chrismarkes

February 15, 2010

Being a lifetime PC desktop user it was finally time for a big road trip which meant I needed to consider a laptop.

I spent a little more and got myself a 15.6" MacBook Pro. It's worked great for the trip and the "annoying" glossy screen actually doesn't bother me; and I'm one of those people that always finds things to complain about.

It's been a great machine especially if you travel a lot. I found other laptops to be bulky and really am tired of the nonsensical perpetual "updates" on my pc...

I say atleast give the Macbook a shot. The other thing to consider is the software. Everything seems a lot more stable and photoshop cs4 flies on this thing! I'm also able to watch native 5d MKii .mov clips with zero issues!

The other thing I like is the solidness of the thing. It doesn't squeek, flex, or feel cheap compared to every other laptop I looked at. The two finger scroll makes web surfing a lot less frustrating for the first time laptop user. The entire trackpad clicks or you can use two fingers to right click. All stuff that beats the heck out of being frustrated using other laptops.

For those that capped on Apple service: So once or twice a year it actually snows here in Portland. I had my macbook in my luggage. When I popped the trunk some snow dropped onto the luggage which melted and got water into the mac. The monitor flickered and stopped working. Took it to the Mac store and they replaced the backlight and logic board all for free and all done in 48 hours! No questions asked, no bs involved. I didn't even have applecare either! They are def. class acts atleast at the store I delt with. :)

One thing most people miss: distractions. On the mac I don't have popups, constant updates, permission requests, software conflicts, etc. It's a lot more focused experience. Less crap and more time to work on actually photo editing.

January 10, 2009

Nigel, Well written...

January 10, 2009

I've done some indoor motocross in awful lighting, and even at F2.8, ISO 1600, with 5fps on the 20D (5D was tooo slow), it can still be a challenge. The nice thing is that if you can get to "Almost" then you can do a little post processing to brighten things up a bit. I figure even if it's underexposed, that's still better than properly exposed and blurry!!<div>

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January 10, 2009

I agree with Albert & Catherine. You'll find that even if you're already really great, you can always learn by seeing other peoples work in person. I know I sat through critiques that were both great and not so great, but I did it for free access to the dark room, meeting new people, and both teaching and learning from others. You get out what you put into it basically. Plus you might even make some lifelong friends that share the same passion as you do!!

January 9, 2009

Go easy on me, I'm new here! You’ve brought up a very good point. Why is it good? Well look at the discussion. Here is a point: Why have most been trained that everyone has to agree (politically correctness)? That's a whole different can of worms...

1) Thank you, a good debate is a healthy exercise, and you usually learn most from it. You may even make some friends a long the way. People tend to only talk to others or associate with others whom agree with them. Hence sort of why people drive on freeways in packs as there is a false safety in numbers, and why we get the same results in this country regardless of which talking head you “vote” for.

2) The end result? It's just different for everyone. Most landscape photographers learn the basics/rules first. This demonstrates that you know fundamentally how to operate the camera....then from there you move on to your idea....then the end result. I agree with you, I'd love to see a thread just comparing a raw image vs. raw+photoshop. Ansel Adams was noted from what I've been told by people who've reprinted/archived his work as having a significant number of average negatives. And no I'm not saying his work is average or that all of his negatives are average. He was however, great at composition, and was a master print maker. People mostly look at his prints, not his negatives. The same holds true for today. I think we have some great photographers, and photographers who are great at photographing + photoshop. Invariably some are more patient with one or both processes more than others. Some of us just have more time on our hands, while some of us would rather be out taking more photographs.

3) Culture: Overall your thoughts bring up the bigger picture in a lot of sense. Most, like myself, were sat in front of a TV growing up. My mind has been trained to an extent to value the perfect composition, lighting, etc over one that is not. So is this good or bad? Am I the only one today that just cannot listen to the radio anymore on my commute to work? Sports talk, politics, and the music are usually the same rehashed, mass marketed, and culturally acceptable ideas. So then we move on to the extreme marketing as a reaction: the "reality" show. But even that isn't truthful as it's carefully choreographed more often than not. I guess we’re left just with shows like “Cops,” and the Blair Which project on the extreme end of the spectrum. So that's what we have in America for the most part. 99% of people I meet and talk to all pretty much agree to agree with one and other and carry on the same thoughts, values, ideas, and overall way of life.

