36/365 Oak Gall Art, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.
Image 36/365
My wife is a 3/4 grade teacher. This term they are doing a study of the local indians that lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of the things they do is create a piece of art from a “Oak Gall” or “Wasp Gall”. These were the best among and my wife asked me if I would photograph them.
Strobist Info:
SB600
Pocket Wizards II
Lasolite 24in. EzyBox
(2) 3/16 White Core Foam Board
I still have a ton of reading to do, but I need to order a copy of Dreamweaver to continue my construction.
I have been working on a new website. When I got my MacBook Pro, I also bout a year subscription to Apples Mobile Me. I built a small website in iWeb ‘08. I know that iWeb ‘09 has many more features then iWeb ‘08, but I didn’t feel it was going to produce what I needed. The UI or user interface is great. Drag and Drop, easy setup and easy to post, as long as you had an active Mobile Me account. Like I said, iWeb is a great little program, but it was limited to what I thought I needed. Stuff I wanted to do to on my site was beyond the capabilities of iWeb.
So I am working on a new design for my website. I am using Adobe Dreamweaver CS4. I downloaded it free from Adobes website. They offer a 30-day free trial. I have used Dreamweaver before.
A few years ago, a friend and I would drive to Kearney Mesa (San Diego) twice a week to attend this free Dreamweaver class. The version we used was the Dreamweaver MX that was Macromedia product. The new version of Dreamweaver is easier to use and not as clunky, even though I thought that Dreamweaver MX was the bomb back in the day.
So if you look at my site you would say I haven’t gotten very far. Well you would be correct. This is why I have left the old website under my current domain name www.KiHoPhoto.com. Continue Reading…
Several months back I posted on my blog Safety First about the importance of backing up your files and data, especially photo files. As you may have gathered I am a photographer. No matter what you may think of my photography it does not really matter. The point is I spend an good amount of personal time behind my lens trying to capture that perfect photo in a moment of time. So I can afford to lose any of my images no matter how bad they are. If I choose to delete them at least I made the choice and not a hardware or software failure doing it for me.
I brought this up because one of my Terabyte HD’s was filling up with all my system backups. I only had 50 gigabytes left on my primary backup HD. So I decided to delete all my backups up to November 1, 2009. It was simple, all I needed to do is find the folder and files under the Backup main folder a delete the folder I wanted.
I moved the no-longer needed folder to the trash. What I didn’t realize is how long it would take to actually empty my system trash once the deleted folders were in the trash. For the record it took just over 5 hours for the entire trash can to be emptied. That just over half a terabyte of free space has now been recovered. I am sure that in my obsession of backing up my system that it will only be a matter of month and I will be deleting a 1/2 terabyte of re-storable files and folders.
If you feel so inclined to read my previous post here is the link Safety First.
Joe McNally - Repeating Flash
This is the last video by Joe McNally of Repeating Flash posted at the Nikon School. This is a advanced technique that uses the Nikon CLS (Creative Lighting System) used on the Nikon SB Flashes.
This example and technique is awesome. Joe explains how to light a set with 14 different strobes for the technique of stroboscope. He produces some very beautiful images with this technique. Unfortunately Joe makes it look really easy, but I know it’s not.
Take a look at Joe McNally video on Repeating Flash at Nikon School.
If you missed the last two video here is the links to those posts:
I hope you enjoyed these video post. I know that I learned something new in these videos.
Have a great day. May your horizons be straight, and your focus clear.
Joe McNally - Control of Color Part 2
Here is the second video of Joe McNally teaching Control of Color from Nikon School. As Joe did in his first video, he teaches techniques of using multiple flashes in off camera mode. Show the importance of identifying the correct ambient light and adjusting to the proper white balance. Joe also shows you how to place a flash for hair highlights.
Here is the link to the second video Control of Color part 2 at the Nikon School. If you missed the first video here is the link to that as well Learning with Joe – part 1
21/365 Oatmeal & Flaxseed, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.
Image 21/365
The is my new breakfast according to my doctor, Oatmeal and Flaxssed…
Strobist Info:
SB600
Pocket Wizards
Lasolite 24″ Easy Box
(2) 3/16 White Core Foam Board
Here is what the setup looked like in my kitchen Oatmeal & Flaxseed Setup
Joe McNally - Control of Color Part 1
As I cruise through my daily blog reading I ran across an old post from a Photo Blogger I follow Scott from Weekly Photography Tips. He posted a series of three videos from on of my favorite photographers Joe McNally. For those of you who may not know of Joe McNally he has a few very popular books out there that really have put a turn in my photography, especially portrait photography using small strobes. His first book I read is The Moment it Clicks and the other book, his most recent release is The Hot Shoe Diaries. If you are looking to improve your portrait photography especially with the use of small strobes I encourage you to read these two books. Continue Reading…
Ringed Nudibranch at the California Academy of Sciences, display tank for California Nudibranchs.
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is offering a special event for photographers. I have been to many aquariums. The more popular the aquarium the busier it is with visitor and guests. Sometime I wished that I had the aquarium to myself so I could film the exhibits without the interference of people walking in front of your lens or bumping you as you hold your camera still for that long exposure shot, because most aquariums don’t allow tripods, because tripods can trip and injure clumsy visitors.
Another plus to a photographers only night, is you can bring flashes, light boxes and any equipment that may require to plug in. Most of this equipment is prohibited at any other time at aquariums.
Sometimes the addition of people in the image make the photo. Here is an example that I took a couple years ago at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The addition of people made the image.
For more information read below or got to Aquarium of the Pacific Events. Continue Reading…
13/365 Selenium Bee, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.
Image 13/365
Sometimes photographers would use Selenium (Se) while developing.
Photography
Selenium is used in the toning of photographic prints, and it is sold as a toner by numerous photographic manufacturers including Kodak and Fotospeed. Its use intensifies and extends the tonal range of black and white photographic images as well as improving the permanence of prints.
Early photographic light meters used selenium but this application is now obsolete.
9/365 The Jitters, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.
Image 9 of 365 or 9/365
My first attempt to take a photo from inside my car while driving at night. The road wasn’t very smooth, plus I think my G10 may not be the best camera for the type of photography, because the shutter has to stay open to long to allow proper exposure even with ISO 1600