***Official Ants Photography Thread***

[Benny003]

Originally Posted by mattyande

I feel like I haven't been putting together image collections for a while. Here's a set of images from a trip to San Francisco last November...

http://matt-he-wanders-on.com/2013/0...san-francisco/

What was the deal with the fire in the street?

I really liked the photos you shot while on the road.

[mattyande]

Originally Posted by Benny003

What was the deal with the fire in the street?

I really liked the photos you shot while on the road.

We got there when it was already blazing... someone had shoved a mattress out of a window... Don't know if it was on fire before or after the plunge...

[41ravens]

what do you all use computer-wise for editing? not software, but hardware. my wife is a photog and she's looking to upgrade from our current laptop. any must-have specs? preference between pc or mac?

[Benny003]

Originally Posted by 41ravens

what do you all use computer-wise for editing? not software, but hardware. my wife is a photog and she's looking to upgrade from our current laptop. any must-have specs? preference between pc or mac?

I'm using a computer I built myself a couple years ago. The main things I would say are a quad-core processor (outputting high-res photos and/or creating HDR photos takes a lot of processing power) and at least 6GB to 8GB of ram (photo editing software eats up ram, the more you give it the more it will use basically, which makes it run faster). I'm partial to Intel processors and Corsair ram if you're picking brands of components. SSD drives help for the operating system to load software fast, but I keep my photos (photo library) on a RAID-1 array that uses standard hard drives because they are a much better bang for the buck for large storage volumes. Plus, the redundancy from RAID-1 of course. I like Western Digital hard drives for standard drives.

Apple makes good computers, but you really do pay a premium. Basically a good Apple desktop is pretty comparable to a high-end desktop from Dell in terms of hardware quality. Using Apple's OS instead of Windows isn't going to do anything any better compared with the other. Just use whatever you're used to.

[mattyande]

Another sad day in the photo world... The Times, they are a'changin'...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,4361142.story

[Benny003]

I just heard about that. I don't run a newspaper, but in an industry where content is king I'm not sure why it makes sense to seriously degrade the quality of their content.

[cbotnyse]

Originally Posted by Benny003

I just heard about that. I don't run a newspaper, but in an industry where content is king I'm not sure why it makes sense to seriously degrade the quality of their content.

and not only that, but to say you're going to focus on video. I know I hate watching videos online, specifically if it comes to the news. Video in the field is also much more difficult to capture. I think this was just a freak out move. They will end up hiring freelancers like crazy. I am not declaring photojournalism dead yet!

[daveshookme]

Originally Posted by mattyande

Another sad day in the photo world... The Times, they are a'changin'...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,4361142.story

Originally Posted by Benny003

I just heard about that. I don't run a newspaper, but in an industry where content is king I'm not sure why it makes sense to seriously degrade the quality of their content.

Originally Posted by cbotnyse

and not only that, but to say you're going to focus on video. I know I hate watching videos online, specifically if it comes to the news. Video in the field is also much more difficult to capture. I think this was just a freak out move. They will end up hiring freelancers like crazy. I am not declaring photojournalism dead yet!

I'm not sure why they'd think video can replace photographs. They're two entirely different mediums, and I think a well shot photograph is able to capture emotions far better than a video can. I hope this doesn't become the industry norm. I don't think it will, though.

[Benny003]

I'm thinking the big reason to layoff the photo staff is purely to hire freelancers to do the job instead. The reason being is that the overhead costs to use a freelancer is WAY less than using someone on staff. There is no health insurance and no camera equipment to buy. I read somewhere else where someone estimated the paper will save $12,000 to $15,000 per employee per year just in overhead costs by using a freelancer instead.

[mattyande]

My new fine art, landscape, and street photography website is coming along well... Stop by and check it out in its current form:

http://matt-he-wanders-on.com/

The shopping cart function seems to be down right now, but it should be fixed soon. I'll be expanding the galleries substantially soon, and adding information regarding custom ordering.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! The website looks very different on computers vs. mobile, so make sure to visit both ways!

[Benny003]

Looks nice. Just one small comment, the blog pages only have the time of when they were created and not the date.

[mattyande]

Originally Posted by Benny003

Looks nice. Just one small comment, the blog pages only have the time of when they were created and not the date.

Hmmm... that's interesting... can't find a setting to fix that either... I'll hit the support forums...

[mattyande]

Originally Posted by Benny003

Looks nice. Just one small comment, the blog pages only have the time of when they were created and not the date.

Thanks for pointing that out, Ben!

I figured out how to fix it, and it's pretty empowering. It's making me re-think my use of Livebooks for my main website. I'm never super thrilled with their customer service, so maybe I'll need to go my own way when I get a little more confident using other techniques.