4) Corporations, Profit, and Goals: This is the most significant part of the problem for the majority of people. A corporation is afraid to take risks, as the more risk the more likelihood of "someone" being offended. All media we see on TV and other forms of advertising are produced by corporations. Think of how much the News made it a point to make "Politically Correctness" the "in" thing to be in the '90's, maybe I don’t want to “accept” everyone!!! Think of all of the meaningless/mindless chatter you overhear from people while you're working at your corporation. I cannot just speak openly and be "me" as I might "offend" someone and then in up being fired over it. So blame whomever as I'm not sure where it started, but this notion that we all have to have the same values for 40 hours a week (I'm sick of the same rehashed sports conversations at work by the way)... Maybe the hourly wage is supposed to cover masking of ones identity, however it’s interesting that it does for some, while others it’s not even close.

5) Everyone on this forum if they are not already, would rather be out getting paid to take "perfect" photographs rather than sitting in a cubicle or whatever else people do for a living on here. (hopefully not telling people to just mail the bank their keys like I get to do). I know I have the same mundane talk about home equity accounts over and over to where I now repeat the same 5 ideas over 30 conversations per day. Exciting! So for some, they pursue the "perfect" picture, as that is the only way they know how to make money with their work. Photo editors and stock photo agencies generally want "perfect" landscapes unless they support a very small “nitch” market.

5) Degrees of Difficulty and Boredom. Most people eventually either learn how to take the "perfect" photo, and then become bored. Once boredom sets in, they run out and try to take even more perfect photos, and they want the more perfect camera, and the cycle continues...(just like consumerism and debt in this country). Some people see the light. They eventually face the fact that they will have to find new ways to challenge themselves, and learn to take risks (stop spending money, and learn to value other things). Those people get to what you speak of: images that stand out. Think of the musicians, image makers, etc that stand out to you. They are usually the ones that were the "first" to do x or y. As media changes over time, historians will categorize photography based on style: Film/wet process/dark room/printing vs. digital and photoshop. No different from taking Art history where painting styles reflected the culture of differing times. Maybe for the gifted few, they just have something to say, and they do not care what others think; therefore being "safe" is not anywhere on their priority list. Ask a woman if she likes the bad boy (unpredictable) or the nice guy (predictable). Most women secretly lie and state they want the nice guy, but they don't, atleast not until later in life. Again, most photographers start out in the pursuit of perfection, to hopefully their own individual voice. No different when you probably had no opinion about the Federal Reserve 10 years ago.

6) Leaders and Followers: As it's been said: "lead, follow or get the _ out of the way." Maybe it's not that simple. Maybe for some it depends from one day to the next or from one stage of their life to the next. Think of all of the musicians/artists/etc that have to "sell out" in order to just get their work distributed, as again, see #4. Once they "sell out" they are then more able to do what they WANT to do over time. This is truer today than it was 30-40 years ago.

7) The FCC and Rupert Murdock. Hopefully most people on here know of one or the other. While people were running around trying to buy homes they could not afford, the FCC was busy relaxing its standards on corporate media regulation. There used to be rules. One guy could not own every tv station, newspaper, and radio station in town. The idea was to get differing view points which would hopefully benefit society. Well thanks to laws passed in 2004, we now get Rupert Murdocks corporate slave approved viewpoint on pretty much 85% of media we're exposed to. Don't believe me? Try calling a radio station and requesting a song you've never heard them play over and over before! Try it. Chances are you'll be dead before they even play it, and if they do play it, it'll probably never be played again by the same DJ as he/she will be collecting unemployment shortly thereafter.

Okay, I’m done. Again, thanks for bringing up a topic that makes people think. I know the TV doesn’t.

January 9, 2009

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January 9, 2009

I was always taught composition as the number one priority (rule of thirds). Make that of most importance, this way you're forced to move around a scene and take it in, experiment, ect... Sometimes you should just frame a few shots before even taking photos....just look around a bit, walk around first...sorta like kicking the tires on a car. Once you've done that, you start thinking about the different views, angles, and you can then start with the image that in your mind spoke most to you... You'll learn that you'll have to make multiple visits to the same places to find the best photos, you'll see different lighting at different times of day that will favor some compositions over others, which may then lead to a more narrow focus of a certain time of day/year/weather/lighting you want capture. After that, just enjoy yourself and keep practicing. Its' all about how much time, effort, and practice....and Luck. Sometimes you just get lucky...Also, don't worry about as much of the photoshop stuff @ first. Just try to get out as often as you can and practice. You're photoshop skills will improve over time. Remember composition, that you cannot photoshop later, unless you want to compromise the image. Against practice a lot. It's about sacrifice, many people here do not speak of all of the social engagements they put off, or didn't show up at because they were pursuing their passion.

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Macbook Pro or Sony Vaio AW?

Stock photo sales DRR

Basketball Pics - Help Please

Help! Want to knock a photo class off my req's

Life is not perfect, so why should the photograph be?

Reflections, of any type

Looking for a little help to improve landscape images

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