Thorsten Overgaard- great photographer

Photography is an odd art.  It takes what we all see and turns it an image that makes you see it differently.  Little a photographer captures is outside of your normal vision.  You may be standing next to the photographer, and not realize you are looking at art till you see the image rendered.  Thorsten Overgaard is one of those photographers.  His blog generously shares his work and he takes a lot of time to write about it, and has been doing so for many years.  It is worth looking at if you ever wonder what there is around you of beauty or drama.

His tool is appropriate to his skill, a Leica M9 currently.  It is interesting to read his view of his transition from film to digital, and his reason for using a Leica.  Unlike many photographers, it has nothing to do with the brand.  It is simply that it works for him in the way he works.

If you have an interest in photography, visit his blog and get inspired.  You will up you game.

Review- Osprey Elroy pack

What is the perfect travel bag?  This question has driven me to spend a small fortune in an endless progression of packs.  I have come to view my pack menagerie as a team, rather than succession of tools.  Recently, I sought a bag that was more urban (less technical), and yet capacious enough to handle what normally goes into a daypack, to carry for brief periods.

My most recent analysis revealed that my Maxpedition Sitka is a bit too small, too technical looking for business, and too hard to put on/take off over a dressy coat.  That ruled out upsizing to the Maxpedition Kodiak, at least for this use.

The features of the Sitka I wanted included compartmentalization, and the ability to sling my pack from back to front for access on the go.  The feature which I wanted to depart from Maxpedition was appearance.  I was going to spend a lot of time in Paris and NYC with this bag.  So I ruled out backpacks, and focused on messenger bags, which are innocuous looking, easy to shoulder on either side, voluminous, and durable.

Search started with the standard, Timbuktu.  It is heavy!  But bulletproof, weather resistant, and has a feature that became a requirement- a quick cam adjusting strap.  But it was also just a big bag,  no organizing ethic, no computer section.  The other messenger bags were too small, too poorly constructed, too expensive, and too poorly designed.  Till I got to the Osprey line.  Messenger bags? You bet!

Osprey Elroy in Action

I have a bias toward Osprey packs, some of which are still sewn in Dolores CO.  Alas, not the messenger bags.  They are smart, have great features, have never failed me, and are light.  There are two bags, twins, one small, one large.  I went for the large size, the Elroy.

Padded computer sleeve, check- no need to add a case to the mix
Organizer pockets, check- not too many
Size, check- it is as big as the biggest when expanded
Strap cam, check
Strap pad that stays put when slinging it around, check
Durable, check
Lightweight, check
Post consumer recycled materials, check.
Smart zipper to access things without flopping up the flap, check

I am using it, and realized that I have not had a briefcase I didn't shoulder since the old Samsonite hard sides.  Why did it take so long to go messenger?  I guess because it took Osprey this long to make one.  It holds my needs, has room for extra clothes, protects my computer, is comfortable, and reasonably priced.  A winner that is ExecHobo recommended.

Window Seat

Sunset at 40,000 feet is always quick and dramatic. This may not be the best I have seen, but my seat over the wing lent a bit of interest to an already nice image.



- Exechobo

Sunset on Day One of '11

Auspicious beginning one hopes.



- Exechobo

Maxpedition Sitka Reveiw Update

Maxpedition makes tough gear, and the Sitka fills a need nothing else does. Outdoor activities that include frequent access to tools, field guides, clothes, etc can be conducted at a rapid pace with the Sitka.




Here is the scenario: You are making your way through the woods, looking for mushrooms, or interesting photo subjects, hunting, geocaching, or birding. You also are covering ground, either on or off trail, with an objective to cover a certain amount of territory in a certain time frame. This is not a walk for the sake of a walk, but one with a purpose that drives you to stay moving. During this activity, you may use a camera, or field guide, or map, or fuel for your engine, or have to add and remove layers continually.

Backpacks have served the purpose for years. I also know I have made all sorts of modifications to mine to meet these needs. I have hip sacks carried in front, a long gear pouch attached to my shoulder straps so it carries across my belly, pouches on the hipbelt, a hipsack carried in back under my rucksack for support and additional space, pouches on the shoulder straps. I think I have tried every manner there is to keep certain gear accessible while moving. Some of these "solutions" work well. My best mod is a big pouch that attaches to the lower part of shoulder straps via quick release buckles. It is about 200 square inches, if that means anything to you. The big issue? When taking off the backpack, the thing swings around, endangering everything inside, including optics.

