So awhile back i was talking about Snapseed for the iPad/iPhone. I also remember stating that the Mac version was coming out and that I was going to download it and take it for a test drive. Well I did and I must say that I like it. For anyone that has used the IOS version then you will be nice and comfortable with the Mac version. Anyways check out the video and let me know what you think.

Just go shoot.

So where i live there’s not a lot of outdoor activity due to the cold and the fact that everything covered in snow. So I really try and take advantage of the warmer months to go out shooting. I tend to let friends and acquantances know that I’m looking for stuff to shoot. This past summer I was told of a really great car show that was happening in our area. So I headed out to go shoot some cars.

Now i don’t have a specialty that i shoot. I enjoy shooting just about anything that comes in front of me and my camera. So taking pictures at this car show was going to be something new. The good thing about this show was that it was outdoors and the day was perfect lots of light and a lot of great really clean cars. So far the conditions were great. Now to shoot.

One of the main things that I wanted to achieve was to not just take the standard “car” photo. You know, the one everyone has. I wanted different. One of the big things with this car show was that these were mostly older cars, which was awesome. Old cars have features that truly separated them from other cars and this is what i wanted to attempt to capture.

So as I walked around the large sea of cars I looked for the things that made each car special and tried to focus on that. I barely ever photographed the complete car. And to be completely honest I was really happy with the photos that I got. So here is my recommendation. Get in close. Focus on the features. Make your photo interesting. I found myself lying on the grass or dirt many a time, just trying to get a different shot that I thought represented that car best.

On a side not make sure to have fun, talk with the car owners. They may show you things on their cars that others won’t get the opportunity to see. The other thing is never touch their cars. And if you do, please make sure to ask permission. I was shooting a corvette and there was a small twig sitting right in the middle of my shot resting on the rear tail light. I asked the owner if it was alright to remove it. She was very grateful that i asked and we ended up having a nice chat.

Anyways thats all i have to say in regards to that. If you guys have any great car shots, i would love to see them.

Again remember to just go shoot.

So I like to think that I shot a fair bit. Maybe not as much now as I used to, but still a lot compared to most. And one of the things that i shoot a lot of are live performances. Now I don’t have a large range of f2.8 and or lower lenses. I do have the standard 50mm F1.8 and I have a Sigma 17-70mm f2.8-f4.5. But even with those kinds of lenses I have to shoot at a high iso (3200). Now I could lower my shutter speed down to help me get some more light, but honestly a blurry picture is just no good. So i set my camera to shutter priority and lock it at somewhere around 1/160. This will usually give me a nice sharp image. Definitely fast enough to catch most of the action that is happening around me.

Now when you shoot high iso shots in a dark scenerio you really can start to see the noise creeping in. So their are a couple of things that you can do. One of them is find a noise reduction piece of software. I myself use Nik software’s Dfine which I really like, but their are others so snoop around. Mine is a plugin for Aperture so I can use it from within Aperture.

Now just cause you have a high iso shot with noise does not mean its all bad. Im actually a fan of some images that have camera noise. And sometimes i think it adds a whole lot of character to the photo. Much nicer then trying to take it away. Remember just cause you can doesn’t mean you should.

My last little suggestion is to turn the image to black and white. I have a real love of black and white images, but i think they look even better when they have some noise. They just have that feel to them which I love. So i wouldn’t change that.

So lastly, don’t be afraid to pump that iso up. I myself would much rather have a shot with some noise in it, then have a blurry picture because i couldn’t shoot fast enough.

Let me know what you think, show me some of your pics and remember.

Just go shoot!!!

What would you buy? If you had a full size computer at home already. Either a PC or Mac computer (but that was your primary photo/video machine), what would you buy as your secondary machine.

Just go shoot.

Just go shoot.

Just go shoot.

So for the past while, actually since I’ve started these posts, I’ve been talking about photo gear and the stuff that i use etc, etc. But i have yet to actually show any of my photos. So I’ve created just a little slideshow that has some of my pics from our trip to Puerto Vallarta Mexico, which we just returned from. Anyways hope you enjoy, take a look, add a comment.

Just go shoot!!

Reblogged from Dear They:

I’m a Canadian. We’re a quiet bunch; prone to enjoying hockey, drinking stronger beer than our friends south of the border, and lovers of fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy. We also, apparently, have an inferiority complex when it comes to being evil dirt bags, because we’ve decided to pass our very own version of SOPA up here. Only better* Meet Bill-C11. Formerly Bill C-32. (I think they thought if they made the number lower people would care less about it?) Or as we call it up here; Her Royal …

So for my birthday the family and I went on a little dune buggy ride around Puerto Vallarta. Now i wanted to record it but holding onto the cameras was so not working. Luckily I had my gorilla pod in my bag. Which came in handy. Just wish I had used it earlier!!

Just go shoot.