January 31, 2009

This is my masterpiece of the week. It’s from last Sunday’s drive and was taken overlooking the Columbia river just off Manilla Creek Road. (Here’s the coordinates on the map). You can click the picture for a bigger view.

I did this with two, three shot HDR images of the scene stitched together as a panorama. The view  was amazing. We stopped here earlier in the day, so I knew it had potential. We moved on, but at sunset came back for the shoot.

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January 23, 2009

We went for a photo drive around the area a few weeks ago. This is an old windmill outside of Ephrata. I used my SUPER wide fisheye lens for these. It distorts a bit, but I like the wide area of view I can capture. These were taken as HDR with my new 5D MK2 camera.

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November 20, 2008

I was a guest on this weeks Camera Dojo podcast with Kerry Garrison talking about all things HDR.

We chatted about the various techniques and tools, and I shared my techniques for HDR portraits. I just listened to myself this afternoon. It felt different being on the guest end, but it was relaxing. This won’t be in the PPS podcast feed, but If you’re interested head over the Camera Dojo and give a listen. While your at it you can drop by iTunes and subscribe to their showGavin

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October 26, 2008

For my last recreational shoot I went down by Leavenworth for the afternoon and drove up Highway 2. The fall colors were amazing. This old pipeline bridge is now a footpath, and spans the Wenatchee river looked really cool. I got some other neat shots of the river itself so stay tune.  I also found a little chipmunk friend who was busy making a dinner of some strange bugs. He started to get used to me after a few minutes, and his dining experience more important than avoiding my camera.

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September 3, 2008

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This weeks Cool Photo Product(s) Of The Week

This weeks gadget comes in various types, but you’ll find plenty of links to various options. The bottom line is that you should ABSOLUTELY have a cable release in your bag.

The release is basically a button that connects to your camera (occasionally wireless, but usually wired) that allows you to trip the shutter, and often allows you to lock it open (using Bulb mode on the camera) for long exposures. It’s also important for long exposures as you don’t have to “touch” the camera.

The lock button is invaluable for night images and if you’ve never done long exposure night photography, you owe it to yourself to try it. It’s pretty amazing what can come out of a camera after a multi-minute exposure. I’ve shot exposures to over 60 minutes with some neat results.
The release is also perfect for the portrait, commercial, or any other type of photographer; allowing you to set the camera on a pod, and shoot without leaning over it. Great for shooting while interacting a subject.

Last but not least I almost always use a release for shooting my HDR sequences because again I don’t have to touch (and thus shake) the camera. So now that you know you want one, here a few options…

Canon RS-80N3: Is what I use. It’s fits most newer Canons, has a lock, and works great. Runs about 50- on B&H

Canon TC-80N3: Is the big brother to the RS80. It runs close to 150- but offer a digital screen with a timer, This is perfect is you plan on a lot of long exposures.

Nikon MC30: This is for most of the Nikon line N90-D3 range. Again at about 50- it’s simple but effective.

Nikon MC36: This is the big brother on the Nikon side. Display, timer, and other cool functions for about 130- Again a good choice to the person who does a lot of long exposures.

Now there’s other models available, some from third parties as well, and also if you shoot other camera brands. Just search around. This is one piece if kit you should not be without.

Gavin Seim

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