TWIP

14 July 2008

TWIP Podcast #38 - Read The Manual

Posted by Scott under: Audio Podcast; Uncategorized

Episode 38 is in the feed or you can download the MP3 at Pixelcorps.TV.

Host: Alex Lindsay
Contributors: Fred Johnson, Steve Simon, Ron Brinkmann
Locations: Pittsburgh, San Diego, New York City, Hermosa Beach & Chicago
Guest: Dan Ablan

Intro Music by Scott Cannizzaro

Producer & Show Notes Author: Aaron Mahler - Twitter: halfpress

Bandwidth for This Week in Photography is provided by Cachefly.

TWIP is sponsored by Audible. For a free downloadable book visit www.audiblepodcast.com/twip

Don’t forget you can win a Drobo by linking to us. Details on the Contest page at TWIPPHOTO.COM!

TODAY’S SCENE

- Steve Simon comes in via Skype from New York. Fred is on via Skype from San Diego along with Ron Skyping from Hermosa Beach. Alex is in Pittsburgh this time and Scott is stuck in a hotel room with no bandwidth, so he’s not joining us this week.

- Trust me, the show was a technical monster this week with two postponements and crazy schedules prior to finally getting this one in the can. Whew!

NEWS & DISCUSSION

- In An Iranian Image, One Missile Too Many - Yet another case of photo manipulation. It’s supposed that one of Iran’s four missiles didn’t fire in their show of force, so they Photoshopped one in and did a pretty crappy job at it along the way. There has been a great deal of press about this, so the propaganda goes both ways. Fred and Alex admit that the missing middle would have hosed the composition had they not put in there. Steve comments that the manipulation process is a bit seductive, so entirely too many journalists have gotten caught up in making the image more dramatic and crossing ethical boundaries.

- UK Home Secretary green-lights harassment of photographers in public places - Jacqui Smith, the British Home Secretary, has stated that there is not specific law against harassment of photographers. From her letter: ‘It is for the local Chief Constable, in the case of your letter the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Force, to decide how his or her Officers and employees should best balance the rights to freedom of the press, freedom of expression and the need for public protection.’

- Adorama Teams up with Joe McNally to Preserve Unique (and enormous!) 9/11 Photos. Joe was involved in a project using a unique, gigantic Polaroid camera to photograph people associated with 9/11. Here are some specs on the camera:

- 40″x 80″ images
- It is the size of a one car garage.
- Its lens came from a U2 spy plane, according to legend.
- At f/45, you have about an inch of depth of field.
- You cannot focus the lens - you have to focus your subject by moving them back and forth in tiny increments.
- There is no shutter, you have to work camera obscura at the moment of exposure.

- These huge images - which have been shown a number of times - have had no permanent home other than some very large and expensive storage Joe has been funding. Adorama, however, has decided to come on board and help with the expenses associated with keeping these images both preserved and in the public eye!

- TWiP Blog makes Technorati 10,000. Woohoo! 10,000 doesn’t sound like much until you realize they track over 112 MILLION blogs.

- Rumors of the Nikon Coolpix P6000. This looks like another early ad leak. If this is true, it’s gunning for the Canon G9’s market. General specs: ISO 6400, 13.4 megapixels, Lens from ED glass, LAN connection and possible GPS capabilities. Not much to say here since it’s a rumor… but Nikon is firing on all cylinders lately!

- Drobo gets Dual Firewire 800 Ports - finally! This is a wonderful performance boost for the our beloved Drobo products. Also, since it’s a direct replacement, Drobo is blowing out the old models at $349 a piece. Check it out!

- Canon to Build $162 Million Camera Factory In Nagasaki - This new factor, slated to go live in December of 2009, will churn out four million digital cameras a year! It’s supposed to building both SLR and P&S models. Let’s hope something to compete with Nikon’s frenzy is going to be coming off that line in huge quantities… just don’t want to wait until 2009 for it to happen!

- Kodak Unveils 50 MP CCD Image Sensor. For the sake of scale, here’s one way of thinking of 50 megapixels: With a 50 megapixel camera, in an aerial photo of a field 1-½ miles across, you could detect an object about the size of a small notebook computer (1 foot by 1 foot). As Fred points out, we’re going to need some memory card improvements or it’s going to be about one shot ever 30 minutes. The sensor has a 8176 x 6132 pixel array and should go into volume production in the fourth quarter.

- Alex pulls a Bill Gates and declares 12 megapixels to be “all anyone needs”. Re-listen in ten years (or less) so you can call him an idiot.

FLICKR CHALLENGE & POLL

- We’re in week two of the current challenge: Fireworks. Tune in next week for… you know… winners and stuff.

- We’ve got videos to help you sign up for Flickr as well as videos showing how to upload to Flickr.

