I’m clumsy, it’s because I’m tall, and sometimes getting to that perfect location to take a photograph is a real chore for me. Recently, while in England, a friend made me trek up Twistelton Scar to photograph an area that is simply amazing. Before we started the climb, she loaned me one of her walking sticks, cause I was whining. I whine alot when I’m about to start a long hike. Well, gosh, the walking stick really helped me get up the hill (I would describe it as a mountain, but that’s because I live in Florida). And after our six-hour trek, I returned the walking stick to my friend with my thanks.

When I returned from England to Florida I thought about how useful the walking stick was for me. It helped me get across streams filled with slippery rocks, it helped me climb rocky areas, and it kept me from falling down on icy rocks at the top of the scar. So, I thought, well, I need to buy one to take with me on my next photo travel adventure. Then, I got to looking at my monopod, duh, I usually pack one on a trip. Why not turn the monopod into a walking stick? Course, it is a walking stick as it is and needs no modifications. That is, except for the screw head at the top, the one you mount into your camera or lens. It protrudes out. And it does not have the refined look I wanted. So, I got to thinking about something that I could screw on top of the monopod that would make it look cool. So, I went into my garage and started looking around. I found an old cabinet knob that had the right screw diameter. I just screwed it onto the monopod, and walla, I now have a cool looking walking stick that serves two purposes, one for walking in tough terrain, and one for use with my camera.

Cabinet knobs come in an incredible array of styles and sizes. Some of them have really cool metal designs. Like this one made of pewter and has a raised sea turtle. I like turtles. A trip to a local building supply store might be a good idea. There are so many styles available it is likely that you will have a tough time deciding which one looks best on your monopod. The key is to find a cabinet knob that has the right screw size. Most monopods that screw into a camera or lens directly are 1/4″ in size. Just look around for a cabinet knob that has that diameter and your’re in business.

And now, when I’m in Scotland, I can walk into a pub and not be concerned about what others might think about me using a monopod as a walking stick, cause it really looks cool. And to think, I almost bought an unnecessary walking stick for lots of bucks when I already owned the perfect solution. And, BTW, sometimes when I’m roaming around the swamps of Florida, I run across a rattle snake. The monopod is really handy to move it out of my way.

BTW, stop by Photo Travel Review, an exciting new website that myself and two other photographers have created, and check out our Gear Tab for more suggestions on useful stuff.

Two other photographers have joined me in the creation of a new Internet site devoted to photography and travel.

Photo Travel Review will present articles about photography and travel, list photographic seminars, tours, and workshops, review seminars, review equipment associated with photography and travel, evaluate tour companies, and provide others the opportunity to write articles as guests.

The idea for the Internet website grew out of our frustration about finding one place where one could go to explore opportunities for doing photography and improving our skills. There was no Internet website that gathered this information into one place. So, Photo Travel Review was created.

I hope you take the time to visit the website and provide me with feedback regarding content you would like to see posted there. As well, if you would like to write a photo travel article, let me know, we are looking for articles about remote locations throughout the world.

Scotland promises good light if one is willing to tread upwards across muddy paths filled with rocks and grasses depressed from the steps taken by sheep; it is not an easy tread to find that special place, and then to await in the rain and wind and the hail for the light to bless the land, and perhaps the camera.

But when the light falls upon the frame, magical things happen. Sometimes it is difficult to frame the scene, since just looking is overwhelming, it dominates the soul, and brings joy just from being there, despite the cold wind and the running nose.

Searching for a tissue, I find some relief from the cold wind upon my nose. I am warm though, four layers of clothing finding warmth from within, and the evening is delightful and the light is there if I can only capture it for one splendid second.

And next evening, sitting there on a rock at Elgol on the Isle of Skye, the light dances for me as it always does in this magical land.

Very much the same on a very cold morning along a roadway leading from Broadford to Torrin. Despite my runny nose, I manage to capture light only that Scotland can provide.

Yes, Scotland, land of my ancestors, the perfect place for one who desires to master landscape photography.

