I'm very familiar with filters, I have a yellow, orange and red filters in my bag for B&W, FWIW.

Just because I asked why you wouldn't do it in photoshop doesn't mean I don't understand what filters do. I just like the pictures I've done in color and altered in Lightroom better than my B&W mode from my camera.

7/31/2010 12:18:12 PM

finally made it through the first day of our safari

7/31/2010 1:53:57 PM

Anyone have any suggestions for taking a camera on a backpacking trip? I'll be spending 5 days in Alaska in September and am taking my D90, a WA lens, 18-105, 80-200 2.8, and a 1.4 TC. I was looking at picking up a Lowepro Toploader Zoom AW along with the harness so I can have the camera ready without having to go rummaging through my pack. What about batteries and memory cards? Will I have to worry about the lenses fogging up since I'll be outdoors the entire time? Anything else I might not have otherwise thought of?

7/31/2010 5:23:36 PM

Quote :

"anyone know where to take some photography classes to get better at technique and all-around picture taking? (not at ncsu) i'm asking for someone else who didn't know if there was a place that specialized in it"

The N&O does a photography class every now and then and it's only like $10 to register

http://www.newsobserver.com/rewards/

7/31/2010 5:50:53 PM

Just got a Nikon D5000. Took this one earlier today.

7/31/2010 8:31:14 PM

^^^ i just bought a new bag and highly recommend the tenba shootout line - i bought the small and love it

also if you don't have an aftermarket strap i'd recommend getting one

7/31/2010 8:59:31 PM

I'd like to see some more safari picks if you've got some more to post.

8/1/2010 11:54:55 AM

PMed the link to the ones i've gone through - i haven't made it all the way through them though - i keep getting side tracked with photos that i've taken more recently

8/1/2010 12:36:39 PM

Last pics from JBaz for a while. My final student portfolio. Got a B+ only because my printed portfolio was off a cheap epson shitty printer (the epson 3800 ran out of ink! doh!) and an cheapo wal-mart binder in plastic sleeves. Didn't feel like spending the $500 on a pro quality portfolio book when I've decided to not pursue photography as a career anymore. But I finished. That's the important part.

8/2/2010 4:35:55 PM

8/2/2010 6:24:32 PM

^^ you gonna try and sell me some of your stuff or what? I'm really interested in that 70-200 2.8...

8/2/2010 6:57:04 PM

A few pages back

Quote :

"JBaz All American 11926 Posts user info edit post Anyone interested in a Canon 2.0x TC II with a missing front cover. I have it listed as $260 but discount it by $10 to cover the cost of the replacement front cover. So $250. I'll have a few other items listed in the next few weeks. Bodies Canon 1D MkIIn Canon 5D MkII - Last to be sold Canon 30D Lenses Canon EF 400 f/2.8L Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L - last to be sold Canon EF 50 f/1.4 - PENDING SALE Accessories Canon 580 EX II Speedlite Canon 1.4x II TC - PENDING SALE Canon 2x II TC Manfrotto 3021PRO tripod Manfrotto 488RC2 Ball Head Manfrotto 234RC Tilt Head Gitzo Carbon Fiber GM2540 Stroboframe ProT Flash Bracket Think Tank Airport Acceleration Backpack Think Tank Steroid Speed Belt Think Tank Modular Set Think Tank Big Stick Monopod Bag Think Tank Hydrophobia 300-600 rain cover Canon Professional Gadget Bag 1EG Canon 2400 Gadget Bag Studio Equipment White Lightning x1600 monolight (x3) AlienBees AB800 monolight(x2) AlienBees ABR800 ringflash AlienBees 30" moon unit AlienBees Giant foldable Softbox AlienBees Large foldable Softbox AlienBees Large Softbox AlienBees Medium foldable Softbox AlienBees Beauty Dish AlienBees Reflector Holder AlienBees Boom AlienBees Vagabond II - last to be sold AlienBees 48" Transparent Umbrella (x2) AlienBees 48" Silver Umbrella AlienBees Background light stand (x2) AlienBees 10°, 20°, 30°, 40° Grids AlienBees Barn doors AlienBees 13' heavy duty lightstand AlienBees CyberSync Transmitter (2) AlienBees CyberSync AC receiver (3) AlienBees CyberSync Battery receiver Giottos LC 325 Lightstand (x4) 42" 5 in 1 Reflector Sekonic L-358 Flash Meter [Edited on July 2, 2010 at 10:37 PM. Reason : ]"

8/2/2010 9:06:16 PM

This has probably been addressed in this thread before, but I'm not gonna go through 170 pages (although I've gone through quite a few to admire the shots )

I just got a Nikon D5000, and I love it. I had a few n00b questions:

1. What program(s) do most of you folks use to edit your shots? The obvious ones (I think) are CS5 and GIMP. Wanted to see what most people used, however.

