Aaron's Photoblog

XKCD Amuses Me

2009-12-27T11:06:00.001-05:00

XKCD comics almost always amuse me. The comics themselves are often hysterical but the mouse over comments are the little extra that helps make the series a mandatory addition to my Feedly feed. This Christmas comic is a great example:

The mouse over comment for this strip is:

If you're turning 27 and were born in the Northeast, maybe you were conceived in the blizzard of 1982. Imagine: snowed in, candles, massage oil, your mom sporting nothing but her early 80's haircut and a smile ... aren't you glad you read the title-text?

That's classic XKCD

Self Portait Behind the Scenes

2009-01-06T21:52:00.001-05:00

Here is a self-portrait I took for the 2009 January Photo Challenge:

Other than the fact that I included five of the recent challenge themes in one photo, there is nothing terribly remarkable about the image. What is remarkable is the ghetto lighting set up I used to put it together. Here are some shots of the set up.

Wide angle view:

Here is a detail of the strobe to the left of the chair:

Yes, that is a combination tripod, Cactus v2 receiver, cheap-o flash, Gorillapod, plastic coat hanger, and a white pillow case. What you can't see is the Kleenex rubber-banded to the flash to help soften the light further.

DIY Strobists eat your heart out.

In hindsight, I should have just moved the flash closer to the chair to soften it, but that would not have been nearly as cool as this. Here is a better view of the setup without the pillow case:

Rube-Goldberg photography? Maybe. Fun? Without a doubt. The other aspect that made this an interesting shoot is that I had a hyperactive 4 year old as my "assistant". Nothing like leaving the room for a minute to return to your camera settings gone all awry and your Assistant constantly cheering you on with "Daddy, hurry up and take the picture!" and "Let me see, let me see!".

An Unfortunate Event

2009-01-02T10:23:00.001-05:00

JPG Magazine is closing its doors on January 5, 2009. They are a victim of the current econcomy and just can't get the cash to keep things going. This really too bad.

In case you are unfamiliar with JPG Magazine, it is a publication composed entirely of user created photography. It's like Flickr, but in print and I think the quality of work tends to be a little higher. I'm personally disappointed because I had made it a goal for 2009 to have some piece of work published in the magazine, whether it be a photo or an article. That goal will be crossed off and I'll have to find a new one now.

You can still download all the back issues in PDF format here: Archives

You might also want to pull together your contacts from JPG and see if they are elsewhere for you to keep in touch. I just finished going through my contacts and adding them as Flickr contacts and bookmarking web sites.

Thinking About the People Side of Photography

2008-12-17T08:39:00.001-05:00

Scott Bourne over at TWIP had a post this morning that made me think. Scott was discussing the art side of photography, the human side. While we all love obsessing over new gadgets, gear, and technology, I think we are all primarily motivated by the emotional response we get from photography. Here is my reply to Scott's post.

I've always looked at photography as a chance to share how the world looks through my eyes. For better or worse, I seem to have a non-standard perspective. I see things that other people don't. No, I don't see dead people, but I notice little details, light falling in an interesting way, and relationships between things that don't immediately seem related. When ever I point out one of these observations, people wonder how I came up with the connection. Undiagnosed ADD could have something to do with it. However, regardless of my current mental health, my photography helps me show the world how I see.

That's why I love looking at photographs from others. It gives me insight into what's important to them and from which perspective they observe their surroundings. The more I get into photography the more I realize that it's about people and relationships. Whether the relationship is between the photographer and a model, the photographer and a mountain, or the photographer and some cranes flying through the mist, I think photographs are manifestations of relationships.

Off Camera Lighting

2008-12-13T21:24:00.001-05:00

The siren song of off camera lighting is calling me. I already have a cheap flash and a Catus v2, but I would like to be able to play with at least two off camera flashes. I just read over on Strobist that RadioPopper came out with some new technology. The product that caught my eye is the JrX receiver and transmitter. I think this combined with some Vivtar 285 HV Flashes are what I need to get started.

