Sigma has released a function enhancing firmware update for its SD15 digital SLR. Firmware v1.01 adds a second Quick Set (Qs2) option for additional access to commonly used functions. It also adds a Key Sound cancellation function and improves the display quality of the LCD. The firmware is available for immediate download from the company’s website.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Sigma posts firmware update for SD15
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Yosemite Valley Chapel in Snow Storm
It’s not often I’ve watched snowfall and by that I mean “watch” snow fall. As a child I’ve waited for snowfall to end in order to be let out to play and as an adult I’ve darted from point A to B in a car while it has started to snow, but in both of these instances my mind was elsewhere preoccupied on other goals and activities. To simply watch snow fall is amazing, and to rediscover it behind a camera is an experience everyone should enjoy.
Yosemite Valley Chapel in Snow Storm
Last year I was very fortunate to time a visit to Yosemite valley to witness the first snowfall of the year. Much to my surprise it was also the storm of the season dropping 11 inches of snow and transforming a golden brown valley into a white winter wonderland overnight. It also made for a very interesting time in a small tent, but that is another story.
While photography is all about light, it is as much about how you see the world. To that end you have to be in the right mindset and position to observe the world before you. My time in Yosemite on this trip was first and foremost to experience nature at its best, second to hone my skills to see it and third to photograph it. To each of these ends here are 3 tips that helped me get the photo featured here today.
- To experience nature at its best monitor the weather and be there when its most dramatic.
- To hone ones observational skills look at the world as a child might, where every experience is new and a source of curiosity & exploration.
- To photograph a snow scene such as this over expose the image 1 to 1 1/2 stops via exposure compensation on your SLR otherwise your camera will meter the snow as 18% gray.
Also featured on PhotoAdvent.org
Technorati Tags: Yosemite, Yosemite Valley Chapel, snow, pictures, photography, stock photo, nature
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Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved
Yosemite Valley Chapel in Snow Storm
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Photoshop: Awesome Brown Eyes
Enhance brown eyes in Photoshop. Sponsored by: www.GDIforMoms.com Music: Kevin MacLeod
Video Rating: 4 / 5 -
Drums in 3D – Video #1 3D movie
3D video testing shot with two FLIP HD cameras and edited Sony Vegas 10 plugins. Drums in 3D. Drum brushes. Stereoscopic 3D Video – for red-cyan anaglyph glasses. The distances from the camera changes, so the 3D effects vary. Any tips on how to make this better next time are welcome!
Video Rating: 5 / 5Learn how to make fantastic 3D videos in the style of Avatar or Toy Story 3D where objects appear to come right out of the screen! 3D Video Spiral – Stereo 3D After Effects Tutorial PART 1 In this tutorial Enhanced Dimensions’ Andrew Murchie introduces you to the technique of creating stereoscopic 3D images and animation using Adobe After Effects and displacement mapping. The videos can then be deployed as Anaglyph (Red-Blue glasses) and YouTube side-by-side yt3d formats. The source files for this project are available to download from www.enhanced-dimensions.com Get your FREE Stereoscopic 3D Birthday Cards, Desktops and other 3D goodies now from enhanced-dimensions.com/wordpress For more info on Enhanced Dimensions: Contact us on 3d@enhanced-dimensions.com Visit our website enhanced-dimensions.com/wordpress Built and tested in Adobe After Effects.
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Nice Visual Art photos
A few nice visual art images I found:
Nucleon – a interactive visual installation
Image by Retinafunk
This is our interactive visual art installtion called NUCLEON at Boom Festival 2010. Created by the Retinafunk visual and 3D artist Hannes Neumann a.k.a. Humanspacecraft with tools such as 3DS MAX and Quest3D with some additional Help by Retinafunks Andy Weisner on building up abnd interfaxce .
Its a immersive panoramic 3D virtual reality space, and its interactive, so the the public can navigate and trigger layers and textures. in the virtual 3D space with a MIDI controller or multi touch interface. Its aim is to provide a interactive virtual psychedelic experience.Nucleon – a interactive visual installation
Image by Retinafunk
This is our interactive visual art installtion called NUCLEON at Boom Festival 2010. Created by the Retinafunk visual and 3D artist Hannes Neumann a.k.a. Humanspacecraft with tools such as 3DS MAX and Quest3D with some additional Help by Retinafunks Andy Weisner on building up abnd interfaxce .
Its a immersive panoramic 3D virtual reality space, and its interactive, so the the public can navigate and trigger layers and textures. in the virtual 3D space with a MIDI controller or multi touch interface. Its aim is to provide a interactive virtual psychedelic experience.Nucleon – a interactive visual installation
Image by Retinafunk
This is our interactive visual art installtion called NUCLEON at Boom Festival 2010. Created by the Retinafunk visual and 3D artist Hannes Neumann a.k.a. Humanspacecraft with tools such as 3DS MAX and Quest3D with some additional Help by Retinafunks Andy Weisner on building up abnd interfaxce .
