Summary. Photographers have unique needs when it comes to website design. Many photographers use Facebook or have a free blog that points to an online collection of photo galleries hosted on Flickr or Picasa.

Those wanting to take things up a notch can create a full website to showcase their photography portfolio. WordPress.com offers an elegant, simple, and low-cost solution for most people needing a website. For $17 a year, you get website hosting and domain registration.You get the ability to have a multi-authored site, with hundreds or thousands of pages and articles (documents). The site templates are optimized for viewing on iPad, iPhone, or any computer. Photo gallery capabilities are built-in and a dozen photo/image-centric themes are among the 165 available themes. WordPress.com is an example of a content management system (CMS).

Specialized Photography Websites. Some website hosting companies offer themes and easy-to-use website management tools specifically designed for photographers needing photo/image-centric websites. These are also ideal for architects, musicians, bands, artists, painters, graphic designers, actors, and others who depend on having a dynamic and striking presentation of photos and images.

Directory. Below is a directory of photographer focused website hosting companies.

“We understand creative professionals because we are creative professionals. Every employee has achievements within their fields, and a passion for people and creative businesses. Our diverse experiences enable us to meet the diversity of our clients. Our team has lived in over 30 US states, 2 territories and 6 countries. The web is constantly changing and we strive to keep up. Support agents go through a rigorous training before they ever start helping customers. After that, we have monthly trainings and many “check this out” meetings to keep our knowledge and skills cutting edge. Regardless of whether you are just getting started or have been with Photobiz for a long time, you can call us as often as you need. We are here for you. We are here to answer questions as simple as moving pages to as complex as setting up SEO strategies.” [More...]

“In 2005, a bunch of friends got together over dinner to discuss the future of photography and how digital cameras and the Internet would change the industry. PhotoShelter was the outcome of that conversation. Six years later, our family has grown, but we’re still creating professional-quality tools and websites that make it easier for serious photographers to succeed. We’re happy to meet you!” [More...]

“At Zenfolio we believe that a beautiful photograph requires an equally impressive viewing experience. And because every photo tells a story, we’ve made it our business to display them with the same precision and attention to detail that went into making them. Drawing on our own passion for photography, Zenfolio, Inc was founded in 2004. Since then, we’ve worked hard to create a place online where photographers – both amateurs and professionals – can organize, display, and sell their images with uncompromising quality.” [More...]

“Most Internet companies dream of selling to bigger ones, and getting rich. We don’t. We dream of an independent company devoted to nothing but your priceless photos. A company that backs up your precious memories so they’re safe and sound. A profitable, debt-free company. That earns your fanatical loyalty. We’re living that dream. 100 employees. Hundreds of thousands of ecstatic customers. Billions of photos and counting. We’ll always be smaller than the photo-sharing divisions of giant companies. Which is a very good thing. Want to join the family?” [More...]

“SiteWelder launched in October 2002 as a powerful software tool to provide an easy-to-use online interface for photographers, artists and other creative professionals who want to create and dynamically maintain web sites. SiteWelder was originally created as a product of Tango Interactive, where we have been creating web sites for individuals and companies since 1996. Our clients at Tango Interactive have included Photo District News, Kodak, Sanyo Fisher, the InterAmerican Development Bank and a wide variety of individual photographers and photographic organizations.” [More...]

Photographer and Pixalchemist Bruce Thayer of Iowa City will be presenting a coffee themed photography exhibition.

• Date: 25 February through March 31
• Opening Reception: 7 PM Friday, 25 February
  • Pre-Reception Event from 5-7PM. Bruce will be capturing portraits of coffee-lovers. An 8-ounce coffee drink and an e-copy of the edited image in exchange for a signed photo release. Bring your favorite mug!
• Location: Fair Grounds Coffeehouse
• Address: 345 South Dubuque Street, Iowa City, Iowa

Click the image below to enlarge and download.
Then print or email to share with friends.

Summary. This document offers a review of the Manfrotto 190XPROB Professional Aluminum Tripod and 128RC Micro Fluid Head. Links to related resources are also provided.

Gregory Johnson offers the following commentary on this tripod and head:

On 10 February 2011, I purchased the Manfrotto 190XPROB Professional Aluminum Tripod and 128RC Micro Fluid Head combination from University Camera in Iowa City. The 190XPROB is a lighter version of the 055XPROB.

For years I’ve been using a Manfrotto 3205GN tripod with 3130 head for my own photography and video work.

The 190XPROB and 128RC are the current equivalent, and from what I can tell an improvement over the previous model.

Although the tripod is lighter in weight, it seems to have the same or better strength, durability, and stability.

