Normally, you wouldn't use a 100mm macro lens to photograph a waterfall. Most times, if you're standing at the base of a waterfall, you reach into your bag and pull out a wide angle lens to capture the whole scene.

However, a couple weeks ago, I decided to try a longer focal length to get a more intimate view of only a portion of the waterfall. This is the result...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1 sec at f/32. Image Stabilization on. ISO 200. No post production.

Why This Photo: I have been to this waterfall several times so far, and I decided I wanted to find a different shot to come back with. Along with the TTV waterfall shots, I decided to isolate only a portion of the falls - to concentrate on the look of water cascading over the rough stone surface.

What Works: The slow shutter speed produced a nice soft look to the flowing water, while the sharp focus on the rock texture provides the nice juxtaposition between the two - particularly with the large portion of rock only partially obscured by the water in the bottom right corner.

What Doesn't Work: There is a small rock protruding into the frame in the bottom left corner. Additionally, the flow of the water is not as strong on the left edge of the frame. Perhaps a slightly tighter crop would eliminate these problems.

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

- Bill

Here's another shot from the perigee full moon from a couple weeks ago. After taking the shots or the moonrise up on Mount Washington, we stopped off at a nearby cemetery to see what kind of shots we could find there. It was really cold that night, so I rattled off a couple quick shots and then headed back home for some hot cocoa.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II at 55mm, 2.6 sec at f/5.7. ISO 200. No post production.

Why This Photo: With the large full moon, Anya suggested some spooky shots in the cemetery. Once I saw this tree with that distinct low limb, I decided to frame the moon in the middle of the branches.

What Works: The dark exposure adds to the spooky feel of the scene, and the branches of the tree wrapping the moon completes that sense.

What Doesn't Work: The moon is a bit over-exposed and becomes a harsh featureless spot instead of an ominous moon. The composition is lacking a bit - the evergreen bush on the left is pretty unbalanced, and the moon is a bit too close to center. Perhaps some post production cropping could help the cause.

Thanks for stopping by today.

- Bill

As promised many, many ages ago, I've finally processed that set of waterfall photos into an HDR image.

I used a freeware program called Picturenaut to produce the final HDR image. In the end, I like the image but wonder if the HDR was even worthwhile in this particular case (or given the range of exposures I used to built it).

After completing the HDR, here are my thoughts on the results:

• I should have cleaned up the scene some more - at this point, I find all the dead leaves distracting, and a nice clean rock and water scene would have been more pleasing.
• I need to pay more attention to the lens flares and water droplets on the front of the lens because they might not have been distracting in the original shots (and probably not even noticed on the LCD on the back of the camera), but they definitely are noticeable now.
• I should have selected a wider range of exposures to use for this kind of HDR set. Particularly, I should have explored the darker end of the set more - perhaps expanding down a further stop or two.
• I should have figured out what that spot in the middle of the frame was.

All in all, I am actually pretty pleased.

I've seen so many HDR images that have horrible halos around everything that they looked like you were looking at the scene through some crappy 3D vision glasses. As I'm sure you know by now, I am not a huge fan of post production work. I like to get the shot right once in the camera and leave it at that. I'm slowly coming around, but I still don't want to look at an image and tell it has been so overworked and couldn't possibly have come from a camera directly. It works for some folks, and sometimes it looks nice, but it just isn't for me.

Remember to stop back and check out the original post to get a bit of comparison, then drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

- Bill

Ok - as promised, here's the Christmas TTV! Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your holiday, and here's hoping you and your's a safe, happy, and healthy Christmas and New Year!

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D TTV Argus Seventy-Five, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 1/10 sec at f/8. ISO 200. Monopod and handheld. Cropped in Photoshop Elements 8.0. Phipps Conservatory.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D TTV Argus Seventy-Five, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 10 sec at f/9.9. ISO 200. Monopod and tripod mounted. Cropped in Photoshop Elements 8.0.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D TTV Argus Seventy-Five, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 1/21 sec at f/9.9. ISO 200. Monopod and handheld. Cropped in Photoshop Elements 8.0. Phipps Conservatory.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D TTV Anscoflex II (without a TTV contraption), Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 8 sec at f/9.9. ISO 200. Monopod and tripod mounted. Cropped in Photoshop Elements 8.0.

That last shot was done with my new Anscoflex II that Anya found for me! I shot it without the assistance of a TTV contraption which was definitely a challenge, but I love the different look it gives!

Anyway, Merry Christmas!