If I read this article correctly, I can get by with 2 Vivitars, a JrXTransmitter, JrX Receiver, and Wein Peanut Micro Slave and I should be all set. Maybe throw in a couple of light stands. The whole shootin' match should run me around $300, which is about the same price as a single Canon 580 EX.

Camera Selection Dilemma

2008-12-10T22:13:00.001-05:00

I've been shooting with a Rebel XT since it first came on the market. Last year I was ready for a major upgrade to my system and decided to invest in good glass instead of a new body. I bought the Canon 24-105 f/4L and will never be able to buy anything other than L glass ever again.

Now I want to upgrade my camera body. The Canon 50D is very appealing, but the 5D Mk I is a serious contender also even though it is at the extreme edge of my budget. I'll have to spend a lot of political capital with my family CFO to make that purchase.

Reviews I've read on the 50D are all over the board. The review at DPReview says it's Highly Recommended, but barely because the image quality is not that much better than the 40D. However, the feature set on the 50D is awesome:

15.1 MP
Digic4 processor
3 inch screen
LiveView mode
Integrated sensor cleaning
Burst up to 16 RAW images @ 6.5 to 3 fps
High ISO sensitivity

Yes, I must consider the fact that Canon has jammed a ton of receptors into a small sensor, which will result in a lot more noise. I still get more room to use the crop tool and I can always down-sample my image.

The 5D Mk I is a classic that still gives incredible image results largely due to its full frame sensor. Despite the fact that it is old technology, the 5D Mk I is a solid camera capable of spectacular images.

I'm still figuring out my photographic niche and my subject matter is all over the board: portraits, sports, landscapes, and a lot of kid pictures. I need a body that is versatile.

Just to complicate matters, I also have a Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 EX DG HSM that won't work on the 5D. I could still use it on the Rebel XT, but it would be stuck there. I also have the Canon 50 f/1.8 II, but that works on either EF or EF-S mounts.

Which camera would you recommend?

I'm Published

2008-12-09T21:48:00.001-05:00

I've had a picture published on Schmap!!, a travel guide web site. You can see my photo here: Washington Monument

I really like this photo because I think that it is a unique perspective on an commonly photographed monument. It makes all the stares I got from squatting in an awkwardly crouched position for five minutes worth the embarrassment.

Photographing for "Free"

2008-12-08T22:10:00.001-05:00

There are articles over at TWIP and Strobist talking about photographing subjects for free, i.e. not charging for money for your services. I think that they are both great articles, but I'm not sure it's completely accurate to say that you provide your services for free in the context of these articles. I think that "doing it for free" implies that you receive nothing for your efforts. I don't think that is the case.

When you photograph for "free" I think you are actually trading value with your client but you are using something other than money to represent that value. In the "free" transaction the client obviously receives a piece of photographic work they can use in a limited context. As photographers, we can all see the value of that image. What the photographer receives in return is less tangible, but no less valuable. The value is listed pretty well by David Hobby and Scott Bourne in their respective posts so I won't rehash it here.

I think that it is more accurate to describe photographing for "free" as a barter of services rather than simply a one-sided transaction. With the economy going the way it is, it might not be a bad idea to start brushing up on those bartering skills now.

Come See My Photos at the CNote Art Show

2008-12-08T21:11:00.001-05:00

I've had five photos accepted to the CNote Art Show. The CNote Art Show is a showcase of independent artists in the Columbus, OH area. All works at the show are for sale at a price of just $100, hence the CNote Art show. All proceeds go directly to the artists. There are currently over 300 artists showing their work and over 1000 pieces of work on display and for sale. The work runs the gamut of style and media.

The show takes place on December 12 and 13, 2008 at Junctionview Studios. You can get directions here: Map Private showings are available by appointment. Please contact Junctionview Studios at 614.634.1415 or email them here or here to set up an appointment.

Bees

2008-09-09T20:50:00.001-04:00

I took some pictures of bees going to town on some flowers at Highbanks two weekends ago. I was able to get some really good shots. I really liked this one because I was able to get a honey bee in flight and a bumble bee checking out the flower.

Thank You for the Photo Views!