Its a immersive panoramic 3D virtual reality space, and its interactive, so the the public can navigate and trigger layers and textures. in the virtual 3D space with a MIDI controller or multi touch interface. Its aim is to provide a interactive virtual psychedelic experience. -
VHT deliverance d60 and peavey 6505 212 combo part 1
Comparing the 2 amps…
This video is of the Nikon D60 Full Review. In this review I review three things the Nikon D60 the Sb-600 Speedlight the 18-55mm Kit Lens and the 55-200mm Nikkor VR Lens. This is part 1 0f 2 please watch 2 to continue watching my review.
Video Rating: 3 / 5 -
Samsung releases WB700 ultra-compact with 18x zoom lens
Pre-CES 2011: Samsung has released the WB700 ultra-compact with 18x optical zoom. The camera offers an equivalent zoom range of 24-432mm, optical image stabilization, RAW format shooting, P/A/S/M shooting modes and Smart Filters. It can also shoot 720p HD movies in H.264 format and offers HD output. It will be available from April 2011 at a retail price of 9.99 in the US market and £249.99 in the UK.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com) -
EVGA P55 FTW 200 Motherboard
The EVGA P55 FTW 200 Edition is built with the new Intel® P55 Express Chipset, supporting the brand new Intel® Core™ i7 and Intel® Core™ i5 processors in the LGA1156 package. The revolutionary two-chip layout enables lower power consumption and more advanced performance tuning for a smoother, more realistic experience. EVGA has brought incredible overclockability to this board using 100% Solid State capacitors, raising the standard DDR3 memory specification, hitting speeds of 2600 MHz or faster. Six SATA and two eSATA ports deliver greater flexibility. Build your system quickly with 90-degree rotated SATA ports and easy-to-locate, aligned front-panel headers at the edge of the board. The new EVGA E-LEET Tuning Utility software allows for adjusting overclocks directly in the OS and an onboard CPU temperature monitor lets you keep an eye on your CPU to keep it from overheating. With incredible support for up to eight threads of raw processing power, dual-channel DDR3 memory, and flexible support for NVIDIA 3-Way SLI technology, the EVGA P55 FTW 200 Edtion brings the best weapons to any application or game. Todays extreme gaming, digital photography, and video editing demand breakthrough technology. The EVGA P55 FTW 200 Edition supports the latest processors, and Intels cutting-edge technology delivers even greater performance and power efficiency.
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JMG-Galleries Best Photos of 2010
In 2010 I had a great time behind the camera and I was fortunate to have been present for some amazing moments including the birth of my son (the ultimate experience). While I’ve ranked my best photos in years past (best photos of 2009, best photos of 2008 and best photos of 2007) this year I’m finding it impossible to do. In fact by doing so I may just end up in the dog house as you’ll soon discover. So in no particular order here are my 10 favorite photos taken in 2010. Enjoy!
Untitled Color Study
Just a photo that resonates with me and my exploration of light and color. This is part of a larger collection of work that I’ll be releasing so stay tuned to see more. Taken at sunset not far from my home.
Untitled Color Study
Foggy Forest
Since moving to San Francisco I’ve embraced the days the fog rolls in while most curse it. I really enjoy seeing how the fog adds atmosphere to a scene whether I’m photographing it or just walking through. Of all things San Francisco, strangely, the fog is what I enjoy most.
Foggy Forest
Golden Gate Bridge Sunrise
The morning I took this photo I drove over 70 miles to catch a unique view of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunrise. Thinking my morning was a bust after being fogged in I returned home to find this view waiting for me. Why did this photo make the top 10 of the year? It’s a rare and nearly impossible view of the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge enveloped by fog. I say “nearly impossible” not because the bridge was 4 miles away, but because San Francisco is normally under fog when the bridge appears like this.
Golden Gate Bridge Sunrise
Taken with a Canon 1Ds Mark III and Canon 800mm f/5.6
Ion Banner Wipeout at the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest
As you’d imagine witnessing the huge waves of Mavericks is quite a rush, but nothing compares to what the surfers actually experience. I’m not sure people realize exactly how athletic these guys are. Most just think of them as crazy, but they’re incredibly fit. Anyhow photographing this event was an incredible experience made easy with a Canon 7D. Having photographed this event in years past with my Canon 1D Mark II I decided to try out the latest and greatest. No complaints.
