Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Dragon

Lens Baby (3G) vs. Nikon's T/S lenses

2008-05-05T17:26:25Z

I was playing with the LensBaby at our wedding on Saturday and came out with this:

I'm considering an actual T/S lens. Nikon has a number of them in varying focal lengths. The only real drawback about the Nikkors, though, is that they're almost as expensive as our "workhorse" lenses (the three f/2.8 zooms).

My big gripe about the lensbaby was the difficulty in focusing it. I also don't like having to carry around a little magnet and a set of aperture rings in my pocket.

New pics are up

2008-05-05T04:00:55Z

Photos from yesterday's wedding are now up at digital_gus and the official RLP blog (http://reversedlensphotography.blogspot.com).

d_g post here.

Here we go...

2008-05-02T22:03:29Z

It's time for the bottom to drop out. I just hope I don't get sick this weekend with all the crap we're doing.

Also, it'd be nice if we could pick up a couple *large* bags of rice this weekend.

More Work

2008-04-25T17:58:08Z

I love sitting down with clients who like the idea of working with you. People you feel like you're really connecting with. That makes my day, sometimes even makes my week.

Needless to say, we booked something last night.

Fun Bat Mitzvah in October with a really cool family. They booked 8 hours of coverage (a significant chunk for a Bar / Bat) plus the photobooth. We threw in an extra session, our new "Full Bloom" session that we do with 10-14 y/o kids. They're a good family I'm going to enjoy working with. Best of all, I think they're probably going to refer a lot of people.

Did I mention things are going well?

Happy Birthday to My Love

2008-04-24T15:15:40Z

Today is Em's birthday. Em was actually born in December, but has celebrated her birthday in April for a number of years. The story about why is somewhat involved and I don't really feel the need to tell it again. If you're interested in why, best to hear the story directly from Em anyway.

Happy birthday, love. Hope you're sleeping in still.

Yum

2008-04-22T16:41:49Z

There's a chain of pizza restaurants here in town called Bellagio's. They're not full-on gourmet pizza, but they're definitely a step above places like Papa John's and Pizza Hut.

It was great to eat there again last night.

ETA:

Everyone here should know that I make pizza at home mostly. When we make pizza at home, the type varies. I've never tried a full-on Chicago deep-dish pizza, but I've done other stuff. I suppose we have the cast iron pan now, so I could give it a whirl. And, for the record, I'd much rather make pizza at home than blow my hard-earned cash at Papa Murphy's. I don't care for Papa Murphy's at all.

I tend to go for NY-style pizza. There's another local chain that I enjoy, Hot Lips Pizza, where we always used to go during finals week.That said, there's a place near where I work that serves more what I would call "Chicago Style" (thicker crust, tons of toppings, etc.) that I love to get pizza from.

The pizza we make at home is mostly like the super thin-crust stuff you get in California or Italy. Light sauce, light toppings, light cheese. It's about the experience, the flavors, not the size.

Sales

2008-04-21T23:19:16Z

It was a good week for us last week.

First of all, we had two wedding consults. One booked immediately (A Monday wedding for next season;) and the other one seemed pretty solid. I have high hopes that we're going to see the second pan out. Both gave us a good indication of where our advertising dollars are paying off, too -- invaluable info for us.

We also had two viewing sessions last week. Both families came in fully expecting to spend a good deal of coin on purchases after the fact. Both ordered over $1000 worth of product. Final orders aren't in quite yet, but we had orders for an amazing amount of product this week. Those two orders just paid for our TV. It also means we'll probably be getting that new lens sooner than expected.

Woo. Too much going on for me to keep track of it. We find out for sure on the second wedding consult on Wed. Thursday night is also another consultation -- this time for another Bat Mitzvah.

Keep talking about us, people! We're getting there!

BSG

2008-04-18T16:59:41Z

I watched the live stream today. This show is just getting too emotionally draining for me. It's a fabulous show, but I don't like walking away every time feeling completely exhausted.