[TMoore4075]

Alright need some advice. I'm in the market, or will be, for a new digital camera. I'm not in a huge rush to buy one so I've been taking my time. I've come down to two camera. There is a high-end point and shoot camera by Canon that does quite a bit of what you can do with an SLR. Obviously not everything or not to the extent in some ares but nice features and has a 50x optical zoom. The Canon SX50. It usually runs around $400 and on Amazon can get a bundle with a case, memory card and crap for only $50 more.

My other option is to venture into the world of SLR at the entry level with a Canon T3. It's pretty simple so I like that for staring out.

Not sure anyone can really give me advice here or not but figured worth the ask. Will take pictures of my son a lot and hoping to use those for Christmas cards and stuff. Nature shots around my property. Lots of birds, squirrels and a fox and other animals are around. Also go to the zoo a lot with my son. Also want it for vacations. Going to Disney sometime next year and sometime in the next two years back on an Alaskan cruise.

Price difference isn't huge. Any feedback would be great.

[Benny003]

Well based on what you plan to shoot (seems to be lots of potential for moving subjects) I would get the DSLR. The point-and-shoot will not be good for shooting moving subjects compared to a DSLR because of shutter lag and speed of autofocus acquisition. First lens I would recommend buying after the kit lens would be a 35mm or 50mm f/1.8 (or similar lens). You'll appreciate it after you start taking photos of your son indoors with it. The only reason I don't say skip the kit lens altogether is because you want to photograph things that probably won't be very physically close to you. The kit lens will be almost worthless indoors because it won't let in enough light to shoot without a flash (same with the point-and-shoot).

[mattyande]

I'm getting to the point now where I recommend against getting an SLR for almost anyone who's asking for a camera recommendation. My logic is that if you needed a camera with SLR capabilities, you'd probably already know it. Ben has a great point, that if you're shooting moving objects, an SLR is very beneficial. That being said, I'd consider another interchangeable lens system that allows for better performance but stays more compact. SLR's and their associated lenses are big, and a pain to carry. My vote is almost always for the smaller, more accessible camera, unless you have a very specific reason for something else.

[Benny003]

Originally Posted by mattyande

I'm getting to the point now where I recommend against getting an SLR for almost anyone who's asking for a camera recommendation. My logic is that if you needed a camera with SLR capabilities, you'd probably already know it. Ben has a great point, that if you're shooting moving objects, an SLR is very beneficial. That being said, I'd consider another interchangeable lens system that allows for better performance but stays more compact. SLR's and their associated lenses are big, and a pain to carry. My vote is almost always for the smaller, more accessible camera, unless you have a very specific reason for something else.

My only problem with that is you don't start seeing high quality (DSLR image quality) compact cameras until you start spending $1000+. If image quality is a priority, then it's hard to beat a low end DSLR for the price. If compactness is priority #1, then something like a Nikon J1 or Sony NEX or that type of thing would probably be good in terms of being cost effective. If compactness and image quality have equal priority, then that's when it starts getting expensive. Although maybe the Sony NEX cameras are reasonably priced now with good image quality. I haven't been keeping up with those.

[mattyande]

Originally Posted by Benny003

My only problem with that is you don't start seeing high quality (DSLR image quality) compact cameras until you start spending $1000+. If image quality is a priority, then it's hard to beat a low end DSLR for the price. If compactness is priority #1, then something like a Nikon J1 or Sony NEX or that type of thing would probably be good in terms of being cost effective. If compactness and image quality have equal priority, then that's when it starts getting expensive. Although maybe the Sony NEX cameras are reasonably priced now with good image quality. I haven't been keeping up with those.

Yeah, it's definitely a trade-off, but most people can get all the image quality they'll ever need out of a Canon S110. Much like golf clubs and guitars, the average person (someone who doesn't intend to teach themselves with lots of study and practice) will often buy what makes them feel "professional" even though the equipment has very little to do with it. From a practical perspective, you're way more likely to carry a nice pocket camera with you frequently, meaning you capture many more important moments. It's why I think if you "need" that new SLR body or lens, you'll already know it and don't need to ask

[Benny003]

I agree on all of that, but in the case of TMoore it sounded like he would be shooting things that move fairly often and/or in low light. A point-and-shoot camera, although cheaper and smaller with decent image quality, will simply not do a great job of capturing moving objects and will be extremely mediocre at low light. The only way you would truly know if you need a DSLR or not is if you already have a camera that is not performing a desired function that a DSLR would. It's a little hard for me to recommend to someone that they always buy a cheaper, smaller camera first simply so they can determine what camera they really need, unless they have a great return policy or something.

