Capturing Epic Sunrises and Sunsets

Epic sunrise or sunset shots -- the kind where the sky is ablaze with hues of red, yellow and lavender -- don't happen purely by luck.  We can't control the weather but we can pay attention to the kinds of conditions that are conducive to producing glorious sunrises and sunsets.  Here are some techniques I learned for capturing sunrises and sunsets.1.  Gotta have some clouds.  Just like a movie projector needs a screen, the sun...

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Updated Status of D600 Preorder

http://betterfamilyphotos.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-i-preordered-nikon-d600.h...

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Formal Portraits with a Flashmeter

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take portraits for two beautiful families.  I'll discuss the lighting setup as well as the equipment I used, including the Paul C. Buff CyberCommander, which not only controls Paul Buff strobes but also functions as a flashmeter.My friend asked me to take her daughter's graduation portrait.  It turned out that the official photographer for their school took everyone's photos but omitted the cap. ...

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Controlling Depth of Field

Do you like having a shallow depth of field?  As shallow (ahem) as it sounds, I confess, I still do.  That's why all but a couple of the lenses I have had have a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or wider.Meanwhile, take a look at these shots (all were taken with a Nikon D3).  Care to estimate the apertures I used?  [Don't cheat with the EXIF... :) ]Sample #1:Sample #2:How about these second set of samples?Sample #3:Sample #4:Hit the...

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Fayoum Desert Trip - Part 3

Sand Boarding In the previous part, we stopped the story telling at the "Whales Valley", we rested there until the sun's & the sand's heat became bearable for sand boarding, which was our next activity, click through to find out more. I have never done or seen any sand boarding before, and I was curious as to how the whole thing worked out. The drivers took us to some dunes with very soft sand (that of the type that enters beneath your focusing...

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How I preordered a Nikon D600

UPDATE: 9/18/12 - What ultimately happened to my preorder.UPDATE: 9/12/12 - Amazon.com now accepting preorders.http://betterfamilyphotos.blogspot.com/2012/09/amazoncom-accepting-nikon-d600-preorders.htmlUPDATED: 9/4/12 - SEE BELOW. I sold my D3 and preordered a Nikon D600.I am very sure that the D600 will be announced on or before Photokina, and I think there's a good chance it will be out by Christmas. I'm even more certain that the specs will...

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Fayoum Desert Trip - Part 2

The lake from the top In the first part of this series we stopped at having breakfast by the lake side, in this part we climb up to see the full lake and go to the "whales valley" to see some fossils and have a light lunch. Our breakfast location from the first part  Remember that picture? I showed it in the first part and told you to keep it in mind since I am going to refer to it, check that next picture, the red dot represents the place...

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