Circus at UAF

I worked at the circus at UAF over the weekend.

camera review

The stainless-steel case and well-designed controls make it look bulletproof. Canon still managed to include some extras, a movie-capture function and a panorama mode. The 1.5" LCD may be small but it's very bright, sharp and best of all has one of the best anti-reflective coatings. The small Lithium-Ion battery, this pays off two fold, first of all it’s considerably smaller than an equivalent power NiMH battery and secondly it's far lighter. The fully retracting lens with automatic lens cover, front "grip lip" and rear thumb indentation make it easy to hold, protruding mode dial is right under your thumb, as is the zoom controller. A lens which extends quickly, the S300 lens is extended and ready in just 1.1 seconds and takes the same amount of time to retract (compare this to nearly 3 seconds for most extending 3x optical zoom lenses, and most of those don't have automatic lens covers either), this adds up to fast startup times that may make the difference between getting "that shot" or not. Power and size constraints mean that the S300 doesn't support Type II CF cards, and thus doesn't support IBM's Microdrive. Canon only supplies an 8 MB card with the camera. The S300's controls are very easy to operate: A mode dial on top of the camera selects from among the major operating modes of the camera, with options of Playback, Automatic Exposure, Manual Exposure, Stitch Assist, and Movie modes. A good complement of rear-panel controls let you control the most frequently-used camera functions without having to resort to the LCD menu system, As for it's major exposure modes, Automatic exposure mode places the camera in charge of all exposure decisions, except for flash mode, macro mode, the self-timer, and Continuous Shooting. Alternatively, Manual mode allows you to adjust things such as white balance and exposure compensation (EV) through a menu system employing the LCD screen and rear-panel controls.

Pros – sharp bright, lcd with anti reflective coating, mostly all metal construction, fast ejection and retraction of lens, with automatic lens cover.

Con - Poor battery life, rubber cover to the av out and digital connections, images may be flat, can require digital darkroom work.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/S300/S30A2.HTM

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2001_reviews/s300.html

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canondigitalixus300/page3.asp

Assignment 2

Reviews

Review 1

Review 2

Review 3

Summary

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S750 is a convenient, budget-friendly pocket camera that takes pictures--just not very good ones. 

Strengths

Face Detection Technology

Good selection of useful preset shooting modes

Good Macro mode

Weaknesses

Poor lens quality yields soft shots across the zoom range

Noticeable barrel and pincushion distortion 

Bright chromatic aberration at wide angle

2009 Ice Carvings

2nd Week - 1st Assignment (Reviews)

Camera
Kodak CX7530

Review Sites
reviews.cnet.com
steves-digicams.com
epinions.com

Three Strengths
1. The lens is a good size and it will shoot landscaped pictures, or do close-ups with equal ease.
2. Compact, lightweight, and versatile.
3. Easy to change settings and takes very little time to become familiar with.

Three Weaknesses
1. Lacks sharpness expected from a 5 megapixel camera.
2. No manual focus
3. The software is mediocre at best

Camera Review - 3 Pros, 3 Cons

The Olympus Stylus 1010 is a great compact camera for taking along anywhere. It is also has splash resistance which helps in the rain. It has a large zoom in, face detection, shadow technology, in camera editing and panorama and ISO 80-1600. I also like that it has an underwater casing package that can be purchased to take underwater photography up to 130 feet depth. It has received a good review with a great list of attributes and optional add ons.

Three Pros:
1. Small design allows you to take it anywhere.
2. Clear picture and great night pictures.
3. Built quality is good and layout of camera selections are good.

Three Cons:
1. Hard to learn everything the camera offers at first.
2. Noise level low until you start going over ISO 400.
3. Low continuous shooting speed.

Camera Review - 3 Pros, 3 c

Week 2 Assignment

My Fujifilm FinePix S1500 is concidered ideal for advanced amateur photographers.

