Nature Light Photo

Solmeta N2 Geotagger – Reveiw

Solmeta N2 Geotagger

As a nature photographer, I think it is important to be able to identify and share where photographs were taken. In the future, I think good cameras will come with built-in geotagging capability just as most smart phones and some point and shoots have currently. But until then, photographers using a DSLR can’t enjoy that capability unless the add one of three (or more) ways  of entering the location information into the EXIF data.

The Solmeta N2 Geotagger is one of those ways. There are many geotagging attachments for DSLRs, bu the Solmeta is the only one that I know of that is also capable of recording compass heading too. Working off of the satilite data like other hand held GPS units, the Solmeta embeds the latatude and longitude into the EXIF data for each image taken. The Solmeta does something else that other geotagging units doesn’t, it also includes the direction that the camera was pointing when the picture was taken.

The Solmeta has it’s own rechargeable batter and doesn’t draw any power from the camera until the unit’s power gets low. That allows a fast satellite acquisition. The actual GPS unit clips into the hot shoe bracket of the camera. There is a cord that goes from the GPS unit to the 10-pin connection on the camera that allows the unit to embed the data as the pictures are taken. Included with the purchase is a pass-thru adapter for the 10-pin connector so that you can still attach other accessories/flashes to the camera without affecting the GPS unit.

On the Nikon D300, it works great. The EXIF data for each image contains the coordinates and direction of each shutter activation. This can be used in a multitude of applications and programs such as Google Earth, SmugMug, and others. It’s interesting to see where each image was taken and it’s relation to other images taken.

The downside? (There’s always a downside!) It broke after a week of use. The cable that goes from the 10-pin connector on the camera to the Solmeta unit broke off inside the Solmeta breaking the circuit board inside the unit. In other words, it is NOT the strongest built accessory on the market.

Would I recommend it to someone else? Yes, but with hesitations and some conditions on it’s use. At under $150, it is a good investment and is very competitive in pricing, but it has to be handled with care and not knocked around. It almost has to be babied and that is NOT my style. As a result, I no longer am able to geotag my images, but am working on getting a new unit.

A Post That Made Me Cry – War Photographers

Stacy Pearsall is an amazing individual and motivational speaker. She served as an Air Force combat photographer who was wounded and medically retired from the service. She was decorated with the Bronze Star and Commendation with Valor for actions under fire. Her photos have been used with many news agencies and published worldwide.

I heard Stacy Pearsall speak at Skip’s Summer School in 2010. Her story, the way she presents it, and her willingness to give back to the community is inspirational. When you are done listening to her, you want to go out and use photography as a tool for improving our society. I was overwhelmed and in tears by the time she got done speaking.

She posted a link on Twitter to an article called The Shot That Almost Killed Me: War Photographers; an interactive site at The Guardian, a UK newspaper, where you can click through a series of photographs and read the backstory for each of them. Be warned, some of the images are very graphic.

The stories are scary, heart-wrenching, and they will make you think about what is going on in our world.

I firmly believe that we owe a huge gratitude of thanks to those who sacrificed time, limb, and/or life to protect our freedom. In my mind, this post re-enforces the reasons behind that gratitude. It shows the horror of war, the sacrifices made, and the dark side of humanity. It shows what we ask our young people to deal with on a daily basis for our freedom. Yes, the post is about the photographers, but I see both the photographers and their sacrifices and the soldiers who they were documenting.

I was in tears after reading the stories in the article. I suggest you take a minute or two to take a look.

Photo of the Week – Painted Hills Shadows

The Hills Have Shadows

Taken on an extended trip through Northern California and Southern Oregon, this picture of the Painted Hills Unit of John Day Fossil Bed National Monument. The sun was setting and I was looking for an image that captured the feeling of being there. I liked the patterns of the zig-zaging shadows and the texture of the soil.

The picture was taken with a Nikon D70 and a Nikkor 18-70mm 3.5-4.5 lens at 70mm. The exposure was 1/90 of a second at f6.7 and an ISO of 200.

