A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

canon 7d

Flickr… where have you gone?

There was a stretch of time where I was really into Flickr.

I mean really into it.

I’m not sure where that ceased, but it likely has something to do with Instagram and such.

Time to get back into it.

Time to get back into it.

Still, I miss Flickr. Quite a bit, actually. It’s a really good community of photographers and a great place to get inspiration for photos/projects etc. It’s also a good place to just see what other people do, get tips and such. And I miss it.

A few years ago, I’d upload many things to Flickr. I’d have albums and all sorts of things. It was fun. The community was cool. It was fun to comment on other people’s photos and, sometimes, get comments on yours.

Somewhere, though, it got tedious. I’m not exactly sure where that happened, but it did. So I kind of stopped using Flickr, outside of uploading things I needed for blogs and such.

In 2014, I kind of got away from “real” photography. I call it real because by it I mean using my real camera, not relying on iPhone and such. Even with the monthly photo blogging challenge, a lot was done via the iPhone.

That is all hopefully going to change now.

My Canon 7D has been acting up recently and I had to start deciding if I was going to continue to try and get it repaired, or upgrade. I’ve had it for nearly five years and I’ve had to have take easily more than 100,000 photos with it. That means, eventually, the shutter would probably go on it, too. But it’s been dropped and such… the focus is off, it doesn’t read a battery even when fully charged and… well, you get the picture.

That meant decision time. After hemming and hawing for a bit, I finally decided to dive in and upgrade and I got myself the Canon 7D Mark II. My initial thoughts on this camera are that it’s amazing. But that’s not, for now, the point of this post.

My main decision is that I need to challenge myself photographically again. I want to be able to take photos and enjoy doing it. I want to share my images. I want to understand this new camera and learn all of its functions and capabilities. Basically, I want to really dive into photography again.

And, with that, I think I need to get back into Flickr. There are so many amazing photographers out there and a lot of them are on Flickr. It’s fun to see what people do and sometimes find out how they do it.

That also brings me to the one reason I wanted to do this post — it seems I’m not the only one who got away from Flickr. When I started up with it years ago, I found many really good people who took photos and shared. It’s cool to see or try and see what people were thinking when they took a photo. Be it an angle, a setup or something else.

As I looked through those I follow, so many of them haven’t uploaded anything in more than a few years. That’s too bad, too, as it would be nice to see how they are all doing. Some of those I truly used to enjoy aren’t even part of Flickr anymore.

That just means I need to look up some new people to see what’s out there. I’m looking forward to photography again … without it just being the iPhone.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Foto Friday/30 Days of Writing: Best friend (8/30)

Outside of human friends, this guy is my best friend.

This post is written in conjunction with the 30 Days of Writing, a blog challenge devised by Nicky and Mike at “We Work For Cheese.” I’ll be participating throughout the month of June. If interested, you can see my post with the details of the challenge. 

Please note that some of these posts will be serious, some will be normal, and some will be an attempt at humor. This one has a little of everything. 

I could spend a lot of time talking about best friends.

See, I don’t believe in the “one” best friend. I feel any close friend is a best friend of sorts. So I could talk about traveling with some best friends. Or being in a wedding. Or playing softball. Or learning some new outdoorsy game, like geocaching. Or traveling half way across the country to see someone really get a start in life.

This guy was my best friend for a few years as well.

There are close friends who I only talk to like three or four times per year. But they are still close friends, thus a best friend of sorts.

And having best friends is a wonderful things. I’ve had the chance to see many of them get married, have kids, succeed in life. Many have been there for me, too, especially over the past year and a half when I’ve needed many “lift-me-up” moments.

But, I fear if I talk about some of this stuff, I’ll leave someone out.

So I’m going to go somewhere else with this.

My camera.

Photography goes back a long way with me and my family.

My grandfather was an avid photographer (I wish I had some of his old images… they would be cool to have and look at). When I was younger and we visited them in Philadelphia, he’d take me on his daily walk to a Fotomat booth to drop off or pick up film. He’d always joke that he was going to visit his “girlfriend, so don’t tell grandmom.”

