December 2009 Archives

"Wrinkles" often mean expressive texture. And the Nov. 09 Photo Assignment participants created a "tactile" gallery of images that you'll just want to touch.

The January 2010 assignment is "Slippery." Start working on your contribution now. Details can be found on the Member Participation page. You can submit photo assignment pictures up to 600 pixels in the widest direction.

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. For example, the subject line for next month's assignment should be: "Photo Assignment: January 2010." Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. And feel free to add any IPTC data you wish (These fields in particular: Caption, Credit, Copyright, Byline), I use that for the caption info.


Photo by Amar Rameshbabu. You can read more about how Amar captured this shot, plus see all of the other great images on the Nov. 09 Gallery page.


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


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Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

  • 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
  • Metadata listings for every photo in the book
  • Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
  • Photo management software guide.
  • Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
  • Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

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The better you understand your subject, the more likely you are to capture its essence. That's exactly what Paris Visone has done in her coverage of the punk rock band Protagonist.

"When touring with Protagonist, there was a lot of staying at random houses, taking advantage of every clean bathroom you can find, and a lot of different smells (some good, most bad)," writes Paris. "I have been shooting this band for 5 years now, but this is the first time I actually hit the road with them. They are somewhat used to the idea of the camera constantly in their faces, so that helps my cause. Plus, sometimes I help them carry equipment. So can they really complain? I like to consider myself the 6th member of the band. (Just don't tell them that.)"


Photo of the rock band Protagonist playing at Fest Live by Paris Visone. You can see the entire set of images on the Lowepro Flickr page.


Paris depended on her Canon 5D Mark II, 24mm 2.8 Lens, 35mm 2.0 Lens, Speedlite 430EX II, Mac laptop, various hard drives, and a Lowepro Fastpack 250 to capture these amazing images of the band.

"It's awesome having Paris with us on the road because she has a way of taking pictures that always captures the moment," said Brian, the guitar player. "She always knows just the right time to take a photo, and we sometimes relive entire days by looking at her images."


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It's time to review what has changed in our personal photography world, then think about the adjustments we want to make for the new year. For example, does your post production workflow still match the equipment you're shooting with? Does your backup strategy have another year in it? Are your online services still meeting your needs? And finally, have you set any goals for 2010? In this podcast I discuss how to make key adjustments so you're prepared for the year ahead.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (29 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Embrace is the Dec. 2009 Photo Assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Dec. 31, 2009.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!


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Podcast Sponsors

SiteGrinder lets you take ownership of your websites. Effortlessly output pages right from Photoshop.

Red River Paper -- Try the $7.99 Sample Kit.

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


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All you need is a hot shoe, $50, and 3 AAA batteries to shed new light on your macro photography. The Sunpak LED Macro Ring Light slides into any hot shoe and fits lenses up to 67mm filter size diameter. The 12 LEDs are daylight balanced and are bright enough to illuminate subjects up to 2' away.

The three-position switch offers settings for off, low, and high. The flexible arm makes it easy to position the light around the lens, or from an off-axis angle if your prefer. Weighing in at just a few ounces, this accessory packs easily and can make close-up photography on the go a real breeze.


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DIY nano Stand for iPod Video Recording

The 5th generation iPod nano has terrific new functions such as an intelligent FM radio receiver and a video camera that can record hours of SD movie capture. One challenge that I encountered while recording video, however, was finding an easy way to steady the camera for scenes where the subjects were stationary, such as during a speech or a musical recital.

By modifying two parts of the packaging for the nano, you can quickly create a stand that works on any horizontal surface, allowing you to record super-steady movies. When not in use, the stand folds up so it's nearly as compact as the nano itself.

All you have to do is drill a hole in the flexible holder that your iPod ships in. I simply put the nano in the holder, marked on the clear plastic where the camera lens is with a Sharpie, removed the nano, drilled the hole, then reattached the iPod. When you're ready to record, stand it up in the open lid. You'll find that you have a number of adjustments that you can make just by moving the iPod around in the open lid. This allows you to get just the right recording angle.

When you're done recording, place the holder in the lid and secure with a rubber band. You can leave the nano in the holder if you know you're going to record more video soon, or put it back in its regular case.

A couple of additional tips: 1) drill a largish hole because the microphone is next to the lens and you'll get better audio pickup. 2) if you drill a second hole on the side of your stand, you can plug in the headphones also and use the stand for hands-free movie viewing.

