photography

amazing photography manipulation technique

Jason Coyne — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 03:30:39 GMT

Check out this amazing video of a new image resizing technique. Rather than just cropping or scaling, this technique determines the least valuable information in a picture and removes it, or adds in data at the elast valuable location allowing you to extend a picture.

You can also mark an area as not valuable and erase people!

I found this link on Little Green Footballs - which brings up the issue of recent fake photography scandals plaguing reuters and the like. But I find the technology amazing, even without its potentially negative ramifi

Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

Jason Coyne — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 23:57:00 GMT

I have been a fan of Egypt since I was a kid. I taught myself (some) hieroglypics, went on excavations in the backyard, and even had plans to be mummified. So when I saw King Tut was back in the states, I had to go. My mom had taken me when I was very young, but unfortunately I don't remember it.

I tried to go on opening weekend, but it was sold out, so Natasha and I went back to the Field Museum this last weekend. This went sour pretty quickly. I brought my camera, and several lenses, along to be able to capture all of the great treasures. But all photography (even non flash) was prohibited. This was completely unadvertised, and was a big pain in the bottom, because I now had to lug around my giant camera bag, with no benefit! I dont know if this was due to some greedy need to want to sell books and pictures at the gift shop (likely) or because...

The place was packed... Even with time restricted tickets (only good for a 30 minute window) the place was very full. In order to see some of the items, you had to wait 5 or more minutes to work your way to the front of the crowd. The photography restriction is understandable in this situation, as it would take hours to let everyone get their unobstructed photos of the items (plus idiots using flash on 3000 year old paint), but it would have been nice to be warned in advance.

Then you get to the content. The exhibit was easily more than 70% not Tut artifacts. Lots of Amonhotep II , III, and various other royals (probably) related to Tut. That isn't to say that the items aren't interesting, and rare, and worth seeing - but the exhibit is clearly advertized as revolving around Tut.

In particular, Tut's golden mask is the centerpiece of all advertising, including posters all over the city, the internet site for the exhibit (www.kingtut.org), the admission tickets, etc. But THE MASK IS NOT ON EXHIBIT. I don't know if I can emphasize how dissapointing (and frankly fraudulent) I feel this is. The single most iconic item related to Tut, and advertized everywhere, is not on display. Also not on display were the golden chariots, thrones, etc. There were really only 6 or 7 items actually from Tut's tomb, plus a large stella that refered to Tut from a temple.

In any case, I think the exhibit is worthy of a visit if you are a fan of Egypt, especially if you live near Chicago or one of the other venues, but be realistic about what you are about to see.

update Technically the show is not using false advertising, the mask that is used for all the ads is the “Canopic Coffinette of Tutankamun” This is a miniature coffin (about 16 inches long) that was used to store Tut's liver.

but the image is highly cropped to seem the same as the mask. The brochure does name the item correctly, but I think that 99% of all viewers would assume it is the mask. Interestingly, the coffinette is more ornate and more impressive (at the same level of detail) than the famous mask that everying thinks of, but the mask is of course much larger. See the images below for the actual item, how the item is presented, and compare that to the mask. I think its clear from the cropping that they are trying to evoke the mask. They could have cropped less tightly to make it obvious that wasn't the mask, but still give an impressive photo.

	The Cofinette (It is difficult to tell from this picture, but the coffintte is only about 16 inches long.)
	The Coffinette as cropped in the ads
	The mask everyone is expecting. You can tell the ad is the cofinnette, because the full mask does not include the crossed arms with the crook and flail

Photos : Train Concert for Microsoft Tech Ed 2006 at Fenway Park in Boston

Jason Coyne — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:40:00 GMT

As many of you know Microsoft brought in Train for a private concert during Tech Ed. It was very cool to see Fenway Park. Its a very natstolgic park, even for someone like me that isn't a big sports fan. I have of course heard many of Train's songs on the radio, but hadn't really put them together that they were all from the same group. The concert was awesome, and the singing was great. The setting was much more intimate than you could ever get in a normal concert. I took lots of pictures, and when you are only sitting 5 or 6 rows back, you get really good ones, especially with a 300mm lens. Here are a few shots from the concert, and you can see lots more from the concert at my photo site.

Train Concert Photo Gallery

update Here is a video from the concert, specifically the part where all the girls were up on stage. Watch Train Video

World Sumo League in Chicago - Photo

Jason Coyne — Wed, 31 May 2006 05:33:00 GMT

So while I was running around downtown Chicago this Memorial Day weekend, I ran into 20 fat guys in diapers. Seriously. This is why I need to move to a big city, this type of photography opportunity will never happen in Iowa, and there are only so many pictures of a barn that the world needs. My apologies if you are eating lunch (but maybe this will encourage you to diet) More images available at my photograpy site.

Correction - There is a DSLR with LCD Preview, the Olympus 330

Jason Coyne — Thu, 11 May 2006 18:20:00 GMT

So I guess I was wrong in my previous post. There is a Digital SLR that will do a LCD Preview, the Olympus EVOLT E-330. This camera works in two modes.