Of course, those “girlfriends” were way younger and not really girlfriends!

If it was a day he picked up film and I was lucky enough, he would let me open up the envelope to see the wonderful images he took. It was so cool!

My friendship with photography started there.

As I grew, I used many different types of cameras. Old Kodak 120 cameras, the disc cameras, point-and-shoots and, eventually learning the film 35mm cameras when I worked for my first newspaper — as a seventh and eighth grader working for the local daily.

My uncles still love photos. In fact, one of my uncles gave me one of my grandfather’s final cameras he used. A nice 35mm film camera. I need to get another lens or two for it, but it works very well. It’s cool to have.

For a few years, when I went back to college in the late 90s/early 2000s, I stepped away from photography. Film was expensive and I couldn’t afford the digital age. That would come at a later time.

My current buddy. When this guy arrives, I was in total euphoria.

Photography has exploded in recent years.

With digital being as it is, it becomes cheaper and cheaper. Many people are discovering photography and utilizing it. I’m on my third digital SLR and love this camera more than I can say.

It’s been to Ireland with me. It’s visited all sorts of areas I’ve been to. It’s taken sports photos, weddings, kids of friends, people shots, candids and so much more. I love having the camera with me.

Having the camera gives me some freedom and the feeling of knowing I can make some sort of art any time I snap the shutter. My current pal has probably taken more than 100,000 images since I bought it in 2010 — and that’s a low-ball estimate.

And, it also takes HD video — which kicks total ass.

Believe me, I have some great best friends. And many of them have been in the photos I’ve taken. But, as I noted, I’d leave someone out with a post about them. They know who they are and what they mean to me.

They also know what the camera means to me and that’s proof of a good friendship.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Notes from my Noodle: January 6 edition

Hello blog readers and welcome to the first edition of Notes from my Noodle in 2012. I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s and holiday season as this world gets back into full gear.

Alas, another weekend is upon us. There is good weather in the forecast in my part of the Northeast, so I’m looking to go out and geocache/letterbox/photograph for a while Saturday. Why not take advantage of it?

My January 4 choice for my 366 Project.

With this year being a leap year, I’ve opted to do the Project 3656 again. I was successful in 2010 with it, so I thought with the extra day, it would be cool to do it again.

Now I just have to make sure to get a photo each day!

I’ve been good with it so far. And I plan on heading out today to find a photo. As I peer outside right now, there are blue skies, the sun is shining and the temps are in the upper 40s.

Score!

There has to be something out there to snap photos of, I would think.

And though I have the iPhone, which has an excellent camera, I am hoping to do the bulk of the 366 this year with my Canon 7D. I love the use of the iPhone — I really do — but for this project, I’d like to challenge myself artistically a but more with my DSLR. Plus, I got a really cook bokeh kit for my lenses for Christmas and I’m looking forward to trying that out for sure.

If any of you have some cool and fun ideas for photos I should look into taking for my 366 project, post them in the comments section. I want to keep a small notebook of ideas, in case I get in a pinch!

I know a few others doing the 366 this year. One of them is fellow Flickr/Twitter user and fellow geocacher Mike, who has been doing the 365 since 2010. That means, unless he somehow skipped a day this year and hasn’t said anything yet, he has been taking a photo a day for 736 straight days (or more)! (For readers of this blog, Mike was a guest poster in November).

That’s insane!

Keep it up Mike. By the end of this one, you’ll have reached nearly 1,000 days, which is no small feat!

 ***

I wish I had more to report on the job hunt. Applications are still being sent out. But, for the next batch, I’m taking a different approach.

Being that the first approach hasn’t worked too well, outside of the few interviews and such I’ve had, I’m going to change the tone of my cover letters. At this point, what’s it going to hurt? I think I am going to attempt to make them a little more edgy, a little more cocky. I imagine that it will, at worse, get somebody’s attention. Maybe it will get me a few more interviews. And maybe (gasp!) an offer.

Something has to change.

