Welcome to my weblog!
last modified: The Nikon D70 CCD cleaning: the forbidden procedure!
(Sensor Invaders are here)
Unlike film cameras, where your image is made on a unique segment of film that is exposed once, digital SLRs, make
images on a sensor fixed inside the body. Because thousands of images get made on this sensitive little sliver of stuff
(my highly technical term) you have to take great care to make sure it’s free from dust, dirt and other assorted
gunk.
This has HUGE implications for camera maintenance. Now, up till two weeks ago, I’d be the absolute LAST person to be concerned with any kind of maintenance, especially D70 maintenance. Heck, I never even knew that the oil in my car
had to be changed every few months. D’uh!
And the D70 is such a solid, well-built piece of machinery that maintenance seemed totally redundant. HOWEVER, back to the
sensor thing. It’s because of this sensor that outdoor photographers like us need to really pay attention to
keeping the D70 out of dust, and dirty environments when we change lenses.
And that’s the point of all this. I had to CLEAN my CCD sensor. It may not sound like a big event, but this is apparently such a sensitive process that Nikon doesn’t recommend doing it yourself! (a little over cautious I’d say, read
more details about this)
With gut wrenching, nerve-shattering precision I probed into the nether - reaches of the D70s innards. SWIPE, SWIPE. I now have a clean machine and the quality of my images has never been better.
Here's my article with the details
and resources on CCD cleaning, in case you too find blotches on your images, that lens cleaning won’t remove – and you realize
you have foreign invaders attached to your sensor.
Happy clicking!
New lens, new POV!
I’ve had a very successful few months in the world of self-employment! And you know me, rather than stashing the dough away for the inevitable “rainy day,” I decided to have some more fun! Spend more money - I’m such a brat.
So as my reward for the recent flurry of happy clients, I just bought a new lens – a Sigma AF 105mm f 2.8 DG EX MACRO.
I know, I know – you haven’t seen the Lensbaby results I promised back in the spring – but they’re coming; I promise.
But wait till you see THESE macro shots.
Here are a couple of samples.
This lens takes a bit of getting used to – the depth of field is soooo narrow, even at high apertures. I must assume the classic macro photographer stance, rocking back and forth till I get my subject in focus. But people who see me in photo mode, know I'm an oddball right from the start - so why try now to be "normal!?" Besides, odd works for making better photosgraphs!
Keeping on the Macro focus, (no pun intended) I’ve started an entire section on Macro Photography with the D70 and this great Sigma lens. While the information describes shooting macro photography with the D70, all the principles and techniques apply no matter what your camera is.
And because I still love my little Olympus 5050 Zoom, with its incredible depth of field, I’ll be including a few pages on Macro photography with it too.
The new Macro pages will be up on www.nature-photography-cental.com by October 24th, 2004.
The best way to take a great nature photograph is to not take a photograph.
Yep, I mean it. And I’m not intending to be disrespectful to Oscar Wilde either!
Those avid photogs among us know that everything’s different from behind the glass.
Whether it’s because we’re concentrating so hard on composition, lighting, the graphic design of our image; or if the glass and apparatus becomes more than just a physical barrier - we can’t experience the “scene” the same way with a camera attached to our face.
I’ve visited some of the most fabulous ancient churches and graveyards in Europe, but barely remember being there now – because I was so intent on shooting what I saw. I did capture some great photos. Good thing. Because my heart never did fully capture the FEELING that being there created.
A few minutes ago my concept of the antiphoto, was driven home yet again. - walking Buzz, the peripatetic Rottweiler at dusk. About half a mile down my dirt road, the sunset started to coagulate behind the forest of golden yellow poplar. A normal autumn prairie sunset.
We walked some more – but just for a few minutes, till I saw the sky start to burn red. It extended like a huge dome of fire right up into the approaching night sky, far beyond even the tree tops.
I’m sure you’ve seen these brilliant sunsets, too. They sky almost seems to vibrate with that most saturated colour. Words cannot describe it...
WOW! Do I run the half-mile home to grab my camera, and will I have time to hike the 500 yards through the bush to the meadow to get the open view? Or do I just absorb it all, admiring the infinite complexity and eternal simplicity of Nature?
I chose the later. Knowing that a photo could not describe it either. No matter how good I am.
