – hope all your shots are good ones!

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Long Weekends Rule!

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A long weekend is always a good thing.  When you combine that with the ability to literally “get away from it all”, they are even better.  I had the great fortune of being able to secure an idyllic getaway cabin in the mountains of Colorado over this last weekend.  We were quite literally cut off from the world with no cell phones, no internet – nada!

It was quite refreshing to be honest, and is due, in no small part to the lack of a post at all yesterday.  (I did get back in time to cobble one together, but rather chose to bask in the last few hours of what was truly a wonderful holiday weekend, Hallmark though it was!)

Of course, I did take the camera with me, and will have many to share over the course of the next few weeks as I post process things, and filter out the keepers.  So, for today let’s just leave things where they are.  Rest assured though, I am “back in the saddle”, and will hopefully have the weekly podcast up for your listening pleasure tomorrow!

Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here bright and early!

Recommended Reading

Jason4 Comments

Ever get the feeling that you are spending too much time at the computer, but you still are thirsting for knowledge? Well, for those of us that grew up before then internet, we had these great things called books! It goes without saying that there are literally thousands of books about photography, both film and digital. As in all things, the cream really does rise to the top though. Over the past 3 or 4 years, I have found myself constantly referring back to and seen others reference these, which in my mind means that they are well-worth the time spent lost between the pages:

Technical Texts

  • The Digital Photography Book, Vols. 1 & 2, Scott Kelby
  • Nature Photography Field Guide, John Shaw
  • Understanding Exposure, Bryan Peterson
  • Complete Digital Photography, Tom Ang
  • Light and Lens – Photography in the Digital Age, Robert Hirsch

Creative Inspiration and Understanding

  • The Photographer’s Eye, Michael Freeman
  • The Photographer’s Eye, John Szarkowski (Yes, the same title but different author)
  • The Camera, Ansel Adams
  • The Negative, Ansel Adams
  • The Print, Ansel Adams

Workflow, Organization and Purpose

  • The DAM Book -Digital Asset Management for Photographers, Peter Krough
  • Raw 101 – Better Images with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Jon Canfield
  • The Photoshop CS_ Book for Digital Photographers, Scott Kelby (where _ = your version, whether CS, CS2, CS3 or now CS4) – great beginner reference
  • Shooting and Selling Your Photos, Jim Zuckerman

Naturally, we all learn differently, and we all enter the field at diferent points along the never-ending learning curve, but some of these may be really useful and I would encourage you to use them, whether for a doorstop, a reference, or a bible!  With that in mind, I’ll throw this out for others to include their favorite books – they can be technical, inspirational, organizational, or any “ional”, as long as it’s related to photography!  What are your favorite books?

Multimedia Monday

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With the “New and Improved” podcast starting out at PLM this week, there’s a couple exciting things to announce. First off, the drawing for the Think Tank Photo Streetwalker bag was done live on the podcast this week, and the winner was announced in the lead segment. Congrats go out to the winner (you know who you are!), so do get me your address so I can ship you the bag post haste!

The meat segment (aka middle segment) I talk about some new sources of inspiration – specifically the grocery store and in a restaurant. The next time you are at a restaurant, take your camera because the table makes for a great tripod, and you can get some really cool shots. Case in point, is the new gallery I have set up here at the blog, titled Tabletop Photography. I’m also sharing a few sources of inspiration from the grocery store too (tune in tomorrow for those).

The listener questions were really good ones from Meredith and Jason, where I take a look at the value of carbon fiber and the issue of when and where are we permitted to photograph. Last but not least, the photo tip of the week concerns copyright and registering your work, so make sure you stay tuned for that.

Lots of photo goodness to share, so make sure you tune in for the audio, and stop by the blog to pick up the link for the photo gallery. Photos, podcasts, and questions galore. Enjoy the day and we’ll see you back here tomorrow! Happy Shooting!

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Just When You Get Caught Up…

Jason5 Comments

Life throws more at you!  Today, I got word from the good folks over at Personal Life Media, that the web page is now set up and ready for porting the pre-existing podcasts from CB over for their hosting.  Unfortunately, they can only take the audio, so video will have to remain here.  It also means a naming convention change, so here’s the shows by blog post title that will be ported over, their existing Track # and their Future track #:

  • Noise Lighting and Links, Oh My!, #49  – will become Episode #1
  • Monday Morning Quarterback, #54 – will become #2
  • New Podcast is Up, #55 – will become Episode #3
  • Don’t Fear the Forums, #56 – Will become Episode #4
  • Nitty Gritty Details, #57 – Will become Episode #5
  • Photowalks and Software Cycles, #58 – will become Episode #6
  • Creative versus Communicative Process, #59 – will become Episode #7
  • Money, Socializing and Freebies, #60 – will become Episode #8
  • Cool Christmas Cards and other Candy, #61 – will become Episode#9
  • Food for Thought, #62 – will become Episode #10
  • The Final Broadcast of 2008, #63 – will become Episode #11
  • The Show Must Go On, #64 – will become Episode #12
  • The Meat is in the Maintenance, #65 – will become Episode #13
  • Three Competing Interests, #66 – will become Episode #14

I am in the process of porting the audio files, blog post materials, and links over to the new interface, so it may not show up completely yet. You know what they say about an ounce of prevention though…  I’ll probably also make the above bullet points a dedicated reference page to refer to here on the blog for those that may want to see how the migration goes.