Mode A : The light hits a mirror, as in a normal SLR, but rather than being directed out the viewfinder, it is split (with a prism). Half of the light goes to the viewfinder, half of the light goes to a second CMOS sensor.

Mode B : The mirror is locked up, and light passes directly through to the primary CMOS sensor. This mode gives higher quality preview, but the viewfinder is turned off. Also in this mode, auto focus is disabled, so you have to use manual focus.

Both of these modes would significantly reduce battery life, compared to a standard DSLR. You can leave a DSLR on for weeks without draining the battery. Using the meter (which automatically turns off in most cameras) uses a small level of power, and the bulk happens when actually shooting the picture. Using the LCD (either as a review, or as a preview) consumes a massive amount of power, and will cut your shooting time WAY down. Many point and shoot cameras will get 50 or so pictures on a charge. Most DSLRs can get 400 or more, because the LCD is only activated manually when you want to review a picture.

One nice feature this camera has is the articulated LCD screen, so you can hold it over your head, and still see what the picture will be of.

Should you buy a DSLR or a Point and Shoot.

Jason Coyne — Thu, 11 May 2006 00:47:00 GMT

I saw this post on Thomas Hawk's blog, pointing to a nice article comparing DSLR's to Point and Shoot Cameras at Digital Photography School. This article is a great primer for people thinking about making a jump to higher-end photography.

A point the article makes that I cannot emphasize enough : Megapixels are not the most important factor in picture quality. Equally (if not more important) is the size of the sensor, and the size of the apeture. Both of these combine into how much light from the world is actually used to generate your picture. The more light, the better your picture, especially in terms of noise etc.

For everyone who is at all serious about photography, get the DSLR. Have a point and shoot as a backup, or for carrying with you in your pocket. But the DSLR is better in every other way. As for film, unless you are developing and printing them yourself, in your own darkroom, 35mm film is absolutely dead. Medium and Large format are still where the top quality though.

If you do buy a point and shoot, buy the biggest one you feel comfortable carrying (especially the biggest lens). However, as soon as you get to the $700 and “bigger than my pocket” size, switch to a DSLR.

One error I did see in the article :

No live LCD - in almost all DSLRs the only way to frame your shot is via the optical viewfinder. Some photographers prefer to use a camera’s LCD for this task. Some DSLRs seem to be being released with this feature being added however so if you’re a fan of the LCD framing method you might want to check.

This is not true, by definition, any camera that shows a preview in the LCD is NOT a DSLR. A DSLR works by bouncing the light off a mirror, into the viewfinder. When the shutter is released, the mirror moves out of the way, and the light hits the sensor. If you have a LCD preview, then the light is hitting the sensor all the time. This means your viewfinder is either going through a different light path, or is a mini-LCD. Both of these have problems - if you are using the LCD all the time, you chew up your battery much faster, and if you have a second light path that means what you see through the finder, is not exactly what the picture will be taken of (due to paralax)

I sold my first photo!

Jason Coyne — Thu, 04 May 2006 21:44:00 GMT

So the title is somewhat misleading, I have sold many photos in the past, mainly to cast members of shows at the local theatre, and for very small change ($0.30 a pop or something). This time, I sold a reproduction license for one of my photos, so a theatre in canada could use it in their season brochure. They are going to print 30,000 copies of it, and give me a credit line in their brochure as well. The actual price is pretty irrelivant, and it doesnt even make a dent in paying off my photo equipment, but it does more than pay for my smugmug membership. Since they found the photo through smugmug, that is pretty sweet!

The photo was from Beauty and the Beast, which my theatre did last year. We were the first community theatre to do the show in the country, before that every performance had been professional. Now the show is popping up like wildfire all over the country, and my site gets tons of hits on google for Beauty and the Beast photos.

The photo is nothing special, I think many of the other shots from the show are actually better, but its a nice “anonymous“ shot that is reusable without being noticably from a different theatre.

How to handle the size of a DSLR - or the downside of a prosumer point and shoot camera

Jason Coyne — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 21:48:00 GMT

I saw a post over at Hand Coding comparing his Nikon 5700 to a PT Cruiser. Like many hybrid gadgets, the pro-sumer point and shoots end up being a bad compromise. Cameras like the 5700 have none of the convinience of a point and shoot. They are big and bulky. But they have almost none of the advantages of a Digital SLR either. They do have bigger glass, and a bigger sensor, which gives a much better quality picture than the compact point and shoot, but almost everywhere else, they suffer. No interchangable lenses (but no dust on the upside), shutter lag, limited ISO, and apetures etc. They even cost as much (or more) as some of the cheaper DSLRs like the Nikon D50

With both my previous D70, and my current D200, I use it as my only camera. I do have one of the early generation Canon Digital Elphs (4MP, 3x zoom) but I almost never take it with me. Its a thing you get used to. I carry around a huge bag, with my camera, 4-5 lenses, and a flash. Certainly I can't take this with me everywhere I go, but for the random photographic note taking (buy this book, remember this street) I use my camera phone. The phone works for the most other things as well. Sure the pictures are no where near the quality of the DSLR. But neither is the point and shoot! This is going to become even more true as camera phones improve their quality.

