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THE CASE FOR PRIME LENSES-by Elliot Stern & Brian Zwit
THE CASE FOR PRIME LENSES A prime lens is a single focal length lens. The most common prime lens is probably the 50mm, which is also called a normal lens because it approximates human vision. A 50mm lens is normal for a full frame camera but a 35mm lens is a “normal” lens for a camera with an APS sensor because the crop factor is about 1.5. If you are using an Olympus 4/3 camera, a normal lens is a 25mm lens. There is no question that zoom lenses, which allow you to change the focal length of the lens on the fly, are the most popular lenses for photographers today because they have lots of advantages, including convenience and cost. In addition, the quality of zoom lens has greatly improved over the past few years. But there are zooms and then there are ZOOMS. Almost every zoom lens today produces beautiful images, but there are big differences between expensive zoom lenses and inexpensive zooms. As a Nikon user, I have the 14-24mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, and 70-200mm f/2.8. For the kind of shooting that I do, these three lenses make up the perfect range of focal lengths. They are also fast lenses with a constant f-stop of f/2.8, which allows me to use them in low light and obtain a very shallow depth of field. They are also some of the SHARPEST lenses I have ever used. They are also very expensive optics Inexpensive zoom usually have a variable minimum f-stops, meaning the widest f-stop changes as you change the focal length of the lens. For example, at the smallest focal length, you may have an effective aperture of f/3.5 and, at the telephoto end of the zoom, an effective f-stop of f/5.6. The more expensive zoom lenses have a constant minimum f-stop no matter what focal length you choose to work at. So, what is the case for prime single focal length lenses? 1. Prime lenses are generally faster than zoom lenses. Prime lenses are available with minimum f-stops of 1.4, 1.8, and 2.0; even expensive zoom lenses can’t match this with their minimum f-stops of f/2.8 or f/2.0. 2. Prime lenses generally weigh a lot less than zoom lenses-especially zooms with constant f-stops. 3. Prime lenses require you to use your mind and feet. With prime lenses, you must think and move your feet to change your composition not just turn a ring on the lens.
When I use a prime lens, I take more time to compose an image, looking at it from every perspective. My feet become my zoom as I move towards or away from my subject to frame my shot exactly the way that I envision it and, as a result, I spend more time evaluating what’s important in the scene. Fast primes also make me think a little harder about my f-stop and what I want in focus. This helps me with the creative thought process.
So if you don’t have a good prime lens, you’re really missing out. Zooms are fine, and they have their place, but a prime will open your eyes to a whole new level of photography. 4. Fixed focal length lenses (primes) tend to cost less than a zoom of the same quality. They contain fewer elements, less moving parts, and their design is simpler. For the same cost, you can pick up a half-decent zoom lens or you can pick up an outstanding prime lens. 5. . Primes lenses are designed to work great at a single focal length and, because they are only a single focal, lens distortion can more easily be corrected. Zooms, on the other hand, are designed to work well at most focal lengths in their range, but they all display some type of lens distortion—usually at their minimum or maximum focal lengths. 6. Prime lenses are simply sharper than zoom lenses. Zoom lenses must sacrifice some performance in order to offer up the convenience of multiple focal lengths. (However, with better designs and glass, most high priced zooms today are more than capable of producing sharp images.) 7. Prime lenses are capable of a wider array of f-numbers, giving the photographer much more control over the depth of field. 8. Generally, as you lower decrease the f-stop of a lens, the “bokeh” becomes more apparent. Bokeh is the soft, round patterns of light created in the out-of-focus background by a lens. Primes are notorious for producing crazy bokeh or specular highlights when shot wide open. Primes will also generally have better and more aperture blades, thus giving you a better bokeh. 9. LOW LIGHT CAPABILITIESIf you’ve never shot with a f/1.4 (or faster) lens, you have no idea what you’re missing. Indoor shots — no flash, no problem. Concerts — fast lenses are a must especially with today’s digital Slr cameras that can shoot at very high iso.So if you don’t have a good prime lens, you’re really missing out. Zooms are fine, and they have their place, but a prime will open your eyes to a whole new level of photography. One thing is certain. You will be carrying a lot less weight.
