Photo books are becoming an increasingly popular way of getting your images printed. It’s no longer as cost prohibitive or complicated to do as printing outfits seek to bring more products and services to the consumer market. I’m in the midst of doing some testing of various online printing services, and one of the first books I got was from Mpix. So, today, I’ll be showing you some of the pros and cons of this service. I decided to approach the photo book reviews from five perspectives: image quality, binding quality, durability, value, and turn around time. Continue reading “Photo Books – MPix review”
Category: Product Review
Hardware Review: Rogue Flash Benders
One of the most common search criteria on Google that coincides with photography is that of lighting. It’s no surprise as photography really is all about the light, and when making and taking photos (yes, there’s a difference), one of the key things that people can grasp quite easily is the success of a photo is often very dependent on the lighting. Continue reading “Hardware Review: Rogue Flash Benders”
Hardware Review: Think Tank Airport International V2.0
We all have camera bags. Whether you use a Point-and-Shoot, an SLR, or any other type of camera, you are putting it somewhere eventually that could be defined as a bag. These bags are made in such a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and straps, it’s really amazing sometimes how many options there are for the photographer today. But like it or not, if you have a camera – you are gonna need a bag! Continue reading “Hardware Review: Think Tank Airport International V2.0”
Hardware Review: Sigma 4.5mm Fisheye (Circular)
As things start to settle down again, I’ve got a pile of reviews pending work, so this past weekend, while in bachelor status temporarily, I really knocked out a few projects, including getting caught up on some overdue reviews and blog writing. Today, the first of these projects is the Sigma 4.5mm fisheye lens review. This is a super cool lens, and has a lot of opportunities for creative exploration. I took the typical test shots indoors to get a feel for where it’s strengths and weaknesses are, how it focuses, and then took to the streets. Continue reading “Hardware Review: Sigma 4.5mm Fisheye (Circular)”
The long-awaited Drobo review
I’d been waiting for the time to put together all the videos, audio, and pictures for this review for a while and I’ve finally caught up on other projects so am getting this out for the listening and reading audiences to enjoy! For those that subscribe and read via RSS, sorry because this is a video-heavy post and you’re just going to have to visit the blog to get the content today! Trust me though, it’s worth it as I take a look at how the Drobo performs in a real world environment with hot swapping drives, and the perils and pitfalls that surround storage area networks…
Enjoy!
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Software Review: PrintKey2000
Many times I have been asked what kinds of software I use to do various things for the blog, especially things like videos, screen captures, audio recording, and all that sort of stuff. One thing that I’ve never really talked about is screen captures…not the videos but actual still shots of things as seen directly on my screen. There are many programs available to do this, some paid for, and some open-sourced, with some being Mac or Windows specific, and a few scattering that cross both platforms.
Well, today, I am going to give a little nod to a Windows-only program, called Printkey. Specifically titled PrintKey2000, and under specific note that this is a freeware program (meaning it is not supported – to use at your own risk.) While I have never had problems with it, the mentality of “let the buyer beware” should always be a consideration when downloading applications, especially freeware.
Those in Apple-land know that there are keyboard shortcuts to do a screen capture of either your entire viewing area, or a specific window, and these can either be copied to the clipboard memory for inserting in an application like Photoshop, or saved outright to your desktop. While in Windows you can always use the Printscreen and ALT+Printscreen to copy either a full screen or active window to your clipboard, the ability to save directly to your desktop does not exist natively. Instead, you have to capture the screen to memory, paste into an image editor, and save out as a JPG if you want to use it. What PrintKey does is fill that void of directly saving to the desktop. This is especially handy if capturing things for posting in a blog, in creating documentation, and other useful learning resource outlets.
To use Printkey, simply download the free application from here, run the executable, and let the program start in your system tray. The entire packaged zip file is half a megabyte, so the footprint is super for those that are space conscious. Here’s a capture of the software itself in action (don’t ask me how I got it – that took a few minutes to figure out! LOL):
While there are many features wrapped up in this handy little application, the ones I use most often are the Save, Rectangle, Print, and then the dialog screen at the bottom of the screen (click the image above to see a larger view). These should be pretty straightforward to those who are familiar with the concepts, but here we go regardless:
- Save – saves the current capture to an image file…you can specify whatever format you prefer (jpg gif, etc.)
- Rectangle – gives you a + sign that you can drag and drop around a custom area for capturing only part of your desktop
- Print – sends the captured image to your printer…(hope that was explanatory enough)
The last one is the bottm details area…I am talking about this little section here:
It’s very handy because it will tell you the dimensions of the image, how large the file is in terms of storage space on your computer, and how much free memory is left out of the total memory. While some many not need all this info, the geek in me likes to have this!