And by being immersed in that sunset, making no claim on it, simply adoring it, humbled by that creative force, I became a better disciple of my art.
It was the best photograph I never took.
WOW - INFRARED!
Besides taking care of business (!), I’ve been experimenting with my D70 and new Cokin 89B Infrared filter. Since up here in Canada, the foliage (and one of the best reflectors of IR light) won’t last much longer, I’m taking all the time I can get to capture assorted images that contain a variety of subject matter so I have a nice range of stuff to play with in post-production.
While the black and white infrared images from the D70 are awesome, I’ve also found some very cool colour techniques that mimic some of the effects of the stronger, more opaque Wrattan 87 “super” infrared filter.
I haven’t tried it in reality with the D70 – some writers have indicated that it is just too “strong” for the D70’s IR capabilities. While I normally wouldn’t take that as the pure truth, the Wrattan 87and (equivalent) filters are expensive. If I can borrow one I will and give it a try, but if not I’m perfectly happy with the results so far, with the Cokin 89B and the D70.
Here’s one example.
I’m writing a series of tutorials on the techniques I’ve been using, one is on the infrared page already, if you want to check it out. Give it a
look.
Warning: Deviation ahead!
Also, you all know I LOVE wine (big grin), and if you enjoy tasting as well as viewing nature’s beauty, visit my friend Darby’s
very informative wine Web site.
He’s got me thinking that I should post some of my photos of the Rhine Valley in Germany. I was at a friend’s
wedding in Trier several years ago, and toured the wine region there. Magnificent! (The wine, I mean – not my photos!)
Darby will probably laugh out loud, but I have grapes growing in my yard right now. And I HAVE made wine (or a semi-reasonable facsimile) from them! No wine connoisseur would ever dare to take a sip of my swill though, but it has the desired effect; and when its –30C, you throw some cinnamon sticks, a few cloves, sliced oranges and some other goodies into a simmering pot of alex’s “homer” and you have a very excellent mulled wine, or gluhwein as they call it Germany!
It keeps the weather out quite nicely!
And speaking of weather – I’m off to shoot some more foliage!
Time flies!
I can't belive it's been a month since I blogged! It is realy impossible that I haven't had anything to say for such a long time.
But ofcourse, it's not true! I always have an opinion, an idea, weird, dumb or otherwise. But for the last few weeks I've been writing a business plan. I'm still in shock that it has taken me so long to write it.
Anyway, it will be complete FINALLY next week, and I'll be back to ranting, venting and snapping pics very soon.
I also MUST update the gallery - I have quite a few new shots to share - including the Infrared ones I promised so long ago,
So, happy clicking till next time - around the end of August, no later :-).
Do you believe in fate?
Or that everything happens for a reason? This is not really strictly photography related, but it sure influences me, and my photos – in an undefined and unexplainably spiritual way.
When coincidences, random acts of entropy, or whatever they are, happen I just seem to 'click' with that big all encompassing nature thing out there, and this energy gets me going all over again – out in the field or forest click click clicking away.
Karma, fate, "the universe unfolding as it should", whatever YOU call it, it has been happening to me BIG TIME since I started on my path to financial and creative independence.
I can give you at least 6 examples in the past 3 months – but I’ll save all but the 5 real biggies later stories. But today I went for lunch with my accountant (trying to keep my financial act together and be a responsible taxpayer at the same time!). Turns out he is a HUGE nature boy AND photographer!
The things you learn...anyway, he’s been my accountant for a while and he has also been a huge motivator, councilor and “sounding board” for my "crazy" plans and ideas.
So our conversation starts to get deeper into our mutual interests, and before you know it we have dismissed the tax talk entirely and are raving about wildflowers like Tiny Tim on crack!
He’s got thousands of slides, like me, and loves sunset photos! Our server had to make sure our diet Pepsi had not been mistakenly laced with rum!
Anyway, he’s got many, many clients, and knows the business of business really well, AND since he also knows and takes a huge interest in photography, he’s seen a pretty big gap in the local market here.
He told me to do some checking on my own to see if my results jived with his because if they do, I may be able to add one more line of business to nature photography central! (maybe time to start playing with Google’s “local search” feature!)
I’ve sent him the link to nature-photography-central.com and my photo gallery to get his feedback.
