PhotographyBanzai.com

This article is out of date. You can find alternatives to Google Reader here . I started using Google’s web-based reader to stay current on web-blogs and sites related to photography online. I’ve never been one to frequently read blogs, but I’ve always spent a good deal of time reading up on the methods and science behind photography. I do recognize the merit individual photo bloggers bring to the table, so I plan on trying to assemble a list of interesting sites to read and stay current on. Not to mention it should be more efficient in the long run as I compile a quality list of content. If you have not tried Google Reader before, it is linked in the big platform they offer, which includes things like Docs and Gmail. I’ve been a big Yahoo Mail user for a good 15 years, so my Gmail address doesn’t get visited very often. However, since I switched over to an Android phone, I have started utilizing more of Googles services. Here is a screen shot: What Google's reader website looked l...

Today I’ll be talking about promotion and using my camera gear as a tool to create such videos. A friend and I just finished our first Application targeted for the Android marketplace. The application basically allows the user to monitor the level of rivers in the United States thanks to publicly available data that is updated frequently. This is useful to anyone who does boating among other various activities that have some relation to rivers, gage height, and stream flow. I’ve since made a second promo style video, but with the K-7 camera instead. The great thing about current DSLRs is that they are amazing multi-function tools. This time I used my Pentax K-5 and shot in 1080p HD 25fps as well as with an external microphone. Why use an external mic? No mechanical sounds from the camera, no sounds from me touching the camera, and overall better sound quality even with a cheap microphone. Here is the setup for my video: Pentax K-5 with a microphone. Pentax K-5 in video mode with a DA 4...

I was recently asked by a friend of my sister to take some photos of her family. They were not interested in the classic posed portrait studio fair as they wanted photos that felt more natural. I was happy to oblige. Overall the session went well. The lights was overcast, but that was a good thing as lighting was diffuse.  The big negative of session was the wind, which caused issues with the mother’s hair as well as cutting the session a bit short. As any photographer knows, getting special shots where everything aligns perfectly will usually happen if enough shots are taken and enough time is spent on the session. My equipment for the session: Pentax K-5 camera + FA 31mm f1.8 + Sigma 530 DG Super flash + battery grip to even out the weight. Pentax K-7 camera + DA* 55mm f1.4 + Pentax AF-280T flash. The K-5 stayed around my neck and the K-7 was in and out of a messenger bag. Some thoughts about the session: High speed sync was always on with the Sigma flash. This should allow ...

I noticed people in general are interested in how each lens sounds (myself included), so I thought it would be helpful to put together a video demonstrating a set of lenses and how they sound when doing auto-focus (AF). This set is Pentax as it is the brand I use currently. The other benefits of this video is that you can get a feel for how the lens handles and what the focus travel is, if any (some lenses are internal focus). Here is the video on Youtube (720p version available): The camera doing the auto-focus is a Pentax K-7 and the one taking the video is a Pentax K-5 using 720p 30fps video mode. The lenses included in the video: Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8 ED IF Digital Auto Focus Lens Pentax SMCP-DA 10mm-17mm f/3.5-4.5 (IF) Auto Focus Fisheye Zoom Lens Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR (Weather Resistant) Auto Focus Lens Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 AL Wide Angle Auto Focus Limited Edition Lens Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED WR Auto Focus Telephoto Zoom Lens Pentax DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM Auto Focus L...

I have a more recent speed testing article in articles posted October 2017. Most of my largest articles happen on a whim. I think of an idea and then keep scaling it up as I think of ways to make the article even more interesting and useful. My initial though here was to see how my collection of SD memory cards faired write-speed wise. I found out that Ubuntu Linux has a disk benchmarking application built-in, which is prefect for a basic test. That idea eventually scaled into making a full length video showing each card in my newest camera and measuring the time it takes to save a number of RAW files to the card. I’m focusing on write speeds for this article because that is what makes the difference when using the card in the camera. Below is the process used to get the computer based benchmark results: I have a USB2.0 Internal memory card reader in my computer that I performed the test with. The application I used was Ubuntu’s built-in disk utility. The benchmark program required tha...

