tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16102885245994508552024-03-24T19:34:10.045-04:00Ten In OnePhotography, music, writing, technology, fishing, and other random thoughtsDavid Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.comBlogger636125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-69821235348701404132024-02-19T14:30:00.022-05:002024-02-23T22:09:21.629-05:00Refurbishing My Old Messenger Bag<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0cbKxx5mIPMLytgVRHNalN0F9uPIWKelghPlgC0Ct2WCmnKY9d4LO3oIRu6W-p9F9RCmF5QgGeOTrco1GEOksMDZHnc7lo9gLHKbuBPIyRlKgq59Nvb9rJumC7w-bz9YIry0ceBrEvGZZ2u7we4tgE6fajzhKXdP0Bkv4aD6N1L3uXpEBLmjxfyEh0Vk/s4032/LLBeanMessengerBag1.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0cbKxx5mIPMLytgVRHNalN0F9uPIWKelghPlgC0Ct2WCmnKY9d4LO3oIRu6W-p9F9RCmF5QgGeOTrco1GEOksMDZHnc7lo9gLHKbuBPIyRlKgq59Nvb9rJumC7w-bz9YIry0ceBrEvGZZ2u7we4tgE6fajzhKXdP0Bkv4aD6N1L3uXpEBLmjxfyEh0Vk/w640-h480/LLBeanMessengerBag1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>This last weekend I reconnected with an old friend. I bought an L.L. Bean messenger bag almost 15 years: ago and it served me well for several years. A few years ago I replaced it with a posh leather briefcase. But out of curiosity I recently looked at messenger bags again, and I learned that my old Bean compares quite well to the latest and greatest, and is actually better than most of the current messenger bags I looked at.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrHxXCI3n35XLBCQbuAxMRipRAwx3uvjB5YaIngU7dW96IZDcPQt9m8aOUo6XshpH1bCwrjKlourmSRA7UDXTcYRfEqkWCBGNWsx04euDjnyLsyzRd2DvM1ZrdvV58K21vbXCRklRzhHitaBHezwJEPG8QKXvvWVLMbXUZficRanWStEj5dj8gv-P1ANf/s4032/LLBeanMessengerBag2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrHxXCI3n35XLBCQbuAxMRipRAwx3uvjB5YaIngU7dW96IZDcPQt9m8aOUo6XshpH1bCwrjKlourmSRA7UDXTcYRfEqkWCBGNWsx04euDjnyLsyzRd2DvM1ZrdvV58K21vbXCRklRzhHitaBHezwJEPG8QKXvvWVLMbXUZficRanWStEj5dj8gv-P1ANf/w640-h480/LLBeanMessengerBag2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delaminating polyurethane. It normally sheds off in small flakes but you can see a patch in the upper-right where it's completely come off.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Unfortunately, after sitting in my closest for a long time, some of the nylon on my bag had started to delaminate. The nylon or polyester that is used in most tents, backpacks, and bags is coated with polyurethane (PU) to improve the fabric's water resistance and flexibility. It's that rubbery layer on the backside of the fabric. Heat, humidity, mildew, and other factors will eventually cause the coating to delaminate from the fabric. When the PU coating starts to delaminate, it starts flaking off and what's left gets really sticky. It's unpleasant to touch and it gets dandruff-like detritus all over your bag and its contents. The fabric also loses its water resistance. It's commonly thought that once this happens, there's nothing you can do about it. But I couldn’t quite accept that in this case because I really like this bag and other than the delamination, it’s still in great shape. So I started doing some Google searching and discovered a technique for repairing it. And what do you know, it was actually effective!</p><p>The first step is to clean up the flakes and the fabric. I removed all the loose flakes that had fallen off, or were about to fall off, with a vacuum cleaner using a small brush attachment. If your bag is soiled you'll also need to clean the surface (hand wash in Woolite) and air dry it completely. But the nylon on my bag was very clean on the inside other than the PU flakes.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3I-nLW5rfCj0eMBo-WaBCNLIjINZiUXXddn9aNRKsPpr_le5kbfKV9JSok9WuPhNubJ0W1xmmOMlKzgldv3e24GFGeJNukMCPXgGqeoU5zul8XE4FK4qOd3r_kD0EMncmoJv23v0XYoHLA7R29JnnWmybRPZmcb34KFG9Ok_JlsGWgVLRPbSuJKVree8/s4032/LLBeanMessengerBag3.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3I-nLW5rfCj0eMBo-WaBCNLIjINZiUXXddn9aNRKsPpr_le5kbfKV9JSok9WuPhNubJ0W1xmmOMlKzgldv3e24GFGeJNukMCPXgGqeoU5zul8XE4FK4qOd3r_kD0EMncmoJv23v0XYoHLA7R29JnnWmybRPZmcb34KFG9Ok_JlsGWgVLRPbSuJKVree8/w480-h640/LLBeanMessengerBag3.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron on medium heat, with a couple sheet of printer paper between the iron and the fabric</td></tr></tbody></table><p>After you have a clean, dry surface, the next step is to halt any further delamination. Place two sheets of unused white printer paper (regular weight) on top of the nylon's interior surface where the PU coating is. Using an iron set to its synthetic, nylon, polyester, or rayon setting (i.e. medium heat), iron the nylon, making sure the paper is always between the iron and the fabric. Don't touch the bare iron on the nylon, or it could melt onto the iron and you may not be able to get the residue off. If you're the OCD type that tends to overdo things, let me warn you that you don't need high heat! The PU coating softens with relatively low heat and if you totally liquify it, it could melt onto your paper. You just want to soften the PU so that with a little pressure from the iron, it will re-bond with the fabric. You may need to change out the paper as loose flakes adhere to the paper. Get everywhere the PU coating is starting to flake and go another 1/2 to 1 inch beyond that. Work the seams well. After you let it cool, you should find that the coating is no longer sticky, which is very satisfying.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJAVE9lt-a8Urn-yceSfERbeXDvRvYL41Ag7pkHFGfs4-XzaHpguAJQmKrG2lRlnzjIug4veKmtSmOvdenRpgr3-HIuM-piZfp__uBOisbaKNj_qnwhP4SFlVTeGNm0KD7q_MRGPkyc2EA_3GDm-YpeNX1ZdLx4PWFebRB8FCL0FeGM-nLwp89mwqy0lr/s4032/LLBeanMessengerBag5.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJAVE9lt-a8Urn-yceSfERbeXDvRvYL41Ag7pkHFGfs4-XzaHpguAJQmKrG2lRlnzjIug4veKmtSmOvdenRpgr3-HIuM-piZfp__uBOisbaKNj_qnwhP4SFlVTeGNm0KD7q_MRGPkyc2EA_3GDm-YpeNX1ZdLx4PWFebRB8FCL0FeGM-nLwp89mwqy0lr/w480-h640/LLBeanMessengerBag5.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reseal with Nikwax Tent & Gear Solarproof</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The last step is to reseal the fabric with water resistant treatment. I used <a href="https://www.nikwax.com/en-us/products/UV-Protection/tent&gear-solarproof/" target="_blank">Nikwax Tent & Gear SolarProof.</a> Follow the directions, but it's really easy. You just spray it on the back side of the nylon right over the PU coating, wait 2 minutes, then wipe up any excess with a damp cloth. Easy peasy. This should seal any weak areas in the fabric's water resistance.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN_Bwy69vM24yEsZ3Pk4gu7hkXBtSD6G5kaj0uI9de8dYnLQuTfbcM8cprAdpFJyFrLw3zE4eB6IftnyE2amUWuXTABXJt8PEba3Gzb8DCWL-iC6RXdrRbjZ12A4jFluc6QTUYDno_t8bYEfXHJqYq7gYvGoLxwrY4syc4c9gXXaXYjwZ1isig6kQYc_m/s4032/LLBeanMessengerBag6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN_Bwy69vM24yEsZ3Pk4gu7hkXBtSD6G5kaj0uI9de8dYnLQuTfbcM8cprAdpFJyFrLw3zE4eB6IftnyE2amUWuXTABXJt8PEba3Gzb8DCWL-iC6RXdrRbjZ12A4jFluc6QTUYDno_t8bYEfXHJqYq7gYvGoLxwrY4syc4c9gXXaXYjwZ1isig6kQYc_m/w640-h480/LLBeanMessengerBag6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks similar, but it's no longer sticky and it's not shedding flakes anymore</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Now, I can't vouch yet for how long this will last. But if I can get a few more years out of my bag with a treatment once or twice a year, it would be completely worth the effort. I know after this first treatment, that the delaminating nylon is no longer sticky and it's not flaking off anymore.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7P4DGL3ZU6kLCAwpEEfzJtZTlf0tBk4sSO5XUo11LTN-bOKww0_l7SepxLuiRtW137oM5FXwOP9yenbs9vKyvdZDJvDx01l0q6gZJQXyJMh5LY9LmMgc3jS_UDLGHY1jaIPxS2V9Tl6C6gtBgEBBN_Sjs2aEMVcr2qziDKv71Nx7sjvmiHyiA5WXkkS-d/s4032/LLBeanMessengerBag7.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7P4DGL3ZU6kLCAwpEEfzJtZTlf0tBk4sSO5XUo11LTN-bOKww0_l7SepxLuiRtW137oM5FXwOP9yenbs9vKyvdZDJvDx01l0q6gZJQXyJMh5LY9LmMgc3jS_UDLGHY1jaIPxS2V9Tl6C6gtBgEBBN_Sjs2aEMVcr2qziDKv71Nx7sjvmiHyiA5WXkkS-d/w640-h480/LLBeanMessengerBag7.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pimped out handle with paracord wrap</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Another thing I did was beef up the grab handle with a paracord wrapper. I never liked the handle on the Bean. It's made from nylon fabric (not webbing), it's flimsy, and it has no supporting structure. So it's not comfortable and feels really delicate, although it's never shown any signs of failure. I found an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKpigKRU4QU" target="_blank">instructional video</a> on YouTube (there are hundreds) that walks you through how to do a paracord wrap. I folded over the existing handle lengthwise and put a couple segments of paracord on the inside to give my finished handle a bit more volume, but otherwise followed the directions exactly. The wrap only takes 20 minutes or so and solved the only usability issue I've ever had with the Bean.</p><p>I'm glad to have my old bag back in service! I have a new appreciation for it, and I'm hoping to get at least a few more years out of it.</p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-61417693616253954292023-10-13T10:19:00.002-04:002023-10-13T10:19:17.339-04:00Gearing Up For Fall Colors<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NblOWSUgtxqpm6RELJ-26QTzcvK0Fik6oerpHc6yXxRGze8ldAAmmxtV59T1eWBg0GEfcpezW7hYU7UijJJcViKiwK-CNhpYpPfKmeg0bGjxK0sTQXe2d-ee9bBnMFaofqZkGKnlpR2XYdTmMW8PPNz2mZY_2T6b3Ewq_Urml-nY8J4BpmzzTSlZUsb_/s1200/2022-11-04-0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NblOWSUgtxqpm6RELJ-26QTzcvK0Fik6oerpHc6yXxRGze8ldAAmmxtV59T1eWBg0GEfcpezW7hYU7UijJJcViKiwK-CNhpYpPfKmeg0bGjxK0sTQXe2d-ee9bBnMFaofqZkGKnlpR2XYdTmMW8PPNz2mZY_2T6b3Ewq_Urml-nY8J4BpmzzTSlZUsb_/w640-h426/2022-11-04-0008.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Fall is here, so I figured I'd post a shot from a family trip last year to Williamsburg, VA. It was a great time to be there as the fall colors were spectacular. Maybe a little bit past peak, but still very beautiful. I'm hoping to take a trip to the Blue Ridge mountains in the next few weeks to capture some good Fall color photos this year. I don't know if that's feasible because my job and family schedule is action-packed, but I'll try to slip it in there. If I don't manage that, I will try to at least get some good photos locally.<p></p><p><br /></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-10027657362153296742023-10-01T07:37:00.000-04:002023-10-13T10:11:17.308-04:00Aging Out<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuJQfrjUOXsMhgXAH4toKrccSVMD5dilpdf0GGzNZAf_odiJDA1cWpHan8q27ZuFqdO1JDVEpjeOeBSAzVTdre21rd_809FSIjibb1Wjy4poYu8RaEq8W1MU29l9RQGEIRPKuCGbmBj_mNYM2bkImwrdMYa2eAS-3YWuizcbYiuENMf8madgdfySlRYbF/s1200/2023-01-16-0033-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuJQfrjUOXsMhgXAH4toKrccSVMD5dilpdf0GGzNZAf_odiJDA1cWpHan8q27ZuFqdO1JDVEpjeOeBSAzVTdre21rd_809FSIjibb1Wjy4poYu8RaEq8W1MU29l9RQGEIRPKuCGbmBj_mNYM2bkImwrdMYa2eAS-3YWuizcbYiuENMf8madgdfySlRYbF/w640-h512/2023-01-16-0033-Edit.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The winter of this year was a fairly dark time for me. I'd lost my job in the midst of a very difficult market for my industry. And this is during a period of my life where, candidly, I'm at the front end of aging out in my chosen profession. (Yeah, it's a thing in tech and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.) In an effort to keep my spirits up, I was looking for photography opportunities and I took a hike at a local trail. From the standpoint of photography, it was a modestly fruitful trip producing a few decent, albeit not spectacular, shots. But from a spirit-lifting point of view, it was not particularly successful. The day was overcast and everything was dormant for the winter. I got this photo of a dead tree stump lying down in the forest, rotting away. It's definitely overstating my situation, because in the big scheme of things, I have been and I remain very lucky in my professional life. So many have had it so much worse. But that dead stump was kind symbolic of my feelings at that moment.<p></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-79428696769855821072023-09-24T08:00:00.020-04:002023-10-13T10:23:46.378-04:00Oblivious<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AVEKuHzVQxyQQUTc3QIJ3fBrGqu3hOGeRaqrIHrXiqsQTV71Y2iSKMYzIqi-Fkc8XOkgiq7x0fQfZyx2z1aXZqRMkuzFPZDYN2DbV6xCRFOukV-1aI4pGoUXGJDuZNIqgTPwj6JDMp3SjuYHwkbtahwSLPAkyhAJ6yeGUy3Vzzq2qjzXRfjRXR5DpZXD/s1200/2023-07-22-0009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AVEKuHzVQxyQQUTc3QIJ3fBrGqu3hOGeRaqrIHrXiqsQTV71Y2iSKMYzIqi-Fkc8XOkgiq7x0fQfZyx2z1aXZqRMkuzFPZDYN2DbV6xCRFOukV-1aI4pGoUXGJDuZNIqgTPwj6JDMp3SjuYHwkbtahwSLPAkyhAJ6yeGUy3Vzzq2qjzXRfjRXR5DpZXD/w640-h426/2023-07-22-0009.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Today's photo is from a trip a fews months ago to the Juniper Level Botanical Garden in Raleigh. The plants and flowers were kind of overwhelming. It's a target-rich environment. After shooting plants and landscapes for awhile, I whipped out the macro lens to change things up. And that made me aware that there were insects <i>everywhere</i>. Other than a few buzzing around my face, I hadn't really noticed before. These little bugs were just as unaware of me as I was of them. That made me start to think about what must be going on at the microscopic and cosmic levels at that moment in time. And I realized just how blind life is to all the other life going on around it. We're all like these little bugs crawling around on the stigma of a flower, fixated on our own problems and ambitions, mostly oblivious to all the other living things doing essentially the same thing. <p></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-82656722085919396882023-09-17T17:16:00.001-04:002023-09-17T17:16:29.717-04:00Today's Forecast: Partly Cloudly With Early Morning Awesomeness<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovOJ2j_U0S96q8mYIPGTfXCWqIpkgG952B_ierhjijB_xMVHD7hdb-Cs8RgbsrcidARLIxhkNmsFuK1p1AkrY0gWa61BeYNbA66c1sOP8VwH8YWpXs_YfKY9pJ7T6dZRj8pNvb24Pv9KzZyTJ7OzIOejt6nAfZKtB25-4YcHCYjLNfJx3nLuE33w73ltS/s4032/IMG_3394.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovOJ2j_U0S96q8mYIPGTfXCWqIpkgG952B_ierhjijB_xMVHD7hdb-Cs8RgbsrcidARLIxhkNmsFuK1p1AkrY0gWa61BeYNbA66c1sOP8VwH8YWpXs_YfKY9pJ7T6dZRj8pNvb24Pv9KzZyTJ7OzIOejt6nAfZKtB25-4YcHCYjLNfJx3nLuE33w73ltS/w480-h640/IMG_3394.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br />Cool news! My <a href="http://www.dumeril7.com/2023/04/little-big-weekends.html" target="_blank">photo from earlier this year</a> of a sunrise over Bass Lake in Holly Springs was selected as the label for <a href="https://www.cloudsbrewing.com/forecast" target="_blank">Forecast Hazy IPA</a> from <a href="https://www.cloudsbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Clouds Brewing</a>. Clouds is one of my favorite local brewers and they have a running contest for photographers to get their weather-related photo on a batch of Forecast. I was fortunate enough to get chosen back in the Spring. Of course I'm stoked to have one of my photos on a beer can, but to have it on an excellent beer from a brewery that I genuinely love is a massive bonus! As a marketing guy, I think they did a really nice job with the graphic design. This can will only be available while supplies last, which I imagine will only be a few months.