Saturday, May 11, 2013

Two classoc flower shots

I had just purchased my first full frame camera, the Canon 5D, back in the spring of 2008 so I put on a  canon EF 24mm F2,8 lens and went to the Queens Botanical garden. This is a lesson of sorts. Although I was  using a very wide lens, the fact that I was so close to the subject and was shooting at F4, I was able to throw the background out of focus. Also, the full frame helped. A smaller frame camera would have increased the depth of field making this effect more difficult to achieve. I just love these two Images and they
sold me on the 5D that I still have.



Happy Mothers Day

I want to express my appreciation to  mothers everywhere without whom none of us would be here.
I want to express my gratitude to my wonderful and lovely wife Marcy for producing our three treasures, left to right, Josef,  Jennifer and Michael. I want to thank her for putting up with me for all these years. This photo was taken while we were on our way to the celebration of the reopening of the Statue of Liberty after it was restored. The location is of course the Brooklyn Bridge. Time just flies by.


Friday, May 10, 2013

Softball moment / canon 1-D

This was shot back in June of 2006 with the Canon 1-D but I do not recall the zoom I used. I was walking with my camera when I saw a heated softball game and decided to take some pictures. This was one of the better ones.



So it wasn't a rumor after all.

We recently posted a "rumor" from a Chinese site and now the camera is a reality. Congratulations to Olympus on keeping alive the PEN.

Olympus Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of their PEN with an all new Digital PEN E-P5

P5_best_si+14-42+VF-4.jpg WOW, 50 years  have passed since Olympus originated their PEN F half-frame 35mm SLR film camera, and to celebrate, they've brought out  their latest model in the Digital PEN line; the PEN E-P5. This model now holds the top position in the PEN line-up and has borrowed  many features features from their OM-D E-M5.

Some of its basic features include the same 16-megapixel TruePic VI Live MOS image sensor found in the OM-D, FAST AF system, a fast mechanical shutterrated up to 1/8000th of a  second, 5-axis image stabilization and a  new IS-Auto mode that detects camera movement automatically, an intuitive 2x2 dial control interface, built-in Wi-Fi, a tilting 3.0-inch touch screen LCD (1037K dots), and an all new attachable EVF (the VF-4).

The E-P5 is the  now long awaited replacement to the E-P3 from 2011, and from what we gather, it's a worthy successor. With  the E-P5 announcement, Olympus has released new black versions of their M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8, 45mm f/1.8, and 75mm f/1.8 lenses.

17_bl_MF.jpg

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Look ma, no Photoshop.

Photography is really too easy now; it's no longer fun. Way back when you had to work for an image. Here all the dramatic elements came into place. The venue is the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento when it was accessible night or day. Now with all the tourists and controls. this shot cannot be made. It was shot on Kodachrome X at the speed of 64! This would be laughed by the so called photographers of today. No tripod was used, only my steady hand at a 15th of a second with the Canon FT and the Canon 50mm F 1.4 FL lens that was a real gem.


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Two of my favorite flower shots / Canon 20-D

These were shot at the New York Botanic Garden in The Bronx in the Fall of 2007. I just love them and I hope you

will  too.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Remembering Luciano Pavarotti / Nikon FTn

One of the great pleasures of doing what I do or did,  is that I had the opportunity to shoot many people of substance. I do not mean  the so called "celebrities" that are  really unimportant  and actually mediocrities in the news. I mean people that are really famous for their talents. One of them was Luciano Pavarotti that I photographed at an affair at the old Plaza Hotel during a big bash. He was very cordial and friendly and not at all distant or aloof. Luciano was still so young then. A really nice man and naturally a sublime tenor. He left us too soon.

Monday, May 6, 2013

My favorite building in New York / Olympus E-10

Those of you who have been visiting this blog for some time, are aware of how much I love the Flat Iron Building. I never tire of photographing it. These shots date from the summer of 2002 and are taken with the Olympus E-10. This was my second digital camera and my first serious one. It was shortly followed by the  Fuji S1-Pro, S2-Pro etc. I never used the E 10 on jobs but it  became a great all around camera to shoot sights and people. This camera had only 4 mega pixels but it had a phenomenal lens.



Is this really good news?

They will do anything to stop software  pirating but this seems like a bit much.

Adobe reveals  a subscription-only future for Photoshop and Creative Suite

May 6, 2013 at 18:28:56 GMT
SOFTWARE NEWS ADOBE CREATIVE-CLOUD PHOTOSHOP
Adobe has announced that  it will no longer be developing its Creative Suite range of software, leaving its subscription and cloud-based Creative Cloud as the only way of using the latest version of Photoshop.  Are they kidding? Adobe has been trying to encourage users away from the traditional one-off payment licenses and on to a monthly payment model, with features such as online storage and syncing between devices. This latest move totally changes the paradigm by making it the only option for future versions of the software. They really can keep it if this is what they will end up with. If they charged less, there would be no piracy. When a program costs more than a computer the situation changes.
Adobe is clearly concerned about alienating existing users and has set the pricing of its Creative Cloud products at a similar level to its existing software. The cost of licensing just Photoshop CC over 18 months (the typical life-span of a version of Photoshop), is similar to the existing version-to-version upgrade prices, if you commit to a 24-month contract. Paying to use Photoshop CC on an ad-hoc, on/off basis will cost more (though opening the option of only paying for the software when you need it).
Adobe says it will continue to support CS6 but will not be replacing it. This allows it to focus its efforts on a single line of products, rather than trying to support both, in tandem. It also says it will allow the addition of processor-intensive features, such as Camera Shake Reduction tool, where the work can be conducted in the cloud.
To sweeten the deal, Adobe  has a discounted rates for current owners of Creative Suite (including previous versions), valid until August 2013. The move will not affect Lightroom customers, who will continue to be able to purchase 'perpetual' licenses. Great news!
However, while the move clearly makes sense for a company whose software has always been so widely pirated, such a dramatic move will undoubtedly be unsettling for many people who have always thought of software as a one-off purchase. I am upset, I really am. can some of you comment on this. The future looks bleak to me.
Adobe has published an open letter to its users and says it wants to start a dialogue with its user-base over the changes.
Go to their site to read what they have to say.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

classic cliche shot / Canon 10 D

So it's a typically cliche shot that we have all taken but I still like it. It was shot back in 2003 and I miss the World Trade Center that would be visible on the left side. This kind of shot has always been sort of a wide angle lend test target. I was actually testing me newly purchased Canon 16-35 F 2.8 L. I still have this lens and it has been very useful.

Have a beautiful new week

Nikon D1-X


Fall splendor