I want to try and re-work my resume a little, too. I don’t think it’s awful, but a tweak or two probably wouldn’t hurt.

My big thing is trying to make it so my block of not working doesn’t stand out so much. I have to work on that as well and hope something comes along soon.

This has, by far, been one of the most trying things, professionally, I’ve ever dealt with in my life. I’m just hoping the light at the end of the tunnel gets big soon!

***

This past Sunday, I went and played a round of disc golf. On January 1, in the Albany area in New York, it was in the high 40s. Me, my niece Nicole, Darren and his wife Jodi played 18 holes at Schenectady Central Park.

My niece sizes up a putt.

What a day.

I played a round of disc golf last Jan. 1 as well, but it was not nearly as warm as this!

But it was a perfect day to go out for a nice little walk and play a round. We only came across people a couple of times, but no major issues. We stopped for a couple of letterboxes and pretty much took our time.

Without a doubt, though, it was great just to be out walking around and moving.

I haven’t played in a while (I think my last round had been on Thanksgiving), so I didn’t throw as well as I would have liked. Still, it wasn’t bad. I had some decent shots and hopefully my game will improve as this year moves on. My niece has only been a few times, but I think she’s starting to get the hang of things and hopefully she can keep improving and liking the game as well. Starting at a younger age will only make her better as she continues to age and play. It’s also a great game to be able to just get out and play.

Now if we can get a course in our local area…

Speaking of disc golf, I continue to work on a certain disc golf project I have going on. I am hoping within the next two weeks to be able to announce something here about it. I’m extremely excited about it and hope it works out for the best!

Until then, keep clanging the metal and rattling those chains when you are out on the disc golf course!

***

I’m sneaking out of the area this weekend to do a little day trip. I’m not going far, but I’m meeting up with a friend to do a day of geocaching/letterboxing and catch up on some things.

Here’s something I’ve figured — it’s not as easy planning a trip to involve letterboxing as it is geocaching.

See, with geocaching, you have a map you can open up and see where everything is. That way, you can plan a route that is somewhat economical and such.

With letterboxing, you can bring up a google map — for each box. Then you have to figure what’s close etc., and try and keep them somewhat in a route to make it worthwhile.

Hopefully by the end of tomorrow, we’ll have piled up a bunch of finds for both. And I also hope to have had several cool photos taken before the end of the day.

Though the temperatures are supposed to be slightly cooler tomorrow (not too bad, though), it is still supposed to be sunny and nice out. So I look forward to a day of finding stamps, caches and photo opportunities.

***

I have finally gotten back into reading books on the Kindle again. I’m reading one of Jodi Picoult’s latest books, “Sing Me Home.” So far, so good. I’m a big fan of Picoult and always enjoy what she brings to the table with her books. Well-written and well-researched make things a good and smooth read.

I have a couple of other books lined up as well.

Anyone get a Kindle Fire over the holidays? I’m curious to see what people think. I have a 3rd or 4th Generation Kindle and I like it. But down the line, I might look to upgrade, though if I really want a tablet, the iPad seems like the way I might lean. I like my reader to be just that — a reader.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

My reason for shooting RAW

I’ve never professed to be the greatest photographer in the world. But, I don’t think I stink, either.

A lot of what I do is self-taught. It’s a trial and error sort of thing. I’ve asked other photographers things. Read a few books. Experimented. Whatever I had to do to get by. Several years ago, while still at the paper, one photographer left. After submitting a portfolio and chatting with the boss, I was actually offered the position. I turned it down, because at that point in my life, it wasn’t the right move.

Photography, for me, has always been about fun. If it’s not fun to do, I don’t want to do it. When you are getting paid more often than not, it becomes a job. So, I only shoot weddings for people I know and don’t go out of my way to attempt to sell images. I shoot for things I like and such.

But, that doesn’t mean I don’t strive for good images.

That’s why I shoot RAW.

For those of you who aren’t too into digital photography, RAW is basically a digital negative. As explained on Wikipedia, it’s a raw image file and it’s named that way because the images are not yet processed and are not ready to be printed or edited. These images need to be converted via a convertor.

