SJCT Photography

Piano Girls

2012-02-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

Urban Decay

2012-02-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share a link to some pretty stunning photography: Urban Decay . My favorite is the busted up piano in a decaying room. Would make a great cover for a album. Hmmmm, that gives me some ideas!

My girls

2011-12-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Black and White Lights

2011-12-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

Time Lapse/Stop Motion Ice Cubes to Steam

2011-12-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Big Sugar

2011-11-20T19:48:00.000-08:00

Big Sugar came by one of the radio stations that I work at the other day. I got the opportunity to shoot some photos while they did an interview and recorded a song and I couldn't pass it up!

My favorites of the Skate Park Light Painting

2011-09-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

And more...

2011-09-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Light Painting Action Shots

2011-09-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

More Sparky light painting

2011-09-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Sparky Video

2011-09-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Scott made a video of our sparky photo shoot from the other night. It documents how we setup and got the effects we were created in our photos. Check it out here:

Light Painting at the Local Skate Park

2011-09-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

I went out last night with Scotty MacGregor to light things on fire and take pictures of those things in the dark. We were well armed with a bag of steel wool, a whisk with a wire connected to it (I'll elaborate on this in a future post), multiple lighters, 26 sparklers, a bucket of water, a fire extinguisher, two tripods, multiple lenses, a remote shutter release (I finally got to put that thing to use), one still photo camera and one video camera.

This shoot was probably the most fun that I've ever had with a camera! We started off by lugging all our gear down a path, up a hill, across a bridge and through a tunnel only to find out that the tunnel was lit at night (!!). We experimented with a few shots but decided on heading over to the skate park, which met most of our criteria (non-flammable cement, away from people who may want to call the cops and completely dark). The tunnel just wasn't providing the contrast that we needed it to. So, we packed the gear up and then drove over to the skate park and found it empty. Scott documented most of the shoot with his video camera and is going to post it soon on his blog. I'll provide a link once he does.

In the meantime, here's one shot that I've finished working on. It was accomplished by lighting two sparklers (one in each hand) and going crazy waving them all over the place while keeping my feet planted in one position. Scott worked the camera on this one, I believe the exposure time was 13 seconds, F stop at about 13 and ISO was at 200. I'll post more in the days to come. Stay tuned!

Shake!

2011-09-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

Check this out: Carli Davidson Photography.

By the way, I haven't forgotten about this blog...just been busy building a fence!

Canon Rebel Remote Shutter Release

2011-08-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

I recently ordered a remote shutter release for my camera (Canon Rebel XS). It's an essential accessory for the star trail photography that I'd talked about here as well as macro work. Not to mention self portraits and anything low light where camera shake is an issue. My aim is to get out and use it for some start trail work initially. Can't wait!

Shading Illusion

2011-08-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

Check out this illusion here. I can't tell if it's real or fake. Can you?

House of Air

2011-08-17T07:35:00.001-07:00

How fun does This Place look?

Death By Dustbuster

2011-08-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

No more explanation required.

Stop Motion

2011-08-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with stop motion film/photography this past week or so. Here's the first of a couple that I'm going to post. It's just a quick short that I made on Saturday night with some of my kids' alphabet blocks.

Motorized Slider for Time Lapse Video

2011-08-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share a great link on how to build a motorized slider for some really cool time lapse video: Time Lapse Slider Tutorial. Just one more thing to spend my money and time on!

Caterpillar

2011-08-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

We were out for a family walk in the coulees the other day and came across the caterpillar pictured below. I didn't have my macro tubes with me and it's not my best picture ever, but he was so intricately patterned that I had to take his picture. He was huge too! He was at least 3.5 - 4 inches long.

Guest Photographer!

2011-07-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hey! I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had much of a chance to do any shooting lately. My wife captured a really cool shot of our daughter and her best friend. I asked her if she'd like to post it on my blog as a guest photographer and she agreed. So, check out the picture below and let her know what you think. Also, if any other photographers that follow this blog want to submit photos for review and possible posting, let me know!

Lil' Toes

2011-07-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Gelatin Photos

2011-07-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Check out the link below. It's a description of how to get some pretty amazing shots with gelatin, water and a piece of glass. Apparently it can be done with mineral oil too. And, you can combine light painting as well!

Gelatin Photography Tutorial

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens Review

2011-07-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

Back in this post I had posted a few pictures from a wedding shoot that I had done with a fellow photog. He had rented a couple of lenses for us to use, and the one that I ended up using for the shoot was a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L.

