Shooting new year's fireworks in cold weather

While it's not as cold in most of the northern hemisphere as it is in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska and Longyearbyen, Svalbard, it still can be frigid enough to affect your new year's fireworks photography.

To photograph new year's fireworks in icy weather, photographers must combine good cold weather practices, night photography techniques, and the specific exposure requirements necessary to capture fireworks images. If you don't have a DSLR, don't think you can't make great fireworks images. With intelligent use, quality digital point and shoot cameras can make these photos too.

New Years Day: Time to reset the copyright notice in your camera

January 1^st is just a couple of days away. Consider this article a reminder to reset the copyright notice in your camera to reflect the new year, so your 2015 images will have the correct information.

Most digital cameras today, can automatically insert your copyright notice into the metadata of every image you make as they are stored.

Each of my cameras will be reset on the upcoming new year's day morning to insert “Copyright © 2015 NSL Photography, All Rights Reserved” into every image I make.

If you don't insert your copyright notice in your images, to protect them, I suggest you consider doing it, starting today.

I'm often asked the question when I run workshops, or anytime I'm with enthusiasts and we're talking photography, “You're a pro, so I understand why you place your copyright on your photos, but why should I worry about it? I'm not selling my photographs, nor using them in my work.”

It's a great question.

Ned's ten favorite smartphone travel apps for 2014

I've tested thousands of travel apps, some of which I've purchased myself, including general travel apps, and specific ones for airlines, trains, rental cars, etc., as well as for cities, countries, and travel destinations, such as national parks and historic sights.

Here are my top ten favorite general travel apps for 2014. I use all these apps personally in travel planning, and/or while away.

10. White Noise — ($1.99: iOS, Android Windows 8) Too much noise coming from outside your room, or even inside it, possibly from another room, a dripping faucet, or a roommate? White Noise can rescue you. The “white noise” it makes can help most travelers get to and stay asleep by blocking distractions. I use the built-in “air conditioner” sound. White Noise also has a built-in clock display which shows through the night, and you can setup alarms to wake you as needed.

New feature for the NSL "Travel" Photography Blog

This blog has carried articles about important general photography issues, photography and the law, specifics of travel photography, the works of great photographers, using smartphones in photography, the digital darkroom, issues of government and photography, equipment, as well as general photography and travel photography advice.

Missing among these articles for travel photographers has been articles about travel itself.

Sometimes a pure travel article is just the right one for a travel photography blog. Travel photographers have the same needs and issues that any traveler has, so including articles in this blog about travel generally, which can help travel photographers with their personal needs while on the go, or while planning their journeys makes sense.

Starting this month the NSL Travel Photography Blog will include articles about general travel which will hopefully help photographers know more about the issues affecting their journeys, assist photographers in travel planning, and help photographers while on the go to help make their treks more enjoyable and productive.

Photographing trains...Stay off the Tracks!!!

Lately, I've heard from many travel photographers, amateurs and professions alike, looking to make images of railroads, their yards, tracks, passenger and freight cars, and locomotives.

Making photographs while on train tracks and in train yards is very dangerous and there is much cause to stay off railroad property, and their tracks:

• It's illegal to be on or very near to railroad tracks for photography without the permission of the railroad which owns and/or uses the tracks. (Many railroads share tracks with other railroads. You need at least the permission of the tracks' owner.)

Nature photographers' clothing and gear color really matter!

Birds typically have sharper vision, and significantly superior color vision than humans. Birds can see certain light frequencies, including ultraviolet, which are invisible to most humans.

Their superior eyesight can diminish the nature photographers’ ability to get closet to birds, desirable to help photographers make sharp, detailed images of these beautiful feathered animals.

Nature photography has five keys for success I call “Wildlife Photography's Five P's”: Preparation, Practice, Patience, Persistence, Propaedeutics.”™ This article concentrates on “propaedeutics,” learning connected with any art or science. The more we learn about wildlife as photographers the more successful we can be making wildlife images.

Learning about avian eye physiology helps bird photographers understand how bird’s superior vision affects the photographers’ ability to make great images of birds, thus aiding them in maximizing their bird photo opportunities.

It's US Independence Day: Time to celebrate and photograph spectacular fireworks

Today, in the United States we'll celebrate our nation's birth. In Philadelphia, America’s birthplace and it's first capital, that means the annual “Philly 4th of July Jam and Grand Finale Fireworks” held at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art tonight, where more than a half million Philadelphians and visitors will enjoy one of the country's best Independence Day concerts. This year it will star The Roots, Ed Sheeran, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Hudson, Aloe Blacc, Ariana Grande and Vicci Martinez performing live, with actor and comedian Marlon Wayans serving as host, followed by one of the largest, most spectacular fireworks displays in the nation.