I find myself having a set of zooms as I described above and also a set of primes. My primes right now are a 21mm Zeiss ZF, 35mm Zeiss ZF, a 40mm Voigtlander, a 50mm 1.4 Sigma, a 100mm Zeiss ZF macro, and a Voigtlander 180mm. All of these lenses are "fast lenses" and only the Sigma has autofocus. All of the primes are of extremely high quality and resolution. More and more primes are being offered and coming to market. The Zeiss lenses are available in a variety of mounts as are the Voigtlander and both brands are manual focus. Don't panic. Manual focus is quite easy and again helps you think before you shoot.
We have a workshop coming up in September that involves working with one focal length to hone your composition skills. Take a look. Prime lenses are available from all of your local dealers. Blue Ridge Workshops buys the bulk of our camera gear and accessories from Penn Camera Here is a list of their stores. I am sure you will find one near you. Try and make them your first stop to find your photographic needs. THE OLYMPUS E-P1 - THE FIRST OF ITS KIND HYBRID CAMERA 
Every once in a while a photographic concept comes to fruition. A few short years ago, Olympus created a brand new, from the ground up digital single lens reflex system, with an all digital lens system. They took a different road in regard to imaging sensors first designing an all digital optical system from the ground up that is of extreme high resolution that would perform to the highest specifications with all the future sensors they Olympus would develope. The promise of this very advanced technology was to provide photographers with a smaller, lighter, faster, high quality single lens reflex camera and lenses. The quality was there but the promise of size was not fulfilled. I shot with the Olympus E-1 camera for almost a year and had all of the best glass. The images were incredible and the form factor of the camera was one of the most comfortable I had ever used. ENTER THE OLYMPUS E-P1
. The sensor is now 12.3 megapixels and now the camera begins the process of fulfilling the promise. The mount of the camera is called a micro 4/3 which is smaller than the original Olympus digital mount, so it therefore takes a new series of smaller and lighter lenses, but not just smaller and lighter lenses. It can use an adapter to mount the other Olympus Digital lenses, Leica M series lenses, Nikon Lenses, Canon Lenses, Voigtlander lenses and Carl Zeiss lenses in the Nikon or Canon mount. These lenses will manual focus, but that really isn't a major issue. Using the camera in either manual or aperture priority provides you with instant feed back as to how the image is going to look.
What we are really looking at is a small, compact, but not sub compact single lens reflex camera, that should make a great go everywhere camera for everyone no matter what other brand of single lens reflex one shoots. If you have been a point and shoot user this could be the perfect step up into a higher quality piece of gear. If you are an Slr user who tires of always carrying the heavier gear around, this could make the perfect, small, compact (compared to your Slr) camera that can always be at your side as a back up or primary piece of photographic gear. Small only in size however not image quality. However, when we get right down to it, the most important thing is gong to be the image quality no matter what camera you use. So the big question is going to be how did this camera perform under actual workshop conditions, how usable is it in bright sunlight, how sharp are the final outputs in both raw and jpeg and how well did it handle with the Olympus zoom kit lens, and with the adapter for my Nikon lenses. So here is a short field report on the usage of this camera.
I was in Lexington Virginia to review our upcoming September workshop. A very nice customer was good enough to loan me their brand new silver Olympus E-P1 camera with a 14-42 zoom lens. Anticipating that I shall own one of these little beauties I ordered a Nikon F mount to Olympus MICRO 4/3 adapter so I could mount my Nikon AI/AIS LENSES, to this camera for Aperture priority and Manual operation. HERE IS THE LINK FOR NIKON, CANON, PENTAX,LEICA, ETC. ADAPTERS. I used this adapter on a Zeiss Nikon Mount lenes. 21mm,35mm100mm, and Voigtlander 40mm and 180mm. The adapter is so well made that it fit like it was shipped in the box with the camera. It was secure, stable, and very, very well made. Using it on the camera with the lenses noted above was incredibly easy in regards to focus and setting either aperture priority or manual. We started off early in the morning on our expedition. I was using the little Olympus. Bill was using his Nikon and Geoff who shall be running the Lexington Knife Maker workshop was using Canon.