One thing that I always mention to people who purchase Apple devices is to hang on to the packaging. There are always components that they can repurpose later for accessories such as this DIY nano stand.

More DIY Projects

You can find more do it yourself projects in the DIY section of The Digital Story, including:

DIY Copy Stand for the iPhone 3GS

Convert Your Roller Suitcase into a Tripod or Mic Stand

DigiScoping with a Compact Camera


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Do you need to send a last-minute greeting card via email because it's too late for it to get there via regular postal mail? And of course, you want it to be spectacular!


Click on the image to open up a full screen version of Michel Bricteux's animated card. It may take a minute to load, but once it does, the lights will go on and off. Thanks Michel!


We have a technique that might save the day. TDS member Michel Bricteux sent me this wonderful animated card of Calle Alcala, Madrid, that was created using Photoshop. Here's what Michel wrote:

"Attached you'll find a 'fun' project meant to serve as animated Season's Greetings. The background picture is a HDR composite made of 9 pictures (+/- 0.3EV, Nikon D3X) using Photomatix Pro. The animation was created using Photoshop CS4's very cool and simple-to-use Animation tool."

Once you've created the individual images that comprise the animation, it's a cinch to build the final GIF in Photoshop. Here's a short tutorial on eHow. Then attach the animated file to an email and send it off. It conveys the message that you care, and it shows off your artistic talent too.


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Tips for Cold Weather Photography

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There are two rules in cold weather photography: 1) Protect you, 2) Protect your gear. Make sure you have layers of clothing that can go on and off as you work in the field. Be prepared for moisture so that you can stay dry. You never want to mix being wet and cold at the same time. It can lead to disastrous results. And be sure you have protection for your hands. Metal tripods become icy uncomfortable to hold.

As for your gear, your bags should be weather proof. If you use Lowepro bags, the "AW" models have an outer cover that's a terrific extra layer of protection. Keep spare batteries in your pocket, not your bag, so they stay warm. And finally, let your gear warm up in cases or Ziploc bags before exposing it to indoor temperatures. Otherwise condensation will form on your camera and lens.

Here's a good article by Laura Charon titled, Cold Weather Photography that provides additional insights (and some great photos!).

Photo of Boulder Creek in the Snow by Mark Castleman.


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How do you get great shots and still have fun? This week's podcast provides you with five tips for easy, beautiful party photos. I've also written an article for Macworld Magazine titled, The secrets of photographing a party that spells out everything I discuss in this podcast. If you're interested in this subject, you might want to read it.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (22 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Embrace is the Dec. 2009 Photo Assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Dec. 31, 2009.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!


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Podcast Sponsors

SiteGrinder lets you take ownership of your websites. Effortlessly output pages right from Photoshop.

Red River Paper -- Try the $7.99 Sample Kit.

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


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On a recent trip to Ventura, I had lunch with Megan O. Read, and she snapped some "polaroids" with her new Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S. The Mini 7S is a super-simple instant film camera that weighs less than a pound and is about 5" tall. It uses a fixed-focus 60mm Fujinon Lens, has a built-in electronic flash with exposure compensation, and produces 2.13" x 3.4" prints on Fujifilm Instax Mini Film.

Megan snapped a half dozen photos indoors, and they looked like what you would expect from flash shots on instant film: fun, nostalgic, but certainly not beautiful. When we were driving back from lunch, she asked me to grab the camera and shoot a picture out the car window. I did so, but when the photo developed, you could hardly see the image because it was so overexposed. I did a little research on this and found out that I wasn't the only one who experienced overexposures in bright sunlight.

So if you do decide to pony up the $100 or so for the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S, keep in mind that this is more of an indoor party camera than an outdoor snap-shooter -- something to keep in mind because the Mini 7S costs you a buck every time you press the shutter button.


Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S photos by Megan O. Read. You can check out more of Megan's work on her Flickr page. Click on image to enlarge.


ACR 5.6 Updater

Adobe has released the final version of Adobe Camera Raw 5.6 that supports 20 new cameras including the Canon 7D, G11, S90; Nikon D3s; Olympus E-P2, and Sony A500, A550, and A850.

I think the easiest way to install the update is to use the Adobe Updater. Just open Bridge, go to Help > Updates, then choose Photoshop Camera Raw from the list. Updater will download about 50 MBs of new Raw profiles, ask you to quit Bridge, then finish the installation. It works great and is easy.

