Space Cadets

Dallas Nagata White took this photo of Tom and me right after the photowalk.  She has a cool method for doing this…  I put it below so you can read more.

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II…Yes, I shot these two with a Canon…I’m a rebel (but not a Rebel) like that.
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/4
Focal Length: 24 mm (It was using the EF 24mm f1.4L II, if anyone is curious…I personally love the flare it gives)
ISO Speed: 200

Two Canon Speedlites with Pocketwizard Plus II triggers…a 580EX is being held by my friend hiding in the shadows behind them, pointed into the lens, and my husband was holding a 580EXII (with a small softbox) is above me and to my left for fill. They are standing at the end of a concrete pier/jetty with their backs to the ocean, and I’m crouching in front of them. Those aren’t stars – they’re rain drops! Although I definitely love the idea of them as stars…that’s inspiring, and a concept I’ll have to play with later.

I also posted on more shot that doesn’t have the lens flare, just rim lighting, when I shifted and the flash was hidden from the lens.

Daily Photo - Waikiki at Night

And during the photowalk, there were many great chances to take photos of the city.  It was exciting for me — it was my first time to see the city at night.   All the Oahu people were kind of used to it, I assume…  But it was also exciting to have them all around.

When I set up for these shots during the photowalks, it’s always extra-strange.  Because I’m really trying to get a good shot, but I also know that a ton of people are watching me right there.  And then I talk through my shot while I’m taking it.  And, of course, I NEED to get a good shot… there are so many vectors of attention that it can be a little distracting… but I do my best!

Filed under the categories: Hawaii, Nikon D3X, Oahu, Photography Tips, Travel

PhotoWalk in San Francisco

Are you coming to the Google+ Photographer’s Conference and joining me on my PhotoWalk on Monday the 21st? I’m getting many questions about the location, so Here Are The PhotoWalk Details!

Video Recap for Smugmug

As you know by now, I process photos out of order.  The photo I am posting today was taken on the day I made this video for Smugmug.  If you want to know more about it, see my Smugmug Review.

Daily Photo – Wind and Driftwood

It was so windy out there — I’m not even sure the video captures it!  Maybe you can see the wind ripping the top of the foam away from the waves… or maybe you can see some of the sand blowing across the beach.  And it’s just as hard to capture the feeling of it all in the photo as it is in the video.  I don’t have the benefit of multiple frames, so I try to get all of that in a single frame.  It’s a wonderful challenge and puzzle!

Filed under the categories: Big Sur, California, Nikon D3X, Travel

Japanese People with Cameras

I like to watch tourists take photos.  One thing I notice is that, on average, Japanese people taking photos are happier than Americans taking photos.

Why is this?  One guess is that Japanese people design the cameras, so they are easier for people to understand over there!  Americans are often hopelessly confused by Japanese cameras, so some of their unhappiness comes from that scowl that says, “I’m not sure how this camera works.”

Daily Photo - Japanese in the Hawaii

And, continuing the theme of Japanese people, here is a couple in Hawaii.  I like how they are wearing matching outfits (her dress matches his shirt if you look closely).  I had a version of this photo with and without the people in it… and I quite like the one with them in there!

Filed under the categories: Hawaii, Nikon D3X, Oahu, Travel

The Histogram eBook

We have a new eBook over at Flatbooks.com about Histograms! Go grab it — it’s filled with great information and I think you’ll really enjoy it!

Favorite Fish?

While posting this photo, I was thinking of my favorite fish restaurant in the world about 20 km from this spot below.  They didn’t have my favorite kind of fish, which is black cod, but they did have a delicious selection.  What’s your favorite?

Daily Photo - Lonely River in Iceland

I wonder sometimes if I project my own emotions onto the landscape around me.  I’m really not all that dramatic, but sometimes this does seem to be the case, especially in Iceland.  Since I spend so much time there alone, I end up thinking that parts of the environs seem kind of lonely too.  And I think there is probably a lot of truth in it because I hardly ever see any other humans, so everything is very lonely!

Filed under the categories: Iceland, Isafjordur, Nikon D3X, Travel

The new Photoshop CS6 – what is your “line”?

