One Brief Moment

My father passed away this morning at 12:30 am. His pain and suffering has finally ended and he is in a better place, once again whole and healthy. It is really hard to say how I feel inside about his passing. There has been long periods of separation between us, but we were slowly trying to rebuild some type of relationship for the past several years. One of our last full days we spent together, he finally apologized for the things he had put my mother and me through. It was something I had wanted to hear for a very long time. It was the obstacle between us. I forgave him and the journey to rebuild our relationship was underway. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have enough time left.

I will try to forget the bad things he did, and try to remember to good things. I think my favorite good thing was going fishing together when I was young. That will be the piece I keep in my heart.

Rest in Peace, my Father. April 30, 2010

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Knowing your gear and how to achieve a correct exposure is the basis for every picture you take, no matter what kind of photography we are talking about. When it comes to band promotional photography, it is but a small part of the equation.There’s a lot of factors that you need to take into consideration in order to get the pictures that you want. 80% of the work is done during the preparation of the shoot. The better the preparation the smoother everything will work out on the day of the shoot. The following tips are not about what gear to use, or what settings are better suited, but rather about organization and how to use the available time in a most effective way as to get the best possible pictures and still have fun during the process.

via 11 Tips for Band Promotional Photography.

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Nikon will release an updated version of its venerable 200-400mm f/4 VR at the end of next month. The AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II adds four-stop VR II image stabilization, Nano Crystal Coat lens coating for reduced ghosting and flaring and a new A/M position on the lens' mode switch (this option limits accidental switching to manual focus), plus minor cosmetic changes.

The overall appearance, size, weight and optical formulation of the new AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II is nearly identical to the lens it replaces. There are no stated changes to Silent Wave autofocusing, either the motor or the algorithm that controls it, which suggests that focus speed is to be the same as the earlier model too.

The AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II is to ship in late-May 2010 at an expected street price of US$6999.95 in the U.S. This price is US$700 higher than Nikon USA's current expected street price for the existing (and already scarce) 200-400mm.

Nikon USA's Steve Heiner discusses the new lens as well as other recent additions to the Nikkor lineup in a podcast.

via Rob Galbraith DPI: Nikon to release updated 200-400mm f/4 in late May.

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Presets – The Vintage Look | Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips.

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My personal opinion is this is not theft. You cannot “own” settings.

A New Type of Theft – Can Post Production Settings be Owned?.

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40 Reasons why you don’t need 18mp

In February 2010, Canon released the EOS 550D with an 18 megapixel sensor, HD video and a $900 price tag. Will Canon tell the folks lining up to buy this camera how much extra work it will add to their simple lives? And how much pain it will bring to their photo hobby? Not likely.

via Nikon D40 – Modern Classic [REVIEW].

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If you’re just learning photography and you feel that learning to use your DSLR camera on manual is too daunting, here’s a little tip I used when learning to think for my camera: let the auto settings guide you. By auto settings, I mean the ones where the settings are set for certain situations and you don’t have to do anything else. These include portrait, macro, sports, landscape, etc.

via Using Auto to Learn Manual – A Great First Step for Beginners.

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If you’ve been in the photography business very long, you know it’s about way more than just being able to work behind the camera. There are tons of moving parts that you have to maintain in order to be successful.

via Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider Blog » Photoshop & Digital Photography Techniques, Tutorials, Books, Reviews & More » Blog Archive » Brad Presents “Lessons From Kitchen Nightmares”.

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Few kinds of photography have a more dynamic power than the area of Portraiture.

Portraiture is the medium through which we photographers endeavor to tell the stories of our friends, our family, and our clients. Through this art, we have the ability to capture a likeness of someone that will last for generations to come.

via Shooting for HDR Portraiture.

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One of the challenges of landscape photography is that it’s so dependant on the changing weather. This is particularly true when shooting sunrises and sunsets. You can travel for hours to get to the perfect location, only to find a dull sky, nothing like the image you had hoped for.

via Create Amazing Sunsets with Lightroom’s Split Toning Tool.

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