"We were going on a cruise for spring break and had hired a limo to go from the airport to Long Beach," said Neil Martin. "We had time to spare, so the driver took us for a tour of L.A. and one stop was the Santa Monica pier. After walking the pier and loading back into the limo, I spotted this gentleman and grabbed the shot out the window."

"I liked the color contrast between the Coke machine in the laundromat window and the Pepsi bottle on his bike. Back home, I used Photoshop Elements to isolate and intensify the two colors. By selecting the brush tool on the color setting and working carefully, I eliminated all the other colors."

Neil used a Fuji Fine Pix S602 Zoom set to f/2.8, 1/80 sec. at 200 ISO.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

You're Not Ken Burns -- But FotoMagico slideshows are so good that people will believe that he helped you.

I've been testing and talking about high-capacity portable drives to help manage the mountain of Raw files that I'm accumulating. A friend and fellow photographer, James Duncan Davidson, is grappling with the same issues. In a recent blog post of his titled, FireWire 800 Travel Drives, he touted the LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive 120GB. I took a look at this little gem, and it looks like a winner to me.

The LaCie is rugged, bus-powered (so you don't need an external power source), and it sports a triple interface -- FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and Hi-Speed USB 2.0. You can get one for $199 US on Amazon.com.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, product review, The Digital Story

"I captured this grab shot on a trip we took last September to Italy," said Nicole Wijnands. "We were in Venice just sitting down for a break. I looked back at the bridge and saw this guy relaxing in the sun. I knew I had to get the shot! I quickly got out my camera with the telezoom attached and got it."

Nicole's Canon 350D was set to ISO 800 (she just got out of a museum), 1/4000 at f/10, focal length 200mm on Canon EF 75-300mm F/4-5.6 USM III

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

Automation tools can help relieve you of some of the mundane post processing work that we all endure when making adjustments to batches of images. Photoshop CS has some great built-in tools in the Actions palette (Window > Actions). You can record a series of steps, let's say converting a color image to B&W, the apply those steps to other images... while you go grab a cup of coffee.

A good article on this subject is Scott Bourne's Automate Your Favorite Photoshop Routines.

For Mac users, Automator lets you create workflows that span multiple applications. Matthew Russell has written a terrific introduction in his article, What Is Automator (and Can It Make Your Life Easier).

In the podcast, I also mentioned some upcoming speaking engagements for me. Here's a bit more information about them: Sun, Jan 7, 7 pm at The Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA
Aperture Workshop at Macworld SF, Jan 8&9, Macworld SF
Wed, Jan 10, 5pm at The Apple Store in San Francisco.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Automation." You can download the podcast here (32 minutes).

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

I've been testing the Crumpler Thirsty Al pouches for my compact Canon SD 700 IS, and it looks like I'm not going back.

The Thirsty AL series comes in 5 sizes: extra small, small, medium, large, and extra large. I've been using the small size for the the super compact SD 700. The pouches are well made combining Neoprene front and sides with super tough nylon 900D flap, spine, and back -- and 300D ripstop lining. The Velcro-secured top flap also contains a pocket to carry a spare memory card -- very handy for those of us who shoot movies as well as still photos. The back belt loop is also secured by Velcro and has a lanyard loop too. I've used the loop with my The Digital Story D-Ring keychain to secure the camera while on the go.

Since most compact cameras don't come with cases, I'd recommend this series of pouches as a thoughtful accessory. They come in five different color combinations (I'm using black at the moment), are quite handsome, very well made, and are intelligently designed. You can buy the Crumpler Thirsty Al pouches on Amazon for about $15 US.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, product review, The Digital Story

ExpoDisc Custom White Balance -- Simply Better Color. Simply Better Pictures. Visit www.expodisc.com

Do you have your Juxtaposition entry ready for the November Photo Assignment? If not, there are only a few more days to send in your image. (For details, see the Submissions page on The Digital Story web site.) The entry deadline for the November Photo Assignment is Thursday, 11-30-06.

I've included a sample shot here to help chum the waters. One of the favorite snoozing spots for the O'Reilly company cat is atop the fish aquarium in reception. Sometimes she even dangles a paw down, which is certainly disturbing to the aquarium inhabitants. This juxtaposition of cat and fish makes for an interesting composition.

The world is filled with this type of lyrical tension. Best of luck finding one that resonates with you.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story

Many consumers know about Sony's recall of laptop batteries that it manufactured for its computers, as well as those for Apple and Dell. But the Japanese electronics giant has also posted another CCD Service Advisory.