Ion Banner Wipeout at the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest
Zen – White Sands National Monument
Exploring the pristine beauty of the dunes with in White Sands National Monument was one of the best experiences of the year. New Mexico has some of the most impressive light in the lower 48 and the white sand mirrors that light in amazing ways. Amazing things happen in White Sands. I look forward to returning again in 2011 (join me on my White Sands by Moonlight photo tour).
Zen – White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
Taken with a Canon 1Ds Mark III and Canon 24mm tilt-shift lens
Untitled Color Study
Just a photo that resonates with me and my exploration of light and color. This is part of a larger collection of work that I’ll be releasing so stay tuned to see more. Taken on a trip down the California coast near Santa Barbara.
Untitled Color Study
New Addition to the Family
Being there for the delivery of my son is by far the most amazing experience of my life. Portrait photography has quickly become a regular activity. For the first 6 weeks I made constant use of a Canon 85mm f/1.2 and it paid off with photos like this.
New Addition to the Family
Serenity – White Sands National Monument
I can’t say enough about White Sands National Monument. Standing atop a 60 foot dune and witnessing this scene took my breath away. The dunes are so complex in shape and the randomness at which the light falls across them makes finding exceptional compositions a real challenge. No location challenges my eye like White Sands and I can never get enough of it.
Serenity – White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
Taken with a Canon 1Ds Mark III and Canon 70-200mm USM IS f/2.8
Lunar Layers
This was a photo that almost never happened. Unpredictably clouds moved in the weekend I was reviewing a Canon 800mm f/5.6 lens, but Mother Nature gave me a 45 second reprieve on this particular evening to compose 3 images of a full moon veiled behind clouds kissed with sunset light. It pays to be patient and prepared. As to what attracted me to this image in my year end review of work… its the abstract nature of it. Even still I see an eye in the sky when I view this photo.
Lunar Layers
Dusk at White Sands National Monument
Some things just have to be experienced and this was one of those moments. No focal length lens or camera sensor could do this scene justice.
Dusk at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
Taken with a Canon 1Ds Mark III and Canon 70-200mm USM IS f/2.8
Technorati Tags: best photos, best of 2010, photography, pictures, fine art, stock photo, white sands national monument, Mavericks, landscape, nature
Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved
JMG-Galleries Best Photos of 2010
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Classic Game Room HD – MORTAL KOMBAT vs DC UNIVERSE review 2
Part 2 of 2. Watch in High Definition. Classic Game Room reviews MORTAL KOMBAT vs DC UNIVERSE for the Xbox 360 video game console, MK vs DC is also available for Sony Playstation 3 PS3. This Mortal Kombal vs DC Universe review features gameplay footage from the game in HD. This is an awesome fighting 3D fighting game, no way around it. From Midway, Warner Bros. and DC Comics comes this bizarre yet enjoyable combination of the Mortal Kombat franchise and the DC comic book characters like Superman, Batman, Lex Luther, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and Catwoman. The Mortal Kombat characters that you know and love are here for mortal combat including Raiden, Sonya Blade, Jax, Scorpion, Sub Zero and Liu Chang. Which universe will you choose to fight in? That’s the beauty of this game, fight a parallel storyline with one of two opposing sides. The writing in this game is campy, impossible and awesome. Fatality moves for Mortal Kombat and DC characters are in the game, and although the violence has been toned down a bit with DC Heroic Brutality (seriously??), the Fatality moves are fun to watch and nicely rendered in 3D animation. In many ways this is a superior game, Mortal Kombat vs. Soul Calibur IV or Virtua Fighter 5… who wins? CGRHD likes this game better, short and easy to memorize button combos, great gameplay and that awesome mixture of DC and MK characters. One of the better fighting games out there for the 360 and PS3. Classic Game Room HD reviews new games with …
Video Rating: 4 / 5The Urban Planning Council of Abu Dhabi (UPC) appointed Squint Opera to create a short film illustrating their grand Urban Planning Guide for Abu Dhabi. The film is presented at Cityscape Abu Dhabi from the 13th to the 15th of May 2008. The film communicates the principles and visualises the UPC plans for the expansion of the city to attract investors, developers and architects. The UPC commissioned this film as an awe-inspiring vision demonstrating the scale, ambition and radical nature of the plan. Alice Scott directed the six-minute film that describes the plan on 3D, bringing life to certain aspects of the unique environment and a future evolving culture. Through 4 main key themes (Green — Live — Work — Connect) we are shown pedestrians walking the shaded sidewalks, using the world-class metro system and trams surrounded by green, energy saving residential townhouses, villas, high rises, offices and retail developments. The imagery shows desert landscaping, renewable energy measures and water-cooling canals in the streets of Abu Dhabi and demonstrates a efficient quality of life for the future population.