Category Archives: General ramblings

For all the stuff that doesn’t fit elsewhere!

*G-FD’d Up From the Feet Up! (or, how I saved thousands buying FD lenses)

by in General ramblings, Photography gear and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 94 Comments

Looking down the barrel…

Recycle, reuse, reshoot.  As long as you don’t mind manually focusing and establishing your exposure, why pay a ton of money when there are so many used, high quality lenses available?  Sure there are many optical and automated benefits to modern lenses, but sometimes, for the money saved, I can deal with the shortcomings of older, out of date lenses.  Using older, “legacy” glass on multiple cameras, either via a proprietary mount or adapter, can provide a fun, reasonably affordable and beneficial experience… Continue reading →

*Photography vs Art

by in General ramblings and tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Where does a photograph stop and digital art begin?

Where does a photograph stop being a photograph and start becoming something different?  We’ll call it an ‘artistic interpretation’ for lack of a better description.  Or, are they one in the same no matter what level of manipulation has been applied?  I’ve been taking pictures for a while, more of my life than not if you don’t count the hiatus I took after college when I was bogged down with three jobs.  I still have some shots from that time period, but they are few and far between.  So, I feel like photography has been a part of my life for a while.  I’ve not spent too much time thinking about it in these terms until recently.  Prior, I’ve just enjoyed taking pictures but thanks to the internet and my epiphany that there are other people out there with opinions getting me to challenge my personal understanding, I feel like it is an entertaining idea to explore.  Is anything done to a photograph, after an image has been captured, by way of any kind of manipulation actually doing something that betrays the purity of photography, or is it just part of the progression?  Well… let us explore. Continue reading →

*TRP in the New York Times – Gadgetwise

by in General ramblings, Photography gear and tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

This little guy has been pulling his weight!

Rik Fairlie from the New York Times had gotten in touch with me a few weeks back regarding my experience with the micro 4/3’s system.  We chatted for a little bit about the pros and cons and he was nice enough to mention me in his article for the Gadgetwise section last week.  I’ve not been quoted in a publication before so it is weird to see my name affiliated with an article like this.  Kinda like hearing your own voice on your answering machine, I guess if I could go back, I might have answered some of the questions a little differently, more eloquently perhaps.  Regardless, thank you very much to Rik for tracking me down and for those who’d like to read the article, it is here!

*A big Thank You to Eric at Photography Bay!

by in General ramblings and tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Eric Reagan from Photography Bay was looking for guest bloggers as he was taking an ‘easier’ week (any readers know how much time they spend on content over there), and as luck would have it, he decided to graciously use my submission.  Thank you to Eric and the PB team for featuring my post on complimentary color.  As my blog is just starting to get some legs underneath it and attempting to crawl from its infancy, I have been amazed by the community and camaraderie issued by so many other photographers and blog authors.  I hope to be able to contribute a bit from time to time and if able, provide a bit of promotion to other hard working photogs.  For those who’ve stumbled upon me here from PB, thanks for stopping by and I hope that I am able to provide a little reading and insight.  Please feel free to stop back by as I’ve got a few goodies coming up and hope to soon have a comprehensive catalog of tips, techniques, reviews and easy to follow tutorials helping all of us become better photographers, myself included fingers crossed.   Thanks again Eric, your generosity offering those of us, that don’t have the readership that your site has, the opportunity is much appreciated.  And, for my readers that don’t already know about and follow Photography Bay, I’d certainly suggest it, I stop by every day and enjoy the insight it provides.

Happy shooting all.

Tyson

*Which lens for which situation?

by in General ramblings, Photography gear, Photography tutorials and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

different tools for different applications

I like to spend time on flickr.  It is an amazingly diverse community of photographers ranging from absolute novices to consummate professionals.  One of the questions that come up in the gear groups there and in conversation with other photographers quite often is, “which lens should I purchase?”  With interchangeable lens system cameras coming down in price by the day it seems, it is becoming much more accessible to acquire high quality photographic tools.  One of the main benefits to an interchangeable lens camera, is just that, lenses!  Which to choose and why?  C’mon in and we shall discuss.  Before the end of this article, you too will know which lenses will provide you with the best bang for you buck, depending on which buck you choose to bang… Continue reading →

*Thank you 4/3 Rumors!

by in General ramblings and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The folks at 43rumors.com were nice enough to link my review of the Panasonic GF1 from their website.  Stop by and say hello to them.  They, much like myself, are just working stiffs doing it for the love of photography.  Support the little guy when you can and if you are interested, by buying a camera through the links to Adorama, Amazon, B&H and the like from their website, you help them out.  Thanks again guys and keep it up.  Very informative and entertaining reading on a daily basis!  (Check out the info regarding the impending LX3 successor and G-series release on their site today.)

Cheers,

Tyson

*Panasonic GF-1, my new obsession.

by in General ramblings, Photography gear and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

The start of a new decade brings with it a shift in digital image capturing technology.  From an ambitious snapshooter’s perspective, perhaps the most versatile system has presented itself.  While the discerning professional may not consider the micro 4/3 system cameras heavy lifting tools, it is at least an intriguing compact system for lighter shooting.  Continue reading →

*I’ve moved!

by in General ramblings | 2 Comments

You’ve found me!  Well, a fresh start with a new direction then.  This will become my very own place to sound off about all things photography related so that my wife doesn’t have to listen to me talk about taking pictures, or the latest greatest gadgets anymore, unless she feels like it anyway.   I would like to provide, for all of my friends and family interested in photography, a place to discuss technique and general concept be them professional, technical or artistic.  I get asked from time to time to help explain certain aspects about photography, digital manipulation and the business end of the stick.  I should be able to help explain them more concisely now via this blog.  Please let me know what you think, and feel free to contribute to the (hopefully) ongoing conversation.

All the best,

Tyson