SmallHD DP-6

In my book, this is the Cadillac of video monitors for the HDSLR! The DP-6 from SmallHD ROCKS!!!

Note: This video was shot with the D7000…compare it with this video shot with the D4. Both shot under the same conditions but you should see a big jump in quality with the D4. I do!

Wow…What a Response…Thanks!

Thanks for all the emails folks…lemme answer the most common questions for you. The B&H Event Space is simply a really cool place to be! The response from all of you who attended has been over the top, thanks ever so much! David Brommer deserves a ton of credit and thanks by all who present and learn in this great space! And David has his hands full when he brings the Mooser in! I did two presentations last Thursday, one I simply unpacked my Think Tank and talked about the gear I shoot with. Images from my last six weeks on the road appeared in the background, D4 features talked about in videos, etc. This class was video tapped and should appear on the B&H network in the near future.

Now my other class was a first for B&H and David and his taking it on just goes to show you how far he will go to help photographers learn. Now I’m a Windows guy, always have been but the Event Space is set up for Macs so when I show up, all hell breaks loose (and for other reasons too). My insistence of doing The Crit class with my Windows machine so I could use CS6 delayed the start of the class so some who traveled a great distance to have me say something about your photos, did have your images hit the screen. You’ve already heard from David (because he is a pro!) and know I’ll be back this fall and we’re going to take care of you. But, this class was not recorded so it won’t appear on the B&H network, sorry. We have a couple great classes planned for this fall so stay tuned though. And thanks for all the NYC Love…it was great!!!

Jay & B&H 800 #

212-502-6307

877-865-8960

The guy who took care of me for soooo many years getting me the film I needed, Jay @ B&H, well I finally met him and it was GREAT!!! Now he runs the place and he’s there to take care of you! Well, the phone sales at least and in one of life’s great ironies, he runs the Moose 800 hotline at B&H! It’s now all working, got the bugs out and I’ve met with all the guys who will be taking your calls and orders and it’s all good. You call either of these numbers and you’ll get personalized, like Moose assistance and at times, some exclusive deals. The more you use it, the more we can expand it to help you even more. And if you get Jay, tell him Moose sent ya. He’s the best!

I Can’t Get Enough of that Skyline!

I saw this great, iconic sign while in Manhattan and called my skyline fixer and asked if he had access to get the shot and sure enough, a few moments later I was in place. The New Yorker is a sign you can see easily around town but I was looking for an iconic click especially since we had clouds. The shot is not perfect since I don’t have perfect cemetery but it’s a great start. I look forward to making it better next time.

While up there, there was NO way I wasn’t going to ignore the rest of the skyline! I’m not sure what it is, the shapes, colors, water towers, combination there of but whatever it is, the lines just speak to me and I’ve got to photograph them. The architecture is absolutely gorgeous and the transition between new and old just grabs my attention. I am seriously working towards a rooftop workshop where we just shoot these things. I mean, this is just a “noon” light kind of shot and I love them. Just think what it would be like at sunrise, sunset or twilight?!!! You should be asking how I got the buildings so square? Did I use a PC lens? Nope…I went up to them, I shot across to them and not up on them. That makes all the difference in the world. Oh yeah…all these photos are 5 image HDR handheld images shot with D4 & 24-70AFS. No way you can see into the shadows these canyons create without it.

Say Hi Gabe!

Some say it’s the gear, some say it’s the person behind the camera but in my years, I’ve come to appreciate the positive influence friends make on my photography. This is my bud Gabe, some of you might have seen him at various events like NAPP Training but he’s the guy at B&H who takes damn good care of me (like getting my my D4!). He introduced me to the skies of Manhattan and the delicious pastrami at Katz Deli. Thanks my friend!

And my favorite shot from the flight. The difference from the other images is the direction of light and the elevation the shots were taken. What a morning!

There’s This Great Resource…

I wrote Captured for just one person…YOU! This 400pg, 3lbs book is chuck full of technique, trivia, biology and technology not to mention a bad joke or two. With nesting season upon us, with summer safari season around the corner and time to start thinking about fall rut (yikes!), this might just be the resource you need. Give Sharon a call 661.204.1506, she’d be happy to send you a copy.

CS6 Tilt & Shift

You might remember I posted a number of images that I called the “miniature” effect. It required a vivid imagination and the gorgeous 24PC-E lens. I loved that lens and used it for my ultra panos and for creating miniatures. Now just what is a “minature” you’re asking?

If you look at the top image and compare it to the image below it, you’ll see bands of out of focus. This along with the perspective give you the feel of looking at little models rather then real life, full scale items. In this case, there are the B-25s lined up at the Doolittle’s Raiders reunion a couple of weeks back (a little Nik’s CEP4 Split Grad action is going on in the top image). This though wasn’t taken with a 24PC-E but rather a 24-70AFS lens.

One of the new filters in Photoshop CS-6 is Tilt Shift. Bottomline, you don’t need to own a tilt shift lens anymore to create this effect. In fact, you can create it on the fly on any image you like taken with any lens you like with any effect and any point, YOU like! No, it’s not a big deal. It’s just fun and anything photographic that is just fun works for me!