So, there you have it, Printkey2000 in action. I feel that I should also mention another really good counterpart and that is the program, SnagIt from the folks over at TechSmith. With that handy application, you can not only capture images on both Windows and Mac, but you can edit them on the fly, including inserting text, arrows to call out an area, and other fun stuff. Alas, it’s not free though – 30 day trial is allowed before you gotta cough up the $50! (Which for me is not worth it for something like this. I have some friends that use other applications too, especially for video screen captures on both Mac and Windows platforms which include names like IShowU, Camtasia, and much more. Here though, was just a little scoop on a little known application for the Windows crowd out there.
Got your own favorite little unknown program? Have you used PrintKey? Like it, love it or hate it? Sound off in the comments as new little handy utilities are always welcome. Happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow! 🙂
One last thing all – don’t forget the Height themed contest for the month of February – get your photos in while the gettin’ is good! Deadline is a week from Friday!
Hardware Review: Rapid R Strap
I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to talk about my Rapid R Strap. This is a very cool camera strap developed by the folks over at Black Rapid. I had been wanting one for a while, and made it known to everyone prior to the holidays over a year ago (think pre-Christmas 2008). Thankfully, my wife saw the writing on the wall, and I ended up with one on Christmas Day!
So, let me tell you what makes this camera strap unique. First off, it’s unique design has a built in “stop” so that you just let your camera slide down to that point and it just hangs there, conveniently out of the way, but immediately accessible when you want to bring it up for capturing a shot. This strap is the perfect accessory for going on photo walks whether in an urban environment, wildlife, or other setting. The fact that your camera is hanging out of the way makes it much easier to do things like climb rock walls, interact with others (getting signed model releases, passing out business cards, etc.), or anything else that you may need both your hands for.
Another nice feature set on this is that the front of the strap has a Velcro section where you can throw a cell phone in (probably not an iPhone though), and a zipper section where you can store things like spare memory cards, business cards, and other accessory items (I was able to fit a spare battery in there…)
There was an awkward adjustment for just a little bit, getting used to a camera not only dangling from this strap, but also dangling upsidedown! It was a very short adjustment though, and I quickly adapted to the nature of how it works. What was super cool for my setup is that I was able to utilize my quick release place as the “hook” for the clip, so if I wanted to quickly go from shooting on the go, to setting it in a tripod, it was simply a matter of releasing the clip, mounting in the tripod and lining up the shot.
These straps come in a variety of sizes, with one even offering dual straps for a two-camera setup (I know a few guys that do this, with one body holding a long lens and the other holding a wide angle…ready for anything!). The size I ended up getting was the RS-5 (medium), and it fit my 6’1″ just about perfectly. Choose the option that works best for your frame and gear setup, but this is definitely a purchase worth getting, especially if you go on a lot of photo walks.
Got any of your own gear predilections or preferences? Want me to review something you’ve not seen here yet? Do you own a Rapid R Strap? Like it, love it or hate it? Sound off with your own thoughts in the comments. In the meantime, keep on shooting as we have another contest underway for a free 16×20 canvas print of any picture you have in your gallery from the talented Rich Charpentier! Check out his printing services and you’ll be glad you did! The contest page on Flickr is here, and is also linked in the content menus at the top of every page (the theme this month is Height). Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!
Online & Digital Print Sales
So many people have talked about the business of selling your photographs, and the various options and pitfalls in doing so. There are so many discussion points varying from whether to sell online or on consignment, print your own or use an online printer, and much more. The ideas of printing, fulfillment, delivery, and such are all vexing subjects for sure, and it’s a sea of information out there to wade through.
Rather than spend time wading through that sea, I thought everyone might be interested in one option – that of the digital download. Various outfits like Mpix, Smugmug, Shutterfly, and others offer a range of services for printing and fulfillment where digital prints are selected online, then printed and mailed to the purchaser, or even just downloaded to the buyer directly for them to print on their own. This last option of letting the client download their own pictures is something that more people are turning to, and even here there are many options.
One that I’ve been testing the waters with is a WordPress plugin called WP eStore. It’s got some pretty handy features, and if you are okay with touching just a pinch of the coding, it can actually work pretty well. I can see how this could easily translate to sales of digital downloads of pictures, as well as e-books (which is the type I am going to start selling). It’s got a pretty intuitive interface, but does have a little bit of code to it within the plugin itself. With both free and paid versions there are also various levels of support, and the guy that developed this is very helpful with any questions I’ve had.
The left sidebar of WordPress has an entire widget dedicated to the configuration and I’ve shared a screen shot of the interface here:
I’d go into more details with screen captures but since the eStore is active and there is certain information that you have to include (like source file paths and such), that would be a little too transparent for here. But as you can see from the widget, there are many options available to you for digital downloads including adding discounts, organizing into categories, and even maintaining customer lists if you want to send promotional emails. All in all, it’s a very cool little plugin, and as I get more work done on various e-Books this utility will no doubt come in handy for both the blog and for the reader.
