#29. Gear gear gear!

Here's a list of gear that I currently have and want to get.

Current Gear:
- Canon 450D (XSi)
- 50mm MkI f/1.8
- Kit lens 17-55
- 75-300mm III
- SB-50DX Nikon Flash (borrowed)
- Lowepro Nova 180 AW
- SLIK 512QF Tripod
- Canon Battery
- Opteka Battery
- Two 4gb class 6 SD card
- One 2gb class 6 SD card
- Two Vivitar UV filters
- Lens cleaning cloth & brush

Gear I want to get:
- Monopod
- Attachment head
- Lens hoods
- Battery Grip (Maybe)
- 1 or 2 extra batteries
- Two 4/8gb class 8/10 SD cards

#28. Post Editing & 365 Project 9-15

I've been editing my photos in Lightroom, and trying to make my photos look good. I almost always add vignettes. While editing my Christmas photos, I found myself raising contrast and saturation in a lot of my photos, but they did look a lot better. I've also been trying out a lot of the Lr presets. My favorite so far is Color Preset 2.

Here are my photos from my 365 Project.

Day 9/365. 12/19/10
Keighty in Norristown. A car turning left shone light on K80's face.
This might be one of my favorite night shots.
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ 1/50s ~ ISO 1600

See on Flickr - http://goo.gl/Iwrmd

Day 10/365. 12/21/10 (1am)
Stages of the moon during the eclipse. Stayed out from 1am-4:30am.
300mm ~ f/11 (f/6.3) ~ ISO 100 (400) ~ 1/25s (2.0s)

See on Flickr - http://goo.gl/X4GlY

Day 11/365. 12/21/10
Light Graffiti Christmas Tree. Merry Christmas!
18mm~ f/11 ~ ISO 100 ~ 25s

See on Flickr - http://goo.gl/bFEFq

Day 12/365. 12/22/10
The Beserkers in the greenroom.
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ ISO 200 ~ 1/100s
Used Photoshop to do a high pass layer, and then added the Sepia effect in Lightroom. (High Pass tutorial - http://strobist.blogspot.com/2010/02/after-light-high-pass-post-production.html)

See on Flickr - http://goo.gl/9277U

Day 13/365. 12/23/10
Septa train at Market East. Playing around with shutter speed to get the trail effect.
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ ISO 200 ~ 1/4s

Day 14/365. 12/24/10.
Christmas Eve Present!
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ ISO 100 ~ 1/200s
SB-50 hotshoe flash

See on Flickr - http://goo.gl/uFeSj

Day 15/365. 12/25/10.
Christmas fun with Ben!
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ ISO 1600 ~ 1/50s
Lr3 - Adjusted from CP2

See on Flickr - http://goo.gl/r0Gn2

#27. 365 Project. Day 4-8

Day 4/365. 12/14/10
Jackson the puppy!
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ 1/800s ~ ISO 1600
Lightroom Color Creative - Direct Positive

Day 5/365. 12/15/10
Freezing Cold...
50mm ~ ISO 100 ~ f/4.5 ~ 1/200s
SB-50 Hotshoe Flash

Day 6/365. 12/16/10
See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil.
28mm ~ f/9.0 ~ 1/200s ~ ISO 100
Used Photoshop to layer
Lightroom - Old Polar

Day 7/365. 12/17/10
Christmas Lights.
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ 1/50s ~ ISO 1600

Day 8/365. 12/18/10
Sweets from mum! My mom got these for me from Singapore.
50mm ~ f/22 ~ 1/200s ~ ISO 100

#26. 365 Project!

Wow, I haven't posted in over a month!
No new toys yet, but I am researching Speedlights for my Christmas/Birthday present.

I started a 365 project on 12/11/10.

Here are the first 3. I am currently working on a craaaaaaaaaaazy show, but I'll try to update as much as I can.

