A S C R A P B O O K O F S O L U T I O N S F O R T H E P H O T O G R A P H E R
Enhancing the enjoyment of taking pictures with news that matters, features that entertain and images that delight. Published frequently.
15 June 2023
In this recurring column, we highlight a few items we've run across that don't merit a full story of their own but are interesting enough to bring to your attention. This time we look at Mars, Arin Yoon, sensor size, ISOlessness, Nikon's firmware updates, camera density, bokeh, a lens cleaning kit, Lensbaby Omni adapter, American Photography Open and the Lucie Foundation scholarships.
- Grace Ebert presents a Mosaic of Mars from the Bruce Murray Laboratory for Planetary Visualization. "Using images captured by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the lab stitched together a 5.7 terapixel mosaic of the Martian planet, approximately rendering each pixel the size of a parking space," she writes.
- Suzanne Sease features Where the Tall Grass Sways, the personal project of Arin Yoon, a Korean American who connects her past and future through her photography. "Through this work, I re-examine my connection to this land, reconsidering overlooked histories, as I tap into my own forgotten memories, conjuring the past, creating new memories, all while exploring my connection to the natural landscape, to my children and to our past and future selves," Yoon writes.
- Jim Kasson discusses Sensor Format Size and Image Quality. Bigger is better but more expensive and heavier, too. "There is no magic," he points out.
- Kasson also suggests A New Way to Look at ISOlessness based on his two articles on Raw exposures in which he argued "you should only strive for exposure to the right (ETTR) at base ISO." He expands on that here.
- Nikon's Firmware Updates Continue to Puzzle, writes Thom Hogan as he compares the Z 8's firmware to the recent Z 9 firmware update.
- Mike Johnston discusses the importance of Camera Density in how a camera feels in the hand. "A pleasing density is part of what gives the equipment the aura of the deluxe," he writes.
- Jasenka Grujin demonstrates 21 Creative Uses of Bokeh."Bokeh is often as important as the main subject of the image because it contributes to the overall visual appeal of a certain scene," she writes.
- Chris Gampat suggests a few things for your Camera Lens Cleaning Kit. It doesn't have to be complicated but you do have to know what you're doing. We've relied on a LensPen and Kodak cleaning tissues and fluid for many, many years.
- Lensbaby has announced its $99.95 Omni Adapter for Composer Pro II Kit to add the Omni Filter System to the Composer Pro II to combine the Omni Creative Filter System with the Optic Swap System.
- The American Photography Open is now accepting submissions. Grand Prize is $5,000, a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2 for Sony mirrorless cameras ($899 value), a SanDisk 1-TB Extreme Pro Portable SSD, the choice of an 8x10 open edition print with a certificate from Vital Impacts, a PhotoShelter two-year Pro account and a two-hour business consultation with The Photo Closer. Finalists will receive a PhotoShelter one-year standard account and a SanDisk 128-GB Extreme Pro SD card.
- The Lucie Foundation has issued an open call for its 2023 Lucie Scholarships, four cash grants to support the work of emerging and established photographers. Deadline is Aug. 1.
More to come! Meanwhile, here's a look back. And please support our efforts...