3 review sites:
1) DcViews
2) Digital Photography School
3) Ala Test(Digital Camera Info)

3 strenths:
1) manual options
2) high-resolution
3) 12x optical zoom is really good for its size of a camera

3 weaknesses
1) EVF is worse then the LCD
2) can go through batteries pretty fast (AA batteries)
3) A little bulky

Ice Park: A Different View

This picture is kind of boring, but there is so much more to the atmosphere than the "ice".

CANON EOS REBEL XS 1000D Reviews

CANON EOS REBEL XS 1000D Reviews

I found helpful info at shutterbug.com, photographyblog.com, and digitalreview.ca.

3 Strengths

1. It weighs less than a pound making it the lightest EOS D-SLR to date (www.shutterbug.com)
2. "The self-cleaner comes on every time you power up the XS, but if that does not do the trick there’s a “dust delete data” function as well. You need to run the images through the supplied Canon Digital Photo Professional software to make this work, but it is a kind of auto-spotting mechanism that works well." (www.shutterbug.com)
3. As for Picture Style Settings there are six preset Picture Style settings, Three Custom Picture Style Settings are available. Canon offers additional downloadable "Picture Style Files." (www.digitalreview.ca)

3 Weaknesses

1. One thing "disappointing for experienced photographers is the omission of the Spot metering mode, useful in tricky lighting conditions." (www.photographyblog.com)
2. "Under very bright conditions, the Canon Rebel XS images were affected by lens flare." (www.digitalreview.ca)
3. "Live View is annoyingly difficult to actually turn on, as Canon have inexplicably buried it in the menu system." (www.photographyblog.com)

Assignment #1, Week 2: Camera Review

Nicon Coolpix S550 Reviews
April 3rd, 2009
Review 1: DC Review
http://www.dcviews.com/_nikon/s550.htm
Overall positive reviews. The key selling point of this camera is the adjusting ISO settings. The Nikon Coolpix S550 rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Review 2: Trusted Reviews
http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2008/06/17/Nikon-CoolPix-S550/p1
Reasonably priced, but only got a 6 of 10 score on value. The site praises the sleek and simple design, but states that the Distortion control feature, which is new to Nikon, doesn’t work well. Strenghts listed on the site were the smile recognition, the image stabilization system and the automatic ISO settings; which allows the camera to take quality pictures in low light settings.
Review 3: EPhotoZine.com
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Nikon-Coolpix-S550-9665
The review of the camera on this site was “ok”. The reviewer felt that the camera had a nice sleek design, but that the camera did “too much” for the user, not giving enough control to the photographer. In a noise test the camera did not fare well, since the ‘image noise’ was high as ISO settings went up.

Strengths:1. Simple and sleek design
2. Excellent Image Stabilization System
3. Long Battery Life
Weaknesses:
1. Distortion control not optimal
2. Slow reaction time: one picture per second to three seconds, depending on settings.
3. Noise comes early as ISO gets higher

CIOS 258 Exploring Digital Photography CIOS 258 Lessons and Links: Stephen Cysewski

CIOS 258 Exploring Digital Photography CIOS 258 Lessons and Links: Stephen Cysewski

The handout and the Lessons and Links Page for the class Saturday are finished.

Photojojo » 12 Ways to Use Your Camera as a Tool

Photojojo » 12 Ways to Use Your Camera as a Tool

Sort of a cool list, sometimes I need to be reminded of the practical uses of carrying a camera, other then flying saucer prevention!

fun at the ice park

a beary good time

My Ice

Most of these are macro photos of the ice.

Out of touch

They do take on a different 'feeling' when the melting process begins.

Ice Park photo

It almost looked as if there were a teardrop falling from the eye of this eagle.

Weekend Photos

I ended up not making to the Ice Park but I did spend time at the university Sunday. I took pitures of the ice up there and other distractions.

Personal Style « NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

Personal Style « NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

This posting seems to be true! It is worth reading as you explore your photography.

Ice Park Photographs

Three from the Ice Park today.

I love how the ice looks inside. It is like another world

Take pictures in a theater

These are two sets of pictures taken in the theater. I took them as the mother of Arthur in Camelot. This set is me as a mom and this set was selected by my son to show the performance for all the cast. It was interesting to see the ones he selected of himself and the ones I selected and what came up in both sets.

