The first brave flowers are appearing in northern New Jersey despite the recent sub-freezing temperatures. We also spotted one Red-bellied Woodpecker, two Blue Jays and a pair of Cardinals (a male and a female)—all within a span of five minutes. No doubt about it, spring is here.
Sony offered to loan me an Xperia 1 mobile phone for 30 days. I thought it was a mistake at first. My (first) name is pretty common; I’m not a phone guy. My last cell phone had a rotary dial and a whip antenna. But I heard that the Sony Xperia 1 had some of the most sophisticated camera features around, so I cautiously accepted and approached the product the same way I approach cameras. Here is what I found.
Minor League Baseball trumps the Big Leagues. Tickets are significantly cheaper, atmosphere is casual and parking is way easier. Plus the players are playing for heart, not purse. Although ballplayers on the farm teams may not have the talent or skills of the guys in The Show, the action—and therefore your chance for a great shot—is equal.
Here’s your guide to finding the teams near you, preparing for the event, and coming back with the most rewarding photos.
Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday in March throughout most of the US. Despite the nonsensical grumbles about losing an hour of sleep, this annual event is a reason to celebrate. It heralds the first hint of spring—and if that’s not enough—it brings us an extra hour of useable light before dinnertime. It also stands to remind us to clean out the tackle box, as it were, to get things in order for another wonderful summer of photography.
It’s easier to get started in film photography than you may think, and you’re sure to enjoy the ride. If you’re even vaguely thinking about shooting some film, read this story. It’s a compendium of everything you need and where to get it.
A spring shower can interrupt power. A lightning strike can fry your electronics with 300 million volts. And a sudden, severe drop in voltage can burn an electric motor crisper than a bug in a hot skillet. These very real potential disasters can cost you money, time and possibly your precious digital images. Here’s a list of seven devices that might save your bacon.
My friend Toko is the best golfer I’ve ever known. He ordered new graphite shafts from a mail order company in Texas and reshafted his clubs by himself. When you hear these two facts you may think that he was using state-of-the art, custom-made equipment.
Posting holiday snaps to your social media page is quick and easy—but it can be hard to control who can view your personal pics. You want to show your family members a great shot of you frolicking in Fiji on December 25, but do you really want to tell the entire world that your home back in Kansas is unoccupied until after New Year's Day? Create a virtual picture-sharing family room online, a secure place viewable only by those to whom you give permission, with Zonerama, a free and easy-to-use platform provided by a folks at Zoner, makers of Zoner Photo Studio X.
Just bought a 200mm f/2.8 lens for my Nikon D300s for $99! Incredibly it’s only 3.1 inches long and it’s as sharp as a handful of carpet tacks. It’s used, sure, and it’s manual focus. But hey! It was made by Nikon. It’s a real Nikon lens and it’s just one example of the fantastic bargains that are available to those who know what to look for.
We evaluated the Synology DiskStation 1522+ NAS for several weeks and discovered that it does a whole lot more than just store image and video files. It provides secure backups, multi-media server functionality, password-protected file sharing and multi-platform accessibility all rolled into one compact box—and that’s only the beginning.
You need a Table Top Tripod to hold your GoPro, Litra Torch, Rode microphone, flash unit, Lume Cube, cellphone, slave strobe, cue cards, etc., etc., and—oh yes—your camera. Whether you’re a vlogger, photographer, Zoom-connected work-from-home-employee (Hommuter) or just somebody who likes to take pictures of their food, you need one of these guys. Maybe two. So here are five good choices to consider.
One of my overall, long-time favorite camera bags has been out of production for many years. It can still be found on eBay, usually for around $30 in excellent condition. With so many outstanding modern bags available today, why waste this ink on a camera bag that was discontinued more than 15 years ago?