2008-08-28T21:00:00.001-04:00

Thank you to everyone that stopped by to take a look at my photo! I found out today that I won my local photowalk and have been submitted for consideration to win the Grand Prize! Hooray!

A Shameless Plea for Help

2008-08-24T15:23:00.001-04:00

I participated in Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk this past Saturday at the Columbus Ohio [Short North] photowalk. It was a great time and I got some photos I really like. Check out my Flickr set here: Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk 2008 . However, the one to the left is my favorite and the one that I submitted to our local contest, which will determine our group's submission to the global competition. Winner of our group will depend heavily on the amount of comments and views the photo gets, so if you get a chance please stop by and give me a view and a comment. Thanks!

Moral Compass

2008-08-06T21:41:00.000-04:00

I took this picture while I was listening to the Ohio State Alumni Band performing in Worthington last weekend. I looked up and saw the weathervane that was slightly obscured by some of the trees, but could be nicely framed if I found the right angle. The trouble was that I was in the middle of a performance and didn't have much opportunity to find a new angle. I had to get creative. That's when I thought of my depth of field. I cranked open my aperture to f/4 and zoomed in as far as my telephoto would go. The resulting shallow depth of field removed the offending leaves sufficiently to give me a workable frame for the shot. I did a little Lightroom post processing that included:

cropping to 1x1 dimensions

increasing vibrance

tweaking color saturation

tweaking luminescence saturation

split toning

I really like to contrast between the sharp focus of the weathervane and the blurred leaves in the foreground. Let me know what you think.

test2

2008-08-03T10:57:00.001-04:00

Test 2.

The Tomato Experiment

2008-08-02T16:08:00.002-04:00

This is a shot that resulted from an experiment I did this morning. Cate and I ran down to the Worthington Farmer's Market to get some cherry tomatoes for dinner tonight. We found one of the last quarts of the tomatoes and scooped them up. Once we returned home, I had to wash them. When I was done, I noticed that the water beading up on the tomatoes looked kinda cool so I set up my camera on my Joby tripod and did a long exposure at a high F stop. Specifically, the details are ISO 100, f/14, for 2.5s. I then did some post prod work in Lightroom and came up with this. I like it but it seems to be missing some small item that I can't quite put my finger on. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Monuments in Washington DC

2008-06-18T08:14:00.001-04:00

The Washington Post has an article on the general state of disrepair in which the National Mall finds itself. I was thinking about that as I walked through The Mall a couple of weeks ago. The state of repair I observed seemed to be just about on par with some of the public gardens I visited on my trip to India several years ago.

I took the picture to the left because the state of disrepair struck me. This is the WWI Memorial. In fact, it doesn't even say WWI on it. It just says "The World War". After that much fun, who would want another?

I think public areas and monuments are important to a society. They serve as concrete reminders of the events and people that have forged our current identity. The remind us of the people who helped make us who we are today regardless of whether that is good or bad.

I'm glad to hear that the federal government is ponying up some cash to maintain these reminders.

Washington DC Photos-15

2008-06-17T21:24:00.001-04:00

Washington DC Photos-15
Originally uploaded by schauba

This is one of my attempts at HDR photography. I think you must be careful with HDR or it gets tacky in a hurry. I'm thinking of those shots that seem to include a halo around every object in the picture.

For this shot I kept it simple. I just did a bracketed exposure at +/-2 stops and ran the three images through Photoshop's HDR tool. When I converted image to 16-bit I choose the "Balanced Histogram" option. This looks like mostly like the WWI Memorial when I saw it, i.e. sans halos.

Washington DC Photos-3

2008-06-16T22:16:00.001-04:00

Washington DC Photos-3
Originally uploaded by schauba

This was a fun shot. I was at the Washington Monument trying to figure out something that was at least a little original. This was the best I could come up with. I think the perspective and lines really make the shot. The Monument and flag pole really lead the eye right to the flag.

Liberty 2008

2008-06-13T21:47:00.001-04:00

Liberty 2008
Originally uploaded by schauba

It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that but life has been hectic lately. Part of the hecticness involved a trip to Washington DC. The upside is that I got several good shots while I was there and this is one of them.

