Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Pentax a work in ART









All shots: Pentax *istDS - Pentax-a 35-80 Smc F 35-80/4-5.6 Macro Zoom
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Getting back to it all i forgot how much fun photography can be. All these pictures were taken using a desk lamp with a 5600k fluorescent bulb in a home made macro studio. I then ran them through picasa and had fun. I didn't have to work with people just a full session of creativity.

I really do feed off doing things that are new and on the edge. When i first got my cameras it was like this for me. A joy because everything was new. But doing photography on a daily basis things just get so trite. Even looking at other people's work and magazines you see its the same style same lighting everyone doing the same cookie cutter work out there.


It's interesting how the light can engulf a subject, how the light can hit it an angle and create shadows. The last one was inspired by Melissa Rodwell. I saw her video tutorial on shooting a model and she had a blurred image like this with her model. It came out really good.

All these pictures were taken with a Pentax ist DS. I have a newer one and i'm selling the older one. The camera has really been there for me. And who knows where the new kx will lead me. I find I spend more time just reading about the camera than actually using it but the weather has been bad and I've had my weekend occupied my too many outside forces. Hopefully i will find my balance again and start having some fun.


Moon Shot

Current Commercial Photography Project

Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Pentax SMC M 55 f1.8....Cone Flower




Got this lens for 55 dollars on Ebay and must say I love it. Its sharp, small, and very well built. It looks good on any pentax DSLR from my ist DS to my Kx...The lens is smooth and easy to focus, and a bit soft at 1.8 but sharp at 2.8 and above. I will be using this more often for portaits and flower work.
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Here A Moo, There A Moo, .............. Everywhere A Moo Moo

Christmas Tree Light Twist by Super Kye

Inherit The Wind

Willow Splash

Swoop

If you are in the market for a tripod, I do not know of a better time to buy one then right now! Why? You will find out in a moment, but first when should you use a tripod?

You should use a tripod when you are shooting in low-light, when you are looking to record exacting sharpness, when you are shooting with really long lenses, when you are shooting a family portrait, when you are shooting a self-portrait, when you are shooting a waterfall at a 1/4 second, when you are shooting a city scene at night, when you are shooting with Graduated ND filters.
When you are doing close-up photography, when you want to keep your horizon lines straight, when you need to lock up your mirror, when you are zooming during long exposures, when you get down low to foreground interest and you want a great depth of field, when you shoot in a meadow of flowers and you are isolating a single flower, when you are shooting with rear-curtain sync and your flash.
When you are shooting star trails at night, when you shoot the moon, when you shoot a sunset at the beach, when you want to shoot a panorama.


When you...Finally, when shooting any subject with your tripod, make it a point to use either the camera's self timer or a cable release to trip the shutter release.

So, why is now the best time to buy a tripod? Because the BEST tripod that I personally have been waiting on for the past 12-months has finally come on the market, and at a price that is so darn affordable, you'll be tempted to buy two of them! (But don't! This is a tripod, not a plasma TV!)

Our great friends at Adorama have in stock ready for shipment, the all new Flashpoint Carbon Fiber Tripods with the Adorama Flip Lock designed leg release system which uses a patented process for making the plastic from different polymers at an extremely high temperature to create a lock that will not fail. These non-slip flip locks will keep the legs locked into position. Set up and closing time becomes fast and without effort. A victory for sure for those of us who have loathed the "twist/lock legs"!

The Flashpoint Carbon Fiber material is an all new material and is considered a major break through by combining traditional carbon fiber with latest carbon fiber tube technique-bullet proof fiber complex (patented). The anti-resonance effect is increased by 60% over the old technology. The major benefit to this carbon fiber over all others is greater rigidity, which will prevent tube rupture.

Each leg can be set at multiple angles and the center column can be separated into a low column for ground level use.

They all include a bubble level and have a rubber pads on the bottom of the legs with retractable ground spikes for use in rugged terrain. Leg friction can be adjusted to match the needs of the photographer. And in case you didn't know, Carbon fiber is more than 40% lighter than the same item made in aluminum. You will indeed be feeling a "bit light in your loafers" as you walk those mountain trails with one of these tripods! And now check out the specs and of course you can order by clicking HERE!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Illinois River View In Peoria

The Great Egret

Stormy Hillside

Life with a Purse & a Platt ~ Update

I have no major vices, sometimes I wish I did. Coffee is the hardest drug that I rely on. No addition of choice...what type of artist must I be? I have discovered that coffee, Gatorade and powerbars can keep you alive much longer than one would expect.

