It’s “Lite-Post” Week

Hello to all (three) of my readers!

Just thought I would let you know that I won’t get much of a chance to post for the rest of this week as I am getting settled in to my new house and getting everything organized.  Not to worry though, as I have some pretty cool posts in the works and some pretty cool ideas to share with you as well, including a home studio setup that you can do yourself for very little cost. 

More to come next week and until then you had better get out and get some shooting done!

Take care,

Stephen

Nikon D90 (Body Only) In Stock @ Ritz Camera

Just wanted to give you guys a “heads up”.  If you’re interested in buying one of the new Nikon D90s without the 18-105mm VR kit lens, Ritz Camera.com is showing them in stock as I’m writing this.  Calumet showed them in stock a few days ago, but no such luck now. 

Here’s the link to the D90 at Ritz.

Have a great day!

Stephen

My iPhone 3G Review: This Device Is Made For Photographers

Ever since I got the iPhone 3G, I have been obsessed with everything about it.  Techies (a.k.a. geeks) like myself get all worked up over a device like the iPhone.  After spending a few weeks with it, here is my review… geared towards photographers.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of great Smart Phone or PDA phones out on the market today.  They almost all have the same features, like GPS, navigation, e-mail, web browsing, calendars, contacts, games, and the list goes on.  Most of these phones are offered in some fashion or another by every major wireless carrier.  The exception being the iPhone 3G.

As a photographers, we need to have a means to stay in constant contact with clients, websites, blogs and the like.  What I love about the iPhone is it lets me do all of those things and it also can be taken a couple of steps further.  In my review I will tell you what I like and dislike about the iPhone from the standpoint of a photographer.

What I Like:

• First off, the iPhone has the slickest interface on the market today.  The prospect of using a touch-screen and only a few buttons scares the heck out of a lot of people and rightfully so.  I thought it would be tough to get used to, but it only took me about a day to nail down typing on it for e-mail and text purposes.  After that it’s smooth sailing… er, typing.
• I love the way the iPhone seamlessly integrates with both Windows and OS X.  I’m using Windows Vista and Outlook and it syncs flawlessly with my Calendar and Contacts.  It even syncs with my e-mail if I want it to.  The sync settings can be adjust in iTunes and it’s very easy to set up. 
• If you use a free e-mail account like Gmail, Yahoo, or AOL, the iPhone already comes with built-in support and you can set up your account on your phone in minutes using Mail, included with the iPhone.  You can also use a Microsoft Exchange account if your IT department will support you using the iPhone.  Now I have e-mail at my fingertips and I can even save it for later to download into Outlook.  Even without a laptop I can communicate via e-mail with family, friends, and clients.
• One of my absolute favorite features is having photos on the iPhone.  I have a folder organized in my Pictures folder that I have broken down into two sub-folders, Portfolio and Inspiration.  This way I have a completely portable portfolio with me all the time.  I can show anyone my photos at any time on a large, bright, colorful display and I can even do a little slideshow.  Potential clients always want to see your work and handing them a business card or website address is hit and miss.  They may never make it to your site.  With the iPhone I can show my work right on the spot.  Thanks to David Hobby who turned me onto that function.
• Since the software upgrade in June, the iPhone is now capable of downloadable applications and let me just tell you, that put the iPhone way ahead of it’s competition.  Developers are so excited to develop apps that they distribute a lot of killer apps for free!  With the Word Press app, I can write and post pictures to my blog right from my iPhone.  There are several Flickr apps that allow you to upload photos from your iPhone to your Flickr account on the go.  There is also a really cool app called Pandora which is also free and provides free streaming radio to your iPhone as long as you have a data connection, either Wi-Fi or 3G.
• The connectivity of the iPhone is absolutely outstanding!  The 3G network from AT&T can achieve approximately 1.4Mb/sec download speeds and with Wi-Fi you can go even faster than that!  With Safari, web browsing is exactly the same as it would be on your desktop or laptop computer.  The ability to zoom in and zoom out lets you view websites that were created to run at a desktop resolution.  You can do almost anything on the web on the iPhone that you can do on a desktop or laptop.
• I couldn’t live without the GPS!  The Maps application (powered by Google) uses GPS to display your location and get you directions to any point of interest you would like to go to.  There are no turn-by-turn directions like you would find with a Garmin or Tom Tom, but it accurately tracks your position on the map along your route as you travel.  There are also free, downloadable apps that used the location service to tell you where movies are playing, what restaurants are around, etc.  As a photographer on travel, this is a feature that I couldn’t give up now that I’ve had it.
• The onboard camera is very handy for taking a quick snapshot and it does that job amazingly well for a PDA/phone.  I have posted a few shots that I took with the iPhone’s camera and you can find them here.

