Tag Archive for 'photography'

Camera+ App for iPhone

Published on May 13, 2011 in communications, iPhone, photojournalism, Reviews, Social media, Tools and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Camera+ logo

Camera+ is my new favorite App for the iPhone. ($1.99)

I’ve been using the standard camera option on my iPhone 3GS. It was handy but nothing fancy and with pretty much no options or editing capabilities. Camera+ has so many options, filters and editing tools built right in that it turns your iPhone camera into a photo machine that gives you customized images that look awesome!

Summary

Fresh bean dip

Easy to use and great additional features for your iPhone camera including zoom, filters, self-timer, and more! Many options are available without paying more than the basic 99 cents. (There are additional features available for additional costs but they’re just more filters.)

Things I love about it:

  • Quick button response — The Camera+ App provides quick response times. When you push the shutter button…the photo is taken. What a concept!
  • Timer — Want a photo of yourself? Camera+ includes a self timer with audible warning. There are 5 second, 15 second and 30 second timers available.
  • Cropping — Get just the good stuff when you crop down the image as you desire. Options allow you to keep a variety of ratios or crop freestyle.
  • Borders/Frames — This option really makes your presentation look good before you post your images out to your friends. Includes a variety of options to choose from
  • Filters — One of my favorite things… I really like the options that are provided. From antique looks to HDR and limited depth of field , cross processing and more, this App provides a wide selection of filter effects that can be expanded (paid service).
  • Sharing –  With Camera+ it’s easy to share your favorite images via Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, or by emailing the image size of your choice to your friends. Continue reading ‘Camera+ App for iPhone’

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Change in the photography industry

Published on September 25, 2010 in photojournalism. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

I had a conversation with a wedding photographer friend of mine yesterday. She was shooting a wedding for another friend of mine and we had the chance to catch up.

She told me about how her business is struggling. With the economy and the glut of amateur photographers flooding the market, her gross income has gone from around $70,000 to $17,000. Last year she shot 30 weddings and this year she only has five full-paying wedding shoots.

INDUSTRY SHIFT

It’s not just the economy with people cutting budgets. She said that the amateur photographers out there are presenting a new model that clients are liking and veteran photographers are having to compete with. Continue reading ‘Change in the photography industry’

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Preview of the Nikon D7000: Full HD Video with control

Published on September 15, 2010 in photojournalism, Reviews and Tools. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

The Nikon D7000 (Photo: Nikon USA)

Nikon is raising the bar for DSLR video

Nikon has announced another new gem in the video-capable DSLR with the new D7000.

When I reviewed the D3100 I predicted more was on the way and Nikon has delivered! Due to ship in October, the D7000 adds the controls and pro lens capabilities the D3100 was lacking. At $1199 this looks like just the tool to put in modern photojournalists bags.

This mid-level model is the second Nikon to have full high definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) recording capabilities and active auto focus during video recording — something Canon doesn’ yet offer.

Here’s a rundown of Nikon’s latest:

Basics:

  • 16.2 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor for sharp images and great prints
  • 3-inch monitor screen
  • Full HD (1920 x 1080) video recording with active auto focus
  • Up to 6 frames per second in sweeping 100 image blasts
  • 39 point auto focus
  • ISO sensitivity from 100 – 6400 expands up to ISO 25,600 equivalent (Hi2)
  • Dual SD card slots for longer shooting or splitting RAW, jpeg, and movie files
  • 100% viewfinder view
  • Lots of regular Nikon features included like:  Image processing, In-camera editing, pop-up flash, etc. Continue reading ‘Preview of the Nikon D7000: Full HD Video with control’

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Preview of the Nikon D3100: Step into Full HD

Published on September 14, 2010 in photojournalism, Reviews, Tech and Tools. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Nikon is stepping into Full HD

Nikon has announced their latest foray into the video-capable DSLR with the new D3100 which adds a 9th camera to their DSLR line up. It is supposed to be available in mid September!

This entry level model is the first Nikon to have full high definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) recording capabilities and likely heralds the coming of full HD to their high end line as well. One great feature on the D3100 is the auto focus during video recording!