So this is where the Sitka comes in. For that matter, any of the Maxpedition Gearslingers would work. I chose the Sitka. I liked its size, and that the bag resembles more back pack than messenger bag. I was looking for something that would support a day hike with all of the gear I like to take. The bigger version, the Kodiak, looks like it would carry more than I want to sling over one shoulder, and that it is a bit awkwardly large for my mid sized frame.

First, Maxpedition quality is very, very good. They overbuild gear smart, meaning it isn't just heavy, but materials that are as heavy as they need to be and reinforcements that are thorough. As well, the seams are all taped. Design of the bag emphasizes organization over mere size. The pockets work, and are not for the sake of making it look good, as you see in some packs that have a proliferation of pockets for pens and tube shaped objects. As well, Maxpedition installs Mollie strapping, not on every surface, but in places it makes sense to attach pouches. In these small packs, this takes some thought.



My Sitka usually carries the following:
Emergency kit , First aid kit
Poncho, Hat, gloves, windshirt
Pot, Water bottle, Coffee, Bars
Knife, GPS, Map, Radio
Multi tool, saw, whistle, compass
Pencil, Pad, Bandana
Camera, Tripod, Filter
Headlamp, Batteries
In addition I have strapped on hip boots, fleece, or jacket.

Does the Sitka like all this? You bet it does! I have always been partial to top loaders and rucksacks, so the kind of load compartmentalization this pack allows is something I have to get used to. The only thing is that the weight of all this pushes my limits for one shoulder carry!

So how does the slinging of gear work? Really, really well! As I walk along, I don't defer digging in my pack for something. Field guide? Dig it out and check out that plant. Need a bite to eat? Sling it around and dig in. Want that map for a look on the go? Whip it around and pull it out. Need to stow or add a layer? Go to it. I used to delay these things because they meant a stop, and I hate to stop, or I had to bug my hiking partner to help.

One thing I am on the fence about- water. The Sitka is well set up for a bladder, with a zip compartment and passage for the hose. If the pack is really stuffed though, this makes the back too round, and the one strap style means it stays that way, it doesn't pull back in to carry close to the back. And I really like that pocket for maps. Plus, that big round pocket is so perfect for a Nalgene bottle, which nests inside the pot in the bottom of the pocket. Too tempting to not use.

Oh, and there is the matter of style. Maxpedition offers bags in colors I like. Such as digi-cam. Olive. Black. Khaki. Foliage. And my favorite, Khaki with Foliage webbing and trim. Cool combo.

I bought mine at GMS Tactical, in Arizona. They are a small shop, with some good gear, and did a great job, including being available for personal assistance with my order.

iPhone App- Camera+ Review

My iPhone is my primary blogging tool, as well as my primary camera, among all the other functions it fulfills so well.  Because my blog is as visual as it is verbal, the pictures are important.  Camera+ is one of several tools I use to make it visually interesting.

Camera+ is feature rich, and as a free lite version of Camera+Pro, it is a powerful, feature rich package that can replace the native camera and most post processing apps.  In fact, its slight shutter speed lag and its understandable lack of HDR functionality are the only reasons I went back to the native iPhone camera.  

(edit, Nov 21, thanks to Jimmy) Tap Tap Tap  is the developer, and as of now this fantastic app is no longer in the App Store.  I have no issues with the quality of this app, and they issue updates often enough to keep it clean and bug free for the most part.  Why did Apple pull it? Because it provides for the use of the volume button to activate the "shutter", a clear violation of terms for developers.  No using hardware buttons! Oddly, I have never used this feature, so habitualized am I to using the screen button.

If I had one space on my iPhone for an imaging app, this would be the one.

I first read about Camera+ on Lisa Bettany's blog, via a link from I forget where.  But it what intrigued me was that Tap Tap Tap was using a professional photographer to create the easy to use workflow and photo treatments.  

One of the best things about Camera+ is that all the photos you take with it are saved to a "lightbox", where you can decide what to do with them before saving to your Camera Roll.  At first I thought this was a hokey way to make you think you were a big time Life photographer (a good angle in Heller's Catch 22), but I came to appreciate that it was cleaner and forced me to deal with photos rather than accumulating them for work "later".  

This photo, of a cafe in Manhattan was treated with "Magic Hour", to make it warmer and more inviting than the native light.  

And inside the cafe I used So Emo just because it can be fun to do so.  This is a whimsical look that can make straightforward portrayals more dramatic and evocative.  

This old modem in our local airport was treated with Hipster, kinda period appropriate I thought.

