2015 Chicago Field Museum with Balanced Exposure Students

 Went to the Chicago Field Museum on Friday, February 20, 2015 with several Balanced Exposure Students.  While it was not an "official" field trip, we all went just to take some photos and to enjoy the day.  The Field Museum offered the entire month of February with free admission for Illinois residents, so we all took advantage of that.

All of my images were taken with a Nikon D4s camera and a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens.  This camera and lens combination is my most used set up!  The images speak for themselves.

 

 

2015 Chicago Auto Show

I attended the 2015 Chicago Auto Show with one of my students from Balanced Exposure and also with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law.

We went on a Thursday morning which meant the show floor had a lot less people than on a weekend morning.  This made it a lot easier for me to get around on my scooter and for us to cover the show without too many people getting in our way as we took photos.

Like many other years, I concentrated on taking photos of concept cars and prototypes, but I also look for models to photograph as well.  Many of them realize I'm taking a photo and usually will pose for me as the model above did.

My goal at this show was to go with students, but only one student went with me.  Being a mid-week morning and afternoon made it difficult for those who work to go with me, but I wanted less of a crowd to contend with.  I mounted an orange bicycle flag on a fiberglass pole to my scooter so that it would be easier to spot me should we separate.  It really came in handy a couple of times!  Believe me, if you take one wrong turn, you can easily lose the other person!  But looking for the tall flag, it was a lot easier to reconnect.

The images above were taken with a Nikon D4s camera and Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens.

Out of Chicago Event - June 26-28, 2015

Right click to download this image to read the details of the Out of Chicago event.  Receive a $50 discount by using the code: balancedexposure

Apple 13" MacBook Pro with Retina Display

After years of working only with a PC, I decided it was time to purchase an Apple Mac computer.

I bought an 13" Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display at the Apple store in Woodfield Mall.

So why did I finally decide to get a Mac after all these years?  Well, students have been coming in with their computers for the past several years and I just could not help them figure out their MAC issues while they were in my Photoshop or Lightroom classes.  While the goal of these classes is not for me to teach the students how to use a computer, sometimes students just do not know enough about their operating systems to do basic functions like copying files and moving them to their desktops.  I often needed to rely on the other Mac users in the class to help them out.  I can teach them Photoshop and Lightroom, but I can't teach them how to use a Mac.

Getting this new computer should help me learn a little more about how things are done on an Apple computer.  Sure, it cost around $2000 with tax to buy this, but on the long run, it's an investment in helping my students.  Yes, I spend a lot of money on their behalf!

I'll post more about my learning experiences with the Mac in the coming weeks.  But so far, I find it more difficult to use than a PC simply because I am used to how things work on a PC.  File manipulation seems laborious to me so far.  It's not as easy as everyone makes it out to be if you are coming from the PC world.  That should improve as I get more up to speed on it.

Stay tuned!

(Image taken with a Nikon D4s, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 and Alien Bees B400 studio lights with umbrellas.)

Batteries for Dirt Cheap

 

How Do They Make Any Money????

I ordered ten of these Lithium CR2032 batteries on eBay for $1.98 including shipping... from China!

How do they make any money selling ten of these batteries AND also pay for shipping all the way from China to the United States?

It was possible for me to have ordered just five batteries for $0.99 including shipping.  They would have shipped it all the way here too for that price!  How do they make any money doing this?

I ordered these batteries for my Carson SM-44 lighted 5x SensorMag Magnifier.  I use this device to see dust particles on the image sensor of my cameras.  They take two of these lithium CR2032 batteries.  But rather than buy them at a higher price here in the US, I thought I'd take a chance for $1.98 to see if this company in China would actually ship it here for that low of a price.  They did!

I've ordered other things from eBay in the past that came from other countries.  I purchased a Mamiya RB67 medium format camera from Japan on eBay.  Took only 3 days to get it here!  I also purchased a Mamiya lens from Hong Kong.  Took four days!  Each time, the shipping was fast and the prices were a lot lower than items I could have purchased here in the USA.

