Photography
Over the years many people have told me that I'm a fine photographer, but it's mostly coincidental. Only recently have I been learning the technical aspects of exposure and color, and lighting still escapes me entirely. Much of the sophistication in my newer cameras remains unexploited, and hesitation at the shutter button has resulted in too many missed opportunities as I wait for that "perfect" shot. I've put a few samples of my amateurish fiddling here. Most omit boring details about film, camera settings and lighting because I rarely take notes, and often leave the camera on "auto" or "program" anyway.
When I started considering a hobby approach to photography I was using a Fuji DL400 (crappy auto with very unreliable auto-focus), and a Chinon Handy-Zoom 5001 for later photos (very nice 35-70mm auto, but just try to get support in the USA). Both of these were thrown in the trash in favor of a Canon EOS Elan-IIe, which is an absolutely terrific 35mm film camera that's built like a tank but not quite as heavy. A little Olympus Stylus Elite QD (F2.8) was my backup until it developed a light leak, so into the garbage it went and an old but reliable Minox 35EL went back into duty.
I use mostly Kodak consumer print film, but I've also been experimenting with "pro" print films from Fuji and Kodak. All developing is at one-hour photo labs because I dread losing film in transit. My favorite developer is "On Location Photo" in Orangeburg, NY (845-359-6800). Typical mediocre small-town hours, but absolutely excellent work. I've never even considered my own darkroom - apartment life makes it a bit impractical.
My use of film has dwindled drastically in favor of digital cameras. Digicams have drastically changed my shooting style and have facilitated quantum leaps in my technical and practical knowledge of photography. I started with a Nikon Coolpix 950, which too now-defunct Egghead.com three months to ship. This 2.11 megapixel beauty was my first introduction into digital photography, and provided much of the power and convenience necessary to help keep this web site current. Here's a review and some examples of its abilities.
Then I added Canon's EOS 10D digital SLR and upgraded from the Elan's 380EX flash to a 550EX. The 6.3 megapixel Canon is a heavier rig than what I'm accustomed to, though still far lighter than some other pro SLR digicams. I can save some weight and bulk by using the 380EX instead or leaving off the flash altogether, and it works very nicely with the 28-105. The quality and speed of this camera is enough that I'm almost ready to dispense with film forever! Here's a brief review of the 10D.
When Canon introduced the 8.2-megapixel 20D, I had to have it. It offered a huge variety of improvements that, at least until full-frame digital SLRs limbo under the $2000 mark, should make this the last digital SLR I'm going to buy. A short review is mostly complete. Along with the 20D I purchased a 4GB Sandisk Ultra-II CompactFlash card, chosen due to favorable reviews on Rob Galbraith's web site (and due to the Extreme III series not being available yet). The 4GB CF can hold about a thousand JPG pictures at the highest quality, or close to three hundred even when using "RAW+L" which captures both the raw CCD data AND an embedded high quality JPG.
For the Canon cameras I use mostly a Canon 28-105USM lens, an excellent F3.5-4.5 which puts the kit's 35-80 lens to shame. I then put aside a Canon 75-300EF (mediocre but lightweight F4-5.6 which yields very soft images), in favor of my first investment in a Canon "L" series lens - the 70-200mm F2.8 with Image Stabilization. This three pound monster approximates a 112-320mm when used on the digital SLRs, and allows some stunning handheld far field work, though at the cost of the power-hungry IS widgets reducing battery life considerably. This was soon followed by a Canon 16-35mm F2.8 L, which helps make up for the digital SLR sensor cropping. Canon's 1.4x extender and macro tube fill out the kit for all occasions.
Batteries are an interesting issue for me. Using lithium AA batteries drastically improves the Speedlite's otherwise frustrating recycle times, have a shelf life of several years, are nearly half the weight of any other batteries, and last at least three times as long. But lithium batteries cost about $2 apiece, so when possible I instead like to use NiMH rechargeable batteries and a Maha charger from Thomas Distributing. NiMH batteries are not without problems. They lose substantial amounts of their charge over just a couple of weeks of sitting, so their use requires some planning if less than frequent. And they are easily damaged by deep discharging. And one bad cell is all it takes to make a set under-perform.
An old HP ScanJet 4c scanner, Adobe Photoshop and Cerious Software's ThumbsPlus! help put many of the images on these web pages. When I need color hardcopy, a Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart 1218 and its pricey ink cartridges help maintain HP's healthy stock price. This is a nice printer that can auto-sense the loaded paper type and print directly from flash memory cards. Unfortunately HP's ink is not at all durable, so I'll probably invest in an Epson soon.
Finally since there's more to life than stills, a Sony DCR-TRV8 Mini-DV Handicam has also joined the stable. With this diminutive camera's 680,000 pixel CCD, nearly studio-quality work is only a SteadiCam (and a decent microphone) away. A Pinnacle DV300 on one workstation and a Pinnacle DV500 on another workstation combine with Adobe Premiere for easy, although sometimes quirky, video editing.
Many people know me as an amateur photographer but more so, as a "computer expert." As a result I am constantly answering the question, "what is the best digicam to buy?" Much of what I know about digicams comes from painstaking research and a lot of time on Imaging Resource. Of course a quick answer is impossible, but I can't stand the oversimplifications I often hear either, so here's a quick overview of how to choose the best digital camera for yourself.
Click on one of the thumbnails below
to see a full-size image.
(More to come soon!)
 BreakfastTaken in a diner, "just because it caught my eye". |
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 NYC Health Club67th Street and Columbus Ave, in front of Reebok. Existing street light. |
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 The SignTaken from atop Bear Mtn during severe thunderstorms of June 1998. |
More than 5 second exposure with camera on tripod in car. Convent Road, Nanuet NY. |
 Shoei GirlAnonymous subject at New York's Bear Mtn, gearing up for a ride. |
Mister
"Glen" Softee, beta 1.0 |
Other fine original
photography can be viewed in the Current Events section
and in various subsections under the Motorcycles area!