Studio Space

2008-04-08T22:17:19Z

We got a call back about the studio space we had looked at previously. Not only is it going to work out, I think it's going to work out beautifully. Warranted, it will probably take a fair bit of work to get ready, including installing walls. Nevertheless, I'm pleased that it's going to work out so well and look forward to getting keys soon.

RLP is about to have its own address in downtown Portland. Details to follow as they become available.

To Do

2008-04-07T13:53:09Z

Orders to Submit
- G. Bat Mitzvah
- C. Family
- R. Family (3 y/o)
- S./S. Family Shoot
-
- Disks for ritzcrackerman

Design, Retouch
- Rep card basic design, submit for first two reps.
- B. Bar Mitzvah
- S. Family

Follow Up
- N&R: Booking? Wait until Wed.
- C. Family: look for payment today in mail, follow up if not there.
- W. Family: Follow up and confirm appt.
- Reps: schedule shoots with S.B. and A.M.

Research
- Plasma TV (esp. Panasonic). Call Video Only in Beaverton. If necessary, get ref. from Dad or ritzcrackerman about who they talked to.
- Pens for signing prints

To The Pea

2008-04-04T18:26:17Z

Happy Birthday, Peanut. Here's to another year.

I give up

2008-04-03T17:49:17Z

After much hemming and hawing, Em and I have decided to take the plunge and purchase Nikon's 70-200 f/2.8 VR. It's a fairly large investment (~$1700), but it's a piece of glass that I suspect will be around for quite a while. In any case, I'm sure we'll use it for a number of years before we replace it. Nikon just released their nanocoat-class lenses (the 24-70mm and 14-24mm), so I suppose there's a chance they'll revamp the 70-200, but the announcement wouldn't even come until November anyway. We need that lens for this season, and I'm sure there will be a good market for them if we ever opt to upgrade.

I just keep counting down what we still need:

2x Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 N
1x Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 N
At least one canvas for display
At least one flushmount album for display (Confirmed: we're buying this as a companion to one of the orders that was put in last month)
2x 13' lightstands
1x Tripod with pistol grip

The flushmount and canvas will probably happen later this month, as will the tripod. The product purchases from our shoots this weekend (Saturday: Bar Mitzvah, Sunday: Family Shoot) should be able to finance at least that much, if not the lightstands as well. The lenses will have to wait a bit longer, though.

I still need to pick up something so we can use the diffusers on the Alien Bees for the family shoot Sunday. I've got the gels for it, I just need something to soften the light a little. Perhaps a trip to Pro is in order.

Lightroom 2.0 Beta

2008-04-02T13:19:40Z

For those who did not read the announcement at DP Review, Adobe has now opened up the public beta for version 2.0 of Lightroom.

Lightroom is Adobe's non-destructive photo editing and organizational suite. This means that it edits all manner of options on an image, but stores the changes in a database or companion file, leaving the original image untouched. I've personally recommended this software to anyone, pro or amateur, who takes digital photos. It is at once an extremely efficient way to organize your photos as well as a powerful tool for editing them. Lightroom is even, in some ways, more powerful than Photoshop, as it makes certain tasks (notably, white balancing JPG files) much easier.

According to Adobe's website, new features include:

* Localized corrections — Enhance specific areas of an image for unsurpassed nondestructive flexibility and control reminiscent of the traditional darkroom dodge and burn experience.
* Improved organizational tools — Find the images you need quickly and easily.
* Multiple monitor support — Add an additional monitor to efficiently manage photographic workflow and presentation.
* Flexible print package functionality — Create custom layouts containing multiple sizes of a photograph on a single page.
* 64-bit support — Lightroom 2.0 now takes advantage of the latest hardware architectures with improved memory handling and performance.