According to Imaging Resource, the problem is caused by "internal wiring in the CCD sensor comes loose at high temperatures and humidities, and causes the camera to stop recording images, or to record distorted images. During the last round of service advisories we heard that the problem may have related to moisture penetrating into epoxy chip packaging. Interestingly, the Japanese PC Watch website states in its coverage of the news that this time around, the affected sensors use ceramic packaging, which generally offers better environmental sealing. According to PC Watch, moisture can potentially penetrate the ceramic packaging nonetheless, entering via the gluing surface."

Affected cameras recently added to the list include: Cyber-shot DSC-F88, DSC-M1, DSC-T1, DSC-T1, DSC-T3, DSC-T33, DSC-U40, and DSC-U50. We're still waiting for news from Sony USA for next steps.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story

Thanksgiving presents a terrific opportunity for compact camera snapshots and short movies. Make sure your batteries are charged, you have plenty of memory, and don't get any gravy on the lens. Also, remember that you compact camera records audio too. So you might want to get some commentary to accompany those pictures. I see some great slideshows in the making.

But, regardless of how you celebrate, have a great Thanksgiving all you Yanks out there.

"I recently went to the Detroit Zoo and had a chance to experience their new "Australian Outback" exhibit," said Brian C Davenport. "It's a pretty cool concept. Just you and the animals... no walls, no cages per se. You are in the exhibit with only a roped off path for you to follow. The animals come and go as they please and even stop to stare at the visitors. One even decided to take a little nap on the visitor path. This big fellow seemed interested in the big black "eye" I was pointing at him."

Brian used a Canon DRebel XT, Canon EF 75-300 at 300mm, ISO 400, AP mode at f/8 and shutter was at 1/125th of a second.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

ExpoDisc Custom White Balance -- Simply Better Color. Simply Better Pictures. Visit www.expodisc.com

"As important as it is, I know lots of people that are serious about their images that don't profile their display. And I think there are two reasons for this: 1) Color management is a complex field, and it's full of lots of big terms and complex numbers; and 2) Good profiling hardware has typically been expensive. It's been coming down in price over time, but still, to get the good stuff hasn't been cheap. Combine these two points and most people, it seems, do nothing," says James Duncan Davidson in his article, Color Management is Essential.

The good news is that James goes on in his article to show you both an affordable and easy way to color manage your computer. It's definitely worth a read.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

For extreme pictures you sometimes need extreme lenses. This week I explore the 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye-Nikkor and the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM. Both of these lenses can help you capture images that are outside of your normal compositions.

Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8

This photo was captured by Ben Long in the Western Caribbean. I was walking along side him while he was shooting with the Nikon 10mm, and he remarked I was getting in his shots. So I turned and waved to the camera. This lens has an incredible 180 degree field of view.

Canon 400mm f/5.6L

This image of an American Kestrel by expert bird photographer Scott Bourne demonstrates the power of the Canon 400mm telephoto. Not only is the handheld image as sharp as a tack, Scott actually shot it through a car window after spotting the bird on a drive. Notice how silky smooth the background is.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Extreme Lenses." You can download the podcast here (25 minutes).

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

ExpoDisc Custom White Balance -- Simply Better Color. Simply Better Pictures. Visit www.expodisc.com

Canon had dropped the price on the Rebel XT by $100 US, now offering the kit with the 18-55mm lens for $699 -- $100 more than Nikon's just announced D40. Unlike the D40, you can buy just the Rebel XT body without kit lens and save another $100.

The Canon XT has an 8-megapixel sensor compared to the 6-megapixel Nikon D40. But the D40 has a 2.5" LCD compared to the 1.8" version in the Rebel XT.

No matter how you slice it, this price reduction for the XT and the emergence of the D40 are good news for consumers.

Technorati Tags: equipment, digital photography, The Digital Story

Imaging Resource has published a nifty Holiday Gift Guide that features a variety of compact cameras, DSLRs, and lots of accessories. The guide is easy to browse, includes good info, and gives pretty accurate pricing estimates. Just a few of the cameras mentioned include the Sony T50, Canon SD800 IS, Panasonic LX2, Fujifilm S6000fd, and the Panasonic FZ7. Bottom line: it's virtual window shopping for the photo enthusiast.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story

"My son and I were canoeing around the islands at Charleston Lake Provincial Park," said Andre Campeau, "when we came up to this northern water snake basking in the morning sun."