I'll be there. If you're there too, look for me south of the Art Museum.

This year I'm going to continue experimenting while photographing the fireworks. I'm going to use a variety of neutral density filters to enable me to use longer exposures, and capture more fireworks' bursts in my images. I'll be experimenting with neutral density filters which add 1, 2, or 3 f/stops to my exposure. I'll explain below what that means in terms of shutter times.

National Nature Photography Day at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

Sunday, June 15th is the ninth annual National Nature Photography Day. This day was designated by the North America Nature Photographers Association to promote the enjoyment of nature photography, and explain how photographs have been used to advance the cause of conservation and protect plants, wildlife, and landscapes locally and worldwide.

Many National Wildlife Refuges across the US will be celebrating this day with family programs.

I think it's especially auspicious that National Nature Photography Day is on Father's Day in the US. This is a great opportunity for fathers and their children to enjoy a day walking in the wild and making nature photographs together. Going out into a national or state park, wildlife preserve or wildlife refuge to experience nature “in the raw” can be a wonderful family activity at any time, but on Sunday's special day, it seems like a perfect time for dads (or moms) to introduce and build their children's interests in the outdoors, wildlife, the natural world, and photography.

I was invited by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge to run a special National Nature Photography Day program at the Heinz Refuge. The program is free for all to attend.

C&A moving Calumet Photographic forward, though not without bumps

As reported last week, New Jersey based photography retailer, C&A Marketing Inc, which purchased some of Calumet Photographic's assets and debt, opened the Oak Brook Calumet Photographic store last Sunday, May 11^th.

The opening was generally well received with customers noting many of the old Oak Brook staff had been rehired by C&A to run the store.

Customers reported to me that the store had Pocket Wizard, Sekonic, Gitzo, Manfrotto, Calumet, Quantum, Nikon, Canon, as part of a large variety of name brand products, in the store for the opening. Some customers said they were disappointed that many higher end products, for sale mainly to professionals and enthusiasts, were not in stock, such as Nikon professional bodies and lenses.

Calumet Photographic to open Oak Brook store on Sunday, May 11

As reported last week, New Jersey based photography retailer, C&A Marketing Inc. outbid the proposal of CalPhotoUS, owned by former principals of Calumet, to purchase specific assets and debt of the former Calumet Photographic for just under $4 million. The purchase includes the option to open five of the former chain's 14 stores.

C&A Marketing announced yesterday that on Sunday, May 11, they will hold the “grand reopening” of the Oak Brook Calumet Photographic store. The Oak Brook Calumet Photographic store is located at 1600 West 16^th Street in Oak Brook, Illinois. Beginning on Sunday morning at noon, the store's phone at 630–860–7458 will be available to the public.

Calumet Photographic acquired by C&A Marketing Inc.

The Calumet acquisition decision has been made by the US Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of Illinois.

New Jersey company, C&A Marketing Inc. outbid the proposal of CalPhotoUS, owned by former principals of Calumet, purchasing some assets and debt of the former Calumet Photographic for just under $4 million. The purchase includes the option to open five of the former chain's 14 stores. CalPhoto had offered $2.825 million for the remnants of the chain.

Chaim Pikarski, executive vice president of C&A Marketing Inc. said they would decide soon how many, if any, of the old Calumet stores, they would reopen, and if they would move any of the stores to new locations.

Digital Darkroom: Microsoft Internet Explorer - Update

Many photographers use Microsoft Windows for their computing, to run their digital darkroom software, research, and communicate on the Internet. Many Microsoft Windows users make heavy use of the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) browser for their use of the Internet.

Yesterday, I reported on the problem with all versions of Internet Explorer from versions 8 through 11 (current version) which is that all the versions contain a particularly vulnerable “zero day exploit” through which hackers can install malware from a website you visit, which they have either hacked or setup themselves. 
Once you've visited the website while using Internet Explorer, the malware secretly installed on your computer can give a stranger total control of it, without your knowledge. You might not even notice it's running.

Digital Darkroom: Stop using Microsoft Internet Explorer, at least for now!

Many photographers use Microsoft Windows for their computing, to run their digital darkroom software, research, and communicate on the Internet. Many Microsoft Windows users make heavy use of the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) browser for their use of the Internet.

As many know, along with being a professional photographer, I am a network and tech security consultant. If you haven't heard about the recent serious problems of Microsoft Internet Explorer (all versions), or hadn't taken it seriously, please take my warning seriously.