<br />David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-7534700655327140822023-09-15T16:44:00.000-04:002023-09-17T16:45:14.244-04:00The Great Wheel<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJl3i57BEGqdRamSd60rm1szIGdB7LvBgOgl4ZeRXBgtwtoj3Y8P8xIVwMIFjWaVCmw7KnVKyt4N-DiTtTmoRtBDu4EgcbqhlQ0C9I0ZFQavyJ24zWo1yv4sK0bLGzr_IBiOlH-s7CLZJtHxWMltQE3aby4eSNENXcluXwK8wuLmyltTTCejzbxskmPwR/s1200/2016-02-02-0045.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJl3i57BEGqdRamSd60rm1szIGdB7LvBgOgl4ZeRXBgtwtoj3Y8P8xIVwMIFjWaVCmw7KnVKyt4N-DiTtTmoRtBDu4EgcbqhlQ0C9I0ZFQavyJ24zWo1yv4sK0bLGzr_IBiOlH-s7CLZJtHxWMltQE3aby4eSNENXcluXwK8wuLmyltTTCejzbxskmPwR/w640-h480/2016-02-02-0045.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In a past professional life I used to travel to Seattle a lot. My employer was on <a href="https://www.bainbridgeisland.com/" target="_blank">Bainbridge Island</a> across Elliott Bay, so I used take the ferry every time I came to town. That's kind of outside my usual experience so I really enjoyed it. <a href="https://seattlegreatwheel.com/" target="_blank">The Seattle Great Wheel</a> sits right on the pier and they light it up at night with LEDs, although my photo here doesn't really show that aspect of it off. Seattle has a very nice skyline and the Wheel is pretty much a centerpiece for it.<br /><p></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-36244086907023059572023-09-11T10:00:00.011-04:002023-09-11T10:25:23.905-04:00Dealing with Dynamic Range<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNSIixofDNo-SPS0Uylsm0qtwG1PSrtOpMnZX7ZEiImwtW5KxyCxUgXkFou73_PcSo5l_VHUSeiUUx2s8M3sz7oHEXeHq0reyCErneKZi-DQJqQqa026KKtTeH9XDltxwKRqKO8N9IZCTJyI7kmG_ckTqwEQAohUnbzQN-bJ3inj7Xr6nrKy-7NGkRYvX/s1200/2023-08-19-0079-HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNSIixofDNo-SPS0Uylsm0qtwG1PSrtOpMnZX7ZEiImwtW5KxyCxUgXkFou73_PcSo5l_VHUSeiUUx2s8M3sz7oHEXeHq0reyCErneKZi-DQJqQqa026KKtTeH9XDltxwKRqKO8N9IZCTJyI7kmG_ckTqwEQAohUnbzQN-bJ3inj7Xr6nrKy-7NGkRYvX/w640-h426/2023-08-19-0079-HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>One of the enduring challenges in photography is dynamic range. The human eye can see a range of about 18-21 stops of light between the darkest and lightest areas they can detect. (A "stop" is a relative measure of light in photography.) Today's best full-frame mirrorless cameras are good for about 15 1/2 stops. That might not seem like much, but because stops are logarithmic, it means that your eyes can see a range of light that is 6 to 40 <i>times</i> what the best modern cameras can capture! </p><p>So you're often presented with a scene that simply can't be captured the way your eyes see it and you're forced to make hard choices. If you properly expose the lightest parts of the scene, you're going to lose detail in the darkest parts, and vice-versa. Most of the time, I will bias my exposure for the lightest parts because post-processing can recovering shadow detail (albeit with a degradation in color, noise, and clarity), but lost highlight detail is gone for good.</p><p>Another approach is to take multiple shots of the same image at different exposure levels, so that you end up with a set of photos that properly expose every part of the scene. Then you combine them together in post-processing using sections from each photo. This can be done manually in Photoshop, or in an automated way through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-exposure_HDR_capture" target="_blank">HDR</a> processing.</p><p>Like a lot of photographers, I went down the rabbit hole of HDR. I got mesmerized by <a href="https://stuckincustoms.com/" target="_blank">Trey Ratcliff</a>'s work, which really showed off what was possible with the technique. Trey is really a master at nailing the delicate balance in HDR between extraordinary and excessive. But like a lot of photographers who got into HDR, my hit-rate wasn't as good as Trey's and I made some really shitty photos. But all of that is part of the process, and I'm glad I went through it because I learned a lot more than I would have by being dogmatic about it like a lot of other people.</p><p>This photo is the first HDR shot I've done in many years. I did this one using Lightroom's HDR feature, which is much more subtle than the tools I used to use. With Lightroom, Adobe took the approach of using the component images to simply create a wider dynamic range RAW file that you can adjust later in Lightroom just like any other RAW file. I very much prefer this approach. It's a lot more subtle and less likely to look garishly over-cooked. It looks like one of my normal photos, but it's a cleaner image than I'd get with my normal approach because the camera didn't have sufficient dynamic range to deal with the scene.</p><p>Still, even with more nuanced tools, there's a reason I don't take many HDR photos. It's a practical reason, not a philosophical one. For my photography, HDR is a lot more effort for very little return. With the vast majority of scenes, modern cameras have enough dynamic range that the simple shadow lifting tools available in Lightroom can do the rest very credibly. Getting one image and processing it in one tool is just much easier and faster, and results look just as good. In fact, they're often better.</p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-17398903403975732332023-09-03T11:51:00.002-04:002023-09-03T11:57:04.482-04:00Asian Gardens and Composition<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XVSa3Usp4uLUOm55CBV9AvoPetMJWn5BAIBfis-7kWb-ppCGpyLtLJahUYRE1umyiVVQqo7edRRq6S_doDzQM4ctsivowahZWKdmCRM1asl_nzC0mGKNuFnrm93TaRxWMsRxxkg7hj35DnryTao_kVyjkgrFtPKPRHfICKJ5XxHCxoFbPQ9wCJMepfCz/s1200/2023-03-24-0082.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XVSa3Usp4uLUOm55CBV9AvoPetMJWn5BAIBfis-7kWb-ppCGpyLtLJahUYRE1umyiVVQqo7edRRq6S_doDzQM4ctsivowahZWKdmCRM1asl_nzC0mGKNuFnrm93TaRxWMsRxxkg7hj35DnryTao_kVyjkgrFtPKPRHfICKJ5XxHCxoFbPQ9wCJMepfCz/w640-h426/2023-03-24-0082.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The <a href="https://gardens.duke.edu/asiatic-arboretum" target="_blank">Culberson Asiatic Arboretum</a> is an 18 acre section of Duke Gardens dedicated to flora from East Asia. It has all the plants you'd expect to see — Japanese maples, azalea, camellia, irises, bamboo, lotus, jasmine, and cherries — and a lot of less familiar ones as well. They've also built several well-done ornamental features of Asian gardens — water features, bridges, pagodas, stone lanterns, etc. It's very beautiful and unexpectedly exotic in the middle of Durham. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf9hKz7mdan0xwLoymB-Ih4S9wU3GBp1xtIb301PLsMvq3jnRcOr8dkLEJ18lkcmzZjk-f0-rNZHYtAQDCciF1c8np3qDNoXIYnxbuCxkwKlJnGXMEb9_hLzElxGJZ-Ynw_-XsPA2GBS1RY6VC-_vuZY5FJGbjL4URwzy9VSLp6FY3SSLLn807_jBERcq/s1200/2023-04-13-0043.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf9hKz7mdan0xwLoymB-Ih4S9wU3GBp1xtIb301PLsMvq3jnRcOr8dkLEJ18lkcmzZjk-f0-rNZHYtAQDCciF1c8np3qDNoXIYnxbuCxkwKlJnGXMEb9_hLzElxGJZ-Ynw_-XsPA2GBS1RY6VC-_vuZY5FJGbjL4URwzy9VSLp6FY3SSLLn807_jBERcq/w426-h640/2023-04-13-0043.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><p>One of my favorite features is a tea house that is a great place to work
on composition. It presents straightforward ways to experiment with pretty
much all the elements of photographic composition — color, tone, texture, lines, shapes, distance, balance, positive/negative space, patterns, etc. I find it a great place to strip away complications and just concentrate on the raw materials of an image in order to develop skills.<br /></p><p></p><p> </p><p></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-1223838016236795462023-09-01T11:11:00.003-04:002023-09-01T11:12:50.915-04:00Blue Ridge Layers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIFUD3ydnFTUFBHdWXymDmoCEywU25tTHxocOyFgGwqcH3BC019o5iR5LQu3fQHPoBFtvFgn431MAotW0CfDY-lE0RHgwwUCcx4DHs4Aq5UjeX0vMtizZfujUGSvH09BM6vq4fSjKWyc0tUjM0S5h_Or-aF3G18iGIEVVmcM_3kGXUjCgDL4CYpFum7_f/s1200/2023-08-19-0072.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIFUD3ydnFTUFBHdWXymDmoCEywU25tTHxocOyFgGwqcH3BC019o5iR5LQu3fQHPoBFtvFgn431MAotW0CfDY-lE0RHgwwUCcx4DHs4Aq5UjeX0vMtizZfujUGSvH09BM6vq4fSjKWyc0tUjM0S5h_Or-aF3G18iGIEVVmcM_3kGXUjCgDL4CYpFum7_f/w640-h426/2023-08-19-0072.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />A couple weeks ago, we went to <a href="https://www.townofboone.net/" target="_blank">Boone</a> to drop off my oldest son at college. He started at <a href="https://appstate.edu" target="_blank">Appalachian State</a> this year. I'm so happy for him. And maybe a tiny bit envious – I would have loved going to a place as beautiful as Boone for my college days! I already miss him, and I hope his college experience is as positive and impactful as mine was.<p></p><p>Since we were there, we went ahead and rented a cabin for a few days to get in a small vacation before school starts up. I regret not having brought some fishing gear! But at least I got some photography in. Boone sits on the <a href="https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/" target="_blank">Blue Ridge Parkway</a>, which is my favorite place in the world to drive and one of the most scenic places in North Carolina to photograph. </p><p>I snapped this photo at one of the many amazing overlooks on the Parkway. The Blue Ridge Mountains get their name from the characteristic blue color of the mountains when viewed at a distance. The blue color is from isoprene released by the trees during photosynthesis. From a photographic standpoint, it's an ideal environment for 3D-like images that exploit the atmospheric haze for added depth. The blue haze gets stronger with distance, so you get this really lovely layering of mountains in your photo. I guess I'm lucky I didn't go to school in Boone, because exploring the area would have been one heck of a distraction for me.</p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-8671621814703263942023-08-11T11:42:00.006-04:002023-08-11T11:49:38.675-04:00The Sphere<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-LJ0sj6vBLQaYkFi8xm0QsPkyOvWNH8eFOBTyGzzAu2HatC2GzFlwbL_CGrcG17NMCEXyzJVLSpKZFVN_jL0aWG09TwjJw598zWqZtIC7Y8n8Ws_FdnputfVrsYGbUR8277qdbO5oE0SjokAMf9_8iZEZ3m8IhtYNfl4OM0a2nrNEpA2W9c4q1a15-zkK/s1200/2023-08-09-0056.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-LJ0sj6vBLQaYkFi8xm0QsPkyOvWNH8eFOBTyGzzAu2HatC2GzFlwbL_CGrcG17NMCEXyzJVLSpKZFVN_jL0aWG09TwjJw598zWqZtIC7Y8n8Ws_FdnputfVrsYGbUR8277qdbO5oE0SjokAMf9_8iZEZ3m8IhtYNfl4OM0a2nrNEpA2W9c4q1a15-zkK/w640-h512/2023-08-09-0056.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Last week I went to Las Vegas for my company's annual customer conference. It had been a long time since I'd been to Vegas and I was kind of looking forward to it. But I was quickly reminded why I'm not really into Las Vegas. I don't enjoy gambling, I hate cigarette smoke, and my hard partying days are behind me. And it's unbelievably hot this time of year. In fairness, there are a lot of shows I'd love to see, but they're very expensive so I've only been to handful of them. In short, Vegas offers a lot, but not much that I'm into. The one thing the city does offer that I really like is the opportunity to do some night photography of the city. To paraphrase <a href="http://www.ely.com/" target="_blank">Joe Ely</a>, Vegas is a jungle but Vegas gives a beautiful light.<p></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-68120625335961182602023-08-02T15:03:00.067-04:002023-10-13T10:30:18.915-04:00Three Legs and the Truth – A Tripod Manifesto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuL8kX5xg3rQytb0DLlIPNgUWPOROSsF-prHKn-yNFP1ZrzN1hqcZ6vZ41S0zLBVEEiBCqF-SFAjjvlRctOKpw3zAGsx01CW6dcw-pUrtvjd1r3Ym9-BaL9H5DYSmXZEM1CK8UPU4h28fQOjrpI2RNlpcKExMvO3b7JL1hVE3L1EzmdAT-ymS67E8KrKN/s4747/2012-10-13-0498.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4747" data-original-width="3144" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPuL8kX5xg3rQytb0DLlIPNgUWPOROSsF-prHKn-yNFP1ZrzN1hqcZ6vZ41S0zLBVEEiBCqF-SFAjjvlRctOKpw3zAGsx01CW6dcw-pUrtvjd1r3Ym9-BaL9H5DYSmXZEM1CK8UPU4h28fQOjrpI2RNlpcKExMvO3b7JL1hVE3L1EzmdAT-ymS67E8KrKN/w424-h640/2012-10-13-0498.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">One and Done is Overdone</h3><p>It's very common for photographers to advocate just buying a <a href="https://www.gitzo.com/" target="_blank">Gitzo</a> or <a href="https://reallyrightstuff.com/" target="_blank">RRS</a> and being done with it.</p><p>I'm not one of them.</p><p>Virtually any photographer would be delighted to use a 3-series Gitzo, sure. That's not the issue. Virtually any sports car enthusiast would be delighted to drive a $13.4M <a href="https://newsroom.bugatti.com/en/press-releases/bugatti-la-voiture-noire-from-a-vision-to-a-reality" target="_blank">Bugatti La Voiture Noire</a> too, but that doesn't mean every sports car enthusiast should buy one.</p><p>Recently, there was a very <a href="https://thehill.com/business/economy/4098757-many-gen-xers-facing-retirement-nightmare-due-to-lack-of-savings-report/" target="_blank">sobering report</a> about how much my generation, Generation X, has saved for retirement. Short version: I hope Ferris Bueller really enjoyed his day off because he’s not going to get many of them in his golden years. Of course a tripod isn't going to make or break your retirement. But as a general way of life, over-spending for things you don’t need, with money you don't have to burn, <i>can</i> make or break your retirement. People have different levels of disposable income and different objectives. A professional photographer, a weekend warrior enthusiast, and an amateur who just wants to up-level his travel photos, simply don’t need the same level of tripod. </p><p>So I think it's overly simplistic, and maybe even a little irresponsible, to prescribe a $1200+ tripod to everyone. </p><p>My answer is more complicated, and it assumes you have a budget.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Optimizing an Investment</h3><p>It is true that beginners often under-invest on their first tripod. Sticker shock and having just dropped a bunch of coin on an expensive camera sends them looking for bargains at Amazon or the local Best Buy. And you know what? The beginners who never advance beyond that level actually made a wise choice. But you never hear from them on photography forums because they’re not the type that frequents photography forums. You only hear from the ones who go on to become enthusiasts or pros who find out quickly that the tripod they bought isn't cutting it. And for them it’s true: buying something that you need to replace a short time later isn’t a good idea either.</p><p>The trick obviously, is to optimize your investment: Spend enough to get the performance you're likely to require, but not the performance you won't. That's easier said than done because when you're a beginner you don't know how much performance you actually need or how far down the photography rabbit hole you're going to go.