What an adventure we had these last two days. Yesterday was one of those days that you think you’re going on another castle tour – don't get me wrong – castle tours are very cool but yesterday’s tour also included a demonstration of Falconry. Falconry is the hunting of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. It was one of the coolest things LaDawn and I have ever seen.
We headed off to Hohenwerfen Castle which towers above the Salzach Valley in Austria. We had passed this castle many times on the way back and forth to Salzburg. It looked really majestic sitting high above the expressway almost standing guard on the valley, which BTW, was it’s purpose 600 years ago ;~)
BTW, if this looks a little familiar - Hohenwerfen Castle was the location for the movie, “Where Eagles Dare” with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood filmed back in 1968. Notice the castle in the background of the poster.
DAZNOTE: After touring the castle – only one problem with that adventure – I got locked in the torture chamber. Yes, it’s true. I side stepped the tour group to get some photographs of the dudgeon and when I returned the group had left the room and the guide locked the door behind him.
Uhmmm… What to do. After about 20 minutes I was able to jiggle with the locks on the doors a bit and managed to get myself free. I missed the rest of the tour and when I finally caught up with the group our tour guide was surprised to see me and exclaimed that LaDawn had noticed me missing and he had come looking for me, along with a few other employees, and wondered how I got myself out. I thought I would keep my castle secrets to myself and just smiled back ;~)
Where was I? Oh yes, after touring the castle we headed down to the courtyard area you see in the photo above to see the Falconry exhibition. The handlers spent about an half hour demonstrating how the knights and nobles of old used falcons and other birds of prey for hunting and for show.
What was so cool was how they had trained the falcons, eagles to swoop, dive, climb, and fly around the audience. I literally had birds coming straight towards me at times and then quickly change course back up into the sky.
How To Photograph A Falcon Demonstration and Not Blow Your Shots
It was one of the most visually exciting things I had ever seen and as such wanted to get some great shots of the demonstration. Being a regular tourist and pro photographer, I was traveling with my Canon 5D Mark III slung over my shoulder which was fitted with my trusty 24-105 IS lens. The camera was set to “Auto ISO”, and “P” for Professional ;~) I was ready for anything, right? WRONG, anything but a Falconry demonstration.
I was shooting away without realizing that every thing I thought I was getting was completely out of focus and full of motion blur. The camera thought I was shooting regular shots on a fairly cloudy day and was setting the camera exposure at about F8.0 at 1/320 second – lousy settings for a fast moving bird of prey show.
Thankfully I had the foresight to realize the error of my ways early on and quickly reset the camera settings to 3,200 ISO. Why so high? It was a cloudy day and I felt I needed a very high shutter speed to stop the action of the birds in flight. ISO 3,200 let me shoot at 1/1250 second at about F8.0.
Next I set the Auto Focus setting to “AI Focus” so the lens would focus following the birds in flight. Next, I ramped up the frame rate to the highest setting for the camera – 6 frames per second. I thought I was almost ready but then I made one more adjustment. I switched from RAW mode to JPEG mode. Why? Because I didn’t want the camera’s buffer to fill too soon because of the speed in which I was shooting. JPEG let’s you shoot many more images before filling the buffer and the way the birds were swooping and flying around I didn’t want to miss anything.
After the new camera adjustments were made I shoot away. After about 500 images in the next 20 minutes I landed a few good images. Good thing I turned my thinking to “Pro” thing on the fly – no pun intended ;~) I was pretty excited with my results. Below is a small album of some of my favorite images. Enjoy!
Hey gang, that’s it for me today. We still have several more sites to see and things to do before we head out on Saturday. Lots more heading your way here at DigitalProTalk so please stay tuned.
Boy, yesterday turned out to one of those days where the "bear got me". You know what I mean, too much to do and too little time to do it. I just barely got the Technique Tuesday post up by late afternoon - whew! That's why I posting late again today - I like the posts to have about a 24 hour "life" before the next post hits. I'm hoping things go easier today. That said, let's get right to it...
Canon 7D/High Speed Flash Sync Issue Solved!!!
The "High Speed Flash Sync" issue I experienced on Sunday, kind of through me for a loop. NEVER have I had anything happen like that. I know my gear pretty well and read all the manuals cover to cover just to avoid any surprises like I experienced on Sunday.
On Monday, I ran "HSFS" tests on ALL my Canon cameras even going back to an old 20D I had on the shelf. All of them worked as expected EXCEPT my 7D - I was baffled. I decided I'd have to go the the BIG guy at Canon and see if I could find a solution to my problem. I called Chuck Westfall, super Canon camera guru and all around nice guy.
