Most photographers know about the Rule of Thirds. But recently this post on Fstoppers.com showed me that it’s just a simplification of something more complicated called an “armature”.
Continue reading “Rule of Thirds, and the “Armature””Ancient Tail Lights
The Pigeons
See it in B&W with “Picture Control”
Recently I found out about a camera feature that’s making a big difference for me: “Monochrome Picture Control”. I’m probably not the only one who didn’t know about it.
Sometimes the photo just sort of appears…
Nicollet Mall In Limbo
Nicollet Mall, in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, is now over 50, and has had its share of ups and downs. Right now it’s sort of ‘between jobs’.
The Problem of Unloading Old Gear
Recently, I almost talked myself into buying a new camera; I’d been wanting to switch my travel setup from Sony APS-C over to Nikon and the new Z50. But then I thought about all the used gear I’d have to sell to rationalize this move, and my enthusiasm fizzled out.
Birds’ Eyes
I once came across a post in a forum about wildlife photography: “After 4 years of tramping through woods, I gave up. The bird was always just 2 trees ahead.”
Continue reading “Birds’ Eyes”Winter photos on overcast days
On a sunny winter day there can be so much dynamic range in a scene that you may decide to use HDR techniques to reduce it. Even then you may end up with a lot of washed out white and noisy shadows. And the heavy contrast of brilliant snow and dark shadows may be just a big distraction from the real subject.
Continue reading “Winter photos on overcast days”Google toys with me
In earlier posts (starting here) I explained how I changed my domain structure and used Google Search Console to try getting my photos indexed. And in a recent post I said I thought I was seeing progress. Well, no surprise here – but things aren’t that simple.
Continue reading “Google toys with me”Minneapolis Panoramic
Sometimes getting a photo involves standing in a spot where you’re not really supposed to be.
Continue reading “Minneapolis Panoramic”Foshay Tower
The Foshay Tower, in Minneapolis Minnesota, officially opened in September of 1929, with a blowout party that included Hollywood stars and national political figures, each of whom reportedly received a gold watch just for showing up. John Philip Sousa had been commissioned to write a march; his fee was $20,000.
Continue reading “Foshay Tower”Lenses are the real deal
Smartphones have crushed the camera market like a bundle of dry twigs.
Continue reading “Lenses are the real deal”I don’t know this guy.
I did this a couple of years ago – it’s the elevated platform of the Lake Street light rail station here in Minneapolis. I’d done a photo here long before, and had returned to get a different viewpoint, looking north towards downtown. It’s geometry and tinted glass; a strangely cool piece of urban design, standing over a couple of desolate city blocks where you don’t hang around after dark.
Continue reading “I don’t know this guy.”Google is now indexing my photos! Well maybe.
In a previous post I explained how Google wasn’t indexing my photos at SmugMug, and in another post I detailed how attacked that problem by creating a blog site and putting my SmugMug site on a subdomain.
I think I might be seeing some payoff. But only maybe.
Continue reading “Google is now indexing my photos! Well maybe.”Mirrorless: It’s The Little Things
Some of the seemingly minor advantages of mirrorless cameras really made a difference for me…
Continue reading “Mirrorless: It’s The Little Things”Walking the Skyways
Sometimes I walk the Minneapolis skyways, especially in the winter. I don’t see any interesting wildlife, but it’s an upbeat experience.
Continue reading “Walking the Skyways”Z6 IBIS with manual lenses
Maybe, like me, you bought a Nikon Z6 in part because it has IBIS, and you had a couple of manual, non-stablilzed lenses to use with it.
Continue reading “Z6 IBIS with manual lenses”Cattail seeds
It was a very wet year here in Minnesota and that’s good for cattails like this one, opening in November to release its roughly 25,000 seeds.
Continue reading “Cattail seeds”Minneapolis from the Guthrie Theater
This shiny view of downtown Minneapolis can be had from a spot near the windows in the coffee shop on the 5th floor of the Guthrie Theater, on First Avenue by the river. It’s a place where you can kick back, gaze out of some big glass and feel like you’re a part of the city, but a bit detached.
The current Guthrie was completed in 2006 and is hands down the coolest building in town.