Symphony Hall, Boston, MA

My wife and I went to Symphony Hall in Boston, MA last night to see the final Annie Lennox show before she heads back to the UK.
We had great member seats in the first balcony VERY close to the stage. The show was phenomenal and every seat was filled!

We also had the honor of seeing Rosie O'Donnell who showed up for the show too with camera in hand about 4th row from the stage. This picture is hers and was posted on her own blog which you can read here. I emailed her blog site to see if she could share more of those photos she took. We'll see if she is the one reading/posting or if she has a staff.

Now I got a little rant to get out. I hate the fact that ALL venues don't allow, or at least list, no recording devices or cameras but regardless of what show you go to, there are MANY with cameras in hand and snapping throughout the show, some even with flash! I don't get it. So, here I am, I didn't bring my camera thinking I didn't want to walk back 3 blocks to put it back in the car if they didn't allow it, and there are many there who got in with it.

Next time, regardless of what the venue says, I'm going to take the risk. This show was incredible and I can only imagine what kinds of pictures people got. Considering how close we were too, it would've been an awesome photo session!!

Fun with Filters

A friend of mine asked me to write an article about digital photography filters. At first, my thoughts were that they weren't needed for digital cameras as they are for film cameras. In most cases, I still believe this is true but after doing some pretty decent research on it, some of the filters they provide do enhance photography for digital pictures.

Now we all know the power of photo editors today. They provide endless amounts of alterations for any of your photos, yes, even the blurry ones! Think about this though; what about the initial photo that you wanted to capture in a specific way? What if you took the picture with your digital camera and there was glare or certain sections of your scene were darker? Well, with editing you could always alter that sections brightness/contrast, color spectrum or more but all that sometimes takes a considerable amount of time to make it blend with the entire photo and look unmodified.

This is where the use of digital lenses come in! Applying one of these to you current lens would alleviate the need to modify anything. There are a few that are recommended for use and they're listed in these resource links below for further information. I'll be exploring some of these myself soon. I'm especially interested in the polarizing and UV filter lenses.

Also, remember if you've made changes to your camera's configuration to accomodate for some internal camera filtering, know where you left your previous settings. If you've had them configured manually for a specific scene and forgot what they were and just go out and shoot your next scene, you'll run into major issues! So, along with exploring your filters, ALWAYS 'reset' your digital camera to normal default shooting settings. Most digitals have an 'auto' mode or a mode that will allow for general use.

Filter Reference links:
Photo.Net
Digital Photography For What Its Worth
Nature Photographers
Adorama.Com (shows you with a picture what the filters do)

Monthly Reader's Photo for November Anyone?

Anyone interested in sending in a picture for November, please do so. The months are certainly flying by and I don't think they're getting any slower! I look forward to reviewing them.

iMACs Superior In Digital Imaging?

Yes folks, I'm still here! Unfortunately, I've been struggling with a cold/flu for that past 2 weeks! What a time but I'm getting there and the blog should be coming back to life with posts and pictures soon. I appreciate your patience.

As I'm sitting here on my wireless connection watching the Sox play in the start of the series (good start so far!), I couldn't help but think about what a friend of mine was telling me about his iMac Pro and how he uses it at work for photography and digital editing. He enjoyed it so much, he bought a couple laptops for his home and his family to use.

My questions go out to you. Does anyone else use a Mac running OS X and agree with him that Macs are easier to use and better with photography, music, and digital editing?

I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts. They do seem a bit pricey though...

Faded Beauties

The months are going by quick as we enter into the 2nd week of October! It's unbelievable to see what the seasons do to specific things in nature.

Take flowers for example. How at one point, they were a sight to marvel at but as seasons and weather changed, they soon faded away and are forgotten until next year during bloom.

But when the time is taken, even those faded beauties can turn back into treasures. Here are 2 pictures I merged together of old faded flowers that have withered from the cold weather. They've lost all their petal luster and vibrant colors. However, merging the two pictures together, cropping, and applying glow and sketch filters, yes a little digital TLC, you can come out with some good looking digital art.

So no matter what it looks like after the picture, and no matter what the condition, there is always something to work with for those who want to take the time and turn something tarnished back to life.

Enjoy and happy captures!

Paintings of Beauty

I really enjoy looking at older art, in this case it's a painting hanging in the Roseland Cottage. You have to appreciate the artistry involved in painting such a fine piece. What talent and skill people have. Everyone has a talent... have you found yours?