Taking a picture in the low light is always a challenge. I try to take pictures when the loud shutter won't stick so bad and bother others. Also I turned the camera display off so not to distract and I stayed in my seat.

1st Assignment - I wish I had taken a photo of.....

1) The ocean on both coasts of the United States. My parents and I traveled for a while and we went to both the east and west coasts.

2) There was an Ice Dogs game where, as soon as the puck hit the ice for the start of the game, all the starting players from both teams had thrown down their gloves and started fighting.

3) My friends and I took a little road trip down to Anchorage and even though it was only a day long drive, it was still a lot of fun. We did a lot of crazy stuff along the drive to Anchorage.

4) One of my favorite houses that I had lived in was a house in a small town, in the state of Nevada. I lived there for about 4.5 years with My parents, brothers, sister-in-law, niece, and all our pets at the time. It was a beautiful and large house and I love my memories of that place.

5) When I was a little bit younger I saw my old dog have puppies and, to me, it was amazing.

Drowning in the snows of Kotzebue

Drowning in the snows of Kotzebue
There are photo essays everywhere. Is there a photo essay you could create from your current experiences?

1st Assignment: 5 photographs I did not take, but wished you had.

1. My father, sitting aside a cash register and behind a counter. We were confectioners back then and he was selling school kids candy during their lunch break. I couldn't help but notice how much fun he was having while laughing and talking with the kids.

2. It was a once in a lifetime hike throughout the Pico de Europe mountains in northern Spain. After several hours climbing a sharp incline we emerged out of a dense fog to find ourselves on top of a cloud which stretched for miles along the coast. For a moment it felt like I was walking on top of another dimension.

3. I was fortunate enough to have a good seat within a relatively small; yet, acoustically excellent theater to hear jazz great Miles Davis play. There were many moments that would have been photographically satisfying but the image I loved most was when he was alone, far off to one side, looking down or aways while others continue to play. He had this haunting detachment occupying his overall expression and I wished I could have the picture. However, for some inexplicable reason taking a camera didn't even occur to me.

4. It was a night time event at Creamer field where people came out and looked through each others scopes and talked about astronomy. But the real show, or distraction according to some, came later that evening, when the auroras borialis blanketed the sky from east to west. Until then, I've not known how mystifyingly beautiful they were.

5. As I was bike riding throughout the winter going to and from work a shadow would often emerge beneath me casting a reflection and silhouette of my body on top of the bike. What was interesting was that my exhaled breath would look like a dark mist momentarily being expelled from my head. Maybe a good B&W.

A photo and photographer I like

A photo that I really like was taken by one of my high school friends on his trip to Paris. It was taken from the Cathedrale Notre Dame. It looks amazing. 

http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=32096610&id=26902679#/photo.php?pid=32096607&id=26902679

A photographer I really enjoy is Walter Iooss. He has great sports photography. He takes pictures of athletes making them seem like a regular person like you and me. Then he takes action shots, making these athlete seem superhuman. 

http://walteriooss.com/

5 Photographs

1. I don't remember how young my brother was , but he lost his first tooth and was ecstatic. He believed to the tooth fairy was going to make rich. He had the biggest gapped tooth smile. I wish I could have captured the happiness on his face.

2. One day after a short thunderstorm, the sun came back out and I spotted a double rainbow. I've never seen that before, but i didn't have a camera on me. I haven't seen one since that day.

3. At the dog sled race my camera battery was dead. I wanted to take pictures of the auctioning of the animal furs, and was highly disappointed.

4. During a basketball game one of my friends dunked the ball from the free throw line. it seemed like he was in the air forever. I wish i could have captured his mid air flight, but I was in the game.