This was a great lens and I can't say enough good things about it. It had great clarity and was much more versatile than the 50 mm 1.8 that I'm used to using. The 50mm is a prime lens, which means it has no zoom capabilities. In other words, you zoom with your feet. The Canon pictured above however was in the perfect range for wedding type photography as it was a fairly wide shot when zoomed all the way out but had the capability of getting in fairly close when the scene changed as we were shooting. I found that it was pretty difficult to move freely around the church during the ceremony so having a nice zoom was very practical. Colour and saturation were also as good as I've ever seen in a lens.

There is some very, very slight distortion at the wide end of the zoom, but I could hardly pick it up at all. It's a great (probably the best) general purpose lens that Canon makes. If I had the money, this would be the first lens I would buy.

I should also mention that the lens was rented from Lethbridge Lens Rentals. This is a great family run business here in Lethbridge. They rent lenses, camera bodies and other photography gear out of their home in West Lethbridge. It's a great service for a part-time photographer like me as I get to use high-end lenses that I couldn't otherwise justify spending the money on (yet!).

Lightning in Lethbridge

2011-07-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

We've had some pretty incredibly powerful thunderstorms this summer. I was sitting at home on Saturday night reading about how to go about photographing star trails when I started to hear some thunder rolling in. I grabbed my camera and new tripod and jumped in the truck. I drove to a newly devoloped road with no lights that leads to the top of the coulees. The following shot was the first one I took. Several other attempts later and I nearly got hit by lightning, so I decided it was time to pack up and head in. That, and it had started to rain by then! I left the exposure on a little too long so the city lights in the distance are somewhat blurry. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Lightning on the coulees

New Photography Gear and Spider Webs for a Lethbridge Photographer!

2011-07-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

I saved up my nickels and dimes and got some new gear!

I ordered this: Muslin and Backdrop from a company on Ebay. It's pretty cheap, in terms of cost and build. The muslin backdrop is wayyyy too thin to be useable so I need to get a second sheet to hang behind it. I complained to the company that their product was not as advertised and there were happy to give me a partial refund. So, I'll use the partial refund to buy a secondary sheet to hang behind it. It's a bit of a hassle, but I didn't pay much to begin with so I knew what I was getting into when I bought it.

I also picked up this tripod . Again, a bit of a compromise in quality so that I could get it for the price I needed. I've been testing it out around the house the past couple of days and it does the job!

My next project with the tripod is to get some macro spider web shots. This is proving pretty difficult in a place like Lethbridge. Macro shots, by their very nature, have an extremely short depth of field. So, when trying to get a shot of something like a spider web in a windy climate is your goal, it gets pretty tough. I've been trying to find webs in sheltered areas, and there are plenty around my place, but the wind really throws the webs around which makes it really difficult to focus. I'll keep trying though and hopefully will get a calm day again soon!

Radio Guy

2011-07-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

A buddy from work asked me to take a few photos of him at work at the radio station that we work at. I dug up a couple tonight, here they are:

Landslide

2011-07-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I did a shoot with a local band here in Lethbridge. It was in there jam space in the singer's basement. The following are a few of the photos from the shoot.

Reading

2011-07-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wide Angle Piano Keyboard

2011-06-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wedding Photos June 2011

2011-06-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

I'm finally able to post some of the photos from wedding that I did last weekend:

Wedding Update

2011-06-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

I did it! My first paid gig. It was a great experience! I'll break it down in short form

500 pictures taken
I ended up with about 150 keepers, all said and done
After editing and sorting through all those photos, I'm getting pretty proficient in Adobe Lightroom. At least I think I am!
I learned to work around really unexpected variables (like the preacher that told us we couldn't use flash during the ceremony...plan b, I guess...whatever that was!)
I should have met the couple prior to the wedding, it would have broken the ice and made sticking a camera in their face for 3 hours less awkward
Speaking of sticking a camera in someone's face, I learned that this style of photography is 50% technical and 50% personal/interactive skills
Having the technical skills to a point that they are second nature (not the point that I'm at yet) would help a lot in the interactive department. It's hard to be conversational with people when you're trying to focus on your camera settings
The weather was great
The mosquitoes were not!
On each outdoor photo, I edited at least 10 mosquitoes from each picture!
There was slight cloud cover so it was a nice, diffused light
It started to rain just as we finished
Scott and I are handing over the photos tomorrow so I'm waiting on the bride and groom's approval to post some online
I look forward to sharing some of them with you all!
Speaking of Scott, he rules. He rented us a couple of lenses from Lethbridge Lens Rentals. I'll do another post on the lens I used for most of the day. I loved it and want to buy it. Too bad it's wayyyy out of my purchasing-power-league right now!
That being said, getting paid for doing something you love is pretty cool

First Paid Gig

2011-06-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

I'd mentioned a while back that I had been asked by my friend Scott to be the second photographer on a wedding shoot. Well, that wedding shoot is this weekend and I can't wait! My first paid gig! Hopefully all goes well and this is the first of many. I'll be posting some photos soon from the shoot.

