john_frie

<p>Thanks everyone for your input. I'm not opposed to generic but i do know that certain batteries for certain types of electronics can physically cause damage. Maybe not immediately but over time. I figured if anyone has heard of anything as such it would be on this forum and I so don't want that to happen. I trust that most of you are pretty up to date on the latest, greatest and what's working and not. I'll check out Sterling Tek.</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

<p>John </p>

<p>Hi Alex,<br>

Yeow that's pretty impressive. I started my photographic career using nothing but view cameras. You're invention, although very impressive, is not unique. I believe Nikon or Canon had an adapter for this years ago. I'm sure you're also aware that the front movement of a view camera is basically for greater depth of field and shifts in field of vision. It does very little if anything at all for perspective control. Perspective control is done through the shifts, tilts and swings of the back of the view camera.</p>

<p>friej</p>

<p>I did a search for batteries for my 40D on Ebay. I came up with 2 batteries for 10 dollars. I'm assuming their some type of generic battery. They come with a 2 year warranty but this just seems too good to be true when Amazon sells them for 35.00 (Canon Battery) I've also seen the Canon battery for only 9.00. <br>

Have any of you had experience with these batteries from ebay?<br>

here's the link.<br>

http://cgi.ebay.com/TWO-Battery-for-Canon-EOS-20D-30D-40D-5D-10D-50D-BP-511_W0QQitemZ220432316656QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBatteries_Chargers?hash=item3352ca38f0#ht_2500wt_1141</p>

<p>Thanks for any help.<br>

friej</p>

<p> "yes, I'm picky"<br>

this is not a matter of being picky, it's a matter of not knowing how to use your equipment. I'm sure you missed a lot of really good info from Daniel's post based on lack of understanding. I've seen in film and digital many people take a similar shot at the same time, one with a mid end point and shoot and one with a much higher level camera. The low end basic ps camera turned out better results due to the exact same problem mentioned. Lack of knowledge. Many times series of bad photos are blamed on the camera and many more than most are due to pilot error. Learn how to use your camera.</p>

<p>J</p>

<p>ok so you already thought of testing the pc cord on another flash and see if your camera fires it; I don't know if this is relevant to studio strobes but could the flash setting be set not to fire?</p>

<p>Jordan,<br>

I used the RB67 for many years as a full time professional commercial, fashion photographer and I can say that it's a great piece of equipment. I personally like a heavy camera and never had problems hand holding the RB. The shutter is so smooth you can barely feel it go off. It makes me laugh when people talk about he weight of a camera especially 35mm. Have you ever seen the old newspaper photographers carrying around the speed graphix and other 4 x 5 format cameras with the 5 pound flashes, bulbs, film holders etc. etc.? They don't know what heavy is. If you want a great camera, in a larger than medium format the RB is a great choice. The other thing to consider is the RB is an in lens shutter where the 645 is a focal plane making it louder and locking you in to sync speeds with flash. 645 format is a cropped 2 1/4 square. The RB gives you much more negative size.</p>

<p>J</p>

I'm hoping that someone might be able to steer me or offer some experienced information about building a light booth. This will be

something for large viewing and will be built to walk into. I'd like info on light placement, for best viewing and color of surround. Any info or

where to get information will be greatly appreciated.

John

Andrea,

I've been a pro photographer for many many years and have taught many classes from beginner to very advanced

students. Photographers are a very strange bunch of people. They all think that they hold an untold secret to something

absolutely amazing and different. Fact is is that it's all been done before again and again and again etc etc.. The

beautiful thing about art is that no matter how many times the the dew laced spider web is shot in the early morning ,

there is always a slight degree of originality to it that's brought about by the person who interpreted it. Making it fresh and

seemingly new again.

The person who you shared the link with us is an excellent photographer. I bet you her clients LOVE her. Why? It's not

that she's doing anything that hasn't been done a million times. It's that she has the ability to express her love for her art

in her chosen medium. Thousands could set up exactly the way she's set up even side by side with her and never

reproduce what she's able to do with her subject. The people who's buying her product couldn't care less that the

shadows have little detail or there is too much post processing or the highlights are washed out. They look at her work

and see a beautiful character study of a loved one or even of themselves and realize she's captured an emotion.

Every one copies someone's work even if they don't want to admit it. Something and someone has influenced them. The

great ones take that learning and add their own creative signature to it. But it still has a foundation.

Ok that was a bit long winded but believe me there are many great artists out there who are willing to give you there

recipe because they know that no matter what you do you'll never be able to do it with the same signature whether good

or bad. Copying is also a great way to begin determining a style of your own.