So…how weird is all this? How many accountants do you know who are creative? NO, no, no! I don’t mean like that ! J I mean, you know, artistically, aesthetically creative.
And why did I not know about his "other life" till now?
Is it like the Buddhists say "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear?"
last modified: 16/07/2004 12:45:03
My new toys
My blogging activity has been a little sparse these days. But I have many new toys to play with AND it seems to have finally stopped raining!!
So, I've been out with the D70 and its new friends, experementing and thoroughly enjoying the freedom to stay up late, or get up REALLY early for those sunrise shots that you can only experience on the vast Canadain prairies.
My lensbaby arrived a week or so ago, and the other day, my new Cokin IR filter showed up in the mail. Well, what's a girl to do!?
Go play, of course!
What do you think of this one?
last modified: 07//09/2004 07:35:12
BLOG FLASH!
OK. I know that what follows is not really standard blog material, but I just HAVE to share this pic with you!
A few weeks ago, a robin built her nest in my grapevine canopy.
5 days ago, the eggs hatched. Here's what I saw this morning!
last modified: 06/10/2004 01:14:34
Get Focus!
Anyone who has been reading my blog, has probably been wondering where my focus (sorry for the pun) is these days.
Besides being bestowed with time, to explore some of the more obscure aspects of photography – the ones that are not sure-fire revenue getters – you know that I’ve been pondering an alternate course of self-fulfillment that DOES allow me to make a living with out the corporate shackles.
This, of course, can take many paths, but I have a road map, and a plan in place. And when it starts to work – I’ll give you all the details! Sorta like finding the right path that leads to the end of the rainbow...
So as a brief recap, what I’m working on right this very moment – my focus – is:
Orchid photos series, a few more samples are here!
Exploring the hidden world of digital infrared photography with the D70
Playing around with the Lensbabies (photos coming very soon)
And putting my alternate business strategy into play.
last modified: 06/07/2004 12:23:04
Rain
They say it's summer! OK, but what do you do when it rains for 40 days and 40 nights? (Is there some mystical attribute about 40? Didn't Ali Baba encounter 40 thieves?)
The adventurers among us wrap our cameras in ziplock baggies, find our Goretex and go taking pictures! There may be a drought elsewhere in the midwest and western Canada, but I spent Canada Day (July 1) slogging through overflowing ditches, hiking under brooding clouds, and poking through the underbrush for interesting looking stuff that thrives on MOISTURE!!!
I wasn't disapointed. If the botanists out there want to know (and I have become a fairly intense orchid botanist over the last few years) THIS is the year of CYPRIPEDIUM!!!
The land out here is simply overrun with these beautiful and rare flowers. I have been living out here for over 13 years and have NEVER seen the abundance I have seen this year.
Both yellow and showy varieties abound! What a treat. These are really rare and may even be endangered! So, I have assembled some of my better shots in to a series, and in the next week, will have some posted hereon the blog, and the rest in the Gallery.
If you are an orchid lover, I hope you'll agree that April, May June and July showers (WILL IT EVER STOP RAINING?) bring beautiful and wonderous rare orchid flowers.
If you have never seen these things, you gotta check it out! Here's a preview!
last modified: 06/23/04 17:23.12
Helllooooo again!
Boy, I miss this blogging stuff!!!
My course (on business management) finished uneventfully enough! And thankfully, there was not a lot of homework. Anyone who knows me know that unless it’s photo related, I’m loathe to put in overtime.
However, my brain WAS working overtime. This course has put an idea in my head that just won’t leave – apparently, there are scads of people out there, like me, who want nothing more than to be the boss of themselves, to run their own companies with the ethics and principles that they hold dear; that will allow them to maximize their creativity, and to make a living enjoying their time, not despising the 40 hour a week grind.
So…along with maintaining my communications and marketing business, photography ventures, AND nature-photography-central.com, some of my classmates have asked me to consider developing a resource or site, to help wannabe creative entrepreneurs launch their own micro-enterprises.
So, I’m seriously considering this. I do create marketing plans and strategies for clients, I have access to all the current business info, and I know how it feels to have the need to combine our creative talents into a way to earn a livelihood.
I’ll be weighing the pros and cons – artists and photographers lookout! Soon, you may be following me on a different kind of adventure. (If only I had bought the Nikon sooner!)