5. Back in December I spotted a moose on campus next to my dorm. The moose was eating off of the trees. It was so peaceful, but I didn't have my camera on me.

fav pic

Number 48 on this page is my fav picture right now. I just had to give a power point presentation in my biology class and i used this picture in it.

fav photographer is Robert Silvers
http://www.photomosaic.com/portfolio.html

5 pictures

the full moon: i love looking at the moon i would like to get a good shot of it, but i have never had a camera capable to doing it. Every time i see lighting or the northern light i wish i could capture them in a camera, when ever i have tried they havent come out. naked pictures of myself in my 20's for evidence of the body i used to have, and lastly a picture of me and my grandmother before i moved to alaska, i am sure it will be the last time i will ever see her.

Assignment #2 by Sharon Gutierrez

A photograph I like: Underwater Photograph by Alix Malka. This is an underwater photograph taken of a model in yards and yards of fabric floating elegantly through the water. This picture was taken for Numero Tokyo.

As you can guess from my photograph choice, I really enjoy underwater photographs. Zena Holloway is a photographer that I really enjoy. She has a series titled "Water Babies" which I find intersting. Normally I dont enjoy pictures of children, but her unique combination of underwater and digitally altered pictures are really beautiful. The section titled "Limited Edition" is by far my favorite of her works. Zena Holloway was born in Britian and raised in London. Her website is: http://www.zenaholloway.com/zena.html

Assignment #1 by Sharon Gutierrez

Five pictures I wish I had taken:

#1) Working downtown in Fairbanks, Alaska I come across a lot of homeless persons when I work the opening shifts starting 7 a.m. Last winter a homeless person was sitting outside, an elderly female who always wore the same heavy winter boots and army jacket. She was waiting for me to open the co-op and was sitting outside. It was -10 below zero and I was freezing, but even though her features with physically frosty her eyes and spirit seemed undeniably warm. I would I could have taken a picture to capture the warmth in her eyes in contrast with the cold outside.

#2) At the Open North American dog race in Fairbanks last weekend I saw a teenage native-Alaskan male who was wearing a seemingly hand-embroidered hat with the name "Chris Brown". The letters were bright yellow contrasting against the black dirty hat. I wondered if that was actually his name or if it was a tribute to a popular R&B artist. I wish I could have taken a picture of him.

#3) I took my pet rabbit to a friends house in a designer handbag, using a sweatshirt in the oversize bag to keep him warm. He is a black rabbit and he was wearing a leopard print harness. While I was sitting in the car securing the bag to take him inside a large "outside" dog ran up to the car and pressed his face against the window, causing the rabbit to lean out of his bag and press his face close to the glass. As the large mangy looking dog stared through the glass at the pampered pet, it would have been an interesting picture.

#4) I did not take a picture of a large brown bear wandering into a valley on the Norris Glacier, where my work camp was set up. Two managers of the camp worried about the fact that the bear was wandering quickly towards our camp with over 200 sled dogs set up and nothing else but white all around us. The two men jumped on snow machines and took off to "herd" the bear away from camp. The picture would have had 200+ dogs barking crazily at the bear being surrounded by two snow machines intent on scaring the bear away.

#5) I wish I could have gotten a picture in Virac, Philippines while I was eating lunch in a small dirt-floor hut. The overly salty fish sat in front of me, and a small black and brown monkey watched me through the paneless window.

2nd Assignment - Photographic Seeing

1. A photograph I like - This photograph is a close up of a hand with fingers coming out of water and a droplet of water hitting the water in the palm of the hand. I love the texture, the shadowing, and the faint color. Plus I just love water in general :)

2. A photographer I like - I found this website of Joseph O. Holmes' work. He is a photographer that posts daily pictures on his website. Most of these are taken in NYC. I love the texture, mood, and subjects he captures.

1st Assignment -Why do you take photographs?

1. I spent a weekend in New York City last year. I spent all my time taking pictures above my head or straight in front of me. I wish I would have taken a picture of people's feet, walking on the sidewalk covered in random flyers. It would have better captured the feeling of my time there.

2. A few summers ago there was a large forest fire on the other side of the river a few miles from my house. I wish I would have taken a picture of the glow the fire created above the trees at night. It was dangerous, yet beautiful.