And the perfect place too for using my little Canon Powershot G9. I have to admit that the little beast produced some great shots. Yet I still carry around my heavy 1Ds Mark II. But this shot from the G9 ain’t bad.

If interested, take a look at my “New Works” section of my website as I add more photographs from my most recent trip. And, BTW, one of the outcomes of the journey is the birth of a new website that I will introduce soon, one about photography and travel, with detailed reviews of places, seminars, workshops, and travel equipment. Stay tuned.

Bill

Until April 12, I will not be making entries in this blog as I am traveling to Scotland, my beloved land.  While away I have turned off comments because I can’t moderate them while traveling.

Soon I hope to explore again the rugged beauty of Rannoch Moor and the Isle of Skye.

And there to walk in the morning mists, and feel the chill of the crisp wind, and delight as the sun lights the rugged shores.

Of all the places I have been on this gentle earth, Scotland more than anywhere else, remains my favorite place. There, the land, very much like the peoples it has produced, is eternal.

My best wishes to those of you who visit here. Soon, I hope to share with you new images of this emotive land.

Best regards,

Bill

Ken Rockwell says no. See his article here.

Michael Reichmann says yes. See his article here.

Who are these guys?

Ken Rockwell does camera reviews on his website and is different in his approach to such reviews.

Michael Reichmann has a great website that evaluates equipment, talks about all kinds of new stuff, and is very informative.

Reichmann probably gets the most traffic at his site. So, he is sorta respected.

Rockwell, on the other hand, is just a guy who likes photography and writes about stuff with a straight forward approach.

So, why would Reichmann, the guru, take on Rockwell, the sometimes commentor? I don’t have a clue, unless Rockwell is getting more interest than Reichmann. Who knows. Rockwell is certainly discussed a great deal on the Internet, and some of the comments about his stuff aren’t exactly positive.

What started this was when Rockwell put up a post on his website about whether a better camera will make one a better photographer. He dismissed that idea, saying that it is the photographer, not the camera that matters.

Along comes Reichmann, who attacks Rockwell, with few examples to sustain his arguments, saying that yes, indeed, absolutely, a better camera will make you a better photographer.

Hum.

And here I sit, dumb me, just an average Joe, who likes photography, and I am perplexed. As I often am.

Well, it has been an interesting read.

But let me put my two cents into this interesting argument, spawned by the attack of Reichmann on Rockwell.

Let’s talk some facts here. In 2003, the latest data I can find, 50 million digital cameras were sold worldwide. WOW. I would bet that number has grown dramatically in recent years. The fact is, there are lots of people on the planet who are taking photographs. And what are they taking photographs of?

My guess is:

1. Their children.

2. Family events.

3. Parties.

4. Weddings.

5. Travel photos.

That’s 99% of it.

Now, there are some other folks out there. You know, the ones who think that their work is art. And there are hundreds of them, and their stuff is all over the Internet. Maybe a bizillion photographs are now on the web, all showing unique and different ideas about what a photograph should be. It’s sorta mind-boggling to look around. I mean, wow, so much to look at and consider.

And, added to all this are the reviewers. You know, the guys who review equipment. Course, I gotta say, they do it to make money. Ho hum.

And then there are the seminars. WOW. Let’s fly down to Costa Rica and take shots of Humming Birds, or venture off to Iceland and photograph waterfalls and ice and stuff, or make the ultimate trip and manage to get to Antarctia!

In the meantime, probably around 100,000,000 people are taking shots of an office party, or their kid kicking a soccer ball, or an out of focus shot of Uncle Henry at the Grand Canyon.

And, enter Sony, Canon, Nikon and others who keep producing stuff that we MUST buy. More megapixels, better dynamic range, higher ISOs, etc. etc. etc.

You gotta wonder.

So back to the purpose of this post. It’s real simple with me. Buy a camera you can afford, and go take some photographs. You know, the stuff YOU LIKE. Flowers, a new-born child, a shot of your grandmother on her front porch, your five-year-old and his cat, Uncle Henry turning 90, your car. Gosh don’t forget your car!

