Peter Frampton Reunites with his Lost Gibson Les Paul Guitar After 32 Years!

After 32 years, guitarist Peter Frampton is reunited with his lost 1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar!  Read the story here on his 2/12/12 post.



Frampton talks about his lost guitar.

 
How they found the guitar.

Shtuff People Say To Photographers

An Unfortunate Choice of Vehicle Number

On my way to the photography school, I found myself behind an Animal Welfare vehicle.

While I appreciate what our law enforcement officers do (since I also worked in law enforcement in the past), I just thought that the vehicle number for this truck was an unfortunate choice in at least two different ways.

Can you tell why?

Nikon Announces the new Nikon D800 and D800E Cameras!

 
Nikon has announced the new D800 and D800E cameras... 36.3 MP! The selling prices will be $2999.95 and $3299.95 respectively. This camera won't have the speed of a D4, but is much more suited to those who want the ultimate in high-res images. It clearly beats out the D3x (Nikon's former flagship 24.5 MP, $7999.95 camera) at a fraction of its price.

This camera is not for everyone. It's a large megapixel camera that will make files that are about 76.5MB in size and will only shoot at a maximum frame rate of 4 FPS. I can't see a typical wedding photographer really wanting this, but I'm sure some will go for it.

For me, it makes more sense today than the D4. Having a D3 and the D800 would be a great combination for me. Use the D3 when I need fast shooting in the field with relatively good image quality, but use the D800 when the ultimate image quality is desired without need for fast shooting speed. I see this as a great studio camera. The question is whether to get a D800 or a D800E!

The D800E removes the anti-aliasing filter (which usually is used to control moiré.) This means images might exhibit moiré  problems, but the removal of the filter also means a more detailed image quality too... something that will rival medium format digital cameras.

Time will tell which of these two cameras will eventually end up in my camera case, but I can already see myself buying one of these. I'll keep the D3 at this point and add to it with the D800 or D800E.

Release dates are March and April, but I'm in no real hurry to get one. I'm going to be watching and reading the reviews as others play with the camera first.

Images borrowed from the internet.

Fishing Charter and Photography Coming Soon!

I am planning on doing a couple of fishing trips combined with photography lessons soon for my students.

I was recently in contact with the captain of the Lucky Dog Charters to start setting up a trip or two for my students.  A maximum of six people can legally be onboard (besides the captain) for any given trip.  So I'll need five students besides myself to go on the six hour charter.

The cost will be $195 per student and will cover the cost of chartering the boat for a maximum of 6 hours (could be less if we catch our limit of fish) and covers the cost of tuition for the photography instruction.

Here's where I think this is really cool.  You'll have 6 hours to hang with me to discuss fishing and photography.  You'll come back with some great photos of our fishing trip out on Lake Michigan and hopefully a bunch of Salmon to take home as well!  Considering the cost of salmon today, this is actually a pretty sweet deal!  Plus, you'll get 6 hours to ask me questions on various photography topics!  Can't beat that!

If you are interested in joining in the fun, please contact me about it.  I hope to do the first trip in late April or early May 2012.  If all goes well, I will plan another for later in the summer too.  No fishing experience necessary.  Bring your own camera gear!  And don't forget to take either Dramamine or put a "patch" behind your ear for seasickness!  The boat rocks out there and without medication, you can easily get seasick.  All fishing tackle is included in the price.  A daily fishing license to fish out on Lake Michigan is also included.

Fish on!

Is HDR Appropriate For Documentary Photography?

The Washington Post ran a story and published an HDR image on its front page which prompted the president of the National Press Photographers Association to claim that "HDR is not appropriate for documentary photojournalism."

I disagree.

Used judiciously and correctly, HDR can be more close to what we really see than non-HDR photos.  But we have all seen images where HDR is processed way too much to the point where the image looks beyond what some may view as an acceptable photograph.  In this case, I'd agree with the NPPA president.

It's an interesting debate.  Click here to read a response from one of the HDR software companies' presidents regarding this.