3. As I was walking home from choir practice a couple late evenings, the street lights were reflecting off the snow and made it look like glitter falling from the sky, and the ground looked like a blanket of glitter. I wish I could have somehow captured the beautiful quiet with a camera.

4. A large part of my childhood/teenage years were spent at a piano sitting in front of a window in my home, with the view of the forest in the backyard. I wish I had taken a picture of my perspective while I was sitting there, including the top of the piano and the window. It would be pretty meaningful to me.

5. When I lived in the dorms my sophomore year, some of the residence life staff moved a movie projector outside to the middle of the street in front of the dorms. We all sat on the grass, the sidewalk, and even into the street to watch the movie. They blocked off the street on both sides. I wish I would have gotten a photo of this from a distance, road blocks and all.

First Assignment/Second Assignment

Why do I take photographs? I take pictures for various reasons. Sometimes for memory keepsakes, sometimes for pictures to add to a room or a scrapbook, sometimes for history sake and sometimes for fun.

Five pictures that I did not take, but wished I had: The first one would be the pictures from my oldest son's high school graduation, my camera froze and I missed the photos. The next picture would be more pictures of the farm I grew up on. I have so many memories in my head, but wish I had pictures to share a more visual experience for my children. I also wish that I would of photographed the Mendenhall Glacier when I lived near there. I figured since I could see it from my porch that it would always be there to view. Now when I went back it has receded so much all the colors of blue seem to have disappeared. I wish I would have taken pictures of the wildlife I seen on my first road trip within Alaska. I saw so many different wild creatures and have no pictures of any of them. Finally, I wish I would have taken more landscape photos in New Hampshire during fall foliage, the colors were so vibrant and the leaves have so many different shapes.

The photo I found that I like is a shot of a reflection of birch trees in a stream with snow all around.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2180413020052197924YEwiAV

I enjoy the photographs by John Shaw. He is a nature photographer. I love all aspects of nature photography, not only landscapes, but also critters and close-ups of earth objects.
http://www.johnshawphoto.com/galleries.html

i like this photo. It shows the dead mountains as well as the live mountains. It is both sunny and dark out. It has all of lifes bad as well as all of lifes good. It makes me happy and sad at the same time. Its hard to explain but I found it almost a year ago in my high school projects class and just liked it instantly.

http://www.authorstream.com/Content/Richie-13014-Nature-slideshare-net-pankaj-nature24427-Travel-Places-ppt-powerpoint-118_88.jpg





i really like Steve Curtis. He is a great photographer that takes pictures of anything and everything, just like me. :) He has an interesting way of looking at things, even plain things that others would not look twice at. He uses some photoshop on some of his photos but it only makes them better.

http://www.stevecurtiskc.com/index.html

first assignment

1. The first time Hunter did a 360 standing up in a kneeboard. His facial expression was hilarious.

2. I went to Onion Portage to collar caribou and used up all my film before we even started collaring, which was bad. Watching the caribou get to the shallow water was unforgettable and I wish other people could have seen it.

3. My graduation night. We all decided to not take cameras so there are no pictures of anything we did. Now, I wish there were.

4. Driving to Nome from Council we saw a few herds of Musk-ox. They just looked really neat with the mountains and flowers around them.

5. I wish I would have had a camera this whole summer. I worked for NSEDC at the Fish and Game camp doing a juvenile coho research project and got to see a lot of wildlife and just wish I had pictures of it.

Photograph that I like

This is a picture of the fountain that I never took. The building in the background is the Rathaus(city hall). The building stands very talll and what you can't see is that it is surrounded by some very beasutiful natural ruins. The water fountain itself is a place where people would gather by the nearby grass and enjoy looking at it.

http://en.structurae.de/photos/index.cfm?JS=42325

Why do you take photographs?

1. I always wanted to take a photograph of the water fountain in the middle of my hometown in Germany. When I went back there 2 years ago it was no longer there for my enjoyment. I wish I had taken the picture because I like the way the setting was with the fountain in the middle of the town. It didn't make the town growded looking and the way the water flowed from it was so beautiful and breath taking.