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Apple released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.7 for Snow Leopard and Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 2.7 for Leopard. The release updates Raw support (Aperture, iPhoto) for these cameras, and is available via your Software Update feature (7.3 MBs):

  • Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
  • Canon EOS 7D
  • Canon PowerShot G11
  • Nikon D3S
  • Nikon D300S
  • Nikon D3000

That's the good news. And believe me, we're so glad to have this release.

But all is not cheery in Rawville. There's no support listed for the Canon S90 (will the G11 profile work for it?), the Olympus E-P1 or E-P2, or the Panasonic GF1, just to name a few. In my case, nearly a third of the photos I currently shoot is with the S90 and E-P1.

Sigh...


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If you've ever made the pilgrimage from Southern California to the northern part of the state on I-5, you know that it combines the quietness of wide open space, endurance, and if you're lucky, stunning twilight landscapes. I always have a camera on the front seat when I make this journey. When the sky lights up, I hold my lens against the window, compose out of the corner of my eye, and make photographs.

On this last trip, I used the Canon PowerShot S90, my current compact of choice. The first shot, Two Cars at Twilight was captured at ISO 400, f/4 at 1/320th of a second. The shot was composed so that the first thing you notice is the striking sunset, then after a few moments, two lonely cars become visible as they drive south on the Interstate.

The next image, Twilight Truck was recorded at ISO 800. We've had a lot of discussion about high ISO and image noise, and this shot displays plenty of grain. For some, such as myself, I think it adds another interesting element to the composition. Others might not care for it. In a way it doesn't matter because I needed the high ISO to get the 1/200th shutter speed.

The final shot, Power Lines, has that cock-eyed composition that often happens photographing landscapes while driving a car. I could have straightened the image. But for me, this better conveys the surreal sensation of driving a car down a lonely interstate as night begins to fall.

Photos by Derrick Story. Click on images to enlarge.


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Are protection filters a way to help protect your investment, or simply a compromise to image quality? This week I tell the story of my Canon 70-200 f/4 L lens and its sudden introduction to hard pavement. The photo here is what's left of my Hoya HMC Sky 1A filter that I keep on the lens. Click on the photo to see how my zoom lens looks after the crash, and with a little dusting off with the Rocket Blaster. You can probably guess how I feel about protection filters at this moment. If you want to hear more, listen to this week's podcast.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (24 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Tips on How You Can Help Support This Podcast

In addition to our fabulous sponsors, we have affiliate agreements with Lynda.com, Amazon, and B&H Photo. If you plan on doing any shopping with these retailers, please enter their stores through the advertising boxes on this page. You'll find them in the right side columns. It doesn't cost you anything, but it can really help support this show.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Embrace is the Dec. 2009 Photo Assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Dec. 31, 2009.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!


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Podcast Sponsors

SiteGrinder lets you take ownership of your websites. Effortlessly output pages right from Photoshop.

Red River Paper -- Try the $7.99 Sample Kit.

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


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Adobe Shortcut App

Here's a nifty Adobe AIR application that provides you with lots of shortcuts for most of CS4 software, including Photoshop, InDesign, SoundBooth, Acrobat Pro, and more. I say most because the app doesn't include shortcuts for Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw. Still, for the price (free!), it's great having dozens of Photoshop shortcuts at your fingertips there on the desktop.

If you don't have Adobe AIR installed, you'll be prompted to do so. But that's easy enough. Plus there are lots of additional useful AIR apps that you may want to take advantage of. You can download the application here.


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As I've been testing the VF-2 Electronic Viewfinder for the Olympus E-P2, I've found that it excels in certain applications. My favorite so far is when I use my Zeiss manual focus lenses (from my Contax film days) on the digital Olympus. In my first round of testing with the older E-P1, the lenses certainly worked fine and gave me the different look that I wanted. The problem was, I found it difficult to manually focus the Zeiss lenses with the 230,000 LCD on the back of the E-P1, especially outdoors in daylight.

When I had a chance to try the new Olympus E-P2 that's now in stock for $1,100 with electronic viewfinder and zoom lens, I thought that the VF-2 might make it easier to work with the manual focus lenses. I was right. What a difference!


