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Specialization is for Insects.
Posted on Feb 23, 2010 - 5:28pm by John P. in Photography, The Man's Videos - 7 Replies
You guys know Cali Lewis and Trey Ratcliff, right? Well, the other day we were having a little lunch and Cali decided to be nosey and ask Trey what the heck he keeps in that huge camera bag he carries all over the world!
Luckily I was there with my trusty little Canon G11 camera to record the resulting discussion. So for those of you wondering what a professional photographer carries with him wherever he goes, wonder no more!
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Posted on Jan 13, 2010 - 10:15am by John P. in Photography, Tutorials - 11 Replies
You know what? We’re going to start off this little discussion with an analogy to try and make things a little easier. I want you to think of your camera as if it was a third eye – because at the end of the day, that’s really all it is. Just a little man-made mechanical facsimile…
Unless you are endowed with some super-human abilities, your eye needs light to see things. And your eye has a lens (that clear part on the front) through which the light passes and is absorbed by a little area on the back of your eyeball that senses the different colors of light. Well, guess what? That is exactly how a camera works! Light comes in through the glass and is sensed by the “sensor” inside the camera.
Now, if you bought a cheap little pocket camera your third eye has a relatively small, dirty lens (cheap glass), and a tiny little sensor. If you bought a big camera, you’ve got a high quality, extremely clear lens and a large sensor. But either way, the more light you allow to enter the sensor, the sharper your photos are going to turn out and the smaller the file sizes will actually be!
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Posted on Jan 10, 2010 - 2:07am by John P. in Photography - 3 Replies
Last night, while taking photos in Austin, I was approached by a group of ladies who were celebrating a bachelorette party and doing a little clubbing. I had been walking down the sidewalk carrying my Canon 5D, and one of the ladies spotted the big camera and asked if I would take their photo. The thing is, she wasn’t joking!
Well, you guys know me. I’m willing to help out, so I said, “sure!” I think it surprised her. But she gathered up the rest of the ladies while I changed out lenses and put on the 15mm fisheye lens. Then, after the count of 3, we had the photo you see below. And when they saw the preview, they asked me how they could get it, so I directed them here to come pick it up!
So, I hope you ladies enjoy the photo, and maybe one of you at least can leave a comment to let me know you got it. Just keep clicking the image to get bigger versions. And congrats to whomever the bride to be is…
PS – See ladies. I told you I didn’t need a flash, and it would be worth waiting for me to change lenses. :-)
PSS – More killer photos (and videos!) from Austin coming in the next few days. Look for em!
Posted on Jan 05, 2010 - 10:14am by John P. in 10 Best, Photography, Videos - 7 Replies
SEX SELLS! And Lady Gaga has apparently studied at the Lady Madonna university, did some graduate work at the Marilyn Monroe School of Fine Art, and then got her PHD in pole dancing! And apparently it’s paying off for her. The collection of 5 videos below have, as of this moment, been viewed a total of over 210 million times!
And why? Well, check out the 60 screen captures below and you’ll see! I was AMAZED by the rapid fire sexual imagery in each of the videos. Maybe I’m just old, but I’ve never seen so much stuff crammed into one video. Sexual situations of every kind conceivable. Lady Gaga having sex with two guys, Lady Gaga lesbian sex, Lady Gaga group sex, Lady Gaga touching herself in public. Yep. If you want your Lady Gaga, you get it in ways you can’t even imagine! (BTW – Lady Gaga is on Twitter)
Oh, did I mention? These videos, and hence this very blog post, are not really “child appropriate”. You’ve been warned.
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Posted on Dec 17, 2009 - 3:47am by John P. in Computing, Gadgets, Photography - 6 Replies
I’ve had 5 different people ask me for camera recommendations, as well as a couple of other folks asking me about camcorders, in the last week alone. Because it’s just that time of the year when people want to pick up a new camera to capture the holiday cheer.
Well, I’ve got two digital camera recommendations – depending on what you are looking for – and more importantly I’ve broken down exactly why these are the two cameras that you should get. (Jump right to the pocket sized Canon G11 or the SLR sized Canon T1i)
Of course, there are a LOT of cameras on the market, and I even own a few others, but for the vast majority of users I think these are the two best all-around cameras you can get. And I intend to make some video tutorials about how to take some really great photos with these cameras in the near future. So if you get one of these specific recommendations then you’ll be able to follow along when I put out the videos.