2. I also wanted to take a picture of the church in Germany where I had my Communion when I was 15 years old. It was a very old church, but still looked very beautiful. I like the arcitecture of that church. It is still there, but didn't get a chance to go to the town it was in. Now I am not able to go there so easily to get that photograph.

3. When I was on my way home from Chena Hot Springs one night there was the beautiful Northern Lights. It was -30 and I had been outside enough in the cold for one evening (walked in the cold to the hot springs). I didn't want to get out and take the picture and was sure that I would seem them again one day when I went out there. It has been 2 years and I haven't had the pleaure to see them again. Next time I will get out and take that picture.

4. I had always wanted to take a picture from the very top of the Statue of Liberty. I think it would have been a very beautiful sight. When my daughter went last year with her family she informed me that you can no longer go to the very top, but you can go inside somewhat. I also would like to take a picture of Lady Liberty from the Fairy.

5. I have always taken pictures of my kids on the rides at the German carnivals, but I wish I would have taken pictures of the carnival as a whole. I miss being able to go to that great event and wish I had pictures to show my grand children of the carnival that I used to take their mom and uncle to.

2nd Assignment

I like this photo of the constrution workers back in 1932, because it gives the viewer somewhat of an idea of what contruction was like back then. Also, I like how the construction workers in the photo are just casually eating their lunch even though they are on what is now the 69th floor of a new york building.

I also like the photographer of this photo, Charles C. Ebbets. The pictures he took are mainly of the construction workers working on a new york building, but all of them show the dangers of being a construction worker back in 1932 and how the workers just go about there day as if they where only one foot off the ground.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/5617915/Charles-C-Ebbets-Photography-Lunch-on-the-skyscraper (the first photo shown on this website, is the photo I talk about above)

Second Assignment - a photo and photographer I like

First I would like to point out an interesting black & white photo done by Lewis Morley. I love black & white photos, but I really liked how the reflection captured the rest of the facial expressions by this mother and daughter. It is the 3rd photo down on this website.

Second, I really liked the photography of James Ravilious. He has a broad range from simplicity to capturing detail in obscure images, again in the black and white photos I really enjoy.

5 Photographs I did not take, but wish I had

1. I wish I had taken a picture of the mother Dall sheep teaching her young to not only jump the rapids at the Savage River, but also of them smelling us humans as they passed within a foot of us on the footpath on a hill in Denali National Park. There must have been two dozen folks on the trail and the sheep casually sniffed and passed each one of us!
2. There was a local transient I saw from the bus some five years ago, and it appeared that he had a major infection from a broken jaw. Sad as it was, I wish I taken taken a photo to chronicle the ailments of the local inebriates and the need for funding to help them with sobriety and getting on their feet. I only saw him once again after that.
3. There used to be an older woman in town that toted a Radio Flyer around Fairbanks filled with yellow legal pads and pencils. She would write nasty letters to the government and various politicians with her complaints. She wore an old dingy reddish-orange life preserver because she said she was drowning in the chaos of our governments wrong-doings.
4. When I was in my last couple of years in high school in New York, I used to jog along the beach at night with my dog Katie. One night she found a baby stingray that looked like it was "gasping for air," as it was laying on the sand less than six feet from the ocean. I carefully placed it back into the water as I heard the anxious barks of my dog. I wish I had photographed it so others may better understand the eeriness of it's facial expression that I saw.
5. I wish I had taken a picture of my godson Timmie when I first met him at less than three weeks of age. In our first introduction, he took a nap as I was holding him and the look of wonder on his face, matched mine when he awoke.

Lessons and Links are updated for Saturday's class

CIOS 258 Exploring Digital Photography CIOS 258 Lessons and Links: Stephen Cysewski

The lesson handout and links are updated for this Saturday's class.

Photo Walk at University of Alaska Museum of the North April 11th

We have our Photo Walk scheduled to the University of Alaska Museum of the North on April 11th. We will try to be there around 1:00. I am excited about the opportunity to take some photographs around the museum and to also see some "behind the scenes" stuff! Stuff is a technical photographic term.