Mr. Westfall was gracious enough to take my call. I laid out the entire story to him. I assumed I must have found a "bug" in the 7D. Chuck got right back to me and asked me to check a few settings. Here is the main body of his email:
"...Please check how you've set Custom Function I-7 on your 7D? This is the C.Fn for "flash sync speed in Av mode." If it is set for option 1: "1/250-1/60sec. auto" or option 2: "1/250 sec. (fixed)", those settings would prevent the 7D from setting any shutter speed higher than 1/250 when the flash ready light is on. Therefore, if you want to use Hi-Speed Sync in Aperture Priority mode on the EOS 7D, Custom Function I-7 must be set to its default, option 0. (I hope you understood this explanation because I have NO clue….LaDawn)
Incidentally, the other cameras on your list (20D, 30D and 40D) don't have the 1/250-1/60sec. auto option, but they do have the 1/250 sec. (fixed) option. With that setting, they have the same behavior as the 7D, i.e., shutter speeds higher than 1/250 are prevented in Aperture Priority mode when the flash ready light is on.
I did check, I couldn't believe it - my camera WAS SET TO OPTION 1: "1/250-1/60sec." - not AUTO – as shown in the bold bordered image above. I have no clue how the camera got set to the Option #1 setting since the 7D, just like all the other Canon cameras, always default to the "AUTO" setting as shown.
I know a few of you commented about having the same problem - check you settings, set your C.Fn for "flash sync speed in Av mode" to AUTO and all should be resolved. I feel like I have a little "egg on my face" with this one. My thanks to Chuck Westfall and Canon for their quick response in solving the issue. It’s back to the manual for me;~)
Update On My Fast and Easy Album Design Webcast Coming Up Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Last week I announced my brand new Webcast [link] which will cover all things digitally designed - including wedding albums, high school senior collages, portrait products and more. I'll show you how to speed up your design process by 300% in many cases!
Here is the deal though - we are nearly half full already! Remember, only the first 1000 to register will have a guaranteed seat at the program, so "come on down" and register now right here if you want to catch the program.
We are GIVING AWAY over $1,000 in door prizes during the program! B&H just called me two days ago and said they would send two $50 Gift Cards to "sweeten the pot" . High fives to B&H! Hey gang, don't miss the program - it will be fun, informative, and profitable for you - I promise!
Update On Yesterday's "Lightroom 3 Secret Settings" Post
I was fired up when I put up yesterday's post entitled, "Lightroom 3 Secret Settings" [link] because I thought it would be a BIG time saver for lots of photographers. My thanks to Robin from the UK who commented:
"Robin here from the UK, there should be thousands of thank you comments here, I just tried your preset out and it works beautifully, thanks so much for sharing valuable info that most guy's would keep to themselves."
If any of you guys and girls have any additional "Import Preset" suggestions for our DPT readers, please leave them in the "Comments section below.
Yes, I Was Really Agent 007 In My Previous Life
You know, hanging out with the Kelby Training video guys is always a "kick." After we filmed my latest Kelby Training video which just went "Live" this past weekend [link], we shot some additional footage for the trailer. I had no idea how it was going to come together and had nearly forgotten about it until I received an email asking me to review the just finished trailer.
It is a hoot. Hit the PLAY Button below - it's a great "giggle."
No More TTues Tutorials On iPad/iPhone - Why
Just a quick note about yesterday's Technique Tuesday - for the iPad users of the world you'll notice that the video won't play on your iPad this week. Why, because I uploaded to Vimeo instead of Viddler. Here is the deal. Apple has been doing a little "saber rattling" about NO FLASH on any of it's products even though 70% of the video content on-line is Flash based.
Apple goes on to point out that Vimeo videos play just fine on their products. Well, that's HALF TRUE. Yes, you can go to Vimeo and watch any of the Vimeo videos on your iPad or iPhone. The "minor" little hitch is that the EMBEDDED Vimeo videos DO NOT play on these devices - go figure.
iPad/iPhone users can find yesterday’s tutorial right here.
Viddler, on the other hand, is in beta testing (because of the Apple "arm-twisting" on Flash) whereby their EMBEDDED videos WILL PLAY on the Apple devices. I've always posted my tutorials on Viddler and the last 2-3 tutorials I posted under their beta program work just fine on the iPad.
The whole APPLE/FLASH thing, I think is an affront to the users spending their money on Apple products. Apple, get over it. And, they say Microsoft wants to rule the world. Boy, I sure see it differently. End of RANT #47.
OK you say, so if the embedded Viddler videos play on the iPad why don't I continue to post my videos to Viddler? Well folks, it's a matter of economics. It seems my bandwidth usage is a bit higher than it should be for a free account and I got moved over to a business account two months ago.
The Viddler people are nice as can be and tried to work things out for me $$$ wise. But the fact of the matter is that I just receive my second billing from Viddler for nearly $200 for the month - ouch!!!