</p><p>This is also complicated by the fact that a photo that really requires a tripod typically requires a <i>good</i> one because that kind of image suffers immensely without solid stabilization. And unfortunately not all tripods are the same. The stability difference between bad and good tripods is real, <a href="https://thecentercolumn.com/testing-tripod-stiffness-and-damping-at-the-center-column/" target="_blank">measurable</a>, and visible in your photos. And once you use a decent tripod you will recognize it very quickly.</p><p>You'll notice that I use the word “invest”. I do that deliberately. Because a tripod is one of the very few items in photography where if you buy a good one, and you take care of it, it can last for many years. Decades. Possibly even your entire photography lifetime. So in my opinion, you’re better off allocating less money to short-life items like camera bodies, and more money to things like tripods and lenses that can serve you through numerous camera bodies. Luckily, unlike a lot of people would have you believe, you don’t have to buy a premium tripod to get a “good tripod”. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Let Other People's GAS Power Your Photography</h3><div>One way to keep to a budget and have nice things is to buy used. In every pastime, there are a ton of people on never-ending gear upgrade quests, casting off their barely used old stuff for cheap. I say let the new gear addicts take the depreciation hit and get a much better tripod than you could afford if you bought new.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tripods are one of the safer photography gadgets to buy used because they're simple devices and it's easy to tell if they're in good working order or not. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>First make a judgement on the general cosmetic condition – a heavily scuffed and scratched tripod probably had a hard life</li><li>Examine for any physical damage like broken parts, cracked tubes, and rusted metal parts</li><li>Check each leg lock for proper function</li><li>Make sure the legs pivot smoothly and the angle locks work correctly</li><li>Check that the legs extend and retract smoothly and quietly</li><li>If you have time and the seller consents, you can dissemble one of the lower leg locks to assess the general condition of the lock parts and the inside of the tubes – just make sure you don't lose any pieces and you <i>know</i> you can put it back together!</li></ul><div>Also, photography e-tailers like <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Used-Equipment/ci/2870/N/4294247188" target="_blank">B&H</a>, <a href="https://www.adorama.com/Used" target="_blank">Adorama</a>, <a href="https://www.mpb.com/" target="_blank">MPB</a>, and <a href="https://www.keh.com/" target="_blank">KEH</a> are reputable and have really good used gear selections. I've very successfully purchased used gear from all of them and will do so again in the future, I'm sure. You may pay a bit more than buying locally, but you can mitigate some risk because they all have return policies. Just make sure you adhere to their time limits! (On the other hand, I don't recommend them for <i>selling</i> your gear. Although it's more hassle, you're much better off selling locally or through e-bay or Craigslist in my opinion.)</div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">You Had One Job to Do…</h3><p>I’ve seen a lot of “best tripod” articles aimed at beginners, and a surprising number of them have a bunch of travel tripods in their lists. I think this is bad advice for that audience. I love travel tripods, but I think of them as specialty devices. </p><p>My philosophy on purchasing tripods can be summarized simply: </p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Within your budget, you need at least one tripod that prioritizes stability above all other considerations.</i></p></blockquote><p>Why? A tripod’s entire reason for existing is to provide stability – to hold your camera still regardless of how long your shutter is open or how big and heavy your lens is. A tripod that can’t do that is a failure on the primary objective, like a cup that leaks, a car that won't move, or a coat that's cold. You want at least one tripod that is rock-solid stable in any scenario you’re likely to put it in. And in my opinion that should be your first tripod.</p><p>Once you have a stability-first tripod that can handle anything you're likely to throw at it, then you might consider something like a dedicated travel tripod that sacrifices some stability for size, weight, or convenience. One obvious exception would be if you shoot all or most of your photos when traveling or backpacking or something. But most people don’t. </p><p>Let me be really clear though: When I say "prioritize stability above all other considerations", I don't mean over-engineering it. If you don't see yourself shooting wildlife or sports or a super telephoto, you don't need a giant, beefy tripod rated for 50 pounds. There's no point in getting way more stability than you'll actually use. But I think it’s foolish to buy, as your only tripod, one that can’t handle all of your <i>likely</i> usage requirements. No matter how small, light, or feature-laden it is.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2urvVGXWP-xdrfZQz6O2WrQEozcnhNvDGEDJmZAhTwM82c9pUfIzkT9wviwdkDNV2GhlVrGSDRdjXsCj-wasXD_M_2h2WemWgARb1QwJnyHJ3uBtDGOoynM-hKu6RA2u03XSntfyJ-_FUYQyx3P2lDEpTmOov0axdf0yfmyKNVc23dU0WRG5UIiggZfif/s1200/2023-07-04-0018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="795" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2urvVGXWP-xdrfZQz6O2WrQEozcnhNvDGEDJmZAhTwM82c9pUfIzkT9wviwdkDNV2GhlVrGSDRdjXsCj-wasXD_M_2h2WemWgARb1QwJnyHJ3uBtDGOoynM-hKu6RA2u03XSntfyJ-_FUYQyx3P2lDEpTmOov0axdf0yfmyKNVc23dU0WRG5UIiggZfif/w424-h640/2023-07-04-0018.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Meaning of It All</h3><p>So what does that mean in terms of choosing a tripod? Unfortunately, prioritizing stability means avoiding a lot otherwise attractive features because many of them compromise stability, including</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;">More leg sections</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Smaller diameter legs</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">More height</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Center columns</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Smaller collapsed size</span></li></ul><p></p><p>Consequently, I recommend that your stability-first tripod</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Have a minimal number of leg sections (no more than 4)</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Have large diameter tubing relative to the weight you’re going to put on it</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Have sufficient height <i>without</i> extending a center column</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Be made of carbon fiber, if you can afford it</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Be paired with a head that is equally or more stable (unfortunately you can't cheap out on that either – the system will only perform as well as the weakest link)</span></li></ul><div>I'll go into more detail on each of those...</div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">How High the Moon</h3><p>In terms of height, the advice you often hear is to get a tripod that is tall enough for you to use without having to stoop down. That's sound advice, but I don’t think it’s quite as critical as people make it sound, and it certainly doesn't mean that your tripod has to be as tall as you are. </p><p>First, your eyes are a few inches lower than your height, and the tripod head and camera raise the viewfinder a few inches above the tripod. So even if you intend to place the camera at eye level, your tripod can be several inches shorter than you.</p><p>But I often question the wisdom of shooting at eye level. From a composition standpoint, it’s not a good habit. The vast majority of photos you see are shot this way, so one of the easiest things you can do to get more interesting photos is shoot from a different perspective. Also, the higher your tripod, the less stable it is, all other things being equal. So while having a tripod that you can use when standing is definitely nice, this is one area where it’s possible to save money by buying a shorter tripod, and actually get greater stability and more unique photos. </p><p>Of course there are exceptions where you just can't have a shorter tripod. Obviously you don't want to shoot all your people portraits from below the subject (although I rarely shoot portraits other than selfies from a tripod because I almost always use a shutter speed that’s fast enough not to need one). If you're into astrophotography, having a short tripod that forces you to contort your body to peer through the skyward-pointing viewfinder gets old really fast. If you regularly shoot on inclines where you have one or two tripod legs on significantly lower ground than the others, a tall tripod will help keep the tripod at a usable overall height. Or, if you often shoot from above for some reason, a tall tripod is vital. But for a lot of people these situations are infrequent, and it makes more sense to optimize for something you need every time you use your tripod (stability) over something you need every once in a while (height).</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Better Living Through Materials Science</h3><p>It’s not like good photography didn’t exist before the invention of carbon fiber. On the contrary, I posit that the vast majority of truly iconic photographs were created before carbon fiber (or digital cameras for that matter). If your budget dictates aluminum, don’t sweat it. History is on your side and nobody worth listening to will ever look at one of your photos and say, "Wow, this photo would be so much better if it was shot on a carbon fiber tripod."</p><p>That said, carbon fiber <i>is</i> superior in about every way to aluminum. It's stiffer, lighter, dampens vibration better, and doesn't corrode. It also doesn't conduct heat/cold as well so it’s more comfortable to hold barehanded when it’s very cold or very hot outside. The only ways in which carbon fiber is inferior to aluminum is that it's considerably more expensive and the wrong kind of hit can crack or break it. I’m a big fan of carbon fiber and highly recommend it, if you can afford it.</p><p>But you should be aware that unlike aluminum alloys, which come in standardized quality grades, carbon fiber doesn't have industry standard grading. Consequently it can vary wildly in stiffness, vibration damping, and quality due to factors like direction of fibers, modulus of rigidity of the fibers, and resin/fiber ratio. With aluminum, it’s safe to say that the heavier tripod, the more stable. But with carbon, it's not that simple due to all the other factors that affect its performance.</p><p>There are also some "marketing features" that sound impressive, but are actually fairly meaningless, such as weight capacity. If a vendor says a tripod can carry a 25 pound load, what does that mean exactly? That it won’t collapse if you put 25 pounds on it? That it won’t flex? That it will be stable? What if the weight is carried off-center? Nobody knows and vendors are on the honor system that their measurement is truthful and relevant to real-world usage. Another one that vendors love to tout is the number of carbon fiber layers. But number of layers does not correlate reliably to stiffness due to the many other factors involved.</p><p>While carbon fiber tends to perform at least as well, and usually a lot better, than aluminum in terms of stiffness and damping, there are other factors besides tubing material that also affect these properties. So carbon fiber by itself is not a guaranteed indicator of superior performance.</p><p>I think the net-net of this is to stick to the reputable brands. I'm not talking about premium brands like Really Right Stuff or Gitzo. I'm talking about brands that have been around awhile, have been reviewed a lot, and have large user bases. Because at least then you can find some anecdotal testimony of quality from that brand’s user base and online reviews. Buying a dirt cheap carbon fiber tripod from an Amazon vendor you never heard of is going to be a complete crap shoot.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6UbtmTFZay-xQQqetk0kYT9Dfu7abkbKk8Wj9MXi_gbR3GnDu3m4ZwcxjbXoNvdYfJ1vBsYUuNstCA4MrEV131nSXRbRTk15ezeiZyRzZkZRtPr7MKUgOYA8pyzrq_NKKe1AwKOGtezv-L0KNi6dEYoil1jn62grSO4UsPeHXczu72FflSf-u3JN1imr/s4004/2018-05-13-0041.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4004" data-original-width="3203" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6UbtmTFZay-xQQqetk0kYT9Dfu7abkbKk8Wj9MXi_gbR3GnDu3m4ZwcxjbXoNvdYfJ1vBsYUuNstCA4MrEV131nSXRbRTk15ezeiZyRzZkZRtPr7MKUgOYA8pyzrq_NKKe1AwKOGtezv-L0KNi6dEYoil1jn62grSO4UsPeHXczu72FflSf-u3JN1imr/w512-h640/2018-05-13-0041.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Generally not a fan of center columns, but sometimes you need the height</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;">Agony Column</h3><p>Center columns have some distinct advantages. My first good tripod had a center column and although I rarely had occasion to use it, it was undeniably handy when I did. Center columns make it very fast and easy to make exact height adjustments (versus extending the tripod's three legs by exactly the same amount). They give a tripod additional height with relatively little additional weight or collapsed size. And they may provide some additional positioning options, such as horizontal booming or suspension of the camera between the tripod legs. Even after I upgraded, I keep my old Manfrotto 055XPROB because its horizontal column is super handy for macro photography.</p><p>But these advantages come at a cost. The column's locking mechanism simply won't be as stiff as a solid metal spider in a column-less tripod. And the column itself flexes, decreasing overall stiffness and vibration damping as the column is extended. An extended center column with a camera on the end acts like a lever, magnifying the effect of any forces on the camera, such as wind or shutter release. Using a long lens on a center column is a double whammy because of 1) the increased weight at the end of the lever, and 2) the high magnification of the lens makes the effects of small camera movements on image quality very apparent.</p><p>Put simply, center columns sacrifice stability, which as I said is the prime directive of a tripod. In the right conditions, the decrease in stability may be insignificant and the benefits are well worth the costs. But in more difficult or critical situations, the decreased stability will have a noticeable impact on image quality.</p><p>The other issue with center columns is they often limit how low the tripod will go. For me, going really low is more important than going really high. My old Manfrotto has a center column that can be configured horizontally, allowing very low tripod height. Unfortunately that configuration also puts the camera off-center from the tripod, but I'd rather deal with that compromise than the alternative.</p><p>All things considered, I prefer a tripod to either be column-less or have it as a removable option. If your tripod does have a center column, its stability disadvantages are minimized when it's fully retracted, so that should be its normal configuration until you actually have a shooting situation that requires extending it.