Backlight in Black and White

I decided to experiment a little bit this weekend with monochrome and back light. I haven't really done much too "different" lately. Messing with the light painting earlier this week reminded of that. I realize that I'm not really getting any better unless I'm trying new things. If I'm not, at least occasionally, looking at the back of the camera and feeling that picture doesn't work at all, I'm not trying hard enough.

I wanted to go for a comic book feel. Maybe something along the lines of Frank Millers B&W comics.

I think the picture of Tobias works the best here. Kathryn's hair makes it difficult to figure out what is in the picture. She also decided to "pose" for a school picture instead of doing what I asked! Ah, its okay, at least she was trying to cooperate.


Tis the season...

I took a quick picture of a workmates baby Friday. I knew she was bringing him by so brought a "real" camera instead of relying on my cell phone. After the pictures I was asked one the questions I dread in life... it ranks up there with "What were you thinkin?" However, its not that one, its "We need to get a good camera, can you recommend one?" I don't have a good answer. But I thought about it this weekend. Here it is...

If you are going after a dSLR you want to find a camera with at least 6 megapixels ( thats all of them! Yay! ). Handle various entry level models. Lean towards the one that "feels" the best to you. I say "lean to" because the final thing to consider is what do you friends and family have? If everyone you know that has an SLR uses Nikon, you should at least consider Nikon too. Why? Because maybe you can bum some gear off them every once in a while. Or, if you run into a bizarre problem, maybe someone you know can help you solve it. Do a bit of reading at that point and decide if you want to get a camera that isn't "entry level." So, now I just need to memorize that and spit it out when asked the difficult question.

I also thought about what is the bare minimum of kit of gear that I would "need". Its pretty small I think. A camera body, a fast fixed "normal" lens, a small lightstand getup with an umbrella, flash, and radio triggers. Simple.

And no, I haven't assembled my computer yet.