J

Erica,

Take a breath and know that what you're experiencing is very normal and most of the time expected. Don't become

frustrated with the school. What's happening is relearning what you've taught yourself. However, it's doing it in a much

more systematic way. Breaking bad habits and learning to develop new ones. Teaching you why this happen the way

they do with a camera. Photography, unlike so many think, is a hobby or profession that takes years of diligent study

and application. There is a difference between taking good picture by hit or miss or accident and taking a great

photograph and understanding exactly how you did it. If you're putting the due diligence into the course it will all

eventually begin to click. No pun intended. You may get even worse before you get better but allow yourself to take it in

the necessary progressions and you'll begin to see the light.

Your story happens in many more instances than just photography. Many people put years of self education into

something only to hit a wall and can't go any further. They go to get educated only to find out that, for a time, they get so

much worse than better. It's because the education does not start where they left off. It begins from the beginning. If

they can keep their ego in check and stick with it the rewards are more often times than not worth their time.

Good learning.

J

Boy Tracy,

I'm going to briefly answer your actual question. The slower the ISO of a film the more saturated the colors will be. You'll

need to make personal choices as to what you decide on because different types and manufacturers will yield different

results e.g. warmer, cooler, color of shadow areas, high and low ranges etc. The film is only the bare bones beginnings

to good photographs. Instead of getting confused with so much input from others I would strongly suggest taking a

beginner course in photography, reading some beginner books and practice practice practice. The more you shoot the

more you'll begin to understand. Don't go out with great hopes of great shots in mind. Learn your equipment so it

becomes second nature. Play and record the results. Find a good lab that will take care in processing your film. Ask

some pros in your area where a good place to take your film processing. There is nothing so saddening than a person

who's doing everything right but getting bad results from bad processing and they think it's due to their inabilities.

There's so much to learn. Master the basics first or you'll just get very frustrated. It has to always be fun or the interest

will just go away.

John

Don't worry about the math. Not necessary to understand DOF. Heres a very simple test:

1. Camera on a tripod.

2. Subject on a table. No flash just natural light

3. Focus on the subject only. Disregard all else.

4. Make sure you get some forground and background in the photo. Don't make the crop too tight.

5. Start shooting with the widest aperture. Write each frame # and corresponding fstop down.

6. Progressively take a shot with all apertures one step at a time.

7. View the resusts with your notes.

Now look at the focus of the forground and the back ground. If you did the test correctly you'll see the foreground and

background coming into focus as you closed down the aperture.

The definition of DOF is the amount of area in front of and behind your subject thats in focus. Basic.

If you did the test correctly you'll clearly see these results.

Have fun.

John

Basically the technique I used in PS is the same technique you would use in the darkroom. I used the burn tool with a soft

brush, put the setting on midtones around 40% and slowly built the burn up. Another way this can be done to give varied

results is to make a transparent layer above the dog layer and use the brush tool, again with a soft brush at around 30%

and burn down the areas that you see fit. There are so many ways to get this technique in PS and each way gives you a

slightly different edge and result. Photoshop is an immense program that takes years to master. What I did is very basic

yet requires practice. Get in there and play.

John

John,

I agree. the surounding brightness can use a little work. here's a few seconds in Photoshop.<div></div>

Yes John,

I agree, some work on the sourounding brightness would help. I took a few seconds in Photoshop and did a little selective

darkening.

John

Michael,

Question and not meant to be insulting. Are you putting the polarizer on the front of a lens shade? If yes stop that! :-) Or

are you putting your lens shade on top of the polarizer? Not good also. Both may give you the vignetting your're seeing.

Also sometimes stopping your lens down with a lens shade or filter on will give you some cutting in. Keep the lens aperture

wider when using filters or lens shades at the widest mm.

John

Dennis,

Why do you think it needs to be cropped? I think what you've done is actually fairly good compared to everyone else

crops .you've created a nice depth your placement is good and maintains movement giving the dog something to run

into.. I'd leave it alone. The others have either created basic snapshots or cropped in too tightly. Yours is much better for

enlargement also.

J

Steve,

I stand corrected and apologize for my misunderstanding.

John

"if you're too dumb to know how to use a camera, you're too dumb to know how to make good use of a RAW file"

You're right Tommy about Steve's comment. It was condescending. It wasn't the fact that he used the term" idiot modes"

but what he said previously to that that deemed "idiot modes" demeaning. The quote he made that I pasted above was

idiotic. "If you're too dumb to know how to use a camera". What exactly does that mean? What a small minded thing to say

to people who are trying to look for help. I bet Steve will never be someone who is respected as a teacher.

J

"a switch inside that tells the camera whether it is being held in landscape or portrait orientation."

Or should we say " a switch inside that used to tell the camera whether it is being held in landscape or portrait orientation.

Steve, you need to get out of the idiot mode.

J

"Don't shoot at f/29 then. See if the problem is gone by f/13-16. If so, then there's nothing to fret over. On a crop body, you

should get all the depth of field you need by f/13 for landscapes anyway."

WHAT? You've got to me kidding me!

J

"Measurbation". HAHAHAHA. I love that.

J