Like you, I’ve been watching the videos of CS6 and playing with it myself. (notice the important “it” in that sentence)

Things are gettin’ a little crazy with post-processing eh? What are your limits for what you’ll do with your photos? It’s a very personal thing… I won’t judge you… I’m just interested! Here’s my post-processing line (which I reserve the right to change at any time):

I will:

• I will remove things like lightposts or ugly animals or tourists wearing Spice Girls T-shirts
• I will use HDR to bring out the colors in the shadows and dial back bright areas
• I will sharpen to bring emphasis to one area or another
• I’ll take multiple exposures on a tripod and fix one area of a photo with another exposure

I will not:

• I will not take a foreign object from one photo and put it into another (like pasting a moon over a mountain)
• I will not take a sky from one photo and paste it into the landscape of another

I might:

• Use the new Content-Aware-Move in CS6. I can’t decide! It’s a slippery slope. For example, in the photo below, I had to work so hard to find and frame these boulders in this EXACT way. Man, it would have been so easy just to go to an easier location and then re-arrange the boulders using CS6 Content-Aware-Move. But maybe that doesn’t even matter! I can’t decide… And it is soooooo slippery… If I will allow myself to “Move a Boulder 10 feet” — then maybe I would also also “Move a Moon Behind THAT Mountain” — then maybe I would also…. well… where does it stop? It’s almost like I am 6-years-old and moving stickers around a sticker book! Hehe… I’m confused… my “line” is constantly being challenged… like the border between two countries in a good game of Civ!

Daily Photo – France in Epcot

These little fabrications of countries around Epcot try really hard at being authentic, and they are often quite successful!  Sometimes bits and pieces here are a little cheesy, but I get the sense that the people that build, model, and landscape these things put a lot of time and effort (and love) into it.  I’m sure it gets down to the detail of trying to choose the right kind of fonts for the clock.

This evening was a particularly lucky one because of the clouds and the light in the sky.  This situation is so rare that I went photo-crazy for about 15 minutes while it lasted!

Filed under the categories: Disney World, Florida, Nikon D3X, Orlando, Photography Tips, Travel

Museum Photography

Do you like to take photos in museums?  It’s very challenging…  To me, I like to try to take a photo of the actual museum or a photo of some art and its relation to the museum.  I find taking photos just of the art itself to be a little boring. It seems so obvious… and it seems like kind of a disservice to the art itself, unless you are adding something new or seeing it in a new light. It depends on the art, of course. A photo of a painting always falls flat, but a photo of a statue can be interesting.

Daily Photo – He Watches

And so it was with the emperor here in the Capital Museum in Beijing.

Do you know how hard it was to get permission to use a tripod in here? It was very very hard. And, the permission part had to be in Chinese, which adds a whole new layer of complexity to the permission-gaining-process. But, luckily I had a little team there helping me out with this stuff, and that made life a lot easier. After all the paperwork was squared away and three redundant layers of government officials were satisfied, the light was perfect for this shot. I rushed over to take it before the ink was dry!

Filed under the categories: Beijing, China, Nikon D3X, Travel

Zorbing on the South Island

Do any of my NZ experts know if there is any zorbing on the south island anywhere?  I know there is a lot around Rotorua and stuff… where there are green hills the multiply like rabbits… but surely there must be a few options in the south, yes?

Daily Photo - Cart Racing in Queenstown

This may be my son’s favorite thing about Queenstown!  In the summer, they open up this area at the top of the mountain where you can luge all day long.  He never gets tired of it – and neither do I!  When we go back, we’ll have to see if we can get some kind of a season pass or something.

He gets a little rough, and he’s a little bit ruthless.  But I have a good 100 pounds on him, which helps everywhere except for the curves.  He spins around the corners like Yoshi, and I’m a little more like Bowser…

Filed under the categories: New Zealand, Nikon D3X, Queenstown, Travel

My D3X on eBay – Ends Soon!

If you want to get my Nikon D3X on eBay, you better bid soon… time is running out!

Sunrise vs. Sunset Panic

Even though I love a good sunset or sunrise, now most of mine have an element of “panic” built into them.  No matter how  much I prepare, there are always last-minute adjustments in my camera settings, location, composition, and other miscellaneous things that are happening.  I rarely go to a “special lookout” where a bunch of other photographers go.  Those can be kind of easy… because you just kind of chill out and wait around like everyone else.  There are SOME locations like that, but for the most part, I’m trying to squeeze out as many photos, compositions, and scenarios as possible within a highly compressed time.