They were doing some construction on the street in front of the Lincoln Memorial and I happened to look up through the chain link fence to see it . Considering the aggressive infringements on civil liberties over the past eights, the symbolism seemed obvious so I snapped a couple of frames.

The original was in color, but I thought the black and white made emphasized the starkness I was looking for. I made a few other adjustments, to contrast, blackness, and exposure. I also cranked up the vignetting. I love vignetting.

Some Thoughts on Evaluating Workflow

2008-06-01T21:07:00.001-04:00

I just read an interesting article over on Black Star Rising that discussed grading photographic work in the academic world. It was interesting to see how someone who grades photos for a living plies his trade. The big ego booster for me is that his technique is very similar to mine.

Here is my photo evaluation process:

Go/No-Go Pass

This is the initial review. I look at the photo for about three seconds and determine if I like it. If I like it, it gets Lightroom's little white flag. If not, it gets Lightroom's little black flag with the "X". This usually cuts the pool of good shot candidates down by at least half.

Seeing Stars

Next I use Lightroom's Star ratings to place a quality score on the remaining images. One star sucks and five stars rocks. Here is the rough criteria:

1 Star - Bad snap shot. Someone walked in front of me, slightly out of focus, way too dark/light, unexpected results.
2 Stars - Bad snapshot but salvageable with serious Photoshop magic is required to yield anything I'd consider framing and hanging on my wall.
3 Stars - A good snapshot. My Mom could put the camera on Auto and taken the picture. Composition is OK and exposure is technically correct. I can put these on Flickr and not be too embarrassed.
4 Stars - These cause me to stop briefly and say "Huh. That's pretty good. A non-family member might consider hanging this in their home." Good composition, technically correct exposure, the shot came out as I intended.
5 Stars - I successfully channeled Ansel Adams long enough to snap the shutter. There are not many of these. There are maybe five of these in my catalog and I was probably too generous with my evaluation.

Adjust and Review

I'll go back through the photos with 2 stars and see if they are worthy of salvage and if salvation is possible. I'll go back through and increase the Star Rating if it is appropriate.

My Watch-1

2008-05-29T21:26:00.001-04:00

My Watch-1
Originally uploaded by schauba

This was just a shot I took on a whim and it turned out pretty well. I saw the streak of light on the dresser and it occurred to me to put the watch in the streak. I took a couple of shots to make sure I got the depth of field right. I wound up with a bunch of similar shots, but I liked this one the best. The only post processing I did was a little cropping.

I'm Working from Home This Morning

2008-05-29T09:21:00.002-04:00

Crack in the Road

2008-05-28T22:27:00.001-04:00

Crack in the Road
Originally uploaded by schauba

I was wrapping up the photo shot at the American Triple T race and happened to notice this crack in the road. It took a couple of tries as I could not see through the view finder but I was please with this result. the depth of field really highlights the crack, specifically the one stone on the left edge of the crack. I like the green and blue at the top also. I think it balances the monochrome of the bottom nicely.

How to Pull an Image Out of the Crapper

2008-05-27T22:18:00.001-04:00

I got to spend the better part of Saturday photographing the HFP Racing American Triple T triathlon. There were a lot of great photo ops at the race, but I just stumbled into the one below.

I was on my way to the start when I saw this herd of triathletes making their way from the transition area to the swim start. I thought it was an awesome shot and started shooting away. Fortunately, I also did a little chimping and noticed that my camera was still set for the dark, shaded area of the transition. My shot was waaay over exposed. I quickly made adjustments and got a few more images but none of them were as good as this first one.

I didn't give up hope though, because I have Lightroom and Photoshop. I fired up Lightroom and started adjusting exposure, curves, contrast, white balance, and anything else I could thing of with no luck. The image was almost usable except the color was atrocious.

Then it hit me: Make it black and white, stupid.

What a great idea. So I did and you can see the result. The moral of the story is that monochrome gives you some added flexibility that color doesn't. If you have a shot with great composition but you completely borked the color, don't forget your old friend black and white.