The leg lock design is quick and easy to use, with an improved design making it less likely you’ll get pinched.

The tripod offers a very innovative design feature allowing the camera to be turned on it’s side for a portrait perspective rather than landscape. This adjustment could also accommodate photos where the camera is facing directly down.

The Manfrotto 128RC Micro Fluid Head (pictured below) is strong and steady. The fluid motion is ideal for professional video and offers smooth movement for tilting and panning the camera.

I really like the metal plate mount used by Manfrotto. In fact, for me, this is probably one of the main selling points when choosing Manfrotto. The plate is solid, sturdy, secure, and yet makes it very easy to attach or remove the camera.

This seems like an ideal tripod for someone wanting to spend about $250 for a professional quality tripod.

Video Review. In the video below, Gregory Johnson offers a review of the the Manfrotto 190XPROB Professional Aluminum Tripod and 128RC Micro Fluid Head combination.

Summary. This page contains a video slideshow of music and photos by Gregory Johnson.

I composed the song Arpeggio Rising and posted it on 21 February 2009.

Today, I decided to share it on YouTube with some photos I’d taken while in India during the winter 2010/2011 break.

Because YouTube is a large social network, I think it’s a good way to share music simply by adding some original photography.

People are more likely to hear the music than if it was somewhere on a MySpace page. The photos are a nice addition also.

With the YouTube player being very accessible from mobile devices and easy to embed in web pages, it makes the platform ideal for sharing.

Eventually I want to combine photography, video, music, singing, and written quotes, poetry, and words of inspiration all in a single multimedia creation.

Video. Below is the music video, and further down on this page, Gregory Johnson explains how he created the video.

Technology. Below, Gregory Johnson explains how he created this music slideshow video.

I’m really pleased with the sharpness and vibrant colors in this video slideshow turned out. To create it, I used the iMovie software from Apple. I added some of my favorite photos by clicking and dragging them into the storyboard project area and then with a click and drag added the music. The zooming effect was done manually for each picture using the Ken Burns effect. I kept adding photos until I filled the duration of the song. I also set the project theme to automatically create a fade between pictures. That saved me some time.

To get the video into YouTube, I chose Export Using Quicktime from the Share menu in iMovie. For settings, I make sure that Export is set to Movie to QuickTime Movie and then Use is set to LAN/Intranet. Before clicking Save, it’s important to go into Options and for Size choose Dimensions Current from the dropdown menu. Then click the OK button, then OK again, then Save. For this short video of 2 minutes 47 seconds it took about 25 minutes to export on a fast new Apple Macbook Pro with 4GB RAM.

I didn’t spent much time producing this video. Had I taken more time, I would have really tweaked the transitions, length of each slide, and the Ken Burns effect. Some of the slides I wanted to include were still in RAW format and hadn’t been converted to JPG images. So, even though they showed up in the Media Browser, when I clicked and dragged them to drop them into the story board project area, they wouldn’t drop in.

I think this is a bit of a shortcoming in the Apple iLife ’11 software. There should be some kind of setting to automatically render RAW to JPG for such purposes. I’ve noticed the same problem when synchronizing to devices. Untouched RAW photos don’t show up in the mobile device. Only photos that have been tweaked in some way (no matter how small) will have a JPG image created, and then they show up.

Summary. This document provides, in simple terms, an explanation of how to use manual camera settings for better photography results with pocket cameras or larger DSLR cameras. Click the photos on this page to enlarge them.

Automatic Mode. When a camera is in automatic mode, it makes many assumptions about your intended photo composition and the conditions. The camera makes an assessment of available light and arrives at an average, then sets the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture accordingly (using a flash if necessary). Yet ultimately, the camera can’t read your mind and doesn’t know for sure what the subject of your photo is. Here are the challenges a camera faces when trying to configure the settings:

• Motion. The camera doesn’t know if you and or the subject of your photo are moving or not. The default settings typically assume little or no motion.
• Focal Point. The camera doesn’t know what object in the photo is to be in focus as the subject of your photo.
• Focal Depth. The camera doesn’t know if you intend for only one object to be in focus or if you would like close and distant objects in focus.
• Lighting. The camera knows the general lighting and can arrive at an average cumulative light. However, complex photos may contain a wide range of bright and dark objects. The camera doesn’t know if it should adjust light for the darkest object, lightest object, or something in between. Additionally, in low light conditions, the camera doesn’t know if you want a fully illuminated photo, or if you are trying to have the resulting photo be an authentic representation of the low light conditions.