IMMEDIATELY DISCONTINUE USING INTERNET EXPLORER!

The problem with all versions of Internet Explore from versions 8 through 11 (current version) is that all the versions contain a particularly vulnerable “zero day exploit” through which hackers can install malware from a website you visit, which they have either hacked or setup themselves. Once you've visited the website while using Internet Explorer, the malware secretly installed on your computer can give a stranger total control of it, without your knowledge. You might not even notice it's running.

Calumet Photographic bankruptcy update: Next date for motions scheduled for May 13th

I've been reporting on Calumet Photographic's bankruptcy for some time now.

On March 12th Calumet Photographic, the US based photography store chain filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and closed all their US locations. The Calumet stores in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in Europe, being financially separate entities from the US company, were unaffected by the US bankruptcy.

Many US Calumet customers, caught by surprise by the bankruptcy, were holding photography gear rented from the company, unable to return it, prepaid orders, and store credits, gift cards, etc.

Calumet Photographic bankruptcy update: Aquisition decision expected on April 29th

I've been reporting on Calumet Photographic's bankruptcy for some time now. Let's review what's happened so far.

On March 12th Calumet Photographic, the US based photography store chain filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and closed all their US locations. The Calumet stores in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in Europe, being financially separate entities from the US company, were unaffected by the US bankruptcy.

Many US Calumet customers, caught by surprise by the bankruptcy, were holding photography gear rented from the company, unable to return it, prepaid orders, and store credits.

Calumet Photographic bankruptcy update: There is hope for Calumet customers!

I've been reporting on Calumet Photographic's bankruptcy for some time now. For the first time, for at least some customers of the defunct company, there may good news about your store credits, and prepaid orders, however, don't jump for joy quite yet.

Let's review what's happened so far. On March 12th Calumet Photographic, the US based photography store chain filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and closed all their US locations. The Calumet stores in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in Europe, being financially separate entities from the US company, were unaffected by the US bankruptcy.

Many US Calumet customers, caught by surprise by the bankruptcy, were holding photography gear rented from the company, unable to return it, prepaid orders, and store credits.

Does the end of Windows XP support mean trouble for photographers using it?

Does your computer run on Microsoft Windows XP? If it does, you're not alone. As of the end of last month, NetMarketShare reported almost 30% of computers world-wide are still running Microsoft Windows XP, more than three times the total number of Apple computers running all versions of OSX.

As of April 8^th, Microsoft is ending support for Windows XP. That means Microsoft will no longer be providing security fixes, and other critical updates and patches to the 13 year old operating system.

You might ask if the end of Microsoft Windows XP support signals upcoming trouble for its users? In my opinion, it does!

Websites which strip image metadata may face future copyright liability

In the US District Court of the Southern District of California, Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel is hearing the case of Steven M. Gardner, vs. CafePress Inc. (Case No. 3:13-cv-1108-GPC-JMA).

CafePress.com's website allows users to upload images for printing on items like hats, T-shirts, other clothing, mugs, home decor, etc. Mr. Gardner has alleged CafePress facilitated the storage and sale of his photographs of Alaskan Wildlife, infringing on his copyright, in large part by stripping the metadata, containing his copyright information, from his images. He has claimed that before CafePress disabled access to his images in response to his lawsuit, more than $6,000 in merchandise printed with his images had been sold.

The crux of the case is the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA), it's “safe harbor provisions,” and the automatic stripping of image metadata, including copyright information which some websites like CafePress perform.

Calumet Photographic bankruptcy update: Contact Information for those with rental equipment and other issues

As reported here earlier this month, on March 12th Calumet Photographic, the US based photography store chain filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and closed all their US locations. The Calumet stores in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in Europe, being financially separate entities from the US company, are unaffected by the US bankruptcy.

By the middle of the day on March 14th, the Calumet US website, as well as their Twitter and Facebook accounts were shut-down.

There are many US Calumet customers who are currently holding photography gear rented from the company, and currently unable to return the gear, due to the store closures. Others have prepaid orders at the company, while others have Calumet US store based credits.

Unreturned rental gear from bankrupt Calumet Photographic isn't owned by renters

For many of us in the photography world, it was a sad day today, when we learned that Calumet Photographic in the US filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on March 12th, and closed all their stores in the US.

Apparently their employees were given no warning of the impending bankruptcy, and many have personal belongings remaining behind the locked doors of Calumet's stores. They appear to be completely in the dark about what will happen next, and when they can retrieve their belongings.

Calumet was an important part of the communities in which they had stores, not only selling equipment to professionals and amateurs alike, but offering quality classes for photographers at affordable prices.