May Photo Challenge 3

2008-05-03T22:37:00.002-04:00

May Photo Challenge 3
Originally uploaded by schauba

This is the third photo for the May Photo Challenge. The theme is still beverage. I'm starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel. I'm a big fan of beverages in general and have a lot of those pictures already. Maybe this is an opportunity to take a second shot at some of those photos to see if my experience and skill has improved.

When I tackled this shot at first I was completely at a loss for what to do. Then I remembered all the bar stuff I had and that bar tools might be a legitimate way to twist the "beverage" theme this week.

I was not very happy with my initial color versions so I changed to gray scale in Lightroom. The shot improved considerably. The next step was to fool around with Contrast, Fill Light, and Curves. It was almost there but I needed a little extra somethin-somethin...then I saw the Vignette option. I flipped things around a little though. This time I have a light vignette instead of a dark one. This turned the contrast of the entire shot from being balanced to high-key. High-key was what the shot needed. The light background and the dark foreground framed the shot nicely.

May Photo Challenge 2

2008-05-02T20:44:00.002-04:00

This is my second shot for the May Photo Challenge. I try to drink a cup of green tea every day. The problem is that green tea tastes like grass clippings soaking in the hot sun all day. Fortunately, Tazo infuses a little mint and lemon grass to cut the grass clipping undertones. I had my camera at work today and the pattern of the tea bag packages caught my eye.

I made a few minor changes to the original shot. I increase the exposure a little and emphasized the blacks and shadows in Lightroom. I also pumped up the vibrancy a little to make the green pop a little more.

May Photo Challenge-1

2008-05-01T21:57:00.002-04:00

May Photo Challenge-1
Originally uploaded by schauba

This is my submission for the first day of the May Photo Challenge. The theme this week is "beverage". This particular beverage is about two fingers of Woodford Reserve Bourbon and a little ice. Very tasty.

With regard to the photo, I turned up the blacks and contrast in Lightroom. I also put in some heavy vignetting and a added some noise to the photo. It all just seemed to work for this shot.

I was all fired up to do some off camera flash work for this shot but found out that my battery died. Now I need to go out and buy a new 3V lithium for the trigger.

You Might as Well Just Jump in at the Deep End

2008-04-30T21:38:00.001-04:00

I've decided to start my first photo project. I am going to contribute an entry to the Photography Book Now contest. My brother in law, Scott, is competing in the Coeur d'Alene Ironman. He and his experiences will be the subject of my efforts. It should be interesting. I just barely know which end the bullets come out of the photojournalism rifle. I'll be updating the blog as I pull myself and the project together.

I've Just Learned the Beauty of Lightroom Presets

2008-04-06T22:09:00.001-04:00

This particular shot was a piece of serendipity. I had the camera down on the ground tilting up towards Cate. I had no idea what was in the view finder. Considering that, the framing is excellent. Combined with the fact that I caught Cate just as she was releasing the rock, I think this is one heck of a shot.

The one gripe I have is that when I export a photo from Lightroom and then upload that photo to Flickr I seem to lose some saturation and vibrancy. Has anyone else experienced this?

Morning Moon-1

2008-03-29T09:21:00.001-04:00

Morning Moon-1
Originally uploaded by schauba

I like this picture but I wish the contrail behind the airplane was longer. I had a couple of other shots that had a longer trail, but my shutter was too slow. I was zoomed all the way out to 300mm and the lens shake was pretty pronounced. This was the best that I could do with the shots that came out.

Foggy Morning-1

2008-03-27T22:14:00.001-04:00

Foggy Morning-1
Originally uploaded by schauba

I took this shot a couple of weeks ago. We had some thick fog when I went out to get the paper and the light was awesome. I had to take a picture. The focus was not what I was looking for. I used a tripod and a long exposure. I should have set my f-stop for a deeper depth of field. Oh well, I'll chalk that one up to experience. This shot is OK, but could have been better.

Arnold Classic 2008-12

2008-03-03T20:48:00.001-05:00

Arnold Classic 2008-12
Originally uploaded by schauba

This photo has received some unexpected traffic on my Flickr page. Over the past day I've had 63 views, which was unexpected. Usually, a good day will get me about 10 or 12 views on a photo. The composition is OK. I cut the foot off the guy in the foreground, which bugs me. However, I got a great action shot of the two guys sparring. Originally, this shot was a little over exposed but Lightroom was able to adjust the exposure enough to salvage it.