The New WT-5A

I’ve been hooking up DSLR ever since they first came out and for the most part, I’d rather dance with a porcupine. The connections were just that painful. Well, not is such the case with the new WT-5A for the D4! I so remember making the tech calls in the past trying to getting the camera to talk to the network, no calls required with the WT-5A. You screw it into the side, follow the instructions step by step and 3min later, I can’t believe that, 3min later and I could see the images appear on my iPad!

You might be wondering and you should be asking why a wildlife photographer would want a WT-5A? If you look back, you’ll see I have a huge track record of trying to shoot remotely while having control. It started by with the F3AF and the special prism that permitted wired remote operation. It hasn’t stopped and now that the WT-5A, the possibilities are amazing. The WT-5A just arrived in the office between trips so I’ve only been able to confirm set up is a snap. But the fact that WT-5A makes the D4 it’s own “hot point” gives the meaning of remote firing all new possibilities. I can’t wait to get back and field test this unit!

Many have said and rightly so, it’s expensive. I’ve yet to see a worthy camera accessory that wasn’t expensive. Many of emailed me about some of the inexpensive units that seem to work with the D4. I’ve not seen them and probably won’t. While they might work, I will stick with the WT-5A if for no other reason, it works perfectly the first time I plugged it in. Seriously, Live View viewing and operation right on the iPad…sick! I can’t say that about any other unit in the past that I tried. You can learn more about the WT-5A here and watch the blog, more’s to come I’m sure!

B&H Event Center…Here I Come!

While the two events are sold out, I just wanted to say thanks and look forward to meeting, talking and seeing your images Thursday!

G+ Photog Conference – YOU NEED to be there!

I would give anything to be at the Google+ Photographers Conference! If I could, I would clone myself just to be there (I’ll be in SD shooting that week). Why? It’s all about photography, friends and moving that bar forward. I know the instructors, all good friends and full of inspiration! I’ve heard from many of you who will be there making me want to be there even more. So here’s the deal, since I can’t be there, I need you to go and then tell me, in a nice way, all that I missed! If you’re not signed up, do it today, your photography and inspiration will thank you later!

Scott Kelby’s Guest Blogger

Copper Hill

You might remember a few weeks back my looking for and finding an easy and inexpensive way to clean my sensor brushes. Well, during that process I went looking for other sensor cleaning solutions. My current MLP Ed sent me a great product shot he had done of Copper Hill brushes so it made me think about their products. I contacted them and while I was in Dayton, their box arrived. I just got to FL and my first opportunity to work with them. THEY ROCK!!! First, their brushes are gorgeous and really inexpensive. Next, their cleaning swabs are killer (seen pictured here)! You use a “common handle” over and over again, simply swapping out the cleaning cloth. This is not only environmentally friendly and really inexpensive, its the same basic system (but not the tools) Nikon uses to clean sensors. I can carry the one handle and a tone of cleaning swabs for pennies and no space with the Copper Hill system. So while I love Visible Dust, I’m switching to Copper Hill!

Exposure is Very Personal!

I put it in words the best I can, check it out. Who knows, it might just help your exposure

iPad BT Journal

Thanks to ALL of you for pounding the subscriptions of our iPad version of our BT Journal! With the release of our first back issue, a whole bunch of confusion seems to have risen. Magazine subscriptions through iTunes like many things iTunes & Apple aren’t like what you are use to. This is a prime example. When we released the 15.2 Back Issue, iTunes just tells you a new issue is available. There is no means of indicating it’s a back issue which is why I created the blog, video, cover art for the next issue in the subscription in attempt to explain to folks what was happening. Like any back issue, they are not part of a subscription since they are, a back issue. We will be bringing out more and more of our back issues over time but they are not part of your subscription. Volumes of the BT Journal increase with a subscription. The Premier issue was 15.3, the next issue in the subscription will be 15.4, the “D4″ issue with the kit fox on the cover. We can’t just make those kinds of changes or announcements via iTunes, they simply aren’t set up yet for that. Apologize for the confusion but not sure what else we can do to explain this “new” system of magazine delivery.

iPad BT Journal – 1st Back Issue Released!

We’re getting better! Our latest issue of the iPad BT Journal was accepted by iTunes the first time and we’re excited to bring it to you. We worked hard to greatly expand this incredibly popular issue of our Journal. Brent was constantly asking for more images, more images which he inserted into this issue. When he went to my Triple Scoop account and got some music and my huge video library and grabbed a number of segments, I was getting really excited and he does not dissapoint. This is a great issue waiting for you!

Your response to the iPad version of the BT Journal has us working on more and more issues. Now this issue is a “back issue” and can be purchased singularly. If you bought a subscription, you can simply click and get it. All of these things you can do in app.

BT Journal Premiere Digital Issue - FREE!Ipad version released 03.30.12 – FREE! (click on icon) Subscriptions like anything iPad is purchased through iTunes. At this time, subscription to hard copy will not include digital copy. Back issues and issues released before the start date of your subscription not included.

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