In the meantime, check out this link. This guy powers massive flashes from the inside of a plane and then shoots pics of other planes or helicopters flying close by. What a job!

Wood Grain Macro

2011-06-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Photography links and Articles

2011-06-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

Here's an article by Adobe for my fellow photogs, specifically those who use Adobe Lightroom. The article deals with optimizing performance in when using Lightroom.

Also, if Lightroom presets are your thing, check out this page. Most of them are paid for presets but they have a couple of free samplers. I also subscribe to this site. This guy has a ton of free presets that are great and he posts new ones all the time. His newest is "The Hangover" app. It replicates the feel of the cinematography of the Hangover movies.

Picture Giveaway!

2011-06-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Are you a public follower of this blog yet? If not, become one! I am going to be giving away a print of one of the pictures below. To enter the contest to win, all you have to do is sign up to become a public follower and then comment on which of the pictures from this post is your favorite. The contest closes on June 14 at noon. I will enter every one that comments (that are public followers) into a random draw tool and the winner will get an 8" x 10" print of the picture (watermark removed) that they commented on as their favorite. You may only enter once, so just choose one favorite and comment on it.

Aberlour Light Painting

2011-06-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Inspired by some of the photography in my last post link, I took this one:

Light Painting

2011-06-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

Who knew that what I was doing here actually had a name? Apparently it's called Light Painting and is pretty popular. I actually had no idea! Check out this article. It showcases some pretty amazing images. Gives me ideas for new techniques too.

Gallery No.3

2011-06-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

I completely forgot to post that some of my work is being featured on another blog. Check it out here: Gallery No.3 . These guys feature all sorts of different artists (photographers, poets, filmakers, etc...). Head over and check them out!

Sidewalk Chalk

2011-06-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Post Processing

2011-05-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

One picture of my daughter, processed a couple of different ways to showcase how the processing can really alter an image.

The original

The "300" look

Ice Cold

My Very Own Sigma Flash

2011-05-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

Back in this post, I talked about how my buddy Scott had lent me his Sigma external flash. Well, I liked it enough to go and get one of my own. I ordered it online and it showed up in the mail yesterday. I'm pumped! I'm experimenting with it right now and really trying to figure it out. Scott has asked me to work as a second photographer on a wedding shoot this summer (coming up in a couple of weeks, actually) so I wanted to have a proper flash that I could manipulate to bounce off of ceilings/walls/etc... I'll post a proper review once I've put it through the gears (say...after the wedding shoot). For now, here are some pictures of the flash itself:

Pinto Horse

2011-05-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Donkeys

2011-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Star Trails, Sigma Flash

2011-05-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

Check this article about photographing star trails. One day I'll get more time and actually get to try this! The effect is amazing. I was actually hoping to get out this weekend to try to capture some start trails but the weather has taken a turn for the worse and is supposed to be cloudy until Monday!

On a positive note, remember this post? Well, I've been saving my nickels and dimes and have ordered an external flash of my own. I've been tracking it's every move on the UPS site since I ordered it on Tuesday. It's coming from the Sigma distributor in New York and should be here by Tuesday. I can't wait!

DIY Flash Ring

2011-05-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share a cool article I found on a DIY lighting site.

DIY Flash Ring

Grasshopper!

2011-05-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

I took these photos on the same day that I took the shots of the yellow flowers seen in this post. The first two were taken with my Canon Rebel XS using a 50 mm, f 1.8 lens with the macro extension tubes that I talk about here. I used a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil to brighten up some of the shaded areas of the shot. The third photo was taken by my photog buddy, Scott. It showcases the effect of using the aluminum reflector.

Southern Alberta Flowers in May

2011-05-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Aztec Curse?

2011-05-09T21:29:00.000-07:00

When I was young, I collected all kinds of weird stuff. This little guy is a left-over from those days. I have no idea what it is or where it came from . He sure is creepy though. Maybe he's an ancient Aztec idol and now that I've taken his picture I'll be cursed forever.