Oh, speaking of the D70, my friend Patty showed me a little camera gizmo that is truly amazing.
It makes the most awesome photos; it’s called a "Lensbaby." She let me play around with hers, and I’m hooked. I’m ordering one right now…let’s see, what was that URL again…
New pages for nature-photography are also coming very soon - the digital section, (I know - I'm late again...) are also in the works right now. Digial Macro Photography and Digital Black and White Nature Photography are the ones I keep getting asked about so they'll be next.
What a week!
What a week it’s been – processing images from my trip and re-building my gallery site to accommodate some of the better shots. I’ll have the gallery updated in the next two days. The Rotweiler says he wants to be a star, so for your enjoyment and his ego, I’ve added a little shot of him exploring the terrain on the Badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park in Brooks, Alberta. (Don’t let him know he’s not good enough for the Gallery though!)
My two German Boys!
I also had the delightful experience of being contacted about my photography, by Mark Fenwick, a landscape artist in the UK. Mark has a growing
Web site
dedicated to landscape art and artists – a great idea. The landscape niche is certainly popular – most of the questions I get asked are about shooting better landscapes. (Makes me think I should beef up that section of nature-photography-central. Now I have some new examples to use as well.)
Mark’s site is worth a look around, and as a photographer in Canada, I appreciate seeing what people overseas are doing with their art. It’s interesting too, because Europe and Britain have a much higher appreciation of the creative industry than we here in North America have. Thanks for your interest in my work Mark!
I’m taking a course for the next two weeks, and my not have a chance to add to the old blog for a while. Lucky you – you get a break! But despite my lack of “free time” my brain is spinning with ideas, creative, business and some, just plain weird! I’ll be back by June 26, 2004 or sooner!
last modified: 06/09/2004 23:30:16
I'm baaaack!
Back home at last, and what a crazy trip it’s been. Forget the botox, lip implants and fake cheekbones. The only thing I want implanted in my face is my new D70, all the time! Yes, I’m in love – the Nikon is fully embedded in my forehead, and we’re inseparable. It’s not the most attractive facial accoutrement, I must admit, but then again, no one ever reprimanded me for hiding my face!
On to more serious things…the devastation in BC is something to see, and to (if I can use the word) appreciate. As nature lovers, most of us got involved with nature photography to capture and keep those few magnificent moments we experience when we interact with the beauty and awe of Nature. Perusing all my books, and favorite websites about the subject of nature photography, I see that rarely, if ever, do we purposely AND artistically document the horrible side of nature – when the interface turns violent, whether a raging conflagration as in BC, or in the morbid scenes of destruction that are just as abundant as the life affirming images we are used to.
This got me thinking. Artistically, the photographic clichés about nature are all around us – the “stock photo” images of the spring and its global metaphor for re-birth and renewal, the glory of a summer day, or the power of a vibrant sunset, the wonder in a dew drop reflecting the morning sun, and so on. I'm just as guilty as the next gal with the urge to "contain" the moment.
But there is a very dark side to nature too, as the scenery in BC clearly demonstrated, which I have never seen photographed before. Perhaps because “darkness” has limited appeal. But none-the-less, it does have its voyeurs – the Web is loaded with “dark artists” if you are so inclined to seek out their work. Some very talented and imaginative people these are indeed. So what about the photographic “underbelly” of nature? What about “What the Spring hath Rot?”
last modified: 06/01/2004 12:45:28
On the Road Again!
Blogging from the road is not the easiest thing! Intermittent access to the Internet makes it impossible to upload my daily rants, observations and comments. And a two hour time difference means I am awake at 5:00 am, with the added enjoyment of the Rotweiler's big nose in my face, so by evening I'm ready for SLEEP! But today I have Internet access, so I'm taking advantage while I can.
In the heart of the Okanagan, with a glass of chilled local ice wine by my side (for you oenophiles, a bottle of Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards, Optima, 1998), I feel inspired by all that I have seen this week - not to mention the killer performance of the elusive D70.
Once I get back to home base, I will, as promised upload my best nature photographs of this little adventure, complete with technical details, from locations to exposures.
Tomorrow, I leave the vineyards and orchards and head back east to the mysterious landscapes of Drumheller, Alberta, and the aptly named "Badlands."
