Pixelpost update: 1.5RC

Recieved an email today from the Pixelpost.org team, the 1.5RC is out.

Though not ‘final final’, according to the team, I’ve found it more than usable.

Updates (that matter to me– there are many more) include:

• Better spam filtering
• Tweaked admin interface

It’s awesome to see better spam filtering as it’s really one of the only things that I feel still needed work. Now if only there was an update to the ‘wallpaper’ mod, so I could offer desktop sized and blog sized images in a post…

Video lighting on the cheap

Take a peek at Technical Video Rental. They’ve got a decent post up about lighting, covering how to do it on the cheap with standard halogen worklamps. What worklamps lack in adjustability (both in terms of quantity and control of light) they more than make up for in terms of cost (or lack there of) and brightness.

Since you can’t vary the output of the lamp (a dimmer maybe? would that work on these types of lamps? fire?) you have to get creative to vary to quantity of light, as well as the intensity.

Move the laps close up, you’ll get bright light, with harsh (hard edged shadows) move it far back and the light will be even– but more soft (no hard edges between light and dark).

Key lights, fill lights, and background lights are all touched on in the post. To add to their info, try some inventive hanging of white cardboard (as a reflector), tracing paper (or translucent shower curtains, white bed sheets, etc) as diffusers for your fill light(s), and some creative placement of your key light can help retain contrast and shadows. Move it around a bunch before you shoot and see really look at your subject and how it’s effected BEFORE you shoot.
Your background light can be used to reflect light onto the subject, or even to help minimise the amout of Photoshop work to be done to the subject, post shoot.

Give their post a read and pick up a few new tricks.

Test Image 1

Test 1

The Nikon D200 is starting to woo me…

It’s bigger, it’s better, it’s faster. So in short, it’s a Canon.

Seriously tho, when I was at the store the other day, I got a peek at a D200, and all I could think is, ‘well, it’s a Nikon body, but the images look like they came outta a Canon’.

For clarification, Canon images tend to look silky smooth, and are usually a bit more saturated when compared to similar images from a Nikon. Canon uses a CMOS sensor (and filters the image in camera to make it smoother and prevent moire patterns…no one ever tells you that!) and tends to warm up an image. Nikon on the other hand sorta tells it to ya’ straight. Warts and all.

The D200 has an increased dynamic range (the ability for the camera to record a range of tones from light to dark has increased to cover a larger amount– the camera ’sees’ more). It also has a better buffer, a larger sensor, and goes down to ISO 100.

All in all, it’s a huuuuuge step up from the D70.

Now I just need to find a bank to rob.

Tally Hall likes me…they really like me! (UPDATED)

A quick one for all you sinners…

Saw a show at Paradise in Boston last Friday. Tally Hall, Contoller Controller, and OK GO.
I brought a camera and got a few shots. You can see some of them on Tally Hall’s Journal. Hopefully Controller Controller will post a few pix as well.

I’ll post up a few over the next few days.

(:Updated:)

I’ve just posted some of my shots from the show in the gallery page.