2. I have been shooting in "dual mode" (jpeg/RAW) so that I can get some good shots, as well as some RAW shots to play with. What are some of the "more used" tweaks you guys/gals do to your shots? Do you hit the brightness first, for example?

Thanks!

8/2/2010 9:14:16 PM

for #1 go back 2 pages...

#2 is white balance for me - anything else is largely dependent on the shot

8/2/2010 9:16:45 PM

A few shots from Ruckus when Kooley High performed a few weeks ago.

8/2/2010 9:21:08 PM

JBaz

If the following are not sold, I am interested in them all:

Canon EF 50 f/1.4
Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L
Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS
Manfrotto 3021PRO tripod
Manfrotto 488RC2 Ball Head

8/2/2010 11:25:35 PM

i'm not so sure he's willing to sell yet. i asked for some prices nearly a month ago and haven't gotten a response.

Quote :

"d7freestyler GOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! 19447 Posts user info edit post PM Sent JBaz. Looking for some prices, specifically; 70-200 f/2.8 sekonic l-358 580 Speedlite think tank airport acc. backpack Some miscellaneous light stuff. 7/5/2010 6:22:33 PM"

8/3/2010 7:16:26 AM

Quote :

"What are some of the "more used" tweaks you guys/gals do to your shots? Do you hit the brightness first, for example?"

as omar noted, it's mostly dependent on the shot, but for me to get an idea of what needs to be (or, rather, could be) done, i use photoshop CS4 and do (in this order):

1.) auto contrast
2.) vibrance tweak (if applicable)
3.) auto tone
4.) auto color
5.) auto contrast (again)

not to say i do this with all of my photos, because i don't...but i think it gives me a good idea of what sort of mathematical balance photoshop is looking for and then i can tweak it on my own from there...vibrance is pretty cool if you don't go crazy with it...auto tone and color are hit or miss...they almost never make the photo look better, per se, but it usually gives me ideas

[Edited on August 3, 2010 at 7:43 AM. Reason : .]

8/3/2010 7:41:42 AM

^^ calling dibs on the speedlite posted a few up from you heh

8/3/2010 8:00:56 AM

Brightness/Contrast - Curves
Color Correction - Levels, Color Balance, Hue/Saturation

There are a lot of good actions here I like to use for different effects, but it's probably <1% of my photos are post-processed:
http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/post-processing-articles/100-free-photoshop-actions-and-how-to-make-your-own/

8/3/2010 1:43:00 PM

Cody,

I just picked up a Canon 70-200L 2.8 for $800 off of photography-on-the.net forums. Check out their sell section... They've got some killer deals! I also picked up 2-77mm Hoya UV filters for $40.

The 70-200L 2.8 is a sick lens! I love it. I wish I had the money for the MKII IS version though.

8/3/2010 9:15:16 PM

jbaz said he's holding on to the 70-200 for a bit.

8/4/2010 3:43:59 AM

is there another "official camera" thread that i can't find? I'm trying to pick out a new point & shoot camera for my upcoming trip and have no real clue what's good these days. I haven't owned a camera in like 6 years Can you halp?

8/4/2010 11:12:33 AM

there's another thread for film cameras but i don't believe there is a generic photography thread

you can try to use this thread but might not have too much luck - at the very least post your budget

8/4/2010 11:31:08 AM

Digital point & shoot that's up to date with current technology in the P&S range.

budget $200-300.

8/4/2010 11:39:13 AM

picked up all of this for $650 (talked down from $750):

- D90 body with 202 actuations (verified with irfanview's EXIF viewer)
- Tamron AF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6
- Tamron AF 75-300mm f/4-5.6
- Zeikos ZE-WA58B 58mm wide angle
- Zeikos ZE-2X58B 58mm 2X telephoto
- 4gb SanDisk SDHC card (30mb/s edition)
- Tamron bag
- Tiffen UV/CPL/FL filters (still sealed, with a carrying case thing)
- misc other things i don't really care about (mini tripod, some useless cleaning stuff, etc)

my only concern is dust on the sensor...how easy is that to happen, and how often? the camera was a bit dusty (not sure why), but i didn't see anything in the sample pictures i took...what should i be looking for? some unexplainable black/white/gray spec?

[Edited on August 4, 2010 at 12:11 PM. Reason : .]

8/4/2010 12:09:58 PM

^^here's a couple suggestions:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/engadgets-back-to-school-guide-digital-cameras/

8/4/2010 1:38:22 PM

Anyone want to suggest how much I could get/should ask for on my 18-55 and 55-200 vr nikon lenses? They are both in perfect condition, probably taken around 400 pics with each give or take a few.