Inside was especially dark so you had to use flash to get a good picture of anything. The question is how do you take a picture of a something behind glass or something with extreme gloss that would cause flash spots in the shot? Quite simply take the picture from a slight angle if you have a fixed flash or try bouncing your flash up and not directly against the object.

There are the same shot just cropped at different sizes. This also shows you what you can do with your images if you take them at higher resolutions or in RAW mode.

Photo of Month (October)

Anyone have a picture they'd like considered for the October Photo of the month? Please send in as soon as you can, today is already October 1st!! :)

The Roaming Photographer: Pam Cruz

Name: Pam Cruz
Date: Dec. 27, 2005 - Jan.4, 2006

Trip to Puerto Rico

Locations: San Juan, PR-Arroyo, PR-El Yunque, PR-Guayama, PR

Picture Descriptions:
1. Looking down the streets of San Juan towards the Governor Mansion Dec. 2005




2. Looking from Fort San Felipe del Morro towards La Perla Dec. 2005






3. Streets of San Juan Dec.2005








4. El Yunque Rain Forest Dec. 2005






5. Local Iguana at Las Croabas Jan 2006

We attended a family reunion on my husbands side in Arroyo,Puerto Rico. It
was wonderful to see family members, new & old. Along with seeing family my
husbands uncles planned an island tour for every day we were there. It was
wonderful.

Our 1st stop was Old San Juan. We visited Fort San Felipe del Morro ( El
Morro) and surrounding areas. La Perla is right next to El Morro and is an
area of around 12 generations of history. More information can be found at
this link. Very interesting.

http://vivirlatino.com/2007/09/02/la-perla-de-puerto-rico.php

That evening after dinner in San Juan we went outside the restaurant into
the street. What we found was a party which happens every Fri.-Sun. night.
Live music,food & drink vendors everywhere.What a fun time...

Our next spot on the list was the islands infamous rainforest, El Yunque.
Very beautiful and peaceful.

After the rainforest we visited Las Cabezas de san Juan in Fajardo and
surrounding area, which includes tours of mangroves & coral reefs, beaches,
lagoons. Waiting for the tour bus we spotted the Iguana, he was with a
female but she hid while he climbed a tree for us to see him better!

Trip Rating:
My rating for this trip had to be a 10. We had so much fun and would suggest a trip to Puerto Rico to everyone. We have been to the island many time but this was by far the best time.

Editor Comment: I'm really liking this idea of the Roaming Photographer and I hope all of you are enjoying these posts. The last one and this one really help you see different places and activities! Thanks Pam for taking the time to send these beautiful pictures in and the narrative details you provided. Who's next??

Historic Tour of Roseland Cottage, Woodstock, CT

My wife and I decided to go on one of the tours offered at the Pink House in Woodstock, CT more formerly known as Roseland Cottage. The tour lasted 3 hours and was filled with rich history of the house, property, and family that built and owned it through the generations - The Bowens.

I'd highly recommend this tour to anyone that loves historic tours! Over the 3 hours I took about 220 pictures from the attic to the basement, outside privy, and bowling alley!

Enjoy!

Excerpt from Historic New England site:
"Roseland Cottage depicts the summer life of a prosperous family in mid 19th-century America. Built in 1846 in the newly fashionable Gothic Revival style, the house provided a seasonal escape from a more formal city existence for Henry Chandler Bowen and his family. Bowen, a Woodstock native, made his fortune in New York and became an active abolitionist, Congregationalist, and Republican."

URL Reference: Historic New England

Natural Expressions - Series 1

Yes, it's early... 4:20AM here. I couldn't sleep and have some ideas. What's new you say? Quite simply, I'm going to start writing some photo journalism articles which is what I always wanted to do. Writing a little column every week, or in this case a blog, about people in their natural environments.

To me, naturalness really helps capture some good shots especially when they don't know a photographer is around. It shows people doing natural things and not posing or putting on some type of show in front of the flash. It's beautiful if you ask me. True works of art and reflections of people at that particular time. Yes.. naturalness.

To start out with, I'm actually posting relatives of mine. These precious photos show how much young ones LOVE food! To those who know these cuties, aren't they wonderful? To those who don't, appreciate the scene captured and the expressions... priceless! Therefore, my series will be called 'Natural Expressions'.