North American Open Sled Dog Race Fairbanks Alaska - a set on Flickr

North American Open Sled Dog Race Fairbanks Alaska - a set on Flickr

I published a smaller set of photographs to Flickr. I like both Picasa Web Albums and Flickr. The advantage of Flickr is a much stronger user community. The advantage of Picasa is that it works better and is much less confusing. If I want to share with just family or friends I use Picasa and make a private album. When I send people the URl they can see and share the photographs.

Picasa Web Albums - Cysewski - Open North American Sled Dog Championship

Picasa Web Albums - Cysewski - Open North American Sled Dog Championship
Just finished a rough edit of the photographs that I took at the North American. I went for three days and really focused on people. I also used four different cameras to see if I liked them and to get used to how they worked.

Open North American Sat. March 22, 2009

Here are some of the unedited pictures from Saturday at the Open North American Sled Dog Race. They are posted on Flickr.

Ice Art Next Saturday $8

I just got an email from the Ice Art people. The cost for each of us will be $8.00. This is the price that teachers and adults pay when they escort a school tour. My plan is for us to get there around 1:00.
Steve

Driver's Seat

Driver's Seat

This is kind of cool, see the photographs as a series. Sometimes the most ordinary is the most evocative.

Photographer I Like

I am currently trying to improve my sports action photography. I have been asked to cover a baseball season for a high school. What the picture for me v what a parent or coach wants. Brad Mangin has some of the types of picture I would like to get. These are action photos, lots of equipment and people in mid air. I also like to get more of the feeling of the players The opportunity for action in baseball happen infrequent and fast. Keeping focused and awake to catch that moment is hard. Then when you do watch the game remember to take the picture and not just watch and cheer.
I like these photographer too.

What I wish I had Taken

I now work downtown and many days I don't bring my camera because I ride the bus and can't bring everything.

1. The seasonal light changes of buildings downtown as well as though out the day, the Northward and the Mt. McKinley Bank building.
2. Dense ice fog downtown. I had my camera some days but the "good" days were the days I didn't bring my camera
3. The Galapagos Islands under water. I flooded my camera the first day. I would love to have pictures of the sharks. I have mixed feelings and I also enjoyed just watching.
4. Going from Homer to Augustine Island - Volcano on a landing craft on a still evening, flat water, full moon in July.
5. Halebopp Comet- I took lots of Hyakutake and then let the brighter one go. Maybe because it was so popular and everyone was taking these pictures so I didn't.

Focal length comparison tool, Tamron USA

Focal length comparison tool, Tamron USA

We will use this tool next week in class, it is another excellent means of seeing and understanding focal length.

Depth of field comparison tool, Tamron USA

Depth of field comparison tool, Tamron USA

We will use this next week in class, it is an excellent means of learning about depth of field aperture and focal length.

Tao of Photography: Learning to See from the Blind

Tao of Photography: Learning to See from the Blind
Take the time to read this, it will make you think about your photography.

Photography-Now.info - The International Photography Index.

Photography-Now.info - The International Photography Index.
The real masters of photography presented in a book like format.
Amazing. I will share this in class.

Standard Room

Standard Room

Sad and evocative, I wonder if there are projects like this in Alaska?

Alaska Photos - Alaska Photography: Professional Alaska Stock Photography and art decor pictures.

Alaska Photos - Alaska Photography: Professional Alaska Stock Photography and art decor pictures.

Excellent examples of beautiful photographs!
Ugh :)

Scenes from the recession - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Scenes from the recession - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Amazing and world wide!

CIOS 258 Exploring Digital Photography: Stephen Cysewski

CIOS 258 Exploring Digital Photography: Stephen Cysewski

The course web site for the Spring CIOS 258 course is done as well as the first weeks lesson outline. The Photo Walk for the first class will be the North American Open Dog Sled Race. I have posted links on the lesson one outline for ideas and inspiration.