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Posted on Dec 04, 2009 - 1:29am by John P. in Contests, Photography - 6 Replies
Ahhh, day 3 of our 3-day photo contest! I’ll tell you what, you guys have kept me busy! First with the landscapes, then the vehicles, and now we’ve moved on to Architecture Day!
As with before, as you scroll down you’ll find many of the photos submitted by users that I really enjoyed today. And at the end we’ve got the final winner of Trey’s new book A World in HDR. For those of you who are in the Austin, TX area don’t forget that next Wednesday, December 9th, there is going to be a book launch party at the Driskill hotel in downtown. So come on out and get your copy signed.
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Posted on Dec 03, 2009 - 12:28am by John P. in Photography, Vehicles - 7 Replies
Ahhh! Day 2 of the Stuck in Customs A World in HDR book giveaway contest, made possible by PeachPit of course! Of course, today is my favorite because the theme of the day is vehicles! And I do love vehicles!
So, this first one we’ve got here is a photo I took this weekend in Tucumcari, New Mexico of an old abandoned truck. Hope you like it. It’s just here to set the mood. Now let’s take a look at some of my favorite submissions so far and then I’ll announce today’s winner at the very end.
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Posted on Dec 02, 2009 - 12:01am by John P. in Contests, Photography - 3 Replies
As I mentioned yesterday, I’m judging Trey’s photo contest in which PeachPit is giving away 3 copies of his soon to be released book A World in HDR. I’ve been watching the submissions (anyone can participate – you just Tweet links to photos!) today, and I’ve collected several of my favorites below.
It’s was very difficult picking a winner because all of the submissions are really fantastic. The photographers did a great job, and the people who submitted the images had a keen eye. But don’t you worry your pretty little heads… I picked a winner down below! ;-)
So, today is Landscape day and let me give everyone two big hints if you want a better chance at winning:
That’s it! Off to the photos now!
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Posted on Dec 01, 2009 - 12:06am by John P. in Photography - 2 Replies
I first wrote about the photography of Trey Ratcliff in February 2007 with my article The Best Photography on the Web – Part 1. At the time, I recognized Trey’s work as unique and original, but I had no idea that he was to become an icon of the High Dynamic Range movement.
Just two months after I wrote about him, two of Trey’s images won the prestigious Smithsonian Magazine Annual Photo Contest. I mean, he didn’t place just once… he had two top 10 photos in the same contest. That goes way beyond luck folks.
Flash forward to 2009, and Trey is about to publish his first book called A World in HDR. And in conjunction with the book release, Trey and Peachpit Press are running a contest to give away 3 copies of the new book.
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Posted on Nov 28, 2009 - 12:58am by John P. in Photography, Travel - 3 Replies
You might not have recognized what I was referencing by the name, but chances are that when you see the images you know what I’m talking about.
According to Wikipedia:
Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm, and it consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles… from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground….
These Cadillacs have appeared in movies, photos, songs and just about every other form of popular culture, but they are so remote that most people won’t ever see them in person. However if you ever find yourself on I-40 in Amarillo, Texas just keep an eye on the south side of the highway around exit 60 and you can’t miss em.
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Posted on Nov 18, 2009 - 3:50pm by John P. in Gadgets, Photography, Reviews, Videos - No Replys
I purchased the BENRO TRAB069 Travel Angel TRAB a couple of months ago, and all in all I highly recommend the little tripod.
This Travel Angel tripod features individual leg angle adjustments, anti-rotation leg design, a reversible center column with spring loaded weight hook, anti dust and moisture rubber leg lock grips, and reversible 1/4″-20 to 3/8″ mounting threads. It has 5 leg sections and a maximum height of 54.3″ with a normal height of 47.8″ with the legs fully extended.
However, what makes it so special is that the folded height is a tiny 13.1″ while still maintaining a load capacity of 13.2 pounds! This makes it one of the most compact travel tripods around, while still being professional grade. Oh, and at just over $210, it competes with the Gitzo GT1541T Series 1 6X 4S G-Lock Traveler
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Posted on Nov 15, 2009 - 9:28pm by John P. in Photography - 3 Replies
Colby Jones sent me the following image. After taking a close look at the home on the right I decided that I’m definitely going to be decorating my house the same way this holiday season.
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