What the hell is he holding in his right hand?


A Canadian penny in the background for scale

DIY Lightbox

2011-05-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

My wonderfully talented and creative wife creates all sorts of crafts and sells them through various avenues, one of which is through a Facebook account. Check it out here. We needed a way to get some better pictures of her products. I found this article on Strobist. Here are some pics of my version of their DIY lightbox.

The picture of this sock monkey is an example of what this lightbox can do.

I pulled the box out of a recycle bin and bought poster board and tissue paper for about $3 at Walmart. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with the money spent and how it turned out!

Vintage Truck on the Praries Pt.2

2011-05-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage Truck on the Praries

2011-05-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

More Toys!

2011-04-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

My buddy Scott lent me his flash for the weekend. It's a Sigma EF-610 DG ST.

The head of the flash is adjustable so that you can direct the light towards the ceiling or a wall in order to reflect/diffuse the light. It makes a world of difference when compared to using the on-board flash.

The first shot is with the flash directed straight at the portrait subject.

The second is using no flash, just the light from the window.

In this third shot I reflected the flash light off of the ceiling.

The ability to reflect the light off the ceiling is great for evening out the light in the shot. I think this would come in really handy on an outdoor shoot on a really sunny day. Thanks to Scott for lending me his toys!

Pringles Diffuser

2011-04-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

An update on the Pringles can diffuser post . I (okay, my wife!) bought a can of Pringles while grocery shopping tonight. I quickly transferred the contents into a tupperware container and started cutting and taping.

It only took me about 5 minutes, but the thing works pretty well. Judge for yourself:

The above shot used the Pringles can and on-board flash.

The second shot used the flash only.

This third shot used no flash (so obviously no diffuser either).

The diffuser allowed me to get a bit more focused on the shot, which is really what counts in macro photography. I still couldn't get a really close up (using the full stack of extension tubes) shot with the lighting, I may need to experiment a bit more with it. What are your thoughts?

DIY Macro Lighting

2011-04-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool article that I found on how to do macro lighting with a Pringles can. That's right, a Pringles can. The site itself is a great resource for a photographer on a budget...kind of like me. I'd mentioned wanting this flash in an earlier post, but that will be a little ways down the road. Until then, I'll have to pick up a can of Pringles the next time I'm at the grocery store and give the set up a shot.

Macro Rocks and Grass

2011-04-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Macro example

2011-04-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

As promised, the following is an example of what extension tubes do. I'll leave the more detailed description to the makers of the tubes themselves, Kenko, but essentially the extension tubes allow a camera's lens to focus closer to it's subject. This has the effect of magnifying the image being taken.

The extension tube set that I bought has 3 different tubes; a 12 mm, a 25 mm and a 35mm. The lens that I've us for this example is a Canon 50 mm, f1.8.

This first shot (of a pin cushion) uses no extension tubes, just the lens. I focused as closely as possible on the pin cushion.

The next shot used only the 12 mm extension tube and was focused as close as possible:

This one used the 12 mm combined with the 25 mm extension tubes, focused as close as possible:

On this last shot, I used a combination of the 12 mm, 25 mm and 35 mm extension tubes:

All the way from Hong Kong!

2011-04-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Kenko extension tubes arrived today! Not sure what I'm talking about? Check out this post.

It seemed like a really, really long time that I was waiting for these thing but, in reality, it was only a week and half. Not too bad for items coming from Hong Kong. I snapped a few shots to show an example of what the extension tubes can do. I'm pumped, they work great. In some upcoming posts I'll show the difference between using a regular lens, then adding one extension tube, then another, then the third. It's difference is drastic.

(Anyone care to guess what the first photo below is of?)

Slowwwww shutter speed in the dark, pt 2

2011-04-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

A couple more from the abstract session.....

Article

2011-04-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

I found a really cool article on expanding one's horizons within photography. I'm going to give as many of the techniques a try as possible. Any other photogs reading this, check it out here!

Slowwwww shutter speed in the dark, pt 1

2011-04-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to try this for a long time. I took a bunch of photos in the dark with an extremely slow shutter speed (between 8 and 15 seconds). When the shutter was depressed, I took a couple of different coloured lights and swirled them around in various patterns. Here are a few of the results. Definitely something I'd like to experiment more with. Also, I'll need some more lights so that I can vary the colours!