Given the wide variety of possible conditions and photo composition options described above, it’s surprising that a camera in automatic mode can produce a satisfactory photo. To accomplish this, the default camera settings are such that photos taken in automatic mode will be adequate for typical photos that people are taking. Newer cameras are able to recognize faces and detects smiles to ensure that portrait photos are optimal.

Manual Settings. It’s difficult to manually improve on what most cameras are able to do automatically in a split second. However, in some circumstances, manual control of camera settings can be necessary. Below are examples of difficult conditions and what manual settings were used to improve on what the automatic default settings would have produced.

Focal Depth

Sometimes it’s nice to have a very defined focal depth. This brings your subject into sharp focus but leaves everything else out of focus. It’s a technique often used for closeup pictures of flowers. The photo to the right of a palm tree is an example of this.

The automatic focus in a camera tries to figure out the subject of your photo and focus on that. To do so, it assumes the subject of your photo is in the middle. However, in more creative photos, your subject might not be in the middle of the photo.

One technique in automatic mode is to point at your subject, push the shutter button half way as if you are about to take a picture (this will cause the camera to focus on your subject and set lighting accordingly), then frame the shot and push the button the rest of the way. Alternatively, in manual mode, you can manually focus until your subject is sharp and everything else is blurry. Below are three photos that illustrate focal point and focal depth. Setting the focal point ensures your subject will be in focus (like focusing on the palm tree above). The settings used for the photo above were as follows.

Photographer Gregory Johnson explains, “While visiting an Ashram in India, I took a series of three photos showing a palm tree, a white wall, and some buildings in the distance to show various focal points and varied focal depth. One picture has the tree in focus, another has the wall in focus, and in another the tree, the wall, and buildings in the distance are in focus. In the pictures with a narrow depth of focus, I set the aperture to f/4.5 which allowed for an abundance of light, so I could use a very fast shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second. My goal was a really crisp clear picture.”

The focal depth is determined by the aperture (how big the lens shutter opening is when you snap the picture).

If the lens opening is large (a low number) then only your subject will be in focus, as seen in the example above where an aperture of f/4.5 was used resulting in only the palm tree being in focus.

If the lens opening is small (a higher number) then the foreground and background will be more in focus as well, as seen in the example to the right showing a palm tree in the foreground that is in focus as well as a wall behind it and buildings in the distance. The settings used to produce the photo to the right were as follows.

Photographer Gregory Johnson explains, “In my series of palm tree photos, I concluded with a final picture showing everything in focus. As I recall, I put the camera into AV (aperture variable) mode and set the aperture to f/29 to achieve the greater focal depth. I had to stand fairly still for this photo because the smaller shutter opening would let only a little light in and required a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second. This is an example of where a tripod would have been helpful, because I could have really tightened up the shutter opening to a very small hole and let the lens stay open for a longer period of time. Another option would have been to boost the ISO from 125 to something like 1000 or 1600. However, I was really liking this photo, and shooting in RAW, so I wanted to do everything possible to retain the clarity. A higher ISO would have been noisy (grainy or fuzzy).”

There are many benefits to choosing a shallow depth of field by having a large aperture (shutter opening). This setting lets more light into the camera, so the following benefits are gained:

• You can use a lower ISO for sharper pictures.
• You can use a faster shutter speed which ensures your own movement won’t result in a blurry photo.
• A flash is likely not necessary since more light is getting into the camera through the lens.
• When the image is compressed, the compression process has less unnecessary detail to worry about. The subject can be very crisp and less degraded by the compression process, while the background and irrelevant foreground can be easily compressed since they are blurry anyway. They are pre-optimized for efficient compression. So, more information can be retained for what’s important.

Low Light With Motion

The following combination of conditions create a difficult photo to shoot: low light, no flash, a moving subject, and the desire to freeze the image with no motion blur. In fact, it would be almost impossible to create a high quality photo in these conditions.

The picture shown to the right of water dripping from a faucet into a bucket is an example of the conditions described above. To capture this photo, the following settings were used.

Photographer Gregory Johnson explains, “In the photo of water dripping from a faucet into a bucket, I had to boost the ISO to 6400, resulting in high light sensitivity, in order to use the very fast shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second. With my lens set at 18mm and the aperture set to f/3.5 there was the maximum amount of light coming in. The resulting photo gave me the general content that I wanted, but I did notice considerable noise (fuzziness) in the picture because of the high ISO. I used the noise removal feature in my software to clean up the picture and was left with something I really liked. With the noise removed, it looks like it was taken using a much lower ISO.”

Motion Fluid Blur Photos

Sometimes it’s nice to convey motion in a photo by showing the blur of movement. The photo to the right from 16 July 2008 shows water in a stream at a park in Ashland, California.