Like it’s predecessor, the D3000 the D3100 is an entry level camera but has some great capabilities that can get even an pro interested in this camera as a backup. Here’s a rundown of Nikon’s latest:

Basics:

  • 14.2 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor for great prints even beyond 20″x30″
  • 3-inch monitor screen
  • Full HD (1920 x 1080) video recording
  • Up to 3 frames per second bursts
  • 11 point auto focus
  • ISO sensitivity from 100 – 3200 expands up to ISO 12800 equivalent
  • Auto Sensor Cleaner
  • Lots of user friendly features included like: Guide Mode, Scene Auto Selector, Image processing, In-camera editing, pop-up flash, etc.

There are lots of great previews out there reviewing the D3100, so I’m going to cover the features that attract me to this camera and a few that make me wish for more. Continue reading ‘Preview of the Nikon D3100: Step into Full HD’

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Snapped4U — A tool for photographers to sell photos

Published on July 22, 2010 in business, marketing, photojournalism, Social media, Tech and Tools. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I remember seeing photographers doing this on campus when I was in college but it was before every soccer mom had a super camera. Now you can have a basic camera and a few business cards and “work the crowd” to make money doing what self timers and tripods once did.  I’m curious how well this actually works and if people will pay $4 for a jpg of themselves.  Will people they actually go and check the pictures out.

Here’s how it works:

  • You go out and shoot photos of people at some event where there are lots of people.
  • Send them to Snapped4U’s web site
  • They search for their images and hopefully buy lots of them.
  • You get paid (via PayPal) $3.50 per image they buy.
  • They get a jpg of the image e-mailed to them.

I like the idea behind this, but wish they had a print option as well. For four bucks it seems like they should get a print, but that would involve printing and shipping…unless they teamed up with Wal-Mart or Walgreens to provide digital delivery to a location near you!

Maybe the future of vacation photos will be something like this…your family is out in front of the St. Louis Arch having a picnic and some guy comes buy takes some pictures and gives you a card to Snapped4U. You get back to the hotel, check it out and buy a few copies, post them to Facebook and click on a button to have them both e-mailed to you and prints delivered to your neighborhood Walgreens Photo Center. When you get home, you drop by Walgreens and pick up your pictures to show the neighbors.

Here’s what Snapped4U says about themselves:

Snapped4U is about getting pictures of people, particularly the group shots they can’t get themselves. Watch for events like concerts, fairs, festivals, markets, and sporting events. Think of places such as parks, beaches, monuments, and scenic overlooks. Choose a venue, then go when it’s busy and work the crowd.

via Snapped4U – The Place for Photographers to Post and Sell Their Photographs.

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Polaroid Instant Film is Reinvented

Published on April 2, 2010 in business and photojournalism. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

From http://www.the-impossible-project.com/

Polaroid Instant Film…that loveable instantly (well actually a few minutes to see the what the chemicals have been doing) gratifying invention has gone the way of the glorious past…just like 8 track tapes, vinyl records, and bell bottom jeans…yet, just like revivals of the past fads seem to occur about every 20 or 30 years, Polaroid Film is not dead yet!  Artists and hobby-ists alike are probably pretty excited about this turn of events!

Polaroid, which suffered badly since the death of its inventive founder Edwin Land in 1991, could have completely lost the instant film — a whole artistic medium, pop culture icon and technological marvel in one — had the company not crossed paths with the Impossible Project’s founder, Florian Kaps, a man described as a “crazy Austrian entrepreneur.”

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/d3Yxjr

Personally, I’d given up on Polaroid’s film and gave my trusty Vivitar Slide Printer up to eBay. Now I’m wishing I’d held on a little longer!

Read more about how The Impossible Project, tries to explain just how they’ve managed to reinvent instant analog film in a story that is part innovation, part faith, part business and part dream. Read it via Polaroid Instant Film is Reinvented, Revived and On Sale This Week – DailyFinance.

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Stunning pictures of sleeping insects covered in dew

Published on April 1, 2010 in Nature. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Awesome photos!

Glistening in the early morning, these insects look like creatures from another planet as dew gathers on their sleeping bodies.Captured in extreme close-up, one moth appears to be totally encrusted in diamonds as it rests on a twig.

via The stunning pictures of sleeping insects covered in early morning dew | Mail Online.

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Fishing on the Grand River

Published on March 31, 2010 in Nature and photojournalism. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Paul Berridge (in camo jacket) of Wyoming learns some lure technique from Dan Koepke of Grand Rapids.

