Monthly Archives: June 2010

I Heart Faces: Pets

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This is the first time I’ll be entering a photo to the I Heart Faces Weekly Challenge. :)

Presenting: Snow Pea!

Snow Pea was a very little pup when this photo was taken in January. We had just given our Zune a bath (also a Shih Tzu, but already 3 years old) and Snow Pea came along for a quick bath too. He belongs to the neighbors (my nephew). He does NOT like the water, nor does he like having his hair combed. Alfred tried his best to be both firm and gentle the whole time, while I was just there watching, and restraining our Zune who seemed like he wanted in on the fun again.

Five months after the photo was taken, Snow Pea is still cute and every bit as playful. He still doesn’t like baths, specially now when it almost always means he gets a girly looking topknot!

Do share your pet photos and enter this week’s I Heart Faces challenge! :)

Shutter Life

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Today’s words are Actuations and Shutter Count. These two refer to the same thing: the number of times your camera’s shutter mechanism has worked to take a photo. Simply put, it’s how many shots you’ve taken with your camera.

When I first started looking for a camera to purchase, I entertained the idea of getting pre-loved gear. Thing is, I had no idea what to watch out for so I asked friends to help me out. I didn’t want to be scammed into buying a camera that wasn’t worth the money! One of the first things I was told is that, you need to ask the seller the number of actuations the camera already has, specially if they didn’t post it. Ahh, I said. But deep inside, I didn’t know what actuations were and why they were important.

So why is it important to know your camera’s actuations? It gives you an idea of your camera’s Shutter Life, or how many more photos can you capture before your shutter bombs out. I researched about this just now, and read an interesting discussion over at The Digital Photography School on whether reaching the maximum actuations means the end of your camera or not.  I found the comments more interesting than the article itself. :)

Is it what that means? Will reaching your maximum number of actuations signal the death of your well loved camera? A Nikon D90 has been tested up to 100,000 clicks. What this simply means is that the Shutter mechanism has been tested to keep working even up to taking a hundred thousand photos. Once it reaches a hundred thousand, will your camera refuse to turn on and take more photos? Not necessarily. We have to understand that the camera is a mechanical device and its components can be quite fragile. That’s why we have to take care of it right? Now a hundred thousand clicks is just a number, that may mean that the camera has been tested up to that point. It may actually take more or less than that number before the shutter mechanism completely gives. The scary part is if it fails before the number of clicks it was tested for.

It’s very important to note though, that the death of your shutter mechanism does not have to mean the end of your camera. You can still have the shutter replaced at a trusted camera repair shop. It costs anywhere between 200-300 USD. A fairly recent thread at the Digital Photographer Philippines forum discussed D80 owners who have had their shutter mechanism replaced/repaired. Another important thing to remember, that cameras have been tested to take soooo many shots, upto 100k for the D90 and it will take years for me to reach that. By then, it will probably be time to upgrade :)

So there’s really no need to worry. Just take all the photos you want to take. As a newbie photographer, it rarely happens that the first take is the best shot. Sometimes it takes a few tries before you warm up, specially to find the settings that work for you given your current location and lighting conditions. So I probably won’t be checking on my shutter count all too often. And all this talk about actuations will surely not change the way I shoot, or prevent me from letting my nephew try taking photos using my camera. Increasing your shutter count is just like mileage on a car, the more you rack up, the more fun you’ve had. :)

Anyway, I ended up buying a brand new camera, and I didn’t even bother checking the shutter count after purchase because I trusted the store not to have given me a refurb or second hand body. I realize now, that perhaps I should have. Not so I would know how much time I will have left with my camera, but so I would know if it really was brand new or not. :)

Useful links:

Do you have more useful links on the subject? Tell me about it in the Comments box and I’ll add them up here. :)

*Shutter mechanism photo courtesy of Dpreview.com

Camera Bags

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When I first started out in photography (OMG I sound like I’ve been at this a long time, and as if I’m any good!), I told myself that I really don’t have the money to be spending stuff on fancy gear. I resolved that I would learn about the art/craft first, and then find the gear later. I’ve pretty much stuck to that.

Except that I did spend money on some gear, if you may call them that.