This salad was post processed using the Food filter, which increased the sharpness and contrast, and warmed it up a touch.  It is really sensational when used on french fries.









In all, there are 27 of these FX treatments, including one called HDR, which is fun, but should not be confused with the serious HDR function of the iPhone's native software, nor apps like TrueHDR.  

Additionally, Camera+ has cropping and 11 "scenes" that you would find on any point n shoot camera, like Flash for increasing shadow exposure, Backlight, Scenery, Text and Food.

In all, Camera+ is the imaging app I find most essential to my iPhotog style.  Thank you Tap Tap Tap and Lisa Bettany!  How lucky we are to enjoy such good work at such little cost!

HDR on the iPhone

The addition of HDR algorithms to the iPhone camera was for me, the prime benefit of iOS 4.1. I use it on occasion. This set of images shows the benefit of HDR.







Can you guess which is HDR? I thought the first image was, since the areas of shadow seem to be lighter. I didn't like it. To my surprise the second image, the one I prefer has had the magic math applied. It seems more like why I saw that evening.

When I use the HDR feature, I am always careful to check the results. It is not always better. But usually, at the very least outdoor photos are tweaked so that the sky is not blown out.

Paul/ BlogPress/ iPhone

A Note on Exechobo Photos, or ExecPhobos

All of the images on Exechobo now are made with my iPhone 4, sometimes processed with iPhone apps, like Camera +, Tilt Shift Generator, Iris or Photo Shop Express.  They are wonderful images, technologically speaking.  Click on them to look at the full sized images.  Due to the limitations of blogging from the iPhone I can't size them up to fill my blog column.

Bark

These peels of alder bark have been on the porch for a few weeks.

The challenge with this camera is holding it steady. It is awkward. I try to cradle it in two hands, like you should a point and shoot camera, heels of palms together, camera cupped gently in hands, elbows resting on ribs or hips. Either the camera hard button or the pearl can be used to trigger the shutter, neither though, are very good shutter releases, you have to exert too much pressure to get a final "click". This hardware drawback may be the biggest hurdle to overcome with the Blackberry camera.

The bark photo shows what the 2mp camera can do when you click on it- not really a good image when viewed at its full 1600X1200 pixel size is it? No. To compare, look at the phone picture, a 7MP point n shoot that is saved as a VGA size image. Good enuf for government work, no?

First Snow!

It is mid December, and we have our first snow of this winter!  It is a light dusting, maybe 2 or 3 inches.   But it has stuck to the trees and put a nice covering on everything. It is so nice to see the transformation of our world.  

G9 Panoramas

As you may know, I have been working to improve my panorama photo taking. This is the only way I know to really get the sense of space I sometimes see in the outdoors, and I suppose indoors too, though I have not ventured there yet. In France last fall, I really had the chance to work on some of these big shots, and the G9 is designrd to make the picture taking easy. While the lens is only a 35mm equivalent of 35mm, by using the panorama toolsfrom Canon e can make thi work quite well for big landscapes, with some effort. So voila, I have finally made the panos. I used Photostitch software from Canon.

In one, I merged 15 photos to show the sky over the Atlantic in Bretagne. The outcome was satisfactory. I remembered to take more shots than I thought I would need, and indeed did find that two were redundant so not used. In fact, when they were in the mix they made the program go a bit bonkers, and it could not figure out what the heck I was asking it to do. But the remaining 15 stitched up to make a pretty cohesive image. It is easy to see why the pros use a good tripod with a panoramic head though- my sea seems to have some rather choppy sections. And those I shot from a boat! They could make you reach for the scopalomine! In others, I was reminded how hard it is to ensure I have taken photos with sufficient overlap- sometimes I have a section that is truncated, like the Saveteurs boat house in the harbor at Trevignon. This is harder than it seems when you are out there, "on location" as the photographers say, and your points of reference get confused. This is the part that will take practice- a skill.

New Album 12/1/08 9:33 PM

You can see some results by clicking on the album above. I am happy with this little camera, and would not trade it for the new G10- I like the reach at the long end of the zoom.

Jewelry Photopolooza

Maryvonne has been making jewelry to prepare for her upcoming show at Visions Nursery Ladies' Night.  She has been a regular jewelry factory.  Now it is time to photograph it for our records, so she can reproduce it if there is a request, and perhaps, to get ready for a web site for MOSe Jewelry.  

I am really impressed with the image quality of the G9, it is easy to use, very flexible, and handy to use.  I am up to something over 1600 images so far, and have not yet found the camera's limitations.  I wish I could say my technique and skill has improved very much along the way, but I keep plugging along.  