Apparently, the release is very much still in beta, and is still designed to install along side installations of Lightroom 1.3.1. Personally, I think I'll probably give it a whirl on our laptop before I do anything. That way, I run absolutely no risk that it will cause damage to our client files. Adobe does not recommend trying to do any actual editing on the new version, as they cannot guarantee that files will transfer correctly between 2.0 beta and the official release, let alone the beta and 1.3.1.

If you've got a copy of Lightroom, the trial is indefinite; otherwise, you've got 30 days to try it out before it stops working.

Sources

- DP Review announcement: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0804/08040202lightroom2.asp
- Adobe Labs announcement: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom/
- Lightroom overview: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/

April Fools Jokes

2008-04-01T18:33:38Z

...are for dummies.

That is all.

Psychological Problems and Weather

2008-03-27T13:43:00Z

Dear Portland Weather,

This is an intervention. We all love and care about you. We like that you keep the plants green and the trees growing. We enjoy the scattered sunbreaks in the summer time. ~~We enjoy the month-long bouts of rain.~~ We are worried about you, which is why we are writing this letter. This morning, we in the Raleigh Hills area woke to snow falling. This can mean only one thing: you've stopped taking your medication again.

Please, let us finish. This is as hard for us as it is for you.

We know that you want to feel normal. We know that you feel like you can go without your antipsychotics. But it's not winter anymore, especially here. Please start taking your lithium again. We wouldn't want to see you end up in one of the state hospitals with an IV in your arm -- we know what poor shape they're in these days.

Your friends,

The damnportlanders

NO Content

2008-03-17T13:27:44Z

In protest of the recent changes at LJ, a number of people have proposed the following:

For one day, make no posts. Make no comments. Let there be NO new content added to LJ.

SUP obviously does not realize that Basic users have given something of value to them, that it is content that drives the site.

So, for one 24-hour period, from midnight GMT to midnight GMT, let's see how many people we can get to pledge to contribute NO CONTENT.

This will create a permanent downward spike in the daily-posts statistics, a permanent reminder of the power of the userbase.

Who's with me, and what date shall it be?

Edited to add: Date is this Friday, March 21. Spread the word!

If anyone is interested in joining me this Friday, please leave a note here.

Notes on Radio Slaves

2008-03-06T21:59:30Z

Recently, I've been doing some research on radio slaves. A friend suggested that the community might benefit from some of the information I've dug up over the last few days, so here it is.

What is a Radio Slave
Radio slaves are a wireless transmitter, kinda like your garage door opener, that are used to trigger flash equipment. Most studio lights and higher-end speedlights offer a connection of some sort for a slave. Most slaves simply relay the "fire" command to the strobe, though there are some exceptions to this.

Brands

Pocket Wizard
Pocket Wizards are pretty much the industry-standard for radio slaves. They're also among the most expensive. They're also distinguished by a good deal of third-party equipment which will work with them.

Price: ~$400 for two low-end transceivers, ~$600 for the higher-end set.
Range: 1600' for either model
Pros: Range, interaction with 3rd party devices, patently reliable.
Cons: Hot-shoe mount leaves you with a giant antenna on top of your camera. Larger, heavier than some models. Expensive.

Bowen
Apparently, Bowen makes their own transceiver, but I can't find anyone who's used them before. There are a few reviews out there on the store sites (B&H, Adorama, Amazon, etc.), but nothing particularly conclusive.

Price: ~$275 for two transceivers
Range: ~300'
Pros: Cheaper, smaller and lighter than the PWs.
Cons: Shorter range, not a lot of reviews.

Elinchrom
Swiss manufacturer Elinchrom has just come out with a new lighting control system that includes wireless slaves. While it can't use the 3rd party gear, it still has quite a few advantages. Specifically, if you use Elinchrome lights with the slaves, it's possible to group and adjust the lights in 1/10 stop increments. Basically, it turns into a wireless remote system on par with Nikon / Canon's with better range and no TTL.

Price: ~$180 for a Tx/Rx pair.
Range: ~300'
Pros: Cheap, good range, among the smallest and lightest systems available. Very powerful when used with other Elinchrom gear. Very good battery life.
Cons: Limited range (as compared to the PW), don't look very durable, some proprietary equipment required.