The first thing I noticed was how intuitive the menu system and controls of the camera are. Everything is really right their for you to adjust Iso, White Balance, Motor drive and self timer, autofocus, and there is a function button that can be programmed via the menu to be a multitude of things, one at a time. It is a two wheel system that is used to control aperture, shutter speed, menus, etc. on the camera. On the top of the camera is an easy to reach exposure compensation button that works quite well and on the left side of the camera is a mode selector dial, which allows you to select Iauto (Intelligent auto), program, aperture priority, shutter priority, scene modes, Art Filters, and of course manual and movie modes. The LCD is large and bright and clear. Like all LCDS it can be difficult to see when sunlight is bouncing of the back of it, but for the most part it was easy to use even for manual focus. The focus was quick even though it is using a contrast based system, and it was accurate. Manual focus using Zeiss ZF, and Voigtlander lenses with a Nikon mount, was easy and accurate and adjustment of the manual F-stops/apertures gave me instant feed back as to how the image was looking including a good representation of depth of field. As a matter of fact this camera was such a pleasure to use and carry, that if I have any complaint at this time it is the lack of an eyepiece viewfinder. But if I can live without it, then anyone can. I loaded the first images to my Mac and looked at them in Photo Mechanics viewer (JPEGS ONLY FOR THIS CAMERA) and Raw Developer software, which is the only full fledged raw processor that can see this particular raw format. I am sure that Adobe and Apple will be all over this very quickly. Olympus has their own software, and supplies a minor processing software with the camera. They have a pay for software that is more functional. What other lenses did I use besides the supplied 14-42mm. I used Zeiss 21mm, 35mm, 100mm macro, and Voigtlander 40mm and 180mm with the adapter ((see link above)) for the Nikon AIS LENSES.... With the exception of the Olympus lenses adapted to micro 4/3, all other makes must have an aperture ring in order to be functional with their own adapters.
What do I think? I think this is a fabulous piece of gear that has been long over due from all of the camera manufacturers. I have been in this industry long enough to know that both Nikon, Canon, and Pentax could have taken this same step as Olympus with the technology they had in the small APS film cameras that had interchangeable lenses of a special size and could also use the larger lenses too. BUT KUDOS TO OLYMPUS WHO ONCE AGAIN BEATS EVERYONE WITH ANOTHER SMALL SINGLE LENS REFLEX CAMERA. HISTORY DOES REPEAT ITSELF.
If you email me I shall be glad to send you some files to look at. Click here Before I end this article it is only fair that I also point you in a direction of another MICRO 4/3 camera made by Panasonic which has also created some interesting waves. Here is a review from DPREVIEW. While it too has eliminated the mirror in the camera and replaced it with a lcd viewfinder, it still maintains the shape of a conventional SLR unlike the new Olympus which takes us into new slr concepts. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ WANT TO LEARN - CHALLENGE YOURSELF 
What makes a photographer a photographer and what elevates a photographer above others. Learning and doing.
Photography is a never ending process of taking pictures, evaluating your work, reading, looking at other photographers work, and while not copying anyones work, create a style of your own as you learn from others. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Don't be afraid to have successful photographers critique your work. At Blue Ridge Workshops three day workshops we normally have at least two critique sessions of students work. For our part day workshops students are advised to send us images from the days shoot for our personal critiques.
Take your time no matter what you are shooting. Landscape, macro, portraits, structural types of photography. Look at your subject from every angle, front, back, sides, top and bottom. Make sure the light is where you want it and if it is not, do you have the tools such as flash or light modifiers to put the light where you need to.