Andre used a Nikon D70 with a 55-200 Sigma zoom at ISO 200 to capture this wonderful grab shot.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

You're Not Ken Burns -- But FotoMagico slideshows are so good that people will believe that he helped you.

The just announced Nkon D40 ships in December and is priced at $599 US with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. This is the most affordable top-brand DSLR kit on the market, and it's well within the reach of most enthusiasts.

The 6-megapixel sensor coupled with the same processing engine as the Nikon D200 has a 2.5" LCD monitor and can shoot in burst mode at 2.5 frames per second. In a hands on preview at DP Review, Phil Askey said this comparing it to the more expensive D50:

"On the plus side you get ISO 3200 equiv. (HI 1), the ever useful customizable Auto ISO, a larger viewfinder view, shorter shutter lag and viewfinder blackout, a larger LCD monitor, a considerably nicer user interface, SDHC support, a new image processing engine, unlimited JPEG continuous shooting, in-camera retouching (including D-Lighting) and of course a smaller and lighter body."

Could this be the DSLR that every serious amateur owns? We'll find out in December.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, product review, The Digital Story

I recently sat down with Joe Schorr, Aperture Product Manager for Apple, and talked about the inception and evolution of Apple's pro level photo management application. Joe has been a part of the project from the very early days, and he's helped Aperture reach its one-year birthday in good shape.

In my first interview with Joe, he gives us some background on his role, then he discusses the changes to the application itself. Then, in the second interview, he drills down into some of the new features found in Aperture 1.5

I recorded these podcasts in Joe's office on the Apple campus in Cupertino. It's rare that an Apple employee gets to talk freely in front of a microphone, and I think Aperture fans will enjoy these candid convesations.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, software, The Digital Story

At a recent live fire training for my fire department, we burned three old dilapidated barns for a farmer," said Wade Moline. "As senior training officer, it is my responsibility to ensure that firefighters are being trained to meet state and federal standards."

"For later critique of these training exercises I take pictures of everything I can and the photos are great to incorporate into Keynote and present to the firefighters so that they can see what they did right and what they did wrong as well as use them for classroom training."

"After this training session, I downloaded all the pictures and as I was going through them, this one caught my eye. The firefighter may look like he is in the fire, and to some he looks like he actually is on fire, when he is really behind the barn pushing in the remains of a wall. The waves of heat rising from the fire appear to make a "glass" effect."

Wade used a Canon EOS D60, shot at ISO 400, f 5.6, shutter speed 1/640, 176 mm.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

A second photographer on the scene can quietly capture the really interesting stuff while everyone is occupied with the primary photography who is checking off items on the shot list. That's one of the reasons why having two photographers for events is such a good idea. We all know that the best shots aren't always the planned ones.

But there's another variation on this theme -- you filling the role of the second shooter for any life event as it unfolds. For example, your son has picture day lined up for his basketball team. You're not the photographer who has to get the group shot, but you bring your compact camera anyway. After the "primary shoot," you start taking pictures -- candids of the kids playing around, shots with their buddies, individual portraits, and anything else that attracts you eye.

You have become the second shooter for life itself. It's a great role bursting with potential. In this week's show I talk about all the different roles of the second shooter, both formally, such as at a wedding, and informally for everyday life as it happens. I hope you'll find some tips that lead to capturing satisfying images.

About the photo -- I took this picture with a compact Canon SD700 with the fill flash turned on. I'm sure the formal team shot will be very nice, but this image of friends interacting has such nice energy...

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "The Second Shooter." You can download the podcast here (28 minutes).

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

ExpoDisc Custom White Balance -- Simply Better Color. Simply Better Pictures. Visit www.expodisc.com

In just about every hotel bathroom, you'll find one of the handiest photo accessories for inclement weather -- the shower cap. And more often than not, you leave that shower cap behind upon checkout.

Next time grab it. Simply punch a hole in the center of the cap for your camera lens to extend through, and you have an all weather protection system for your compact or small DSLR. The elastic band of the cap keeps it positioned snugly around your wrists while the cap protects the camera from all sides. You can work the controls, view the LCD monitor, and take pictures in the rain just as easily as on a sunny day.

This opens new opportunities for your photography. Rainy conditions often make dramatic shots with saturated colors. So grab a shower cap and hit the (wet) streets.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, tips, The Digital Story

I've been working on a new site that was recently launched at PhotoPlus Expo. Inside Aperture is a gathering place for photographers who want to learn Apple's photo management application inside and out.