Work has been plentiful lately. We do our best to pace ourselves throughout the year, nonetheless we have been busy.

Let me give you an update on what we been up to.

Elizabeth, my wife has sent us off on a grand photography venture that we have been loving. You can read about the perennial seeds of that adventure here.

Towards the end of July we will be hosting famed photographer Jared Platt for a two-day stay in Pittsburgh to talk and teach about Lightroom version three. You can read about that here.

I have not had as much time to write as I wish but I have discovered a blog by Tom Dinning, a bloke from down under, who has some pondering thoughts on the subject of the still image. You can read and view his work here.

Weather in Pittsburgh has been hot and humid, very humid. Seems no matter how long you live in the Northeast part of the country your body never adjusts to the weather changes.

Got to go...my red wine and vicodin has just arrived.

Create | Connect | Grow with Jared Platt

Learn the very best workflow practices for your photography studio from professional photographer and instructor Jared Platt. Cut your workflow in half, increase the quality of your work and raise your brand to a new level.


FREE Q&A/Create-Connect-n-Grow

Topic: Meet Jared Platt and hear him speak on Lightroom workflow.
When: 7/20/10
Where: 502 W. North Ave. Pgh 15212
Time: 7pm – 9pm
RSVP: craigphotography@mac.com

Workshops Details: Jared Platt – Lightroom Workflow Workshop

This seminar is a one day class room seminar. You will work on your own images throughout the day. Come ready to work and to learn.

Place: Pittsburgh, PA
Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Address: 502 W. North Ave. Pgh 15212
Time: 9 AM - 5 PM
Seats Available: 30
Price: $300 (lunch included)
Register by clicking (HERE)

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Barbara Walker Photography | Dolce Accordion & Aquamarine Card

Barbara Walker of Barbara Walker Photography has been making some gorgeous products (like this accordion book!) . . . and she's found a super clever way to market her business! Check out the accordion book then scroll down to see what she's doing with her business cards. :) Barbara said,
I've started to complete and have products already printed for my clients to view during their proofing session (and of course using your templates). Having the products ready has helped my sales jump drastically. I have found that it has helped to show them their images on the products rather than show them someone else's and have them imagine what it'll look like. 9 out of 10 times, they'll buy them right on the spot! Thank you The Album Cafe!!!


I just love what Barbara is doing with the business cards . . . thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for the free Aquamarine business card template. I hand out my cards according to what my potential client might be interested in. I hand out my newborn cards to women that are expecting and families with a newborn. I handout my senior cards to the teenagers I see or the parents with the teenagers. Etc., etc., etc. It may be a little more expensive to have them separated into categories but I've found that I get a better response from clients when they are seeing samples of the type of photography that they are in the market for.

Day Off At Fort Sill




We heard from our daughter Tara again today after several days of silence. In the top photo, Tara (left) is pictured with friend Brandi Gallegos from New Mexico. In the middle photo, Tara (left) is pictured with friends Shellby Bailey from Alabama (center) and Shaila Clark from Wyoming (right). In the bottom photo, Tara poses with Shellby with their weekend barrack gangster faces. They are all getting a well deserved day off training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Days off are full of joy as you might well imagine. They have been working for weeks in 90-105 temperatures. This week they completed the gas chamber tests. Here is the Fort Sill Basic Training Video that shows a bit of what their daily life is like in their hot weather training. Next week they head to the rifle range. The photos from Fort Sill often lack quality due to poor lighting and using cell phone cameras but the happiness of a day off still comes shining through.
We are praying for you all!
Love, Dad

God Wants Something From You

Do you ever wonder, … WHY?

If there is a God, … why is the world so stinkin’ screwed up?

Oh, and folks, in case you haven’t noticed … the world, UH, IS SERIOUSLY screwed up!

I am not saying that there is no good at all. I am just saying … world hunger, corruption, murder, evil, mass slaughter of the innocent people and unborn children, floods, earthquakes, terrorism, war, racism, … you could go on and on and on, but I won’t. You get the point! And don’t forget that BP pipe line camera that showed us the constant flow of death into the Gulf of Mexico for months. That’s a mess that might take a century to repair.