Portraits of Jenn captured with an Olympus E-P2 and Zeiss 50mm lens. These images have been processed in Photoshop. But you can see rawer versions on the TDS Flickr page. I toned some of them, but didn't do any retouching. (Click for larger images here.) Photos by Derrick Story.


I start by mounting the Rayqual CY M 4/3 adapter on the E-P2, then choosing the Zeiss lens that's best for the assignment. For this portrait shoot with Jenn, I chose the 50mm f/1.7 Planar and shot with it wide open. The lighting was overcast that afternoon in Ventura, and I wanted a dreamy effect with very soft background. In order for this to work at all, I would have to nail the focus on Jenn's eyes, then let everything go the way it wanted with the shallow depth of field. The VF-2 really helped. I didn't have to use any focusing aids at all. I just looked through the viewfinder, twisted the lens barrel to the left and right until the focus because clear. Plus, I felt more professional looking through a viewfinder rather than holding the LCD up to my face.

The character of the Zeiss lens is unique compared to my Olympus digital glass. The best way for me to describe it is, it's the difference in sound quality that you get from a vinyl LP record compared to a digital MP3. Everything seems a little warmer, less edgy. However, some photographers, especially those who look at every pixel, might not like this rendering. But for certain types of portraiture, I love it.

One thing you don't get with this scenario is complete metadata. You have to remember or note the aperture setting you used, because the camera has no way to record it. The nice thing about the E-P2, however, is that image stabilization is in the body, not the lens. So you still get IS even with these older lenses.

I'm going to do some more testing with different glass. I really like having the option to create a completely different look, yet still have all the conveniences of the digital workflow.


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A Day with Photoshop Elements 8

I loaded my copy of Photoshop Elements 8 on to the computer in the recording booth at Lynda.com for a day of screencasting. I wanted to use Adobe's latest version of its consumer image editor, because the movie project I'm working on involves getting professional looking pictures from a compact camera. So, I figured that using software that costs $63 made more sense than $200 or $500.

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The Mac version of PSE 8 uses Bridge CS4 and Adobe Camera Raw 5. The Windows version uses the Organizer. Since I'm a big fan of Bridge, I thought this was a good fit for me showing the differences among photos. Bridge and PSE 8 work well together, although it's not quite as smoothly as with Photoshop CS4.

Once I was working in Elements itself, things went well. All of the Photomerge technologies are amazing, and they are easily accessible under the New menu at the top of the interface. I built a couple panoramas in real time (didn't have to stop recording video), and I was happy to see that the Transform tool is included in PSE 8 for cleaning up the stitched images afterward.

If you're used to image editing in Photoshop CS, then you have to make a few interface adjustments in Elements. If you want to get to Levels for example, it's a little buried in the Enhance menu (Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels). But if you're new to Photoshop, this sequence makes sense. And that's who this application is designed for. It was nice of Adobe, however, to retain the CMD-L shortcut for Levels for us old cronies.

One thing that I really miss in PSE is Smart Sharpen. The two sharpening filters you do have -- Unsharp Mask and Adjust Sharpness -- have been moved from the Filters menu to the Enhance menu. Again, this probably makes sense for newbies, but seems weird to me. After all, they are filters, aren't they? But no Smart Sharpen, which I truly like in CS4. There is an Auto Sharpen, but I don't know what's going on there. It sounds kind of dangerous to me.

But at the end of the day, there are more than enough image editing tools to get the job done. And lots of Auto tools if you're willing to let the application make the decisions. I had no problem navigating the menus once I got used to the handful of interface changes, and the results were just fine.

Personally, I think Photoshop Elements 8 for the Mac is worth the price alone for the merging technologies, Bridge CS4, and ACR with all the latest profiles. The image editor itself, though pared down compared to CS4, it still top notch. And if you're trying to help that photo enthusiast in your life move to the next level (without breaking the bank), I think this application would be on the short list of essentials.

When I first started recording training titles with Lynda.com, everything was screencasting. I'd sit in a recording booth with a producer on the other side of the glass, and explain into a mic what I was demonstrating on the computer. The audio and screen capture would then be combined into a QuickTime movie and published.

I still do a lot of screencasting, but in 2009 we decided that many of my upcoming titles would benefit by including live action video too. As you can image, this adds a whole new level of complexity to the project. After some trial and error, our first success was the Natural Light Portraits Photo Assignment where I combined live action demonstration of photo technique with screencasts that analyzed the results. We followed this approach with two more photo assignments, that are also doing well.

