IT Day

It felt like I was doing IT work today.  I Installed RAM on two computers, set up two printers and installed anti virus software on two PCs and a laptop.

I was going to buy two 4 gig ram sticks for my PC, and add the two 2 gig sticks that I already have into the kids (they currently have one 1 gig stick).  I had trouble finding 4 gig sticks, so I just bought three 2 gig sticks, giving me 8 gig of RAM, and the kids 3.  I've only played around a little bit, but the difference in performance with the additional RAM is significant.

The printer setup was not as easy as plug and play.  Well, it was and it wasn't.  One of the problems that I had with my old printer (the one the kids are now using), is to get it to print colors the way I want them.  I manage the color on my monitors using the Spyder 3 Elite.  The Spyder calibrates monitors, so that colors are presented in a consistent way.  If you've ever noticed how the colors on a photo might look a little different on your laptop or on different monitors.  By calibrating the colors, you can ensure that the colors is presented consistently on all your displays.

The problem was that while my colors were calibrated on the monitor, they were printing out looking muddy and muted.  I actually experienced the same when I had them printed at Walmart in the U.S.  I was really disappointed with the colors.  The print shop at Tim's business actually does a fantastic job with printing the colors.  I recently had a big batch of 5x7's and 8x10's done, and I was very pleased.

Still, I wanted to be able to print at home, so that is why I bought the Canon.  My first prints were disappointing.  Finally, I found in the manual how to use color management, and I have been pleased with the way the photos are turning out.  It actually may be more expensive to print them at home, but its a lot more convenient.

Glowing Apple

Glowing Apple
Originally uploaded by ebvImages

I was reading an article on photography when I ran across a photo of a "glowing" piece of fruit. I thought it was a pretty cool idea, so I gave it a try today.

The key to this is to hollow out part of the apple and place the flash behind it. This of course requires that you have an off camera flash and that you can trigger it remotely. I have a Canon 430 EX II, which is their mid-tier flash. I wish I had bought the 580 EX II, but that is another story.

A wireless flash system can be pretty expensive. You can easily spend hundreds of dollars for a good system. I ended up buying a cheap setup (under $30) on eBay. It is not 100% reliable, so I wouldn't want to use it if I were involved in a professional photo shoot, but for my purposes it works well enough.

I hollowed out the back of the apple, then placed my flash inside a clear plastic bag (to protect it) and inserted it into the opening in the apple. I played around with the aperture and shutter speed for a while until I found something that I liked.

Originally, I wasn't even looking for a reflection shot. I had the apple on a black tee-shirt sitting on the bed. When I moved it to the floor, I noticed the reflection on the first shot and liked it.

I want to do this again with some more fruit. This wasn't a bad first attempt, but I think there is definitely room for improvement. I had fun doing it, and I ate the subject when I was done. Can't do that on most of my photos.

My Photography Gear

Here is what I'm currently using.

Camera
-Canon 40D

Lenses
-Canon EF 70-200mm L IS USM Lens
-Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 IS USM Lens
-Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens
-Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens

Flash
- Canon Speedlite 430EX Flash Review

Tripod and Head
- Giottos MTL 9361B
- Benro KB-0A

Memory
-ScanDisk Ultra II 8GB Compact Flash
- Kingston 8 GB Compact Flash
- Kingston 4 GB Compact Flash

Bengals Preseason

Today I went to the Bengals preseason game against the Detroit Lions. One of the things that I do miss while in Thailand is attending Bengals games. They have another game that they refer to as football. I call it soccer, and am not very interested in any game in which my children are not playing.

My new wide angle lens arrived this week, so I decided to take it to the game. Some pictures are here. These pictures were taken with my Canon 40D and a EF-S 10-22 mm lens.

The game was fun. One nice thing about being a season ticket holder is that you generally see the same people each week. Well, I guess its nice for me in that the people around me are pretty cool. I sit in section 151, row 44, seats 3 and 4. Three of the seats behind me are occupied by Jack, Kim and Megan. Megan didn't make the game, but I got to catch up with Jack, Kim and Kim's fiance Chris.

I left about midway through the fourth quarter. The Lions had just scored a touchdown to put them up.