Enjoy!

Self Portraits Are Fun

Don't forget to take some self-portraits of yourself. To accomplish this and get a natural look, utilize the 'self-timer' functionality on your digital camera. This option allows the camera to take a picture within a certain amount of seconds based upon your settings.

In this case, I took a picture of myself and then of course modified it with a feathering around the edges for blending, then duplicated the original image, rotated it, and moved it to a different location forming three images. We'll discuss layers at a different point which allow multiple images overladed to be worked with individually and then merged or flattened later.

So take those pics of yourself and send them in! I want to see how creative everyone can get. Throw some different filters on it, rotate your pictures, add/remove color, merge other pictures... have fun and just enjoy yourself. After all, it's YOU you're messing with. :)

Happy Captures!

Look Beyond the Critics

Let's face it, everyone is a critic. It doesn't matter what you're talking about, people have opinions. Many truly want to help others succeed in becoming better at what they like and are striving to become while others are completely destructive in their comments to simply tear people down and hold them back from creative genius.

I'm posting this to inspire those who love photography and art. I'm a member of several online 'art' and 'photography' communities which allow open criticism on pieces of your work and some of the feedback people give is unbelievable. All negative...

Let me tell you something. When you pick up your camera and take a picture, it's a piece of art. It doesn't matter if you just bought a camera and are 5 years old to a so called seasoned professional with a fleet of over expensive gear. There isn't ANYONE who has that piece except you. Cherish it and appreciate you noticed the shot and took the time to take it. Regardless if others like it or not, keep adding to your collection of fine works and be weary of online communities over brimming with critics!

Masters were once told they wouldn't succeed. I'm telling you right now.. you're a Master! Claim your works and capture them with pride. Don't let people criticize your works to death so it sucks the life out of you and what you enjoy. Love your work.. and love doing it.

Happy captures folks! You're a Master and go on succeeding!

Of The Order of Mantodea

Sometimes while walking, carrying your camera helps because you never know what you're going to see around you, in this case, below you.

This past day while roaming around in the backyard we discovered this rare insect widely known as the Praying Mantis. It was sitting on some blue canvas we had covering lawn equipment bathing in the sun. Albeit, a nice macro lens would've done the job better but sometimes the moment is upon you and you don't have time to switch lenses - you stop, capture, and work with the results. In this case, a macro lens would've really sharpened the Mantis's facial features in high detail. I had my big lens on the camera so I had to stand about 8' away.

Keep that in mind when traveling and going on for specific types of photography. Always carry your other lenses with you in the event you want to capture something else. Or you could use a universal lens with attachments.

Factoids: This insect is protected in the State of Connecticut as the state insect. The word mantis is derived from a Greek word mantis meaning prophet or fortune teller namely due to it's posture or position.

URL Reference: Praying Mantis Wikipedia

The Roaming Photographer: Cindi-Jo Ammeen

Date taken: 9/1/07
Title: Pilobolus
Location: The Riverfront in Hartford CT

On the first, we went too see Pilobolus. The weather was perfect. A warm day, but breezy on the water. The first act was a playful display. The second act brought a darker musical selection and an emotional performance. Dancing to songs by Primus and Radiohead, I was truly inspired by this dance company.

I hope you enjoy the photos!
Thank you

Cindi-Jo Ammeen


Editor comment: The Roaming Photographer welcomes Cindi-Jo Ammeen as being the first to publish photos in this edition. Thank you for your active participation and I wish I was there at this show! By the pictures it looked awesome!

Monthly Reader's Photo!

Thanks to CJA from Gales Ferry, CT for sending in this month's photo! A beautiful picture she titled 'Bundle of Sun'.

I really appreciate all those who read this blog and send in submissions. It shows not only this blog has readers but those who are really interested and interact with me via emails and pictures.

Best regards to all and I hope those who have kids have had a pleasant trip back to school.

Happy Captures!

Panthera tigris

Captured of course from afar and through glass with a 200 mm lens - hand held. What a beautiful looking animal huh? It's amazing how BIG these tigers are when you see them up close and personal. Well, not too close I hope. The glass we viewed them through in their artificial habitat (yes, I say artificial because there is nothing like their real homes in the wild), was pretty THICK as well as mesh fenced.

Desaturation is pretty common among photo editing enthusiasts. Some like to desaturate the backgrounds and only keep the main object in color. You can see my Dandelion shot posted back in March of this year as well for reference.