Let me first say that I DO believe there is an all-powerful, loving, just, creator God. BUT it isn’t hard to see why many people ask questions about having that belief. To many people, it doesn’t seem to add up.

Like, … If there is a God that is all-powerful and loving … why isn’t He stopping all this craziness? Why isn’t God bringing justice to these problems? Why are sickos torturing children? Why do so many truly horrible things happen to people? Why isn’t God doing something about this mess?

Some will argue, … Maybe there is NO God at all. Or, Maybe God isn’t all that loving. Or even, Maybe God isn’t powerful enough to stop these problems.

How did all this mess start if there really is an all-powerful, loving, just, creator God?

The Bible teaches us that God wants something from you. Imagine that! God wants something from me, you and every person that ever lived.

In fact, I think God wants many things from us. But, today, I want you to consider that there is a God who desperately wants something from you. And I want you to consider that He was willing to take all these temporary awful results of man’s sin to get what He wanted from you.
I believe that God created man with the ability to really love Him.

I mean, … God made man in a way that gave him the ability to choose to love God, or not. In order for God to do this, He had to create man with the full ability to choose NOT TO LOVE Him.

God wants you to love Him genuinely … not in some robotic kind of love. So, God made you and gave you the ability to really, really, really, love Him by choice … And He made you with the ability to flat out deny that He exists, deny that He is good, or deny that you need Him at all. He made you with the ability to stick your head in the sand and try to ignore Him for your whole life … And He made you with the ability to really love, praise, worship, and talk to Him as you struggle through the ups and downs of life.

God wants your love so much … He’s letting you choose!

The Bible teaches that all of our current troubles and evil on earth are the result of millions and millions of sins and wrong decisions that have been made by man. This includes the millions of sins and wrong decisions before you and I were born … and the millions of our very own sins and wrong decisions in our short lifetime.

God wants us to choose to love, praise, worship and have a real relationship with Him.
The Bible teaches that we are sinners and that God must punish sin because He is a God of justice.

BUT, the Bible also teaches that God is full of mercy and grace. So, God provided one way of escape from His wrath.

God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for the payment of our sins. If we accept His payment, it covers all of our sin. If we reject God’s provision of payment … His wrath and eventual justice remains upon us.

God provides a way through His Son Jesus for us to be completely reconciled to Him. God provides a way for us to be forgiven through His Son Jesus. God offers us a way to escape the wrath of our sin through His Son Jesus.

In John 14:6, Jesus declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In Acts 4:12, it reads, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Rejecting Jesus remains a choice that we can make. God made you so that you could choose to reject His only offering of payment for your sins. BUT, God wants you to choose His Son Jesus without delay. God wants you to choose to love Him. God wants your love badly enough to really make it your choice. He wants your love badly enough that while you were still a sinner He offered up His Son, Jesus to a humiliating death on the cross to pay for your sins … if you will just accept it.

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God is a God of choice! He wants you to choose His Son as payment for your sins.

One day the mess of what we have done on earth will be made right. There will be no more of these horrible things that happen to all of us. Evil on earth will end someday. Jesus will set the record straight! Wrong doing will not prosper forever. God is being patient with us now.

He wants your love so bad … He is allowing you to choose.

God provided a way through His son Jesus Christ to receive the free gift of eternal life. Choose Him, my friend.

All the best, NikonSniper Steve

Friday, June 25, 2010

Exit Strategy

Darling Harbour


Fox River Tailgate Party

My General Guidelines To Photography

Here are a list of guidelines that I deploy automatically after 30 years of shooting.
I have not arrived, photographically speaking. I am still searching to improve all the time. Many have stated they want to improve their photography on this blog. I sure do.

Before I tell you my general guidelines, answer this question, "Do you really want to improve your photography?" If the answer is "yes", then you should be willing to work at it ... and don't expect for the muscles to show up when the weight set gets delivered to your door step. We couldn't tie our shoes without practice when we were young ... and yet many expect good photography or computer skills to be something for which you just flip a switch and it's there. OK, here are my rules.

What Makes A Photo Appeal To Others (IF You Care)
I say IF you care because you don't have to care what others think. I enjoy photography and I would still take pictures even if I was the only one who liked my photos. I get all kinds of time while taking pictures to think and to process events of my life. Photography is like therapy to me. So in a real sense I think you need to enjoy photography first for YOU! So if you want it to appeal to others ... that's another subject. Read on.