What I Don’t Like:

• The iPhone is not capable of viewing Flash-based content on the web.  This is frustrating, but I think it will only be a matter of time before Flash-based content will be compatible.
• Battery life is not outstanding.  If I’m using the phone intensively (GPS, web surfing, e-mail, etc.), the battery will only last about a day.  Since I can use the cable that comes with it to charge my iPhone on my laptop, a field re-charge isn’t out of the question.  One way I have found to lengthen battery life is to use Airplane Mode when I don’t need the data or phone features and this helps tremendously.
• Beyond the two things I mentioned above, there is nothing else not to like about the iPhone.  Even those are a bit picky at best.

All-in-all, I would buy another one of these phones in a heartbeat if I had to.  I’m glad that I waited a year to get one, as the 3G, GPS, and downloadable apps put the iPhone out in front in terms of a Smart Phone and leave the competition struggling to keep up.  Apple has done a phenomenal job with the iPhone 3G and it’s a device that fits photographers like a glove.

Hangin’ With The Strobist: David Hobby

Two days out of this past week, I had the distinct pleasure of hangin’ out with The Strobist, David Hobby.  “How did this come about,” you ask?  Pretty simple actually.  My ship is in Baltimore for her Commissioning and he happened to be available. 

Photo above by David Hobby.

So we set out to come up with a really cool photo and thought we had a plan for what would be something really special.  You know that whole “best laid plans” thing?  Yeah, it reared it’s ugly head and our plan was out the window.  (I could tell you why, but then I would have to kill you and nobody wants that.)

Not to be defeated, we decided to see what we could do with what we had available.  So we headed outside determined to overpower the sun with a few of SB-800s.   David had no problem at all doing just that.  He quickly went to work getting the exposure he needed for the background and then built up the light around me, his subject.  We were in a situation where there was no available shade for me to be in and so the only real option was to bring down the background and then bring the light up so that I was correctly exposed. 

To do this, you can use your shutter speed to control the exposure of your background and use your aperture to control the exposure of your subject.  Once your off-camera flash is set up and giving you enough light, then all you have to do is move shutter speed and aperture up and down to get the photo you’re after. 

As far as The Strobist goes, DH was a great guy and photographer to work around and I had my mind in “sponge” mode the entire time, picking up everything he was throwin’ down.  If you ever get the chance to attend one of his lighting seminars, I would HIGHLY encourage it. 

In exchange, I gave him the 50 cent tour of the Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.  From stem to stern, keel to mast, I showed him just about everything I know about this amazing ship that I serve on.  David, if you’re reading this, I hope you had just as much fun as I did. 

There will be more to come on this subject soon and I’ll be sure to keep you posted!  Have a great week!

Long Awaited Update - And More Photos Too!

We have been busy, busy, busy on the ship and I wanted to take a minute to update you all on what’s been going on.  I have been shooting as much as I can, but I just haven’t had the time to update the blog.  I hate that, but there is no way around it.

I got the chance to try my hand at aerial photography one day out to sea.  We brought a helicopter out for Deck Landing Qualifications and the pilots agreed to take me up with them so I could get some aerial shots of the ship.  During our Bravo Sea Trial, the BIW photographer, Mike Nutter, could not get up to take shots due to weather.  So here’s a few that I got from that day and I hope that you enjoy them!

I had a blast getting these shots and I hope you enjoy them!  I’m down here in Baltimore, MD for our Commissioning ceremony.  Don’t worry, I will have plenty more pictures to post this week.  I have been super busy shooting and I’ll have a little more time off to make some updates!  Maybe if David Hobby from the Strobist is in town, he can come down the ship, get a tour, and give me some pointers!  Who knows?!  Have a great week!!!!

I’m Taking The Week Off…

Yeah, right!  Hey everyone!  I wanted to let you all know that I won’t be posting anything to the blog this week as I will be back at sea this week taking the Navy’s newest destroyer out for another spin.  No, seriously.  The good news is that I’ll have a lot of time for shooting and there will be plenty of good stuff to shoot besides the usual stuff at sea.  What might you ask?  I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.  I’m kidding of course.  Kind of.  At any rate, I hope everyone has a great week and I’ll see you next week!

- Stephen

Friday Funnies

This image is hilarious!  I wish I knew who the photographer was!  I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week! 

:-)

Shutterbug Storefront Review

Shutterbug (the magazine) now features a service ‘Shutterbug Storefront’ which allows photographers of all types to host images and galleries to share with friends, family, or clients.  Not only can you host your images there, you can sell them as well.  I signed up for an account to see how it works.

