Subscribe To My New YouTube Channel!

Well after years of being asked if I will ever make a YouTube Channel, I have finally done it!

Please visit my new channel by clicking here!

The channel is called, "Russ Is Right" - because I am always right, except for when I am wrong.  :)

Seriously, I'm not always right, but I thought it was a catchy name for the channel.  But I'll do my best to be right in the things I share with you!

As a new YouTube Channel, I need your help desperately to view the videos and to Like them and to PLEASE subscribe to my channel!  I need at least 1000 subscribers before YouTube will take it seriously and at least 4000 hours of people viewing the channel!  Yikes!  That's a lot.  But it can be done with your help.  Already a number of my students have subscribed.  Thanks!

I have thousands of students, and I hope I was influential in teaching you photography and that you'd like to learn more from me for FREE on YouTube!  But to keep the channel going, I need each of you to please help me get to the minimum of 1000 subscribers!  It doesn't cost anything, but if you have a gmail email address or if you have a YouTube account (which is free from Google), you can help by clicking on Subscribe button and also clicking on the little Bell icon next to subscribe to get email notifications whenever a new video is uploaded to the channel.  I've learned that the YouTube lingo for this is called, "Dropping a new video"... yeah, I have a hard time getting used to that terminology!

Anyway, I hope to try to do a short 5 minute video daily and perhaps one or two longer videos per week.  Yes, that's ambitious, but at least for now, I'm going to try to do it.  I want to grow this channel fast!

I hope to talk daily about things that I like and things that I don't like.  Photography of course, music, guitars, cooking, fishing, you name it!  Like my blog (which you can see by clicking here), I won't limit the content to just photography.  I have more interests than just that.  Plus I know you do too!  So, let's just say the channel will have a variety of content that I hope you will be interested in.  And please leave me a comment in the comment section of the videos.  I would appreciate that too.  Tell me what you like, what you don't like and tell me what other kinds of videos you think would be good for me to do!

I truly appreciate each and every one of my students and hope you will like this new free service I will be offering to you.  Watch the videos often and please let your friends know on Facebook, Instagram, via email, whatever!  With your help, I know I can grow the channel quickly.

See you all on the Tube!  There are two brand new videos "dropped" today and a few in the past couple of days!  More to come!  Hopefully daily!

Thanks!!

Russ

Closeup of a Stylus In A Record Groove

I was challenged by one of my photography students to take a close up shot of the stylus of a cartridge on the groove of the record. Here it is.

The focus is placed on the stylus (not the logo of the cartridge). Lighting was done with an external flash (Nikon SB-800) with oblique lighting using a flash cord. The light was slightly higher than the cartridge and to the left of the turntable.

The lens was a Nikon 60mm f2.8 Micro lens (Nikon calls macro lenses, micro lenses) set at f8.0. The shutter speed was 1/200 second. TTL Flash was used to set the exposure. The camera was a Nikon D850 set at 45.7 MP and shot in RAW and processed in Adobe Lightroom. The close up images are cropped versions of the wider image. The widest image of the record and the tone arm and cartridge was taken with my point and shoot Canon G7xMkII camera.

The images were taken rather quickly. Had I spent more time and adjusted focus and the lighting better, I'm sure the results would have been better.

This is where a high megapixel camera pays off. Close up shooting with even closer cropping of the image.

Not that it matters, but the tracking force of the cartridge was set at 1.7 grams.

Rearranging My Audio Gear

I got lucky and was able to get an old Technics FM/AM Tuner on Facebook Marketplace for only $10!  It is in perhaps 85% new condition and works perfectly!  Because of this, I decided I would rearrange some of my audio gear to a couple of shelves closer to me so that I could more easily adjust the sound.

Not all of the gear are hooked up however.  Only the amp, the DAC, and the tuner are wired up.

I seem to be getting back into my audio gear.  It's about time.  I really miss listening to music.  Since starting my photography school, most of my concentration has been on photography and I've neglected playing my guitar and listening to music.  That is changing now and that's a good thing!

Spinning Some Vinyl on the Luxman PD375 Turntable

Forty years ago, my family owned and operated a stereo store in Skokie, IL called "Component Stereo".  We sold a variety of audio equipment of which this Luxman PD375 vacuum pump turntable was one of the items available.  It still works great and sounds great too!