Learn about composition. A properly lighted subject is crucial, but if the composition is not good then you have may not have created the desired result.
FIND OUT HOW TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF AT A BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOP ____________________________________________________________________________________
OLYMPUS CAMERAS - THE OTHER BRAND 
Olympus cameras have been around for a very long time and in the days of film had turned the market on its ear with many revolutionary products. When we think about smaller SLR cameras, most people do not realize that they were the company that started the scale down of these products into smaller, and lighter weight system with a lot of incredible metering technology and optical technology. Because of them, other camera companies were forced to come out with smaller cameras on a pro level. The camera that started all of that was the Olympus OM-1. Today Olympus is again the innovator in small Slr products.
I used Olympus several years ago for almost a year and had a good part of their system. It was with the Olympus E-1 camera, which in all honesty was probably the most comfortable camera I ever put in my hand. The camera was using a new technology sensor system which was smaller than most of the digital Slr cameras that were out there but some of the best images I have hanging on my walls were done with that camera. But I eventaully felt that their direction was wrong and I moved back to Nikon Cameras which is what I use today. However, Olympus has made some incredible strides in their own technology once again proving that I am not always as smart as I think I am.
Nomally when I speak of cameras I refer primarily to Nikon or Canon, but knowing how wonderful Olympus optics are, and rethinking their sensor innovations I can promise you shall be hearing a lot more about what they are doing. I certainly have no problem recommending them along with Nikon and Canon. It of course boils down to what camera, what system suits your needs and comfort level.
Here is a short utube video from our local Olympus reps
_______________________________________________________________________________________ BRIAN ZWIT - ON PACKING FOR SUCCESS 
Packing for a Photo Trip The hardest part of getting ready for a trip is deciding what camera equipment to take with me. I don’t want to lug equipment that I won’t need or use and I don’t want to miss that once-in-a-lifetime image because I left the “right” lens at home. How do I decide what to take and what to leave at home? I research my destination, determine how much equipment I can take with me, and then pick the right equipment for the potential photographic opportunities at my destination.
To even begin packing my equipment, I need to know what kind of photographic opportunities I might encounter during my trip. So, my packing always begins with researching my destination. I research every possible photographic opportunity: birds; wildlife; plants; geographic and topographic features; federal, state, and local parks and wildlife refuges; the time and position of sunrise and sunset; and the potential weather conditions.
Some good sources of information include the following: Web sites for federal [link to http://www.nps.gov], state, and local parks, wildlife refuges, and other areas under government management;
The purpose of all this research isn’t to plan out every minute of my trip but to make sure that I know what opportunities will be available to me. I can then more confidently decide what equipment to take with me and, when I need to change my plans because of weather or some other problem, I can quickly move on to a more promising location.
My next step in packing is to determine just how much equipment I can take with me. If I am traveling by car, I can fill the rear seat and trunk area of my small SUV with equipment. In this case, I know that I won’t need to make any hard decisions about what to take with me. However, if I am traveling by air, I know that I am going to need to carefully choose what I take with me In general, I am going to have three bags: (1) a big duffel bag that I will check and will include my tripod and clothes; (2) a briefcase like camera; and (3) a roller bag. My briefcase type camera bag is an Urban Disguise 60 bag by Think Tank Photo and I always pack it with the same equipment: a Nikon D700, a 24-70 mm lens, three 8-gig compact flash cards, two spare batteries, a battery charger, my MacBook Pro (and its power cord), two portable hard-drives for storing and backing up images, lens cleaning tissues, a lens brush, a Blackberry for work e-mail, and an iPhone for personal business. This bag is large but fits under the seat in front of me in even the smallest planes.
The bulk of my equipment is packed in an Airport International v2 from ThinkTank . It fits in most overhead compartments and lets you safely pack a decent amount of equipment in a relatively small space. Many airlines are switching to small regional jets for less-travelled markets, i.e., generally the places that photographers like to go. These planes have small-very small-overhead compartments and you will need to check almost any bag when you reach the tarmac. The advantage of the Airport International bag in these cases is that the bag is heavily padded, wears like iron, and has a built-in lock.