Notes: Check out a review here. These will burn out if used with a strobe that produce more than 50 volts of current.

eBay Slaves
A number of enterprising gentlemen (or ladies, as the case might be) have decided to get into the radio slave market. They produce cheap radio slaves and sell them on eBay. The reliability is questionable and the build quality is, frankly, in the toilet. But they work. Most of the time. And they're cheap enough that you can purchase a set for less than you'd spend on dinner at Red Robin (Or Chili's, or Buffalo Wild Wings, or even Olive Garden. I'm not one to discriminate.).

Price: ~$40 for one Tx/Rx pair. (With shipping)
Range: 10'-100' (See below)
Pros: Cheap. Super, super cheap. If you lose / break / eat one, you can still afford to replace it.
Cons: Signal has been known to create RF interference with some cameras (notably, the Canon 5D). Not reliable at close range (<10'-15'). Not reliable generally (maybe 90% success rate). Low build quality.

Notes: These are good for someone just getting into lighting. They're not really for someone who *needs* it to work. I probably wouldn't even trust them in a studio.

RadioPoppers
Radio poppers almost belong in their own class. They're not like a traditional radio slave where they only send a single fire command -- they send full TTL info. RadioPopper is working on a basic slave (Non-TTL, 2000' range), but it hasn't gone into production yet and they're recommending that, if you *need* it to work, you should get something better.

Price: $275 for one Tx/Rx pair.
Range: 300'
Pros: Full TTL support. Reasonable range.
Cons: Brand new product without a whole lot of real-world info as yet.

So there it is. I hope this helps some people out. I've certainly learned a lot in the last week.

Black Bean Soup

2008-03-06T13:25:18Z

I've made this a couple of nights now and I think I'm getting a handle on how I like to flavor it. Here's the basic rundown. Makes 3-6 servings, depending on the size of the serving.

- 24oz cooked black beans.
- 12oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup finely-chopped cilantro
- 1/2 a medium onion, diced.
- 2 small red peppers, sliced thin.
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1-2 tsp cumin (optional)
- 1 whole chipotle, diced so fine it's almost a paste. (also optional)
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive oil

In a sauce pan, saute onions, garlic, and red pepper in olive oil until all are soft. When all are cooked, add in tomato sauce and some of the cilantro. Let this simmer for a bit so the flavors marry up. Add in beans and lime juice. Bring up to heat and add cumin (optional) and the chipotle (also optional). Stir these in and add the remainder of the cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste.

I find that adding a dollop of sour cream when served really makes this. It's also great served with tortilla chips and a little bit of melted cheese. If you opt to serve it with rice, make sure it's brown and not white rice. I suppose some sort of "doctored" white rice would work as well, though (ie, Spanish Rice).

Birthday Dinner

2008-03-05T19:28:29Z

Em and I went to Tabla with my folks last night for dinner. If you get a chance, get on their website and take a look at the menu. It's awesome. By far, the best deal is the Prix Fixe menu, which allows you to select three items for $24. Here's what we got:

Course One
- Ahi Tuna Carpaccio with a small arugula salad. (Me)
- Radicchio salad: arugula, endive, blue poppy seed dressing, honey, humbolt fog cheese, pear (Em)
- Steamer Clams: italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, white wine, garlic toast (Step Dad)
- Butter Lettuce Salad: creamy lemon vinaigrette, toasted bread crumbs, grana padano (Mom)
I don't recall what Dad got.

Course Two
- Cappelletti: fresh mozzarella, mint lled pasta, pepperonata (Em)
- Rabbit Ragu Pappardelle: house made pasta, braised rabbit, white wine, porcini mushrooms, tomatoes (Dad and Me)
- Tabla Ravioli: house made, chard, ricotta, poached egg, poppy seed butter (Step Dad)
Mom got another order of the Steamer Clams for the rest of us to share.

