2017 Willow Creek Christmas

2017 Willow Creek Christmas 1:00 PM Saturday. The image was taken with a Nikon D3400 camera and Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens at ISO 2200 at 1/30 sec and f5.6 (aperture priority). Exposure compensation at -1.0 EV. Who says you can't take a great photo with an entry-level DSLR camera? Camera supported with a monopod.

The second shot was taken at ISO 800 at 1/40 sec and f5.6 with -0.7 EV compensation.

Lighting changed constantly throughout the program. I needed to compensate the lighting accordingly. Without good knowledge of lighting and the camera, I doubt most people trying to take images with their DSLR's or iPhones would have been able to get consistently decent shots.

Nikon D3400 Camera and Nikon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 Kit Lens

Too often, I hear people complain that their "entry-level" camera and kit lens isn't good enough. Well, read on...

I recently purchased a Nikon D3400 and 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens from B&H Photo for $396.95 (on sale due to the holidays). I purchased this for the school in case someone needed to borrow it during the Photo Essentials class because they came in with the wrong camera for the class. 

Anyway, I had the chance to use it on my most recent cook of pulled pork on my new 14.5" Weber Smokey Mountain smoker. I was immediately impressed with how clean the image looked and how rich the colors were! Of course, I used one of the new Balanced Exposure Custom White Balance Reflectors to set the custom white balance... something I could never do with an iPhone for the food photos on my food blog. The images were SO GOOD for a camera and lens combo of only $396.95!

My very first digital camera was a Nikon D100 which cost $1999 at the time (without a lens). That camera was a 6.1 MP camera with terrible color in comparison to today's cameras. I used this to take "professional" photos! Today, the entry level D3400 is 24.2 megapixels... much larger than the old camera! It is so much more capable than my first digital camera and for a lot less money.

So, don't think your basic camera can't take a good photo... it can! You just need to be sure your exposures and color balance are correct and your composition is right. This image of the pork shows how rich the colors can be. There's ample shallow depth of field too from the lens. Also, look at the bricks behind it... very accurate colors if you saw the real bricks.

Make the most of the gear you have! Shoot correctly and you'll have very satisfying images.

Oh, if you want to see more images from this cook to compare the quality, check it out on my food blog: https://foodforruss.blogspot.com

Happy Holidays everyone!

Mark Weins - Migrationology

Without doubt, my favorite "YouTuber" is Mark Weins.  Mark's food videos are fun to watch and to imagine what the food he eats tastes like.

I started watching Mark several years ago when I first started going on a diet.  Strangely, while I can't eat the food due to dieting, I have no problems watching someone else eating it!  I started watching a bunch of videos on food and stumbled onto Mark Weins.  His famous "head tilt" makes me laugh all the time, but it's his signature move.  He does this whenever he eats something he really likes.

Check out his YouTube channel: Mark Weins

He has two other channels as well: Mark Weins Abroad and Mark Weins Vlogs

And finally, his website, Migrationology.com

Besides the food, I get to see the world as he travels throughout Asia and other places!

His friendly demeanor and upbeat descriptions of the food he eats makes the videos interesting to watch.  Typically, he uploads two videos per week.  With well over 1 million followers on YouTube, he's one of the most popular YouTubers in the food genres.  His wife Ying does most of the camera work, although at times, Mark will hold the camera himself (usually while he's walking and talking).  And let's not forget his new baby, Micah!  That kid's going to be traveling the world!

Check out Mark Weins on his YouTube channels!

(Image borrowed from the internet)

Let me also recommend to you a carbon steel wok I purchased.  It's a round bottom wok that I use with my outdoor propane wok burner.  I have included the link to that product as well.