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Five Easy Pieces</h3><p>Tripod legs are made in sections to allow them to collapse telescopically. The more sections, the smaller the collapsed size of the tripod. That's a definite advantage. But like a center column, the advantage comes at the cost of reduced stability. More sections means more leg joints, which reduce overall leg stiffness, especially if you neglect to tighten the locks properly. But more sections also means narrower tubing in the bottom sections of the legs. And that reduces tripod stability no matter how diligent you are with the leg locks.</p><p>For a stability-first tripod, the fewer leg sections the better. For me, 3 would be ideal, 4 is acceptable (and probably more practical), and 5 is too many.</p><p>Also, just because you can extend the legs, doesn't mean you should. Photographers on auto-pilot tend to extend their tripods to eye-level even though they don't need to and it would be better not to. I had that habit too until I acquired the habit of not extending the 3rd and 4th sections of my 4-section tripod legs whenever possible, which is much of the time. The stability is noticeably improved, and as I said before, shooting from a lower perspective is often compositionally more interesting.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LCGMGDq9--3HJvSUxRzqdVvRW-44a6Je2FSnFOBXDC1nKKMz7XIKA9LueMYZ9t-_1LLxFJf5zDzqRPQYHWvTpUmH5PK1zzYDZpkfFc8aHHLpCERsynvcu_kWcsEZIMPUGb0lUdN08aAJhUGypjN5KFKLaT-wGe4NovGe-XFcewDhPzIQTEdlkK7FaKaD/s2383/GingerVsMaryAnn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1644" data-original-width="2383" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LCGMGDq9--3HJvSUxRzqdVvRW-44a6Je2FSnFOBXDC1nKKMz7XIKA9LueMYZ9t-_1LLxFJf5zDzqRPQYHWvTpUmH5PK1zzYDZpkfFc8aHHLpCERsynvcu_kWcsEZIMPUGb0lUdN08aAJhUGypjN5KFKLaT-wGe4NovGe-XFcewDhPzIQTEdlkK7FaKaD/w640-h442/GingerVsMaryAnn.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An age-old question, and a litmus test for character.</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;">Twist or Flip?</h3><p>Ginger vs. Mary Ann. Nature vs. nurture. Twist locks vs. flip locks. The age-old debate. It really is a matter of preference. I've had both and they each have their advantages and disadvantages. </p><p>Twist locks are nice because they have fewer parts and are less bulky. They won't get snagged or disengaged accidentally. And the mechanism doesn't require adjustment to work properly. What I don't like about twist locks is that I find them slower to lock/unlock, and you have to physically test each lock to confirm that it's fully engaged (you can't just visually inspect it).</p><p>Flip locks are nice because you can reliably lock or unlock them in a single, short motion, you can visually confirm whether they're engaged, and they're easier to use when you're wearing gloves or when the tripod is wet. On the other hand, the levers have to be adjusted correctly or stability is compromised. Plus they make more noise, they can pinch your finger, and they can snag on things and accidentally disengage.</p><p>It's debatable, but having owned both, my preference leans slightly towards twist locks because they're not <i>that</i> much slower to use, and all things considered, I prefer simpler, lower-maintenance things with fewer parts to lose/replace.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">American Thighs</h3><p>The diameter of the largest leg section on a tripod is going to have a strong impact on stability. But how much is "enough" depends on the gear you're putting on top. I'm still using a DSLR and probably will be for a while. So I prefer fat, beefy legs. </p><p>Supposedly, mirrorless cameras shouldn't require as large a tripod. But big lenses have more impact on system weight than camera bodies. And new mirrorless lenses seem to be getting larger and heavier. So even if I were to go mirrorless, I'd probably still prefer larger diameter tripod legs.</p><p>When I was last shopping for a stability-first tripod, I considered 32mm legs to be the minimum and I ultimately bought a tripod with 36mm legs. If I had a lightweight, crop-sensor mirrorless camera system, maybe I'd go as low as 28mm (and that's pushing it).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AnqvQA-v_4jRYZ8xJVOvPtBSrrbEUMl-OVBwU0dxObKYeaISwhODHowQixWbTNDdtk6acdjifKuT5xCEKx9W-O2Zu-DOgSuW5DlKHMjNGCerSj0iSIyyF2tULakXBFSSfTrUaJ_BDXXBBW6CVR3lcqsDwBBxlZYK-qbW2WL1OY5s-o253VGShiFgjGA9/s4032/IMG_0635.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5AnqvQA-v_4jRYZ8xJVOvPtBSrrbEUMl-OVBwU0dxObKYeaISwhODHowQixWbTNDdtk6acdjifKuT5xCEKx9W-O2Zu-DOgSuW5DlKHMjNGCerSj0iSIyyF2tULakXBFSSfTrUaJ_BDXXBBW6CVR3lcqsDwBBxlZYK-qbW2WL1OY5s-o253VGShiFgjGA9/w480-h640/IMG_0635.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low perspective is a good thing, especially with travel tripods</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;">Playing the Angles</h3><p>Tripods generally have two to four supported leg angles. The one I'm most interested in is the narrowest one. This is the angle of the legs when the tripod is at its highest. It's the one that gets used the most, with the other angles for less frequent perspectives or for setting up on uneven ground. At least in my world.</p><p>According to <a href="https://thecentercolumn.com/" target="_blank">The Center Column</a> (by far, the best site on tripods that I've found, although sadly, it doesn't seem like it's been updated in a long time), there is a direct, positive correlation between wider leg angle and tripod stiffness and vibration damping. A tripod with wider angled legs is also more resistant to tip-over. On the other hand, wider leg angles take up more ground area and make the whole setup more unwieldy and a tripping hazard.</p><p>If you think about it, tripod manufacturers don’t have a lot of incentive to make wider leg angles. First, a manufacturer can increase height and decrease cost of materials by making the leg angle narrower. Second, tripod buyers don't pay much attention to leg angle because they can't easily see or even understand the effect it has on stability. They care much more about easily understood, but less impactful, specs like a tripod's height.</p><p>But <a href="https://thecentercolumn.com/2018/05/19/tripod-stiffness-vs-leg-angle/" target="_blank">according to The Center Column</a>, a 2.5° increase in leg angle results in a 15% increase in yaw stiffness with only a 2% reduction in height. </p><p>To me, that seems like a pretty dramatic effect on performance for a negligible height penalty. In light of that, I'd say that leg angle is probably the most under-appreciated tripod spec of 'em all due to its large impact on performance, its negligible impact on price, and the fact that you’re stuck with whatever settings the vendor provides.</p><p>To net it all out, I'd say you want to a leg angle of 24° or higher, if you can get it.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">When Do You Actually Need a Tripod?</h3><p style="text-align: left;">When I got my first tripod I used it as much as I could. There's nothing wrong with that, but it will cause you to miss some shots. The truth is that not every shot requires a tripod. And more importantly, when you don't need a tripod, you're often better off without one because they slow you down. Slowing down can be a good thing if you prone to rush through a session without due consideration for your shots. But a lot of times, slowing down means spending time doing things other than actually snapping photos.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">So when do you actually need a tripod?</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="white-space: normal;">When your shutter speed has to break the <a href="https://photographylife.com/what-is-reciprocal-rule-in-photography" target="_blank">reciprocal rule</a> (adjusted for image stabilization) which occurs in many situations:</span></li><ul><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Landscape photography in low light with a low ISO speed for optimal image quality</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Astrophotography</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Long exposure photography</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">Night photography</span></li></ul><li><span style="white-space: normal;">When you're shooting macro or telephoto and the magnification is so high that handholding your camera creates too shaky of an image to acquire focus</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">When you're working with a very heavy lens and you don't have the physical strength or stamina to handhold it for as long as you need</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">When your composition requires very high precision, such as macro and architectural photography</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">When you're <a href="https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-bracketing-photography-definition/" target="_blank">bracketing</a> and you need every photo in the bracket to have exactly the same composition – this is important in focus stacking, HDR, etc.</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">When you're taking a selfie or a photo where you're one of the subjects</span></li><li><span style="white-space: normal;">When the required shooting position prevents you from handholding the camera</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="white-space: normal;">And here are some scenarios where I think a tripod is not helping you and probably getting in your way:</span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>When your shutter speed is well within the reciprocal rule<span style="white-space: normal;"></span></li><ul></ul><li>When you're using a flash. Your exposure time for the subject is essentially controlled by the duration of the flash, which is 1/400 to 1/20,000 of a second depending on the flash power. Except in cases where you require a really long shutter speed for your ambient exposure, the flash duration is almost always fast enough to handhold your shot.</li><li>When you're dealing with a fast-moving subject. You may still want a tripod for one of the other reasons above, but regardless you'll need a fast shutter speed to prevent subject blur</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wrapping Up</h3><p>So that's my take on tripods. It is informed by my experience and the wisdom of a lot of people who are more knowledgeable than me. I deliberately avoided making recommendations on brands and models because that stuff evolves and the theory helps you navigate that regardless of whatever models have the most buzz at any given time.</p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-22323038251529039862023-07-28T10:25:00.002-04:002023-07-28T11:20:48.210-04:00Agave<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDfKIwWm9iFv9sfJ5VjvCUO_opZmgU7x40W-OIFxylfRDbYljxue2TSVhmsbzu96iqqzUY9c1mqge1uIVDqoC49XvqpcdIPMGut41qBJUZCluESARIftvmOJ1OJ0jm_MuF96SdzNHoTGnAJPBsAdPVM0mE8BUQkdYQUvoPPD5LXXQiOWs7UieS1FDghE6/s1200/2023-07-22-0058.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDfKIwWm9iFv9sfJ5VjvCUO_opZmgU7x40W-OIFxylfRDbYljxue2TSVhmsbzu96iqqzUY9c1mqge1uIVDqoC49XvqpcdIPMGut41qBJUZCluESARIftvmOJ1OJ0jm_MuF96SdzNHoTGnAJPBsAdPVM0mE8BUQkdYQUvoPPD5LXXQiOWs7UieS1FDghE6/w640-h640/2023-07-22-0058.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The <a href="https://www.jlbg.org/" target="_blank">Juniper Level Botanical Garden</a> has a huge collection of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave" target="_blank">agave</a> species, which I find very comforting because it reminds me of my home state of New Mexico. When I photograph agave, I tend to visualize the final image in black and white. Agave's simple physical structure and smooth texture helps me see it as abstract shapes and lines, instead of a plant. And taking away color emphasizes that even more. I need to remember to visually breakdown more subjects as simple geometric forms because it definitely leads to more unique photos.<p></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-78076401941124354482023-07-26T00:00:00.005-04:002023-07-26T00:00:00.168-04:00Long Live the King<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG6ec4ZhuMp--NNHuyS8r0CVKQvXxkAr_jxnkuzhbtiyQ4y5GqEgbyScieLd6kjDmRR7-Eday527LH_c_2mX8R_0JFGyJBjWOPZvVmGhrCwpQGv3LvKZrz3xWgu9cBpLVFr2dzfzcGNx6Fi-5oqaql7KWPxgvkwhCm--12edAiIiNPKRGCPn9_4QbopP7/s5568/2019-07-20-0085.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3712" data-original-width="5568" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG6ec4ZhuMp--NNHuyS8r0CVKQvXxkAr_jxnkuzhbtiyQ4y5GqEgbyScieLd6kjDmRR7-Eday527LH_c_2mX8R_0JFGyJBjWOPZvVmGhrCwpQGv3LvKZrz3xWgu9cBpLVFr2dzfzcGNx6Fi-5oqaql7KWPxgvkwhCm--12edAiIiNPKRGCPn9_4QbopP7/w640-h426/2019-07-20-0085.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Speaking of <a href="http://www.dumeril7.com/2023/07/of-gardens-and-gobbledegook.html" target="_blank">special places in North Carolina</a>, another lesser known treasure is the <a href="https://carolinaraptorcenter.org/" target="_blank">Carolina Raptor Center</a>, just north of Charlotte in the town of <a href="https://www.huntersville.org/" target="_blank">Huntersville</a>. Their main work is rehabilitating injured birds of prey. But they have a sort of zoo for the birds that aren't releasable into the wild. </p><p>This photo is of a <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/king-vulture" target="_blank">King Vulture</a> at the Raptor Center. These incredibly beautiful and large birds look kind of like a cross between a parrot and a turkey. They're native to Central and South America. I'm a big fan of vultures and I think they get a bad rap. The way they soar is gracefully beautiful, and they do a lot of good for other animals (including humans) by eating dead carcasses infested with lethal bacteria and turning it into harmless vulture poop. </p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-91110185042086741802023-07-24T11:34:00.012-04:002023-07-24T17:53:40.092-04:00Of Gardens and Gobbledegook<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2zRpTGovNyPPBbkaThn2GW_sSyCNp6PbDrEk3hGLclWh7KtBCzziz2UnHWgUqXoRAy14hmiCLRypaDzB0Gt5guXfbp2YpGu7_zYdLDNKc0bgdCy4Y-t4iL16rsPSRvM3nuu7HaVhI1bWveMk6HL_ff47BbvYu01WmdUc1KXDIkr6E4yiB8wUqeaHdsal/s1200/2023-07-22-0033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2zRpTGovNyPPBbkaThn2GW_sSyCNp6PbDrEk3hGLclWh7KtBCzziz2UnHWgUqXoRAy14hmiCLRypaDzB0Gt5guXfbp2YpGu7_zYdLDNKc0bgdCy4Y-t4iL16rsPSRvM3nuu7HaVhI1bWveMk6HL_ff47BbvYu01WmdUc1KXDIkr6E4yiB8wUqeaHdsal/w640-h426/2023-07-22-0033.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This last weekend we went to the <a href="https://www.jlbg.org/" target="_blank">Juniper Level Botanical Garden</a> in Raleigh. I've been to quite a few gardens, but the Juniper is a very special place. It's only open 8 weekends each year and it has over 27,000 different plants, making it one of the most diverse gardens in the world. In fact, people from all over the country go there to see and study exotic and rare plants that aren't found anywhere else outside their native habitat. Of course, I just went there to take pictures. It is a truly wondrous place and we're lucky to have it here in North Carolina.