untapped.essence

Busy

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 01:27:00 +0000

School has made it difficult to be able to even think about this blog, along with the other numerous changes of my life. My computer died in October, and needed replacement. My images are loaded onto a 320GB IDE drive that used to belong to the old computer, but unfortunately this new computer does not have an IDE interface, instead completely using SATA. I hope to maybe have a picture up in the near future. I also plan to put a few reviews here on some consumer products.

I'm back

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:26:00 +0000

Alright, I apologize for no warning in advance, but I've taken a month of vacation. Now I'm back. I will be reformatting my computer tonight and will work on restoring it tomorrow and maybe the day after. Basically, I will fully return sometime this week.

PADKBFD/31

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:05:00 +0000

I have been very, very tired recently. Update flows can be late..

"Orange"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 8.5mm (equiv. to 40mm), 1/250, f/5.1, ISO 400, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, flash WB

Love how the colours just pop. Should've used a lower ISO.

PADKBFD/30

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:46:00 +0000

"Texture"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/75, f/3.4, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto no flash, daylight WB, cropped with SmugMug

Thirtieth PADKBFD! Anyone know what this is?

PADKBFD/29

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:51:00 +0000

I now contribute regularly to Wikinews. Check them out and contribute some news!

"Orca"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/148, f/4.3, ISO 200, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, flash WB, cropped in Picasa 2

This is a letter opener I got when I took a trip to Ottawa, ON. I purchased it from the Musée Canadien des Civilisations (or Canadian Museum of Civilizations for non-bilinguals, even though I have a limited high school knowledge of French) in Gatineau, QC, which is right across the Ottawa River. From what I remember, I believe it was designed by a local First Nations artist. The letter opener is very well made of stainless steel and is sharp like a knife. The Orca is supposed to symbolize a 'traveller' or drifter.

PADKBFD/28

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:14:00 +0000

I apologize for being late, I fell asleep.

Click to enlarge
"Too Caught Up in Their Lives"
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 26.3mm (equiv. to 123mm) 1/680, f/7.3, ISO 200, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, fluorescent WB

This was made inside of a car when leaving Metrotown Centre (the second largest mall in Canada and one of the largest in North America. This was underexposed by a huge margin but still expresses the message of people being 'too busy' to stop and smell the roses.

PADKBFD/27

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Right on the dot. Because of Canada Day and this being a favourite: a special extra large version.

"Sunrise, Vancouver"
Click image to enlarge.
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/170, f/5.4, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, AWB, cropped in Picasa 2

A Canada Day special. This is amongst my favourite images. I originally intended to upload this yesterday but I decided to push it a PADKBFD. No other comments.

Canada Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:29:00 +0000

It is July 1st and it's Canada Day! 141 years ago, on this day, the British North America Act made us a country. It is a national holiday (but some still have to work, like my dad). I am in a way patriotic and now have a large Canadian flag hanging from my balcony. Also, Independence Day for the Americans down south of here is on July 4th, so early "Happy Independence Day".

PADKBFD/26

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:41:00 +0000

"What a Mess!"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 10.1mm (equiv. to 47mm), 1/60, f/3.1, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, shutter priority, flash fired, flash WB, colour, exposure, and curves adjusted in Lightroom

This was a very technically challenging picture to take. My camera obviously has an on-camera flash, and I don't have an external flash. I spent an hour or two constructing my new macro table, which now has white paper reflectors on all sides, a removeable arched hood, slot for tripod and camera, and an opening for any external lighting. I used it for a flashlight mounted on a music stand as a lightstand. The flashlight can be used to illuminate dark photos, as well as it helps me better see what's going on inside when the hood is in place. I'd say it was worth it. And I get to keep the table for future shots.

Nikon D700

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:28:00 +0000

This is it. The Nikon D700 has been announced by Nikon to join the D3 in their FX lineup. It has the same 12.1MP full frame sensor as the D3. Basically it's a D3 with a D300's clothing. The robust body has a taller viewfinder hump (compared to the D300) to accomodate the larger pentaprism. It has 95% frame coverage but will still be much larger than any DX/APS-C viewfinder. Surprisingly, but possibly useful, there is a pop-up flash in which some would question the robustness of. The frame rate at 5 fps is one frame per second slower than the D300, but the optional battery grip increases it to an equal 8 fps, but both are still slower than the D3. Scheduled to launch in the summer, it is priced at about $3000 US body only.

Personally, this drives me completely crazy. I was leaning most towards the K20D and a lot of lenses for a large dSLR investment but now this drags me back. DSLRs that I consider are: Pentax K20D, Canon 5D, Nikon D300, and now the Nikon D700. Nikon's got a lot more speed than both the K20D and the 5D, plus an FX sensor for the D700. The D300 on Nikon's side is probably a more wise choice for me. Entering a new system is an investment, as you have lenses, flashes, etc. locked into the system.

