Get A Grip

Posted on October 8, 2011 by pragnotion

Watching others pick up an SLR camera has been interesting ever since
I started into 35mm SLR photography a few decades ago. Some people 
did it right. Others were a little more “creative” to the point of being quite
amusing. Today, it is no different with digital SLRs. Most people grip the
camera with their right hand properly, but some are unaware how they
should place their left hand.

There is a right way to grip an SLR camera (digital or 35mm film) that
will enable the photographer to properly support the camera, maintain
pointing control for composition, and release the shutter in a steady
manner as to avoid introducing unnecessary camera shake. To this end,
I wrote a tutorial on Holding a Digital SLR Camera. So go ahead, get a grip.

With this blog entry, I am taking this blog site online, in conjunction with the web site which I took online a few days ago.

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Using High ISO Setting for Dimly Lit Scenes

Posted on October 7, 2011 by pragnotion

Ealier this week, I attended my son’s high school band Fall Concert.
The stage was lit and the house lights were very dim. I set my camera’s
ISO setting to its maximum 3200, took a few test shots and adjusted
the exposure to compensate for the black curtain background. Together
with the lens’ vibration reduction (VR) feature, the high ISO setting
allowed me to take photos that naturally rendered all of the band
members, handheld and without the use of flash.

It is amazing how far photography has come with the advent of digital
technology and high sensitivity image sensors. The ability to shoot in
low light by setting the ISO high has enlightened photographers to new
opportunities. With this inspiration, I wrote my first tutorial on
using high ISO settings to capture dimly lit scenes without a flash.

Take a look at the other pictures of the evening’s performances.

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Taking PragNotion Photo Online

Posted on October 3, 2011 by pragnotion

Today, I’m taking www.PragNotion.com/photo publicly online and
submitting it to the search engines to open the readership to the public.
As part of this debut, I completed the first feature article, 
    “Digital SLR Buying Guide”
It is intended to help amateur photographers navigate the upgrade from
a point-and-shoot camera to a digital SLR. I hope some of you will find it
useful and timely for the 2011 Christmas/holiday shopping season.

Btw, I have not taken this PragNotion Photo Blog site publicly online yet.
This will follow soon.

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She Sells Sea Shells

Posted on October 2, 2011 by pragnotion

It is the first day of fall in Orlando. Instead of the usual 94°F with 80%
humidity and afternoon thunderstorms that you can set your clocks by,
the high today was only a comfortable 85°F with humidity of only 35%.
Nice! This is the beginning of the best time of year for Central Florida.

What could be nicer? Enjoying some still life photography outdoors by
the pool.

I took this picture about 40 minutes before sunset, to take advantage of the warm light.

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One Man’s Junk Is Another Man’s Still Life

Posted on September 24, 2011 by pragnotion

My wife held a garage sale this morning, along with the neighbors.
Among a few other items, she was looking to clear out a set of
souvenir bongos. I can’t help but to take a few still life shots of
this bongo with its color and texture.

Yet another perspective.

It goes to show, one man’s junk is another man’s still life subject. I wonder how much we can fetch for this item if we took it to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and sold it as a souvenir? ;-)

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Backyard Pictures

Posted on September 24, 2011 by pragnotion

Sometimes you don’t have to go far to take pictures. It could literally be
in your own backyard. I took these pictures at 8:32 AM this morning.
Though it was almost an hour and a half after sunrise, the light was still
beautiful with the sun relatively low on the horizon. The puffy white
clouds caught my eye while scrubbing the pool this morning. I just had
to pick up the camera.

Here’s a quick study on varying the points of focus. Fence post or trees? The stark contrast between the white plastic fence (lit up nicely by the morning sun) and the green trees struck me. I composed this shot to enhanced that contrast (using the perspective of the fence line).

 

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College Campuses

Posted on September 17, 2011 by pragnotion

Today, the family took a tour of Rollins College. It is the first college tour for
my second child. Though just down the street from our home, Rollins is one
of the finest private colleges anywhere. The campus is also known for its fine
architecture. Naturally, I took every oppotunity to sneak a few shots here
and there during the campus tour.