The settings used to create this photo are as follows.

Photographer Gregory Johnson explains, “In this photo I wanted to show the soft blur of moving water. I’d seen this is glossy photos that almost look as if they are painted. I knew I needed to slow down the shutter speed, but I wasn’t sure what setting to use. I tried 1/40th of a second, but that was too fast. Eventually I realized that 1/2 a second was needed. Leaving the shutter open for a half a second would require that the camera be completely still, so I set it on a rock. I was really pleased with how this photo came out because the rocks and trees are crisp and sharp, but the water has that soft blur that I wanted. I was using the Sony DSC-N2 camera with 10 megapixel capacity.”

Motion Still Photos

For most cameras, the automatic mode will assume that you and your subject are relatively motionless. Some cameras have image stabilization to compensate for some movement by the photographer, but cameras typically don’t detect movement of the subject. For this reason, taking a photo from a car or train generally results in a blurry photo, especially of objects that are close.

With the picture shown to the right, both the photographer and the subject were in motion on trains traveling very fast in opposite directions. Taking the photo using automatic settings would have produced a blue blur. So, the following manual settings were used.

Photographer Gregory Johnson explains, “I was riding on a train in India taking pictures out the door. Another train came along going in the opposite direction. To the naked eye, it was just a blur. I wondered what might happen if I increased the shutter speed a bit to freeze the motion of the train. Afterwards, I was surprised to discover this photo of a man smiling as if posing for the camera. As I recall, for this picture, I chose the TV mode (time variable) and selected the faster shutter speed, then let the camera choose the necessary aperture and ISO. If I set the shutter speed too high, the camera would have chosen a higher ISO and that might have produced a noisy (grainy or fuzzy) image. So, I went with the 1/640th of a second shutter speed. My camera has an automatic mode for sports photography. That might have achieved similar results.”

Zoo Photos

Photos taken at a zoo present some unique challenges. Although we’re sometimes given an opportunity to get close to animals, usually they are at a distance, and often in cages, behind fences or glass.

These obstacles can obscure the photo, as seen in the photo to the right of a white tiger with a fence in the foreground (click image for larger view).

Zoos typically have an abundance of greenery and trees to reproduce the natural surroundings and habitat that various animals are accustom to. This often results in reduced lighting.

For animals at a distance, a telephoto zoom lens can be used. However, zoom lenses need more light and they increase the chances of blurred pictures caused by motion unless higher shutter speeds and/or a tripod are used.

The following camera settings were used for the photo above of the white tiger behind a fence.

Photographer Gregory Johnson explains, “When I arrived at the zoo in Lucknow, India, I quickly switched from my 18-55mm lens to my 55-250mm zoom lens, anticipating that most of my pictures would require a telephoto lens. In this example, I was using the manual focus since the automatic focus would have focused on the fence rather than the tiger. Even so, having the aperture set to f/13 resulted in the fence being visible as well as the tiger. I took this photo to illustrate the challenge that I was faced with while at the zoo. If you look at my gallery of pictures from the Lucknow Zoo, you’ll find that most of them are relatively clear pictures of animals with no fences showing. In one photo of a bird, there was a fairly dense mesh fence between me and the bird, yet it didn’t show up at all. So, here’s the trick I used to remove the fences.

In the photo of the white tiger shown to the right, you’ll notice that the fence is barely visible (click for larger view). To create this effect, I simply reduced the aperture to f/5.6 to reduce the focal depth.”

The settings for this photo were as follows.

“The larger lens opening of f/5.6 let more light in and allowed me to reduce the ISO to 200 and still maintain a relatively fast shutter speed of 1/250th of a second. The lower ISO should result in a sharper image. This effect works better when the subject of your photo is a considerable distance away.”

Summary. IOGEAR recently released a 56-in-1 memory card reader, model GFR281.

Photo cameras and video cameras are adapting new standards of higher speed and higher capacity memory cards. Video cameras in particular are shifting from tape, disc, and hard drive storage to memory card storage.

The 56-in-1 memory card reader model GFR281 from IOGear is a versatile device that can read most photo camera and video camera memory cards as well as memory cards from other devices like cell phones.

At a purchase price from $20 to $35 depending on where you buy it, the device is relatively economical. Buy locally if you can, or click here to purchase from our store.

Testimonial. Below is a testimonial from Gregory Johnson about the product and where to buy it.