The basic features of this destination include the blog that highlights a new daily post from one of six experts, plus me :) For example, I recently explained how to Create Your Own White Balance Presets. This tip enables you to create a list of presets that you can cycle through when determining the right white balance setting for your Raw files, just like you can in Adobe Camera Raw. We have stuff like this go up every day.

I'm also interviewing people who are directly involved with Aperture, such as Joe Schorr (product manager) and posting those discussions as podcasts on the site. Plus, there are articles and other chunks of useful information to help you master one of the best photo management tools to ever come down the pike.

I might also add, we're looking to add more contributors to the site. So if you have a few Aperture tricks up your sleeve that you'd like to share with others, be sure to drop me a line.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, software, The Digital Story

You're Not Ken Burns -- But FotoMagico slideshows are so good that people will believe that he helped you.

"I was just returning to my car just after day break because the rain was getting harder," said Mark Gale. "I noticed a small bird fluttering through the bare branches of a bush. I stopped where I was and set down my tripod. I then hunkered down to see what the excitement was all about. Seconds later this hawk dove in and missed the bird who could move around in the smaller parts of the bush. Tired and not so happy that she missed breakfast, she sat on this fence post for a couple of seconds before the hunt began again."

Mark captured this grab shot with a Canon 30D with EF 300mm lens plus a 1.4x extender at ISO 800 at 1/125th of a second.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

ExpoDisc Custom White Balance -- Simply Better Color. Simply Better Pictures. Visit www.expodisc.com

Camera club member Craig Lee pointed me to a lecture by renowned photojournalist David Burnett. Craig wrote:

"We had a great guest speaker, photojournalist David Burnett, at UF Monday night. He gave a guest lecture in conjunction with the opening of a show that has been making the rounds at university galleries. I filmed him as part of my job (Web Administrator at the journalism college here), and the video is available as a QuickTime streamed webcast on the University site."

David's commentary includes discussion and images of U.S. presidents and presidential campaigns, sports including the Olympics and baseball, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It's really worth a look.

Thanks Craig for the heads up!

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

The October Photo Assignment was "Reflection," and we have quite a gallery for you. Twenty six images submitted by The Digital Story members demonstrate the reflective qualities of our virtual camera club photographers. These images shine!

To produce the gallery, the pictures were first loaded into Aperture. I then added the accompanying stories to the IPTC caption field and combined it with the EXIF data from the photograph. The final step was to create a web gallery in Aperture and upload it to the Digial Story server. You can view this month's photo assignment here.

The November assignment is "Juxtaposition." Start working on your contribution now. Details can be found on the Submissions page. Because of our new gallery format, you can now submit photo assignment pictures up to 600 pixels wide for horzontal shots, 400 pixels wide for verticals. Please follow the instructions carefully for labeling the subject line of the email for your submission. It's easy to lose these in the pile of mail if not labeled correctly. Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. I use that for the caption data.

Good luck with your November assignment, and congratulations to all of the fine contributors for October. It's a great collection of images.

Photo by Maria Camillo

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story, Photo Assignment

Even though there are always great shots in your backyard, there's nothing like a road trip to challenge and invigorate your photography. In this week's podcast, I discuss coping with the elements, getting around in foreign destinations, and dealing with backing up your data while traveling.

I also talk a bit about the Nov. Photo Assignment, juxtaposition. Should be a bang-up assignment producing lots of great shots.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "More Tips from the Road" You can download the podcast here (30 minutes).

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

ExpoDisc Custom White Balance -- Simply Better Color. Simply Better Pictures. Visit www.expodisc.com

Last month, I reported on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2. Photography Blog had given the camera a decent review, but indicated that Panasonic hadn't really made much progress controlling image noise. But two more noteworthy reviews have been published since my October 11 posting. If you're interested in this camera, you might want to keep reading.

PopPhoto.com, one of the most respected technical reviewers in the business, gave the Lumix DMC-LX2 a very glowing review, calling it:

"A pocketable alternative to a digital SLR, the 10.2MP LX2 packs a gorgeous 2.8-inch LCD screen with a full 16:9 aspect ratio, loads of controls, improved burst rate, true high-definition video recording, a new image processor, and 16MB of built-in memory. It's even available in black in addition to silver. Best of all: its performance on our Certified Lab Tests -- and its "steal-me" price."

Then, I just read another review on Imaging Resource that also gave the Panasonic very high marks, saying, "While the Lumix LX2 could certainly be enjoyed by beginning users, since it has great automatic functionality, it's the photo enthusiasts who will get the most out of this sophisticated and snazzy little model."