The 2nd picture is modified to include some texture and defined ink outline markings. Have fun and mold your pictures into pieces of art even if the subject is dangerous!

Happy Captures!

Cooling Off With Splashing Sunshine

This bear really enjoyed himself in the summer heat! The day was pretty hot and well into the mid 90's but the temperature didn't stop this brown bear from playing in the pool with his favorite ball and shaking a little sunshine off its fur!

The pictures were taken with a 300mm zoom at f/5.6 and 1/800 shutter speed using my Nikon D70. How do I know this?

TIP: If you want to know how you took a specific digital picture and what settings your camera was at for that particular shot do the following.

• RIGHT click on the picture and select 'Properties' from the drop down menu
• At the top of that window click the 'Summary' tab
  
  This is especially helpful if you shoot with different cameras and want to learn how to take specific shots.

The Roaming Photographer Idea!

Ok. Ok, so I'm never satisfied with whats on the site so I have to keep adding to it's features. With the latest being The Spotlight! which two have already sent in their information and been published, I've decided to add another idea called "The Roaming Photographer"!

Think of it like photo journalism but from a wide variety of events, locations, and from everyone! Yes, EVERYONE! This is the difference. Instead of always seeing what I see and take pictures of, I thought it would be great if I open it up to everyone who has been to an event and would like to share their thoughts and pictures on it. This way we can get a larger perspective on what people like going to as well as seeing more events and shows from different areas including different towns, states and countries!

What is considered an Event? This is open and could be anything from school shows, sporting events, movies, parades, traveling experiences, concerts, news, exhibits, and more. Use your imagination and pretend you're hired as a Roaming Photographer who has to show new people different aspects of living in the area. Enjoy yourself and I look forward to reading and publishing them soon.

Details/Guidelines:

• Your Name (Initials are ok)
  
• Date of Event
  
• Title of Event
• Location of Event (city/state or country)
• Pictures must be in .jpg format with a MAXIMUM of 5 pictures per event
• Send in a narrative along with your event detailing what it was all about. This must be at least a paragraph or more. Content must be appropriate and I reserve the right to edit as necessary.
• Rating - yes, rate the event you've been to on a SCALE of 1-10 (1=poor to 10=awesome)
  With rating, don't just give a number but explain why it was so. If it was poor, what could be better or if it was awesome, why. That way readers and determine expectations if they ever go to the event.

Who's first!! :)

Send In Your Submission!

Monthly Readers Photo - September!

With September being only 2 weeks away, it's that time again for the Monthly Reader's Photo! I'll now be accepting photos for September. Starting sending them in! Don't forget to send the 'title' of the photo and the location.

First Contest Closed - Announcing Winner Soon

Thanks to all who submitted photos for the Water Reflections Contest. I'll be reviewing all submissions and announcing a winner soon. The winner will first be contacted via email to confirm the address and then will be sent the $25.00 Wal-Mart online gift card. Stay tuned!

Happy Captures!

White Streets & High Prices!

Is it too early to start posting snow storm pictures from previous years? :) Thinking back to the very first blog post, I started with a snow picture of storm Agatha in February of this year!

Here is one taken a couple years back in 2005 as a town plow truck pushes it's way through the snow covered streets on Rt. 44 in Putnam, CT. I'm not in the middle of the street but shooting through my vehicle's windshield. No, I wasn't driving! You can't always be in the optimal position when you think of a good shot so you do what you can, and quickly, to capture something.

Its very interesting to take town pictures as well because when you look back on them a few years from now, the scenery will reveal a lot of history in them. For instance, take a look at this picture. This is a cropped picture from a larger town view but this shows how much gas prices were back in 2005! And we thought gas was expensive then! WOW.

Keep your pictures and look at them when you have the time. If they're on CD or DVD backup or sitting on an external hard drive, pop them in or connect the device and start browsing! You never know what historical treasures you have.

Some Humor From ShotAddict.Com

Here is a funny photo compliments of ShotAddict.Com for posting several blooper pictures of photographers.

Reminder: You never can be fully prepared! Seriously, ONLY carry what you need when you're out taking pictures. Leave the rest in your locked car or at home!