Berridge tries again with a newly tied lure.

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Defining a line and when to cross it is a tough call for photographers, journalists

Published on January 29, 2010 in photojournalism. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Journalists are taught to be a “Fly on the wall” observer who records but doesn’t make the news. Well, that’s nice in theory and there are times when journalists should be just that, but there are other times when a journalist overcomes the shyness of the observer and ends up getting involved.

Here are two examples…

The Sun Journal newspaper reported that photographer Russ Dillingham was credited with helping police capture 35-year-old Norman Thompson as he tried to flee from local police and federal agents.

via News Photographer Tackles, Apprehends Fugitive on the Loose -

And in the recent coverage of Haiti’s Earthquake recovery…

Several media ethics scholars have criticized the broadcast and cable news networks for allowing their medical correspondents to be shown performing emergency treatment in Haiti.

via Contactmusic.com

The way I see it is that it’s more a matter of the purpose of the journalist’s intrusion into the story. If it is to get more viewers or to promote the journalist’s company or commercial interests, then I think it is completely inappropriate. If it is a human responding to a need or reacting to a situation, then I’m really quite accepting of the intrusion. It should still be reported clearly that the journalist was involved, but I don’t see this as a case of unethical behavior. I see it as human behavior kicking in. Honestly, it’s refreshing to see that journalists out there still have humanity’s reactions working in them!

Remember Kevin Carter? He became notorious for not getting involved after he left an emaciated Sudanese girl under the watch of a vulture after photographing the pair in Africa. Even after winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1994, the things Carter saw especially in Africa be came too much for him to deal with and he took his own life.

While I worked as a journalist/photographer for the Fort Scott Tribune, I found myself feeling like I new all the details but I could do little to make a difference. Yet, those time when I did “only” right about things, the encouraging words of a reader or the public official who later told me of the response they received after an article I wrote were excellent reminders that even an unbiased report can stir people to action simply because a journalist did his or her job…informed the people.

Thoughts?

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Publicly available space photos from NASA

Published on November 21, 2009 in Nature and photojournalism. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
NASA photo: The Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off in 1986

NASA photo: The Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off in 1986

Do you need a photo of a planet or of the Space Shuttle Challenger taking off? No need to send your friendly freelance photographer to space on some Russian rocket. You can turn to the source that American citizens have been funding for all sorts of interesting space projects…NASA.

Their easy search system, gives great access to all sorts of cool images of space ships, nebulas, planets, etc.

From what I can tell these photos are available for public use…and even for commercial use.  Here’s how NASA’s Site describes acceptable use of their images,

NASA still images; audio files; video; and computer files used in the rendition of 3-dimensional models, such as texture maps and polygon data in any format, generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video, audio, and data files used for the rendition of 3-dimensional models for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits, computer graphical simulations and Internet Web pages. This general permission extends to personal Web pages.

This general permission does not extend to use of the NASA insignia logo (the blue “meatball” insignia), the retired NASA logotype (the red “worm” logo) and the NASA seal. These images may not be used by persons who are not NASA employees or on products (including Web pages) that are not NASA-sponsored.

NASA should be acknowledged as the source of the material except in cases of advertising.

I’d check into all the details before trying to sell them and if you have questions about using them in advertising you can see the  NASA Advertising Guidelines.
When it comes to those commercial purposes, NASA has pretty simple guidelines…

If the NASA material is to be used for commercial purposes, especially including advertisements, it must not explicitly or implicitly convey NASA’s endorsement of commercial goods or services.

NASA photo: Earthrise

If a NASA image includes an identifiable person, using the image for commercial purposes may infringe that person’

s right of privacy or publicity, and permission should be obtained from the person. Any questions regarding application of any NASA image or emblem should be directed to:

Photo Department

NASA Headquarters
300 E St. SW
Washington, DC 20546
Tel: 202-358-1900
Fax: 202-358-4333

It’s nice to see that the millions of dollars that go into space programs not only generate technology advances but provide the people with really cool photos… like the classic earthrise with the moon in the foreground or the double jet nebula:

The Twin Jet Nebula as seen by the Hubble Telescope in Dec. 1997

The Twin Jet Nebula as seen by the Hubble Telescope in Dec. 1997

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