- Bill

PS: Just because, here's a bonus camera drawing shot...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 4 sec at f/22.6. ISO 200. No post production.

I debated putting this off another day or two, but I guess like the Grinch, I had a change of heart and decided to stick with my promise from yesterday and tell everyone how to do this awesome little trick today.

Again, this one is fairly easy, but does require more preparation than the other two techniques I showcased yesterday (but not too much).

You will need the following items: black heavy cardstock, craft punches or a craft knife, a fast lens (f/1.8 would be really great - so hopefully you bought that cheap 50mm f/1.8 lens). And here are the instructions:

1. Either trace the outside edge of the front of your lens or (as I did) measure the inside diameter of front of the lens (be sure to use the front of the lens, not the back where it attaches to your camera)
2. If you have access to one, use a circle punch of the correct size or cut the circle out with scissors - this will be your blank
3. Again, if you have access to various shaped craft punches, simply use them to punch out a shape in your blank. If you don't have one, or want to get more creative, draw a shape on your blank, then cut it out using a craft knife (like an X-Acto knife)
4. If you traced the lens, you will attach the shape punched disc to the end of your lens using some tape. If you measured and cut based on the inside diameter, you can place the disc inside the end of the lens (mine seems to stay simply by pressure and getting stuck in the filter threads)
5. Repeat the steps as many times as you want for as many shapes as you want to make!
6. Then simply fire away - for my shots, I was just defocusing the lens manually and shooting

If the above steps seem a bit daunting, or if you just prefer buying things, there is a kit from Lens Baby that comes with pre-cut shapes as well as extra blanks. Luckily for me, Anya does a ton of crafting, so I have access to all those punches. Either way, you're well on your way to making fun photos like these:

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/5th, 1/8th, 1/12th, 1/12th sec respectively at f/1.8, ISO 200. No Post Production.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tutorial - my Christmas gift to you. Hopefully it inspired you to give this fun technique a try. Sorry that today's set seem a little blurry - I didn't have time to reshoot them.

Tune in again soon... next up is the Christmas TTV!

- Bill

Welcome all, and Merry Christmas! I've got posts for at least today and tomorrow (and maybe a couple bonus days after Christmas - we'll have to see). I hope everyone is enjoying a safe and happy holiday season (whatever you celebrate).

I decided to pull out a couple abstract photography techniques tonight, so take a look and see what you think. These manage some very interesting looks, and are surprisingly easier than you might think!

Intentional Defocus

I got the idea for this one from this Adorama Learning Center article on creative ways to shoot your tree. They say you need a tripod, but I shot mine hand-held with no problem...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 1/8th sec at f/2.8. ISO 200. No post production.

This is the easiest technique of all. Turn on your Christmas tree's lights, turn off the room lights. Set your widest aperture, flip to manual focus mode, then completely defocus your shot to make the tree lights turn into large globes of colored light. Then fire away. Easy as sliding down a chimney (or so I've heard!).

If you want, you could adjust the focus a bit to meet somewhere in the middle, and give more of the outline of the tree - this would work great if you've got a nice dark background (perhaps an outdoor decorated tree). Experiment!

Camera Drawing

I don't know if that's what this technique is called or not - I'm sure I didn't just invent it, but I like that name, so we'll go with it. Actually - I just flipped through one of my creative photography books - it has a similar technique that involves tossing your camera, and of course there is the option to draw with your light while light painting.

But this technique gets a little more specific and detailed...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 5.2 sec at f/22.6. ISO 200. No post production.

This time, we're using the smallest aperture possible, which means you'll need a longer exposure (note this one was about 5 seconds long). I'd recommend shooting in manual mode, and playing around with the shutter speed to find what works well giving your amount of lights and complexity of your drawing.

Once you trip the shutter, intentionally "draw" your shape in the air with your camera. Unless you want to flip the shot in post production, you have to "draw" your shape upside down. It is a little tricky at first, but take your time and try it. It took me several shots to get these hearts drawn in a way I was happy with. Make slow, smooth motions and try to time the end of your "drawing" with the end of the exposure time or you'll end up with a bright spot.

Here's a couple other attempts:

So much fun! Ok - one more technique, but I'm just going to post a couple photos today - you'll have to stop back tomorrow (or maybe the day after - go enjoy the holiday with your friends and family) for the quick "how-to".

Use the now regular mouseover technique to get the small thumbnails to display in the larger image area.

This one was a ton of fun, and still pretty easy (though it does take a little more preparation). But I'll share that tomorrow.

