Ken Rockwell Nikon D40 and other Nikon SLR iPhone apps!

Ken Rockwell has released a set of iPhone apps which provide a user guide to various different Nikon SLRs. SLR models available are the Nikon D40, D90, D300s, D300, D5000, D3000 and D700. Take a look here for screen shots and app store links.

$3 spend to save a lot of time

Be gentle on me this is my first contribution!

I found this great little gadget on ebay. You can buy them for around $3 US.

What do you do with it?

Well it goes on the flash mount on the camera so you can make sure the camera is level, this doesn't seem an issue however if you shoot landscapes and especially sunrise / sunsets sometimes in near darkness it is hard to tell if the camera is level. If it's not level then there is a great deal of time spent on the computer to correct it....

Create your own flash based portfolio website

I have recently revamped my own photography website using a great free website builder called Wix. It allows you to build flash based website using simple templates and drag and drop components, resulting in a very professional slick looking site and no knowledge of difficult techie code needed. Import photos direct from your Flickr account or PC with ease and host the finished website on wix or on your own hosting website. Very simple to use and I have to say, with only a few hours spent setting the templates up, I got a very professional looking portfolio to showcase my photography! Take a look!

Don't lose the rights to your photograhy! Digital Economy Bill & clause 38

I recently blogged about the Digitial Economy Bill and Clause 38. I'm sure you've all heard about the Bill, and how it will allow ISPs to ban you from the internet if you've been illegally downloading music and films etc, but did you know that it also has a clause with HUGE implications for photographers?

Clause 38 of the Digital Economy Bill says that if someone finds your photograph, wants to use it and decides that they can’t trace you, they can do whatever they like with it after paying an arbitrary fee to a UK Government-appointed “licensing body”. Clause 43 also introduces “Extended Collective Licensing”. This means that if someone finds your photograph and can trace you, they still don’t have to contact you for permission to use it. They can go to a UK Government-appointed “collecting society” and ask them instead. They’ll pay an arbitrary fee and be able to do whatever they like with the photograph. Your photograph. Again, without asking you first or paying what you would have charged.

Big corporations have an interest in getting this bill passed, and you have to ask yourself why. The Register reports that:

Big publishers and the BBC have come out to lobby for the controversial Clause 43, that part of the Mandybill that strips photographers of their historical rights.

Is that surprising? It should be, because Clause 43 is the section that deals with 'orphan works' - and according to the Business department BIS, the only people who are supposed to benefit from the unique powers it confers are special parties: copyright libraries, such as the British Library. These are non-commercial operations. Clause 43 was never intended act as a leg-up for tight-fisted publishers.

But here they are.

Don't lose the rights to your own photography!! Petition your local MP. The deadline to take action is 6th April 2010. I went to the 38 Degrees website, entered my postcode, name and email, and fired off an email to my local MP, all in 2 minutes.

Create an HDR-like image from one RAW file in Lightroom.

Here's a great tutorial on creating an HDR-like image from a single RAW files using Adobe Lightroom. Looks like an interesting technique that I'll try out soon.

Two Factors for Perfect Focus...

Informative article from Digital Photography School on how to achieve picture-perfect focus.

Build your own Steadicam for smoother video

Tutorial on how to make your own DIY Steadicam. Now you can have smoother moving shots while taking videos, just like on popular TV shows like 24, The Office and so on.

Create a bokeh-rific panorama!

One of my favourite photographers on Flickr posts some excellent tutorials on his blog, and I stumbled across this how-to guide on how to create a bokehrama (a panoramic photo with lots of nice blurry bokeh). I hadn't realised the work and effort that went into the resulting image. Nice effect and I shall have to give it a go in 2010!

Choosing a camera when starting photography

People often ask me what camera should they choose when they decide to take up photography, so I have written a brief post on my blog about what you need to consider when deciding whether to buy a DSLR or a bridge camera.

3DVista - panoramic photos in one shot

A friend asked me about taking some shots of their flat today and was wondering how estate agents take those 360 shots of rooms. Well, he found THIS very cool tool... the 3DVista one shot lens. Takes 360 degree panoramics in one shot, and unwarps the shot with included software. Very handy if you're an estate agent, or even for landscape shots.

Nikon Lens Simulator

Nikon have released a very useful lens simulator, showing you the field of view for different Nikkor lenses. Handy!!

Dynamic range in Digital Photography

From Cambridge in Color.

"Dynamic range in photography describes the ratio between the maximum and minimum measurable light intensities (white and black, respectively). In the real world, one never encounters true white or black-- only varying degrees of light source intensity and subject reflectivity. Therefore the concept of dynamic range becomes more complicated, and depends on whether you are describing a capture device (such as a camera or scanner), a display device (such as a print or computer display), or the subject itself."

Full Article Here.

10 Rules for Successful Composition

From Phil Malpas Photography

"There are, however, a number of accepted approaches we can adopt that may help to ensure that the composition of an image is successful. Successful composition does not necessarily mean a successful image, but it is certain that if we pay no regard to composing our pictures then we are likely to be disappointed with our results."

Full Article Here.

Nikon D3S announced

Nikon has announced the D3s, an FX-format 12 megapixel DSLR that serves as a refresh of the D3.

Product information can be found here.

Nikon press release (source):

How to set a price for your photography

The Digital Photography School blog has posted a really useful post on setting pricing for your work. This is something we all come across at some point and personally I have found it extremely difficult to set.

Blog is lagging and looking for contributers.

Due to time and Health concerns. Am looking for moderators and contributors to take over the reins.

So email me at flickr or orb9220(at sign).gmail.com if you would like to take the reins.

Will give you access to post your own links,HowTo's,Tutorials,Reviews,etc..

21 Examples Of Brilliant Photography With Humor from Smashing apps

Check it out Here.

Ten Tips For People Photography from Craig Ferguson

More often than not, it’s the people you meet that make travel truly memorable.

It’s also the photographs of people that usually get the best reaction from family and friends when you return home.

So without further ado – 10 tips for better people photography.

Lightning Photography – A Primer from The PhotoArgus

This quick tutorial will show you how to use some basic equipment to translate a few million of watts of electricity into a few million pixels.

Check it out Here.

Zenfolio - Hosting in an Elegant Way!

Zenfolio combines the best in online photo viewing experience with a flexible shopping cart.

This means that not only do your photos look great on Zenfolio, they can be easily ordered as prints or a variety of products from a selection of vendors.

The service is easy to use, and offers many powerful features.

..Check them out Here.