What do I put in the Airport International bag? The bag will always contain a spare body, spare compact flash cards, spare batteries, an allen wrench for my quick release plates, a close-up filter (the Canon 500D), a remote, a 77 mm circular polarizer with a 72 mm step-down ring, graduated neutral density filters, a blower bulb, and a sensor brush. The tough part is deciding which lenses to take with me and that is why I did the research on my destination.
If I will likely be shooting wildlife or birds, the 200-400 Nikkor and 70-200 Nikkor lenses have to go. If wildflowers are a possibility, I will definitely take the 150 mm Sigma macro. If I am shooting landscapes, the 70-200 mm Nikkor is a must and, if there is room, the 14-24 Nikkor mm will also go. In the end, I am balancing the weight and the possible photographic opportunities. If the probability of needing the 200-400 is remote-it is big and heavy, it stays at home. I may miss a picture but I will be a happier photographer because my back won’t hurt so bad. Finally, there is another option if you need more equipment than you can possibly carry with you. You can ship it by FedEx or UPS. (I don’t recommend USPS. USPS doesn’t guarantee shipping times and doesn’t have a means for tracking most packages.) Because it is expensive (it is generally cheaper to pay for a second suitcase), you will probably only want to do this if you are going to be gone for a long time or when you need equipment that can’t be transported on an airplane, e.g., a Nikon 600 mm f/4 lens. Unthinkable? Next winter I am planning to travel to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and will be shipping my 600 mm by FedEx-insured of course.
So, get out and travel. Don’t take all your equipment with you. You will be happier with less equipment and you won’t be fatigued when you get to your destination. As for me, I am headed to Maine in September and am driving because I will want it all! Hey! __________________________________________________________________________________________________ PHOTOGRAPH THOSE THINGS FROM OUR PARENTS AND GRAND PARENTS PAST - LEARN THE RIGHT WAY
"The Old Lucketts Store, is a beautiful, 3-story landmark building that was originally built in 1910. This historic building was once the post office, general store, then the Lucketts family home. The building has since been restored and is the home to over 20 antique dealers and is overflowing with vintage furniture, lighting, collectibles, We have done several workshops at this location and it is just an incredible place with such a great diversity of subjects, that it is virtually impossible to NOT come back with unique and beautiful images. We shall be working both indoors and outdoors, because there is so much subject matter in both areas and we shall be dealing with light modification, fill flash, composition and a great deal more. This workshop is for students of all levels and allows you
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IT'S ABOUT GETTING THE COMPOSITION RIGHT-WORK WITH ONE FOCAL LENGTH ON YOUR ZOOM LENS OR USE A PRIME LENS - YOU CAN DO IT-JOIN US IN ANNAPOLIS MARYLAND ON SEPTEMBER 19, SATURDAY----PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP CHALLENGE YOURSELF IN THIS UNIQUE WORKSHOP WHICH IS TO HELP YOU GET CONTROL OVER YOUR IMAGE CREATION TECHNIQUES. YOU WILL EXPAND YOUR SKILLS IN COMPOSITION, PROPER USE OF APERTURE AND SHUTTER SPEED AS WELL AS METERING SYSTEMS AND OTHER CREATIVE CONTROLS THAT YOUR CAMERA OFFERS.