“We have the IOGEAR 56-in-1 memory card reader available in our online store for about $20. So, with the free shipping of Amazon Prime, it’s a fairly good deal. However, I paid $3 more and bought it at our local downtown office supply store, Iowa Book and Supply. I like to support local downtown merchants because they make life more convenient, and at Iowa Book the prices are low enough that my cumulative aggregate savings are usually better than buying anywhere else, even online at my own store.” ~ Gregory Johnson

Learn More. Below are links to more information about this device.

• IOGEAR – Official Website
• IOGEAR – Products Page for Memory Card Readers
• IOGEAR – Product Page for the 56-in-1 memory card reader model GFR281

Summary. Pico Projectors are video projection systems small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. Nikon’s new Coolpix S100pj is a camera with a built-in pico projector.

The Coolpix S1000pj is the first compact digital camera in the world to feature a built-in projector. With a simple touch of a button, the camera projects favorite photos or movies clips on any flat surface at up to 40 inches in size. Pictures can be projected individually, or as slide shows complete with music and added effects that enhance the experience.

Sharper results with five advanced Nikon image stabilizing features. Nikon’s Optical lens shift and Electronic VR image stabilization systems combine to help produce blur-free images. High ISO 6400 capability allows faster shutter speeds when shooting in low light or capturing fast-moving subjects. Motion Detection automatically controls shutter speed and the ISO setting to compensate for subject movement and camera shake. And, Nikon’s original BSS (Best Shot Selector) function automatically shoots a series of sequential frames and saves the one with the sharpest focus. The camera selects and uses only the features required to optimize each image. ISO 3200 and 6400 are available only for image sizes of 3M (2048 x 1536) or smaller.

Nikon’s Smart Portrait System with Skin Softening. Face-priority AF helps produce more satisfying portraits by adjusting focus and exposure for as many as 12 faces in the framed shot. Skin Softening function detects and analyzes a framed subject’s skin, and then adjusts smoothness to produce enhanced results. Smile Timer automatically releases the shutter when the subject smiles, while its Blink Proof function shoots two sequential frames, then saves the one in which the subject’s eyes are widest open. Blink Warning presents an alert when it suspects that someone in the shot has blinked. In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically corrects any perceived red-eye effect before saving the image to memory.

Intelligent automated shooting modes that promote carefree shooting
Nikon’s Scene Auto Selector makes it faster and easier to capture the moment by eliminating the need to manually select a scene mode to match the intended shot. This intelligent function determines the subject, analyzes the surrounding settings, and then automatically selects the appropriate scene mode for optimal results. Subject Tracking enhances the shooting experience by following the subject’s movement to ensure clear focus and quick response when that special shutter opportunity presents itself. Subject Tracking even functions if the subject moves out of the frame for a second or two.

World Wide Photo Walk

Summary. Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk is an event that began in 2008. The goal is to have thousands of photographers all over the world walk through their communities and take creative and expressive photos. The worldwide photo walk is to photography what the Nike+ Human Race is to running. It’s an opportunity for people to come together both locally and globally.

Current News. This year, the worldwide photo walk will take place on 18 July 2009.

Participate. To sign-up for a photo walk in your area, refer to the online map or listing of all walk locations.

Promote. Help spread the word about the worldwide photo walk. Use the Share This link in the top right area of this web page.

Learn More. To learn more about the worldwide photo walk, visit the official website: www.WorldwidePhotoWalk.com

Iowa City. Interested photographers in the Iowa City area can sign-up here: http://worldwidephotowalk.com/iowa-city-ia-usa/

Video. Below is a video (from 2008) about the worldwide photo walk, prizes, and cities.

Summary. The Gullah Man is an ambassador, artist, and edutainer (educator and entertainer) for his city, Savannah, Georgia. He welcomes visitors, makes art, recites poetry, inspires, and shares love. His hand crafted roses and other objects made out of palm reeds are beautiful works of art. The High Definition video below was recorded by Jon Nelson using a Canon 5DMKII DSLR (Digital SLR) camera in video mode. The entire production process and workflow are described on Jon’s website.

Photos of the National Peace Site at Ragle Ranch Regional Park in Sebastopol, California are now available. A slideshow is below. Those who take the time to view all the photos in their full size will be rewarded by some really nice close-up images of plants and animals, including bees and two lizards.

The photo collection includes a map and photos have detailed descriptions. The National Peace Site contains a diverse variety of trees, flowers, as well as other plant and animal life.

The plants and other items at the site are donated from local peace activists as well as peace groups from other countries around the world, which makes the site an international effort.

The National Peace Site is part of the 54 Minute Peace Run – a path that goes from the Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery where many veterans are buried to the National Peace Site and through the Ragle Ranch Regional Park.