1. There are no rules.
The first thing I recently heard a teacher say at an introductory photography class was that "in photography, there are no rules". I thought, "But what about the rule of thirds, and the rule of movement and ... the rule of flying monkeys." Apparently, there are no more rules. Agnostics! Well, It's true. I have countless photos that disobey all the rules I thought existed and yet have extremely important photographic value to me, if no one else. I suggest you read up on general rules of photography and then try to break a few. See if you can't break the rules and discover good photos. I bet you will sooner than you think. Oh and by the way, I'll bet learning some of those basic rules will be good for your photography most of time. Most book stores offer a wide selection on introductory photography.

2. Take a basic photgraphy course.
What? That's totally stupid! Why I have owned this here digital camera forever and of course I know exactly how to take pictures. All you have to do is set the camera to Auto and Aim and Fire. NUFF SAID!
Well, actually that is what most people do. I have been at this for years and I learn about the cameras I use all the time. Mostly by accident.
Community colleges offer very affordable classes on photography. You will be stretched, especially if you tend to shoot your photos in Auto mode. Auto is OK, but please understand that the camera is doing 90% of the thinking and in some cases 100%. If that's what you want, that's OK. But please realize you are not in control and your photos won't be able to improve. Auto mode also limits your ability to really go after the some effect you are after.
Here's how I shoot. I don't recommend this until you learn a bit about what you are doing. Take a class please. You are worth it.
I always try to shoot in Shutter Priority in ISO 200. I actually shoot in Shutter Priority and Aperature Priority at the same time in my head. I understand that the faster I shoot, the less depth of field ... meaning the lower (bigger opening) Aperatures. More on this later. All this is done by understanding what is going on with all the variables and I don't want to make this sound really hard. So I am going to shut up on this and just repeat ... if possible take a class. It's a great way to meet others in your area who also love photography.

3. Think critically and BE critical of your photos.
Many of you look at the photos posted on this blog and have been very kind with your comments. I really appreciate that. I don't even mind when you offer suggestions to improve or give another perspective. I always learn. I have been known to shoot as many as 1500 photos in the evening hours of a weekday. I have been known to shoot thousands on a weekend. I also once shot over 4000 in Sydney Harbour, Australia in about 8 hours.
The world doesn't see all of those photos. Many I throw out right away. Not perfect to me = trash. My loving wife will sit beside me while I throw out photos ... wondering why. Some of those general rules and guidelines I stated don't exist ... are worth knowing. So I have developed a very critical eye for what I might show off. Learn some of these tips and ask yourself how the photo could have been better. Be critical of yourself. You can take it! After all, most people are their own best friend!

4. Listen to feedback from people who are blunt and honest.
Seriously, these are things you never ask your mother ... unless she's rare! You need to find people you respect and you need to brace yourself and not be fractured if their opinion is different than yours. I am often stunned at what photos receive the most comments from people. Some of my most favorite recent posts were called "Runaway Rail Car" and "Rail Turn Bridge". They didn't get much notice. Why? I dunno! I love them. People that don't know you have no trouble being blunt and honest. We need to find people that will do this for us. The most painful way to get truth is to ask a blunt person we trust if they like a specific photo. Some of you may be ready for that but often that is life threatening or marriage splittin' talk. Offer 10 photos and ask to have them ranked. Then ask why some were better than others.
Admission of guilt here. I am painfully blunt with family and some of them have returned the favor quite nicely. Truth told ... I have often said stupid things unintentionally. If I tell someone ... say a son or a daughter-in-law that makes awesome spaghetti that I think a photo is so-so ... it might be over magnified by their perception of my knowledge on photography. They might actually value my opinion more than I thought and if I appear to be hoe-hum on the photos it can be discouraging when not intended. Lesson here ... make sure you forgive the IDIOT (me) if he/she does something like that to you because they were not aware, too tired, or a million other things.
Once you learn what makes a good photo for others ... you won't need to ask as often. If this is just too painful you need more reading from guideline books.