Enjoy! :)

Reference: ShotAddict.Com (full article here)

Tickling Tummy

Browsing through some more of the shots I took at our recent Bronx Zoo trip I found this funny picture. I had to wait for just the right moment to take it because they were both moving around and finding just the right spot themselves. At this moment the baby (calf) just turned its head enough to stare directly at me and then snap! It was captured! What a picture!

This was taken with a 300mm zoom lens from about 200+ feet away with no tripod. This leads to a good point. Sometimes if you know the shot you want you have to wait for it especially if your object(s) are alive and moving around. Be patient and observe the movement and habits and set yourself up for just the right angle and shot. Remember, you're shooting digital and not film so don't be afraid to snap lots of pictures if you're memory card can support them. You can go back and delete the bad ones after.

This doesn't always work out but its another way of looking at a picture and kinda getting some control on it. Another way is to take advantage of your camera's continuous shooting mode (consider it like rapid-fire burst shots one after another within seconds). The Nikon D70 can take 3 shots/second capturing a series of frames. Check out your camera's settings and see what is available. This is a great feature for sports and action shots. I'm sure the paparazzi must use this a lot!

The Spotlight! - Introduces Pam Cruz from CA!

Name: Pam Cruz
City/State: Lemoore, California

How did you get started with photography?
My older sister always took pictures so I had to get on the band wagon.

How long have you been taking pictures?
20 years

What kind of camera do you shoot with the most?
Canon PowerShot S1 IS I am looking for another type to use also.

How many cameras, both film and digital, do you own?
2

What do you appreciate most about photography?
It helps to capture memories and the moment. Everything is beautiful in it's own way.

How often do you take pictures?
Every day, you can find a picture in everything.

What advise would you give someone if they asked you about photography and getting started?
Find a camera you are comfortable with using and go with it.

What are your current hobbies/interests?
gardening, beading, swimming

What is your current profession?
semi-retired

How did you hear about this website?
through your myspace

(editor comment: If you have a MySpace profile and would like to view mine, please send me an email - mine is currently marked 'private' for spam related issues)

Thanks Pam for taking the time to fill out the questionnaire and being our next in The Spotlight! reader!!

Sad but True...

I recently saw a broadcast on TV which interviewed some state folks around the rapid decline of bridges in CT and how they're in serious need of repair. The folks who were talking had some good points about how important it is for the economy and even more so for public safety and the preservation of historic landmarks.

I couldn't help but look through my archives to find pictures of some of the bridges I took that are close in the area which highlight this point even further. I believe this bridge located in Putnam, CT was even washed out or damaged during the flood of 1952. It's historic and sadly, in serious need of repair.

Sometimes looking back, it's all we have is pictures of what was once great works of art or fine establishments and structures. Keep shooting and treasure what you capture. For one day, it'll be a reflection that is left... nothing more.

Happy captures!

Old Baseball Cap

Take me out to the ball game...

Here is an old shot for everyone. I took this picture from one of my very old baseball caps I had when I was a child some 25+ years ago. It was an old Boston Red Sox hat my dad gave me when I was interested in playing ball. How time flies but capturing pictures like this can recall good memories.

As you can tell, I converted the picture to black & white and also added a by-line, copyright, and water mark 'sample' across it using a photo editor.

Do you have any old photos you'd like to share? Send them in!

The Spotlight! - Introduces J.S. from CT

Name: J.S.
City/State: Old Lyme, CT

How did you get started with photography?
My Mother took lots of pictures and I copied her example. I recall selling newspapers and saving my allowance to get my first Brownie film camera.

How long have you been taking pictures?
Ever since I was 11 years old when I took pictures of my horses on the Farm and had to send them away to be developed. It was always a thrill to get the pictures back in the mail.

What kind of camera do you shoot with the most?
Fugi S7000.

How many cameras, both film and digital, do you own?
One camera now, but looking forward to getting a new camera with a telescopic lens to take close
ups of beautiful birds in flight.

What do you appreciate most about photography?
It makes you more aware of the beauty everywhere. When I focus my camera lens on animals, flowers, landscapes, butterflies etc. I feel a spiritual connection to what I am capturing on my digital camera. I would not have noticed such things such as the beautiful colors of the butterfly wings before.

How often do you take pictures?
Daily because you never know when a rainbow, cloud formation, animal etc. is going to be available for a new picture.
What advise would you give someone if they asked you about photography and getting started?

Always be ready for the next perfect picture with your camera nearby.