For small items like these batteries, do yourself a favor and try ordering on eBay.  If it doesn't come, you are only out a small amount of money.  But if it comes, you are saving a LOT of money.  I think it's worth the risk. 

A Solution To Improve Nikon Df's Low Light Focusing

I figured out a work around to improve the  low light focusing on the Nikon Df and for any other Nikon that needs better low light focusing.  (By the way, the Df's focusing is based on the same focusing as is on the Nikon D600, D610, D7100 cameras...)

I purchased a Nikon SU-800 flash commander (see image above).  This device is used to control multiple Nikon Flashes so you can set up a portable multiple flash studio.  But, the unit also has an infrared focusing beam, just like what a Nikon SB-800 speedlight has.

What I do is put this SU-800 on the Nikon Df's flash hot shoe but instead of having it trigger a flash, I just use it for its infrared focusing beam for shooting low ambient light photos!  I can now shoot in near pitch black darkness with the Nikon Df!

The only issue using the SU-800 is that it is always trying to fire a flash that's actually not being used, so your camera's shutter speed automatically drops to a predetermined sync shutter speed, which is likely not to be the shutter speed you need for the metered shot.  To fix this, I reassigned the Nikon Df's AE/AF Lock button to "Flash Off".  By holding the reassigned AE-AF lock button while taking the photo, essentially I get the SU-800's infrared focusing beam to help shoot in near darkness and also trick the camera to shoot it like there was no flash or commander connected to the hotshoe.  I get perfectly focused and perfectly exposed ambient light photos!  You can do the same thing using a standard Nikon speedlight flash like the SB-700, SB-800, SB-910, but these units are larger and heavier than the SU-800.

The hassle with this setup is requiring a Nikon SU-800 unit to always having to sit on top of the Nikon Df and having to hold the reassigned AE/AF Lock button when taking a photo.  Luckily, the SU-800 is very lightweight and also smaller than a typical flash unit.  It can be left on the top of the camera all the time and just turned on whenever I need to use it.  Only when the power to the unit is on do I need to hold the AE/AF Lock button when taking a photo.

Now I can shoot the Nikon Df without fear of it not focusing in dark environments!  If I think I may need a flash every now and then, I can substitute using the SU-800 with the SB-800 or any other Nikon flash that has an infra-red focusing beam.

Nikon D750

After playing with the Nikon D750 this past week, let me just say this... the Nikon D750 could very well be one of the best full frame cameras for the money today.  At a retail price of just under $2300 (body only), the camera offers a lot for the price.

It's 24.3 MP full frame image sensor offers a native ISO range of 100 - 12,800 and extends to 51,200 although nobody would really want to do that since it's quite noisy at that high of an ISO.  The camera's continuous shooting ability goes to 6.5 frames per second which isn't the fastest on the market, but reasonable enough for many types of action events.

It's a relatively small camera body and while it is considered an "enthusiast" camera, I'd say a pro can easily use it for professional use.  Would I use it for a wedding?  Absolutely!  Many pros are now buying this camera as both their main camera and also as their backup camera.

You can read all about the camera through the various reviews on the internet, but let me just tell you my impressions:

1.  I like the smaller body and lighter weight.
2.  The high ISO ability in low light is adequate, but not as good as a Nikon Df or Nikon D4s.
3.  The shutter sound is quieter than a Nikon D4s, but not as quiet as a Nikon Df or Nikon D810.
4.  It's full frame!  You can get shallower depth of field with full frame image sensors and it handles low light better too!
5.  The video ability allows for full HD recording at 1920 x 1080 / 60 frames per second... great for slow motion.
6.  It is the first full frame camera with a tilting LCD screen.
7.  It has built-in WiFi which works great!  You can control the camera to take photos remotely with your smart phone or tablet.  You can even transfer images in JPG to your device too!  It will also take a RAW image amd convert it to a small JPG for upload to Facebook or emailing purposes!
8.  The new face detection matrix metering helps get proper exposure if it detects a person's face in the image!
9.  The shutter is rated to 150,000 actuations.

