Isa. 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

2 For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the LORD will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

 

Come to think of it “Faculty Toilet” would be a great name for a blog, don’t you think?

 

Some of you lucky folks may be getting a digital camera for Christmas. If so, enjoy! Today you can do a LOT and make exceptional pictures with a $50 camera. The cameras in smart phones are so good that many are predicting the end of the point & shoot camera. Just take a look at some of the pictures I have shot with my iPhone! I encourage you to get out and simply take lots of photos, but be sure to go back and look at your pictures. See what you liked and didn’t like and try and duplicate or change what you did. Most of all, have fun with it!

I was fortunate enough to get a new, very nice camera for my birthday in September, a Nikon D7000, and this fall I have had a LOT of fun exploring the camera and our region (not to mention my children’s sports events!). Photographers will tell you that buying the basic body and lens is just the beginning. I am just starting out with my new kit (I had been shooting a Sony Alpha for the last few years and loved that camera as well) and since many have asked what I am using now thought I would share what basic items I am using now and hope to get in the near future.

My friend who has several Nikons as well as the three professional photographers that I work with at the university all recommended that I get a Nikon. The reasons were somewhat varied, but the key points were: great bodies (using Sony sensors!), excellent lenses, and a solid investment as my hobby grows. Canon is of course the other main pro camera, but Sony is starting to come on strong. (The Canon-Nikon debate is as hot and passionate as the Mac-Windows, I have learned.) I was finally persuaded to the D7000 (review here) which is a “semi-pro” model since it offers a lot of excellent features, a strong body, and it has an autofocus motor built into the body. This last point is key since it allows me to purchase less expensive, older lenses. It is still a DX format (roughly 1.5x smaller than 35mm film) but it can use FX lenses. (The side effect of the smaller sensor relative to 35mm film cameras is that while we still describe lenses in the same manner, for example 55mm, the DSLR is actually “seeing” at 88mm, 1.6×55.) For those looking for something on the high-end of the consumer range I would also recommend the D5100. So, let’s get to the kit:

Lenses

50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor lens

• The D7000 kits usually come with an 18-55mm lens and I added a 55-200mm zoom lens.

• This is a fairly standard zoom with f/4-5.6. The smaller the “f-stop” the larger the aperture and the more light that can be let into the sensor and thus the faster you can shoot. This zoom works well in sunlight outside and is OK inside, but I have to push the ISO in order to really capture my son playing soccer indoors. Not ideal.
• My Christmas present from my wife was a 50mm f/1.8 lens. This is a prime lens (as opposed to zoom, it has a fixed focal length) and a very low f-stop meaning it can shoot in very low light. I am eager to try this when my daughter is in the play this spring. This is also an example of why I got the D7000. This is an AF lens, but it requires the autofocus motor to be in the body of the camera. The result? This lens is only $125, $75 less than the lens I would need for the D5100 (and the optics are a bit better on this one!).
• On my wish list is another small prime lens, the 35mm f/1.8. My folks surprised me with this lens! Lovely gift. Because the D7000 is not a full frame camera (like the D700) the 35mm lens is roughly the equivalent of a “film” 55mm lens. This makes it ideal for shooting inside at parties, receptions, family get together and the like. Since I often take pictures in the classroom this would be a great lens to have, but I do love me some wide-angle distortion…
• Which is why I also have a fisheye lens on my wish list. The Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 fisheye lens is a relatively inexpensive (under $300) fisheye. I have always wanted one since I was about 12 years old and was a finalist in a national photo contest. The finalists’ pictures were displayed in the New York City Nikon store and they had the biggest fisheye I have ever seen. (This 6mm is up on eBay for a mere $27,500!)

 

We had a great time last week seeing old friends and family. On Lake Oneida we went to this quaint little old amusement park, Sylvan Beach. Pulled the boat up to the shore, waded on land and right into the park. You can see more pictures of that on flickr.

(Sadly, my Sony A100 DSLR appears to be on its last legs. The autofocus motor is making horrendous sounds during start up.)

 

A twitter and PSU colleague, ScooterNSticks, reminded me of Camera+, an app with great effects that I had purchased ($2) some time ago. The special effects really are superb (see the barn image in a previous post) and it also provides far more control of the iPhone camera than the standard app allows. What I did not realize is that it too had sharing features.

So there you have two apps that are well worth having on your phone if you like to take and share pictures. Remember, the best camera you own is the one that is with you. Here is one more image, enhanced by Camera+ with the “Fashion” filter.

Some days are just like this.

 

Tending goal is a lonely business.

You know me by now, I love photography more than comics. The iPhone does not have the best camera among smart phones, but it isn’t bad, at all. Sharing those images is part of the fun and while flickr is a great storage/sharing service there is no quick way to upload and share from the iPhone. Then came Instagram.

I am late to this party and it isn’t a perfect bash, for sure, but it is a nice free app an service. You take a picture, add one or none of a variety of filters including tilt/shift, and then upload to facebook, twitter, email addresses, etc. So when I took this shot of my son I was able to send it to twitter, facebook, and flickr and also send it to my wife’s email (since she never checks the other sites).

Add to that the new app Postagram (created by an SHC grad) which connects to Instagram and allows you to mail a physical postcard of your image and you have a great travel tool. When in Cali two weeks ago I took and instantly shared images with the fam. Then I sent a postcard to the kids that arrived after I did, but they loved it!

 

I know myself. I know that I do not like cities, at least, not as places to live. That is much of why I love State College. I drive past horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, experimental crops, and Beaver Stadium in my 4.3 mile commute. Yet in 3-and-a-bit hours I can be in Wash. DC, Philly, Pittsburgh, or NYC. All the benefits with little of the hassle of living in the city itself.

I also know that I enjoy going to my in-laws at Rehoboth Beach, DE (no really, I do). But I have never really enjoyed that whole beach scene, the mass of people, the boardwalk (although I love Fun Land! hasn’t changed in 40 years).

And today I find myself at Torrey Pines, California. Wow. It is stunning. Beautiful flowers, shrubs, and breathtaking bluffs with the surf below. I could really get used to this. San Diego is just 20 miles away. But then I consider the taxes, the earthquakes…

So I will enjoy this day and the morning to get some work done with the balcony door to my hotel room open and the light aroma of the Pacific Ocean blowing through the curtains. And remember, that “all creation declares…”

You can see more of my pictures from Torrey Pines on flickr.

Location:N Torrey Pines Rd,,United States

 

Flickr: My stuff tagged with instagramapp.