For example, I took a picture of two cats touching paws outside their cages
at a Cat Benefit. It looked like a High Five between the cats. I think part
of the fun of photography is the matting and framing to best compliment your
picture. You can be as creative as you want using your digital camera.

What are your current hobbies/interests?
Restoring old family photos, keeping up with animal protection issues via the internet such as banning horse carriages in NYC. I enjoy going to yard sales to pick up towels and blankets for the Humane Society and other animal rescue organizations. I also found a Brownie Camera just like I owned at a yard sale.

What is your current profession?
(Not employed) Anyone looking for a photographer?

How did you hear about this website?
I saw your blog in The Norwich Bulletin and have been enjoying it ever since.

The Spotlight!

I decided to add a new section to the blog which will introduce our readers to the community. This is purely voluntary and requires that you simply fill out some brief questions (listed below) about yourself and photography. I'm calling it The Spotlight!

If you're interested, copy/paste these questions into an email and send it off to me. When received, I'll review and post on this blog.

Here are the questions and you can email them here.

• Name or Initials:
• City/State:
• How did you get started with photography?
• How long have you been taking pictures?
• What kind of camera do you shoot with the most?
• How many cameras, both film and digital, do you own?
• What do you appreciate most about photography?
• How often do you take pictures?
• What advise would you give someone if they asked you about photography and getting started?
• What are your current hobbies/interests?
• What is your current profession?
• How did you hear about this website?
• Optional picture*
  

*With the submission, you can also send in a picture of yourself (which I may crop if necessary) to include on your page. This is completely optional!

I hope everyone enjoys reading about those who share similar interest.

Happy Captures!

August Monthly Reader's Photo & New Mystery Picture Posted!

Thanks to P.C. from California for sending in this month's chosen Monthly Reader's Photo she titled "Perfect Vacation". This picture was taken on a beach in Puerto Rico! What a beautiful picture, perspective, and composition shown! Nevermind that inviting crystal clear water!!

Thanks again for reading and sending in your submission!

Also note, there is a NEW Mystery Picture posted... check out and send in your guesses!

Happy Captures!

Creativity With Photos

I've always enjoyed using photo editing programs to make collages or alter pictures you've taken. There are so many options with today's applications that you can do just about anything.

Think about these:

• Do you have an older picture that is starting to tear or discolor?
• Do you have a picture that is priceless but it got scratched or damaged?
• Perhaps you have several pictures that you just want to combine together.
• Or maybe you have a picture and you want to take something/someone completely OUT of it.
  

These are all possible with a little photo editing experience. It's all about creativity and what you can come up with. Most digital cameras come with their own software to assist you with this but in the event it didn't, never fear! Here are a few links from a decent article about the Top 8 Windows programs - and yes.. they're FREE! If you're using Linux or Mac - there are similar programs as well, some by the same name.

Reference: Top 8 Free Photo Editors for Windows

Happy captures!

August - Photo of the Month - Is it you?

August 1st is approaching quickly so now is the time to send in your picture for the photo of the month! Once a month, we select a reader's photo to be placed on our site. The only details we need is the title of the picture, the location with city/state it was taken, and your initials (first/last name).

If your photo is selected, you'll see it on the main page where the current one is.
Give it a shot and send in your favorite picture!

Thanks again to C.A. who sent in the wonderful picture from Waterford, CT of Harkness State Park!

Megapixels, Megapixels, More Megapixels?

It's always been an interested subject when talking to people about their cameras. Some of the first questions that arise, almost in a boasting way, is 'How many megapixels does your camera have?', 'mine has blah blah blah...'

In today's world with such a technology hype, the mentality is bigger and faster is better. Well folks, in the megapixel world this isn't the case. When you have some time, do some research on the Megapixel Myth and your eyes will be opened. Here are a few reference links or simply pull up your favorite search engine and read away!

"Unfortunately, it's all a myth because the number of megapixels (MP) a camera has has very little to do with how the image looks. Even worse, plenty of lower MP cameras can make better images than poorer cameras with more MP."

"This gimmick is used by salespeople and manufacturers to you feel as if your current camera is inadequate and needs to be replaced even if the new cameras each year are only slightly better." - Ken Rockwell - Professional Photographer

"Consumer Reports recently tested 70 digital cameras and says the emphasis on megapixels is part of the game manufacturers play to get people to buy more expensive cameras."