5. Define your subject.
Choosing a photographic subject is often more difficult than you think. Let alone the obvious issues with subject selection, many are surprised after looking at their photos that the subject they thought they chose ... wasn't the subject.
So how do you choose a subject? The subject IS NOT what is in the middle of the photo. The subject is chosen when you depress the camera fire button and you hear (on most cameras) a soft beep. That beep means the auto-focus system has chosen a subject and has locked on it. If you continue to press the fire button ... you get a photo that focused on something. That something is the subject. It may not be what you wanted so you need to learn about your camera.
As soon as I buy a new camera, I choose the center of the viewfinder in the camera as the focus point. I lock out the multi-focal point averaging system nonesense where the camera tries to take all things into consideration and choose the best overall focus distance. I don't like to let the camera make my decisions. So I set the center of the view finder as the only reading for focus distance.
Lesson here is ... just because grandma is in the middle of the photo doesn't make her the subject. If the wall 20 feet behind her is in focus with her shotgun hanging there ... that just became the subject. Maybe next year grandma.

Note: I'll mention here that if you don't wait for that beep sound before you fire your first round (so to speak) and you press all the way all at once. It may not give the camera the opportunity to get the best focus of the shot. I call this "mashing". Some people mash the button and wonder why it's outta focus. Slow down a tiny bit. In other words, hear the beep, then fire.
There is another problem people deal with on multiple round shots. This is where you see a guy on a motor bike coming towards you and you start to fire and hold the button down for 8 shots. Then go racing into the house to see the results on the computer. Then they are disappointed because the closer the bike got to them the worse the focus was. This is because of the depth of field limitations were based upon the first shot when the beep sounded. When you are going to take shots like this try to fire 2 shots, lift your finger enough to make the camera recalibrate (beep) and fire 2 more, lift, fire 2 more, lift, fire 2 more. It really is easy when you get used to it.
All these tips are based upon DSLR cameras.

6. Focus, reposition and shoot.
This is key to everything I shoot. It is easy for me because I have done this for years. I actually believe it is the most reliable way to declare your subject and make sure it is in focus no matter where it is in the photo.
Remember I set my camera so that the focusing distance is ONLY measured in the center of the camera. So let's say I want to focus on a tree. I aim the center of the camera at the tree and push the fire button just until I get the beep sound. Then I hold my finger in that half depressed state and quickly reposition my photo so that the tree is in the bottom right section of the frame. Then I continue to push and take the photo. As a result, I get the beautiful farm fields and the setting sun to the left side of the photo while making sure that my tree is in focus.
This is just an example of what I mean by focus, reposition and shoot. At first you will think this feels weird. If you do this for a week, you will learn to do this easily keeping the subject in focus without placing the subject in the dead center of every photo.
Remember the subject IS NOT what is in the center of a photo. It's what your eye is naturally drawn to when you look at the photo. Your eye naturally will seek things that it sees clearly and that may not be what is front and center.

7. Clear the clutter.
This is where I think people struggle the most in their photographic efforts. I actually believe that clearing the clutter is the key to good composition. There are exceptions to EVERY rule (that doesn't exist). I am not talking about a Christmas morning where family is opening presents and you have to clear away the wrapping paper before you shoot. At Christmas a trashed floor with wraping IS part of the story.
For example, I recently saw a photo of a person wearing a nice suit. The person was the subject of the photo but the room had a Christmas tree, a guitar propped against the wall, a dog running in front, paintings on the wall, other junk (clutter), coffee cups, and even lights that were in the background appearing to grow out of the persons head. I was asked to comment on the photo. I said, "Hey man, look's great", and quickly handed it back. I felt like asking for an 8 x 10 glossy. It was exhibit A on how to do so many things wrong. Now keep in mind that I REALLY believe that if that person enjoys that photo ... more power to him. Keep on going. Don't change a thing and live it your way. I really believe that. In other words, ... who cares what I think?
But if you want others to see what you see as a subject. Move in close on that person so I can see them. I don't care what their shoes look like. Do you understand what I am saying?
That same person showed me a professional photo taken of his mother. It was black and white and beautiful. Great composition. So I asked the person which they liked better. He agreed it was the photo of his mother that was best. I asked him why and he could name several good reasons that cleared clutter on his own. If you are willing to think critically ... I believe we all can find ways to improve our photos. Sometimes this is a pain. Look at your photos and see if there are things you would crop out during the photographing process rather than after the fact.

