The Nothing

Continuing to worry over focus issues, I spent some time at work taking some photographs of animals that I hadn’t taken pictures of already. Some things occurred early in the week that prohibited me from taking as many photos as I had hoped, but I did find myself with a bit of time on Thursday to fire off a few rounds.

My target - the Waxy Monkey Tree Frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii)

I’ve liked this frog since we got them in. They’re incredible animals. The like higher heat (basking spot hits 90F) and like things dry (we spray only every few days). They have a waxy secretion that is their namesake which helps hold in moisture. They’re fairly slow frogs, not prone to jumping, and seem fairly comfortable being handled. I’d have to say they’re ideal for some photography… [Read more →]

The Misses and I headed out of town for a weekend getaway to Bend, OR. The hopes was to go out and see if we couldn’t catch a few reptiles for some great shots, but, alas, the weather didn’t cooperate. The other weekend it was 80F. The weekend we chose to go on barely broke the freezing mark. No reptile would be out.

Fortunately, all was not lost [Read more →]

Managed to get the Skyport receiver working after a little abuse.

Today, as I mentioned yesterday, was another PDX Strobist meetup. The venue was Vegas Dance Lab with models provided by SugarQ Burlesque Troop. Needless to say, some good fun was had.

The above picture was one of the last of the day for me. I had my crappy Viv3700 high camera left with my DIY straw grid, and used someone else’s Sunpak behind the model for back/hair lighting. I did have to do a bit of brushing in post production because Daron (owner of the Sunpak managed to get in the way and in the shot…
[Read more →]

Tomorrow is another pdxstrobist meetup. And, what do I discover, my Skyport receiver is dead. LED lights up like it is charging, but it’s not powering on. I charged it for several hours and still not getting anything. I’ve gotten a flash to trigger twice while continually hitting the “test” button on the transmitter and the pwr button on the reciever, but thats not going to work for me.

and, of course, i have no idea where the receipt is…

Pictured is a Black Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae) that I did a small photoshoot to prepare an ad to be posted on KingSnake.

I’m not happy with it.  This was the best of the whole shoot (granted, on a few shots) but there is no clarity.  Every shot was focused on his head, and not a single one was actually in focus on his head.

I’m going to be giving it another try today. [Read more →]

just picked up a used Sigma 28-105mm F2.8-4 lens today.  Similar in focal length and better in aperture than the L glass I rented the other week.  Granted, it’s no replacement for L-glass, but it a good decent lens.  And, most importantly, the price was right!

I did get the Lowepro Fastpack 250 the other week.  I’ve been dealing with a cold for the last week, but will have a review up shortly.  So far I’m a fan of it.

Having the best wife in the world, she sent out after work on Friday to rent me a lens I believe I want.

She picked up the Canon EF 24-105mm F4L. It has USM ultrasonic focusing and IS image stabilization. I had a chance yesterday to fire off a few rounds while in Oceanside, Oregon, helping with the beach cleanup.

Now, cleaning beaches and pictures usually don’t go hand in hand. Throw in snow and heavy rainfall and I didn’t get much chance to take the pictures I wanted. While the EF 24-105mm F4L does have some weatherizing behind it, my Canon 20D does not.

[Read more →]

Well, I took a trip to the LPS yesterday to take a look at some things. I was already liking the idea of Lowepro’s Fastpack and Slingshots, and placed the slingshot as my #2 since it lacked the laptop carrying abilities. i’ve been using toploaders for as long as i can remember and like the quick access, but with more gear to move, something larger needed to come…

The shop had a SS200 on their used list as of monday, but by yesterday it was already gone. The SS200 on the shelf seemed a bit small and mimics what others have said about it before. I kind of liked the idea of the AW, but not sure how much I would make use of it (even though I DO live in the Northwest). The LPS was a bit lacking when it came to Fastpack selection having only the 200 and 350. I was really hoping to have the 250. I only need the 15″ and the 350 looked HUGE. The 200 was just about perfect, and I knew the 250 would only be a slight bit larger to accommodate the lappy.

I’ve ordered it already and waiting its arrival next week. I’ll be sure to get a review up here.

In the meantime, check out Lowepro’s webpage for the Fastpack 250 - complete with product video!

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Fastpack-250,2086,14.htm

NewEgg has some cheap 8gig memory cards available

see more info on their site - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-183-189

Yesterday, March 16th, was the March meetup for the local Strobist group. This time we flash-mobbed Jimmy’s Sports Bar in Multnomah Village. They opened a bit early for us so that we can get things setup before things got too busy which also allowed us to do some things the Oregon Liquor Control Commission wouldn’t have liked us doing during business hours. [Read more →]