I have an Ortofon VMS 30 Mk II cartridge mounted on it.  We sold that too.

The vacuum platter sucks all the air out from between the platter and the record adhering the record to the metal platter with a rubber gasket on the outer edge of the platter.  The idea was to make the record really flat and to essentially make the disc really heavy.  This helps dampen any vibrations that might be picked up and smear the sound through the speakers when played loudly.

The album I'm listening to is "Tower of Power Direct" - a Sheffield direct to disk recording.  Very powerful!  I haven't played this album in a little over 30 years!  Still sounds terrific!

I'm enjoying the old albums we used to use to demo our equipment at the store all those years ago.  Vinyl records are gaining popularity once again... something that some audio manufacturers thought would not happen after the CD was invented.  Well, they were wrong.  Analog lives on!

I'm excited to attend this year's AXPONA show in Schaumburg, IL in April.  It's been a while since I've been to one of these kind of shows.  I'm looking forward to seeing what is new in high-end audio!

2019 Chicago Auto Show

I attended the Chicago Auto Show today, but really only spent time at the Lexus booth, the Hyundai booth, the Ford and Lincoln booths and the Toyota booth. My two brother in-laws and I were only interested in the cars we were considering buying very soon. We skipped most of the show's vehicles since we had a specific purpose to find new cars for ourselves at this show.

I only brought the Canon point and shoot camera (I really don't like this term since this camera has all the same controls as my DSLR), the Canon G7xMkII. This sample Lexus LC500 shot was taken with Aperture Priority at ISO 125, f2.8 and 1/100 second. This image is straight out of the camera without any modifications other than converting the RAW file to a JPG image.  The second image was edited in Lightroom for a slightly brighter look.

Overall, the camera does very well. It's not the best lens (it has issues with soft edges when shot up close at large apertures like f1.8) but from a distance, the photos look pretty good for a little $650 camera! It is nowhere as clean as my Nikon D850 with a Nikon lens, but for what I was using it for (documenting the cars I was interested in considering), it did the trick. Being so small, I didn't have to deal with carrying around a big camera and big lens. It was nice to have that freedom!

By the way, this is not the car I am considering. I don't have that kind of money!  :)Her

H

Here

Food Photography

Nothing better than taking a photo and then getting to eat the subject!

The top photo was taken with an iPhone 6s+.  The bottom photo was taken with a Canon G7xMkII point and shoot camera.

I asked my students which photo was better and why and unanimously, they all picked the bottom photo!

The reasons given included, better angle, better lighting, better color, better plating of the food, sharper/clearer image, the image "pops" better, better shallow depth of field...

It just goes to show that while the iPhone can take a decent photo, using a better camera that is dedicated to adjusting parameters along with better light and color balancing, the image can look a lot better.

Granted, these are two different salads, but you get the idea.

I assembled these salads at Jason's Deli in Schaumburg, IL.  The camera for the bottom image was set on Aperture Priority mode.  ISO 640, f8.0, 1/60 second.  Shot in RAW and converted to JPG with Adobe Lightroom.

1966 Batmobile

Still waiting for Ford to release this Batmobile for consumer purchase.  When will it happen?

Image taken with a Canon G7xMkII point and shoot camera.  Lighting - continuous LED's with soft box on a shooting table.  Second light pointed through the opaque back side of the light table.

Shrimp Pad Thai - Chopstick - Rolling Meadows IL

I went to Chopstick - Chinese carryout restaurant in Rolling Meadows to get this Shimp Pad Thai dish to take a photo using my Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens.

The dish was set on a product shooting table with a continuous LED light source behind the table with a softbox and another light above and to the left of the front.  The image was taken at ISO 100, f8 and 1/8 second.

The food was really good!  I was surprised at how much they give you for only $6.15 plus tax.  What you see here on a standard dinner plate is only half of what they actually give you!  And, you get an egg roll and a soft drink too!  Great deal!

Canon G7x Mk II - Why I Purchased A Point and Shoot Camera

My main camera is a 45.7 MP Full Frame Nikon D850 with a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens.  So why would I want to buy a point and shoot camera to supplement today's advanced cameras?

For small pocket-sized digital cameras, I originally had a Canon A95 (5MP) point and shoot camera and then moved to the Fujifilm F10 (6MP).  I eventually ended up purchasing a Lumix DMC-LX5 (10.1MP).  I sold that camera to one of my students thinking I would not be using a point and shoot camera ever again.  Wrong...