<p></p><p>It's so nice that I'm more amused than annoyed by the contrived spiritual babble that sometimes goes with it, like this little gem from their About page.</p><p><i>"Additionally, JLBG is a serene venue for noticing the impersonal nature of presence using the pointers offered within the perennial wisdom teachings. </i><i>Anita Avent refutes the widely held notion of existing as a personal self through time and space. The belief of being a personal self is the source of all human suffering. Anita facilitates gatherings and retreats pointing towards the edgeless, unified nature of what is arising here, now, as this and that as no thing ness </i>[sic]<i>.</i><i>"</i></p><p>Uhh. OK. Can you point me to the hydrangeas please?</p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-2757240758396158672023-07-14T10:31:00.002-04:002023-07-14T10:31:20.332-04:00Blue Ridge Bath<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9qv-G-VpyKl7tAAb2TzuNzpskKOSWs62Hpo4-O9pNEiuXkajBIzMXnOvEK38kIbOGQeDdsFueoyrQK_OZMp1h0-R80r4CP0ycZ8sw0JM9oPvK4uteuKLLBiB-JK4WQuBTSvTBnAslHiCila9thA-BM8oz4izjqjpEk9fEL0BVjXu9L3u22cvwnOuRUw-/s1200/2019-08-19-0129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9qv-G-VpyKl7tAAb2TzuNzpskKOSWs62Hpo4-O9pNEiuXkajBIzMXnOvEK38kIbOGQeDdsFueoyrQK_OZMp1h0-R80r4CP0ycZ8sw0JM9oPvK4uteuKLLBiB-JK4WQuBTSvTBnAslHiCila9thA-BM8oz4izjqjpEk9fEL0BVjXu9L3u22cvwnOuRUw-/w640-h426/2019-08-19-0129.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Here's a slow shutter speed shot from the Blue Ridge Mountains a few years ago. I never get tired of taking these. They're incredibly satisfying. I wrote a <a href="http://www.dumeril7.com/2018/07/calgon-take-me-away.html" target="_blank">tutorial</a> on how to take them awhile back.<p></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-57854637863238402502023-07-12T14:10:00.004-04:002023-07-14T10:24:03.857-04:00Remembering the Past, Embarking on the Future<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurJB5mMYWISO4g4KIvVCMGTk0K8YMWZZ6hOi23UCJCHv8s74ueomZJVMw0cfYF5gQuUq71k1hh92XlRF1u-FUAAWCfjwd4WTV155-JbdPaprmsOWyVMFOdbIcnvfG8dEGfrzIyUfz1IpX4bErtPeZeGI4BL8QXgygccHcGmxWugQQaXrh2Q0GKK6afu83/s1200/2019-08-19-0125.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurJB5mMYWISO4g4KIvVCMGTk0K8YMWZZ6hOi23UCJCHv8s74ueomZJVMw0cfYF5gQuUq71k1hh92XlRF1u-FUAAWCfjwd4WTV155-JbdPaprmsOWyVMFOdbIcnvfG8dEGfrzIyUfz1IpX4bErtPeZeGI4BL8QXgygccHcGmxWugQQaXrh2Q0GKK6afu83/w640-h426/2019-08-19-0125.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Next month my family and I will be renting a cabin in the Blue Ridge mountains for an extended weekend. This is something we used to do at least once every year, until the pandemic disrupted our routines. This is a photo from one of those past trips. On that trip, our cabin overlooked a small valley between the mountains where mist liked to gather in the mornings. I drank my morning coffee on the front porch every morning admiring the view and sometimes snapping photos.</p><p>On these mini vacations we like to hike, fish, shop, and explore. I really enjoy it, partly because it takes me back to similar trips I made as a child with my family. This year, we'll have the added joy and sadness of dropping my oldest son off for his first year in college. He's lucky to be going to school in this part of the state and I'm really excited for him. I will definitely miss him while he's gone, but it will be yet another reason to go up there more often!</p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-10768971120942354462023-07-04T18:01:00.026-04:002023-07-24T18:08:51.288-04:00Review: Benro Mammoth TMTH44C Tripod<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNqFxX9tY24o_Hm5vR74fdhdaT39Zq7qIOzO2eFzW9p5Wcg9EtKS2ZjgjKEHX3j78yEZH62meb6yS_6cCIar9iaqe6zEYe5FdmEB842vOWk_r2sSO53FoNj3sjpRLBjnfWEqRxJq7Wj1lvaVIeC-8JFq873f9jVgjVhXYnDHPiSVdejPLgItwCJVME-Pl/s1200/2023-07-04-0007.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="795" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNqFxX9tY24o_Hm5vR74fdhdaT39Zq7qIOzO2eFzW9p5Wcg9EtKS2ZjgjKEHX3j78yEZH62meb6yS_6cCIar9iaqe6zEYe5FdmEB842vOWk_r2sSO53FoNj3sjpRLBjnfWEqRxJq7Wj1lvaVIeC-8JFq873f9jVgjVhXYnDHPiSVdejPLgItwCJVME-Pl/w424-h640/2023-07-04-0007.jpg" width="424" /></a></i></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><i><br />“Wow, this thing is chonky!” </i></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">That was my first thought when I unzipped the case for the <a href="https://benrousa.com/mammoth-tmth44c-carbon-fiber-tripod/" target="_blank">Benro Mammoth TMTH44C</a>. Yeah, "Mammoth" is definitely the right word. While only 22.5" fully collapsed, its thick 36.2mm legs, large twist locks, and big systematic (read: modular) spider give the overwhelming impression of beefiness.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIxFsxD9OtrEC0oHUkobWMFCVzetRCp17C6lFjFiwFRmomVGn---jwQOviTFwbHiwbsY7onRj3sWtmNPzXEpQMCxpQlchTPfHTbcJEd6v_GVRoMeKrXydNj0zpRMrNalnq2jTyb7np2H9r2THJE9aeFozCmX5gqYoAfq1Qn8DzPIsp60ylbr4i2gDK9xP/s1200/2023-07-04-0011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIxFsxD9OtrEC0oHUkobWMFCVzetRCp17C6lFjFiwFRmomVGn---jwQOviTFwbHiwbsY7onRj3sWtmNPzXEpQMCxpQlchTPfHTbcJEd6v_GVRoMeKrXydNj0zpRMrNalnq2jTyb7np2H9r2THJE9aeFozCmX5gqYoAfq1Qn8DzPIsp60ylbr4i2gDK9xP/w640-h512/2023-07-04-0011.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B is for beefy<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><p><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">The second thing I noticed? It's pretty sharp looking as tripods go. The carbon fiber legs have a cool diamond-patterned finish, and the</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> machined aluminum fittings are anodized and polished very nicely</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">. Instead of the stodgy black that 99% of tripods are clad in, the Mammoth is predominantly dark gray with a <i>very</i> slight blueish tint, and selected metal bits are silver colored, providing contrasting accents. Hardcore traditionalists might not dig it, but I do. It's different, without being garish.</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Built for War </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><p></p><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">For being such a burly thing, it's surprisingly light. About 5 pounds, which is </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">reasonable for a pod of this size, but </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">a honker by travel tripod standards. The Mammoth is clearly a tripod that prioritizes stability above portability.</span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">The materials, fit, finish, and construction all seem first class. </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">The leg hinges have nice damped action, and the leg locks rotate smoothly with no wiggle. The leg segments slide easily over each other, with no excess play between the segments. The joints between the leg segments are fit closely enough that you hear the air whooshing out from the top of the legs when you collapse them. </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">There's just nothing</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> shoddy on the Mammoth.</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisYTZAc62truXQt0jxRyvnBj9JEKuY7OsqzWZnvBW1fxzDJIMGp_0fxLIsPeE1cW8181jSGsllOdGfT7dQJExSAzQUoWNlowy23NhkPoHpDi4yGtXPXGUf0KrLuvbngG3ebnDU5ASbmjg6S5G9dKs2mqv3awCEjIjYvPlJIE83Lac5ag5iKa5w5dpuxTb/s1200/2023-07-04-0009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisYTZAc62truXQt0jxRyvnBj9JEKuY7OsqzWZnvBW1fxzDJIMGp_0fxLIsPeE1cW8181jSGsllOdGfT7dQJExSAzQUoWNlowy23NhkPoHpDi4yGtXPXGUf0KrLuvbngG3ebnDU5ASbmjg6S5G9dKs2mqv3awCEjIjYvPlJIE83Lac5ag5iKa5w5dpuxTb/w640-h424/2023-07-04-0009.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3/8" accessory mounts seem nice, but there's really not much that fits in them<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><br />Between each leg on the spider is a 3/8” accessory mount. They're a seemingly handy addition except there simply aren’t many 3/8” accessories available. 1/4" mounts would open up a much bigger ecosystem of accessories. On the other hand, a 3/8” mount can be easily and discreetly converted to 1/4” with an inexpensive reducer bushing, but the reverse conversion is more awkward. So I suppose Benro made the better choice.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGYEn_8bifR5kRD0_yTknIl8BnTzCFM1YGukcz3yaopSzzuia2TXfpGYwODTn6BqQLymoiT5NCwtrn2exxH3O3lH472hmvH6VzkA9Qkr-QzmVG36odR4EOGY35qdjQzF67N10UYQiYeWn3GB_SBqdxsx5UoEA5rciRukIcBdjGQgS-wxG1NWUJjiV6oV5/s1200/2023-07-04-0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="1200" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGYEn_8bifR5kRD0_yTknIl8BnTzCFM1YGukcz3yaopSzzuia2TXfpGYwODTn6BqQLymoiT5NCwtrn2exxH3O3lH472hmvH6VzkA9Qkr-QzmVG36odR4EOGY35qdjQzF67N10UYQiYeWn3GB_SBqdxsx5UoEA5rciRukIcBdjGQgS-wxG1NWUJjiV6oV5/w640-h272/2023-07-04-0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The case is pretty spiffy too<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">Oh, I should mention the case is very nice as well. It's made of an attractive and rugged gray heather fabric, with plenty of high-density foam padding, high-quality YKK zippers, comfortable duffel-style carry handles, and a padded shoulder strap. The inside is lined with nylon, and there are tie-down straps for the tripod, an adjustable padded "helmet" area for an attached tripod head, and a generously-sized sleeve pocket to hold accessories. The only complaint I have with the case is that it's decidedly bulky, even considering the size of the Mammoth. The roomy size does allow you to carry additional stuff in the case and it's big enough to fit the matching <a href="https://benrousa.com/wildlife-head/" target="_blank">Benro WH15</a> head </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">(review forthcoming)</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">, which is pretty big for a still photography head.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvy5HQOjp1wqh-OCN6UNAm5Ptfh6upOlP0-WtJd5H9wTn4hTy1Js4ce2o6af0rv-vmS6KMbNXRLXWsKZ7n041aNJNTs2AgznbKjO5jvm_om3HL2QuxQHY-gTs5neLu41ZeRkKtAi7W8lMocvd45drwRrM9pC86vXlkZ1Q_fOgPobQZIhwNY0Ajl5rwOo9F/s1200/2023-07-04-0003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvy5HQOjp1wqh-OCN6UNAm5Ptfh6upOlP0-WtJd5H9wTn4hTy1Js4ce2o6af0rv-vmS6KMbNXRLXWsKZ7n041aNJNTs2AgznbKjO5jvm_om3HL2QuxQHY-gTs5neLu41ZeRkKtAi7W8lMocvd45drwRrM9pC86vXlkZ1Q_fOgPobQZIhwNY0Ajl5rwOo9F/w640-h426/2023-07-04-0003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your tripod head gets a padded helmet inside the case<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgIpMeIuHMFexOLYQiiEfo88kesG3ggp428SHVEYhxjPmFf9VCCV9ka938PBjVFfs6kcyXyzhamUZYfoAchQdJIyDkFD9QFfp0F-C5U91gguBek7O3ZWOoZSEMayiPmgDvTYtlG5INMTBRXlUCE1z7Td2jl8l5agYXahE8byieUaN2DLbLX-G_lbP4kq5/s1200/2023-07-04-0004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgIpMeIuHMFexOLYQiiEfo88kesG3ggp428SHVEYhxjPmFf9VCCV9ka938PBjVFfs6kcyXyzhamUZYfoAchQdJIyDkFD9QFfp0F-C5U91gguBek7O3ZWOoZSEMayiPmgDvTYtlG5INMTBRXlUCE1z7Td2jl8l5agYXahE8byieUaN2DLbLX-G_lbP4kq5/w640-h424/2023-07-04-0004.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passengers wear both a helmet <i>and</i> seatbelts.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNG-c0Y9CR_Z1WsiYSsOqTg9-BiFgMCh011ZTCO2xEGW_dk0DVbmTph795J3OWErv9ItHLl7TFP6sTOebj4F8FwqBpmlVaIP4ci3kdBO8bJvNJtNvsAtfPHSge1y8llKInKPYUGAPorpaNuXMOe2uevJjNnNoWSkh8g34womcree0eVhgjCVVQhsJmAR5/s1200/2023-07-04-0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNG-c0Y9CR_Z1WsiYSsOqTg9-BiFgMCh011ZTCO2xEGW_dk0DVbmTph795J3OWErv9ItHLl7TFP6sTOebj4F8FwqBpmlVaIP4ci3kdBO8bJvNJtNvsAtfPHSge1y8llKInKPYUGAPorpaNuXMOe2uevJjNnNoWSkh8g34womcree0eVhgjCVVQhsJmAR5/w640-h360/2023-07-04-0006.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super-long sleeve pocket for tools and other accessories<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> </span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">In addition to the case, the Mammoth also includes a 75mm <a href="https://www.dpreview.com/articles/1809219624/an-introduction-to-video-tripods#:~:text=Bowl%20or%20Flat%20mount&text=Having%20a%20bowl%20allows%20much,leg%20adjustments%20are%20still%20necessary.)" target="_blank">video bowl</a> and both rubber and spiked feet. The feet are equipped with rubber o-rings to prevent water ingress. That's a nice touch. To support the systematic spider, Benro also offers (at extra cost) a flat platform base, a 75mm to 100mm bowl adapter, and an extendable center column. The center column provides an additional 14.3 inches of height and includes its own leveling base so you don't have to give up that capability by using it. It seems like a great add-on if you need the extra height, but I'm good with the standard setup and prefer it's lower minimum height and greater stability.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xbdGGK_0jhQtzN9y18_w15LtCcleiLWFsi49ZEBG4AtX-OS1JeThEQVvh1nYvATHA-ksHzKdW64oL4lSBli_PJFbO4b0y3_ornQs1IvGfFHk7t2OoOIL-J1hVvgxfs6SfX0i2sHgX4uKHCdMU-aa5QOwV4MUFfALRqtxGkeZ1O_Jw5JIq5_vvFD6LcSl/s1200/2023-07-04-0016.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="795" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xbdGGK_0jhQtzN9y18_w15LtCcleiLWFsi49ZEBG4AtX-OS1JeThEQVvh1nYvATHA-ksHzKdW64oL4lSBli_PJFbO4b0y3_ornQs1IvGfFHk7t2OoOIL-J1hVvgxfs6SfX0i2sHgX4uKHCdMU-aa5QOwV4MUFfALRqtxGkeZ1O_Jw5JIq5_vvFD6LcSl/w424-h640/2023-07-04-0016.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's an o-ring of the base of the screw to prevent water from getting in the tripod<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>How's She Handle?</b></span></div><p><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">From a usability standpoint, when a leg is fulled collapsed, you can grab all of its locks at once and with a single quarter-twist, loosen or tighten all of them, making the tripod pretty fast to set up and tear down. The angle and leg locks work well with positive engagement and zero slippage. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnP-Y3Dq3utvmsqlZPKitSzlV0fsrAVje1szIc8gaWkEYL7eTKqf9qYeRA6jfMdOtbAjZjQmgoVQEbFajj0p5Mff2zJUT1Wn7g4VyMMcvewGrqIlMbraG9d6pquKxWWwQtdJgbXL1Sg2B5L8fOf3NincBwuAvvySRHB9XPF9TNveEwnF0it8GxKbJqveij/s1200/2023-07-04-0015.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="795" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnP-Y3Dq3utvmsqlZPKitSzlV0fsrAVje1szIc8gaWkEYL7eTKqf9qYeRA6jfMdOtbAjZjQmgoVQEbFajj0p5Mff2zJUT1Wn7g4VyMMcvewGrqIlMbraG9d6pquKxWWwQtdJgbXL1Sg2B5L8fOf3NincBwuAvvySRHB9XPF9TNveEwnF0it8GxKbJqveij/w424-h640/2023-07-04-0015.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grab a handful of knobs and a quarter twist is all it takes to unfurl the legs<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">Despite the name, the video bowl is extremely useful for still photography and has quickly become one of my favorite features. </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">It pivots very smoothly up to 15° in any direction and locks solidly in place using a short-handled clamp on the underside of the spider. </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">It's super useful</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> for leveling the tripod without having to painstakingly adjust each leg. With the tripod leveled, the head will pan on a level plane, which is essential for capturing panoramas or video pans. To level the tripod with the video bowl, however, also requires a bubble level on the base of the head. The WH15 head has one, but it's not a common feature on ball heads, which tend to come with levels on the clamp but not on the base. I think Benro should have put a bubble level on the video bowl itself, which would have made the feature usable with any head.