Day 1/365. 12/11/10
Taken at Xmas Carol rehearsal.
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ 1/50s ~ ISO 1600
Lightroom Saturation Mask Post-Processing

Day 2/365. 12/12/10
Taken at Xmas Carol rehearsal.
50mm ~ f/1.8 ~ 1/40s ~ ISO 800
Lightroom Color Creative - CP 2

Day 3/365. 12/13/10
Delaware Riverfront Market
18mm ~ f/3.5 ~ 1/800s, 1/200, 1/3200 ~ ISO 100
Photomatix Pro to make HDR

#25. Photo of the Day!

My dresser mirror shot was chosen as Pic-of-the-Day by BackstageJobs on Nov 6th!

"backstagejobs BackstageJobs.com 

The show continues behind you in our Pic-of-the-Day:

http://tinyurl.com/2u4xeel"

"Another great shot using a dressing area mirror!  This one is from Flickr user CTdslr, and can be found, along with hundreds of other great photos, in our I Work Backstage Flickr photo group."

#24. Irish Lass in Clovers

I did a photoshoot with a friend of mine last week and got some great pictures.

Here's my favorite one from that session.

ISO 200 ~ 50mm ~ f/2.2 ~ 1/100s

Trying out my new water mark. Not sure if I like it yet. I might get someone to design a logo for me.

CT

#23. Headshot Session #2

Just uploaded the images from my camera.

Things to do with client before shooting from now on.
- Comb hair
- Make up (Concealer)
- Brush & Floss teeth
- Get to know the client (What they need the headshots for)

#22. Headshots.

Today marks the first day of headshots in my career!

Tips to remember:
- Don't get too close to the subject
- Take more than 1 shot. Just in case.
- Watch for hair in face! True, there's always retouching, but prevention is better than cure.
- Make sure subject is relaxed and comfortable. It will read in the final product.
- Tell a story through the headshot. What is the subject trying to say/portray?

Here are some samples from this afternoon.

I should start watermarking my photos...

CT

#21. Kimmel Center!

It was a gloomy day out, so I headed to the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia for a photoshoot. Here are my 2 favorite from today.

ISO 400 ~ 80mm ~ f/4.0 ~ 1/125s
Kimmel Center Rooftops

ISO 1600 ~ 50mm ~ f/2.5 ~ 1/100s

CT

#20. Tip of the Day: Watch your surroundings!

I did a small photoshoot for about 10 minutes today before realizing that I was getting the fire extinguisher in all the shots.

We retook the photos, which came out fine.

I was so excited about my subject that I almost forgot about my background!

At least this was not a paid gig. Lesson learned.

CT

#19.Puppy pictures!

Here are some pictures of Orzo, the long haired chihuahua. He's adorable, and loves to give kisses!

I need to white balance the 2nd pic...

CT

#18. Nifty Fifty!

I bought a 50mm Mk I f/1.8 today! I've been itching to get one since I got my XSi.

I'm still getting used to it, and I keep forgetting that it's a prime lens.

Here are a few shots from this afternoon!

ISO 100 ~ f/2.8 ~ 1/125s

ISO 100 ~ f/2.8 ~ 1/500s

ISO 400 ~ f/2.8 ~ 1/50s

More to come!
CT

#17. Engagement photos!

I've been asked to take some engagement photos!

I love this photo, but I'm not sure which crop I like better.

Original

Full body shot crop

Vert Crop

Horizontal crop

 CT

#16. Lunch for a super busy week!!

#15. Ice Cream!

Before I get to the ice cream... Here are some photos that someone else took from a 5D Mark II with a 102 year old lens! [Photos here]

Mount Vesuvius (Before) from Franklin Fountain in Philadelphia

Mount Vesuvius (After)

CT

#14. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world

The honeybear walks into mine.

CT

#13. Got some accessories from Amazon!

My order from Amazon arrived today!

- 1 New Battery

- 2 Vivitar UV Lenses (Great!)