There are a lot of features on this camera, but most importantly, the images look great!

If you are looking for a full frame camera, this is one I would highly recommend.  While not as high of a resolution as the 36.3 MP on a Nikon D810, it has plenty of resolution for most applications.

Museum of Science and Industry

 

I spent the morning and afternoon with several Balanced Exposure students at the Museum of Science and Industry yesterday.  I hadn't been there in several years, but wanted to do something during the winter months.  I decided to offer a quick field trip since it was a museum "Free Day" which would save us all on entrance fees.  Of course, the parking was $20 still!

I found the museum rather crowded, but expected that since it was a "free day" after all.  Still, I believe we all had a good time taking in all the exhibits and seeing the holiday decorations there.

I especially like seeing all the kids having fun at the museum!  The Museum of Science and Industry was my favorite museum growing up here in the Chicago area and just seeing the kids running around and enjoying it brought back fond memories of when I did the same thing as a child.

No MSI trip would be complete without a visit to the hatchery of baby chicks!  We visited them and I was able to get a good shot of two of them together.

Go visit the museum if you get the chance.  Lots of interactive exhibits there, but we were just concentrated on taking photos of everything!  All images were taken with the Nikon Df full frame camera and a Sigma 24-105mm f4.0 DG Art Series lens.  Camera was set on Aperture Priority mode at f4.0 using Auto ISO to complete the exposures.  Images were shot in RAW format and converted in Adobe Lightroom 5 and cropped as needed with Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud.

Des Plaines River Dam

I decided to check out the Des Plaines River today and found these two anglers wading in the river.  Image was taken with a Nikon D300 camera and Sigma 24-105mm f4.0 Art Series lens.  Image processed with Photomatix HDR software and enhanced in Photoshop CC.

Fall colors were seen as I walked back to my car...

Possible Blacklock 8 Skillet - 1896-1910

Back in 1896, Joseph Lodge assisted his minister friend to open Blacklock Foundry.  While Lodge was not actively involved in the company in the beginning years of the company, he later helped out when the company was struggling.

In 1910, the Blacklock company burned to the ground, so Lodge later opened his own company just a few blocks away and called it Lodge Cast Iron Company.  Today, Lodge is the one of the only American companies still manufacturing cast iron skillets.  A new company called Finex has recently started making cast iron skillets as well, but Lodge is the oldest American company doing so.

This is the oldest skillet I currently own.  Based on the years of manufacturing, this makes the skillet anywhere from 104 to 118 years old as of the year 2014!

These are called "Possible Blacklock" skillets since very little is known about the company and its products since all their records burned up with the fire.  But based on similarities with Lodge skillets in its time period, we can assume that these cast iron skillets were from Blacklock.

Griswold #5

Griswold #5 - Large Logo - manufactured from 1920-1940.

Image taken with a Nikon D4s and Nikon 24-70mm f2.8.  1/320 sec, f9.0, ISO 100.  Three Alien Bees B400 studio flashes.

Blood Moon - Oct 8, 2014 at 5:28 AM

Blood Moon - 10/08/14 at 5:28 AM

This image was taken with my Sigma 24-105mm f4.0 DG Art Series lens on a Nikon Df full frame camera. Not as sharp as it could have been, but better than getting nothing at all. My Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII lens was at the school, so I had to use what was available.

Image was shot on Manual mode, ISO 200, F4.0, 2 seconds. Camera was mounted on a tripod.

Diet Update: Down 40 lbs in 13.5 Weeks

My diet goal for 2014 was 50 lbs of loss by the end of the year.  I started my diet on July 5.

So in just 13.5 weeks, I've now lost 40 lbs.  I find that I'm losing about 2 lbs per weeks now.  Based on this, I estimate I should drop to my 50 lb goal by Thanksgiving.

Coho Salmon - Racine Wisconsin

Foggy day fishing today in Racine Wisconsin.

