Category: About photography

How equipment affects results

I was struck by all of the geometric lines. This is outside the Hatch Art Studios in downtown Springfield. (c) 2018 Eric Anderson

I’ve used Epson printers for quite some time.  Partially, this is because of historical laziness. Back in the day when dot-matrix printers ruled, Epson made the best ones. In many ways they still do. Epson’s small photo printers often do an amazing job.

Their wide-format printers, though, often proved a hassle. Paper jams, ink clogs followed me through at least three different models. Try as I might, I could never get my Epson 2000 to handle paper heavier than 200 gsm although it supposedly could. Last year, when we sold the house and moved to a smaller condo, I also sold the 2000 and planned to send larger format work to a commercial printer.

Sneaky Canon had different plans for me. Last June, Adorama started running a sale that was too good. Essentially, after rebate and freebies, I could get a Pixma Pro-100 for around $50. This is normally a $500 printer. So, I cleared off a space in the garage and waited.  Continue reading “How equipment affects results”

Nicobar pigeon at ZooTampa (Lowry Park Zoo)


 

The aviary at ZooTampa (formerly the Lowry Park Zoo) is a wonderful opportunity for photographers. It is large, has plenty of great birds and provides visitors with a chance to see interesting and colorful birds.  

This is the Nicobar pigeon. According to Wikipedia the Nicobar pigeon is founding on small islands and in the costal regions from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, east through the Malay Archipelago, to the Solomons and Palau. It is the only living member of the genus Caloenas and the closest living relative of the extinct dodo.

Photographically, shooting in the aviary presents some challenges with areas of strong light and deeper shadows. This brightly colored bird was enjoying snacking at the bird feeder in the shadows and did not seem to be interested in moving to a brighter location.  Continue reading “Nicobar pigeon at ZooTampa (Lowry Park Zoo)”

Making contrast work

Palm-Harbor_1992A

 

Photographers love the “golden hour”. It’s that hour just after sunrise and before sunset where the sun doesn’t cast direct shadows and the diffuse lighting is grand. With shortened winter days, that “hour” becomes maybe 20 minutes, so the test becomes making the contrast work for the image.

This was created on a December day in downtown Palm Harbor, Florida. I found the light, the angles and the mid-day sun fascinating.