Posts from the ‘Reviews’ Category
Watch D-Town TV
D-Town TV
If your an novice, amateur or pro photographer you have got to check out D-Town TV hosted by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski.
Each week they release a video with great digital camera tips and hands on demonstrations. The information you get out of watching this series is absolutely priceless, each week you will learn a new trick or two when it comes to digital photography.
AND ITS FREE!
Check it out at.. http://kelbytv.com/dtowntv/
Also check out Scott Kelby’s third annual World Wide Photo Walk
Check to see if there’s a photo walk in your area, if not then why not register one yourself!
The Nift Fifty And Why Every Photographer Should Have One.
The Nifty Fifty
If there is one lens that I believe every photographer should have on hand, its got to be a nifty fifty (50mm). Have you ever been indoors and find that you just cant get a sharp photo wothout using flash or a tripod? I know I have, and the last thing I want to do is raise my ISO up. Well with a nifty fifty you might just be able to get that shot! The nifty fifty generally comes in two different models the 50mm 1.8 and the 50mm 1.4. This wide aperture alows you to get sharp, fast photos and a great shallow depth of field. In the example images you can see the great softness and bokeh you can achieve with this lens. I often pull this lens out for portraits and find that it produces very flattering photos in natural diffused light.
A Lesson to be learned?
50mm is often described as being the most similar focal range as what we see with our eyes. Working with one focal range really makes you think about how you should setup and compose a photograph. Being a fixed lens you will have to (Gasp!) move yourself to zoom in and out, you may even find yourself leaning backwards and forwards slightly to achieve the best focus. Eventually you will understand when its time to bring in a wider lens to achieve a certain shot.
How much do they cost?
You may be surprised that a 50mm for Nikon or Canon run for only about $100! That’s really cheep for the quality of photos you can achieve with these lenses. Don’t let the price fool you, This lens is fast, sharp and crisp.
The nifty fifty is compact enough to take out if you dont feel like lugging around a bag of lenses. The wide range of aperture gives you amazing creative control. You will be amazed at the great effects and quality you can get out of this little lens. This lens is a must for indoor shots, its my number one go to lens for indoor weddings were there may not be a lot of available light.
Here are a couple of links for the nifty fifty:
Photo By *yasuhiro
Review – LensBaby Composer
The Lensbaby Composer brings a twist to everyday photography.
The Lensbaby is at around 50mm and works by shifting the angle of the lens, and thus changing the focus point. You can achieve some dramatic effects with the Lensbaby, It’s fun to use and really changes your perspective when using it. The Lensbaby has an optic swap system, so you can simply add a variety of different optics such as, a soft focus, fish eye, pin hole and plastic optic.
There are also some great accessories to go with the lens baby which include a macro kit, wide angle attachment, creative aperture attachment.
In ending the Lensbaby Composer is a fun and different way to take photos, if you cant seem to find the inspiration for a photo its great to take the Lensbaby out for a spin to get a different perspective on a subject.
You can get the Lensbaby here
Photo By Adam Baker
Photo By BARBARA BARBARA
Photo By Rustman
Review – Carbonmade.com – The Online Portfolio For The Masses
The traditional photo album portfolio is slowly dissipating, Online portfolios are a convenient way to keep your work up to date. It is also more convenient for the person viewing the portfolio, when you hand someone a business card with the web address to your portfolio, it gives them the option to check out your portfolio at there leisure, when they have the time to thoroughly go threw it. I’m not saying that the old fashion printed portfolio is a bad thing, in fact some times its better to get a client in-front of you while there going through your work (that way you can use your charm to possibly land a job).
But I wanted to talk to you about an online portfolio service that is FREE, and I am still using to this day.
CarbonMade.com is a simple to use online portfolio service. There simple design is modern and stylish, but simple enough to not take away from your work. Just sign up for your free account that lets you have a total of 5 projects (subjects or categories) and a total of 35 images. The paid for version costs $12 a month and you get 500 images & 10 videos, domain binding plus video and flash projects. I am currently using the free version, being only able to have 35 images keeps it short but sweet, and I have to be very picky about the images I show.
CarbonMade.com is a great way to get your work out there, and its not only for photographers, there are many web designers, illustrators, fine artists and graphic designers using carbonmade.com as well.
You can check out my personal portfolio as-well as many others at www.skotniczny.carbonmade.com
Book Review: Scott Kelby, The Digital Photography Book
Scott Kelby is a well know publisher of of many digital photography and photoshop books. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), also he co-host the video podcast Photoshop User TV.
Scott Kelby’s The Digital Photography Book‘s come in three volumes, and I highly recommend them to any beginner, amateur or even a pro. Scott Kelby covers a wide range of photography subjects in his book’s, ranging from shooting weddings, landscapes, sports, and portraits just to name a few. Through out his three volume he covers how to make the most of your flash, building a studio from scratch, travel photography and even printing your photos.
All these subject compacted into three books might seem like to much, but the way Scott Kelby has written his books make for a great experience. The three books are not the straight forward and rigid step by step books you may usual read. Reading these books is like having Scott standing next to you when your out taking photos, its like his there giving you tips and advice when you need it. I can’t tell you how many times I have resorted back to these books for ideas and tips.
More or less the same subjects are brought up in each book, with the exception of a few subjects, but each book build up with more advanced tips as you go through them.
I think that this is a series of books that every photographer should have on hand. Also check out Scott Kelby’s web site, and if your interested in photoshop check out the video podcast he co-hosts Photoshop User TV.
You can order his books here on Amazon.com in either the box set or individual volumes.