References:
KenRockwell.com
The Truth About Digital Cameras
WBZTV.COM

Yes, it's actually a ploy by advertising and companies who sell digital cameras! *gasp* Yes! In fact, even in my own search for the truth on this subject, I have a few cameras and took several shots of the same subject with each ranging from a 2MP camera to a 6MP camera and the testing proved it even more. Let me know your thoughts and discoveries.

So what would one say to that question we had at the outset? Perhaps, 'it's good enough!'. :)

Contest Deadline Bumped to August

I'm bumping the deadline date again to August to help assist those who are still interested. As of right now, I only received 3 contestants and I know there are more out there to make this more than 5.

Don't be shy! If you're interested, read the details here and send in those pictures. Five or more need to participate to make this a valid competition as stated in the beginning. Keep shooting and send them in!

Sliding Rock - Northern Country II

Three hours total, across the middle of 200,000+ acres of wild life sanctuary, we made it gate-to-gate through Baxter State Park in Maine. The road was purposely kept dirt and very narrow and sometimes muddy and overrun by neighboring streams which stretched a little too far that day. By the time we were done with this adventurous trek, our vehicle were plastered with mud up to the center of the doors! It was like we went on a deep safari ... well in fact we did!

Amazingly though, about half way through the trek, there was a place called Sliding Rocks. It was a serene watering hole over very slippery rocks. Many enjoyed the area by sliding down them as if in a water slide amusement park. The laughs were heard above the trees as young and old a like joined in on this refreshing natural spring. The water was perfect and only waist high. What a treasure nestled miles within.

Reference: Official Baxter State Park Site

Cell Phone Captures

I finally upgraded my cell phone from a few years ago to a newer model, the Motorola Razor, which has a built-in VGA 4x zoom camera. It’s actually not bad for quality even though it only supports low resolution settings up to 640x480.

Now with mobile computing and various wi-fi technologies, you can do quite a few things with these mini-gadgets. Give them a try when you don’t have your own camera.

Have you recently taken a picture with your own cell phone? If so, send them in. I’d like to make a post about Cell Phone Captures in the next couple weeks.

3 Days Left - July Contest!

3 Days left for the July Water Reflection Contest! Send in your entries if you haven't already.

Click Here for Contest Details

QFR: What is the best way to back up your digital pictures?

QUESTION FROM READER (QFR):
What is the best way to back up your digital pictures?

This is an extremely important question and I'm glad J.S. took the time to send it in. Data management, regardless if it's your pictures, checking account files, spreadsheets, documents, and even emails, should be a part of your computing procedures. Backing up data is easy, you just have to know what to do.

After thinking about it, here are 10 Kick-Start Tips that come to mind and should be considered. If you do all these, you'll be in a VERY good position for safe backups.

1. Make The Backups: Yes, actually doing the first step is important! Don't think that your computer will never crash or you don't need a simple plan because when it happens, you'll be in trouble! Now don't get me wrong, there are ways to get back data regardless of the state of it, but this is most likely sending your hard drive out to a company that provides data recovery services. Oh, and it'll cost you some serious dollars.

2. Schedule The Backups: make a time when you do the backups depending upon how much activity on the data you have. For example: If you are making changes daily, you should backup daily whereas if you're only making changes to the data on your computer once a month, perhaps monthly backups will suffice.

3. ALWAYS Make Multiple Copies: Sometimes backed up data on media goes bad. This is why it's important to backup your information multiple times in the event one of them goes back you have a back up.

4. ALWAYS Make Copies on Different Media: The life of media, or how long it can be used without having failures and restore problems, depends on what you're using. Recordable CDs and DVDs are very cheap now if your computer supports it. The shelf life on these is around 10 years. If not, you could simply upgrade and purchase a CD/DVD burner for ~$30-50 dollars. You could also use external USB hard drives or even free online solutions. DO NOT make backups on floppy disks anymore! Go to a solution that is more reliable.

6. Store Backups Appropriately: No matter what kind of media you use, if you don't properly store the media in an appropriate place, you'll lose the information. Example: Even if you take a DVD you recorded on which typically lasts 10 years and place it on the back windshield of your car, you'll lose the information. The sun will damage it for sure and probably make you a nice melted silicone wafer sculpture. Media should be backed up at room temperature or less and in some cases even in a colder environment (read media details for information on best storage conditions).