8. Try crazy stuff.
This is a return to the 60's suggestion! Learning photography begins after you take a class, put down the book .... and pick up your camera. Have you ever just sat and fiddled and fiddled and fiddled with the buttons, taking pictures to see the results? This is why digital photography is so much cheaper than film. With film ... ya better know what your doing, unless of course your filthy stinking rich reading this blog on a yacht at a dock in some far away place sucking down drinks with umbrellas delivered by a kid named Chachi. Digital allows you to try things and not pay for the education. I spent thousands in processing years ago and sometimes the photos were disasterous. Fortuneately, it never happened at a wedding, the no-no of do-overs. Um, about the photos ... um, not so good.
Pick up your camera, get it off AUTO mode and learn how it reacts when you shoot in different modes. Recent photography class assignments were to take a photo in AUTO and the same photo in another mode to compare. After you learn what you are doing you will almost always like the photo that was NOT taken in the AUTO selection. Oh, however, I do sometimes recommend AUTO mode ... like say if your drunk. Otherwise never.

9. Shoot, shoot, shoot.
The more ya shoot the more you learn. The more you learn the higher your percentage of good to so-so photos. I have so many photos ... I try to not show 99 out of 100. Sometimes I arrive home after shooting for 6 hours and my wife asks how was the trip. I'll say 7! That isn't 7 out of 10. That is 7 out of 431 that I think are killer good. Funny sometimes they don't get a reaction from others but remember ... it's those 7 that I live for getting and I don't care what anyone else thinks of them.
You will quickly have numbers higher than a 7. And then something is going to happen. You will take a stunner that is priceless to you. You will look at it and say, "that's the one." And then you will store it in a seperate a file and start chasing more in that class of photo. And you'll hit again, maybe on a different subject but another that is clearly better than 99% of your previous class of bests. That is progress.
Shoot, shoot, shoot. You will learn. Also if you are young (under 45) please realize that your best days in photography may be still ahead. I did not have the patience to shoot like I do today when our kids were all at home and the world was constantly spinning with noise. Sometimes I thought photography was boring. Just realize a stage of life may come that is better suited for your photographic interests so learning as much as you can will be really incredible when your are more mature! HA! Keep on shooting.

10. Yeah! What Charlotte said. Get up and go somewhere.
One the first suggestions was by Charlotte! Absolutely right. I call it the "Oh, gee, my photos are so boring" problem. I live in Illinois and I had to travel all the way to Australia to see birds and butterflies that looked beautiful and weird. I was entranced to their beauty and even the God that would make such beautiful things for us to see. OK, so I had a bit of a photographic awakening to my scenery in Illinois. I realized in Australia that the corn fields of Illinois have a majesty beauty that is unique too. The Northern Cardinals of our back yards are incredible to see in snow.
On this trip to Washington and Oregon I am seeing mountains that we just never see in Illinois. They are unique to this area. In a few months I will spend time in Arizona. I can't wait.
I am saying this because no matter where you live, you are near a unique world that only you can photograph. Those things you see are likely strange for a person from Indonesia or South Africa. Do your best to explore anything you can in your world. Find out what is happening around you and go to photograph. You will discover a whole world of subjects. When I bought my first good camera back in 1980, I sat in my parents home and took about 24 photos (film) of their TV set. Well, I am living proof that you can learn, you can be creative and you can improve.
Get up and go for a walk or a drive. Keep your camera ready at your side. Don't leave it all boxed up in case you have to stop fast. Keep it ready to grab fast. I drive down the road with my camera in Shutter Priority, ISO 200, and ready to fire at 1/320 of sec. You know why? Because if a deer jumps out and it's set at 1/60th the photo will be blurry. If a turtle is walking accross the road ... I have plenty of time to slow down that shutter speed. I drive expecting stuff to happen.

Well, that's a start. There's a whole lot more and certainly better written tips at your local book store ... but there ya have it. I will come back periodically and add detail to these points and others if I think it is noteworthy. Best of luck to you all.
NikonSniper Steve

Friday 25th June 2010.

Welcome to the new home for monochrome maniacs.

I've imported all the posts from Aileni's Monochrome Weekly blog, so you'll be able to look back at old favourites.
(Edited to explain that the imported posts have vanished. Sorry!)

As ever, the copyright of these photos remains with the photographers. Clicking on the picture will take you to their post.

I hope you'll like it here.