Sharp Pictures While Moving

Train in Southeast Alaska shot at f/5.6, 800 ISO, one-shot auto-focus in Av (A) mode. 

Almost every beginning photography asks the inevitable question about how sharp can pictures be when you are shooting while moving. The answer: Very.

The image above was taken from a moving train of another train, which you see in the frame.

All you have to do to get sharp pictures while moving at almost any speed is to set your camera to shoot at an f/stop in Av mode (or A mode  on a Nikon) of about 5.6 (not f/4, as you'll get a lousy depth of field).

To get good focus,  set the auto-focus to one-shot, not rapid fire nor al servio.  One-shot auto focus will be the fastest focus you can get.

Next for getting a sharp shot while moving is to set your ISO to 800. Sometimes you can get away with 400, especially if you have a camera that gives you noise above that. This setting will make the camera's shutter open and close faster because the sensitivity of the sensor will be high.

You should have your focus center-weighted also and aim at the subject you want the sharpest.


california photos

How to Use a Monopod

Using a monopod to photograph above a crowd. 

When you think of a monopod, an image of a pole with a place to attach your camera comes up.

In order to use it, you attach your camera to the top end set the bottom end down on the ground, holding the device firmly so you can reduce the amount of camera shake blur that occurs in your picture. 

The results are good if you can keep the monopod steady on solid ground—much better than hand-held.

There is one other use for a monopod that makes that you can’t do very easily with a tripod—hold it up in the air to get a shot above a crowd or other similar setting.

I’ve tried doing this with my arms and it almost never works the way I want it to.

In order to do this you have to:

1. Set your timer.

2. Mount your camera and tilt it slightly downward (or upward if shooting architecture).

3. Press the shutter release firmly.

4. Raise the monopod above (or below) what you are photographing)

5. Wait for the camera to take the shot. Count to 10…then wait about 30 seconds just so you don’t bring it down before the shutter closes.

One of the best monopods is the Manfrotto 680B Monopod (4-SCTN) - Replaces 680 (Black)

Sony RX 100 vs Canon S100 Half-a-Dozen Comparisons

Sony RX100

Canon S100

The compact point-and-shoot/mirrorless large sensor wars have begun with new line of cameras, one by Sony (Sony DSC-RX100 20.2 MP Exmor CMOS Sensor Digital Camera with 3.6x Zoom ) and the other by Canon (Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide-Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom).

Both cameras offer professional settings, large sensors and high resolutions, perfect second cameras for professional photographers and first cameras for amateurs crossing over the skilled line.

Which one is better? Only you can decide, but here are the 10 specs that will aid you in a decision:

1. Sony has a 1-inch sensor (13.2 mm x 8.8 mm); Canon's sensor is 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm)
This is a plus for the Sony because you get more details in your shot with a larger sensor.

2. The optical zoom for both cameras is 3.6x.

3.  The Sony RX100 has a 20 MP sensor; the Canon S 100, a 12 MP sensor.
Plus for the Sony for obvious reasons. 

4. Focal length for the Sony RX100 is 29-105 mm; for the Canon, it's 24-120 mm.
This is a plus for the Canon because you can shoot wider and closer.

5. Both can shoot video.
Some say Canon is the point-and-shoot that shoots the best video.Verdict on Sony isn't out yet.

6. Both have M, Av, Tv, P settings for full and/or partial control of your shot.

The Sony (double the price of the Canon) is the clear winner here, simply because it's got a significantly bigger sensor.

Photographers Underrate Mexico

"Posh Beetle" from VW Bug Series by Matthew Bamberg

After traveling deep in Mexico's southern interior and the massive capitol, I discovered a new subject matter--VW bugs.

Now, that might not seem like some gut-wrenching subject; however, it does have meaning. The first thing I discovered about the subject is that it's not one that has rarely covered in photography. To be sure, similar subjects have, such as the vintage vehicles on the streets of Cuba.

Mexico is home to thousands of old Beetles. Every city in the country has them. Today. the Beetles no longer operate as taxis, partly because they received such a bad rep because many drivers ripped people off. If you go to Mexico City, Beetle cabs are few and far between, but privately owned Beetles are prized in the country. It's almost as if each Beetle has a personal touch.

I've grown to love Mexico as much as the famous photographer couple Tina Modotti and Edward Weston. Many decades ago, this couple made a name for themselves not only in the United States, but also in Mexico as they hung out with such notable artists as Freda Kahlo and photographed all that is beautiful about the country.

In terms of photography, Mexico is underrated. Photographers fly halfway around the world to get images of people in exotic places that sometimes don't even come close in to Mexico's natural beauty and colorful culture.

In Mexico, they've forgotten about their own backyard.