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf5SPJr2KKQeANHh8RrMYeKksloKv4UUrBDQr1e3iFguthBU652OKuif2WPp838UNG5nDJ9sHZTGkBSO18SA6J9rpSe0zBysFWd4lUJTrlmj0wzTlK0nFNVKNbFgVV2IHzf7RM9ISkzoYqWsahG27iKFAyHiKjl3hxiqzP3aqtGay8Fh2gRS6jh_t-aLM/s1200/2023-07-04-0021.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf5SPJr2KKQeANHh8RrMYeKksloKv4UUrBDQr1e3iFguthBU652OKuif2WPp838UNG5nDJ9sHZTGkBSO18SA6J9rpSe0zBysFWd4lUJTrlmj0wzTlK0nFNVKNbFgVV2IHzf7RM9ISkzoYqWsahG27iKFAyHiKjl3hxiqzP3aqtGay8Fh2gRS6jh_t-aLM/w640-h424/2023-07-04-0021.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The video bowl (the half-round thing under the head) provides 15° of rotation in any direction and locks in place by tightening the handle under the spider<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWhIPsbk2HBVLPuT91wKp1ERdWbLcm31LfFo1-0moexeaCOK-K2mj7IhElFiYycrAxTHnwhoTu6pHNQmG3PsA_GscOqQzPGv23abyIfKMszl6ZKRR0mt3mXlnQqL9KeXaM1jBUdMUFU3v8L55wRKpMAe5aDejNNEZZU3rXXvoO-RJSYGjOAOmFD8C0cvw/s1200/2023-07-04-0022.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWhIPsbk2HBVLPuT91wKp1ERdWbLcm31LfFo1-0moexeaCOK-K2mj7IhElFiYycrAxTHnwhoTu6pHNQmG3PsA_GscOqQzPGv23abyIfKMszl6ZKRR0mt3mXlnQqL9KeXaM1jBUdMUFU3v8L55wRKpMAe5aDejNNEZZU3rXXvoO-RJSYGjOAOmFD8C0cvw/w512-h640/2023-07-04-0022.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bowl levels the head very quickly, but you'll need a bubble level on the head to do it<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">The Mammoth's height is pretty much ideal for me. </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">I'm 6'2" and with the Mammoth f</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">ully extended to 63 inches, and a proportionally-sized head on top, it puts my camera's viewfinder about 5" or 6” above eye level. That’s the perfect height for shooting upwards without having to contort my body to peer through the viewfinder. It also provides a bit of extra length to accommodate modestly inclined surfaces. But it's not so tall that I feel like I'm carrying a bunch of extra weight all the time to get height that I will only use every once in a while.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifICweL6i08kpnh0obrERrAt8pA3XeAghp2oM19xQlAo_fvzRJm79XT5weQakkKXxgrjeztpGvemzVF4OhRpfmEXMEH5bCdgM3laTSlRh4-WuM9T6JieDngbiEL_26PjZ6aNA0yOj_mfjegOFTvbnM54MzlXObJlDahXetnwkgfda90slSNvfz78tmyo6U/s1200/2023-07-04-0018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="795" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifICweL6i08kpnh0obrERrAt8pA3XeAghp2oM19xQlAo_fvzRJm79XT5weQakkKXxgrjeztpGvemzVF4OhRpfmEXMEH5bCdgM3laTSlRh4-WuM9T6JieDngbiEL_26PjZ6aNA0yOj_mfjegOFTvbnM54MzlXObJlDahXetnwkgfda90slSNvfz78tmyo6U/w424-h640/2023-07-04-0018.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Chonky at full mast<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">On the flip side of the coin, the Mammoth also goes respectably low, with a minimum height of about 6". The video bowl's attachment clamp prevents the Mammoth from going lower still, but it easily out-limbo's most tripods with center columns.</span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Mr. Chonky's Got Your Back</b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">The first photos I took using the Mammoth were a pretty good tripod workout: high-magnification macro shots, including some input images for focus stacking. If you've shot 1:1 before, or with very long focal lengths, you know that the magnification amplifies every little movement of the camera, making it a very jittery experience. My initial impression was that the Mammoth is the most stable tripod I’ve used, and many sessions later I haven't changed my mind on that. All that size and girth have to count for something and this is it. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPKfbPRBj5ZB52e5oGLSdF8-lms0Pl3AuvVrfLFc13rUVQ7ZytGzsrt2ml2onL35T90woIuckQoXg4bbO5gLFdaWib6L_siNU5YIINlkW1gDmZJczY9ICFERgR1ktxoT5kMivRov91kLfdu65RSb_-yJ3I-Y9BPoJT9jWnsJjiDjUSXXZ6ZgfO1g0ZJDX/s1200/2023-05-17-0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPKfbPRBj5ZB52e5oGLSdF8-lms0Pl3AuvVrfLFc13rUVQ7ZytGzsrt2ml2onL35T90woIuckQoXg4bbO5gLFdaWib6L_siNU5YIINlkW1gDmZJczY9ICFERgR1ktxoT5kMivRov91kLfdu65RSb_-yJ3I-Y9BPoJT9jWnsJjiDjUSXXZ6ZgfO1g0ZJDX/w640-h426/2023-05-17-0008.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock-steady at high magnification<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">I don't have an accurate way of measuring stability, but anecdotally I'll say that the Mammoth tripod, coupled with the right head, makes macro photography a joy. It massively reduces the jitter and shake, and damps vibrations very quickly. I've also shot some astrophotography with the Mammoth and had similarly positive impressions. In less demanding scenarios like wide-angle landscape, it's almost like you've bolted your camera to a concrete slab. As convenient as travel tripods are, stability is job #1 for a tripod and there's no substitute for a big, beefy, full-size tripod on that account.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79Ie34X2s45l0Lr_HpnGBFdilB3I62qfMLawS7cl_VKO7N8G46CpyR9tJEeLeby1HpvtX3GmN3_YhPt_ZE77JmvruZNdw8RA1lV8vMQqZREWS9ROSgqhASfLeV0KtUom7dLYS7GLXMc1_APjqv3aKdGFoXpUZsjTROzZmWB1x4hJUTNxMglXWz6cIV14I/s1200/2023-07-09.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79Ie34X2s45l0Lr_HpnGBFdilB3I62qfMLawS7cl_VKO7N8G46CpyR9tJEeLeby1HpvtX3GmN3_YhPt_ZE77JmvruZNdw8RA1lV8vMQqZREWS9ROSgqhASfLeV0KtUom7dLYS7GLXMc1_APjqv3aKdGFoXpUZsjTROzZmWB1x4hJUTNxMglXWz6cIV14I/w640-h512/2023-07-09.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </span></span><div><div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabwiJA5rbf6D_q2wWAVbAqFiqnULe4T7L0Brotb3ljQX1bBYHBXoaUTVPpw_EnUrqs_HyK3POL_NqSOUBtitwXrS7OGWWc4abxg1h5-OZpF9LQRQhefCuFDtufxepR1xFBl_0YA9QtwRQ2OMpS88kcUa-dy1MMDyOmlACW98r4DN_vWnq6_9woCGvE9U2/s1200/2023-05-17-0019.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabwiJA5rbf6D_q2wWAVbAqFiqnULe4T7L0Brotb3ljQX1bBYHBXoaUTVPpw_EnUrqs_HyK3POL_NqSOUBtitwXrS7OGWWc4abxg1h5-OZpF9LQRQhefCuFDtufxepR1xFBl_0YA9QtwRQ2OMpS88kcUa-dy1MMDyOmlACW98r4DN_vWnq6_9woCGvE9U2/w640-h426/2023-05-17-0019.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making easy work of macro<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Benro rates the Mammoth's payload capacity at 55 pounds. That's impressive on the surface, but weight capacity specs are notoriously meaningless. What I will say is this: Short of a large telescope rig, whatever still photography camera and lens you want to put on top, I'd be <i>very</i> surprised if Mr. Chonky couldn't handle it. And it'll probably handle that big telescope rig as well.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpq4IBsAvltFynRziBnUr3Rx-zHNLgY-J1npPlqUH4q_G_h7Kti7JwdICQJG0nPNH0fE5Q19pwQ8bV-SNNXWOK2mpADP0VaLicmEVe2OV7ptF2FJA7je6Vuc8A7uQMdng1LzN4ZviUVaJSuYrzdq8ECVm_c680QuboJvXuRGx5h7gjk4SlaVoudz4-2n93/s1200/2023-07-04-0010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1200" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpq4IBsAvltFynRziBnUr3Rx-zHNLgY-J1npPlqUH4q_G_h7Kti7JwdICQJG0nPNH0fE5Q19pwQ8bV-SNNXWOK2mpADP0VaLicmEVe2OV7ptF2FJA7je6Vuc8A7uQMdng1LzN4ZviUVaJSuYrzdq8ECVm_c680QuboJvXuRGx5h7gjk4SlaVoudz4-2n93/w640-h512/2023-07-04-0010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For scale, this is how thick the legs are in my big mitts<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Leaving On a Jet Plane</b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">I have gotten to do some airline traveling with the Mammoth. The size makes this less convenient than with a travel tripod of course, but it's completely doable. It will fit in your checked lugged, especially if you remove the tripod head. Alternatively, the case is great for carry-on travel but, as I mentioned, it's bulky. If you put it under the seat in front of you on a plane, the length of it will extend out into the walking area in front of your seat which airlines don't like. That said, I haven't yet been asked yet to move it. And obviously you can put it in the overhead bin if you want to as well. <br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Pimp My Pod</b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">I did a couple of simple and reversible customizations to my Mammoth. First, I put a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0837RDVC9/" target="_blank">reflective slap bracelet</a> on each leg for night visibility. On the beach or near a road, I'm always terrified somebody in a car is not going to see me and run me over. It's also helpful for keeping me from tripping on my tripod's legs. I like slap bracelets more than reflective tape because they don't mar the tripod's finish. I also installed </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">a </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZYC48QG/" style="font-size: 14.7px;" target="_blank">D-ring</a><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> in one of the Mammoth's accessory mounts. When I get to a location, I detach the</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> strap from the case, attach one end to the D-ring and the other</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> end to a small nylon dog collar that I loop around the end of the tripod legs. <i>Voilà</i>, a tripod strap without having to carry yet another strap! It works perfectly and nobody's aware that I have a dog collar on my tripod because it looks exactly like something you'd get from a camera strap company (at a fraction of the price)!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUlcW9nLqRgPI4JQvHHu7DYtND00Iu0TwdHGqY5UFR-3HE5601XvfhxeiH4cXx8Tr8wIc-BStouI_wD0KFqGZNNTwmTNXh9FHYCNrUVXxjvL2OiHritCxAGwKfQPBXpbSkyf1P13fEJkOga_nuJCV9oVf5i0KfWZg1euEkExXyvUV0HTQ3q12cca00w4y/s1200/2023-07-04-0012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUlcW9nLqRgPI4JQvHHu7DYtND00Iu0TwdHGqY5UFR-3HE5601XvfhxeiH4cXx8Tr8wIc-BStouI_wD0KFqGZNNTwmTNXh9FHYCNrUVXxjvL2OiHritCxAGwKfQPBXpbSkyf1P13fEJkOga_nuJCV9oVf5i0KfWZg1euEkExXyvUV0HTQ3q12cca00w4y/w640-h424/2023-07-04-0012.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D-ring added. Underneath, there's a 3/8" to 1/4" reducer bushing.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhXxErAbdf-wJPejlIK5jcKiNaM6gPeQu1eQMap5Wip5D563AmCQVTtVcTXtRgjRQYXMvkb8qhflWt6_TqWdHG25JZUuhusE1Rdbn0w3x92EcY3gYqMQM7v9EaxpcetSXGnobq5VZ56PcWS9xrI3po2vttrhR2SSyEwvgeo8Sx_AOHWzRe05wtVwUZPTH/s1200/2023-07-04-0014.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhXxErAbdf-wJPejlIK5jcKiNaM6gPeQu1eQMap5Wip5D563AmCQVTtVcTXtRgjRQYXMvkb8qhflWt6_TqWdHG25JZUuhusE1Rdbn0w3x92EcY3gYqMQM7v9EaxpcetSXGnobq5VZ56PcWS9xrI3po2vttrhR2SSyEwvgeo8Sx_AOHWzRe05wtVwUZPTH/w640-h424/2023-07-04-0014.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nighttime protection from careless drivers and stumble-prone photographers<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Summary</b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">The Mammoth is a good tripod. I mean <i>really g</i><i>ood</i>. This thing looks, feels, and operates like a superbly crafted, precision instrument. Because it is. There’s really nothing significant to fault with its design, build, or quality of materials. </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">At $350, the Mammoth is so good it might make you wonder why high-end tripods cost so damn much.</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMP9GPpsdhqTjDIqdGF_4hGYei0wntDcXxCFC0CCg0FoNK2aGDqVw0WER2yNTeprWatpjv19VgCTLyAfBi8RiNb1MltlCMboYUX-cIAUp96QdoHIcUAdUmNhL0A_8o7h9-GemDffeBSZPLq5ksLAjOrEiyn9ylFAoaMJVj5c6T3vKDFZ9FDW4Gzg0cLNPl/s1200/2023-07-04-0017.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="795" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMP9GPpsdhqTjDIqdGF_4hGYei0wntDcXxCFC0CCg0FoNK2aGDqVw0WER2yNTeprWatpjv19VgCTLyAfBi8RiNb1MltlCMboYUX-cIAUp96QdoHIcUAdUmNhL0A_8o7h9-GemDffeBSZPLq5ksLAjOrEiyn9ylFAoaMJVj5c6T3vKDFZ9FDW4Gzg0cLNPl/w424-h640/2023-07-04-0017.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the matching WH15 head<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">But looking over the specs reveals the one undeniable advantage those premium brands have: Weight. A comparably-sized RRS or Gitzo is 1/2 to 3/4 pound lighter. The old adage applies: "Inexpensive, </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">stable, or </span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">lightweight – pick two". I wouldn’t say the Mammoth is “heavy”. I</span><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">t’s actually very reasonable for a tripod of its size. But the premium tripods are just </span><i style="font-size: 14.7px;">phenomenal</i><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"> in this regard, and that's what the extra money buys you.</span></span><div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;">As for me, I’ll happily deal with 25% more weight for 75% less money. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vXC29bCcZsi5JJFNOj8EFFdSUj4p8eU2qcYNPb6xQdfFhBckN3tMHsorXE_1gzFNR9LauIPg2sXFx3y5MLzA0yrMXgW2pNndyS2ENVKipNA6RtA_2X-2G7Ika4sPo_OBzDYErt-grHwpjpo39cCwPCp7TVJWxVWfw2ooSOd86U-TVSBG4RLVcK6eTnv0/s1200/2023-07-04-0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2vXC29bCcZsi5JJFNOj8EFFdSUj4p8eU2qcYNPb6xQdfFhBckN3tMHsorXE_1gzFNR9LauIPg2sXFx3y5MLzA0yrMXgW2pNndyS2ENVKipNA6RtA_2X-2G7Ika4sPo_OBzDYErt-grHwpjpo39cCwPCp7TVJWxVWfw2ooSOd86U-TVSBG4RLVcK6eTnv0/w640-h424/2023-07-04-0002.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.7px;"><br /> </span><p></p></div></div></div></div>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-69976981700561268522023-06-17T15:37:00.008-04:002023-06-17T15:49:13.856-04:00Neutral<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWm_jsnLgHEbnpSmvtpsv3cZuJPaD4451jA5l_DWu9EcuDzsSvgWs-m99NnpY3gpvV2GQjDop0LvslcIH7z15lDBs8ocYDBI8Cx8LNzHZuRlF1O2BGviCoLvErKrFPJO6M5JZ_MRYAXZmUjhaXcq2AVU_945cbsm1s_mugubcm6Q1e3k5WUn9QHugSQ/s1200/2017-05-13-0287.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWm_jsnLgHEbnpSmvtpsv3cZuJPaD4451jA5l_DWu9EcuDzsSvgWs-m99NnpY3gpvV2GQjDop0LvslcIH7z15lDBs8ocYDBI8Cx8LNzHZuRlF1O2BGviCoLvErKrFPJO6M5JZ_MRYAXZmUjhaXcq2AVU_945cbsm1s_mugubcm6Q1e3k5WUn9QHugSQ/w640-h480/2017-05-13-0287.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here's a photo from the <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/aircraft-carriers/uss-yorktown.html" target="_blank">USS Yorktown</a>, which is now a museum ship near Charleston, SC. The Yorktown is an <a href="https://www.seaforces.org/usnships/cv/Essex-class.htm" target="_blank">Essex class</a> aircraft carrier that was commissioned from 1943 to 1970, seeing action in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and as the recovery ship for the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo-8.html" target="_blank">Apollo 8</a> command module.