LENS CAPTURE

Vol. 1 No. 31
I figured there were a few things to blog about, so why not post them as a collection of items.


No Reservation Required
This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, 2009, Manhattanhenge (sometimes referred to as the Manhattan Solstice) will occur in which the sun aligns with the east-west streets of Manhattan's main street grid. Best viewing will be looking west along 14th, 23rd, 34th and 42nd Streets. B&H Photo/Video Superstore is hosting a free gathering on Sunday at 34th Street & 5th Avenue to photograph the event. You can find out more by visiting their Event Space. You do not need to register to participate.

Another great source of information is the Hayden Planetarium who have posted articles by noted American astrophysicist, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Nikon's 2009-2010 Product Line Leaked
Found on Grafika Online, a Czech site, is a supposedly leaked UK document by an unnamed camera company source, is the entire 2009/2010 dSLR product line. Looks like there's a new camera in my future. I'm already lusting after the D400 - 13.8 MP, 8fps, ISO 6400+, and 1080p video at 24fps - SWEET! Read more at the WIRED Gadget Lab.

Worldwide Photo Walk - July 18
Just a quick reminder that there is still time to sign-up for the Worldwide Photo Walk. The group I am leading at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is already 32 strong, but there are still 18 spots available. You must register to participate in the event to be eligible to compete for some fantastic prizes. There are more than 23,000 people registered participating in 915 Photo Walks worldwide. It will be a great experience, regardless of your skill level - so join us!

Sign-up for the Brooklyn Botanical Garden Walk.

or, register for a different Worldwide Photo Walk.

My mixed bag...
The camera "bag" in the image above is my trusted choice to house my gear. The Lowepro Slingshot 200 All Weather Backpack has safely transported two camera bodies, 4 lenses, and a collection of accessories cross-country and back and forth to Europe several times. The quality and convenience features have shooting out the this bag a pleasure. I always have quick access, with the sling design, to my D300 body with the Nikon 18-200mm VR II zoom lens.

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Today's post is written by guest blogger and friend, Conrad Tinney. A former film shooter, Connie's been "hooked on digital" for the last 3½ years since moving into the high-end dSLR arena. Conrad recently attended the Nikon School during its tour through New York City. Here's his account of the day.

On March 22, 2009 at the Pennsylvania Hotel, here in the great city of New York, The Nikon Corporation held one of its many seminars. The title of the aforementioned gathering was, “Next Steps, Color, Light, Technology”. The guest speakers were Reed Hoffman and Bill Durrence. Both of these gentlemen are long time professional Photographers of great renown, and have been instructing for many years as well.

Photo: © Conrad Tinney
Nikkor 10.5mm Fisheye in Brooklyn Bridge Park

The following six hours were bliss, the audience that included both Professional and Amateurs, film and digital shooters, had many of their photographic questions answered by these masters. Discussed were many of the basic fundamental photographic skills that are the mainstay of the art, and we were continually reminded that we as photographers should always stay focused on the basics, even with the ever-growing digital camera transition.

After the noon lunch break (included with the price of admission) the lecture, combined with a few demonstrations continued. The topics that were covered went from workflow to how to pack for a field trip, resizing images for output, the latest software, and its effect on RAW images. There was also a short talk on lens and how to choose the correct one for the situation. We were given a rather cool demonstration concerning the use of remote flash technology and the benefits of not mounting your flash on the camera hot shoe.

And like any other seminar, Nikon had a product table set up and it was loaded with all sorts of goodies, there was the new SB-900 (which I ran right out and purchased), the 35mm f/1.8GAF-S lens along with the D700 (yum!) and D90 –etc, etc, I could go on for hours but I won’t, what I will do is suggest that the next time Nikon, Canon, or any other camera company or software or anyone having something to do with photography announces that they are scheduling a seminar near your home town, “GO” you might learn something and meet so very interesting people, I did.

It's March already! Where does the time go? I thought it would be a good opportunity to point out some interesting video resources on the photography
scene. With the financial situation the way it is, the good news is these videos are FREE! There's something about free that warms my heart.

Attention: Nikon shooters
Scott Kelby and his trusty sidekick, Matt Kloskowski, over at Kelbytraining.com have done it again. They have created a new weekly video Podcast for Nikon dSLR owners called DTownTV. Each week, Scott and Matt bring you cool tips and tricks, news and accessories for Nikon's Digital SLR cameras. If you own a D-series Nikon camera, you won't want to miss an episode.

Visit DTownTV


The Basics
In searching the iTunes Store Visual Arts section, I ran across several excellent photography video podcasts. Ted Forbes publishes a great weekly video podcast that covers equipment, technique, shooting and a wealth of information for beginners to intermediate users interested in photography. I definitely recommend everyone view Ted's coverage on the Rule of Thirds. His presentation is easy to follow and understand.

Visit The Art of Photography on iTunes


The Longest Day
If you're into photography and reality TV, then I have a video podcast for you! The Longest Day splits 24 top photographers into two teams charged with writing, shooting and editing an original short film about photography. Additionally, each team has to produce a public service announcement (PSA) for their chosen charity. It definitely shows these superstar photographers as real people. I just finished watching the first few episodes and I definitely want to see the result of their efforts culminate into the final videos and Team A & B's PSA.

Visit the Longest Day on iTunes


If you don't already have iTunes, you can download it here: Download iTunes from Apple.com

And remember, you don't need to own an iPod to watch these free podcasts.

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If you're a new digital SLR owner or considering a purchase of a dSLR, this is a great course to take.
I have attended the Nikon School offerings in the past and have always come away with new and helpful information. This seminar is being offered in New York City on Saturday, April 21, 2009 and runs from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm at the Hotel Pennsylvania.

Here are some of the topics to be covered are:

• Understanding ISO, shutter speed and aperture
• Creative use of exposure controls
• Light, composition and framing
• Image resolution and resizing for email and printing

If you just got your first dSLR this past holiday season, or you have had it for a while and it still seems a mystery, this is definitely a good starting point.

If you're interested, sign up here. Act quickly, these courses fill up quickly.