HDR from Around the World

HDR--Century City Hotel

HDR--Budapest Train Station

HDR--San Cristobal de Las Casas

HDR--Romania

HDR photography is the new conversation photographers are having today. Many speculate that HDR images are over processed. 

I'd like to disagree. There are many ways you can merge photos to make one HDR photographs that look perfectly natural. 

I've even had my HDR images accepted to Dreamstime, which is very picky about overprocessing. 

If you're working with Photomatix tone down the details using tone mapping after processing for a more Beginning HDR Photography. 

More HDR from around the world coming in future posts. 

Photomatix or Photoshop HDR Pro?

HDR photograph of Zinacantan, Mexico

Lately, my thoughts ponder the two most popular programs you can use to make HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography. The programs--HDR Pro and Photomatix -- are both good for creating an HDR (High Dynamic Range) photograph.

HDR Photography is a process whereby you use three images of different exposures (length of time you leave the shutter open on your camera when taking a picture--short being a dark or underexposed photo and long being a light or overexposed photo), melding them together using an HDR processing program such as Photomatix or Photoshop HDR Pro.

Usually I use Photomatix, but lately I've been questioning the use of the program because it's such a slow process to get the HDR manipulation done and there's almost always a little noise to deal with.

Last night I decided I'd use Photoshop HDR pro to see if it was faster, and indeed it was. I processed three images quickly with a good result the first time (as opposed to Photomatix where you end up playing with all the choices).

Since I have to process so many HDR images for my work I find that Photoshop HDR pro beats the competition in terms of the processing time. If you have to create HDR photographs quickly, one after the another use Photoshop HDR Pro. It's much faster than most of the other HDR software. 

Are Mexico City Cabs Safe?

The "red" taxi cabs are safe to flag down on the streets of Mexico City.

The proverbial question people (including photographers) ask when traveling to Mexico City has to do with the safety of taxi cabs.

Before I visited this massive city, I was under the impression that taxi cabs were not safe in the city--that you should only use ones recommended by your hotel or at official taxi cab stands. I was warned to never flag down a taxi cab off the street.

Nothing can be further from the truth. This impression is from problems with the "VW bug" taxi cabs of the past. Today, these kinds of cabs are few and far between. The primary taxi cabs in the streets are referred to as the "red" cabs. These are taxi cabs are ubiquitous--you can catch them pretty much everywhere.

My experience with the taxi cabs in Mexico City was nothing less than fantastic. The taxi cab drivers were friendly, polite and honest. I never got "taken for a ride" so they could ramp up the taxi cab fare.

If you fear using the taxi cabs in Mexico City or the subway, you won't see much If you ride around in only taxi cabs that the hotel recommends, you'll be paying two times more than the "red" taxi cabs.

Ride a "red" taxi cab and, like me, if you're outgoing, and know some Spanish, they'll be glad to practice it with you and engage you in some very interesting conversation.

Reporting Your Credit Card Stolen/Lost Abroad

Here I am in Mexico City. After eating dinner last night at a sushi place in an upscale mall downtown, I went to get money at an ATM. Unfortunately, the card isn't returned until after you get the money. So what did I do? I left before the machine gave me back my card. Dumb.

Here's help if you do the same thing or if your card is stolen. I spent hours trying to get a hold of my bank and it seemed as if it were impossible.

Calling a bank to cancel a lost/stolen credit card is challenging (to say the least), either with a cell phone or a pay phone.

Here's what you do if you lose your card in a foreign country:

Pay phone booth in Mexico City

1. Go on the Internet and get your account number and last transaction and fees charged by the bank.
If there is no Internet around go to Step 2.
Try to recall the amount of your last transaction because the agent will want it to prove your identity. 

2.  Use the Internet to get the domestic 800 number for your bank.
Today, you can dial an 800 number internationally; whereas, just a few years ago it was impossible.


3. Before you dial (oh, yeah, it's push the buttons today, but dial is still used), add the following numbers to the 800 number: 001880. For example, if the 800 number listed on the back of the card (800) 681-2803, dial the following: 001-880-800 681-2803
Do not call the collect numbers for international callers listed on the back of the card. I have no idea why the bank puts them there. They never work!


4. When you get the automated message, say "Operator" loudly.
You still get charged when dialing an 800 number internationally. It's very expensive, hence you don't want an automated voice wasting your precious time. 


5. Give the information it asks for, which usually is the reason for your call.
Yes, the automation doesn't connect you to a live person right away. 


6. Give the information the agent asks you for. They will ask you for the date of your last withdrawal and/or purchase (Wells Fargo will also want to know how much the bank from which you made the withdrawal charges you...insane, indeed!)