For more casual outings (bars, shopping, whatever) I grab the D200, and pick whatever lens makes the most sense. For bars, I take the Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens which is insanely fast. A point and shoot will never be able to get pictures like this lens can- they are just too slow. For most other situations I use the Tamron 28-300, just because I never know which focal length I want. Sometimes I toss the 50mm in my pocket just in case things get dark. Its so small I dont even notice it. It isn't as sharp as a lens with less zoom, but its still way better than a point and shoot, and so convinient.

Nikon D200 review with test shots and initial impressions with comparisons to the D70

Jason Coyne — Sun, 25 Dec 2005 17:56:00 GMT

I've had my first week with the Nikon D200 during my Christmas vacation in Washington DC. So far I absolutely love the camera. It is slightly bigger and heavier than the D70 it replaced, but that has not detracted from the camera. However, take that with a grain of salt, as I am a fairly big guy, with big hands, and I might actually prefer it to be bigger rather than smaller.

As expected, I don't miss the creative modes at all, and when I am looking for an automatic camera, I just put it into P (Programmed Auto) mode, which works great. I should have used this mode more often with the D70, because the auto mode locks down lots of the controls (like focus area) and turns on the flash by defalt in most cases, which the P mode does not.

I specialize in available light photography, so having to turn off the flash every time I switched modes in the D70 really was a pain, and I like the behaviour of the D200 much better, where the flash stays off, unless you pop it open manually.

The larger viewfinder in the D200 is excellent, and really helps for low light situations, also, the larger LCD makes checking for proper composition and focus a breeze. The autofocus speed and volume are much better on the D200 than on the D70. Getting proper focus is much faster. However, the D200 does seem to have more problems with low-contrast focus than the D70 did. I can get it to spin back and forth along the focus range by trying to focus on something that has a color simmilar to the background.

The High speed (5 frames per second) continuous shooting will be a dream for anyone doing any kind of action or sports shots. I will use it a lot in my theatre photography, and it makes it easy to get “the shot”, like the dancer below.

I thought I would be in love with the extra ISO range the D200 offers over the D70. The ISO 100 mode is great. Absolutely no noise in well lit situations, and a welcome addition. However, on the other end of the scale, the ISO 3200 has way too much noise to be really usefull. I will tryplaying with the different noise reduction settings for high ISO in the camera and give a more detailed analysis, and photoshop may be able to recover images, but out of the box the images are pretty painful. On the other hand, a grainy image is better than no image at all, so if you are in a location where you can't use a long exposure, the grainy high ISO may be the answer for you. See the shots below for an example.

These shots are of Washington DC Monuments, and of my little brother's school talent show. I think they provide a good overview of the outdoor and low light shooting capabilities of the D200. All of the school shots were available light, no flash. This is the style I prefer, and was required by the school for any photography. Obviously even the on-camera flash, but especially a SB-600 or SB-800 would significantly improve the exposure overall, but in my opinion might detrat from the asthetic.

The wide shot of the Washington Monument was done with the Nikkor 12-24 wide angle. All of the other shots were done with my Tamron 28-300. The Tamron is very convinient since it covers almost the entire useful range of focal lengths, but it is not as sharp as some of my other lenses. Also, all of these shots were done handheld. No tripods, monopods, and in most cases no bracing.

Update : Matt from Digital Photography Journal made a post that also does some good comparison shots of ISO noise with the D70 and D200. Those posts can be found here - http://www.dphotojournal.com/nikon-d200-nikon-d70-iso-comparison/ and http://imageevent.com/pmattf/d200d70iso Matt's shots are of the same subject each shot, so you can get a better apples to apples comparison of the different settings.

Nikon D200 woes at B&H. But I got lucky!

Jason Coyne — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 03:13:00 GMT

Welcome Instapundit Readers!

I have been calling B&H every hour about getting a D200, on the hour since the 15th. Every day I got "they aren't in yet". On Sunday, I got told "they are in the building, but not in our system yet".

I started calling every 20 minutes.

Normally, they answered immediately, and told me not yet. Suddenly at around 4:00 CST, I was on hold for 15 minutes. I knew immediately they were in.

I finally got through, worries the whole time my phone would cut out. But I ordered one. I have been charged, and I have a UPS tracking number, so I assume I am all good. But I will let you all know!

Many people on dp review are up in arms. I think this just shows perserverance on my part :) .

Scoble posts about this issue as well, in particular the parallels of D200 shortages with Xbox shortages.

I just learned my lesson that same day by showing up at 2:30 for the xbox line at best buy, and there were already 30 people in line for the 25 xboxes (Making there at least 5 idiots in that line)