This led to a more ambitious project that we're currently shooting in Ventura, CA. I can't release the title yet, but I can say that it involves getting stunning photos from cameras such as the Canon S90. This project combines live action in the studio and on location, plus screencasting in the booth. I have a few shots from the live action shoot outside that we recorded on Tuesday, and I thought you might like a sneak peek.

Generally, we work with a 4-person crew, which is highly efficient in movie making. Our filmmaker, Jacob Cunningham, shown here working the camera, directs the shoot in coordination with the producer, Samara Iodice. Along with me, we are the decision makers on the spot. And there are many decisions to be made. Jacob, by the way, also shoots documentaries, and is a local celebrity. We also have a lighting expert, Loren Hillebrand (holding the reflector in the top shot), and a grip, Andrew. Loren has years of filmmaking experience, and I've yet to encounter a lighting problem that he could not solve. This is the kind of experience you need when working with a small crew.

We script out my lines beforehand, then in the field I have to work from memory. This is a bit of a challenge, but we do it this way because we like having the takes complete. Yes, the editors are fantastic, but they already have a long list of things to do. Fixing one of my brain freezes isn't really time efficient in this scenario. So when I botch a take, we shoot it again until I get it right.

This is where my preparation is so important. I need to know the content cold. Because when you're standing in front of the camera, there are a dozen things racing through your mind. And if you don't know exactly what you're going to say, you won't nail the take. I usually take a couple weeks to prepare my content before heading to Ventura for the shoot.

Even with all of this planning, things never go the way you think. For example, at the last minute, our model backed out. So our producer, Samara, had to stand in and model in addition to her other duties. This image of her is one that I captured with the Canon S90 while discussing portraits.

These unplanned challenges always cause a chain reaction. In this case, Loren had to run the slate, then once we were rolling, go back, grab the reflector, and manage the lighting. It's a constant exercise in problem solving. This is part of the excitement, and it's also the reason why I'm dog tired by the time I return to the hotel room.

After the shooting is completed, all of the content is logged and handed over to the editors. These folks are great, and they improve the work we did in the field. Once the edited rushes have gone through testing, we finalize the footage and release the title into the Online Training Library for our viewers to use and learn from.

I'm hoping that the project we're working on this week will be released in early Feb. 2010. Once it's out, I'll have more anecdotes to share. But for now, I've got to head to the studio, because I have a full day of screencasting ahead of me.


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How do you pick the right SDHC card for you? Should it be 30X, Class 6? What do those terms even mean? In this podcast I explain the three most important criteria for choosing the right memory card: capacity, read/write speed, and class. The bottom line is, many photographers don't have to spend the big bucks for super fast cards, unless they have cameras that can take advantage of that speed.

I've also written an article for Macworld Magazine titled, Buy the right SD card for your camera that spells out everything I discuss in this podcast. If you're interested in this subject, you might want to read it.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (17 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Embrace is the Dec. 2009 Photo Assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Dec. 31, 2009.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!


twitter.jpg Follow me on Twitter

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Podcast Sponsors

SiteGrinder lets you take ownership of your websites. Effortlessly output pages right from Photoshop.

Red River Paper -- Try the $7.99 Sample Kit.

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


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"Sideways Mini Cooper" - Grab Shot 190

"I shot this in Berlin during the November anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall," writes Roderick James. "This Mini dealership near what was Checkpoint Charlie had a Mini 'stuck' to the wall. Shot using my Canon G10, 30th sec @ f2.8, ISO 800."

"Usually, I wouldn't consider shooting at ISO 800 on my compact camera, but at least I was able to get the shot. Upon my return from the trip, I downloaded Derrick's podcast (no. 204) which convinced me I was right to 'loosen up' a little."

This is a perfect example of what I discussed in the ISO podcast. At ISO 100, the shutter speed would have been around 1/4 of a second, and the image would have been soft from camera shake.

Photo by Roderick James. Click on image to zoom to larger size.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.


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After reading "This lens is soft" and other myths by Roger Cicala, I decided to bone up on the micro adjustment feature for my Canon 5D Mark II. Essentially, this is designed to correct minor focusing problems. You may have heard the terms "front focusing" or "back focusing." It means that the lens and the camera are not in perfect focusing alignment. According to Cicala, many pro bodies, including the Canon 7D, 1DIII, 1DsIII, 5DII, 50D; Nikon D3, D3x, D300, D700; the Pentax K20D, the Olympus E-30 and E-620 have a microcalibration feature that allows you to better match problem lenses to the camera bodies.