Case Back Hoe, Rusted Ol' Water Pump

2011-04-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Southern Alberta Coulees in April

2011-04-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Guit Pics

2011-04-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Wish List

2011-04-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Now that I have the Kenko extension tubes on order, I've found something else to add to my wish list. A company called Sigma makes this flash The flash is made specifically for macro-style photography. It fits around your lens to fully illuminate the subject of your photo. Very cool but I'll need to pick up a few paying photography gigs to pay for this one.

Speaking of paid gigs, I've been asked by my buddy, Scott, to be the second photographer for a wedding this summer. The wedding is in June and I'm pumped! He's put in a quote for a second shoot in September so we'll see how that works out. I'd like to get some practice in with my macro tubes before the wedding so that I can get some unique shots on the day of the wedding.

Also, Scott just got a new flash, it's a Sigma as well. I tried it out today (on his camera) and it made me want one too! So much money can be spent on this hobby! Scott has offered to lend me his flash when he's done figuring it out so I'll post some shots once I've played around with it.

Kicks

2011-04-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

Kenko

2011-04-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

I have been debating buying Kenko extension tubes for our camera for quite a while now. Everyone I know is sick to death of me talking about it, so I finally broke down and ordered a set.

Not sure what Kenko extension tubes are? They are tubes that attach to the camera body in between it and the lens. They contain no optics but allow the lens that is attached to focus much, much closer when attached. Essentially, they allow the photographer to get some extreme close-up shots. My hope is to use them with my 50mm F1.8 Canon lens for some macro photos. I've been told that that set up is a decent way to do macro photography on a budget.

Kenko is a bit of a knock off and is significantly less expensive than the Canon extension tube series. However, I've read lots of good reviews of the Kenko tubes and that's all I can afford right now so....that's what I got! I ordered them online and they are coming from Hong Kong. I'm expecting them sometime in the next two weeks. I'll do some comparison shots then so that you can see exactly what it is that they do. In the meantime, here is a link to the Kenko site. And here's a shot of the extension tube set from the Kenko site. Ohhh I can't wait until they get here!

Digital Photography School

2011-04-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a site that I frequent quite a bit now a days. There are tons of tips and tutorials that are updated daily. That, and lots of digital photographers sharing ideas as well as weekly contests with prizes. It's called "Digital Photography School". Check it out here.

Fruit battle/segregation

2011-03-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

As per Tkins' suggestion in the comment section of this post, here are some apples and grapefruits arranged to show some very "human-like" ideas (I didn't have any cookies...so I improvised!). I almost feel bad for that grapefruit in the last picture. He looks so lonely!

Sock Monkey Man

2011-03-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ideas?

2011-03-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

I've been having a blast with the camera being back in the house. The only trouble is that I'm starting to annoy my subjects. So, I need a bit of a challenge. Does anyone have any ideas/requests/suggestions for a photograph subject? I'll do my best to come up with something for anything that anyone suggests. As for ideas, I'm open to anything except my family members, (cats included), since they have been the subjects of wayyyyy too many of my photos so far. So, let me know!

Black and White Candids

2011-03-23T20:52:00.001-07:00

Canon Repair

2011-03-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

The camera is back! It seems like we've been without our camera forever. In reality it was for about 2 weeks. It was gone for a week, then back for a few days, then gone for another week. Canon's repair statement indicated that they had replaced the entire shutter assembly. Which, I assume is a pretty major repair.

The camera has been taking pictures without the dreaded "err 99" returning again for a few days. It seems to me that Canon really dropped the ball on the initial repair. After all, if the shutter assembly needed to be replaced, it should have been done the first time! Oh well, stand by for some new pictures in the next few days.

Icicle Sunset

2011-03-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

Steam Punk Spider

2011-03-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Remember this picture? I put it to a vote and the people have spoken. It's now titled "Steam Punk Spider"! When the weather warms up a bit, I'm going to go back to this spot and get some more shots. It's a really interesting feature and location, especially with the train bridge and the coulees in the background. I think that I can do some more with my camera there and would like to experiment a bit with different angles, etc...

Biscuits and a camera

2011-03-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

So, I got the camera back yesterday from the service center at Canon. It had a repair slip that read "repaired". Not exactly a great explanation. I was so excited to get the camera back, that I took a picture of the only thing in the house I hadn't taken a picture of yet....biscuits.

I'd also like to note that shortly after taking this picture, the error returned! So, I'm shipping the camera back to Canon again. What a pain. I'm going to keep the camera over the weekend so that hopefully I can get some good shots and then send the camera back on Monday.