Bottom line for me: I'd really like to shoot with this camera, especially in Raw mode, and see for myself. But on paper, I trust these reviewers and am now recommending the camera for advanced amateurs who want a pocketable Raw shooter.

Technorati Tags: product review, The Digital Story

Adobe has updated its Camera Raw plug-in (for Photoshop CS2 and Elements) and its DNG converter. This latest version includes Raw profiles for 13 new cameras, including the Canon Rebel Xti (400D) and the Nikon D80. It also includes compatibility for other cameras that I've discussed on TDS, such as the Olympus SP-510 UZ, Panasonic DMC-LX2, and the Pentax K100D.

The update is free. Mac users can download here and Windows shooters should go to this page to grab it. I recommend that you download the update now while you're thinking about it...

Technorati Tags: digital photography, software, The Digital Story

You're Not Ken Burns -- But FotoMagico slideshows are so good that people will believe that he helped you.

"I took my camera to the Naples Fort Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs, FL," said Paul Tomlinson. "I was attempting to get down low (per one of Derrick's podcasts) to get a different angle on the subjects. I was dismayed that many of the images were out of focus, but darn it if these athletes aren't tremendously fast."

Paul captured this shot with a Fuji S2 Pro using the Nikkor 80-200mm F2.8 at 200mm, F4, and 1/750 at ISO 100.

As an aside (from Paul), if you have an interest in adopting a retired athlete, please visit: www.naplesfortmyersdogs.com/adopt.html

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain.

Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

We were lucky once again, and caught a good cab driver when we arrived in Mexico. This time the mission was the Chacchoben ruins site, located about an hour from the port in Costa Maya. It had been raining all morning, so many potential site visitors stayed inside and hung around the ship. No way I was staying onboard with those ruins out there calling to me.

As luck would have it, the sky cleared a little by the time we arrived, and we had the entire site to ourselves. What a break! Ben and I wandered among the various excavated areas of the site, took pictures, and enjoyed the outdoor solitude.

When we returned, we still had time for a beer and a basket of tortilla chips before reboarding the ship. As we strolled to the dock, I noticed this local resident who had been enjoying Mexican beers all afternoon. He was standing at the shore shouting at the cruise ship. I wasn't exactly sure what he was saying, so I created the title to this blog post myself.

We're back at sea now, and today is a teaching day for me. More to report soon.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story

One of the hardest things when visiting foreign countries is finding a cab driver who can communicate and is willing to drive you around for half a day or so. After many failed interviews yesterday, Ben, Andy, and I found the right guy. Don't get me wrong, we met many nice people. But three photographers are not your usual cab fare.

So we drove off into the hills of Santo Thomas in Guatemala, and an hour later found ourselves in the Rio Dulce area. In a nearby park, we stumbled upon a family gathering... complete with a great sounding Marimba. At times, there were as many as four musicians all playing their part in the lively musical arrangement.

The entire day was enjoyable, and it's left me with a very upbeat feeling about Guatemala. I wish you could hear the music in this photo.

Next stop, Costa Maya, Mexico. More to come soon...

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story

Diving off the impressive coral reef in Belize was the first time I considered shooting landscape underwater. Normally, as you can imagine, the focus is on fish, rays, eels, and turtles. I saw and photographed lots of beautiful fish. I also had a glimpse at a green Moray Eel and captured some very decent shots of a Stingray... until he turned in my direction that is -- which caused me to turn tail. (Yes, I read the news headlines too.) I couldn't find him again once the coast was clear.

Speaking of clear, the water was unbelievably transparent. I had long views of purple fan coral, giant brain coral, and a host of other thriving residents on the reef. I actually started shooting landscape shots, and on first review on my Mac, they look terrific.

But, I had to be very careful while working. This is a very fragile environment. Not so much in terms of nature, but very much so in terms of mankind. It's so easily to carelessly catch a piece of coral with a flipper while treading water or shooting pictures. If you're lucky enough to ever visit Belize, please spread the good word among your diving buddies: keep a healthy distance from the reef. Our cameras are good enough that we don't need to risk the environment to get a good shot.

I recorded today's photo with the Canon SD700 IS in a Canon underwater housing. If you know this fish, please post a comment. He's beautiful I think, and he well represents the community I was so lucky to visit.

Soon, I head out to the ruins in Guatemala. Stay tuned...

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story