This year, I found out that the United Center will no longer allow large cameras with removable lenses to enter the building.  No more shooting the Bulls games with my nice camera!  They will only allow small point and shoot cameras (cameras without removable lenses) or smartphones in to take photos.  Having sold my Lumix camera, I no longer had a good P&S to use.  I had used that camera on my fishing outings, but started using my iPhone instead more often.

Over time, I started missing that Lumix camera and decided there was still value having a good point and shoot camera.  But, considering I now shoot with a very high megapixel camera, I wanted one that could at least give me 20 MP or more.  I also wanted high ISO ability, full manual, aperture priority and shutter speed priority settings as well.  I wanted one that could also be used for vlogging or any other kind of video shooting.  While the iPhone does well in good lighting, it's absolutely terrible in low light shooting.

I shoot a lot of my food when I go out and also whenever I cook.  I had been using my iPhone mostly because it is always with me and it's convenient.  But if I didn't have good lighting, I could not get a clean shot.  It only takes a decent photo with good lighting.  Also, forget about "real" shallow depth of field... it can't do it!  While the new iPhone X cameras can fake a shallow depth of field, there's no better than real shallow depth of field.  The Canon has an f1.8-f2.8 lens so I can get shallow depth of field shots and let more light into the camera as well.  The zoom range is the equivalent of 24-100mm on a full frame camera.

I did a bunch of research and found that the best option for me was the Canon G7x Mk II camera with a 1" sensor.  It's not the best point and shoot out there, but I wanted one that wasn't too expensive.  After all, it's going to be used constantly and it will be with me all the time in a carry case on my belt, it could still get damaged and I didn't want to invest too much for it.

The Canon G7x MkII is best known as one of the most popular vlogging cameras used by YouTubers.  It's flip up screen makes it easy to see yourself while vlogging and being in the shot.  It's downfall however is no external mic jack and no headphone jack.  The built-in mics are not very good for
vlogging.   So, many YouTubers will use a Rode lavalier mic and record a separate audio track on their iPhones and then sync up the audio to the camera's video via an external editing software like Final Cut Pro (Mac) or Adobe Premier (PC).

Using a small point and shoot camera is less conspicuous.  Whenever I use my large DSLR camera, people stop and stare.  When I use this small camera, nobody pays attention.  I suppose they are all used to seeing people take photos with an iPhone and so this small camera looks less threatening.  In fact, I think many people chuckle whenever they see me use such a puny looking camera.  If only they knew that this thing does far better than their smart phone!!

I am finding the photos from the Canon G7x Mk II are decent enough for the kind of photography I am asking it to do.  The videos are not 4k, only 1080p at up to 60 fps but that's good enough for me.  It's not cheap, but it's also not super expensive.  For the mid-range of pricing, it's a decent enough camera for what I need right now.

You'll see more shots from me with this camera for food photos, street photography and everyday life photography.  I'll use the D850 for more serious projects or if I am asked to do professional work.  But for now, the Canon G7x Mk II will be used quite a bit more.

I hold the camera with a small handheld tripod from Manfrotto called the Pixi. It's about $18. Great for table shots and just to use to hold the camera steady in one hand. I also bought a "selfie stick" made by Smatree. It was around $16. It's a two-section pole that extends up to 36.6". Great for using when vlogging. While many YouTubers use just the Manfrotto, I find that having a longer pole means not having to hold your arm up as high. That's just tiring! The pole makes it much easier. It also comes with a Go Pro mount, but I'm only going to use the standard 1/4" threaded stud on its ball head for the Canon camera.

_____________________________

Update: I sent the camera back to B&H Photo in New York. The camera's lens was very soft at the edges of the frame of the images. This is a common problem with these point and shoot style cameras, but especially with this camera model. I asked them to send me a replacement. The replacement arrived quickly, just one week after I sent back the other camera. It still has a problem, but not as pronounced as the first copy.

I found that any "closeup" image say less than perhaps 2 or 3 feet has soft edges if shot under f8 aperture. If you shoot photos at a distance, you can shoot even f1.8 and it would probably be acceptable. But closeups can have issues especially with wide open apertures.

You just got to get use to issues and work around it. Really, when the images are shot really close the depth of field is really shallow, so you might want to use f8 just to keep it from being too shallow! I'll keep this copy of the camera and work around its issues. Still useable for me!

