Light Painting

The image to the left is one of my first attempts at light painting. The technique is rather simple. Find some stuff. Lay it out in a dark room. Set the camera to f/20 and 30 second exposure, and use a good flashlight to "paint" the exposure. With a little cleaning up in Lightroom and a gaussian filter in CS6 and voila, light painting!

As easy as the strategy was, it seems as though the tough part is the composition. For the image on the left it is obviously a southwest theme. However, I do not own a classic Colt .45 which was the gun that won the west. Instead I had to make due with an 1851 Colt Navy which is one of my favorite cap and ball revolvers. Given this slight change in the composition, I feel that the image changes from a southwestern theme to more of a pre-Civil War theme.

Who am I

Everyday you people push my buttons and turn my dials but you never seem to get it right. So you keep shooting like I have nothing better to do than keep lifting my mirror letting light in. In the end you get mad because I cannot get that image you want. You inherently blame me for you incompetence and ultimately you replace me with the new model hoping that it will fix your problems. What you don't seem to realize is that you are the problem. Just because you cannot give me the correct information you blame me. I can be set to automatic, but you don't trust me enough to do the work for you even though.

Just because I am a camera does not mean that I cannot think. Don't get me wrong though. I am nowhere nearly capable of taking over the human race like your movie machines can do. In fact the only moving part I have is a mirror that flips up when you push my button. Other than that I cannot do more. However, where I lack in strength I make up in smarts. I can enhance colors, and reduce noise. I can stack images and  correct your mistakes. I have to pretend to be your eye and I have to live up to your expectations. In the end I get replaced. You think you find better but you know what... nothing beats your first. 

The End of an Era: An Editorial

I must admit that I am sad to see Kodak fail. For over 131 years I have, along with the rest of the photography industry, as viewed Kodak as an icon. For decades they have been the forerunners of film photography and now they seem like they are living the final days of the Roman Empire. Just recently Kodak has filed for bankruptcy because they cannot seem to compete with the digital format. Companies like Sony, Nikon, and Cannon have found creative means to replace film and probably without even noticing it, they have railroaded Kodak to oblivion.

My first instinct is to simply conclude that there is an evolution to companies. Either they adapt or die. In the case of Kodak, they never adapted. It seems like if they adopted the digital format the day it came out in the 1990's then they would still be a powerhouse today. They never did obviously. It seems as though that in technology, sticking to your roots is not a good thing. Furthermore, failing to adapt means death. However, I wish they wouldn't go under, but I would rather have them go under than my beloved Nikon.

Dear Ansel Adams,

I feel that it is important for you to understand that your are an enigma to me. You are considered to be the father of photography for the 20th century. Almost every photographer in the world knows you. I have to admit, you are one of the first photographers I learned about and I could not understand why until I saw your pictures. Your nature photography is compelling stuff to say the least. I see pictures of you with old glass plate cameras and I try and try to replicate your shots but I never come close even though I am using technology you could not even fathom in your day.

I cannot close this letter without a question. What is it about the technology of today that seems to hold me back in comparison to the simplicity of your day? Am I thinking too hard about it? Do I need to sell everything and get a glass plate camera? Unfortunately I cannot do that. My wife would probably leave me if I sold everything she gave me permission to buy.

Yours in success,
Ed Maltby

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my new blog. This blog is going to be different than my other blogs in that it will surround my photography hobby. As it stands I am in astronomy, literature, computers, video games, and raising a family. In other words I have a lot to write about. This blog will be solely for my photography hobby and my exploration into my learning process.

I have also decided to incorporate some uniqueness to my posts that will hopefully make the blog more interesting to read than just stating what happened on this day. Please leave comments and let me know how things are going. If all else fails I will at least have a good place to post some of my pictures.

Lastly, you can see the brunt of my photography on www.flickr.com/omged2003.