5/5 Posts and Sites You Should Read for 6/24/11

Here are the photography blog posts and sites that I found this week that I think you as a photographer should read. Not all of them are always related to photography, but they are worth looking at and will probably make you think.

POSTS

Canada’s Plastic Money – Their replacing the paper currency with a polymer.

Free Lightroom Presets – From Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips

What Abandoned Places Can Teach You About Photography – From The Current Photographer

7 Sites to Sell Your Stock Photos – I’m not into stock photography, but I like the list.

5 Tips for Using a Polarizer – From Scott Bourne

SITES

MyShutterSpace - An online site for photo enthusiasts.

The Pinhole Gallery – Everything you wanted to know about pinhole photography.

PhotoJournalism – Lots of sports and photo journalism information.

Nature Photographers.net – A great site for those that shoot nature.

JMG Galleries – Home of Jim Goldstein San Fransico based photographer/blogger/podcaster who has some good images.

Photo of the Week – Oak Branches in the Fog

Oak Branches in the Fog

Shot in Atascadero, CA during a really foggy morning, I liked the way that the branches weren’t really defined and produced a nice pattern.

The image was taken with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 lens at 70mm. The exposure was for 1/200 of a second at f5.6 and an ISO of 200.

5/5 Post and Sites You Should Read for 6/17/11

Here are the photography blog posts and sites that I found this week that I think you as a photographer should read. Not all of them are always related to photography, but they are worth looking at and will probably make you think.

POSTS

A Secret Way to Judge or Build a Portfolio – From Scott Bourne and Photo Focus

A Look into Jay Maisel’s World – From Scott Kelby

How to Maximize Your Twitter Presence – From the Social Media Examiner

The Life of a Tennis Photographer – A look into the world of a world traveler who focuses on professional tennis.

Why Twitter Removed the Favorites from Your Home Page – An interesting interpertation of why Twitter removed lists and favorites. Or hid them.

SITES

NAPP – Photoshop User by Scott Kelby

Red Bubble – A place to sell your photography without hassle.

The f-Stops Here – An interesting mix of tips and tricks for outdoor photography.

Nikonians - A GREAT community site for all things Nikon.

About Photography – From About.com. Ok, it simple, but it will help some.

Photo of the Week – Santa Rosa Plateau Garter Snake

Garter Snake on the Santa Rosa Plateau

Every spring, after the rains, the Santa Rosa Plateau comes alive with life. The vernal pools are full, the wildflowers are blooming, and the wildlife are coming out of hibernation.

The garter snake population is particularly active and in the middle of mating season. They seem to hang out at the edge of the vernal pools; the thicker females can have as many as 10-15 males around them at a time.

As you walk the boardwalk over the vernal pool, a snake might pop up from the bottom for a breath of air and swim on the surface for a minute or two. That’s what this little guy was doing before he disappeared toward the bottom again.

The image was taken with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 lens at 200mm. The exposure was for 1/320 at f8 and an ISO of 640.

5/5 Posts and Sites You Should Read for 6/10/11

Here are the photography blog posts and sites that I found this week that I think you as a photographer should read. Not all of them are always related to photography, but they are worth looking at and will probably make you think.

POSTS

7 Quick Tips to Make Your Stature Pictures More Interesting – From the Light Staking crew

Model Posing Tips -Try looking out the side of your face. Seriously, once you read it, it makes sense.

Understanding Color – A great article by John Paul Caponigro

Protecting Your Email With a Canary – A clever way to determine if your email account has been hacked.

Guy Tal Interviews Michael Gordon – Both are great photographers. It’s an interesting post.

SITES

Make Me an Offer – This is a great idea. He buys used cameras that have the film or card still in them and develops the images. It’s kind of cool.

DIY Photography – Some really good ideas on how to do things in photography. Even if  you don’t build something, they will make you think.

Shutterbug - It’s a great magazine. It’s a great website.

Amateur Photographer – A UK based site that has lots of photography information. Most of it from or about the UK.

Chuqui 3.0 – I’ll keep pushing this site. He has a good view on photography, hockey, and technology. Plus, he is a great guy.