This and that

2011-02-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

The camera has been intermittent with the "Err 99" error since I cleaned the lens contacts and contacts on the body of the camera. I gave them a good cleaning and it's only happened once since. We checked our camera receipt and the camera was purchased on February 20th, 2010. So, it was just 3 days short of being outside the warranty when we contacted Canon. The camera has to be shipped to Mississauga on Tuesday so I'll be without for a couple of weeks at least (depending what Canon tech department finds).

I've been taking a lot of pictures around the house to try to get the error to return, here are a couple of samples (none with my youngest daughter in this batch...couldn't catch her while she was awake!).

Scott, the return of "Err 99" and Windy Photo Session, Part 2

2011-02-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to link to my buddy Scott's blog. Check it out here, he has some amazing shots! Scott is the one that I went on the photo shoot with last weekend.

"Err 99" has returned on our camera. I'm putting in a call to Canon tech support tomorrow. I know that everyone is glued to their seats waiting to find out what happens, so I'll let you know once I talk to them! All kidding aside, I'm really hoping that it won't cost us too much (the camera is 3 days short of a year old, so hopefully it's still under warranty and won't cost us anything).

Below are a couple more shots from the weekend.

Err 99 and part 1 of the photo shoot

2011-02-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

I ran into a bit of trouble yesterday during the shoot. Not only was Lethbridge experiencing hurricane force winds (seriously, the winds gusted up to 130 km/hr....see one of the pics below for proof) but I had an error pop up on my camera that I've never seen before.

Now, the great thing about modern electronics is that they are so affordable that pretty much anyone can save up for something like a DSLR camera in a relatively short time frame. The trouble with modern electronics is that they are built cheap...so that everyone can afford them! On the other hand, since so many people have various electronics, when you do run into a problem, chances are that many others have had the same problem. Which brings us back to the aforementioned error, or "Err 99" as it is known in the Canon world.

The error popped up on the camera once or twice yesterday and took a battery removal to reset it every time. Just slightly disheartening. It seemed fine for most of the day afterward. Then, today, my wife went to use the camera and the same error popped up and would clear on restart, only to pop up again when we tried to shoot another picture. It happened over and over until the camera wouldn't even shoot a picture. So, we did what anyone would do in that situation, we googled the problem. We found this site, which turned out to be extremely valuable. I'll save you all the details but we tried the first few steps in his troubleshooting process and eventually got the camera up and running (for now, anyway) after cleaning the lens contacts with a pencil eraser. For all you Canon users (current or future), take note of that site as it appears to be an extremely common problem with new Canon cameras.

All that aside, below are a few of the photos from the shoot. I'm still learning lots but I ended up with quite a few that I'm happy with. I traded lenses with my photog buddy that I went with so I'll post the rest of the photos taken with his lens later this week. Any comments or critiques are welcome.

(See, I wasn't kidding about the wind!)

Gear

2011-02-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

Up until about a year ago, I had only used Canon Powershots and a Samsung L74 ( fully automatic "point and shoot"). The Samsung was used to take the pictures of the camera that my wife and I upgraded to (pictured below). It's a Canon EOS Rebel XS. We also bought a 50 mm, 1.8 minimum aperture lens to go with it. It's a great, inexpensive lens that works wonders for getting up close portrait shots of our family.

This weekend, I rented a wide angle lens from Lethbridge Lens Rentals . The lens is a EF-S 10-22 mm, 3.5 - 4.5 (the pictures of this lens were taken with the 50mm on the Rebel, check out the difference!). I'm taking the rented wide angle lens out for a shoot with a photography buddy from work tomorrow. Stay tuned for some pics from that later in the week!

Transmitter Site Shots

2011-02-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to collect some photos for the wall in my office. I've decided on the guitar shot from the first post and now need at least one more. I've been to the radio transmitter site that I maintain a couple of times in the last week and got some good shots while I was there. Even though there are only 4 of you who read this blog (okay, 3 if I don't count my self!), your thoughts on your favorite (if you have one) would be appreciated. Keep in mind, I took over an office at work that used to be a studio and it's very, very blue.

Petit Chats

2011-02-07T20:56:00.001-08:00

One of my family's cats, Charlie

Kitty #2, Robbie.

Second blog, take one

2011-02-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

A Picture of the guts (circuit board) to an old Viking radio found on our family farm many years ago. The radio has been dated to circa 1934.

My guitar, that I never get to play anymore!

Stay tuned for more!