Till then, go hang those stockings, set the cookies out, and spend some quality time with loved ones. And feel free to try out any of these techniques in between taking those memory saving photos.

- Bill

This won't be a comprehensive review by any means, but I figured I would try and get a little something pulled together. Plus I have been thinking about trying this photo for a little while now (basically since we decorated our Christmas tree this year).

This is my newest lens - the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. Like a previous lens review, let's go through quickly what the letters mean...

EF - Stands for Electro Focus, and you can read more here

100mm - This is the focal length obviously, this will fit nicely between my Tamron 180mm and Tokina 35mm macro lenses

f/2.8 - The maximum aperture - at 2.8, this is considered pretty "fast" glass due to the amount of light such a large aperture will allow into the camera, producing faster shutter speeds

L - I've heard multiple definitions for this single letter - the top runners are probably "low dispersion" and "luxury". Canon used to have a page dedicated to the line, but I can't seem to find it. Regardless, this is Canon's professional grade line of lenses. Identified by the red ring at the end of the lens barrel.

Macro - Many lenses get the "macro" label slapped on them, but unless they produce 1:1 magnification, I don't consider them true macro lenses (some people say 1:2 is close enough). What this means is that at 1:1 magnification, the subject is recorded at life-size on the image sensor.

IS - Image Stabilization, we'll discuss that a tiny bit more further down.

USM - Ultra Sonic Motor. This is the auto-focus motor and produces a much faster focusing, while staying almost completely silent. The other nice feature of a USM lens is that it allows for full time manual focusing - meaning you can make manual focusing adjustments even while in auto-focus mode.

I've had this lens on my wishlist for quite some time, and I finally pulled the trigger on it to use with photographing all of the macro life on the reefs in Wakatobi. So I pretended that these bubbler Christmas lights were some small reef invert and went about shooting. I also wanted to get a shot of these lights with the bubbles frozen in motion.

I know that's a fairly random set of changes, and none of them get into too much detail of showing the abilities of this lens. The clarity is very nice on every one of those shots - a testament to the quality glass used, but you only notice that on the fullsize versions.

The IS and non-IS versions are surprisingly not that far off (middle and bottom thumbnails on the right). This is probably due to some patient hand-holding techniques. Usually I'm happy if I can get 1/8th of a second with a handheld shot, and those are at 1/3rd! So perhaps I'll have to try that exercise again sometime.

I ended up using the pop-up flash and faster shutter speeds on several of these shots to help get those bubbles frozen in motion (instead of the blur from the longer shutter speeds), and really wish I could have diffused the light from the flash better to prevent that harsh glare on the glass of the light.

I promise I'll do a more thorough review of this lens in the future (probably not until after the dive trip though), but for now, I'm highly impressed with this lens.

Stay tuned as I have some more Christmas themed photos coming up to close out the week and get us into the holiday!

- Bill

Alright, as promised, I will get to some of the product reviews I've mentioned a few times already. Sorry though, I'm not ready to do my review of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM just yet. So instead, we'll look at the Canon BG-E7 Battery Grip and the Satechi TR-A Timer Remote Control.

This is actually a little funny... on one hand, I was nervous and apprehensive about buying a non-Canon battery grip (there are plenty of third party options that sell for much cheaper), yet I did end up with a non-Canon timer remote. In both cases, the third party products were roughly half the price, but there was just something about the battery grip, with it being so integrally involved in the power system of the camera that I just couldn't bring myself to trust a non-Canon product. This is something you'll have to debate for yourself I guess.

Canon BG-E7 Pros: Obviously, you buy this if you want to double your shooting time, and this obviously does that with no question. The connection to the camera is very snug and sturdy (I've seen others - usually third party products - that are a little wobbly), and all functionality is maintained at both shutter triggers with the additional scroll wheel and other buttons. Additionally, once I recover a little camera budget, I'll be able to go pick up the Canon Hand Strap E1 which only works with the battery grip attached.

Canon BG-E7 Cons: Aside from the price, my biggest gripe with this grip is the fact that the button feels different than the main shutter button. Why not make them feel identical in your hand? My hand has gotten used to 7D's button placement, why would a Canon product not replicate that identically? Also, like other third party grips, it has a separate on/off switch to activate/deactivate the additional buttons - why not use the camera's orientation to do that? The camera can automatically rotate my photos based on camera orientation, why not this?

The grip adds a good deal of weight to the camera too, but I'm not going to complain about that - I knew it would before buying it. And except for the feel in my hand, the cons are pretty minor - if you have a need for a longer battery life, it is worth it (just make sure you have plenty of battery packs to fill it - it doesn't come with any extras).