- Our TWiP Flickr group is over 5,600 Members with over 2,700 in the TWiP Flickr Critique group. Throw in the discussion group and we’re nearing 10,000 participants collectively.

- Last week’s poll: How do you like to go shooting in the field?

- With 1,444 respondants, it comes out to 73.3% alone, 21.4% with one other photog, 5% in small groups and 0.3% in large groups.

- Basically, we’re some mighty solitary, antisocial creatures… But it probably makes for better shots.

- Next week’s poll: What Camera Shooting Mode Do You Prefer? Auto, Program, Aperture Priority (A / AV), Shutter Priority (S / TV), or Full Manual.

INTERVIEW: DAN ABLAN

- Most folks know Dan from his 3D background and extensive training materials for both Lightwave and Modo. Actually, Dan started out as a photographer and was a broadcast journalism major in college.

- The two fields (3D and photography) actually aren’t all that different in various ways. Someone cross-trained in both areas will find that each skill set benefits the other tremendously. On one level, a good photographer has a detailed eye which will benefit you tremendously in 3D work. A good 3D artist will also approach photography with a more analytical sense of space, light and texture.

- Most 3D modeling systems now treat the virtual camera in true photographic terms: focal length, aperture, etc.

- Amusingly enough, Dan used to think that reference photography in modeling was “cheating”.

- editorial note: To hear Dan talking in more detail about 3D and one of the coolest modeling and rendering packages around, check out last week’s Modo modcast with Brad Peebler.

- How does Dan’s background in photograph affect his 3D work? He got into 3D because of photography and a desire to work on a visual scale that he couldn’t in the “real world”. A lack of access to physical crane shots, massive lighting, etc., led to wanting to create those things in the virtual world.

- As Alex has told photographers who pondered 3D but felt they didn’t have the skill: “it’s all about the eye”. Most anybody comfortable with photography and the mechanics of the process will have a leg up in plunging into the 3D modeling and rendering scene.

- Dan’s challenge to digital photographers: Turn off the LCD and take 36 pictures on the memory card. That’s your challenge to hone your skills and “get the shot”.

- Alex asks Dan: What is the same and different between 3D work and photography? 3D has a lot more going on detail-wise with shading, resolution, etc. Some of the newer packages, though, have built-in film presets (to look like certain types of real film such as T-MAX) as well as presets to simulate specific model lenses by Canon, etc.

- Dan’s photography pursuits cover a wide range… but NOT weddings. At his own wedding eleven years ago, though, he asked the videographers to shoot everything on Beta-SP and give him the raw tapes. The true mark of a video production guy.

- Dan treats digital photography, from camera to Photoshop, as one large tool set. He strives to get the shot as perfect as possible in-camera, but he’s not a stickler for it.

- When shooting reference photographs for 3D work, he thinks in terms of modeling. The shots aren’t being made to stand on their own in a creative sense but to document the subject in detail. Lots and lots of details from rivets to how various bits of hardware connect. When creating a 3D model, it’s often the most obscure angles that make the difference for the process of recreating the object.

- Any 3D modeler with a camera is also texture-crazy. Lots and lots of macro photography of seemingly bizarre and obscure objects will draw the eye of any 3D artist more so than the full scene.

- For the benefit of TWiP listeners, Dan has set up a discount code for almost all of his 3D Garage courseware at http://www.3dgarage.com. This 30% discount saves up to $375 using the discount code: PXC08.

AUDIBLE PICK OF THE WEEK

- editorial note: due to yet ANOTHER stinkin’ thunderstorm threatening my gear (long story… it involves a 130 ft tower that is highly lightning-prone), I wasn’t able to Skype in on the show this week and play my normal role as Audible Pick of the Week Guy… so… Ron will fill and starts out with a shocking confession:

- Ron has never listened to a full novel - start to finish - as an Audible book… BEFORE NOW!

- Audible has begun a new initiative to record classic science fiction books. Ron chose: This Immortal by Roger Zelazny. Ron describes it as being SciFi complete with a strong sense of mythology. People who are fans of more contemporary writers such as Neil Gaiman will see his influence in their style. It shared the 1966 Hugo Award for Best Novel with Frank Herbert’s Dune. Quoting the Audible site:

- “Conrad Nomikos has a long, rich personal history that he’d rather not talk about. And, as arts commissioner, he’s been given a job he’d rather not do. Escorting an alien grandee on a guided tour of the shattered remains of Earth is not something he relishes - especially since it is apparent that this places him at the center of high-level intrigue that has some bearing on the future of Earth itself. But Conrad is a very special guy….”

- Support the show by going to http://www.audiblepodcast.com/twip to sign up for a free audio book!