Daylight Savings Time and your Digital Camera

In most locations of North America, we are about to reset our clocks, moving the time forward one hour, in the “wee” hours of the morning, on Sunday, March 9^th, to begin “Daylight Saving Time,” or “Daylight Time.” In some parts of North America, such as the states of Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation lands there) and Hawaii in the US, and most of Saskatchewan in Canada, “Daylight Time” isn't used. They stay on “Standard Time” throughout the year.

North America isn't alone in the world moving it's time forward in the spring and back in the fall. Across the globe, 79 nations use “Daylight Time” in at least part of their country. The Falkland Islands stay on “Daylight Time” throughout the year. Most countries on Earth, 159 at this time, remain in “Standard Time” all year.

For those countries which use “Daylight Time,” the date on which “Daylight Time” starts and ends varies from country to country, set by government regulation or law. It also varies according to which hemisphere each country is located, north or south.

Since photography began, photographers have always been cognizant of the time of day, both because it can dramatically affect their work, both outdoors and inside, and for image documentation.
I hear the question, “When is the best time of day to shoot?” often. The answer is, of course, every time of the day is the “best” time to make photographs, as the light at these times can each set a particular mood, feeling, or tone, giving an opportunity to show the same scene in far different, and multiple “lights.”

Photography Exhibition: The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - An Enduring Vision

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, periodically has terrific photographic exhibitions. An Enduring Vision: Photographs from the Lane Collection definitely one such exhibit and it's ending soon.

This exhibition will run through March 30, 2014

Understanding and Achieving Image Focus and Sharpness: Part IV

Image sharpness depends on multiple factors including focus.
While it's true an image can't be sharp unless the subject is in focus, the converse is not necessarily true, that an image which is in focus, will necessarily be sharp. Image sharpness is fundamentally controlled by focus, but there are other important factors which enable in-focus images to be sharp.

In Part I we looked at how modern digital cameras autofocus (AF), and what factors influence AF systems' ability to focus quickly and accurately.

In Part II, we discussed choosing the best focus mode for a particular subject, manual or autofocus, or using them together, as well as single versus continuous focus, all to achieve a solid focus for a variety of situations common to travel photographers.

In Part III, we got to the nitty-gritty of using autofocus and manual focus, including looking at the different AF area and tracking modes, and focus locking methods.

In Part IV, below, we discuss photographer focus technique, and other factors which enable photographers to make sharp images.

Purdue photojournalist detained, and his equipment seized covering a shooting

On January 21, 2014, Michael Takeda, Purdue University Exponent newspaper photo editor, was attempting to photograph the aftermath of an on campus shooting in the Electrical Engineering Building.

Mr. Takeda reports he was at the entrance to the building near the skywalk where there were no police barriers or signs telling anyone not to enter the building, and identified himself to the Purdue University Campus Police as an Exponent photographer. Mr. Takeda had a Nikon camera in each of his hands at the time.

Wildlife Photo Walk: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, February 8, 2014

On Saturday, February 8, 2014, I will be leading the Wildlife Photography Walk, sponsored by the Friends of Heinz Photo Group, starting at 9am in the Visitor Center of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in South Philadelphia, near Philadelphia International Airport.

We'll be walking and photographing in several areas of the Refuge, including near its Impoundment Pond, Darby Creek, Hoyes Pond, and through some of the deciduous woods areas of the Refuge. The walk will last for about three hours. During the walk I expect to discuss the challenges of cold weather photography.

Understanding and Achieving Image Focus and Sharpness: Part III

Image sharpness depends on multiple factors including focus.

While it's true an image can't be sharp unless the subject is in focus, the converse is not necessarily true, that an image which is in focus, will necessarily be sharp. Image sharpness is fundamentally controlled by focus, but there are other important factors which enable in-focus images to be sharp.

In Part I we looked at how modern digital cameras autofocus (AF), and what factors influence AF systems' ability to focus quickly and accurately. In Part II, we discussed choosing the best focus mode for a particular subject, manual or autofocus, or using them together, as well as single versus continuous focus, all to achieve a solid focus for a variety of situations common to travel photographers.

In Part III, below, we'll get to the nitty-gritty of using autofocus and manual focus, including looking at the different AF area and tracking modes, and focus locking methods.

Photography Exhibition: The Museum of Modern Art - Walker Evans American Photographs

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), in New York, NY has another in a string of amazing photography exhibitions in the US. Walker Evans American Photographs is another in a long line of great exhibitions at MOMA. If you’re in the New York City area, don’t miss this exhibition. It's only going to be around until early spring.

The exhibition will run through March 9, 2014.