Euro travel remainders

I finally loaded the photos from the trip into my Powerbook last night.  It took quite some time, there were about 6 gigos (as they call gigabytes in French).  The seemingly simple, if time consuming task was complicated by the fact that I am out of hard drive space, and needed to clean the hard drive.  So that dictates a back up, and I did a full mirrored hard drive, so that took a full evening.  

The G9 took very good pictures, even in snapshot mode (Program setting), and of course I have to admit the manual exposures I made turned out good too.  Because this is digital photography, I can bracket, adjust and snap away, with no concern for film costs, so eventually I get a good shot.  I did a few panos and some movies.  We will see if any of the panoramas came out, I took care to apply the lessons learned so far.  I had to use panorama to work around the issue of the focal length of the G9, a 35mm lens equivalent, not a wide angle at all.  The new G10 has 28mm, a more decent landscape focal length, but then it only zooms to 140mm, not quite enough.  I should do a quant analysis of how many pictures I shoot where 35mm is not enough compared to the number shot above 140mm.  But I won't.

Now begins the process of winnowing down the photos to those that are good, then categorizing them into relevant groups.  It will be fun, but will require some focus.  Stay tuned, for this will take a couple of weeks.  

Home again, home again!

We arrived here in Sequim last night. It is a comment on the attraction of this area that we consider it to be among the best destinations of the trip! We enjoyed seeing the fall colors as we traveled the road home, and the first sight of the house warmed our hearts. Then they were cooled again when we went inside. So I reset the heat to go on, turned on the water and all that, and we took a quick walk around the place. Pictures are to come.

Future posts on the blog will have to include a couple of slide shows with our best photos, but first we will spend a couple of days just absorbing the luxury that is our life here.

Emails
Many people have received an email notice whenever we post, thanks for your interest in keeping up with our travels. Now that we are back in a USA mode, I am going to overhaul that list. Let me know if you want you name left on the notification email by just replying to it.

I do this because you may not like getting emails added to your inbox, and because you may have changed your mind about reading Exechobo with such frequency. Of course you can come by to visit anytime...

Some new posts are photos

In a move to be more "multimedia", more "current" and more "visual", posts at the Exechobo blog are now being made via photos only.

"This is one of the important new ways of communicating." Stated editor Paul Banbury. "We think that photography is here to stay, and will play an increasingly important role in communication. It is a logical next step in our evolution as a blog about life. We like to stay "au courrant", and to quote withing quotes, and to stick French phrases into our posts. It keeps us, you know, hip."

Speaking from his headquarters at Sequim, Banbury did not go so far as to state that Exechobo was now engaging in photojournalism. We can only hope that Exechobo will also make a foray into the world of video. For access to some of the photos Banbury was referring to, just look in the left column for the widget that has a slide show.

More Panoramas with the Canon G9

Today was a great day of weather out on the Strait. Robert called last night to suggest we get out and catch some more salmon. The local outdoor columnist put out a column that said the salmon were in Sieku in big numbers, so it seemed like a great opportunity to get some salmon in the freezer and more practice with the G9.

Well, lets just focus on the camera, shall we? I took several photos, and 3 sets of panos. More learning on the process building good panoramas. I remembered to use a middle length lens setting, and to take shots in the portrait orientation. I also tried to take a lot of pictures for each pano. On this score I didn't do so well.

The G9 has a setting that is supposed to help you get all the photos you need, lined up with a good amount of overlap. The LCD screen shows the last picture you have taken, and as you compose the next one, you can see the overlap. All well and good, if you can see the LCD well enough. On the water, in the sun, I found this difficult, and as a result my overlap was not as good as it should have been. The results are that some overlaps don't quite line up.

I forgot to manually gain up the LCD to a brighter level. I really need to do some basic exercises to get this skill developed. Nonetheless, I have put a couple up a Picasa web. There are two views of the same panorama, one done in HP Photosmart Stitch and the other in Canon Photostitch.

The process of building a pano was easier and faster in the HP program. It does not allow any manipulation, it does all the thinking for the photographer. When it can't make an edge of one photo meet the next one, it does some algorythmic blending that is OK. Overall, this program gives good results, if the photographer does his or her job.

In the Canon program, things go much slower. I like the ability to make edges match up for yourself, you can beat the program in many cases. None of the individual photos in this series mated all that well, and Canon lets you see that.