This is not a fixed focal length vs. zoom lens workshop. It is simply a workshop that will concentrate on shooting with only one focal length with your zoom or with a fixed focal length lens. Which lens is not at issue. Any zoom or prime lens that you are comfortable with either owned or rented, is most certainly acceptable. Most of us have become very use to the quick, and down and dirty captures that zoom lenses allow us to do and there certainly some very wonderful zoom lenses. But in many cases they hold us back from really looking at and analyzing the subject we are trying to capture. How we look at the images, in regards to how the light falls, how the angles, the textures work together, what the background does and does not do, and how the foreground plays into the whole composition. Join us and get back to the grass roots of photography. Film, Digital, it does not matter. What does matter is that you have a fixed focal length lens or that your zoom will taped down to the focal length of your choice and exif data will tell us the story. So what is a fixed focal length lens? Pretty simple, it is a lens of one focal length. It can be a fisheye lens, an ultra wide angle lens all the way out to a long telephoto. i.e. 18mm, 50mm, 35mm, 100mm, 300mm and so on. The benefits are usually a smaller lens, a wider aperture i.e. 1.8. for gathering more light under lower light conditions, possibly sharper but not always, lighter weight. And what is a zoom lens? Any lens having a variety of focal lengths built in. Sometimes called a variable zoom lens. I.e. 18-200mm, 70-200mm, 70-300mm, 50-500mm 12-24mm, and so on. For the higher end zooms I can get an f/stop as fast as 2.8 or maybe 2.0, but the lenses are heavy and bigger. Slower zooms also have variable f/stops which means at the widest end they may be an 4.0 and at the longest end they could be as slow as 5.6. But the higher end zooms do not have variable apertures, usually, and operate like a prime lens. This workshop will lock you into a focal length of your choice and that is what you will photograph with all day. I am willing to bet a free workshop that you will come back with some of the most incredible images you have ever shot. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN THIS BEAUTIFUL AREA OF MARYLAND - CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ________________________________________________________________________________________ 2009 SHENANDOAH & SPERRYVILLE & THE BEAUTY OF FALL COLORS - PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP - Oct. 23,24,25, 2009 We shall meet at OLD RAG PHOTOGRAPHY, which is a neat Photography Gallery nestled in the heart of the very artsy town of Sperryville Virginia. This gallery is located just a few miles from the Shenandoah National Park where we shall be photographing beautful sunrise and sunsets, water falls, flowers, and wildlife. The gallery is our base of operation in the Blue Ridge Mountains and we shall hold classes and pre shoot meetings either indoors or outdoors depending upon the weather. The Gallery overlooks a beautiful stream which we can access through a large deck. There is also lots to photograph right in, and around Sperryville. Our official guide, Hunt Harris, has arranged for Blue Ridge participants to get into beautiful locations not generally given access to the public. There are bed and breakfasts, rental houses, and several restaurants right in the main part of town. Book early. PLEASE CHECK THE LINKS BELOW FOR MAKING YOUR ROOM RESERVATIONS. BOOK EARLY AS THIS IS A POPULAR AREA.
As the Skyline Drive winds and twists it way around the mountains of Shenendoah park, you’ll find yourself in the middle of close to 200,000 acres of incredible seasonal landscapes with which develop your photographic skills. Our knowledgable guide, Big Meadows, which is known world wide for whitetail deer which should present you with wonderful opportunities to photographically capture these beautiful creatures. Big Meadows will also provide opportunities to photograph the textures of the fall grasses, flowers, and landscapes. What a great place to enhance your photographic skills, make new friends, and come away with incredible pictures and memories. A G E N D AThings will get rolling on Friday AFTERNOON AT 12:00 P.M. till to 3:30 p.m. where we shall have a meeting with snacks and soft drinks. You will meet the other workshop participants, your teachers and guides and talk about what to expect over the next few days We shall grab a quick dinner in Sperryville and we shall all depart our headquarters for SUNSET PHOTOGRAPH, depending upon the weather. When we are done it will probably be late enough to call it a day and get back to the hotels. We shall be up very early in the morning. Saturday will be a long day. We’ll be in the field early, to capture the early morning light and get to several planned destinations. We’ll stay out till breakfast time, and then head back to the classroom to discuss the morning and what comes next.