LISTENER QUESTIONS

- Q: Listener Alex Davila writes: Hey guys, I’m very new to photography, but very interested in learning, so I’m taking a photo class next semester (high school student) and I need some help. Since this photo class requires an SLR camera (no, not DSLR, good old fashion 35mm, decaying, film) I borrowed my Aunt’s Nikon N80 (aka F80 to those who live outside the states). When it arrived in the mail, I discovered that the inside of the lense is broken. So now, I need to purchase a comperable/ better lense for this thing, and I have no idea where to start, or what ANY of the info about lenses mean. The particular lense that was on it was a Nikkor AF 35-80mm 1:4-5.6D. I really hope this makes sense to you guys, because I’m clueless about what to buy or what this refers to… so any information would be very much appreciated. I’m a longtime listener of TWiT and MacBreak Weekly, and I really trust all of you guys, and even though I’m not even sure where this message will go, I hope to hear from someone. Anyway, cheers, and a good life to all of you.

- A: If budget is a factor, Nikon makes a slower 18-70mm that might be the most affordable option depending on what your Aunt expects to get back.

- Q: Listener Rafael Otoya writes: Hello, guys. I feel so lucky that I am able to listen to your podcasts. It’s incredible the amount of knowledge I have adquired through listening to your discussions on everything related to photography. I have an issue. I bought a Nikon D80 for Christmas. I have been using it on a frequent basis and have read the manual twice. So I can say I have a very good understanding of the mechanics of my camera. I have the following issue when taking a portrait picture. Typically if you select the portrait mode, the camera automatically chooses for you the focal points. The camera is acutally making the decision for you, where to focus. The challenge that I have had with this feature is when I am taking a picture of two or more people. The camera chooses to focus on one of the indivuduals leaving the other one out of focus. I have tried to stay away from the auto focus feature. However, even when I focus manually, I don’t get the results that I am expecting. What am I doing wrong? Is there anything custom setting that I need to change or is it something related to the lens. (I use the kit lens 18-135mm) Thank you very much for all of your help. There is not a week I talk to my friends about what I learn when I listen to your podcast. Sincerely, Rafael Otoya Southlake, TX

- A: Ron and Fred: Get out of Portrait mode! Using these preset modes can put a lot of restrictions on the shooting to meet pre-conceived ideas of the style you’re shooting. The best approach is to buckle down and start learning to use the other non-presets modes (P, Av, Tv and M). P will be the simplest to start with and, with a little practice, you’ll start getting the hang of the fundamentals of photography that put you back in control. It’s digital, so shoot a LOT and examine the results. For this particular situation, though, the portrait mode is using too wide of an aperture and make your depth of field shallow. Going to one of the other modes will put you back in control to use a smaller (higher f-stop number) aperture, though you will likely need to increase light, ISO or reduce shutter speed (or some combination therein). Don’t forget, too, that the EXIF data in all of your images is a great learning tool, too!

COMING UP NEXT WEEK

- We’re going to focus on wedding photography!

COMING BETWEEN WEEKS

- Keep an eye out…

TIP OF THE WEEK

- Steve grabs this week’s tip: Try not to spend so much time looking at the LCD. Glance at the histogram as needed, but try to forget about it and focus on the subjects. Keep the concentration in the game and hone your eye. Fred throws in a bonus tip: read the manual for your camera! You might think you know your camera, but you might also be missing a ton of little features that make a big difference. Ron emphasizes that doing this six months or a year after you get your camera can STILL yield neat surprises. Alex admits that manuals are his bathroom reading. His wife thinks he’s a huge geek. (editorial note: and I thought I was the only… on both scores!)

WRAP-UP

- Alex can be found at http://www.pixelcorps.com and http://www.pixelcorps.tv. Twitter: alexlindsay Alex would also like everyone to give This Week in Media a spin: http://pixelcorps.tv

- Steve Simon can be found at http://www.stevesimonphoto.com. He’s also doing a workshop August 15th - 17th in New Jersey and more information can be found at http://www.mentorseries.com.

- Ron Brinkmann can be found at his blog, http://www.digitalcomposting.com. Since the second edition of his book has just started shipping, he’s also going to pimp his main site: http://www.digitalcompositing.com. Twitter: ronbrinkmann

- Fred can be found at his blog. Twitter: frederickvan

- Aaron can be found on his blog (which is painfully in need of updates… soon) and via Twitter: halfpress

- Scott can be found at http://scottbourne.com. Twitter: scottbourne

Send your thoughts, suggestions and questions to: twip at pixelcorps.com

Story ideas and other items of webly interest can be submitted via the TWiP Ideas Del.icio.us bookmarks

Share photos with your fellow TWiP listeners through the TWiP Flickr Feed

Submit your photos for “ruthless compassion” through our TWiP critiques forum.

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