This 6 lb - female Coho Salmon was caught at 4:55 AM.  No other fish were caught from any other fishermen on the shore the rest of the morning.  Well, my friends and I left around 10 AM, so perhaps there could have been another caught after that time, but I doubt it.  Most often fish are usually caught before 8 AM.

Fishing was tough today.  While the temperature was decent and not freezing me out there and the water was really calm, it was extremely foggy.  The fog horns were driving me crazy since I was within perhaps 15 feet of it.

After getting home, I vacuum-packed the fish and froze it.  I'll head back out there soon.  This is Salmon season, so I hope to get out as often as I can.

What I Used To Bring To A Wedding

 

I have been asked a number of times what I brought in my camera bags to a wedding.  Well, before I got smart and decided to downsize, I used to use a Pelican 1610 case (see bottom image taken with a point and shoot camera) which weighed about 65 lbs when fully loaded!

Check out my gear at the time... 3 camera bodies, a bunch of lenses, a couple of flashes and battery packs and other accessories!  There were two tiers of equipment in the case.  The top held lenses and flashes and the bottom held the cameras, more lenses and batteries!

I eventually moved to the Pelican 1510 case system which is sized to fit in the overhead compartment of a plane and what didn't fit in there, I carried on my body all day with a belt / shoulder harness system (click here to see the post with the belt system)

Lots of gear!

Griswold #5 Skillet

This Griswold #5 cast iron skillet was manufactured somewhere between 1920 and 1940.  Yes, it's between 74 and 94 years old!

The old skillets are far better than skillets made today because of their smooth cooking surface and lighter weight.  Today's skillets tend to be more textured due to the new "pre-seasoning" techniques needing that texture to allow the oils to adhere properly.

Portable Butane Burner with No Notch Lodge #6 Skillet

 

I was reading about a discussion concerning getting a portable butane burner for outdoor use... so I got one!

Went to our local Asian stores and purchased the burner for $16.99. Four canisters of butane fuel were on sale for $3.99 for four! Great deal!

I have a side burner on my propane gas grill, but it's a hassle dragging the grill outside (we keep it in our garage for storage), so setting up this small burner will be much more convenient. Sometimes, we like to cook outdoors rather than inside our home to keep the smell of frying out of the home. This is a good solution.

The images were taken with a Nikon Df camera, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens and a Nikon SB-800 flash.

The cast iron skillet is an no notch Lodge #6 manufactured between 1910 and 1920!  It is somewhere from 94 to 104 years old!

We Will Never Forget

We Will NEVER Forget!

No Notch Lodge #6

This is a "no notch" Lodge #6 cast iron skillet.  It dates back to 1910-1920 making it 94 to 104 years old!

Not as "clean" looking as the Griswold #8 previously blogged, but considering its age, not bad.

I have two more antique skillets still coming in... a Lodge "3 notch" #4 (1940-1960) and also a Griswold #5 (1920-1940).

I will clean each skillet and season them again before using them.  But I think I'll just wait until all skillets have arrived and do them all at the same time.  Fun!

Griswold #8 Skillet

Breakfast... for lunch!

Three eggs, 2 pats of butter, chicken breast pieces and a slice of American Cheese (didn't have any shredded cheddar on hand). It was the BEST eggs I have ever had! And... totally non-stick too! That egg slid around that skillet like it was nothing!

Recently, I purchased a Griswold #8 cast iron skillet and I've been having fun with it! These eggs were the third meal I've cooked on the new skillet. Based on the trademark logo design of the skillet, this skillet is somewhere between 74 to 94 years old (1920 - 1940).  I purchased it on eBay (paid way too much for it, but I wanted a good one) and I cleaned it up using Easy-Off oven cleaner, 50% vinegar and 50% water to remove the rust, and a lot of elbow grease! The skillet was then seasoned with Crisco vegetable shortening.

The images were taken with a Nikon Df camera, Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens, Nikon SB-800 flash.