Overall, the HP program to me is better for these kind of "grab shots" that I have done here. The results using a tripod, and some careful framing may be different, we shall see. Of course, shooting photos to be stitched together from the deck of a pitching boat underway is not the way its done. But it is the way these were done.

Clicking on the photo below will take you to my album, where you can see the comparison.

Photography

End of Day

The things you get to see if you pay attention. Metaphorically and temporally. The other day Maryvonne looked out the window and called to me to tell me the sky was glowing. Now we have seen some great sunsets, and really appreciate them. This one was one of the special ones. If you click on the photo you get to the full size version on Picasaweb.

Canon G9 and Autostitch

I have been familiarizing myself with a new camera, the Canon G9. It is a good piece of kit as they say (the Brits), and I like it. One of the things Canon is known for is the Photostitch software that comes with their cameras. I have been using a similar utility from HP that came with the printer, and it gives good results. But apparently Canon is the state of the art. I have read that in their big displays at the annual photo shows they have wall size posters made of photos stitched together.

I am hoping that the Photostitch utility will let me shoot the great landscape photos that a lense just can't capture. Or at least a lense that isn't a true wide angle. It is one of the things you learn when you try to do landscapes- getting close is not an issue, getting it all in is the challenge. And since the G9 is not a superzoom, the lense is only a 35mm equivalent at its widest, being able to get a wide shot requires some software magic.

So, first attempt and I am already learning! There was a real, honest to goodness thunderstorm this afternoon, a rare event here. It is amazing, but the lightening was kinda scary. Apparently after a few years away from the midwest we revert to primal fear of thunder. Anyway. I took a set of photos using black and white, so I could better see what is going on with the photo. I used the function on the camera that is set up just for making panaramas using Photostitch. It was easy. Four shots covered the area I wanted. Then I used the software, again easy and intuitive to put them together. The result is seen in my new album on Picasaweb. Or you can click on the thumbnail of the photo below to go to the same place. Belt and suspenders.

Photography

So, what have we learned today? First, be more careful of exposure. Make sure you expose the first shot in the series the way you want the rest of the shots to appear. Use the exposure lock for this. Second, and most apparent, extend the lense to about 100mm equivalent, so you can avoid the kind of distortion you see in the fence.

For next time, try holding the camera vertically, so there is more resolution, and more photos in the series. Keep at it, till technique is mastered, then I can see how the software does its job.

Photo Blog

If I start to get more serious about photography, I may have to find a way to publish big photos that those of you with good connections can see in large size, assuming any are worthy of looking at.  More research.  Picassa? Photobucket?  Box.net?  

And if I shoot in RAW, I will have to learn to post process on the computer.  Could that be satisfying?  But the cost of the software is so high it is a big step to take.  Pondering.  

Thinking about Picture Taking

Getting ready for the big trip makes me think about my picture taking.  I have not pursued photography like I thought I would since retiring.  This may be the inspiration I need.  I look at the black and white work I have done, and it is satisfying.  But when I review the snapshots in my electronic portfolio, I am frustrated.  There are some good ones, but not that many.  It looks like I have been pursuing quantity at the expense of quality.

But to be sure, I made a conscious decision a few years ago to focus on family pictures, and I have a good set of them, though none of portrait quality.  I have never been a good portraiteur.  The use of a subcompact digicam really helps make snapping away easy to do.  No real cost, save em all, get more pics so you can remember the times.  Classic and OK.  

When I tested a Nikon DSLR, I did concentrate more on taking good pictures.  The results were pretty good for a 90 day trial.  But the camera was way too much kit.  Not my style at all.  So I have been searching for a tool that would be small and inconspicuous, and produce quality images.  I started with Pentax, Fuji, Panasonic, Nikon and Canon (three models of Canon) in mind.  The Pentax teased me to look at a DSLR that would let me use my lenses, and was weather proof.  A very good way to go, but still would end up being a big bag o' equipment.  Then the super zooms.  They are all amazing for the lenses they have, and how you can frame a photo, or get close to your subject.  All have one small flaw, the small sensor. But that is linked directly to the ability to produce a super zoom ratio.  The Canon line was all that was left.  

The S5 IS and the G9.  

The S5 has great movie making potential.  Hi Def, strereo sound, zoom while filming.  It also can zoom 10x, so you get right on your subject, and has an LCD that can be tilted- I love that for candid shots.  The G9 has better manual controls, size and image quality, because of a larger sensor.  It's LCD is one of the best on the market, and is a pocket size that is made of metal, said to feel like an old time rangefinder- I love that.  

Come back to see what arrives in the Brown Truck!