How Flickr Can Make you a Better Photographer

How Flickr Can Make you a Better Photographer

We will use this as an assignment in our course.

Stores That Are No More - Photo Essays - TIME

Stores That Are No More - Photo Essays - TIME

Imagine these photographs in 30 years.

What kind of photographer are you? | DSLRBLOG

What kind of photographer are you? | DSLRBLOG
It is good to think about where you fit in photography, what are your goals and what is your purpose?

Review: Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans by Sarah Greenough et al. (Conscientious)

Review: Looking In: Robert Frank's The Americans by Sarah Greenough et al. (Conscientious)
I have purchased this book and will bring it to one of our classes when we discuss the process of selecting and organizing your photographs.

Urban Sketchers

Urban Sketchers

There are a lot of good photographic ideas here. This site is a visual inspiration.

Photo 100 | Web100.com

Photo 100 | Web100.com

A great list to explore.

Shutterfinger: History Is Happening Now

Shutterfinger: History Is Happening Now

What is ordinary can become significant in thirty years, that is my experience. Documenting the currently ordinary is an important photographic task.

Bangkok in Black and White: Stephen Cysewski

Bangkok in Black and White: Stephen Cysewski

I just finished this web site last night.

Photography 101.6 - Shutter

Photography 101.6 - Shutter

This is excellent

10 Tips to Manage Photos Better using Google Picasa | MakeUseOf.com

10 Tips to Manage Photos Better using Google Picasa | MakeUseOf.com
I our class I recommend using Picasa because it is free and effective. Lightroom is what I use, but it is expensive.

Giz Explains: Why Lenses Are the Real Key to Stunning Photos

Giz Explains: Why Lenses Are the Real Key to Stunning Photos

Worth reading!

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts & Culture | The Americans in the frame

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts & Culture | The Americans in the frame

Selecting the photographs that you edit and share is a crucial skill, probably as critical as choosing what to shoot. I have ordered this book and will bring it to class.

15 online photo editors compared | Webware - CNET

15 online photo editors compared | Webware - CNET

Some of these are worth using. I like Picnik and photoshop.com. They both integrate with Flickr and Picasa Albums.

Wandering in Laos 2009: Stephen Cysewski

Wandering in Laos 2009: Stephen Cysewski

Another web site is ready to share.

Digital Cameras: A Buyer’s Guide v2.0 Review - Digital Camera Reviews - TrustedReviews

Digital Cameras: A Buyer’s Guide v2.0 Review - Digital Camera Reviews - TrustedReviews

Excellent and clear. TrustedReviews is a good web site with objective information.

Searching for Buddha in Bihar: Stephen Cysewski

Searching for Buddha in Bihar: Stephen Cysewski

We took an eighteen day trip to India on a pilgrimage to follow the life of Buddha.
Most of our time was in Bihar, but we also went to Nepal, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.

This is a selection of photographs from that trip.

the unofficial Cosina-Voigtlander User Community - Not A Guide to Street Photography

the unofficial Cosina-Voigtlander User Community - Not A Guide to Street Photography
Short and excellent! Worth reading!

Running from Camera

Running from Camera
There is an off chance that this might inspire some "creative" ideas!!!!

The Online Photographer: Random Excellence: Vanessa Winship

The Online Photographer: Random Excellence: Vanessa Winship

An amazing photographer.

The techical art of photographic editing. - APUG

The techical art of photographic editing. - APUG

We will discuss this process in class.

Giz Explains: Why More Megapixels Isn't More Better

Giz Explains: Why More Megapixels Isn't More Better

Simple, clear, and accurate.

Your Digital Camera and the Law - PC World

Your Digital Camera and the Law - PC World

It is important to know what we can do legally when we take photographs in public. This is a quick introduction to the subject.

Seniors Class of 2009

iPhoto '09

I have had the new iPhoto 09 since the 27th of Jan. I have had time to try out Faces. It works fairly well, better with some than others. It did select me to match up with a stuffed animal. You can Geotag using Google maps, that works well. The editing is improved the touch-up tool works real well now. It is worth the upgrade.