Mar
28
Fire Island
Filed Under Personal Insights
Archive for March, 2008
Mar
23
Nikon MB-D10
Filed Under Personal Insights
First full test of the vertical grip. It was convenient but the shutter button is more sensitive. I like the extended batt capacity and I don’t mind the weight at all.
My concern is the current ballhead’s quick release (Manfrotto RC4). The QR plate is too big that when installed, it prevents me from using the vertical grip so I leave it off unless I need it. Better but more expensive solution in the future is to replace the ballhead and quick release with RRS type.
Mar
21
Kings Park in HDR
Filed Under Personal Insights
About two years ago, when HDR was starting to get popular in Flickr, I bought a couple of programs including Photomatix Pro and Lucis Art. I did like the look then but my taste changed. Both programs were forgotten until now. I still don’t prefer HDR if possible since it also takes too many steps to make a single image but if used correctly, it could make an image more interesting.
This image was taken handheld with 5 exposures using the D300’s very flexible bracketing function. The RAW images were opened in Photomatix then transferred to CS3 for some final touches (the grass was brighter than the structure so I did some minor D&B).
I don’t think the "auto align" function of Photomatix did a good job which made the image blur a bit. I’ll do some tests using a tripod next time so I can bypass that auto align function. It is too windy and cold outside at the moment. I think I will set aside this software again for now until I get more time off.
Mar
19
St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2008
Filed Under Personal Insights
My apologies to this group. I told them the parade photos will be posted the same day but work and some computer problems prevented me from doing that. More photos to come soon.
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Mar
7
Fire Island Lighthouse
Filed Under Personal Insights
Thursday is the only time me and Tina spend time together. Wow, how time go so fast! The next thing we know, it was already late in the afternoon. I was curious if we can see the sunset from Robert Moses State Park. It turns out, the sunset was in the opposite side of our position and will require a substantial amount of walking so going there so late in the afternoon, we just decided to take the 3/4 mile walk towards the lighthouse. What a great place! What right timing! The sun was already setting and the sky was filled with colors and patterns. Because the sun sets in just a matter of minutes, it will require me a couple of trips there in order to photograph the beauty of the place. I can’t believe I haven’t spent much time there. This will definitely be my destination for a couple of days.
Unfortunately, this is a hell weekend for me. I’ll be spending about 17 hours at my job on Saturday being a counselor and a photography at the same time because we are going to the city to watch a broadway show. The predicted rain is definitely not helping at all. Sunday will be a trip to the city too as I will meet a friend from the Philippines who will be staying with us for a week. This will be a perfect excuse to drive to Montauk for more lighthouse shots. 
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Captree State Park is another destination near Robert Moses that I have not been to. This will be a busy springtime for me.
Mar
6
Dead Tree
Filed Under Personal Insights
I forgot to mention that imago2007’s photographs, this one in particular, inspired me to do nature photography in monochrome.
I have to remind myself to set a goal every time I go out to limit the number of lenses and other camera accessories I need to bring on a nature shoot. Bird photography requires me to bring the Sigma 50-500mm but useless for close-up and macro shots because it is heavy and cumbersome to work with. I prefer the 70-200mm f2.8 VR, probably the 50mm f1.8, and a couple of teleconverters. The flash is also nice to have but I think hell will freeze over before I can learn how to use that darn thing consistently!
This hastily taken photo of a dead tree was processed entirely in Lightroom. Just a quick exercise. I promise to do better next time.
The DOF preview button is a joy to have! I never had that with the D50.