Milestone

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:08:00 +0000

I have just noticed that the amount of posts in this month alone has surpassed all posts combined in 2007! I guess the 'PADKBFDs' convince me to keep coming back and occasionally make the odd post (like this one) here, rather than completely forget about the blog and site. I still keep the old posts around for archival purposes. People who have seen the older posts may have noticed a sizable shift of interest since then. I still love technology, it's just that there's not a lot to post about it.

But speaking of which, congratulations to Bill Gates, who is now retired from working at Microsoft. You have changed the world and the way we think, and Microsoft will never be the same without you. I hope you will further change the world and wish the best of luck for your future endeavours in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. You will be missed. Microsoft is now all Monkey Boy CEO Steve Ballmer..

PADKBFD/25

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:57:00 +0000

"Self-Portrait"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/106, f/3.8, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, daylight WB, cropped and converted to B/W in Picasa 2

This is my shadow projected on a wall during a sunrise shoot. I thought it might be good as an emotional black & white.

Also, check out the revised version of yesterday's PADKBFD (24).

Rumour: the Nikon D700

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:27:00 +0000

Rumours are flying around again that this week or in August, Nikon will release a new dSLR with the body of the D300, but the FX sensor of the D3, and with a slower framerate for continuous shooting. There is frenzied speculation that this direct competitor to the Canon 5D will be priced at around $3000-3500 US. There is also the long tireless rumour that Canon will also update it's immensely popular 5D to a Mark II revision. There are guesses that this week or in August Nikon will release the D700, and if not, at Photokina in September, along with the "5D MkII". Personally I think this would partly cannibalize D3 and D300 sales (but certainly not for journalists and sports photographers because of the speed). The image shown here is a Photoshopped D300 that spread around the internet, but was debunked by the appearance of the original image. This could be exciting news and if released, could pique my interest.

[Engadget]

PADKBFD/24

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:58:00 +0000

Whoo.. today had sweltering heat.

Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 4 sec., f/2.7, ISO 216, center-weighted metering, shutter priority, no flash, AWB, cropped and warmed colour temp. in Picasa 2

Alright, it isn't the best of images but Firefox kept on going berserk I'm surprised I could even upload this in the first place. I think it might be connected to Windows because the CPU usage was maxing erratically for extended periods of time, and not only Firefox, as the whole computer was going crazy. I couldn't even access my memory card! This long exposure was intended to be used in my secret (not so secret anymore) upcoming review of the P5100 and was supposed to demonstrate its low-light long exposure capabilities. This particular picture looks like it's daytime (well, before I warmed the image a bit). I promise to do an extra PADKBFD to make up for this one.

EDIT: PADKBFD/24 Compensation:

"Waking Up from Under the Covers"
Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 12.9mm (equiv. to 60mm), 1/8, f/3.5, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, daylight WB, aggressively cropped and soft focus effect in Picasa 2

This image is to compensate for the "just to make the quota" image yesterday. It was morning and my dog was rummaging under the sheets (she likes sleeping completely covered, unless it's a very warm night). She was just coming out because she knows it's morning and I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped this while she was just poking out. She looked surprised to see me there. I used a soft focus effect on this image in Picasa later (think Lensbabies) to emphasize the subject and to get rid of distracting elements.

PADKBFD/23

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:02:00 +0000

Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm) 1/30, f/2.7, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, AWB, partially edited in Lightroom, converted to B/W and cropped in Picasa 2

I tried to get an unusual angle so I had to bend perilously back over a balcony barrier like I was doing the Limbo to get this particular angle. I initially tried to post process this in Lightroom to see what I can make of the image (the JPEG that came out was very bland). It couldn't get appeal but I didn't want to scrap the image. I later converted it to black and white in Picasa and cropped it. It has an indescribable meaning to me, which protected it from the horrors of deletion initially.

PADKBFD/22

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:55:00 +0000

Click to enlarge image

Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/226, f/5.4, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, AWB, taken in 4:3, cropped to 3:2 in Picasa 2

Another sunset type situation. This time I was travelling on a bridge and this was through a tinted car window, which sort of acted like a UV/neutral density filter as well as changing the colour a bit. I cropped the image because there was lots of 'dead' black space at the bottom with no detail showing (unless I boost the shadows). I sometimes shoot in 3:2 and sometimes in 4:3 depending on situation.