Another part of this from Wikipedia:

Like a photographic negative, a raw digital image may have a wider dynamic range or color gamut than the eventual final image format, and it preserves most of the information of the captured image. The purpose of raw image formats is to save, with minimum loss of information, data obtained from the sensor, and the conditions surrounding the capturing of the image (the metadata).

With that convertor, you can adjust many settings to help bring the photo back to the original colors and allow things to “pop,” per say.

I use the convertor in Adobe Photoshop CS5. Here’s what happens when I open a RAW image:

Converting a RAW file.

As you can see, there are several options on the right side. You get to adjust settings to your liking to spruce up the photo. Some of the big things include being able to adjust the exposure, the light, the brightness, contrast and white balance. It’s nice because if you are shooting quickly, you can fix the settings you might have missed while doing the photo. There are some more “artsy” things, too — such as messing with the saturation and such, so you can make the colors really crazy or make the image basically black and white.

Now, I haven’t fully shot RAW for a while. With the camera I got last March (Canon 7D), I felt quite confident in my ability to capture the image and post-processing to be able to pull it off. But I still shot RAW with big events. The reason, too, is that the RAW file is a very large file.

Lately, I’ve decided to go back to shooting it all the time. It’s easier and it gives a little room for error.

So, let’s go over everything.

If I shoot only JPEG, I get one image on the memory card. It is basically processed by the camera based on the settings I gave it. So some things might be off. There’s the ability, at that point, to play with it in PhotoShop (or whatever program you use) and try and bring it back to the colors and such that you saw. But sometimes, that’s not so easy.

Take a shot I got at Anthony and Alicia’s wedding a few weeks ago. Here’s a JPEG file coming out of the camera. It was a cloudy day and I was moving quickly.

JPEG, as is.

Note that the colors are dull. Everything is there. It’s captured as I wanted, but things don’t pop. Now, there’s not many digital photographers who will shoot a major event and not do any work on things. I’ve seen some top-notch photographers who can take any photo and make them look magical. From a JPEG file, I can do some things, but I’m not a magician.

Still, photos can becomes pretty solid, I think. This is the processed JPEG file:

JPEG, processed.

The colors are now more vibrant. This image, however, to me looks like an older image. It has a fade look to it. Nothing I’d be ashamed to give anyone, by any chance. But when it comes to weddings, I like to do the best possible, obviously.

Enter the RAW file.

To me, the JPEG file is a backup in case something goes wonky. The RAW file has everything I need. And it doesn’t take too long for me to get the image back to what I saw when I took the photo. I’m not doctoring it in any way. I’m just bringing everything out the way it looked when I took the photo.

And how did it look?

RAW processed.

The colors are there. Everything seems balanced. I like the look and feel of the image. I’m extremely happy with this photo. And, to me, this is what I saw and is what I visioned when I took the photo. (Note that the images in this post may lack a little something than they were when I processed because of putting it on the web etc.)

RAW isn’t easy. When I first started shooting it back when I originally got into digital photography, I had to learn a lot. It’s worth learning though as it’s something that can really take your photography to the next level.

Looking back, I really wish I had been shooting RAW this whole past year — not just in certain times. A lot of times it was to save space on memory cards (such as when I was in Ireland last year, but I have no issues with my JPEG shots from there). But RAW is where it’s at and I’m going to make sure I stick with using it pretty much all the time now.

I’ve also seen that a lot of point-and-shoot cameras give you that option now, too. It would be interesting to test one of those and see how it works. Too, you need a RAW convertor and, truthfully, a lot of people don’t like to do any processing on images. I can’t blame some people. It’s easy just to take the photos, post them somewhere and move along. And for a lot of people — and things — that’s fine. But to take your photography to another level, processing is a must and RAW is a very strong way to go.

For those of you out there who take photos — how do you do it? Do you shoot RAW? Do you process anything? Do you just post ’em as they are? And, if you process, what’s your favorite technique?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!