The SLR wars are blazing. First, the Canon 50d and it’s 15.1 mega pixel sensor was introduced earlier this week. The next day Nikon’s 12.3 mega pixel D90 with groundbreaking HD movie mode was introduced. The internet is awash in information on these two new cameras. And there’s also talk of Canon introducing a 5D mkII with 21 mega pixel sensor and full HD movie mode. Things are moving fast all of a sudden, in anticipation of the Photokina 2008 trade show in Cologne, Germany.
I have a whole bunch of …

Quite a few of you were able to participate in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk this past Saturday. For those who weren’t able to attend, I’d like to invite you to 90 seconds of candid video from Cincinnati, just in case you’d like to see just what went on in our little part of the world. Photographers, clicking shutters and laughter were everywhere. Over 50 photographers left Fountain Square at 10 a.m. and every single one met up at our lunch destination at the conclusion. Photographer Ryan Duglosz has even …

This past weekend was the Worldwide Photo Walk and it was a great deal of fun (David Ziser has a really nice wrap up on the Cincinnati Walk here). I had an opportunity to speak with a number of other photographers in attendance and would like to thank everyone that took the time to say “hello”. I shot some candid video during the event that I’ll get posted here in a few days. While walking along we discussed a number of photo career topics like obtaining clients, valuing work and …

Have you seen the new Microsoft image technology “Photosynth” yet? I first saw the demo of this product about a year ago. After viewing the initial demo I was honestly left speechless.
First, a quick explanation. Imagine walking around a building, any building, large or small, taking multiple, overlapping digital pictures as you go, kind of like a David Hockney Polaroid collage. Zoom in and zoom out, capturing both overall shots and fine details. Now load those 100 or so digital captures up to the now very live Photosynth website …

Subscribers view video here

The gallery of images may be found here.
Today’s video is a direct continuation of last week’s video episode 25, outdoor portraits #1. In this video we look a bit more at the approach to portraits and attention to details.
These images were shot wide open at f4 on the relatively affordable Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM Lens with the 5D. Shutter speed was around 1/80 of a sec at ISO 100 so a tripod was called in to duty.
White balance was set to daylight and I planned …

First, a couple of quick links that may be of interest:

Digital Photography School has some very helpful, concise tips for aspiring wedding photographers in stepping in to wedding photography.
This Week in Photography asks, are you a lazy photographer? Sometimes we can use a wake up call to push ourselves in a new direction. This is that wake up call.
Imaging Insider once again turned me on to a stunning link, this time for iconic photojournalist Josef Koudelka’s new book, Prague 68. The displayed images are gripping.

The biggest news in photography I …

I’ve been writing quite a bit lately so today’s post is purposely short and simple. That doesn’t mean it was quick to create, though, it actually took about a year.
Over the course of a year I documented the twin Bradford Pear Trees in my front yard, following them through the seasons. Stepping outside my front door with a 24mm lens on a Nikon D70 “carry about” on the way to the studio, I would carefully place the center focusing spot on the house across the street to keep framing consistent.
The …

Last January I ran into my friend Stephanie Carson at Sitwell’s, a popular university area coffee shop here in Cincinnati. Stephanie is a very successful wedding photographer in the region (view her website here and fun blog here) and she’d just wrapped up her 2007 obligations and would soon be off to Europe for a few weeks. We promised to get together upon her return but our schedules never seemed to fit.
Months have passed and I knew she was in her busy season but last week in a random moment …

How many megapixels do you need? Do most of your images remain in digital form, displayed on the web? Or do you create large prints for display?
As camera sensors grow in resolving power, greater demands are placed on lenses. A kit zoom lens that resolved just fine for a manufacturers 6 MP model might not rate so well on a 10 or 12 MP model. More resolution also means larger file sizes and increased data storage needs. With current cameras able to resolve well enough for many applications, is there …

Subscribers view video here

For the next three weeks we’ll be looking at outdoor portraits. Hopefully this episode will help out if you’re interested in ideas on how to photograph a senior portrait. It’s pretty timely, too, since DIYPhotography.net is running their Portrait Professional 8 Giveaway at the same time. If you’re looking for portrait inspiration, check out all the entries so far in the DIYPhotography.net flickr pool.
—–
The day of video shooting was perfect in most all respects except for one challenge we hadn’t encountered before: swarms of deafening locusts! If …