We head back out to the field right after our morning meeting and photograph throughout the day, shooting waterfalls, rapids, macro work, scenics, all with splendid Fall colors. We shall once again return to the gallery, where we shall take the time to discuss your images and workflow issues. Sunday morning, we shall be out and about at least an hour before sunrise and shoot throughout the day. At the end of our day at various shooting locations, we shall rap up at the LINK in Sperryville to discuss what you accomplished at the workshop. We can’t control our surrounding conditions and, certainly, weather and other conditions are crucial to holding strictly to any agenda. Because of of this there will be times that we have to make quick changes to original plans, but fear not. There is always a plan b and c. __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2009 PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP - THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF CHINCOTEAUGE VIRGINIA 11/6,7,8 2009 A wonderful weekend on the eastern shore of Virginia where you can de-stress from your daily lives and photograph numerous migrating and local bird species. Capture the warmth of sunrises and sunsets along the incredible marshes and get to record, only the way you can, the local flavor of Chincoteaugue. ALL SKILL LEVELS PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COST OF THE WORKSHOP DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF THE ROOM OR MEALS. Please click on the Rufuge Inn Link provided. WE HAVE SET ASIDE A BLOCK OF TEN ROOMS. Close to the Refuge Inn there are quite a few restaurants that are no more than a ten minute drive. We sampled a few of them and it was some of the best seafood we've ever had.
OUR FULL COVERAGE - LIGHTROOM CLASS WILL BE HELD OCTOBER 3RD, 2009 
This workshop will cover the basics of DSLR workflow, beginning with capturing an image and ending with printing or displaying the image. While Adobe Lightroom 2.2 OR LATER will be used to demonstrate key concepts and one workflow—my workflow, the principles demonstrated during the workshop can be used with a variety of software products. Part of the emphasis will be on making an easy, simple, fast workflow to minimize the time needed to data base and process images and maximize the time making the presentation of your images. However, the class will be based in Adobe Lightroom. JOIN BRIAN IN THIS CLASS AND ENJOY HIS RELAXED AND PROFESSIONAL TEACHING TECHNIQUES. BRIAN HAS DESIGNED A CLASS THAT WILL GET YOU WELL ON THE ROAD TO ACHIEVING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC GOALS IN BOTH WORKFLOW AND CREATIVITY WITHOUT THE NEED TO TAKE ADDITIONAL COURSES OR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTION. LEARN WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN IN ONE CLASS AND THEN BEGIN TO APPLY THIS KNOWLEDGE TO YOUR OWN WORK. For full details please click here. _________________________________________________________________________________ OWN NIKON - SHOOT RAW - THEN THIS NIKON NX2 CAPTURE CLASS ON OCTOBER 17TH 2009
NIKON CAPTURE NX2 SOFTWARE CLASS - NIKON HIGHLY ACCLAIMED SOFTWARE - OCTOBER 17, 2009-15 STUDENTS MAXIMUM - IF YOU ARE SHOOTING NIKON RAW FILES THEN THIS PROGRAM IS MORE THEN ESSENTIAL IT IS NOTHING SHORT OF A MUST HAVE, MUST LEARN.
ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE SOFTWARE PROGRAMS FOR PROCESSING NIKON RAW FILES BEGAN ITS LIFE QUITE A FEW YEARS BACK, AND HAS NOW EVOLVED INTO A WONDERFUL TOOL, ESPECIALLY FOR NIKON USERS. IT HAS BEEN HIGHLY REFINED WITH A WONDERFUL INTERFACE, AND GIVES NIKON USERS ANOTHER OPTION FOR SMOOTHLY AND QUICKLY PROCESSING THEIR FILES. OUR COURSE WHICH IS GIVEN BY BRIAN ZWIT SHALL COVER FROM THE CAPTURE OF THE IMAGE TO THE FINAL OUTPUT OF THE IMAGE. GET UP AND RUNNING QUICKLY WITH BRIAN'S VERY CONCISE METHOD OF TEACHING. Please click here for more information __________________________________________________________________________________
NIK SOFTWARE CLASS - What is it, how does it work, and how can it enhance your images? SEPTEMBER 12, 2009
Nik Software Plug-ins: The Ultimate in Creative Control--LEARN HOW TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES QUICKLY AND EASILY Nik software enables you to enhance your COLOR WORK, BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES, SHARPENING, NOISE REDUCTION IN A LOCALIZED FASHION USING THEIR UPOINT SELECTIVE SOFTWARE. LEARN HOW TO APPLY VIVEZA SHARPENER PRO COLOR EFEX PRO DEFINE SILVEREFEX PRO BRING YOUR IMAGES TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL Nik Software provides a variety of plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom 2.0 and Apple Aperture. These plug-ins greatly reduce the learning curves for programs like Photoshop and expand the capabilities of Lightroom and Aperture to produce image enhancements that were only available if you used Photoshop. This class is designed to teach you how to use all of the plug-ins that Nik Software currently offers for Photoshop, Lightroom, and Aperture.