7. Tell them what happened to your card (if you remember, don't worry if you don't).
If you don't have the proper information to give the agent, let them know that you lost your card and all you want to do is to get it cancelled. You'll have to phone again when you get home to get a new card. 


That's it; good luck and don't fret.

Hair Revisited

I don't know how many times in my life I've seen the play, Hair but it has been awhile since I have revisited the concept.

Hair is a wonderful theme for photography. It is now and it always has been from George Washington's curls to Lucy's red locks.

As an art photographer who shoots a lot on the streets of cities all over the world, I run into some pretty fascinating types of hair.

Photographing hair, I believe, needs to be done from behind. The face takes away from all of the minute details of the strands flowing up and/or down from the head.

See for yourself:

ash blonde

salt and pepper hair

red hair

salt and pepper hair

orange hair

Rowdy Day in Mexico City

Mexican election protest

Here I was going about my business of being on vacation, and I run into a huge protest against what happened in the election here.

Just in case if you weren't noting the South-of-the-border presidential election, Enrique Pena Nieto, the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) candidate beat Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution). 

Since Nieto was a member of the once-corrupt PRI party that once ruled by patronage and money, many Mexicans, especially young people,  are dissatisfied.

The protests were huge occupying much of the Reforma, Mexico City's main drag. People flowed down the street like sea of grass blowing in the wind. There were no bottlenecks and no signs of disruptive behavior.

The Mexican people are known to be aficionados of art, so there's no doubt that the protests would be colorful, even extravagant. People carried lumbering signage filled with messages in English. One small group carried a giant dinosaur, which you probably can figure out is a metaphor for the old guard.

 © 2012 Matthew Bamberg

Five Misconceptions about Mexico City For Shutterbugs

Mexico City night scene with reflection from rain puddle on Reforma

Mexico City is alive and well. Many Americans will tell you not to go there because of safety concerns. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The city, one of the biggest in the world, is a great summer escape from the frequent heat waves all over the United States.

Here are five common misconceptions many in the U.S. assume to be true:

1.The city is dangerous from the Mexican drug wars. It's not at all.
Basically you can walk around the major neighborhoods--Zona Rosa, Roma, La Condesa and Central--in the city day or night. The drug wars are mostly confined to the border areas near the United States and a few other areas on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

2. The weather is hot and uncomfortable.
Mexico City has an eternal spring--temperatures remain in the 60s and 70s throughout much of the year. It's a great getaway from the frequent heat waves in the United States.

3. Don't carry an expensive camera where it can be seen.
This misconception can trip up any photographer hobbiest or professional into having to take his/her dSLR camera out of a backpack to every time he/she wants to take  a picture and then put it back in while walking around. I walked around with my Canon 5D around my neck day and night without anyone even giving it a glance.

4. Mexico City has a terrible pollution problem.
During summer frequent thunderstorms clean the air almost every day. Since 1992 when Mexico City was labeled as having the dirtiest air in the world, the city has cleaned it up. To be sure, it's not perfect, but today it's no worse than LA. 

5.  The food is heavy and laden with lard.
Mexico City is an international metropolis with restaurants of every stripe. You can choose  from vegan  and French cuisine, not to mention low fat treats like frozen yogurt and fresh fruit smoothies.

What Came First--the Chick or the Egg

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

A lot of people have the what-comes-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg proverb on their mind.

Why?

This Independence Day the top headline on Google refers to the Higgs Boson Hunt.

Evidently, the Higgs Boson has to do with a subatomic particle that some call the "God particle." This particle is connected with finding out what "dark matter" is, the large ambiguous mass that makes up a good part of the universe.

Physicists have been figuring out a model for what the universe is made of. The Higgs particle might be the last piece of the Big Bang puzzle.

The image to your left is perfect for the what-comes-first question. It's always rewarding, finding an image that's filled with metaphor.

Advancing Technology--Embedded Motherboards

Have you ever thought about what runs the complex technology that makes our lives easier? The exponential changes that occur all around us created by engineers requires collaborative efforts from a wide variety of industries. New software and hardware technology aim to use less energy at the same time as providing faster delivery of data and information.

Creating a world of advanced automation requires embedded computer technology and the use of an industrial computer. From the ATM that doles out money to GPS satellites, engineers have been developing better solutions for network-cloud applications, which are the heart of technologically advanced communications, automation, transportation, medical, military, aerospace, test and measurement, encryption security, engineering data acquisition, oil and gas, and public safety markets.

A good example of the  latest technological advances, an ARM-based Pico-ITX embedded motherboard with dual-core ARM Cortex A9, has been recently announced. Low power is the word here; the motherboard, based on the NVIDIA Tegra 2 super processor, is the beginning of new low power platforms. Motherboards contain accelerators for flash, video and audio codecs, which assist in the   analog to digital conversion process.