• Sign Up - It was very simple to create my account.  It took all of three minutes and my account was ready to go.  I entered my desired username (as well as sub domain), desired account type (Art or Event), basic details, credit card info., and that was it.  I received my confirmation e-mail promptly that included login details and direct links to my site.  New accounts receive a 15-day trial period and they don’t charge your credit card until those 15 days expire.  They do preauthorize $1.00 to ensure your card is valid which isn’t a big deal.  You can either choose to pay on a month to month basis or yearly no matter which account type you choose.  You get a decent discount for paying by the year too.  It works out to about a 22 percent savings.
• Interface - The user interface is simple, although maybe a little TOO simple.  I am quite computer and web savvy but still had a little trouble finding things without really poking around.  Once you figure out where everything is you have complete control over how your site looks.  You can leave the Shutterbug branding or make it disappear.  You also have the option of using custom headers and footers if you know HTML.  For my purposes, I used the standard layout and just left text at the top of my site.  This isn’t intended to by my primary web presence so there isn’t a need for anything else but a simple interface for potential clients to view and order photos.
• Features - I could go on and on here, so I’ll keep it limited to my favorites.  1st: My absolute favorite feature is the fact that you can upload low-resolution files for viewing and when an order is placed you can upload the high resolution version.  That’s incredible!  I really dig this because it still allows me to upload a lot of images and not use a lot of space.  I love that!  2nd: I think it’s great that you can use your own branding.  Since you are paying for the service you shouldn’t have to put up with ads or links to Shutterbug or Shutterbug Storefront.  The only way someone would know it wasn’t a site that you were hosting would be the domain name.  Now, if you use the domain mapping feature you can use your own domain and then no one would know (without some pretty extensive research) that your site was from Shutterbug Storefront.  3rd: Copyright protection.  This is something that is big to most photographers and Shutterbug Storefront provides you a lot of it.  The site is in HTML and not Flash so it would be easy for someone to right-click (or CTRL-click for Mac) on one of your photos and save it right?  Guess again.  You can choose to disable the right-click/CTRL-click feature on your site which prevents them from doing just that.  You can also embed an image or text watermark to add a little more protection and save yourself some time by not having to do it in Photoshop.  All in all, you get a lot of great features for a comparatively small amount of money.
• Order Fulfillment - SBSF provides you a very nice choice when providing prints to your clients.  They can provide them or if you have a favorite lab you can use them as well.  The other main option is to have SBSF provide the prints which also opens up a whole host of other products that your clients can order.  These include mugs, keychains, puzzles, statuettes, t-shirts, canvas, and more.  Prints can be glossy, matte, or luster printed on Fujicolor Crystal Archive paper using Fuji Frontier Printers with Fuji Hunt Chemicals.  This is the REAL DEAL with regards to prints.  No inkjets here!  Clients can also order metallic prints that are printed on Kodak Professional Endura paper.  One of the huge benefits of the “Pro Lab” (SBSF) fulfillment option is that you do not have to collect sales tax from your customers.  This can save some serious time and trouble.  You even have white label options when using the ‘Pro Lab’ which allows orders shipped to your customers appear to be shipped by you.
• Pricing - The ‘Art’ account is $6.95 per month or $64.95 for the year.  With this account you get 1GB of storage and 5GB/Month of Bandwidth.  The ‘Event’ account costs $12.95 per month or $99.95 per year.  With this account you get Unlimited storage and 20GB/Month of Bandwidth.  That bandwidth is only counted when customers view your images.  Bandwidth is not deducted when you are uploading images.  SBSF takes a flat 10 percent commission on all sales after subtracting sales tax and shipping.  This includes credit card processing fees!  You don’t even have to hassle with accepting credit cards which is a HUGE plus.  All in all, the pricing seems very fair and reasonable to me.

In summary, the Shutterbug Storefront seems to be an awesome service for amateur and pro photographers alike.  There are a lot of really great features that don’t cost you a whole lot of cash.  And who doesn’t appreciate saving some dough and getting a great product or service?

Photographers: Some Share, Some Don’t

If there is one thing among photographers that irks the hell out of me, it’s those that choose to keep everything to themselves. A photographer friend of mine and I were talking one day about Gary Fong’s Lightsphere and he mentioned that he first noticed it when he was at a wedding (although he didn’t know what it was). He asked the photographer what is was and she refused to tell him. How insane is that? Personally, I’m willing to share everything I know with everyone that is interested. I learn from it, others learn from it, and it makes all of us better artists.

Ken Rockwell, is a photographer that lives in La Jolla, CA and maintains a website providing all kinds of information and reviews about anything and everything to do with photography. His website is an excellent resource and Ken shares everything with everyone. He’s even got a page titled, “Everything I know about photography”. Ken explains why he shares what he knows and expresses his feelings about those who aren’t willing to share. We seem to feel the same.) I don’t know Ken personally, but maybe one day will make his acquaintance when I return to San Diego. You can check out his website here.

Friday is right around the corner and the weather here is supposed to be a little warmer so I hope to get out and shoot a bit. Right now it’s 4 degrees outside! Brrrrrr!

Wishing All Of You A Very Merry Christmas

It’s Christmas Eve and I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and I hope you and yours have a wonderful Holiday Season.  I’ll be taking today and tomorrow off, and I’ll be back later in the week.  Best wishes!