I bought a macro filter. I’ve always just been fascinated by macro photography and sadly, the kit lens wasn’t allowing me much of that. Then on a visit to this photography specialty store near the office one afternoon (wow, it’s exactly been a year since then!), I saw those macro filters. I just had to have one.  Macro filters usually come in sets, and there’s a number corresponding to how many times the image is magnified. Rather than getting a set, I just bought one piece, a +10. Here’s how a set looks like though:

Click photo to learn more about this set

The one I got cost less than ten dollars. Yes, it’s way cheaper than buying an actual macro lens. :)

Another “gear” I’ve spent on is a second lens. Well actually, since upgrading to a D90, it’s been the only lens I’ve used. I got me a prime 50mm lens. My friend had it for a few months (about three or so) but needed to sell his gear in preparation for upgrading. I have loved using it on my D60 then, and now on my Deena too. :)

My biggest expense so far? My camera bags. Yes there are two. The first one is a Crumpler bag, part of the Million Dollar Home series.

That’s how it looks like. Not bad, eh? Click on the photo for a closer look. Set me back around 50 USD or so. Here, that’s a lot of money for a bag. I convinced myself that it was necessary. I needed a bag to carry my bag in. The freebie black bag I got when I bought it simply wasn’t chic enough :) Nah. The black bag wasn’t good enough to carry my other day to day stuff in. I had this brown bag with me a lot, including three weddings I attended in the past year.

But you know what? When I’m on “business attire” for work, or a little dressed up for a wedding, the bag just doesn’t work with the outfit. You know what I mean? So when I read about Epiphanie Bags, I just had to have one. A few months back, I had the funds, and friends who attended a training in the US – perfect combination which afforded me the chance to get my Ginger. She looks like so:

I love having her. I carry her with me all the time, even to the beach! My only worry is that I might wear her out before her time. I don’t have a second camera bag, because the boyfriend is using the Crumpler for Maxine, which he now owns. I would also love to get a Lola, specially since they came out with a black version of the original red stunner. But it’s just too expensive.

Then today, while out blog hopping, I saw this post about another camera bag. It’s a post by Michelle Johnson, co-founder of the site Open Scrapbook and she was talking about her pretty new bag. I am thankful that she included a link to the store she bought it from: Martilena’s shop at Etsy. I’ve had their site open for hours! The bags are more affordable than my Ginger. They have designs well in the range of the Crumpler, but with prints :) You also get to choose a fabric from the seller’s stash for use in the bags. I checked them out, and I’ve got two top choices already. Sigh.

The bag on sale for $44 is this one:

Photo courtesy of Martilena's Etsy page. (Knox)

The only thing setting me back is that my Uncle is already coming home on Sunday. I have purchased stuff off the Internet before and had them delivered to his house in California. He then brought them home to me when he comes home for vacation. Since the bags take three to four weeks to ship, I can’t count on having him bring it back with him and save on shipping. So I guess I’ll have to wait for another opportunity.

Wait, I almost forgot the point of this post. Don’t let yourself get carried away with talk of photography gear. That includes bags, lenses, flash, and other accessories. If you really haven’t found your own voice, all those things won’t really make your photography any better. A good photographer is more than the sum of all her gear.

Read up: Photography Magazines

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[Photo courtesy of the DPP Website]

Another way to learn about this craft is to read up. There are many photography magazines out there that provide tips and tricks of the trade. Often, they feature professional photographers who willingly share some secrets to their captivating photos.

The cost of the magazines is something to consider though. They do not come cheap. In our local bookstores, I’ve seen digital photography magazines from the US and the UK that are way beyond what I would be willing to pay for a magazine. They do often come with CDs of software that you can use for post-processing so I guess in a way that balances the cost.

Here in the Philippines, the Digital Photographer Philippines or DPP is probably the leading magazine for photography enthusiasts. The boyfriend and I recently bought four issues. We were lucky that there were ‘back issues’ being sold at this magazine stand. They were offered at full prize though. You see, there really are no back issues for the mag. I guess they don’t print too many of those so there’s a big demand for them. Years after the first few issues of the ‘zine have been sold out, people (like me) are still looking for copies. We once bought an issue, but the great flood damaged it greatly. :(

A copy costs 295 pesos, or USD6.50 by current exchange rates. Not cheap. Is it worth it? I think so. One thing to take note though is that more often than not, you need to have some knowledge of the craft already for you to fully appreciate the tips that you provide. I must admit, I need to reread their articles and really give it some effort before I can take it all in. I guess then, it’s not exactly for the newbie photographer. I suggest reading online magazines (run a search on “photography magazine” and you’ll see results for online versions of those in print) first and reading blogs on photography to grasp the basics. This way you don’t spend a dime.

In time, these magazines will turn out to be good investments. I know mine already are. :)