Please click here for more information. ___________________________________________________________________________________ FRONT LENS CAPS-REAR LENS CAPS - DO YOU USE THEM - IF NOT WHY NOT?
Lens cap, rear caps. There is a reason that camera and lens manufacturers give you these two pieces of plastic. The reason is to protect the front and rear elements of the lens. Not necessarily from dirt and grime and rain, although that is very important, but to protect the rear and front elements from abrasions and scratches. When that lens is not in use, which means it is either in your camera bag, on your table, maybe even on your back or front seat of your car, these caps MUST BE ON THE LENS. ----- IT TAKES A NANO SECOND TO DAMAGE A FRONT OR REAR ELEMENT OR THE ELECTRONICS IN MODERN DAY LENSES.
It happens to all of us, and it recently happened to me. I was in a hurry to switch lenses on my camera, and carefully slipped the lens I had just removed from my body into my well padded camera bag without either cover. Later on I switched lenses again and shot about 200 images. When I examined those images in Lightroom every one of them had an identical mark in the same place of the same density. I assumed it was my sensor so I cleaned the sensor. That was not the answer. Somehow, something put an abrasion on the rear element of my prime lens that would not clean off and it must now go for repair. It will not be an inexpensive repair. HAD I TAKEN 2 SECONDS TO PROTECT THAT LENS, TWO HUNDRED IMAGES WOULD NOT HAVE A PROBLEM, AND THE MONEY WOULD BE IN MY POCKET AND NOT THE MANUFACTURERS. Not to forget the time lost in not having the
lens available. USE THOSE CAPS. The same also applies to BODY CAPS. Use them. Do not store your camera without a lens on it or without the Body Cap. Keep lenses and filters clean. Examine them during your shoot to make sure that something has not made them very dirty.
I had a 17-55 Nikkor on a Nikon body several years ago and was shooting on both Tangier Island and Smith Island. At some point I got a greasy smear on the side of the filter I had on the lens. It did not enter my mind to check the lens during the day, because what could happen to it while I was shooting with it? Fortunately, my wife spotted the smear, and I was able to remove it with LENS CLEANING FLUID AND A MICRO FIBER CLOTH. Not a micro fiber cloth ONLY, but with lens fluid in combination. However a certain amount of image degradation took place in about 10 images. It looked like a blur spot but of course was called by the smear. Always check your lenses. Always use your front and rear lens caps, body caps and always keep an eye on how your lens looks in regards to dirt and grime.
ALL ARTICLES IN OUR NEWS LETTERS ARE COPYRIGHTED BY BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS LLC 2009 Description |
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Welcome to the July, 2009 newsletter. In this Issue LINKS TO WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING AT OLYMPUS E-P1 MINI MICRO 4/3 CAMERA _________________________________ ADAPTERS THAT ALLOW THE USE OF CANON AND NIKON LENSES ON THE NEW OLYMPUS MICRO 4/3 _________________________________
GET YOUR OLYMPUS E-P1 PENN AT PENN _________________________________ GO TO BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS TO FIND OUT ABOUT ALL OF OUR UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
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