Rollins College

College campuses in general can make good subjects in you’re into architecture. Take a look at the rest of my Rollins College gallery.

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San Diego: Day 3

Posted on August 4, 2011 by pragnotion

Day 2

Day 2 was a non-existent day, photography-wise. It was a long day at my
day job, followed by a “team building” dinner. I enjoyed it nonetheless, but
there were no photographic opportunties.

Day 3

Day 3 was a shorter work day. I successfully completed my briefing for my
day job (the reason for my trip). It was a huge load off my mind. So I felt
very much at ease during my afternoon excursion for my hobby.

Shelter Island Marina

Afterwards, I drove up to Point Loma, hoping to catch a view of the city from such a great vantage point. Along the way, I stopped by Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. What a beautiful setting. Between the picturesque setting and the sacrifices of our troops, I was very moved.

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

After sunset, I made my way to Harbor Island, to shoot the night-time view of San Diego skyline.

San Diego skyline at night

While I was taking these shots, I wondered why the buildings did not have many lights on. I finally figured out that it was because during the summer, dusk is later than usual (sunset was at 7:40 PM today) so most of the office workers were long gone, and lights were turned off in this “green”, energy conscious world.

Note to Self: better to take these pictures during the winter, when the sun sets around 5 PM and workers are still in their offices with the lights on.

After this evening’s excursions, I didn’t get to eat dinner until 9:30 PM, which is very late by my standards. I was bushed from such a full day at my day job and hobby. But it was a great day! Worth every moment for the pictures.

Take a look at my San Diego gallery and Behind-The-Scenes.

Posted in landscape, night-time, notes to self | Comments Off

San Diego: Day 1

Posted on August 2, 2011 by pragnotion

Just six weeks after I jump started my photography hobby, I was very
fortunate to take a business trip (for my day job) to beautiful San Diego,
California. I am very excited, since this is my first photographic “trip”.
Well, that is after I finish my day job responsibilities each day. The
evening was mine. I had the prime hours prior to sunset, when the light
was optimal for the west coast shorelines. What a treat.

Torrey Pines City Beach Park

Here’s one of my first serious attempts at taking a sunset picture. This is La Jolla Cove.

La Jolla sunset

Take a look at my San Diego gallery and Behind-The-Scenes.

Posted in landscape, sunrise & sunsets, travel | Comments Off

Nikon vs. Canon

Posted on July 24, 2011 by pragnotion

NikonMy first camera was a Canon AE-1 35mm film SLR, bought in 1985 after graduating from high school. I could not afford a Nikon then. And ever since, I have had what I call “Nikon envy”. While Canon has come a long way since then, particularly with digital imaging and D-SLR technology (and some would argue that Canon has surpassed Nikon), I went with the Nikon line because of ergonomics, their legacy of Nikkor lens, and industrial design of their camera bodies.

Ergonomically, I like the Nikon D5000 from the placement and operation of the power (on/off) button, allowing you to pick up the camera with your right hand, flip the power button on with your index finger, and then push the shutter release button half-way down to focus your picture. Another example is Nikon’s menu navigation with the cursor control around the center “OK” button on the back panel. I did not like Canon’s rotating ring design.

Nikon D5000 (picture courtesy of Nikon Inc.)

Though I would never dream of buying any of Nikkor’s coveted professional-grade lenses that made Nikon famous, I assume that there is some “trickle down” know-how in the consumer-grade and prosumer-grade lenses (someday I hope to experience the latter).

The look and feel of the Nikon D-SLR camera bodies appeal to me. While this is a very subjective area, Nikon’s industrial design agree with me like that of Apple Computer (iPod, iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro) appeal to the computing masses. I appreciate how Nikon designed the general proportions and shape of the camera body to the characteristic “hump” of the SLR penta-mirror (above the lens). Finally, the rubbery texture of a Nikon camera body is just right.

What about other brands? I will admit that I have only considered Nikons and Canons for SLR and D-SLR cameras. Collectively, I believe they are the best.

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