When things go live, I will make sure to cross-post here with the new URL, iTunes, and RSS feeds.  Rest assured though, fellow photogs, CB will not be let go though as I will continue to make my regular posts here including photos, articles, text interviews, and other photo goodness.  Thanks to all for your patience, and if you want to get a sneak peak of the new look of the show, you can peer through the fence here

While it may seem like there is a lot of work involved in this proces (and there is), in the long run it will be well worth it for everyone because the resulting show will have much better audio quality, and we’ll gain access to a wider distribution, which means sponsors, contests, and really cool product reviews.  I may as well go ahead and spill the beans in the form of a teaser – so look for some upcoming professionals to give some insights on Lensbaby and the Composer!  This also means discounts on purchases, and free give-aways too, so listeners can enjoy discounts, insights, and feedback from working professionals, enthusiasts, and many across the industry.

Defining Your Image Composition

Jason4 Comments

Composition in photography can have many origins.  You can take a pretty concrete subject and place it in an interesting environment.  The Rule of Thirds is one that is often used when creating photographic compositions.  Other times, the way that lines or curves within a scene are the compelling factor.  Architectural images use the idea of linear direction to compell the viewer.  Finally, the nature of light can also be a huge factor when composing an image.  After all, when looking at the word “photography”, it’s pretty clear how integral light can be to capturing your vision.  The Greek root “photos” literally means “light” (while “graphos” means to draw or paint – so photography really could be pretty succinctly defined as “painting with light”.)

So, we have three elements that can contribute to image composition:

  • Positioning your subject
  • Directing viewer via leading lines
  • Compelling the viewer via light

While there are no hard and fast rules in any form of artistic expression, these are three fundamentals that I try to keep in mind when capturing the world around me.  Sometimes I’ll find my images successfully utilizes only one of these elements.  Naturally, there are also times where two are executed well.  Naturally, I am luckiest though, is when all three are effectively brought into an image.

Here’s an example of what I am talking about.  Can you identify which elements of image composition are present?  Is there a defined subject that is well positioned?  What about compelling lines to define the image?  Finally, is there anything that draws your eye from the light or shadows?  Sound off in the comments, and let me know:

Brick Circle
Brick Circle

The Backstory of the Bridge

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With what was probably a pretty evident “no-blog” Wednesday yesterday, and what appears to be a no-show for the Thursday Thoughts series this week, I decided to promote the Backstory for next week and share that with the reading audience today.  What makes this particular image unique is that this was taken in my pre-SLR era.  Just prior to entering the SLR market, I had a point and shoot Olympus and while it took pictures, the shutter speed wasn’t as responsive as I was looking for.  Nevertheless, it went with me pretty much everywhere.

My nephews were in town for a vacation a while back when we were still in South Carolina, and that visit happened to coincide with the grand opening of the Ravenel Bridge.  This was a HUGE project that took several years to complete, and the new bridge encompasses 10-12 lanes over the 2-lane bridge that previously spanned the Cooper River (coincidentally known as the Cooper River Bridge) that connected downtown Charleston, SC to all points west (Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, and Myrtle Beach).  The economic benefits of increasing the traffic flow over 200% are astronomical.  As a part of the festivities, the weekend before the new bridge was to open – the general public was given an opportunity to walk across the bridge en masse – in the middle of the highway.  We decided the event would be a fun event for the boys, so off we went.  Amidst the increased the width of the new bridge, tens of thousands of people traversed the roadways over the weekend.  Having an opportunity to walk down the middle of that now insanely busy highway lent itself to photo opportunities that are rarely available afterward.  So, we trekked the 3-mile bridge on foot, and I took several pictures with the point-and-shoot camera.

Most were pretty blase as I was clearly very early on in my understanding of photographic composition, but a few did have a fun perspective.  At one point I actually found an opportunity to lie down in the middle of the road, and point the camera upward to the gray sky to capture this one:

The Bridge and the Backstory

I guess, as the old saying goes, even a blind squirrel can find a nut occasionally! 🙂

Happy shooting all, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

The Show Must Go On…

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While the folks at Personal Life Media continue to work behind the scenes at getting the show re-branded, I’ve been encouraged to keep producing podcasts so, this week, the podcast returns.  I have a couple fun segments including a more detailed back story from The Boneyard Beach post earlier this week, the Think Tank Photo Review, and some blog/podcast housekeeping including the inside scoop on how you can win the Streetwalker bag I reviewed!   Be sure to get this week’s episode so you know what to do.   The bag is valued at $140!!!

As you may have noticed if you’re picking up the feed, I am also uploading all the “What’s This” images to the Canon Blogger Flickr Pool.  As that content arc has ended, I thought it might be fun and of interest to see the entire gallery of photos that have gone up on that subject over a period of roughly 23 weeks.  (Almost half a year of images there to rack your brain on!)

As we head into the weekend, be sure to take your camera with you -never know when a photo opportunity will present itself, so as the Boy Scouts always said:  “Be Prepared!”  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here Monday morning!

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Podcast Artwork

Jason6 Comments

Did anyone else know this?  In prepping the podcast for the transition to PLM, I am finding myself with a number of things to do, including:

  1. Composing a headshot
  2. Writing a bio
  3. Sending them images to use for the artwork

I guess the first two of these make sense, but having to pick 2 or 3 of my best photos?  Man!  Remember the post about reviewing your work I made a while ago?  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as it turns out, I’d be dead in the water now if I hadn’t done that.  Since I did 2008, I was able to apply the same criteria to all my images from previous years too, and now I am down to about twelve total from each of the last 3 years.  To see your work culled down into 36 photos is pretty humbling.  It shows that I have made certain strides, but also that I have only scratched the surface.  As I cull those 36 down to 3, here is one that stands out for some reason:

Reflections

I’ll share more as I get this into a more manageable state.  Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow when I’ll have the Think Tank Streetwalker bag review completed along with photos of how it stacks up too.  Any other products you would like reviewed?  Share your thoughts in the comments!  In the meantime, happy shooting, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!