Shooting the Unexpected – Water Drops

While out shooting my friend Rusty Perez for a possible album cover, I noticed a fountain at the venue he was playing. It would randomly spurt out of the ground in very well defined columns and would vary in both height and timing.

I had my SB900 and took my time to focus. The spout would only be in frame for a moment or two, so I had to manually pre-focus as best I could. Then I had to wait for the water in that particular jet to enter the frame, whereupon I would press the shutter.

It took some time to get the focus down and not get a lot of the background lights, stores, and people in the frame, but when I got it right, I got some great images. I like the way the water drops are frozen in the air, which is not due to shutter speed, but to the SB900 flash.

The lesson is to be ready for something different that the “planned” shot. Take advantage of the situation and don’t let your vision become so narrow that you miss an opportunity to capture the unexpected.

G Dan Mitchell – A Photographer With Better Vision

Zabriskie Point Gully, Morning Light

The above image caught my attention. Without looking at the caption, I knew EXACTLY where it was, where it was taken, and when it was taken. I had been there. I saw it. I didn’t shoot it. Why not?

Because the photographer, G Dan Mitchell of G Dan Mitchell Photography, sees in a ways that I haven’t learned yet.

The image is of the gullies near Zabriskie Point in Death Valley. I saw the view and have a great image of the scene, I just didn’t see the details and think of the possibilities as Mr. Mitchell did. He has the uncanny ability to take what seems to be an ordinary scene or situation and make an extraordinary image.

In the image above, he isolates the subject so that you are brought into it by not only the shapes, but also the colors. And he is capable of this in all kinds of images.

Branch on Playa, Panamint Valley

It’s a branch on a playa. We’ve all seen it before. I have. I didn’t shoot it. Why not? It’s just a branch. But Mr. Mitchell has made a photo that makes you stop and think for a moment. The composition is nice. Again, the colors are similar so your eye tends to just relax and take it all in. But I think the subject matter is the key. As I said, we’ve seen it before, so we don’t have to focus on the subject per say, but we are allowed to take the time to really examine the details of the image.

At first I thought that he “specialized” in landscape and nature photography. No, it seems that he has the same vision everywhere he looks.

Construction Lift, Building Interior

No, there is nothing special in the image, but I think the image is special. It’s simple. Again, the colors are similar except for the splash of orange on the construction lift. This shot keeps drawing me back.

He does this over and over and over. He can take an ordinary street scene and make it a memorable photograph. He can take what should be bad light and capture the scene so that it is interesting.

Il Trovatore by G. Dan Mitchell

This scene is “just” a street scene, but Mr. Mitchell has made it something that makes you look deeper into the image. It’s well composed, tells a story, and makes you ask questions about what you are looking at. It’s a simple image, but a great picture.

In one of his most recent images is surprisingly simple, yet very affective.

A blue ocean, fluffy clouds in the sky, and throw in a few sailboats and he has created a simple, pleasing image.

I have been looking for a photographer who consistently shares their work, doesn’t specialize in iconic or grand landscape/nature shots, and sees possible images in everyday situations. I have always known that you don’t have to travel to remote locations to find a compelling image, but you do have to know how to see. Dan Mitchell has that vision. I am trying to learn that vision.

Mr. Mitchell writes a short narrative with every image posted. In it you can get an idea behind his thinking of each image. I don’t love every one of his images, but even the ones I’m not fond of are good and when examined, have something to teach. By looking at his images and reading his posts, I am beginning to learn the possibilities of what can be found and seen through photography.

By examining his site, I’ve learned other things also. I love his image naming system. For the most part an image title consists of a short description of what the subject is and where it was located. He is protective of his images, but he does so in a positive, almost friendly way. He shares ideas on lenses, packing, and how to shoot. And he does it all without being perceived as a “rock star” photographer.

Mr. Mitchell is one of the photographers that I want to be. He lets his work speak for him and is active in the community. I highly suggest that you take a few minutes and visit his site. If you look at his images, you will begin to see in a new way.