Speaking of the reader experience, that end is pretty easy too – all you have to do is click the shopping cart button to add an item to your cart, and you can check out with Paypal. Once checked out, the buyer gets a dedicated private link to download the item in question. No fuss, no muss – instant download, which I think is a super nice feature. The same would hold true for anyone interested in offering photo downloads too. You can see the eStore plugin in action right here on my Store link from the navigation menu at the top of the page. For more detailed information, or to download either the free or paid version for your own use, check out Amin’s work on his site here: .
Anyway, there’s my thoughts on the option of digital sales for photography products and services – the eStore plugin for WordPress. Easy enough to install, great support, and pretty much hands-free once everything is set up and configured.
As always, mileage may vary, and different options are out there for different needs. If anyone knows of other products, services, or options for online print sales, feel free to share them here as it’s always fun to learn about new things from one another! Happy shooting, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow to wrap up the week!
P.S. Don’t forget, only one week left in the January Circles-themed Flickr Giveaway. get your photos in soon for a chance to win a copy of Photomatix Pro from the folks over at HDR Soft!
Hardware Review: Expodisc
It’s been a while since I’ve done a hardware review, and I realized that when the folks at Expo Imaging had sent me the Rayflash to review, I had also received an Expodisc. I know I recorded the video for it, but for some reason it never got published, as the two were meant to be posted back to back.
In any case, here is the long-awaited review of the Epodisc from the folks at Expo Imaging:
First – what is the Expodisc? It’s simply a disc that defracts light as it passes through your lens in order to determine the proper white balance setting for your images. Why is this a good thing? It’s a good thing because light doesn’t always fall into the specific categories designed by your vendor. It’s not always daylight, tungsten, florescent, etc. These vendor pre-sets can get you close, but if you want spot on white balance settings in camera, this is definitely the way to go! Here’s the short video I had put together a while back on how it works:
Do I like the Expo Disc? Absolutely – and if I were in an environment where lighting conditions change often, or it was tricky to determine (say those lights in gyms with the green phosphorous), these utilities are a godsend. Landscape environments can also be tricky when you are dealing with things like snow, shade and sunny areas at the same time, and portraiture can be tricky too – say you have a bride’s wedding dress, the whites of the eyes, and the teeth for sample areas – which do you set? Use the ExpoDisc and it will be spot on every time!
Thanks again to the folks at Expo Imaging for lending me the review units of the Ray Flash and the Expo Disc. It was a pleasure, and for those interested in learning more about their products, please visit their website here.
Happy shooting everyone – be sure you get your shots in, because there’s limited time left in the Circles contest for a lucky participant. Here’s the Flickr thread – keep on posting and keep on shooting! We’ll see you back here again tomorrow!
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speech recognition review
With time becoming and ever-increasing commodity, the ability to utilize speech recognition software has both benefits and disadvantages. And in the interests of sharing my initial experiences with speech recognition software here on the blog, today’s post comes to you courtesy of and open-sourced software application called “E-speaking”. On the initial install, I decided to take roughly ten minutes to let the program get used to my voice before it was accurate enough to consider using for writing a blog post.
It’s still clearly is not accurate enough to rely on 100 percent of the time as a stakes clearly will be made that require human correction. however it can aid in getting most of the content puts together for the purposes of blog posts, article writing, and book writing.
one of the biggest problems was in getting the software to recognize the term “blog”, “web log”, and the letter E. a dish rally it also had problems with punctuation from time to to time. The software also is better able to capitalize sentences when you remembered to state that you need a “.It ” at the end of a sentence. The other problem is that the software had specifically related to word press is the phrase, “new paragraph” which will automatically add an additional blank line between paragraphs. This was rather it easily overcome though, by having my hands near the keyboard.
two of the programs that I am looking to review stand here on the blog include “dragon naturally speaking”, and “Mac speech dictate”. Requests are currently In with both companies to see if they have demo versions of their software for review purposes . When I hear back from them I will let you know what their responses are.
if you have any recommendations, suggestions, or ideas for how to improve blog posting efficiency through programs like these please feel free to e-mail me here on the log, or in via the comments below. My apologies in advance for the grammatical punctuation, and other errors that are evident in this blog post, but I did not want to over-edit the content so you could see this state of speech recognition software.
as we move into the new year I am looking forward to reviewing an ever-expansive set of applications, accessories, and hardware here on the blog. If you have ideas for specific types of applications, accessories, and hardware please feel free to e-mail me as always at my e-mail address: Jason @ canonblogger .com . Thanks for tuning in and we will see you back here again tomorrow.