2008.02.24 - February Photo Challenge Yellow-034_edited-1

2008-02-24T21:18:00.001-05:00

2008.02.24 - February Photo Challenge Yellow-034_edited-1
Originally uploaded by schauba

This week was especially hectic. I almost didn't get my three photos in, but I was able to get things wrapped up this evening. Since I was rushed this week. I'm not as happy with the work. This shot was probably my best effort. I took it with my Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 in macro mode. The depth of field adds a little to it. I had a hard time figuring out whether to focus on the nose or on the eye. I finally decided on the eye.

February Photo Challenge - Red -3

2008-02-17T21:06:00.002-05:00

2008.02.17 - February Photo Challenge - Red -3
Originally uploaded by schauba

I took this for the February Photo Challenge, but since I used some off camera flash to help things along I get to call this a Strobist shot too. You can see my lighting set up here and here.

I used a Sigma 10-20mm f/5.6 EX on a tripod at ISO 100 and a shutter speed of 1/15 s. There was one flash off to the right of the frame that had a home made wax paper diffuser on it.

February Photo Challenge - Red Photo #2

2008-02-16T14:15:00.001-05:00

Snow Crab
Originally uploaded by schauba

This is my second photo for the February Photo Challenge. I'm really trying to incorporate some aspects of color theory as I move through the project. I've almost got it here. I suppose to really set off the red, the sky should have been green instead of blue. I suppose I could have done that in Photoshop but the shot would have been much less believable as a result.

February Photo Challenge - Red -002

2008-02-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

February Photo Challenge - Red -002
Originally uploaded by schauba

I grabbed this picture on my way out of work yesterday. This is photo #1 for the February Photo Challenge.

Tied Up in Squares

2008-02-09T09:27:00.001-05:00

Tied Up in Squares
Originally uploaded by schauba

This is my second contribution to the February Photo challenge. I used some off camera flash and a 70-300 zoom. The long focal length gave me the shallow depth of field.

The point of the February Photo Challenge is to focus on a color for a week at a time and learn how to use that color. I think this shot really emphasizes the orange by contrasting it with the blue squares of the tie and the black background.

A Great Shot by a Good Friend

2008-02-07T21:12:00.001-05:00

Originally uploaded by originalslugboy

My friend Tyler has more creative juices than just about anyone I know. Some of the stuff he comes up with just bowls me over. His Christmas cards are always the most anticipated of the year.

This photo is one of his most recent Flickr postings and I think its awesome. Go check out his stuff.

A Cool Photo from the Christian Science Monitor

2008-02-06T08:34:00.001-05:00

This is a great photo I found over at the Christian Science Monitor. I think that the contrast in scale between the man and the ship combined with the contrast in focus of the two subjects puts it over the top. Kudos to Phil Noble of Reuters for this great photo.

Technorati Tags: photojournalism, photography

February Photo Challenge - Photo #1

2008-02-04T22:14:00.001-05:00

I'm participating in the PhotoChallenge.org February challenge. Thanks to Epic Edits for the heads up on the project. This challenge asks me to focus on a different theme color each week. I'm a little slow on the start because this weekend was incredibly busy, but better late than never.

I adjusted the contrast, white balance, and saturation to give the background a little more of a blue tint. I did this because orange and blue are complementary. That little bit of reading on color theory is popping up.

I also decided to play around with a long exposure on this one to get a little blur action going. Here are the tech specs for anyone that might be interested:

Exposure: 6s
Aperture: f/13
Focal Length: 50mm
ISO Speed: 100

Technorati Tags: epic edits, photo challenge, february, photo, photography

Image Stabilization on the Cheap

2008-01-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

This is an ingeneous way to get some image stabilization without an expensive lens or a tripod. I really need to try this out. Check out the video for a an involuntary forehead slap.