</p><p>Like any aircraft carrier, the Yorktown is magnificent to see in real life. The aircraft, hangers, engines, catapults, and battle gear are all super interesting of course. But I'm particularly fascinated by the stuff for day-to-day life – the mess hall, mail room, crew quarters, bunks, lockers, heads, barber shop, doctor's/dentists offices, mail room, and so on. On one level, a carrier is a devastating and awe-inspiring weapon that only a few countries have the means and need to own. But on another level, it's a small town floating on the ocean where people live out as-normal-as-feasible lives.</p><p>My family was fortunate to get to "camp" on aircraft carriers three times, sleeping in crew quarters, on Scouting field trips. I'm telling you, that's the best way to see a carrier! You can roam the ship at night, without crowds, taking your time and reading all the exhibit labels and signage. I tend to get caught up in the sweeping grandiose photo opportunities on a carrier, but there are countless details and I try to shoot as many of those I can as well.<br /></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-55318417757915853992023-06-05T15:07:00.000-04:002023-06-17T15:11:20.258-04:00Finial<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWQQueO3GYty6IB_tNWPHl4Ay-Q2uL4uc8b3PogTEkBz6lVvsS1swjabfnbcfT0zFLwNgdmO2WhNkBHxAOP3FzGXNrbIITAaCsG8z_qMrs4n2icvdDjTjvngVjQLj8HY0RhAvS2-JLswg4V7VkEjwrmZxjVadeUjguV4kO6odX3WgQ-GICPTZAZ2a9w/s1200/2019-10-22-0031.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWQQueO3GYty6IB_tNWPHl4Ay-Q2uL4uc8b3PogTEkBz6lVvsS1swjabfnbcfT0zFLwNgdmO2WhNkBHxAOP3FzGXNrbIITAaCsG8z_qMrs4n2icvdDjTjvngVjQLj8HY0RhAvS2-JLswg4V7VkEjwrmZxjVadeUjguV4kO6odX3WgQ-GICPTZAZ2a9w/w640-h426/2019-10-22-0031.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>I'm pretty sure that if I were confined to one city block near the Seine in Paris and could easily find enough material to shoot all day. There are just so many interesting things to see. This was just one of several finials, on just one of several bridges, on the river. If I were more creative on that day, I could have shot a hundred different photos of just this one finial. But that's the problem with such a target-rich environment – there's a tendency to feel like you're missing out if you spend too long on any one thing.<br /></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-62073020032812707102023-05-15T14:03:00.004-04:002023-05-15T14:03:58.328-04:00Do Not Climb<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAxoH3AUIUN-GQXmkmoXouG53IzM4fR29Xx3oXhMGq0J6Puhsky7ufJ8a7jXpKiMErbZ_CYss2aFbzTvnGDDqDGu_VYkmSuvAVSTnBLcbInDXyx8fUoHtSFCAPwqCdOajqkH4YG5SNpi_os1VJjIwZxmFF3ukLCJTysHmG3tLLJJLOGPEq-WNyrafog/s1200/2023-05-10-0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAxoH3AUIUN-GQXmkmoXouG53IzM4fR29Xx3oXhMGq0J6Puhsky7ufJ8a7jXpKiMErbZ_CYss2aFbzTvnGDDqDGu_VYkmSuvAVSTnBLcbInDXyx8fUoHtSFCAPwqCdOajqkH4YG5SNpi_os1VJjIwZxmFF3ukLCJTysHmG3tLLJJLOGPEq-WNyrafog/w640-h426/2023-05-10-0005.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Last week I visited the <a href="https://ncartmuseum.org/" target="_blank">North Carolina Museum of Art</a>. I've lived here for 8 years and this was the first time and all I can think is, "Why the heck did I never visit this place before?!" It is truly outstanding. Like the NC Zoo, it surprised me with how excellent it is. And that's actually saying something since I've been to some nice art museums, including the Louvre, the Prado, the Art Institute of Chicago, Musée d'Orsay, etc. I really enjoyed their outdoor art which is set along 5 miles of well-manicured trails. I shot this of a giant concrete sculpture of the lower body of a woman. I thought the sign was a nice touch.<br /></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-44810318592881695112023-04-28T10:40:00.000-04:002023-04-28T10:40:02.216-04:00Random Macro Learnings<p>I've been building a bit of a backlog of macro shots. I'm really enjoying working on this genre. I find it to be even more thoughtful and deliberate than landscape photography and that works well for me. There are a lot of different techniques and rules to macro that don't necessarily apply to regular photography, so there's a significant learning element that I love. For example, the extremely narrow depth of field available in macro requires you to learn <a href="http://www.dumeril7.com/2023/04/macro-and-depth-of-field.html" target="_blank">new approaches</a>.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYMJA3DYwBifazk2fdb4y4dAaVzB6H1-vD_1gSUp2982Ky7mF0iXwEG_2MWLHRd-pr0ZQRIaSthpesmn1YP0eZo4zZteGMwT8eJYnTmWRyzC3A2jZzVt0vokG6bkQUWIQINXrfQw7bN0zIY5gGBK86QoWF0wgD2Tepboyo2JtMy01TWSuXXrKfLhNDg/s1200/2023-03-24-0054.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYMJA3DYwBifazk2fdb4y4dAaVzB6H1-vD_1gSUp2982Ky7mF0iXwEG_2MWLHRd-pr0ZQRIaSthpesmn1YP0eZo4zZteGMwT8eJYnTmWRyzC3A2jZzVt0vokG6bkQUWIQINXrfQw7bN0zIY5gGBK86QoWF0wgD2Tepboyo2JtMy01TWSuXXrKfLhNDg/w640-h426/2023-03-24-0054.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Another aspect of macro that I have come to appreciate is that you don't really have to go far afield to find interesting things to point your camera at. I've been concentrating a lot on plants and flowers, and that of course is just scratching the surface of it.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5QvgxyyDoyDRSUZY0wRM_KQWYFwsyVhOJ8-xODQIuLMGrWOxR8RprDi_qnRqbdtFiLWiaG0T0RHlWFC98wyNtYwpN2K7Bun5m2wQupIaNr6eRCISuHvnYwmov0cGajm9thDtXMwYFk1PeJqplUvtZbgvVOYhH1DNUnsFriKZkLusVMuemp6wGqCxZw/s1200/2023-03-24-0140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5QvgxyyDoyDRSUZY0wRM_KQWYFwsyVhOJ8-xODQIuLMGrWOxR8RprDi_qnRqbdtFiLWiaG0T0RHlWFC98wyNtYwpN2K7Bun5m2wQupIaNr6eRCISuHvnYwmov0cGajm9thDtXMwYFk1PeJqplUvtZbgvVOYhH1DNUnsFriKZkLusVMuemp6wGqCxZw/w640-h426/2023-03-24-0140.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p>I also like that getting really close up to an object can add ambiguity and abstraction to photography, which can often be very literal and documentary. Everyday objects can be imbued with mystery and intrigue that you may not have been aware of.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn1YqKtoiGCtqNUb-6XmtiKV3EmDmzKC2z02BVbzqjYY310LjqbZQvULyVddpnF-RLjETInS3C7_fYowW0ch7UbIT-LjunHHGNvA097HLwXJGu-rOebvzaSjNX9a6jdjiZH6Cw8-tlvk1xwAVWzYEjHwYidKZvuWVZaXzmUM4QjzLw2jA57djSnNODw/s1200/2023-02-11-0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn1YqKtoiGCtqNUb-6XmtiKV3EmDmzKC2z02BVbzqjYY310LjqbZQvULyVddpnF-RLjETInS3C7_fYowW0ch7UbIT-LjunHHGNvA097HLwXJGu-rOebvzaSjNX9a6jdjiZH6Cw8-tlvk1xwAVWzYEjHwYidKZvuWVZaXzmUM4QjzLw2jA57djSnNODw/w640-h426/2023-02-11-0005.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Another cool thing: Macro flowers are an easy ticket to exploring shapes and forms in composition. That aspect is similar to what I discovered when doing my <a href="http://www.dumeril7.com/search/label/guitar%20series" target="_blank">guitar series</a>. Flowers and guitars both provide amazing curves and shapes that can be used as compositional elements to transform documentary photos into artistic photos.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pIG6r8gaBLEoVdxWD6XfiOkvOzNo1igOxWUHtJTaQ7xoB2nJQiVei8cLm4zfguvoEN02LMNv4fuM2R61G0y8ECqCkNeuvVHyb6UG8Nd-rRi_5lK-30X73VvT_DjEhDQUswURy0vsoNGX_58IwZpF2sWq6wcBtdSFUTqPcXUpJjkpY43ZhGbmw0AMOA/s1200/2023-03-24-0132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pIG6r8gaBLEoVdxWD6XfiOkvOzNo1igOxWUHtJTaQ7xoB2nJQiVei8cLm4zfguvoEN02LMNv4fuM2R61G0y8ECqCkNeuvVHyb6UG8Nd-rRi_5lK-30X73VvT_DjEhDQUswURy0vsoNGX_58IwZpF2sWq6wcBtdSFUTqPcXUpJjkpY43ZhGbmw0AMOA/w640-h426/2023-03-24-0132.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p> Although you expend a lot of effort in macro trying to increase depth-of field, embracing the lack of it is a tremendous source of fun.<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyUjzzUXl7jwMCE_HJDDjR4wI6tRl9FKRTRtfhWOJxa8BhkSYXnh5yS1iXdER5MTxm0PtPVk_FZZMrXQO5IaqwjcoDLCxiSatQpL774fiIxfT2AJixrzAkK9Q-EPRiNlIsMR4FTmFHxjiT53Nlf_w6-s7uTx8hGW2073RcL16wenfGWw5YD2MKh_YkQ/s1200/2023-03-24-0035.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyUjzzUXl7jwMCE_HJDDjR4wI6tRl9FKRTRtfhWOJxa8BhkSYXnh5yS1iXdER5MTxm0PtPVk_FZZMrXQO5IaqwjcoDLCxiSatQpL774fiIxfT2AJixrzAkK9Q-EPRiNlIsMR4FTmFHxjiT53Nlf_w6-s7uTx8hGW2073RcL16wenfGWw5YD2MKh_YkQ/w640-h426/2023-03-24-0035.jpg" width="640" /></a></p> <p></p><p> </p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-84211091854660275302023-04-24T09:13:00.009-04:002023-04-24T11:03:06.324-04:00Little Big Weekends<p>I had a particularly great weekend. There was no big, splashy event, but just a lot of things worked out well. On Friday, I got some much-needed good news in my professional life. It's still very early and things may not pan out, but there's some movement there that might lead to good things.</p><p>That night I got to bed early and woke up on Saturday morning at 5:00AM. I got the pets and myself fed, keeping an eye on the weather while I watched TV. As <a href="http://www.dumeril7.com/2023/03/feast-or-famine.html" target="_blank">I complained about</a> last month, so far this year the weather here has predominantly been either completely clear skies or heavy overcast. And it looked like it was going to be the latter again. But I went outside about 6:10AM, went out into the street to get a good look at the horizon (all the trees around here obscure the view), and saw some pink color forming in the sky. So I ran back inside, turned off the TV, grabbed my gear, and headed to the closest good photo location I could think of – <a href="https://www.hollyspringsnc.us/320/Bass-Lake-Park" target="_blank">Bass Lake</a>. Bass Lake is a park and trail built around a small impoundment lake about a mile from my house. I like to fish there a lot because it's well-maintained and I can go from having an urge to fish to casting a line in the water in less than 10 minutes.<br /></p><p>I got there quickly, hiked around the visitor's center, and set up my tripod on the fishing pier, which gives a nice easterly view of the center. And this is what I got to enjoy for the next 10 minutes or so.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_F160UX4UUYy-SATfBjPd5XOfJbG4foUY8H_eN260WnsWThXrUeCRvhy-9uSQTNqFU5UK6fa8JU8s-_WnlS4EJMSy7goe8442e94eh9_J7UWUrpcFbuvBBFydfFjUao5xeBv3G5ojLVN_dbSFdvgnDi_35zy9xVTQe4NaTw6G7p6OUcRLGQP72NzyQ/s5568/2023-04-22-0006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3712" data-original-width="5568" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_F160UX4UUYy-SATfBjPd5XOfJbG4foUY8H_eN260WnsWThXrUeCRvhy-9uSQTNqFU5UK6fa8JU8s-_WnlS4EJMSy7goe8442e94eh9_J7UWUrpcFbuvBBFydfFjUao5xeBv3G5ojLVN_dbSFdvgnDi_35zy9xVTQe4NaTw6G7p6OUcRLGQP72NzyQ/w640-h426/2023-04-22-0006.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>There's not much adjustment to these photos. Just a bit of tweaking to tonalities. The light was just gorgeous. </p><p>But it didn't last long. As I said, about 10 minutes. This is why you have to work fast and be ready to rock when it comes to that transition from <a href="https://photographylife.com/blue-hour" target="_blank">blue hour</a> to <a href="https://digital-photography-school.com/how-photograph-golden-hour/" target="_blank">golden hour</a>. It happens really fast. Consider the following two photos:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_UtGJtiots7k6W5iGBBA9IjEBl2jz0uQFumnf1p9_mNHQM0cfC1WKO-osJgxv8a5UdiRClL6YuaqaSQC5S9wSZmf2hSPa2JedkHxYIxTGkUoIfPPl1FSXMB3cbkydE9MANd7iCJoWN1ERj7JXD9gpsEb-wlhkOW1vKHqSc7hYRLxO8gjw63mIQ8aXQ/s5363/2023-04-22-0010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3575" data-original-width="5363" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_UtGJtiots7k6W5iGBBA9IjEBl2jz0uQFumnf1p9_mNHQM0cfC1WKO-osJgxv8a5UdiRClL6YuaqaSQC5S9wSZmf2hSPa2JedkHxYIxTGkUoIfPPl1FSXMB3cbkydE9MANd7iCJoWN1ERj7JXD9gpsEb-wlhkOW1vKHqSc7hYRLxO8gjw63mIQ8aXQ/w640-h426/2023-04-22-0010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHqjWXNjSYTzs9FlXB6TwcJYm4teUuckl_J_NpOvY8NH27FyaOizvFEmykS2yuzfHdBxDQdaDaKUa008cD_Ou6eXwNb7lUiUQjecyCjuQG6KDJcY1MdkaT6MCM4nUZqwRQo9VNm9AcWjDHQWagPrnzXxiBKFYO0m5Ng0DcxIyA-fHxXfQgtIzrzwf4A/s5568/2023-04-22-0011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3712" data-original-width="5568" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHqjWXNjSYTzs9FlXB6TwcJYm4teUuckl_J_NpOvY8NH27FyaOizvFEmykS2yuzfHdBxDQdaDaKUa008cD_Ou6eXwNb7lUiUQjecyCjuQG6KDJcY1MdkaT6MCM4nUZqwRQo9VNm9AcWjDHQWagPrnzXxiBKFYO0m5Ng0DcxIyA-fHxXfQgtIzrzwf4A/w640-h426/2023-04-22-0011.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>They were taken only one minute apart.</p><p>And a few minutes after that second photo, the pink and purple was gone, replaced by the golden yellow of the sunlight:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKH2DONoHLOwbVqEhntps9XXGAd9YlUzRwr51PmK0VaboxU6ZCrySs1wLZLoNASWF3jdVIpHfV3Lrlz3JxmnbYO7n3U6zV40T8gDR7m7sbG2OvgQBDhQU0-JGCF5N5Bqyd7U7DWs4lRFFvHHy9vf6-eJGrZ1_d1Bkg9KVrnb2wQgwTHHeDIkU3XdZpmg/s5568/2023-04-22-0077-Enhanced-NR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3712" data-original-width="5568" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKH2DONoHLOwbVqEhntps9XXGAd9YlUzRwr51PmK0VaboxU6ZCrySs1wLZLoNASWF3jdVIpHfV3Lrlz3JxmnbYO7n3U6zV40T8gDR7m7sbG2OvgQBDhQU0-JGCF5N5Bqyd7U7DWs4lRFFvHHy9vf6-eJGrZ1_d1Bkg9KVrnb2wQgwTHHeDIkU3XdZpmg/w640-h426/2023-04-22-0077-Enhanced-NR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>That 20 minute period gets you a lot of different and wonderful looks you can capture as the light evolves. But it all depends on being ready and working fast, however.</p><p>Back to my awesome weekend, an hour later a big storm rolled in and we got a downpour that went on most of the day until the early evening.<br /></p><p>Being my first really good sunrise shot of 2023, I was on a high all day from my short but successful photography session that morning. In the evening, my wife and I went out for our anniversary dinner. We made it a low-key affair. We went to a brewery/restaurant that one of our friends owns, called<a href="https://www.cloudsbrewing.com/" target="_blank"> Clouds Brewing</a>, which is awesomely apropos. I had the Hop Jam IPA and some nice fish tacos.</p><p>On Sunday, the weather had cleared back up and I smoked a <a href="https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-brisket/" target="_blank">brisket</a>. For my barbecue career, I've always smoked briskets using timing and feel because that's the way I learned how to do it. But lately, I've been enjoying smoking <a href="https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/cuts/cut/2439/bottom-round-roast" target="_blank">bottom round roasts</a>. Bottom round is very lean and not very tender. But it's also very flavorful and can make a very delicious smoke, if you don't overcook it and turn it into shoe leather. You have to <i>nail </i>the doneness and the only way to guarantee that is to put a thermometer probe in the meat and pull it when you reach a target temperature. So cooking these bottom rounds sold me on the value of thermometer probes, and for the first time, that's what I did with a brisket.</p><p>It turned out to be the best brisket I've ever made. It was <i>perfect.</i> Tender, juicy, but not falling apart – it had the ideal texture. Of course now I'm wondering why it took me so long to embrace the thermometer for brisket. But I can tell you that I'll be using one from now on, if I have a choice.