PADKBFD/21

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:48:00 +0000

Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 26.3mm (equiv. to 123mm), 1/1000, f/7.3, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, AWB, cropped in Picasa 2

Reminds me of a an industrial plant because of the 'pipes'. This is another (yes, another, and another, and another) high contrast image and the camera can't cope with that kind of DR. There's slight clipping in the shadows and plenty of clipping in the highlights. Of course I always leave the contrast to +2 for more punchy images, so some fault on my part. Oh well. Anyways, this is actually in front of an IKEA store. The 'pipes' are the rails above that link the side rails of the shopping cart return. If you boost the shadows more, you can see a shopping cart symbol, but I cropped this image for effect so it's no longer in the frame.

PADKBFD/20

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:27:00 +0000

Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/276, f/5.4, ISO 200, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, fluorescent WB

I took this while visiting a relative and the sun was setting. The colours weren't really like this. I had accidentally left the white balance to fluorescent and this is how it turned out. I think it's very pretty.

Prints

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:40:00 +0000

I will be shutting off the ability to make prints from my galleries, like anyone visits my site anyways. This reason is solely to protect my interests, and to not seem like a commercial photographer.

Some Fuji stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:19:00 +0000

I've always liked Fujifilm to satisfy my needs so I've picked up some Sensia 100 for my first venture into colour reversal (slide) film. I'll see how it turns out, but I'm fairly certain my point&shoot film cameras will underexpose since of the low ISO. Well if I get it back ruined I guess it wouldn't matter. I still have two rolls of Superia X-TRA 800 (yes, the cheap film available at supermarkets) halfway through inside the cameras and with my erratic use, might be awhile till I use it. I have the Sensia in the freezer at the moment so it won't 'go bad'. I've also bought Fuji Premium Plus inkjet photo paper to try it out. So far it seems to be richer and warmer in colour and more matte in feeling and looks (less fingerprints!), but more thinner than the previous HP Premium Plus I've used for my Photosmart.

P.S. I have just realized when I looked at my feed that it's the middle of 2008, and the copyright footer still reads 2007! Doh!

PADKBFD/19

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:06:00 +0000

Yes I know I'm late again, but I was watching Discovery and lost track of the time.

Click to enlarge image
Casio Exilim EX-S880: 6.2mm (equiv. to 38mm), 1/400, f/8, ISO 64, spot metering, auto exp., no flash, AWB

I took this shot way back with my Casio and I'd always wanted to share it. I accidentally underexposed by a huge margin and rescued some of the shadows in Elements. This has a sort of "clearing of the storm" look in my opinion. It happened by accident but I like how it turned out. This is one of my favourite images because it was one of the first that turned out decently in my endeavours of photography.

PADKBFD/18

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:58:00 +0000

Yes I know I'm late. Nobody's perfect. But I feel guilty that I had all day to do it.

Click to enlarge image.
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1 sec., f/2.7, ISO 64, center-weighted metering, shutter priority, no flash, AWB

I shot this when the sun was just dissappearing behind the horizon. This is a pretty accurate rendition of what I saw, save for there was a greenish layer between the blue and the yellow of the sky, and the clouds near the top of the frame were not nearly that bright, but I boosted the shadows and I liked the effect. Quite a bit of noise though, but that's my fault for being slider happy with the Fill Light tool.

PADKBFD/17

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:35:00 +0000

Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm), 1/60, f/2.7, ISO 215, center-weighted metering, program auto, no flash, AWB

Don't look down! Okay, I know, that's lame. I tried to go for a perspective of looking down a building. It's actually the tower fan in my room.

PADKBFD/16

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:35:00 +0000

Let's get creative today:

Click to enlarge image
Nikon Coolpix P5100: 7.5mm (equiv. to 35mm in 35mm), 8 sec., f/2.7, ISO 176, center-weighted metering, shutter priority, no flash, AWB

This was a very very long exposure of eight seconds. I left the camera for two seconds to get the base houses and sky, then moved it all over the place to get the lines and streaks. To me it reminds me of either an electricity disaster, or Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (which was a pretty bad movie). I thought I'd get creative with the modes on the P5100.

PADKBFD/15

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:49:00 +0000

Click to enlarge image
RIP Casio Exilim EX-S880: 18.6mm (114mm equiv.), 1/60, f/5.2, ISO 200 multi-metering, auto exp., no flash, cloudy WB

Okay, I'm sorry but I was very lazy today and I admit I didn't really shoot anything at all except for a few long exposure night shots. I didn't use them for today's PADKBFD because I usually have a two day to a week turnaround for my workflow unless it's urgent. Yes, I'm that lazy to dump my card. I have like, 270 queued pictures that passed the "garbage photo filter" pending my full review and approval, and post-processing, if needed. Instead of organizing, like I should, I fiddled around with my printer because like the average consumer printer, it ruined my black and white prints because it used other colours to help substitute. So I pull out this photo from my Casio (god bless it in camera heaven). I like to think of this picture like a "Family Portrait".