I tend to read a lot of blog posts every day, likely too much reading instead of more time spent “doing,” but I enjoy reading what others have to say on some of my favorite sites. One of the sites I enjoy reading is Digital Pro Talk, where David Ziser somehow finds the time to write 4 to 6 posts a day. Many are (good) photo blog posts and references to other articles out there with his commentary, but every so often he churns out a well thought insight gained from his vast experience as a pro photog that I really enjoy.

As I was catching up on a weeks worth of posts (it has been awhile since I caught up), one such article struck me titled “What It Takes To Be Great.” David talks about taking the time to practice the skills necessary to become not only good but great at what you do. This applies to anything in life of course, but very much to photography. This is one concept that I always feel like I need to be reminded of as some times I feel like I let my camera time get put in cruise control. When I am not working to be better at “seeing” a great shot and making images I can be proud of, my photos start looking more and more like tourist snapshots.

The last couple of months I have been spending more time than in the past working on my abilities as a photographer, and enjoying the process. The process has caused my head to swim at times with too much reading and theory and not enough application. When I don’t put the new ideas and skills I learn into practice, they are quickly forgotten and never embedded into my abilities to be drawn out at will. This is something I need to improve on and will each day going forward.

Perhaps this was more striking to me at this moment because of my current efforts, but hopefully you find it a good read and reminder to put the effort into your passions in life and becoming better at them.

Canon 40D, 100mm macro, 1/60 at f/4 and 400 ISO
see it on flickr

I often get asked which camera to buy, and practically in the same breath now I also get asked how many megapixels in a camera do I need.  There is really no simple answer to this, but typically I try to quickly gauge the needs of the individual I am talking to and make a quick recommendation.  I enjoy researching the latest cameras available, so typically I have a decent idea of what to suggest.  It is getting harder and harder these days though as the options continue to expand and get better at all levels of cameras.

There are three general groupings or levels of cameras often referred to, consumer, pro and the ubiquitous somewhere inbetween now coined as prosumer.

Consumer cameras are what the average family can buy and be happy using.  The current crop of cameras will typically fall between 4 and 10 megapixels, and most do a fine job capturing the snapshots that most people are looking to capture. These images will print as a 4×6 and often up to an 8×0 with very good clarity and colors.  The flashes on these are average and in general the best photos are taken with outdoor or brighter lighting.

Prosumer is really a fancy way of saying these cameras cost more and give the user more features to control how the camera is capturing photos.  For those wanting to dabble in photography I general steer them in this direction as the cost is more attainable and you don’t have to worry about all the additive cost for the variety of lenses you might need on an SLR.  Prosumer cameras have a fixed lens, but typically one that yields a fairly good range from wide to telephoto to meet your creative needs.

Pro cameras are those big, bulky SLRs that photo enthusiasts are buying into today.  You can use the full range of lenses just like the high end pro does, or pick from cheaper to mid priced/quality offerings that every brand has in their line up.  The cost can be much higher with these cameras, including a wide variety of options in body types, including cropped and full frame sensors.  Many enthusiasts are entering this level of camera though with the low priced options from Canon and Nikon, along with other brands working their way into this market.

With that summary aside, not all megapixels are created equal; the digital camera industry is just like any and subject to the spin of the of the marketing department.  Marketers know that most consumers think that a bigger must be better, so an 8 megapixel camera is better than a 6, right?  Yes and no.  Having more megapixels can be a good thing, but what the camera does to achieve that resolution can greatly impact the quality of the photo in the end.  Without getting too technical, if a camera is using the same size of sensor to give you a larger number of megapixels, it is squeezing in the photo receptors into a smaller space, often resulting in more “noise” within your image.  As technology continues to improve, this problem is improved upon, but take care in researching the output quality of the photos produced by a camera along with the resolution.

A great site for seeing in-depth reviews that I use is dpreview.com. You can see all the details, including sample photos produced by a camera and even compare the details of different models side by side.

Now down to what got me started on this topic today.  I read an article posted recently at Digital Pro Talk about how many megapixels are enough.  This is one of the best, real life analysis discussions I have read about why having a few more megapixels can matter depending on the type of photography you do.  Set in the context of wedding photography, the question posed is how many pixels does it take to produce a clear image of a face when capturing a group photo.

Up close portraits lend themselves to working just fine with fewer megapixels because the face is filling the frame and utilizing most of the pixels available.  In the case of group photos, there are far fewer pixels dedicated to the details and making up the face of each individual.