And by way of example, here are two shots of a friend’s car. One was done with the Canon 1Ds Mark II, the other with the Canon Powershot G9. Can you tell which camera took which shot?

So, my point is, take some photographs with whatever camera you have. And then, take the time to share your photos with those you love. And, years from now, thumb through an albumn and remember that special time that meant something to you.

If you do that, you will have found what photography is really about.

It’s not the camera, it’s not the photographer, it’s that special moment in time that means something special to you and the ones you love. So, for gosh sakes, don’t believe for a second that you have to spend thousands of dollars to record those moments!

But I must add a post script here. I have to wonder seriously whether van Gogh would have been a better painter had he used modern brushes. And further still, if I were to go buy the best brushes, the best paints, the best canvas, and had a modern studio, if I could produce anything at all like what he produced. And the answer to that question is an emphatic “NO!” Talent is the most important ingredient in any endeavor, along with persistence and focus.

For the vast majority of us who do photography, the Rockwell/Reichmann discussions may prompt us to consider that a camera is nothing more than an extension of the mind. And, as in the oriental way of thinking, the photograph is done before the shutter is released.

In sum, photography is the art form of the current era. It manifests itself in ordinary stuff. But, that ordinary stuff is very powerful for most of us who record something that we like. For the more serious of us, those who aspire to use photography as it is, an art form of very great power, it is the thought behind the image than is most important. And it has absolutely nothing to do with what camera is used. It is the special moment that we have found with the tools in our hands. And, in my mind, it does not matter one whit how good your tool is, what matters is that what you and I produce has meaning and significance to us.

There is nothing more frustrating for any photographer than getting a correct exposure when taking a shot. And after many years of doing both film and digital photography, I still am often frustrated by the various methods of measuring light.

And one of the reasons I have so much difficulty with getting the correct exposure is my fear of whites. Yes, I dislike very much photographs that blow out whites and lose details that I know are there because I can see those details with my eyes. Unfortunately, cameras cannot record what the human eye can see, thus this whole business of photography can be and is a challenge beyond words. One of my friends, whom I believe to be among the best photographers in the world, has referred to me many times as the “master of whites.” Well, I wish I could agree. For every one shot I get right, I have at least 1,000 that were wrong.

But, when one gets it right, well, it’s awesome, as in this shot of a great egret I took three years ago.

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So, why am I writing about an ebook reader? It’s because I like to read. Yep, I enjoy reading. All kinds of stuff.

Even guys like me who do photography like to read. Yes, I read about photography. In fact, I probably read four or five photography articles a day. Sometimes those articles give me a clue about how to improve my stuff. Most of the time they repeat what I read in another article, but once in a while a gem appears that is worth my time.

Reading has gotten to be a major issue with me. Books are expensive, they take up enormous amounts of space in my house, they are dern difficult to carry around when traveling, and after a few years they grow strange stuff inside them. For example, I pulled a book out of a back bedroom bookcase recently and after about five minutes of re-reading a great sci-fi book I started sneezing. Yep, all that dust and stuff had affected me.

Ebooks are different. Not just the aspects of being digital, easy to store on a hard drive, but the fact that one can amass lots of books on all kinds of subjects and then convert them into files that one can read on a ebook reader. And, there is an unlimited number of books available for free on the Internet. In fact, pages on the Internet itself can be saved and read on an ebook reader. There is software available that allows one to convert html, text, and other formats to a format that a reader can display. Although I have yet to find software that will render and resize Adobe PDF files effectively. Text files (.txt) are by far the easiest to download from the Internet and use on an ebook reader.

So, I started looking for an ebook reader. It was a long process. And there are lots of choices.

After lots of research I finally focused on three.

The Amazon Kindle.

The iLiad.

The Sony Portable Reader System.

I sorta liked the features of the Amazon Kindle. Kinda cool that you can download a new book wirelessly from Amazon. But then I got upset about it being proprietary. I hate it when a new product comes out that looks cool, then the dern vendor decides I have to use THEIR system to do stuff. It’s like what Apple did with the iPhone. Dumb ideas. But, I guess the companies which do this make money. Not from me.

