SDuffyPhotography.blog

Friday Link Love

Happy Friday everyone! Here are this week’s links…

• As I mentioned yesterday, James Nachtwey is releasing some new photos today regarding a problem that, he believes, demands the world’s attention: extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis. You can see his images and learn more about the issue at http://www.xdrtb.org/.
• The GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP, has released version 2.6 of its free, open-source Photoshop alternative.
• A couple tips from PopPhoto Flash on how to increase the life of your batteries.
• Photopreneur has a great little article on the difference between amateur and professional photographers.
• Wanna spend $500 at the Apple Store? Scott Kelby is running a contest, asking people to send in photos taken with their iPhone for a chance to win a $500 Apple Store gift card.
• 10000 Words has put together an incredible list of amazing photoblogs. This list is really worth checking out!

That’s it for this week… Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!

Tags: batteries, gimp, iphone, links

Friday Link Love

Good morning everyone! Here are today’s links…

• Shutterpad has an interesting article on how to use prime lenses to become a better photographer. When I first started out, I heard everyone say “Oh, you gotta get a 50mm prime”. So I got one. I never use it. This article explains why I should.
• DIYPhotography.net has another article on building your own softbox.
• The Aftermath Project is looking to give out a $25,000 grant to a qualified documentary photographer. Deadline for entry is November 15th.
• As I begin to build my portfolio, I found this article interesting. It is a discussion on the value of portfolio review events.
• More on the portfolio subject… This article is the first of two posts from Mike Johnston on how to create your own portfolio.
• So we all know that the Olympics are happening right now… PopPhoto has listed the blogs of some Olympics sports photographers so you can get an idea of what the games are like for sports photographers.
• Are you an iPhone or iPod touch owner? I just discovered a new app that I am very excited about. Photocalc. Basically, it’s a calculator to determine proper exposure given certain adjustments in ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and flash. It will even use your location to determine the local sunset/sunrise times. This may not be extremely useful for you old pros, but for someone who is just venturing into the world of off-camera lighting, this is very cool. The app costs $2.99 in the App Store. Read a review of the app here.
• Finally, for all you DC photographers, I just launched a new site specifically for those of us in the DC area! It’s called DCPhotoGuide. Go check it out!

  That’s it for today… Do you have any interesting articles to share? Leave them in the comments!

  Tags: calculator, iphone, links, olympics, portfolio

The SDuffyPhotography Mobile Portal is live!

I’m very excited to announce the launch of the SDuffyPhotography Mobile Portal! With the advent of smartphones and the iPhone, in particular, the web has become more and more friendly to mobile devices and more and more people are browsing the web on small screens. As a result, I decided that it was time for me to hop on the mobile train. So with the help of MoFuse.com, I give you:

http://m.sduffyphotography.com

For those of you still sitting at your computers, this is what you’ll see on your mobile device (iPhone left, default mobile device right):

And, for you iPhone users out there, I’ve even created a webclip for easy bookmarking on your home screen.

I’ve decided not to automatically redirect mobile devices to the mobile sites. I wanted to give users, especially iPhone users, the option of browsing the regular site.

Please check out the site on your mobile device and let me know if you experience any problems.

Cheers!

Tags: cell, iphone, mobile, phone, Site News, webclip

Project Cameraphone Update

This cameraphone project is turning out to be a little tougher than I thought. I’ve been taking photos with my iPhone every day since I started the contest and I’ve learned four things:

• The iPhone’s camera is terrible
• The iPhone embeds very little EXIF data in its images
• The aperture appears fixed at f/2.8. Is this normal in cameraphones since the shutter is probably pretty slow?
• With no control over metering or white balance, monochrome is my friend

Anyway, here are a few iPhone photos from the last couple days:

 

Remember, if you want to win $100 from Amazon, be sure to check out the project details here and submit your photos here.

Tags: cameraphone, cell, iphone, phone, project

Photo Project: Cameraphones!

I’ll be the first to admit, I have never really been a fan of cell phone photos. Having a 5D almost always at my disposable has spoiled me somewhat. Not to mention, I just don’t feel like I have any control over the shot from a cell phone. But then I took the photo you see (below right) with my iPhone today and I was fairly impressed with the quality.

So, here’s an idea… I am going to take at least one photo per day for a month with my iPhone. On March 12th, I’ll share my best shots along with any tips and tricks I learned along the way.

Your challenge

I want all of you to join in this project with me and submit your photos to our new Flickr group: Project Cameraphone. The best photo and the best cameraphone tip each win a prize!

Details after the jump.

More »

Tags: cameraphone, cell, iphone, phone, project