Free online references:
Mozy Online Backup - http://mozy.com (2Gigs free)
XDrive - http://www.xdrive.com (5Gigs free)
IDrive-E - http://www.idrive.com (2Gigs free)
Backup Review - http://www.backupreview.info (This site has a wealth of information on online storage and data backup. Thanks to the person who sent in the anonymous comment to this post! Note the 10 Ten Providers and reviews available.)

7. VERIFY Your Data's Integrity: This ensures that not only your data has been backed up properly, but it has backed up intact and fully usable. I assisted some folks with this awhile back for their business and they were backing up the information according to their procedures but when I audited their procedure and verified the data, NOTHING was there. They were basically going through the motions for months and not actually backing anything. As you can probably imagine, this would've been devastating if a recovery was needed.

8. NEVER Work From Your Originals: Kind of photography specific, but extremely important when working with your photos. ALWAYS make a copy of the original and work off the copy. The original should be backed up on multiple medias with multiple copies and only used when you need another working copy.

9. Data Retention: How long you keep your data is up to you. Keep in mind that backed up data on media doesn't last forever. It's a good idea to go back through your copies and ensure they're still good. You can do data integrity checks as mentioned in Tip # 7 above.

10. Offsite Storage: Always make sure at least one or two of your multiple copies are stored at an offsite location. This could be at a trusted neighbors house, a family member, a post office box or consider the online storage mentioned in Tip # 6 above. This is important if you accidentally have a disaster in your house or where you use this information. (like a fire, flood, etc).

Thanks for the question and hopefully this answers it and provides you with some solid guidance. If there are additional questions, please send them in.

QFR submitted by: J.S. (CT)

Traveling to Northern Country

Over the last few days, I enjoyed a trip to Maine with the family. Of course the camera was with us during our entire journey. I'll be posting a few of the several hundred shots I took traveling through Baxter State Park and various roads in northern country!

Here is a picture of just ONE of the 46 mountain peaks viewable through this 3 hour trek in the wild!

Remember, no matter where you go, bring along your camera! There is always something to capture and save for memories.

OUR READERS TAKE PICTURES WITH...

I thought it would be interesting to see the variety of cameras our readers our currently shooting with. As you'll see, I'm starting a list on the left side of camera makes/models. If you'd like to contribute to this list, simply email me the make/model of your camera and I'll add it. The list will be alphabetical and no names will be placed next to them.

This will really show the diversity of cameras used today and how regardless of the camera make/model, fine quality pictures are captured.

Send me your camera's make/model #.
(see the list for examples)

New Monthly Reader's Photo for July!

WELCOME TO JULY!!

Thanks to C.A. for submitting the monthly reader's photo for July! This is a beautiful black and white photo from Harkness State Park in Waterford, CT. Look at those trees!!

Cooling Heat

There is nothing more refreshing on a hot day than swimming! Cooling off the heat with a refreshing dip into your favorite swimming spot. Whether it's the ocean, your swimming pool, or a local lake, it does the trick and keeps you cool.

Here is a black& white picture I cropped to truly bring out the exploratory drama in this young person's face as they wade through the shimmering cool waters of this local lake in Woodstock, CT.

I cropped this image high on purpose to utilized the dark areas of the head for the crop line and to draw attention to the damp, wet looks of the soaked strands of hair. Purposely darkening specific areas of this photo hides the identity enough so the person can remain anonymous. This is sometimes useful when you want to use public photos of people without exposing identity. Try this with your next shot!

MONTHLY READERS PHOTO (JULY)

I'm now accepting submissions for the Monthly Readers Photo for July! Every month, I'm selecting a photo submitted from the readers and publishing it on the main blog page. This month it could be you!

If you're interested and have a picture you'd like to have considered for July, send me an email with the attached picture and the following information:

• Your Name (when published ONLY your initials will be used)
• Title of your picture
• Location it was taken from including city/state
  

Send Submissions Here.

Boastful Treasures Abroad

The richness of history is told not only by historians but by the many buildings still around boasting of their long journey through the decades of time. Some buildings are kept and reserved for tours while others stand alone as landmarks. All towns have these treasures, all you have to do is find them. Consider this your next task. Seek out those treasures locally in your towns and when you find them, capture and share.

Here are a couple taken from Pomfret, CT. One is of a very old farming plow nestled under the shadows of a massive tree while the other is a weathered barn still finding time to bask in the sun.