17 May 07 FedEx vs. UPS

So i frequently have to pick up packages from UPS terminal because i miss the drop-off, it’s usually no problem, i just call them up and ask them to hold it for me.

This happened with Fed-Ex today, and they told me that it wasn’t possible to pick it up! I pushed on, asking why i couldn’t go to the terminal after the driver returns, she said she would have to ask the terminal, so i got the number and they were much more helpful, saying that i should call back later to see when the driver is back, but that all drivers return by 8pm and they close at 9pm so ultimately i will definitely get it.

Get what yo may ask, only the coolest lens in my (extended) price range: 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 DX VR2 ED AF-S IF G, yeah all those letters actually mean stuff:
18-200mm: Focal length its 11.5x zoom
f3.5-5.6: Size of the aperture.
DX: Size of the projected image will cover a APC Sized Sensor ~1/1.5 size of 35mm
VR2: Vibration Reduction Two, allows shooting at 4 stops faster, take that Canon IS (3stops)
ED: Coated glass equals less chromatic distortion
AF-S: Silent constant fast focusing, allows instant manual override with ring)
IF: Internal Focus (doesn’t get much longer or shorter to focus and doesn’t turn front element)
G: Conveys distance info and other stuff to camera.

Wow, some quotes from Ken ~ “It’s a miracle!”, “8-200mm VR is more than just a new lens. It’s changed the way I live and make photos.” totally hear you Ken.

It focuses down to 20″ at 200mm, thats right infront of the glass at 200mm!! Macro for free! with VR that means still insects will be sharp! Stay tuned for images.

I got mine from Ritz, i ordered it 2months ago, they had issues with handleing paypal and then visa, weird, but got it right in the end.

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16 Apr 07 Sunset vs. Sunrise

Saturday night i chased the sun and the photo ops it leaves in it’s wake. When you shoot with the sun to your back the scene become very evenly lit which allows you to crank saturation and contrast without looking too fake, I’m amazed with the color effects that i can get away with post processing a picture taken in twilight versus a picture taken in the day where small color changes are very obvious. Huge shout out to Ken Rockwell for giving me the courage to max out saturation and wake up at 6 in the morning to get those shots.

I found a lot of new places by just driving towards the sun away from the skyline trying to find fresh perspectives with great lighting.

There was a huge difference in the vibe of shooting Saturday night versus Sunday morning. The night was a rush of a adrenaline running from one spot to the next with party people and the homeless and a few other photographers making me a spectacle, “hey that photographer guy is still there”. It’s hard to be low key while carrying an extended tripod. Shooting in the morning was a totally different experience, it was colder but extremely peaceful, i saw nobody pre-sunrise and then only three joggers in the following hour. I felt like i had the city to myself while the sun rose forever with no sounds like the most under noted event. I wasn’t as blown away with sunrise photos as with sunset, and subsequent long exposure night shots, but i still got some cool pictures that i couldn’t have gotten any other time of the day, now i just need a nude model to lay in front of the pictures. Notably the river was much stiller in the morning, i think that the absence of the sun slows the wind which adds to the peaceful state.

I also ran into a guy that i used to work with who is an incredible designer and he happened to be taking pictures that morning as well! Small world! Here are the rest of the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/riaz/

You probably also want to read about Diy Soft lighting which got Dugg over a thousand times.

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15 Mar 07 Hobo DIY Softbox for Perfect Portraits

Holy Crap Kevin Rose of ~~Dugg~~ Digg, dugg this article, thanks for the heads up Amir I owe you a latte, unless i ever manage to beat you in Desktop Tower Defense

The silent Server
make a quiet PC box from scrap wood

So I’ve spent about a grand on my camera equipment (body, lenses) and forgot to save anything for the lighting equipment, doh!

Basically (though you should already know this) a camera is only as good as the light that comes into it, cameras capture light and make a mess when they try to amplify the dark. When I made the move from a point-and-shoot to a SLR I figured I’d get a 50mm lens because it was the cheapest lens that opened up to f1.8, and i wanted to be able to take pictures in the living room (ok my kids) without a flash. Jump to 6 months later I now know that 50mm lens lets in just as much light as a 24mm lens but needs to be shot at least 1/60th of second to be in focus whereas a 24mm lens can be shot at 1/25th of a second, even at f2.8.

The crux of the problem is still that at f2.8 a full face is unlikely to be all in focus until about f8 on a 50mm and f5 on a 24mm which means i need a flash. I used a bounce flash (old school flash aimed at the ceiling or wall) and loved the soft light or occasional color cast from the paint on the wall, but the shadows made dark wells under the eyes.

So i need a soft box which should eliminate shadows from the area that it covers, but, i spent all of my money on the SLR and lenses.

Solution
Cardboard box, tin foil, tape, knife, wireless flash kit,

I got the wireless flash from Ebay with two receivers ($20) which i use with old flashes from my wifes old SLR setup. The trigger just attaches to the camera hot show and the recivers are like little hot shoes them selves.

I upgraded the antenna to extend the range and reliability.

For the softbox i got an office max cardboard box and some reynolds tinfoil. i used the size of the box as a template and cut some pieces. Remember to cut a mirror image because they are Diastereomers , so two of each hand (lateral inversion). Also make them so that the sum of two wider ends equals the size the to opening of the box, measure this by placing to strips next to each other and marking where they overlap:

It is much easier to score then cut with scissors than knife. I also taped all the sides to prevent the foil from tearing, it made it much more durable. When tapping two pieces together the tape can electro statically attract the foil which can muck things up, so i found it easier to pre-tape with small pieces of tape before applying wider tape.

Look kind of like a NASA heat shield.

Now it’s ready to fold and tape into the box like a funnel (after cutting a hole in the box of course) This hole is where the flash gets tapped in.

I taped a garbage can bag to the top and then started shooting:

I’m in love with the quality of soft light i and the sharpness that it allows. I put a handle on the top of the box (cut a hole in it, and basically strapped the flash to the hole in the back.

This is at 300mm F22 1/125sec, with a Nikon D70s (which is for sale here ) You can click on the image to see full version. Its amazing how much more detail comes out of the shot with soft light.