Painted Wall

I spent the weekend painting this wall.  The previous owners of the home had painted the wall green and we always wanted to change it (you can see the original color below).  Only took 3 years to do it!

Snow Covered Peaks!

Snow covered peaks!

Fisherman's Life Hooded Sweatshirt For My Birthday

My birthday isn't until another 12 more days, but my daughter got this "Fisherman's Life" hooded sweatshirt for me!  The Fisherman's Life (Matts Withans) fishing channel is one of my favorites.  Check out his channel by clicking here.

Christmas Gift - Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet

I received a Field Company No. 8 cast iron skillet from my daughter and future son-in-law as a Christmas Gift!  It is beautiful!

If you are looking for a very smooth surfaced cast iron skillet, you would be hard pressed to find a better one than a Field Company skillet!  For modern skillets, most are very rough in cooking surface (check out modern Lodge skillets!) but there are a number of American companies now offering their versions of how cast iron was made in the past.

I have many skillets from vintage companies like Griswold and Lodge and even a Blacklock skillet (my oldest skillet) and I gave away my vintage Wagner-Ware skillets to my future son-in-law.  He returned the favor by getting me this modern Field Company skillet!  What a beauty!  It is no doubt the smoothest cast iron skillet I now own.

I'm going to season all of my cast iron skillets today.  It's not that hard to do, but a necessity if you own cast iron.  I highly suggest following the instructions of my Facebook buddy Jeff Rogers - The Culinary Fanatic.  Check out this instructional video! and also the second half of this video.

Thanks to my daughter and future son-in-law for the extravagent gift!

Willow Creek North Shore Church - Christmas Program

This year's Christmas service was mainly Christmas songs and a nice message from Pastor Amy Mikal.  A choir was off to stage left, but we could barely hear them over the worship band.  Still, it was good singing the songs.  As always, a good service at Willow Creek North Shore Church!

I took these images with my Nikon D850 and a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRii lens from the back of the church auditorium.  Usually it is best standing in the back of a room to minimize getting in people's way and to get better shots.  Images were taken in Aperture Priority at f2.8.  Exposure Compensation was needed to get the right exposures.

What's Currently In My Camera Case?

It has been a while since I talked about what I have in my camera case!

Here's a list of what I typically bring with me in my Pelican 1510 case when I go on a field shoot:

Nikon D850
Vello BG-N19-2 Battery Grip
(2) Nikon EN-EL15a batteries
Nikon MH-25a Battery Charger
Lexar 64 GB XQD card (440 MB/S)
Sony 64 GB SF-G64/T1 SDXC UHS-II Class 10 U3 card (299 MB/S)
Sony MRW-E90 XQD Card Reader
Extra SD cards and XQD cards
Balanced Exposure Custom White Balance Reflector
Nikon 16mm f2.8D Fisheye Lens
Nikon 50mm f1.4 Lens
Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 Lens
Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 Lens
Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII Lens
Nikon TC-17EII Teleconverter
Nikon 60mm f2.8 Micro Lens
Nikon SB-800 Flash
Nikon MC-30 Remote Shutter Release Cable
Generic Radio Frequency Wireless Shutter Release transmitter / receiver
Nikon SC-28 Remote Flash Cable
Various Microfiber Cloths
Demb Flash Diffuser Pro
Giottos Medium Rocket Blaster Dust Removal Blower
Minolta Auto Meter VF - Incident Light / Flash Meter
Hoya 77mm Variable Neutral Density Filter
B&W 77mm Circular Polarizing Filter
Lux Pro LP290V2 LED Flash Light
Extra AA and AAA Batteries (Kirkland and Rayovac brands)
Evidence Rulers
Bubble Level

I also carry backup camera bodies, flash, stands, tripods, stands, studio flashes, etc... outside of the case, but this list is what's currently in my case. I feel this is enough equipment to get me through most situations. I bring additional gear if and when the job requires it. Also, each lens has a UV filter on it for protecting the lens. Lenses also have lens hoods.

A Digitally Converted 6x6 cm Medium Format Color Slide Shot From The Past

This is Jennifer.  She worked at the San Diego District Attorney's Office when I was an Investigative Technician there.  I believe she was also Miss La Mesa California back in the early 1990's or at least competed.