I really really really liked the iLiad. Way cool. It had all I wanted in such a device, but it is expensive. Around $700 or so. Too much.

Which left me with the Sony PRS-505.

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Two years ago my son John gave me a Sony GPS for the purpose of recording exactly where I was when I took photographs. His choice for the Sony GPS was a good one because it is simple to use, is powered by a AA battery, and it can store 30 days of GPS tracks. As he showed me, there is freeware available that allows one to merge the GPS tracks with the EXIF data stored on each shot taken with my digital cameras. It is a simple, easy to use, idiot proof little system that has been with me on recent trips I have made in remote parts of the world. All I have to do is to make sure I have a good supply of AA batteries with me. One battery will power the GPS for about eight hours or so. In sum, you put a battery in the device, turn it on and then strap it to your backpack. That’s it. And while you are trekking around, the little device locks on to satellites and methodically records where you are about every 10 seconds. Geocoding, a cool concept.

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Recently I read a forum thread at Naturescapes about lens diffraction. The thread proved to be the stimulus for an investigation of something that has trouble me for years. Simply stated, “Why do some of my photographs appear better than others?”

Same camera, same lens, but one image is distinctly better than another. There are numerous, probably an infinite number of reasons why this is. For years I thought it is because I was using a tripod in one shot and not another. But, when I am using a good solid tripod for both shots, I still see a difference. Exposure, depth of field, using a remote shutter release, etc. etc. etc. – are all factors that can affect the quality of a photograph. The list goes on and on. It is limitless.

The forum thread discussion at Naturescapes prompted another thought and that thought lead to five intensive days of investigation. I won’t bore you with all the reading I did, but I will reference several websites at the end of this post that you may examine if you are interested.

In sum, after all my reading, and after several discussions with my friend Richard Nowak, a retired engineer with an incredible list of experiences and credentials in photography, embedded microprocessor circuit designs and microchip test solutions in the electronics industry, I discovered that there are two significant factors which make one image better than another. The first is resolution, and the second is the aperture setting for high quality lenses, which Richard points out may include stopping a lens down beyond its diffraction limiting point to correct other more objectionable defects in the lens.

BTW, I still don’t exactly understand what Richard did in his career, but his resume says he did stuff like this: “Circuit designer involved with the acquisition, conditioning, and digitization of analog signals from remote sensors for data logging and computer controlled processes.”

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It has lots of names, some call it the Canon Rebel XTi, others call it the EOS 400D, and in some quarters it is known as the EOS Kiss Digital X. By whatever name it is called, most describe the camera as an “entry level” DSLR. I guess it gets that label because of its cost, but in reality what I have found is that it is about as good as any DSLR gets. Yes, it does not have the build of the 1D series cameras, but wow, despite the fact that it has a plastic body, the images it produces are comparable with the best DSLRs made.

I bought the camera primarily because of its weight. As I have said before, I like small light weight cameras. It sure helps out on long walks across muddy bogs, creeks, and those steep slopes I inevitably run across while seeking the perfect landscape. And, frankly, when I bought the camera, I expected that I would be disappointed with the image quality since I own the Canon 1Ds Mark II, a remarkable camera that produces stunning photographs. Well, I was wrong. And another wonderful result is that I no longer have to spend hours and hours cleaning up dust spots from my shots. On the images I have shot with the XTi, there aren’t any dust spots to deal with. For me, that was a major time saver and a real plus when post processing shots.

I like the feel of the little beast. It fits in my hands perfectly. I find myself picking it up more often than I do the larger and heavier 1Ds Mark II. This makes it the perfect “street” camera too. It’s small and discrete, easy to hide. And, frankly, most folks who see me shooting with it think I’m just another tourist taking snap shots. I like that. Else I get bogged down in long discussions lots of times about my 1Ds Mark II — cause some folks really want to discuss high end cameras. Read more »