The photo above was from my attempt to capture the recent total lunar eclipse for a timelapse video. Unfortunately, I was unable to properly predict where the moon's path would take it, so the best I got was some orange clouds. However, the exercise was worthwhile to practice the use of anintervalometer.

I purchased this Satechi TR-A Timer Remote Control back in May, and haven't really done much to use it to its fullest potential. Before this, I had just been using it as a remote shutter release (very very handy for detailed macro and long exposure work).

But this remote also has the timer function that is very powerful. I can set any combination of the following:

o Delay before starting exposures
o Bulb exposure time (useful for exposures over 30 seconds)
o Interval between exposures
o Number of exposures (including infinity or basically until the battery runs out on something)
o Audible countdown beep warning (for the last 3 seconds before exposure)

So for example, last night, I set the timer around 10:30PM. I set a 1.5 hour delay at the beginning so my exposures wouldn't start till midnight. Then I had the remote do 30 second exposures every 2 minutes, set to infinity so I manually stopped the cycle in the morning when I woke up. Had I properly pointed my camera, I would have had 210 exposures of the night's lunar eclipse. Instead, I got 210 exposures of clouds.

Satechi TR-A Pros: Obviously, the price is much nicer than Canon's TC-80N3 ($60 versus $150), and from what I have read it does every feature that the Canon trigger does. The interface is simple to use, and as long as you slow down and think about what you actually want to do, is very easy to setup (I read multiple reviews of people getting confused with the setup, but I think they just were getting confused and didn't understand the manual's instructions). Lastly, the trigger works perfectly as a wired remote without needing to have batteries installed - great for saving battery life and not keeping the batteries installed in the unit!

Satechi TR-A Cons: Honestly, I read every single review of this product I could before committing to buying it, and I can only agree with a couple of the cons people found with this product. First, the backlight really does turn off far too quickly. It would be nice if the backlight had a lock-on function to make programming the remote in the dark much easier. Also, there is a red light that flashes while the camera is making an exposure - honestly, I see two things wrong with this: (1) it uses battery life and (2) depending on where you set the remote, could get picked up in your exposure. I like the option to have the flashing light, but give me the option to turn it off too.

All in all, again, we're looking at very minor cons that are far outweighed by the pros of these products. Both products are items that you might normally overlook as valuable to your photography, but once you have them, I think you really see the value in them.

I can't stress enough the value of the remote shutter release - and I'll argue the debate with anyone who wants to claim that a timer delay function on the camera is good enough. I know the battery grip is more of a luxury item, but a remote shutter release really should be part of every serious photographer's kit (whether it is a intervalometer model or not).

Well, I hope you enjoyed the double product review today, I know it got a little long, but they linked together for this recent project (even if I didn't get my eclipse timelapse like I wanted!) so I thought it worked well to review both together.

Stay tuned. I still owe you folks the lens review, and I know folks are waiting for the Christmas TTV (you didn't think I'd pass up a chance to get some more TTV in, did you?).

- Bill

I guess to call this a waterfall is a bit of a stretch, but I'm not sure what else to call it. Regardless, here are several more angles of it.

All Photos Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 1/3 sec at f/22.6. ISO 200. Dolica AX620B100 tripod. No post production. Cedar Creek Park, Westmoreland County, PA.

I know the middle one is pretty similar to yesterday's, but they are different angles. I like how each shot is different and has its own feel. Pick your favorite and drop me a comment with your critique.

- Bill

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 1/3 sec at f/22.6. ISO 200. Dolica AX620B100 tripod. No post production. Cedar Creek Park, Westmoreland County, PA.

Why This Photo: I was trying multiple angles of this small waterfall, this may be my favorite (maybe... I keep changing my mind).

What Works: The relatively long shutter speed worked to produce the soft, blurred stream of water, and the composition produces a very nice balance of the elements in the photo. The large flat rocks in the foreground provide a nice starting point for the viewer's eyes, leading into the striated layers of the rocks further back which curve the direction of the photo to the waterfall which rests nicely on one of the thirds. The water itself being the main focus of the shot produces a final line back out of the shot with the interesting curve of the water's path.

What Doesn't Work: Honestly, the image seems fairly monochrome (perhaps it would be better as a full black and white job). A splash of color might have brought some more "life" to this photo.

Like I said, I have several other angles of this small waterfall to share, so perhaps I'll get to them soon. For now, leave a comment and let me know what you think of this shot.

- Bill