The owner's manual for my Canon 5D Mark II cautions, however, that using micro adjustment should be the exception, not the rule.

"Normally, this adjustment is not required. Do this adjustment only if necessary."

That being said, if you have a camera that provides micro adjustment, and you suspect that a particular lens could use a little correction, you might want to investigate this further.


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The Lowepro D-Wrap is a clever way to protect your camera and never lose its case. And for only about $12, it makes a superb stocking stuffer.

The case itself is made out of durable Neoprene fabric that wraps around the camera and is secured by a Velcro closure. It attaches to the body via a sliding tripod screw that easily loosens via a fold down handle to allow access to the battery and memory card. When you take picture, just open the case and let it hang down out of the way. When finished, it "wraps back up" protecting the camera. I'm currently using the D-Wrap to protect my Canon PowerShot S90.

You can watch an informative movie about how to use the D-Wrap on the Lowepro video page. Keep in mind that it's designed for compacts. My S90 is the largest camera it can accommodate comfortably. The case looks great, and it really protects the camera nicely.

More Gift Ideas for Photographers

If you haven't checked out my Top 10 Gifts for Photographers, be sure to take a look. I have links to all of the items, and there's an audio podcast on that page that describes everything in detail.


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The MoGo Talk Bluetooth headset fits in its iPhone protective case so you always have hands free with you. But it also allows you to pair with up to five devices. So I've tested it with Skype, and as in this movie, even using it for video recording. This movie introduces you to the MoGo Talk headset, which sells with iPhone protective case for about $130.

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As a headset for the iPhone, it's fairly impressive. It's only 5mm thick and weighs 9 grams. The iPhone case that it's mounted in doesn't really feel any thicker than the case I was using before, yet the MoGo case contains a BT headset that is always there and ready to go. There's a pop up mini-USB port on the case that allows me to charge the MoGo Talk when I'm charging the phone. I give it some juice every other day. Talk time is between 3-4 hours.

People on the receiving end of my conversations say that they can tell I'm using a headset, but that the sound quality is good. It picks up a little ambient noise. On the receiving end, the ear piece is comfortable (you have a handful to choose from) and the sound is quite good. The MoGo talk adjusts the volume automatically based on environmental noise, but you can override it by adjusting the volume on the iPhone itself.

Overall, I think this is truly an innovative product. And the fact that I can use it for my Skype calls on the computer is a bonus.


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Here's a list of cameras gone wrong. For various reasons these devices should be avoided at all costs. I love articles like this.

Check out The Worst Cameras of 2009 by the folks over at Digital Camera HQ. It includes the Fuji J20, Nikon S220, Pentax W80, Kodak C180, and more.

You've been warned!

Want to make your own holiday greeting card? We have everything you need right here, including a free downloadable image that's cropped to fit perfectly on the cover of a 5"x7" holiday card. If you've never printed your own cards, take a look at this article: Professional Photo Art Notecards Using Aperture and Red River Paper. You can also set up these projects in Photoshop and Lightroom too. One reader even used Microsoft Word.

To get the image of the Christmas Cactus, just go to the TDS Flickr page, click on the All Sizes link above the Christmas Cactus picture, and then click on the Original link. This loads up the master image. Then all you have to do is download it using the link above the image.

These cards are gifts unto themselves. They are perfect for family, friends, your kids' teachers, your hair cutter... anyone that you want to wish "happy holidays" to. So go get that high resolution image, and make something pretty.

If you want to share one of your holiday shots with our virtual camera club, then upload it to the The Digital Story - Digital Photography Public Group and tag it with "Greeting Card". I'm sure others will appreciate the gesture.


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Some shooters will do anything to avoid image noise, even if it means missing the shot all together. Today's cameras have improved their high ISO performance, including many compacts. Yet a lot of photographers insist on keeping the ISO setting low, even in dimly lit environments. Why? Is it that old habits die hard, or is there a real reason to keep the dial turned down? Find out what I think in this week's podcast.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (21 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Embrace is the Dec. 2009 Photo Assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Dec. 31, 2009.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!


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