Why bother using Photoshop to do “artistic vignetting” when it’s as simple as attaching something to your flash unit that distorts and shapes the light? The answer would probably be lazyness, but Photoshop probably can’t produce the such unique lighting as I’ll be showing you below! First, let’s start off with the result: The goal was a sharp well lit subject with unique unevenly darkened corners. Here is a picture of the camera setup: The light modifier consists of: Cardboard that was shaped around the flash unit on one end and on the other it was tightened more to produce a slight cone effect. Electrical tape wrapped around the cardboard. A silver translucent anti-static bag I had lying around. This was the first thing I could find that I though would work to smooth out the light coming from the flash. A lens hood used backwards to hold the bag in-place as well as to produce a round shaped hole on the end of the modifier. The camera settings were as follows: Flash in HSS (High Spee...

This is of course a Japan exclusive, but it was recently announced that Pentax will be coming out with even more color combinations for their entry level camera, the K-r. Here is the press-release in Japanese: http://www.pentax.jp/japan/news/announce/20110420.html What I find most interesting here is that two of the cameras would be pretty decent in field situations as they would naturally fit within the surroundings. Especially the brown and camouflage one as seen below: Obviously, Pentax isn’t targeting outdoor people with this release, but they seriously could do that with a few modifications. Make a weather resistant version of the K-r. Make the body finish matte brown instead of glossy. Make the Pentax logo and other white text black instead. Make a weather-resistant camouflage (or matte brown) version of the Pentax DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED lens to go along with the body. Attempt to quiet down the K-r shutter and mirror slap sounds. That would be a perfect field camera out of the bo...

I finally got around to editing a 5 minute clip of the last convention I went to (the 2011 c2e2 Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo). My intent here was to make something high-energy, so I found a fun high BPM song on ccmixter.org called Feeling Dark (Behind The Mask) by 7OOP3D. The final video ended up being only around 1 minute 30 seconds because I sped up the footage quite a bit. The software I used was a NLE called Kdenlive. I removed all of my music videos from the photo/video channel and created a complication. Some of the videos are not the same due to music changes.  The blur was somewhat intentional, or at least I expected to get a result like that. I was using the 31mm f1.8 at a large aperture and I guessed as to the focus.  Eventually, I’d like to make my own music to go along with the videos I take, but that is way off in the future most likely. I tried making a “beat” today with some Linux software (Rosegarden) and a Casio LK-270 I bought a few years ago, but only ended...

Continuing on with my studio practice, I decided to try my hand again at macro photography. The camera rig! Equipment: Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera Body Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR lens Kenko Pz-Af 1.5x Teleplus SHQ tele-converter Custom Brackets flash bracket with a Sigma EF-530 DG Super flash, the Sigma acted as the trigger for the other flash units. 2x Yongnuo YN460-II flash on Flashpoint light stands Slik Pro 700DX AMT-Alloy Tripod Legs with a Smith Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head Here is a quick video of the setup in action (sorry for the *pop* *pop* sound, it seems that the 25fps videos have an issue when directly uploaded to YouTube): My artistic goal for the session was to create top-down images of texture and detail. Things we see everyday, but when viewed up-close they are very different than how we usually perceive them. Intricate networks of connection and amazing textures abound… Here was my first subject, stale matcha (finely-milled Japanese green tea) showing up o...

I decided to do more practice with the two off-camera flash units. This time I was using a single apple with a sheet of glass (glass from a simple picture frame) to play around with reflection and flash placement.  The equipment: Two Yongnuo YN460-II set in S1 mode at 1-3 bars of power. They were mounted on Flashpoint stands. Camera was a K-5 and DA* 55mm f1.4 lens. A glass picture frame as well as a plastic container. First off I just tried photographing the apple on the picture frame. The frame came with a matte black background:  Apple I had to clean up the black area on the left a bit by “burning” the blackness to make it less reflective and showing imperfections. I had first started off by using the healing brush, but it wasn’t enough.  Apple Next up I decided to get some spacing between the glass and table by using a plastic container. I also put one of the flashes under the glass to provide some floor lighting:  Apple on glass. Apple reflected I noticed a...