- 2 4gb class 6 memory cards. (So much slower than my 2 gig... I might upgrade to a class 8 or 10. It only does 6 RAW cont. before it stops. It does about 20+ burst in JPeg though.) Low Level Format is your friend.

I also updated my camera's firmware today! Getting things done. Woo hoo!

Here's a picture from the rehearsal room.

ISO 800 ~ 18mm ~ f/4.5 ~ 1/30s

Sidenote: I've been using Av more than M. Av is great for quick shots, when I don't really have that much time to set everything manually.

CT

#12. A Day in the Park

Went to the park on Monday and got to practice quick snaps without looking like a creep.

I wish it didn't cut off the dog's leg...
ISO800 ~ 100mm ~ f/4.5 ~ 1/250s

This is extremely cropped and still adorable.
ISO 800 ~ 55mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/60s

CT

#11. Candid Shot

Here's a candid shot I caught of a little girl crossing the street with her grandfather.

ISO 100 ~ 43mm ~ f/5.0 ~ 1/200s

Here's the horizontal crop.

I'm still figuring out how I want to edit this photo. I've touched it up in Light room, but there's still something missing.

CT

#10. My 1st attempt at HDR

I used 2 photos at 2 different exposures and combined them in Photoshop. I wanted to make it less realistic. It's extremely over saturated... I'm going to have to try this again.

Here are 3 photos from the same scene.

CT

#9. NYC pictures as promised!

Here are the photos from my recent NYC escapade. 

A dirty puddle by the sidewalk
ISO 100 ~ 55mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/25s

Manhole cover on 48th St. Used my telezoom lens (no IS)
ISO 200~ 300mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/320s

I secretly love this shot, even though it's blurry.
I didn't have time to focus, cause they were rushing by.
ISO 400 ~ 160mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/60s

More photo adventures tomorrow!

CT

#8. New York, New York! And Cupcakes!!

Oh, happy day!

I got my camera on Saturday evening. It came with:

- XSi Body and the body lens cap

- Kit EF-S 18-55mm IS lens (No caps)

- EF 75-300mm (Rear & Front cap)

- Lowepro Camera Bag (No strap...)

- Silly "stylish" camera strap (now being used as the bag strap)

- Canon camera strap

While in NYC, I visited B & H, which is a GIGANTIC camera store. The people there were very helpful and I spent an hour there. They also had a used and refurbished section on the 2nd floor!

I bought:

- 1 Vivitar 58mm lens cap ($4.95. Love it. Works marvelously)

- 1 Cap keeper so I don't loose the lens cap. ($1.79. The glue was crap and it kept falling off the cap, but once I crazy glue it, it'll work nicely)

- 1 lens cleaning kit. Came with lens cloth, cleaning fluid, and air brush ($1.39. I really just wanted the cloth and brush. I was told not to use the fluid unless I absolutely had to.)

I got to take some photos in NYC and just played around with the XSi settings. I love this camera more than the XTi. It's quieter, the screen is larger, and it's faster. (IMHO)

Here are some photos from the CRUMBS cupcake shop on Broadway and 52nd St.

Cupcakes on display in the store. Take this and multiply it by 2. There were SO many! I didn't know which to pick.
ISO 200 ~ 20mm ~ f/4.5 ~ 1/25s

This is the Blackout cupcake. Chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache, and drizzled with chocolate.
ISO 1600 ~ 28mm ~ f/4.5 ~ 1/40s

Baba Booey cupcakes (named after Howard Stern's radio show producer.) "Chocolate cake filled with peanut butter cream cheese. Covered with 1/2 chocolate cream cheese and 1/2 peanut butter cream cheese (frosted like a B&W cookie). Surrounded by mini peanut butter chips.
ISO 1600 ~ 28mm ~ f/4.5 ~ 1/40s

This cupcake was DE-LI-CIOUS! All the flavors just worked together with the moist chocolate cupcake.
ISO 1600 ~ 28mm ~ f/4.5 ~ 1.25s

I'll post more non-cupcake photos from NYC tomorrow.

CT