I asked if she would model for me as I had just purchased a Bronica SQ-Ai square 6x6cm medium format camera and a Bronica 120mm f4.0 lens.  (Since 80mm is the normal perspective lens on the medium format film, 120mm would be the equivalent to a 75mm lens in 35mm - or "full frame" in digital.). I shot this image with color transparency film and this is a conversion to digital of that film.  I cropped it to a 4x5 aspect ratio.

We shot a number of images in my garage.  I converted the 3 car garage of my home into a portrait studio.  I shot a number of my wedding clients there as well.  We'd do their wedding and the next day, they would come in (before the tux was returned to the rental shop) and do some formal studio portraits.  Ah, the good ol' days!

Second Time at Career Day at Aptakisic Junior High School - Nov 30, 2018

Like last year, I was invited once again to speak to kids at Aptakisic Junior High on their Career Day event.  Click here to see last year's photos.

There seemed to be a lot more kids in my sessions than last year.  Last year, I was advertised as Russell Lowe - Photographer / Evidence Technician.  This year, I was known as Russell Lowe - Evidence Technician.  Seems more kids are interested in learning about what it is like to be an Evidence Technician than just a Photographer!

I told the kids about what is needed to be an evidence tech and also gave them a chance to try their hands at using some magnetic fingerprint powder with a magnetic fingerprint brush.  They all seemed really interested.  "Oh wow!  That is SO COOL!" could be heard at every session when they saw the latent prints being developed.  It really makes you feel good when your audience is having so much fun learning!

All presenters were given a hot plate made by the kids.  I chose the "Fireman" since I was talking about the Police.  Hey, makes sense to me!  :)

I did 6 half hour sessions.  I had perhaps 15-20 kids per session in attendance.

Sgt. Ken Joseph Memorial Award - La Mesa Police Officer's Association and Grossmont College

I received this award from the Administration of Justice Department at Grossmont College when I went there to learn to be an Evidence Technician.  I graduated with a 3.94 out of 4.0 (just one grade shy of a 4.0).  I was surprised when the school presented me with this award just before graduation.  My name is also engraved on a trophy that is in the trophy case at the school along with others who were awarded the award.  One student gets the award each year.  It was and is still a great honor for which I am very grateful even to this day.  I ended up graduating with a degree in Evidence Technology and also a degree in Pre Law / Court Management.

My bachelor's degree however is actually in Electronics Engineering Technology from DeVry Institute of Technology.  I used that knowledge when I worked at my dad's stereo store right after college and then later it came in handy while working at the DA's Office in San Diego.

Costco - San Francisco

 

I noticed some key differences while at the San Francisco Costco compared to the Costco's I'm so familiar with in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago.

For a Thursday at 12 Noon, the Costco was already very crowded.  Lots of cars and people!  The cars have a parking garage rather than an outdoor lot so that they can fit more cars in the same footprint due to the numerous levels.  Land is a premium in San Francisco!

The shopping carts are gathered by a person running a tractor instead of pushed by hand and foot!  He gathers the carts and pushes them towards the entrance area with the tractor.  It's a sight to see.

The inside of the Costco is pretty much the same as any other Costco in Chicago but perhaps a bit bigger.  I noticed that they had four ovens of rotisserie cookers for the $4.99 chickens.  They must sell a lot of chickens!  Most Costcos I've seen in Chicago only have two ovens.

While the prices of the food court food is the same, the food court is run differently.  Orders are done on kiosks.  You tap the touchscreen to place your order, pay with a credit card and take the receipt to the order pick up window.  This is a much faster system than we have back in the Chicago area!  I wish they incorporate this where I live in the future!  With so many people ordering food, the seating area however is not as good as it is in Chicago.  There are row benches and long tables where everyone sits together rather than small tables where only 4 people sit together in Chicago.  I suppose this is the most efficient way to get more people seating, but it's a bit strange eating food with strangers next to you.

One aspect I really like though in San Francisco is hearing all the Chinese people speaking mainly in the Toisan or Cantonese Chinese dialect.  I understand Toisan fully, but not as much Cantonese.  They are similar however.  Mandarin is totally different sounding and I've yet to hear this in San Francisco.   Hearing everyone speaking Toisan just proves that many of the Chinese who came over to the US so many years ago were from the small villages that my own ancestors came from.  Always fun to hear the older women talking in Toisan!