And, if I am going to panic, I’d rather run around and panic at sunset rather than sunrise.  Mostly because the sunrise has me a little groggy and out-of-sorts from putting on my socks inside out in the dark…

Daily Photo - San Francisco Before Sunrise

Before I started going to the main location, Tom and I pulled over to the side of the road in Sausalito to get this picture.  The water was too blue and the colors were too interesting to drive on by!  We wanted to be quick though… so we didn’t miss the sun peaking over the horizon at the main location.

Filed under the categories: California, Nikon D3X, San Francisco, Travel

Previous EG Talk

I don’t have my latest up… but here is the previous one that you might have missed the first time around.

Daily Photo - Sitting on a Bench and Watching the Sunset

I took this at the Post Ranch Inn one evening.  I went here after my last talk at EG to spend some time relaxing.  It’s not like the EG Conference was stressful or anything, but it is high-intensity.  I do like having periods of high-intensity followed by periods of low-intensity.  A nice sunset in the Big Sur area qualifies as one of those low-intensity events!

Filed under the categories: Big Sur, California, Nikon D3X, San Francisco, Travel

Tokyo Video

Here’s the first video I released from Japan… the music is pretty chill… from Patrick O’Hearn – I hope you like it as much as I do!

Daily Photo – Girls in Tokyo

This is one of my favorite areas of Tokyo.  The dressed-up girls are only one of the reasons!  Also, it’s the home of all sorts of crazy electronics, video games, gadgets, and other things that geeky guys from all cultures think is awesome.

These girls are all over the streets handing out little pamphlets and brochures for various goods and services.  Whatever you’re into, well, they’ve got a place for it… sweet Japan!

Filed under the categories: Japan, Nikon D3X, Tokyo, Travel

Trey’s Hangout #33

In this episode, the subject was ‘Social Media and New Opportunities for Artists,” and we had many excellent guests. Also, if you wait until the end (bonus time!), you can see a bunch of new photos from Virgin Gorda and I talk more about the Sony NEX-7.

Photo Mystery – How much to buy the castle?

Okay, other photo mysteries I post here are too easy for you… I’ll go ahead and tell you this place is in Iceland up in the northwest fjords near Isafjordur. So, today’s mystery is: “How much does this castle cost?”

I’ll tell you ahead of time that I don’t know the answer!  But maybe an enterprising Internet-person can figure it out!

Daily Photo – Castle For Sale

This is a somewhat dilapidated castle in Iceland, and it’s for sale!  I got out to hike around it and take photos, and I noticed a FOR SALE sign in front!  I mean, obviously this falls into the category of “fixer upper” — but look at the view!  I bet you can get it for a good price too…  Let’s see who can figure it out first!

Filed under the categories: Iceland, Isafjordur, Nikon D3X, Travel

Gordon and his Panasonic

Gordon shows Thomas Hawk, and Karen Hutton the kit he chose for this trip to the US… It’s a quick little video I made in SF.

Traveling with a Pegasus

I’m not in Paris now (today’s photo is from earlier in the year), but I’m currently taking this 20-lb Thunderbolt Pegasus drive around with me for about 60 days.  It holds about 12 TB, but I do need access to all that data!  Since I’m on the road for such a long time, I simply need more data locally than I can successfully get onto my laptop or USB drives.  It’s a bit of a problem… I deal with lots of data and I can’t figure out a better way to do it.

If I only had 15 TB on the cloud that was instantly available… oh well… maybe someday… 2016 maybe?  I’ll mark my calendar and come back to see!

Daily Photo – Gardens in Paris

It was a cool and rainy morning when we left our hotel in the Latin district of Paris.  The rains stopped just as soon as we walked into the nearby gardens.  The sun would peek out from between the clouds and splash some extra light on the flowers below.

I took a bunch of photos before the sun came out, thinking it was the best I could do.  But then after the sun came out, I had to run around and re-create the exact same photos with the proper lighting!  So, it took us twice as long to get through the gardens… but that is not such a bad thing.

Filed under the categories: France, Nikon D3X, Paris, Travel