<br /></p><p><br /></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-42565315191597678672023-04-19T14:59:00.018-04:002023-05-26T09:35:07.073-04:00Adobe Finally Adds AI-based Noise Reduction!<p>Yesterday, Adobe delivered a much-requested feature in their photography products: <a href="https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2023/04/18/denoise-demystified" target="_blank">Denoise</a>, an AI-based noise reduction tool. Denoise is available in Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Lightroom mobile, Adobe Camera Raw, and the Camera Raw filter in Photoshop.</p><p>It's well-known that Lightroom, while being one of the best programs of its type, had a notably crappy noise reduction tool. It was one of the biggest competitive differentiators for <a href="https://www.on1.com/products/photo-raw/" target="_blank">ON1 Photo RAW</a> and <a href="https://www.dxo.com/dxo-photolab/" target="_blank">DxO PhotoLab</a>. And it was very common for Lightroom users to purchase external noise reduction software to address this fault. I myself bought <a href="https://www.topazlabs.com/denoise-ai" target="_blank">Topaz Denoise AI</a>, which I've been pretty happy with. Unfortunately, Adobe named their feature "Denoise" which is confusingly similar to the Topaz's Denoise AI. So for the rest of this post, I'll call the Topaz product "DAI".<br /></p><p>Well, it seems like the calculus has now changed.</p><p>I've only just started playing with it, but my initial impression of the new Denoise feature in Lightroom Classic is very positive. Here's a before/after example. These images were screen-captured off Lightroom zoomed in to 100%, but you'll need to click on them to see them at full-size, which will make the noise levels really apparent. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Before</h3><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOWHWpZ65B9-Y29cLtulXb37TfK8ilqoU0tJ6AIQek8GZnTwXL2ISs1HzU93nl9p8vNpR09n-edn8ir9NxW6NcFdPDhBKIabn0Z9DVpsm_TARLqocRbyVo_NOTRbtICIUrtjSam7-n62gB-QsB9OrbnxthfxNBLM8rWbnUEDCIavyBZ07aXd6jE_G_A/s1175/Before.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1175" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOWHWpZ65B9-Y29cLtulXb37TfK8ilqoU0tJ6AIQek8GZnTwXL2ISs1HzU93nl9p8vNpR09n-edn8ir9NxW6NcFdPDhBKIabn0Z9DVpsm_TARLqocRbyVo_NOTRbtICIUrtjSam7-n62gB-QsB9OrbnxthfxNBLM8rWbnUEDCIavyBZ07aXd6jE_G_A/w640-h464/Before.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">After<br /></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguV-ROq9RbC9leDcWZcI1byMWTFstkBNcGG60OdYM_CY49GxTo091Z0Gdqb9yLj6Ogokf1Uw4BNnYKn3mCGOWMNnL1yIVMiAHoEHoQuBh2MZNz7ejC4IuZWqIjK7sWAcJGy0QWeDAX1K_OS92NM5tJ4TTe38_zn0A9GnLkIhzKI_llz4f4AV082__05w/s1174/After.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1174" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguV-ROq9RbC9leDcWZcI1byMWTFstkBNcGG60OdYM_CY49GxTo091Z0Gdqb9yLj6Ogokf1Uw4BNnYKn3mCGOWMNnL1yIVMiAHoEHoQuBh2MZNz7ejC4IuZWqIjK7sWAcJGy0QWeDAX1K_OS92NM5tJ4TTe38_zn0A9GnLkIhzKI_llz4f4AV082__05w/w640-h464/After.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>I'm impressed not only with how noise-free the image is, but also there's almost no detail loss that I can detect. Take a good look at the lionfish's pectoral fin in the bottom-left of the image. There's actually more perceived detail, not less. Now, I'll admit that this isn't the best image to judge that on (not a lot of surface detail on a lionfish to begin with). But my initial tests of Denoise have been impressive.<br /></p><p>In fact, so far I like it more than DAI. DAI sometimes produces strange, very unattractive artifacts in the details that I haven't yet seen with Denoise. Denoise just seems to produce results that are more accurate to the original image. And not having to leave Lightroom is an obvious workflow benefit.<br /></p><p>There are a couple of areas where DAI is clearly better: The processing seems faster and its batch processing is much more flexible, allowing you to set the processing parameters individually for each image. </p><p>But if the Denoise feature had been available in Lighroom at the time, it's unlikely I would have bought DAI. DAI's speed and batch processing advantages aren't worth the additional cost in my opinion. If I were regularly shooting huge numbers of high ISO images, I'm sure I'd feel differently. But for my needs, it's currently questionable whether I'll be renewing my Topaz license when it expires.<br /></p><p>As I said, however, it's still too early to call for sure. I need to test and compare a lot more images. Sometimes you'll get an image that challenges the AI model and you get back really weird results. I'll post an update when I make a decision or when I have something new to report.<br /></p><p>[<i>Update 05/26/2023 – Okay, I've had the opportunity to use Denoise a lot more, including hundreds of photos from low-light, high-ISO sessions.</i></p><p><i>On images depicting more fine details, I think Denoise produces just a little bit softer images than DAI. Not a lot, but noticeable when you're really scrutinizing at 1:1 zoom. Part of that is due to Denoise's overly-aggressive default settings in my opinion. If I reduce the amount of noise reduction from the default setting, I can get more detail without appreciably increasing noise.</i></p><p><i>There's no longer any doubt in my mind, Denoise is considerably slower at processing than DAI. I haven't measured it, but anecdotally I'd say that it takes 2-5X the amount of time that DAI takes, depending on the photo. The processing time increases exponentially with image size. You'd expect it to take longer with bigger images of course, but that increase in time as image size increases is not linear. I can only imagine what it would be like if I had a 45MP+ camera! Even with the relatively modest file sizes my cameras produce, when I</i><i> have dozens of images to process, it's truly a take-a-break-for-coffee type of operation. </i><i>And as I noted above, the batch processing options are limited. I'm hoping Adobe fixes that last problem in a future release because that would be a fairly straightforward thing to do.</i></p><p><i>But the advantages of Denoise still exist: 1) Denoise doesn't seem to produce the distortion artifacts that DAI sometimes leaves behind. Its algorithm doesn't appear to have that flaw (or its training data has effectively eliminated it). And that's a huge advantage for obvious reasons. 2) Denoise is built-in and for non-batch processing, it has a more elegant workflow within Lightroom. And 3), Denoise is included at no additional cost to Lightroom. </i></p><p><i>Those three advantages, plus the fact that it produces excellent results, makes DAI or other external noise reduction tools no longer worth the extra expense for me. If I were the type of photographer that regularly had hundreds of noisy photos to process, or if I had a super high-resolution camera, my conclusion would be different. But for my current needs, I don't see myself renewing when my current DAI update license expires. </i>]</p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-28087293865191303532023-04-18T09:18:00.003-04:002023-04-20T14:22:46.572-04:00Macro and Depth-of-Field<p>Before I started shooting macro, I was generally on a quest for shallower depth-of-field. Deep depth-of-field was easy because of my APS-C cameras naturally produced it. It was more challenging to get super-creamy bokeh, especially with zoom lenses. But <a href="http://www.dumeril7.com/2018/04/sigma-18-35mm-f18-dc-hsm-art-lens.html" target="_blank">the Sigma 18-35mm solved that problem</a>, and then the 50-100mm extended it into portrait and short-telephoto range.<br /></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECzX6COE2iycKvjgT94FfssxkJgzroI-NImWyXk4FlyG8krBhTTPN-HmoHbjv1IoBRvdM3MZ_XgYPRAetlWXuCvslYgF3vBDd8Up46n9S98pWHmbrsk9i3xFsbiQfXi2RtMsjrvbBOnqS5LwUZOxSETqp33MhFXr-C_iwDhl7BuL1W5CY7qoDbci3Gw/s1200/2023-02-25-0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECzX6COE2iycKvjgT94FfssxkJgzroI-NImWyXk4FlyG8krBhTTPN-HmoHbjv1IoBRvdM3MZ_XgYPRAetlWXuCvslYgF3vBDd8Up46n9S98pWHmbrsk9i3xFsbiQfXi2RtMsjrvbBOnqS5LwUZOxSETqp33MhFXr-C_iwDhl7BuL1W5CY7qoDbci3Gw/w640-h426/2023-02-25-0005.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Shooting macro, I now have the opposite problem. I can't get enough depth-of-field. You stick a lens right up in the grill of something, and your depth-of-field is reduced to a couple of millimeters, tops. Handholding your camera, your <i>heartbeat </i>is literally enough to move the focus off where you want it. And so you have to change your shooting technique.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For regular photography, your typical order of operations is: 1) Compose the shot; 2) Hold as still as possible; 3) Focus the camera; and 4) Release the shutter. The issue with this process for macro is that you can't hold the camera still enough to get the shot. Every tiny little involuntary movement your body is doing moves the camera, taking your tiny sliver of focus off your target.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With handheld macro, you have to accept that situation and try to <i>create and capture the moment</i> when the focus is on-target. That process looks more like this: 1) Compose the shot; 2) Focus the camera; 3) Rock back and forth ever so slightly to move the focus point along your subject; 4) Time your shutter release to the moment when the focus is where you want it. It's like sports or wildlife photography in that you're waiting for the perfect moment, but the moment is defined by where the focus is located. Your success rate on this is a lot lower than what you might be used to with regular photography, but that's the only way to do it without breaking out the tripod.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">An important thing I learned from macro photographer <a href="https://www.tinylandscapes.com" target="_blank">Mike Moat's site</a>: Don't be afraid of aggressively stopping down your lens! For most of my photography life, I've diligently avoided going smaller than f/16 because my early experiments made very wary of <a href="https://photographylife.com/what-is-diffraction-in-photography" target="_blank">diffraction</a>. But <a href="https://www.tinylandscapes.com/blog/f32-and-sharpening" target="_blank">I learned from Moats</a> that macro lenses are generally more capable of maintaining sharpness at small apertures, and modern sharpening tools will take care of the rest. For example, the photo below was shot handheld at f/32. It's not what I'd call "tack-sharp" because I shot it handheld, but it does have reasonable depth-of-field for the subject. If I'd shot it using a tripod, it would be very sharp indeed, but I kind of like a little bit of softness for flowers.<br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVraMs-zra7KiU6Tge_KogdEizBONDu5GiRMWegocmox5GDc0FypF5_dBaqLTc1oJoibpaNTuDd2_EfQBFsxTzMxutAGdxOEDp_hY8ihLVaLCtKzjUGcv7IMps10KT0GdEkStAWv3WXpsqUPBxBw2xQc36qloOGc6ICDTJQYa4OSWPT6hLqPMvqVgjYQ/s1200/2023-02-25-0002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVraMs-zra7KiU6Tge_KogdEizBONDu5GiRMWegocmox5GDc0FypF5_dBaqLTc1oJoibpaNTuDd2_EfQBFsxTzMxutAGdxOEDp_hY8ihLVaLCtKzjUGcv7IMps10KT0GdEkStAWv3WXpsqUPBxBw2xQc36qloOGc6ICDTJQYa4OSWPT6hLqPMvqVgjYQ/w640-h426/2023-02-25-0002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The next step for me will be <a href="https://photographylife.com/focus-stacking-macro-photography" target="_blank">focus stacking</a>. I haven't been in a hurry because I like to get a decent handle on something before incrementally adding more complications. So I've been trying to sort out my macro camera technique and how to get the most out of my gear before I start messing with post-processing techniques. But I'm starting to feel the need to explore it, so focus stacking is coming to my workflow sooner rather than later.<br />David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1610288524599450855.post-86566832662250974952023-04-14T10:31:00.002-04:002023-04-14T10:32:39.653-04:00Winter is Over<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xIwH0jwaju8AfuztcaFwIGkck5ZQwwDZv0leE4SE5bO9o3TCtKWM7tgb8P657vgGHeshn4HA2wDNqTgtfaGkrTEkAeqfcfhi-DHlpRSXTpEPHA3sA7ob0wVdZ960_00v-sIdUPI2-00kVwgcRZFqiGKyM-imz-1gy7sFHMqjJvXogIlOHARBQ-ax9w/s1200/2023-02-16-0022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xIwH0jwaju8AfuztcaFwIGkck5ZQwwDZv0leE4SE5bO9o3TCtKWM7tgb8P657vgGHeshn4HA2wDNqTgtfaGkrTEkAeqfcfhi-DHlpRSXTpEPHA3sA7ob0wVdZ960_00v-sIdUPI2-00kVwgcRZFqiGKyM-imz-1gy7sFHMqjJvXogIlOHARBQ-ax9w/w640-h426/2023-02-16-0022.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Winter has finally ended. I'd been ready for it to be over since January, so it felt like a long time coming this year even though the Winter was pretty mild. I normally take all the seasons in stride, enjoying them for the variety they bring. But this year, I really wanted the "anything's possible" feeling I get seeing the colorful flowers and green leaves and grass of Spring. All the fresh life re-energizes me and this year I needed the pick-me-up. <p></p><p>That said, I have a backlog of winter photos to publish. Here are some from a hike I did back in February on one of the longer trails at <a href="https://www.ncparks.gov/state-parks/jordan-lake-state-recreation-area" target="_blank">Jordan Lake</a>. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlACiXVvzgnYMvHmJ4cXOviu7GX4SmBVEVkRNC_X76_grbTl_predLkjPvHqEJ3lS1CnTmDErzI05tA5kdnl3EaWGAjFRZu0h8vlelpshVY-xSPKRqInjHZ8rLEplkm5Oa1NzTresWfO-MALlfckkWKDLqAB3AQDtdPy4wQx-8tFHbaB8yBIYUIJHsg/s1200/2023-02-16-0021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlACiXVvzgnYMvHmJ4cXOviu7GX4SmBVEVkRNC_X76_grbTl_predLkjPvHqEJ3lS1CnTmDErzI05tA5kdnl3EaWGAjFRZu0h8vlelpshVY-xSPKRqInjHZ8rLEplkm5Oa1NzTresWfO-MALlfckkWKDLqAB3AQDtdPy4wQx-8tFHbaB8yBIYUIJHsg/w640-h360/2023-02-16-0021.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The photo above is a decent example of using a telephoto for landscape. There was a spot on the hike where the view and atmospheric haze gave wonderful depth if you were willing to explore different details in the landscape with a long lens. I shot this one at 185mm. The thing I love about using long lenses for landscape is that you increase your odds of getting an uncommon shot. Everybody uses wide angle lenses for landscape, and for good reason, but it does create a sameness in perspective that can be very good to break away from.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi9fa3qP9FLKrLMTqsenOC0Xz--D3HhD3nfjbjHW4n2bu_B4RPKYtOrKyD2RHGB2skpLlKV_a5RZfCsv0ZKjDBGMBMmm7FBpJp5t2hDc8damGbUUu9_rNkPMRHY2t9P1Esbp_b6hnBGzoIQPipsqbzJjWlPpJKGVDC0wKxBatMLnnEp4aCn7qoqsKEQ/s1200/2023-02-16-0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPi9fa3qP9FLKrLMTqsenOC0Xz--D3HhD3nfjbjHW4n2bu_B4RPKYtOrKyD2RHGB2skpLlKV_a5RZfCsv0ZKjDBGMBMmm7FBpJp5t2hDc8damGbUUu9_rNkPMRHY2t9P1Esbp_b6hnBGzoIQPipsqbzJjWlPpJKGVDC0wKxBatMLnnEp4aCn7qoqsKEQ/w640-h426/2023-02-16-0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>Posting these photos reminds me that now that Spring's finally here, I need to get back on some trails!<br /></p>David Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12074088731434648429noreply@blogger.com0