Course Three
- Duck Confit (Em)
- Boar Shoulder (Me)
Everyone else had steak.

It was freaking awesome. AWESOME.

Another Poll

2008-01-30T15:44:20Z

I'm doing more research for Ye Olde Businesse, so I'm putting up another poll.

View Poll: Photography

Snow Day and a Poll

2008-01-28T15:32:15Z

View Poll: Politics and the Economy

Always Trim Before Cooking

2008-01-28T13:16:34Z

Friends cut in progress. If you have comments / questions / concerns / dramas, post them here.

Are you serious?

2008-01-18T19:46:08Z

I just found this article (from KSL.com, via Dooce.com). I'm so glad I don't live in Provo anymore.

Some students say health club showing pornography
January 16th, 2008 @ 10:00pm

Sam Penrod reporting

Some college students in Utah County are calling some music videos pornographic, and they are trying to get a health club to take them off its screen.

The controversy involves two Gold's Gym locations in Utah County frequented by BYU and UVSC students. Five organizations are banding together to keep the videos from being shown at the gyms.

The organizations that fight pornography in the community are upset with the videos at the gym and say they have collected nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition calling on Gold's Gym to quit showing the videos.

Gold's Gym officials here in Utah agreed to hear their concerns this afternoon, as the students prepared to protest.

The Gold's Gym near the BYU campus is one of 19 Gold's Gyms in Utah. A majority of this gym's customers are BYU students. Dallen Johnson says, "I've had to leave, honestly! There have been four times I've run out of the cardio cinema because of racy and inappropriate things being shown, things I personally view as pornography."

The students have documented five music videos played on the Gold's Gym music video network which they call objectionable. Jesse Yaffe says, "Once you are a member here, you basically don't have the choice anymore. You're forced to watch indecent material because you go where there's a TV. They've got the Gold's Gym membership network, and certain videos they play are extremely indecent, and some are outright pornography."

The protesters say Gold's Gym is not the only business they are concerned about. "The things I see the most is people have no idea how it affects people and how widespread it is and how serious of an issue it is," says Nicole Braden.

Managers at Gold's Gym told Eyewitness News today they use Gold's TV network instead of cable channels like MTV to offer more conservative videos but can't control individual videos that are shown.

They say cardio machines have individual monitors which allow gym members to watch any channel they want.

Gold's says music helps to energize people who are there to exercise and say they don't want anyone to be offended at the gym during their workout experience.

The students gave Gold's 10 days to remedy their concerns before they start picketing the health club. They outlined four specific issues they'd like resolved:

* No rated R movies or sexually explicit or racy PG-13 movies.

* Change the content of Gold's Broadcasting Network or don't show the Network.

* Keep external TV's on decent and clean stations, or let members choose the channels themselves.

* Install blinds on the aerobics room to block the dancing, which is very provocative.

My parents would be shocked

2008-01-06T07:28:50Z

Both my mom and dad would be shocked to learn that their little boy is a flaming liberal. Not that I'm taking my voting cues from an online quiz, but I'm sorta surprised as well.

77% Hillary Clinton
76% Barack Obama
75% John Edwards
74% Chris Dodd
71% Joe Biden
68% Dennis Kucinich
68% Mike Gravel
63% Bill Richardson
55% Rudy Giuliani
41% John McCain
33% Mike Huckabee
33% Tom Tancredo
31% Mitt Romney
24% Ron Paul
20% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

winter_in_asia @ 2007-12-24T12:33:00

2007-12-24T20:54:16Z

1 16oz can of black beans
8oz of tomato sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chipotle, diced fine (Optional)
2 TBSP ground coriander
1 lime, juiced
2 tsp Cumin
2 green onions, green and white parts diced
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Mix everything together in a saucepan and heat until garlic and green onions are cooked and the flavors have had an opportunity to mingle. Serve over brown rice with cheese and chips or flour tortillas.