?

Early view cameras were mirror-less with a focusing screen you used to compose and focus the image. Now we have mirror-less digital cameras that use a view screen for composing. Your thoughts?

NOTE: This isn't about technology - plates or sheet film vs digital sensors.

Found this strange looking insect.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/1527526201...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/1527800638...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/1525539434...

Lest we forget ....

http://www.flowerblossoms.wordpress.com/2011/05/30...

In my opinion the dandelion is under-served as a subject. So I decided to get up close and personal.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/1398264304...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/1400574549...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/1400256760...

Of course, as soon as I got set up a nice gentle breeze joined me.

All comments appreciated.

In my opinion the "new" Answers format is the worst thing to happen that I could imagine. I tried to answer a question and couldn't find the "Submit" button nor a "Preview" button nor a way to "Search" for information pertinent to answering the question. This "new" format may look slick and modern but its ruined the Answers experience for me.

Agree or disagree?

While reading through the October issue of Rangefinder Magazine I saw this information about Instagram and its 'Terms of Service': "First, Instagram's granted a free, perpetual use license, without any right on the part of the user to terminate that license. Those images belong to Instagram forever. Second, the terms of service appear to give Instagram the right to license to third parties for any use whatsoever - at whatever price Instagram can negotiate - but without any right of the user to receive any of that compensation."

Read entire article here: http://digitalmag.rangefinderonline.com/rangefinde...

So what are your thoughts about this?

On Oct. 20 I'll be taking a hot air balloon ride. Naturally I'll take a camera but I'm undecided about what lens to take. Hoping someone who has been up in a balloon can make suggestions.

The camera will be a Minolta X-700 35mm film camera.

28-85mm zoom

35-70mm zoom

70-210mm zoom

50mm prime

24mm prime

21mm prime

17mm prime

I may take my 16mm 180 degree full-frame fisheye for what should be interesting pictures in the gondola.

So ok. I'm a dinosaur still using 35mm film. Recent ebay sales allowed me to indulge myself by buying a Minolta MC ROKKOR-X 100-500mm f8 zoom lens. So last Wed. I decided to test it by shooting back lit subjects along with whatever else caught my attention. At 500mm. On Kodak Ektar ISO 100 film. With my Minolta X-700 in Aperture Priority and on my tripod. One simply doesn't hand-hold a lens that weighs 4 pounds.

All comments, criticisms welcome.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9697240411...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9685171053...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9685128925...

Incoming! http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9688359068...

Landing! http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9685113867...

This hornet's nest is about 35 feet above the ground. In my opinion there's pretty good detail especially since the lighting wasn't all that great.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9692633510...

Here are two versions of one picture - uncropped and cropped. Your preference?

Uncropped

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9564672363...

Cropped

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9564677089...

You may, of course, feel free to dislike them both.

Comments and critiques good, bad or indifferent appreciated.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9448291212...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9448291152...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/9448309302...

Made using a 17mm lens at f16 and fitted with a B+W circular polarizer on a Minolta X-700 in Aperture Priority loaded with Kodak Ektar ISO 100 and on my tripod. Distance Scale on lens at 3 feet to give DOF from 1'-4'' to infinity.

Kodak TMAX 100 film, ND4 and Orange filters. Processed and printed by Dwane's Photo.

Comments?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/8996848360...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/8996848482...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/8996848650...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/8996848748...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/8996848856...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drifter45h/8996848990...

Dwayne's: http://www.dwaynesphoto.com/

Personally I'm getting a little sick and tired of people asking questions and then getting angry and berating those who have taken time to try and provide an intelligent, informed answer. Not to mention people who ask an all but unanswerable question by failing to tell the make and model of their camera and lens.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Apparently there is growing liberal support for requiring the Boy Scouts to admit gays and to even allow gays to serve as Scout Leaders. Liberals claim this would promote "diversity" and "inclusion" - two of their favorite words to justify anything.

I wonder if there would be equal support to require the Congressional Black Caucus to admit Michelle Bachman, Paul Ryan, John McCain, Rand Paul, etc? This would certainly support diversity and be very inclusive.

Saw this in the January 2013 issue of Shutterbug. What are your thoughts about this quote?

"I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term - meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time and effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching - there would be a vast improvement in total output. The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster." Ansel Adams

So what do you think of H. Clinton stepping up and taking the blame for Benghazi? Funny but I thought the Commander in Chief, aka our "Dear Leader" Obummer, should take responsibility. If this isn't a glaring example of a complete lack of leadership I don't know what is. Obummer is a sniveling spineless coward hiding behind a woman's skirts.

After being in the tank for Obama a major mainstream media magazine - Newsweek - came out of its Obama worshiping coma and ran an article titled: "Hit the Road Barrack! America needs a new President!" At last a tiny glimmer of hope that the media is regaining some semblance of actual sanity.

I am sick and tired of the endless babbling of liberal politicians and newscasters about the so-called "Bush tax cuts for the wealthy".

Fact 1: Bush proposed an across the board REDUCTION in tax rates - a tax rate reduction for everyone who paid income taxes.

Fact 2: The House of Representatives and the Senate then introduced and passed legislation to reduce tax rates across the board. Bush then signed the legislation and it became law.

Fact 3: The tax rate reductions of 2001 rightfully belong to every Representative and Senator who voted for them. They may have been Bush's idea but Congress had to pass the legislation.

At http://www.moneychimp.com/features/tax_brackets.ht... you can compare the tax rates for 2000 and 2012. Note that the bottom rate went from 15% to 10%. Yes, yes, I know that the amount subject to the first 10% in 2012 is lower than the amount subject to the first 15% in 2000 but wouldn't you rather pay 10% on at the first $8,000.00 instead of 15%?

At http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/how-you... you can see where you rank as a taxpayer. You'll also see that there is no "99%" so widely proclaimed by the morons calling themselves "Occupy Wall Street". Are you in the Top 50% of taxpayers? In the Top 25%? In the Top 15%?

I know that liberals will refuse to accept these actual facts because 99.9% of the time facts disprove and discredit liberal beliefs - beliefs based on rhetoric, fantasy and lies.

Assuming you have the skills and experience to seriously consider a career as a professional photographer - and that's a big, big assumption - are you aware of the importance of your portfolio?

Posting your pictures on Facebook is not a portfolio.

Posting your pictures on Flickr is not a portfolio.

Posting your pictures on a photography blog is not a portfolio.

Your portfolio is a collection of the best of your best photography.

Read this to learn more about how to create your portfolio:

http://www.rangefinderonline.com/features/how-to/P...

At http://www.rangefindermag.com/ you can apply for a free subscription. Its the "house organ" for the WPPI - Wedding & Portrait Photographers International but it does have interesting articles with each month more or less dedicated to a particular genre of photography. June 2012 is the Business Issue.

So before embarking on your professional photographer career be sure that you only show the best of your best.

Don't you just hate it when someone posts the question: "Please rate my photography. Be honest and if you have any tips please share them."

So you look at the pictures and make a few notes and then offer your criticism and any websites you think would help the person improve.

Then later you see that the question has a "Resolved" status so out of curiosity you look at what answer was better than yours. Surprise surprise surprise! The Asker chose the answer that offered the most fluffy, meaningless praise.

"Your pictures are great! Are you a professional photographer?"

"I loved everyone of them. You're awesome!"

So you check to see if you missed something. Nope. The ones you thought suffered from poor focus or poor composition or poor exposure still suffer from those things.

I believe people should just be honest and say: "10 points to the best ego stroking."