$1 Image Stabilizer For Any Camera - Lose The Tripod - video powered by Metacafe

Thanks to Cobbler over at Metacafe for this great idea and thanks to DIYPhotography.net for pointing me in Cobbler's direction.

Technorati Tags: photography, image stabilization, DIY

A Personal Victory

2008-01-27T20:36:00.001-05:00

I had a photo of mine chosen for the Epic Edits Weekly Photodump
for the week of 1/27/2008. It always gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling
when someone else appreciates your work. I am especially honored
because the people that contribute to Epic Edits have some serious talent.ste

In case you're wondering, it's the picture I most recently posted on this blog.

Thanks again to the Epic Edits Community!

Technorati Tags: photography, Epic Edits

2008.01.20 - Espresso Cup001

2008-01-20T12:04:00.001-05:00

2008.01.20 - Espresso Cup001
Originally uploaded by schauba

This shot turned out much better than I was expecting. When I took it I expected that it would turn out too dark but I was pleasantly surprised. The image from the camera was pretty good and combined with a little RAW post-processing the image came out pretty well.

An Edgey Article

2008-01-20T11:57:00.001-05:00

This past week has been pretty crazy and I haven't had much chance to blog this week but this article has lingered with me. The Reuters Photography blog has some really spectacular photos and stories. It's an inside look at photojournalism in the big leagues. Usually, it's the articles about Iraq or Afghanistan that grab my attention, but this one did too. In this article Fabrizio Bensch documents the process of harvesting organs from a donor.

We all think about donating organs when we die at least once. Some of us make that decision and some of us don't. Regardless of our decision I think that it is really difficult to conceptualize the decision to donate part of our body to someone else...most likely a stranger. This piece pulls back the curtain and lets you see what happens when you make the decision to be a donor from a mechanical perspective. The contrast between the warm and generosity of the donor and the cold, clinical process of collecting the donor's gift make you squirm.

I want to make it clear that I hold absolutely nothing against the doctors collecting the organs. They are doing their job and their work will most likely save a life. It's just remarkable to see this part of the process of organ donation.

Fabrizio also describes the special challenges he faces as he documents the process. It is a fine line between documenting the process and being intrusive into a very personal and sensitive event. This article just left me sitting there thinking for a while after I finished it. I think it will make you stop and take notice also.

Eyewitness to a death - Reuters Photographers

Technorati Tags: photojournalism, reuters, organ donation

Researching Apple in the Field

2008-01-07T20:58:00.000-05:00

I've been looking into switching to a Mac for the past couple of months. Most of my research has been online but that will only go so far. With that in mind, I made a trip to the Apple Store to check out MacBook Pros in their natural habitat.

I poked around on a 15 inch MBP for about thirty minutes to see what it was like. Leopard seemed to be able to keep up with all the standard things and even performed reasonably well with Safari, iTunes, PhotoShop, and iWork running simultaneously on different virtual desktops. I continued to poke around and discovered a shell prompt, which was really exciting. It looks just like a FreeBSD prompt so that should provide some additional flexibility.

The presence of the shell prompt was especially comforting considering the reports of the OS X firewall is not configured well by default and that it doesn't perform as expected when it runs. I would be able to configure PF or whatever BSD firewall lurks beneath the Leopard eye candy.

Just after I finished poking around with the shell prompt and sales guys approached me and asked if I had any questions. I asked him if there was any difference between a Windows machine and an Apple machine when using Adobe Photoshop. The immediate answer was "Of course there is. All the artsy people use Macs." After reminding him that wasn't my question, he conceded that there wasn't much difference between the two platforms. However he did point out that Macs are more secure than Windows machines.

I countered that Macs are not more secure, but rather are just more ignored than Windows machines. Essentially the hackers get more bang for their buck with Windows exploits and that Macs just were not worth their time. However, as Mac's market share increases that will change and they will be hacked more.

Imagine telling a born again Southern Baptist that reports of Jesus walking on water might have been exaggerated slightly to improve his public image. That is about how this Apple sales guy responded to the notion that Macs were not more secure than Windows, but rather not worth the effort. It was an interesting experience.