BTW, the Rottweiler has become a pseudo-celebrity in this small Okanagan village - and created a bit of a buzz!
last modified: 05/26/04 21:04:32
Well, I'm officially on my road trip AND I found a D70! LIFE IS GRAND!,
Yep, in good old Cowtown, I decided to pop into a corner camera shop in the heart of downtown Calgary, and at the risk of sounding like a freak, I asked if by any weird coincidence, would they have a D70 in stock and NOT presold. To my SURPRISE, the friendly guy behind the counter said "yes, right here."
So, the photo essay on the bleak landscapes, the wounds of Nature WILL happen after all! I'm so HAPPY!!!
Oh, yeah. The dog loves the car! Good boy.
last modified: 05/24/04 21:36:22
I am so frustrated!
I just called to see what the ETA is on my new D70 that I have been so anxioiusly awaiting. My trip is all planned and my shooting itinerary has been set. I'm planning on making some phenomenal treks to what will be (I hope) the focus of some unusual photographs: the burned out remnants of the hills and landscapes of the southern Okanagan Valley in BC, Canada.
BUT WHERE IS THE NIKON!?? I'm told that it might get here before I leave, but then again, it might not. I'm number 4 on the list.
If it doesn't arrive, it will be back to film for my photo adventure. Current D70 owners, how long did you have to wait for yours?
I'm really enjoying this corporate disconnect. In anticipation of my new D70's arrival, and to bolster the value of this site to all of you, I've planned a trip to the Canadian Rockies and the Okanagan Vally of BC.
If you've ever been there you know how diverse and amazing the scenery is. From majestic snow covered peaks west of Calgary, to the sparse and subtle colours of the northern most tip of Sonoran Desert in central BC, what a great test for the D70.
I promise I'll have the
Gallery Pages
full of NEW sunsets, landscapes, and with a little luck, wildlife shots like never before.
I'll be giving you a review of this acclaimed camera and seeing how it performs in the real-life environment of unfamiliar places, experiences and moments.
Check back sometime in June for the complete details about this photography vacation, the locations, the shots, and the experience!
Oh yeah...did I mention I'm travelling with my DOG? I know... you think I'm crazy. But wait till I tell you he's a Rotweiler!
If you have ever travelled with your dog before, I really want to hear about how your trip went.
last modified: 05/04/2004 20:13:13
On a Roll (of 36?)
Day three of Freedom! The D70 won't be here for 2 whole weeks. Utter despair. What will I do with all this time? "Look for a job," you suggest? My all too quick reply - "Hell no!"
But my disapointment with the delivery schedule of my new toy has left me rather frustrated, so my friend
Patty
signed me up for a Photoshop Bootcamp tomorrow. I guess i need to be whipped into shape or something. That's what I get for being so cavalier about my "situation!"
But it is NOT a bad situation at all. In fact, the wheels have been turning for a long time, this Web site is just one small part of my masterplan (to dominate and conquer the world, muha ha ha ha).
Wanna help me follow in the steps of those Google boys (and physicians, in a way) who vow to "do no evil?"
Tell me what you would do with a new D70 and tons of time?
Day two of Freedom 3(?)5! Thinking I'd better get my financial affairs in order, prepare for the imminent shortfall in income, and lack of luxuries, like food, that can bring. I should cobble together a nest egg, stash some cash... I thought about an action plan...and went out and bought a brand new Nikon D70, with the fancy lens!
Yes, indeed! Am I getting preparing for the worst. But there is method in my madness...
And I know you'll want to know what kinds of mischief I can achive with too much time AND a D70 on my hands!
So, tomorrow I'll tell you more of the story!
last modified: 05/02/2004 23:18:06
Day One!
It was bound to happen!
Well, i had intended on extricating myself gracefully from the corporate world, to do my own thing, to take control of my desitiny and to walk the path of self deternination. Of course, it never happens the way we plan!
My exit, although graceful, was not quite what i had in mind - someone else made the call. It was more like I was belched out of the Body Corporate. Oh well, Freedom 35 sounds quite appealing, even it it is a little (a very little) premature! So, I'm no longer attached to a regular paycheque...tune in tomorrow for the next step towards true self determination! or how to make a living doing what you love...