[Edited on August 4, 2010 at 10:44 PM. Reason : ]

8/4/2010 10:43:15 PM

i shot boris the other night, here are a couple, the rest are going up on a website maybe, i'll post the link later:









pardon my noise.

i have honestly stopped caring about shit like noise, and keying in perfect settings[for concert photos at least], and i don't know why it took me so long to do so.

i want cool shots.

[Edited on August 5, 2010 at 12:03 AM. Reason : .]

8/5/2010 12:00:38 AM

some cool shots there, and the noise doesn't really detract from them.

what lens were you using?

8/5/2010 2:20:43 AM

a 50mm 1.4 and a 70-300 4-5.6

i keep thinking i want to sell the 70-300, but then i use it again and it rocks again.

and the image stabilization is great for video.

8/5/2010 2:32:59 AM

Sorry guys, haven't been frequently on the board, been traveling a lot. Most of my lens are sold and bodies are spoken forth. I still have studio gear, but the AB800 and ring flash are spoken forth as well. I'll probably keep one AB800 and one x1600 with medium and large softbox around for simple portraits. I'm offloading gear slowly as I make sure what I want to keep and what I haven't used in a few years.

Sold the 580ex, but I have a flash bracket and a canon ettl cable still up for grabs. $50 for the bracket, $30 for the cord. The cord does have a chip in the foot, but it still works good with the flash bracket still.





I'm also selling a 17-40 that's not on my list, had a 24-105 as well, but that sold this week. Asking $650.


I'll offload two White lighting x1600 for $360 a piece. The reflectors are a bit on the rough side, but they still work, if you plan on using grids, I would probably say to get some new reflectors, they are only $15 a piece. These have been a work horse flash units, very reliable and built like a brick. Been in water too. lol


http://white-lightning.com/reflectordetail.html


Also, if anyone is interested, I'm conducting a free motorcycle racing photography seminar on Monday, August 23rd at VIR. I was just looking to get one or two people to take photos of me while on the track, but opened it up as more people got really interested. I'm still holding onto the 400 2.8 and 1dmkIIn.

Quote :

"Looking to see if anyone is interested in taking some pictures of me and a few friends at a Motorcycle track day with NESBA at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on the 8/23. Just looking for a camera man, nothing fancy. I have all the equipment (1dmkIIn + 400 2.8 + carbon fiber monopod) and can teach you how to properly use them to get portfolio quality images such the one below. I know all the best places and times of day to shoot at the course (shot ferrari, ama, motogp, etc.) and have shot all over the US covering events. I would be shooting it for fun with my friends, but they pitched in and gave me a free track day to ride around on my sports bike with them before I head out to the Marines. You don't have to worry about sorting through thousands of pictures, picking out the selects or post processing. I do that. I can show you my work flow as well. Once you're out there and in about 10 mins, I can teach you the tricks of the trade. You can keep what ever images you want for your portfolio, but you cannot sell any of it as there are track day photographers who do this as a living and have a contract. You will get banned from VIR. Normally, I'd buy the images from the track photographers, but they all suck! They do not obtain the image quality or technical training that I have been so a custom to. See example below: JBAZ Photo.. Picsofyou.com With my training and equipment, it's not hard to expect shots like those one after another. I generally can capture 3000 pics per group (there are 3) with about 75% being keeps (used to be really good and had 90% keeps) and roughly about a handful of really good portfolio quality pics."

So far there's about four people interested, mostly RCC students, so there will be sharing. If you want to come out and hang out, that's fine too. PM me for details with your email address. I'll try to checkup on here a little more often, but I'll be on the road and out of state for the next two weeks.

[Edited on August 5, 2010 at 7:54 AM. Reason : ]

8/5/2010 7:50:33 AM

My T1i bit the dust today. I'm on vacation in Vegas and Reno and noticed the shutter sounding slow. Next thing I know I'm getting an Error 20 and can't get rid of it. Luckily I made it through half my trip and already made it through the Valley of Fire and half the car show I came to Reno for. Unfortunately I'm heading back to Vegas tomorrow to visit Red Rock Canyon and then possibly Death Valley and I was really looking forward to getting some shots out there with the 24-105L that I rented for the trip. Oh well...

Has anyone replaced a shutter assembly out of warranty? I figure its probably not worth it compared to upgrading bodies but I have to buy a new laptop too.

8/7/2010 12:15:16 AM

Yup, ERR 20 is a mechanical shutter failure. Seems like you're screwed. I doubt you could do anything to remedy this except send it off to canon. I believe there's a few repair places out in Vegas if I'm not mistaken that can look at it and tell you more than I can over the internet.