This holds true of any situation where you subject is further away from camera and only a portion of the overall photo.  Think of this in terms of concert photography, which is a frequent part of my camera use.  If you are able to get in close or zoom to your subject, then your sensor capacity is dedicated to getting all the details of the face and person you are capturing.  If you are either further back or choosing to capture the overall scene of the stage, far fewer details are captured if the individual entertainer(s), and having a lower megapixel camera will mean far less detail will be displayed in your final image.

Give it a read and see if this helps you when you consider your next camera purchase, which we all know will be sooner than you think!

Canon 20D, EF-S 18-55, 1/40 at  f/4 and 800 ISO
see the large version on flickr

This is not to say you can’t get the perfect exposure and colors that do not require any editing, really you can.  It is just more common, though, that nice SLRs are going to accurately capture the scene in stunning quality that you can then develop in your digital darkroom.  This may be frustrating, but in the end you can create a better work of art rather than just a snapshot of what you saw.

This topic is well covered in an article I caught over on LeggNet’s site today.  Hop on over and give it a read and see a stunning example of what is captured to what is the final result.

On a side note, Rich mentions being a big fan of Kenneth Linge.  All of my photography skills I have acquired have come from online reading, some books and a large dose of trial and error.  For the first time I am investing in my craft outside of equipment and have enrolled in Kenneth’s next seminar in January on photographing people.  I am excited to see what I can glean from a long time pro in a training setting.

Being that I enjoy photography, my kids have obviously taken an interest in dad’s hobby.  I try to show them things to learn early how to take some better photos, but at times it is difficult to figure out what you can convey to their young minds that will make a difference while also not squashing their interest and creativity.

This topic came to mind as I read an article over at the Digital Photography School Blog titled 13 Lessons to Teach Your Child About Digital Photography.  They bring up some great points and ideas for helping those young ones begin to learn some ideas and skill to go along with their enthusiasm.

What I find, more than anything, is I like to feed my child’s interests with opportunity to experiment and enjoy themselves.  Too often I want to help them take things “right” when I really need to step back and let them explore.  If they are not going to break anything, what is the harm?  This is especially true with digital photography.  So what if they take 100 photos and you throw away 99 of them.  You may get that 1 gem that you can print up and put on the fridge for them to be proud of.

Canon 40D, 17-55 EF-S, 1/125 at f/2.8 and 1000 ISO

Give the article a read and make it a goal to implement the concept the next time you are given some feedback that is less than welcome.

Getting to the gym at all is often a monumental task; so if you are getting yourself there, you might as well be making the most of it!  Take a look at the list and see what you can do to improve your time spent.

I particularly enjoyed the sections about varying your workout, lifting slowly and lifting with heavier weights.  Focusing on these areas alone will make a huge difference in any workout.

Last year

Fortunately I grew up learning how to not only drive a stick shift, but also plenty of experience pulling trailers of various kinds.  I quickly learned some of the do’s and don’ts with trailers such as taking wide turns and parking them.  Even with my experience, jumping into a travel trailer brought new experiences to deal with.

I came across this article today that gave some good tips to think about when using an RV.  Many of the tips are applicable to travel trailers as well.  Using an RV or trailer is definitely one of those situations where educating yourself in advance pays big dividends.

Link:  Expert Advice: RVs

Link:  ZenHabits

The latter part of the article includes a good top 10 list of ways to combat these techniques being used to get you to spend more than you intended coming into the store  Be a smart shopper and keep more of your money in your wallet…where it belongs!

Link:  15 ways stores trick you into spending 

It’s a troubling, moving and emotional series of photographs that show in the most poignent way how powerful photography can be.

I don’t know if I was especially moved because I have a disabled son that is at times in a wheelchair, or perhaps because my father died in a similar fashion; but, for whatever reason this really struck me emotionally. It brought me to tears.

I have at times been asked why I take photos at times when many others may consider it rude or not fitting to the situation. This is a perfect example of why I do this. Recording historic, emotional, or otherwise memorable events in photography is one of the greatest forms of artistic expression I know.

If you do nothing else today worthwhile on the ‘net, take a moment to view this series of photos, and then share it with a friend. Whether it is because of your appreciation for the art or your desire to help others realize the fragility or sacredness of life, it is worth sharing.

Link to view the photo series