DigitalProTalk is a FREE resource for any photographer wanting to read it. I love getting it up there for you guys and girls, and even though I love ya' - I don't want to pay $2,400/year so a few can watch the videos on their iPad/iPhone. Hence, the move to Vimeo where I pay only $100/year for my pro account. Who knows, they may call one day and say my usage is still to large for my Pro account. Time will tell.
So, in order to keep costs down, I'll be posting future videos to Vimeo for the foreseeable future - my apologies to the iPad/iPhone users out there. You'll have to take it up with Apple ;~)____________________________________________________
Hey gang, that's it for me today. We've got a few projects to wrap up this week and I hear my team calling. I'll see everybody tomorrow for a brand new money making, profit building, success inspiring Business Day Thursday!
Before I start today, I've got a few quick announcements for you.
D-Town Back On The Air
First off, I want to let you know I've done a few episodes for D-Town TV. I have to say, they are always fun to do and when I'm in the vicinity of NAPP World Headquarters, I always try to stop by.
Well, I was by right after Photoshop World this past April. Matt Kloskowski asked me to do a few episodes while we were in town. I just found out that two of them have aired so far. You can catch me on Episode #37 and #39 - all good stuff, always worth the trip to D-Town TV.
It’s Official – I’m Scheduled For Friday Photo School
It's official, I'm scheduled for a 90 minute episode of Friday Photo School. My buddy, Will Crocket, has Friday Photo School rocking' with over 8,000 folks signing on every month to hear the programs.
I've worked out a very intense 90 minute program for my episode on August 6, 2010. Check out all the info right here, it should be a blast. I'll keep you posted as we get closer to the date.
Those are the announcements. let's get on with What's Up Wednesday. Here we go...
Technique Tuesday Episodes On iPad
A few weeks ago I mentioned that Viddler.com had announced HTML5 beta support for their videos on the iPad. I signed on immediately and my last two Technique Tuesdays "Light Up My Life" and "My Favorite Bridal Portraits" played just fine on my iPad.
This week's TTues pops up on my iPad but didn't play the first few times. Now it works just fine after refreshing it. I'm not sure what's up but I'm looking into it. Vimeo supports the iPad but not for embedding. Stay tuned, I love my iPad and want the TTues episodes to work on the iPad as well.
To Infinity and Beyond
I think Buzz Lightyear of Toy Story fame had something to do with this article I saw at PCWorld. In the article they feature a free program called CombineZM that lets you combine different photos taken of the same subject but at different focusing distances into one image with infinite focus. Hey, just a little geek action for Wednesday - here is the link to the article.
Up and Running With CS5
Mark Johnson, formerly part of the crew of the now defunct Radiant Vista, has had his site up and running for quite a while. It is a "must visit" for anyone reading this post today. His site is jammed packed with Photoshop tutorials.
He just finished a 10 part series on what's new in CS5. Check it out right here. His info is thorough and well presented. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.
The New CS5 Knowledge Panel, Oh My!
OK, if you didn't get PS5 overload from the Mark Johnson site I mentioned above, then head over to Creative Pro right here and see what's cooking with a few goodies discussed by Terri Stone. She introduces you to CS5's new Configuator Panel. But, what I like best is the new Knowledge Panel. It’s everything you always wanted to know about Photoshop - and only one mouse click away!
Last But Not Least - High Speed Flash Sync
Fellow blogging buddy and all around super nice guy, Kerry Garrison, at CameraDoJo.com [link] has a great piece on the often misunderstood High Speed Flash Sync function of today's sophisticated strobes. It's about the best article I've seen on the topic.
High speed flash sync lets your camera sync at ANY shutter speed. Kerry's article is well documented with great diagrams showing you exactly how it works – it’s very nicely done. He also gives you several tips and tricks on when to use this flash functionality in your everyday shooting. Again, check it out right here.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. I'm trying to get my newsletter out today so I've got to get moving along. BTW, you can sign up for my Newsletter in the right hand column of the DPT blog. Or just sign up right here.
I’ll plan to see you back here tomorrow for another profit building episode of Business Day Thursday.
Here is your science project for the long weekend - not really, but I think the sound trigger device discussed over at DoItYourselfPhotograpy was quite interesting. I was into that kind of stuff in my younger days - it's that "geekiness" coming through again. I still love those early 1940's images created by HAROLD E. "DOC" EDGERTON (1903-1990).
Anyway, I was going to post this days ago, but let it slide. Then it came around again and I became more interested in it. Here's the deal - you can build a sound trigger to fire your flash at the very instant the trigger hears the sound of a gunshot, dropped light bulb, bursting balloon - whatever. Check out some images made with the sound trigger right here. And for more on the subject, there is a nice piece over at PhotoCritic right here.