Shutter replacement is about 180-300 depending on the model and if you have CPS or not. To replace my 1D shutter it cost about 240, till canon screwed up my AF when they opened it up and then they ended up replacing the entire set of electronics and mechanical internals. Sent it back 4 times in a 3 month span, if I sent it another 2 more times with the same issue, they would have replaced it with a mkIII, damn. lol

Even though I was pissed about being without my main body, Canon has excellent service. It was just one of those weird things they couldn't find the fix to the problem. Probably cost them too much money in the process. heh

My advice, go buy another T1i at bestbuy, use it for the few days, and return it. Or... not saying you should, but see if you can put your broken T1i in the box and give it back to bestbuy. pay in cash, leave no trace, provided that you did not send in a warranty card on your old camera. lol

8/7/2010 9:07:50 AM

all these awesome low light indoor shots make me want to get a 35mm af-s or 50mm f/1.8 D really bad

they're both cheap so i should probably just go for it

8/7/2010 9:40:36 AM

get the 50 1.8, good lens to start off with.

8/7/2010 9:59:43 AM

^^consider if your body can autofocus the 50mm 1.8D. My lowly D40 can't, but its still my favorite lense. I'll prob get the 35mm AFS one of these days. i'm starting to get the photog bug again. i really want a wide lense like the Tokina 11-16mm. I played w/ a friends and it was super fun

8/7/2010 10:29:04 AM

Yeah, I think I've said it in here 100 times, the Tokina 11-16 is the shit.

8/7/2010 10:36:19 AM

I had a really crazy dream last night about doing a photoshoot out in California. Some outdoor lifestyle shoot in the dead of summer with no wind. I was taking the photos and directing the models, sweating like a pig and like halfway through, I couldn't focus on my subjects at all. I would manual focus pull in front and behind the subjects and nothing would stick. I'd use the autofocus and pull the images on the computer and they were sharp, but what I saw through the prism wasn't. Kept on going and going, just getting completely frustrated, then I noticed that the diopter was off by a lot. Then I woke up.

8/7/2010 3:41:47 PM

Time to sell your stuff when you're having photo shoot dreams

8/7/2010 4:16:48 PM

Putting a hold on selling most of my gear, a friend of a friend wants pictures and I reluctantly will probably do it for money. Should be a fun little job though, but requires what I haven't sold yet. lol

I think I'll keep my 1D, 24-70 and 70-200, 1 x1600 and 1x AB800 with a pair of soft boxes for the "just in case i need to photograph something" scenario. I tell yah, when I told people I'm getting out and don't want to do it anymore, I got like 20 job offers. Refused most of it and passed them to my capable friends. Maybe I need to psyche myself out more often into quitting to get more jobs. lol

Besides, can't back out of the Marines. No backzee's

8/7/2010 5:47:35 PM

so what do you have left that you are willing to sell? (prices would be good too)

if you are willing to sell anything. you did say hold on selling most.

[Edited on August 7, 2010 at 6:02 PM. Reason : k]

8/7/2010 5:56:52 PM

He is selling a total of 1 light stand and a strobe, keeping everything else just in case he wants to take a picture of something

8/7/2010 6:13:12 PM

Quote :

"consider if your body can autofocus the 50mm 1.8D. My lowly D40 can't, but its still my favorite lense. I'll prob get the 35mm AFS one of these days."

i've got a D40 as well. the lack of autofocus with the 50mm is something i think i'd be able to get past.. i would just need some time to get used to zooming with my feet instead of my lens

8/7/2010 6:32:45 PM

the things that I'm selling that I'm not holding onto have already been sold or have been spoken forth. I do have an x1600 that I only had tire kickers looking at it, but no serious buyers. One of the AB800 and the ring flash is pending, ettl cord is pending, flash bracket is still available if someone is interested. I'll probably list all of my think tank modular gear and belt packs.

8/7/2010 10:17:13 PM

^ out of all the gear you were selling, how much was bought by people on TWW?

8/7/2010 10:45:22 PM

My brother took that of me waiting on the ramp with that new 70-200L f2.8 lens I got. That thing is sweet!!

8/8/2010 2:33:46 PM

Waterproof housing for my D40. The glue still needs to cure and then a few water tests without the camera in the box but it should work.

I'm debating if I need to make access to any of the controls on the back or if I'm going to work out a way to zoom.

8/8/2010 7:10:18 PM

Fooled around with an 85 1.8 this weekend.

I'm really starting to prefer primes.

8/8/2010 7:36:06 PM

haha, that DIY water housing unit made me lol, but that's pretty neat that you did that. I would do that for a cheap D40 setup, but never anything more expensive then that. Even with a pro made water setup, my boss still managed to brick a 1Ds mkIII and an 85L 1.2 during a shoot in Miami. Make sure you pressure test it. Fill the chamber with a lot of paper towel and take it to a pool and go to the deep end. You'd probably would want to put some weight in it to reduce the buoyancy and get it all the way to the bottom.

8/9/2010 8:25:59 AM