[mattyande]

Originally Posted by Benny003

I agree on all of that, but in the case of TMoore it sounded like he would be shooting things that move fairly often and/or in low light. A point-and-shoot camera, although cheaper and smaller with decent image quality, will simply not do a great job of capturing moving objects and will be extremely mediocre at low light. The only way you would truly know if you need a DSLR or not is if you already have a camera that is not performing a desired function that a DSLR would. It's a little hard for me to recommend to someone that they always buy a cheaper, smaller camera first simply so they can determine what camera they really need, unless they have a great return policy or something.

You're right. I don't disagree on your recommendation. My feelings towards "less is more" always tend to guide my recommendations. I feel like too often people buy way more than they need or tend to utilize, and it's a shame.

Now that I said all that... this really piqued my interest
http://www.pdnonline.com/gear/Fujifi...2&utm_content=

[Benny003]

Originally Posted by mattyande

You're right. I don't disagree on your recommendation. My feelings towards "less is more" always tend to guide my recommendations. I feel like too often people buy way more than they need or tend to utilize, and it's a shame.

Now that I said all that... this really piqued my interest
http://www.pdnonline.com/gear/Fujifi...2&utm_content=

I saw that was announced yesterday. I like the idea behind it, but I'm very skeptical of it not having a viewfinder. I know they do that to make it compact, but I think I would have trouble trying to take "serious" photos holding it away from my face.

I'm still loving the X100s. It's such a great size and I don't feel like I'm compromising on quality at all (well except compared to the D800, but that should be a given). I recently had a 16x20 print made from a photo I shot with it and it turned out great. It's pretty much the perfect walk-around camera for me.

[mattyande]

I don't think anyone else here uses Livebooks to create a website, but just in case, it might be time to start exploring other options. I'm having problems with a service that they recently acquired, and rumors are spreading that they're going to be folding soon. I'm going to start working on alternatives right now.

https://getsatisfaction.com/fotomoto...y_notification

[AJF_41]

i don't think matt or ben will get anything from this.
but others should, i did.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/incred...ne-should-know

[Benny003]

Originally Posted by mattyande

I don't think anyone else here uses Livebooks to create a website, but just in case, it might be time to start exploring other options. I'm having problems with a service that they recently acquired, and rumors are spreading that they're going to be folding soon. I'm going to start working on alternatives right now.

https://getsatisfaction.com/fotomoto...y_notification

You might want to look at Photoshelter. This summer they are going to be rolling out portfolio sites to add onto their options. They are going to be built in HTML5 I believe (or something similar), so they will be dynamic without using flash. I can't wait to try it once it comes out.

Of course Photoshelter would be a little wasted if you don't have any need for storing your photos, but it's super nice for being able to securely distribute photos to clients. You can create pricing profiles and checkout options (including built-in print fulfillment using a variety of print labs and they just added WHCC in the last couple weeks) extremely easily or you can simply create a login account for clients and make a custom gallery that only they have access to download the full resolution files. Plus, everything you upload gets stored securely and you can set it up to automatically apply your watermark for display on the site and it has built-in right-click disabled by default.

If you have any need for people to license or buy your photos through your site, Photoshelter is absolutely amazing. If you use a Graph Paper Press wordpress theme on your blog or portfolio site you can have Photoshelter automatically merge with the theme so the sites have consistent appearance.

Here is my Photoshelter site:

http://benckphotos.photoshelter.com/gallery-list

I need to upgrade my blog to a new theme to better merge with Photoshelter.

Originally Posted by AJF_41

i don't think matt or ben will get anything from this.
but others should, i did.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/incred...ne-should-know

There were some neat tricks in there that I wasn't aware of. I wish I knew about that trick to remove tourists from photos when I was in Europe last year.

[Jwarren244]

Benny what HDR program(s) do you use?

[Benny003]

Originally Posted by Jwarren244

Benny what HDR program(s) do you use?

Nik HDR Efex Pro 2. It's awesome. It makes it much easier to make HDR photos compared to other programs I had tried.

[Jwarren244]

Cool. Thanks. I usually pull my photos from bridge and then merge them in photoshop, but that has seemed limited.

[daveshookme]

I got some great colors during the fireworks the other night but the framing was off on just about all of them. Any tips or tricks for shooting fireworks other than learning where they've been exploding and aiming there?

this one's probably my favorite that I've sorted through so far.

[AJF_41]

the couple times i did it, i went wide, then cropped as needed.

or learn where they are going go be..

[skwormin]

here's an album with 1 days worth of pictures from my recent trip to Maui

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=636b4025b3


side note - what does everyone use to print your photos? I'm thinking about getting some printed and framed, but have heard there are better options out there than walgreens. Or maybe getting a canvas print would be nice.