At the end of the day, my estimation of the situation is that Macs are not better or worse than Windows machines they are just different. Some people say that Macs are more expensive than Windows machines. On the surface that is true, but as far as I can tell that extra cash gets you software that you would have to purchase separately on a Windows machine. Specifically, I'm talking about iLife. To purchase comparable software for a Windows machine you would probably spend somewhere around $400 to $500 dollars. That and iWork is $85 dollars as compared to MS Office Basic, which runs around $250.

That and Macs are just pretty. I thik that the minimalist style is awesome. Using two fingers to scroll on the touchpad is a great idea. The more I look at them, the more I like them.

A Simple Solution for Complicated Problems

2008-01-06T14:13:00.001-05:00

A Simple Solution for Complicated Problems
Originally uploaded by schauba

I'm submitting this to JPG Magazine for publication under its Noir theme. I'm short on half naked models and seedy apartments. A pipe wrench in my basement was the best I could do. Go vote for me if you like it.

For you Strobists, here is the data: Shot with a Canon Rebel XT and 50mm f/1.8 lens. I used ISO 1600 and an aperature of f/22. I used a single off camera flash with a homemade snoot fashioned from some posterboard, wax paper, and Scotch Tape. The camera was hand held and the flash was triggered with a Catus V2s remote.

An Interesting Quote

2008-01-04T07:59:00.001-05:00

This was an interesting quote from my Google Quote of the Day widget:

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
- Pablo Picasso

There's your inspiration for the day.

Columbus Dispatch: The Year in Photos 2007

2007-12-28T07:35:00.001-05:00

The Columbus Dispatch is my local newspaper and it has a number of talented photographers. Here is a great summary of their work.

The Year in Photos: 2007

A Shameless Plea for Help

2007-12-26T22:36:00.001-05:00

I have a photo posted over on the JPG magazine web site. If you're not familiar with JPG, it is a photo magazine that gets its content from its readers. For each episode there are three themes for photos and you can submit your work for consideration. Everyone that visits the site can vote on the photos they think should be published in the next issue.

I have submitted a photo to the Surroundings theme called Solitude. Please go there and take a look at the photo and you like it click the green "Yeah! It rocks." button. Encourage everyone you know to do the same.

In the interest of full disclosure, if I get published, I get $100 and a free print subscription to the magazine.

Thanks!

IHT 2007 Year in Pictures

2007-12-21T08:21:00.001-05:00

Photojournalism fascinates me with its power. I think just about every image that has caused me to utter "Oh shit" or "Whoa" under my breath was the result of a photojournalist somewhere. There are a couple of those images in this presentation.

Slide show: 2007 in pictures - africa - International Herald Tribune

Christmas Cookies018

2007-12-16T13:56:00.001-05:00

Christmas Cookies018
Originally uploaded by schauba

This was a shot I took for a preschool project. You can read the caption on the Flickr photo to get the details. The thing I like about this shot is the depth of field. Cate and Teddy are sharply focused in the middle of the shot not only in terms of height and width, but also depth. You can make out just enough detail to understand that Cate and Teddy are in the midst of making Christmas cookies.

I Want One of These T-Shirts

2007-12-15T20:27:00.001-05:00

Yellow T-Shirt : photos : CafePress.com

This is awesome and only a true photo nerd would appreciate it.

Tip 'o the hat to Scott Baradell over at Black Star Rising for pointing this one out.

Self Portrait

2007-12-15T14:23:00.001-05:00

Self Portrait
Originally uploaded by schauba

I was pleased with the results of this self portrait. It's nothing ground breaking, but I think it was well executed. I used a tuperware light difuser to get a bare bulb effect for the lighting. I used a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens with a Rebel XT. Click on the link to see all the gory EXIF data.

Portraits are scary for me. I think to get good ones, you really need to have connection with your subject. That relationship is the scary part.

How does everyone else handle portraits?

I Like this shot

2007-12-13T22:16:00.001-05:00

Smoke014
Originally uploaded by schauba

Cate had an especially foul diaper one morning so we broke out the incense. The smoke was really cool. I adjusted the WB to make things a little greener, which accentuates the smoke more.