Oh Baby! Fun with the Lensbaby!

I finally got around to playing with new new Lensbaby today (something I've been dying to do for many weeks) and once I got a handle on how it worked (it took me about a half an hour to get the basic concept down), I had a really great time.

The Lensbaby, if you're one of the few photographers on the planet that isn't aware, is a type of tilt-shift lens that lets you take the main element off-axis and shift the sharp focus to specific areas of the frame. In other words, you can keep one part of the image (say the center) sharp while tossing the sides or the top and bottom out of focus. The lens simulates effects that can be created using a traditional large-format camera (because they let you shift the planes of the film and lens separately) or a 35mm tilt-shift lens (which does a better job than the Lensbaby in some ways, but costs much more). In the photo here, for example, I first focused the center of the lens on the center of this unusual building and then used a pivot built into the lens to throw the sides and top and bottom of the frame out of focus. The effect looks a lot like the "miniaturization" that cinematographers create when trying to make things look falsely small. Click the image to make it larger and you'll see that the building looks like a toy from a tiny toy train village--no?

There is no aperture control in the basic Lensbaby (and you have to focus manually, of course), so you have to use your camera in the manual exposure mode.  I just shot a series of exposures in each lighting situation until I got an exposure that looked good and then kept that setting until the scene or lighting changed. Since I shoot in RAW all of the time, correcting exposure and white balance is simple.

The Lensbaby is a part of a rapidly growing and fun system of optical toys--which is very dangerous for a gadget-oriented person like me. It's a very fun and experimental-type accessory and I think you learn a great deal about photography by stepping away from the compulsion to make only technically perfect images and by tossing a little Impressionism into the mix. Check out their site for galleries of some very creative and fun photos created with their system. I guess in some ways the Lensebaby is just regarded as a toy--but hey, isn't that what all cameras are in one way or another?

Canon Introduces an 18 megapixel Rebel

If you're a Canon fan or just someone who watches equipment carefully, you probably already know this, but Canon has announced an 18mp Rebel, the Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only). In addition to the impressive 18mp CMOS sensor, the camera features a 3" LCD, an ISO range of 100-6400 and improved movie modes. Considering that Amazon has a pre-release price (it will probably go down) of just $799 (body only), it seems like a camera worth considering if you're looking for a new (or first) DSLR. Nikon lover though I am, I have to admit that an 18mp camera for under $800--pretty tempting! Read more about it on the Canon site. You can also buy it as a kit with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.6-5.6 IS lens. Click on either the Amazon or B&H ads on this blog to get the latest in pricing and availability. And if you buy one, let me know what you think--I may be next!

Make Your Subject Pop with a Vibrant Color

Brilliant colors are great at drawing attention to your main subject. The day I photographed this little girl on Liberty Island (looking toward the New York skyline) a few dozen people stopped to peer through the viewer and while the shots were kind of interesting, nothing was really jazzing me very much. Then out of the blue this little girl in the neon pink dress stepped up and I couldn't shoot fast enough--the color made a great contrast to the muddy waters of the Hudson River behind her. It was the same shot I'd been looking at for quite a few minutes with other people, but it was her dress that made the shot. Any time you can include a vibrantly colored main subject you'll get people's attention. The human brain is naturally drawn to and curious about bright colors and it's hard for anyone looking at a shot like this to not pause and look further.

Happy Easter, Bunny!

Photographed with a 70-300mm Nikkor (at 300mm, or 450mm equivalent on my D90)  in my back yard, as ISO 1200 (cloudy day and shooting handheld). She's a one-bunny dandelion eradication team--she can eat about one every two or three seconds.

Liberty Glows

Spent the entire night playing in Photoshop to create some photos for the revision of my book The Joy of Digital Photography. I knew from the start of the book that Lady Liberty would be a part of it. Last fall Lynne and I spent three days in New Jersey shooting the statue and visiting the area. I have never been more moved by a single photographic subject in my life. Something about seeing that face in person (it was my first time on Liberty Island, though of course I'd see her from Manhattan hundreds of times) really shook me to my core. The idea that she was the first vision of America that millions of immigrants (including my grandfather) saw hit me profoundly when the ferry first brought us close to her. I had an extraordinary first day there--it was baking hot and then we were hit by a rollicking thunderstorm. And as much as I tried to concentrate on photographing her, I could not shake this feeling that I was meant to step on that island, meant to look her in the face and meant to be there with a camera. When you go there, you are surrounded by thousands of people, most of whom, I think, are having the exact same experience: awe that such an amazing country exists and that such a fabulous work of art welcomes everyone. If you have never been there, go this summer. Take your kids, or take your parents--or both. You will never be the same.

By the way, I created this using a combination of color tools (including the channel mixer) and created the lighting effect using the--what else?--the lighting effects filter. Just playing and having fun. Also, today's Black Star Rising blog features two of my Liberty collages. Black Star is the greatest photojournalism agency in history and they have a really great and interesting blog.

Add Music to Your Blog or Site--Cool Gadget!

Tonight I discovered a really cool new gadget that lets you add a playlist to your blog or website--for free. You have to register on the site Playlist.com, but it only takes seconds and again, totally free. Then you pick songs from artists you like and create your playlist, get code and off you go. I was only able to find four songs from my favorite artist Van Morrison, but also found several great songs from Iowa singer Greg Brown and a few from Iris Dement (who I think is Greg's wife). Give it a try, the sound quality is actually very good. I haven't had much new to say about photography lately because I've been busy with other projects, but hey, I always have time to listen to good music. Enjoy! Oh, and I dedicate the first song from Greg Brown to myself. For the last 17 years I've been doing an FM radio (WPKN.org) show and dedicating songs to other people: this one's for me. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey...

Oh, by the way, I don't have any photos of Greg handy, but that's Professor Louie from Professor Louie & the Crowmatix in the photo here--I shot the photo using about 1/4 second exposure and giggled the camera a bit during the exposure to exaggerate the motion. You see, even when it comes to music I have to throw in a photo tip. And hey, while we're on the topic, check out the Professor's newest cd Whispering Pines. In fact, why not support the arts and buy the cd? The Crowmatix are one of the best bands in the world--if they come to a club near you, go see them. Tell Louie that I sent you and he'll buy you a beer. Maybe.

Dandelion Power! Let's Cost Scott's Some Money!

You've no doubt noticed that this site has Google ads on it. Theoretically what happens is that if someone finds an ad interesting, they click on it and I make a few pennies. Trust me, no one clicks on them.  But today I was horrified, but not surprised, to find that Scott's lawn chemical company was one of the advertisers. They way that the ads are chosen is that a computer selects them somewhat randomly but based on keywords that they find on my site. I have no control over who advertises--though I can block them (and I will if they continue to advertise). The problem with Scott's advertising here is that they make lawn CHEMICALS that are intended to KILL the very things that my previous posting was written to help save!!!  The computer that reads the blog for keywords, simply saw the word "lawn" a few times and thought, "Wow, a great place for a lawn chemical company to advertise." But they didn't read the context that I was against lawns and pro flowers. So, if you want to get a little revolutionary, if you see a Scott's ad--CLICK on it--and that will cost them some money. And the less money they have, the fewer lawns they can poison. It's just a thought. I'm not TELLING you to do it :) I'm only saying that if you did, you're costing them some money. It's totally up to you! :)