Peek-a-boo!

Peek-a-boo!
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

This is my 9th photo that makes it to the Flickr Explore page. This one ranked # 247 on August 24, 2009.

My favorite part of this photo is first, the pose, second the eyes of the wasp, I think they are very expressive.

Behind the scenes: "Please don't shoot me"

Tonight I was able to get my 65mm lens out and shoot a bee portrait.

I found a dying bee by my door step and tried to save her only to find her dead shortly after. So I decided to take some shots before long.

This shot is my favorite "behind the scenes" shot, it's as if the bee is begging for me not to shoot her -photographically speaking.

The Setup

* Tripod

* Macro sliding rail

* Canon Rebel XTi

* Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens

* 100W tungsten lightbulb on lamp

* 40-60W tungsten kitchen lamp above

* No flash

* F8 - F16

* Exposure 10" - 30"

* Custom function: Mirror Lock

* Wireless infrared remote control with 2s wait

And the result:

"Determination" by Alejandro Ramírez © 2009 All Rights Reserved.

(Click on the photo to visit my Flickr Photostream)

Sex sells photos

About a week ago I attended the 2009 Summer Solstice Parade in Fremont, WA to take photos with the Seattle Flickrites. In case you don't know, the main attraction of the parade are the naked bicyclists that join the parade every year with their colorful painted bodies as a way to display their joy for freedom, and openness.

I took 500+ pictures and spent 2 days reviewing what to post, what not to post. I ended up posting close to 100 pictures (yeah, I know), because it was so much fun!

But the most interesting fact was the stats on my Flickr account:

1,471 views in the first 24 hours!!!

Sadly, the number of fav'ed photos and comments wasn't as favorable, but I can understand. Nobody wants you to know that they were looking at pictures of naked people -sigh-.

So I told my wife: "honey, from now on I am only photographing naked people."

Peace :-)

To visit my Photostream follow the link in this photo:

"Cheerful Days" by Alejandro Ramírez

© All rights reserved.

Canon MP-E 65mm

I finally got this lens, and it is simply amazing!

Their physical size is somewhat deceptive when they are at 1x, because once you zoom in, the lens are really long. 

They are also quite heavy, so hand-held shots are complicated because of cramps.

What you get in the box:

• Lens
• Lens cap
• Tripod ring
• Manual

What didn't come in the box (but should have):

• Carrying Pouch
• Lens Hood

What must be used:

• A filter to protect the lens because of the narrow space between the front of the lens and the subjects, to avoid scratching it. (58mm)
• A macro ring flash.

Here is my first set test shots going from 1x-5x magnification:

1X: This is where my Tamron 90mm Macro 2.8 stops. 

 

1st Shot: Tamron 90mm; 2nd Shot: MP-E 65mm at 1X magnification 

Behind the scenes shot:

2X: Getting closer to the subject

Behind the scenes shot:

3X: Losing light, need to move the lamp closer to keep the exposure happy.

Behind the scenes shot:

4X: Getting really close to the subject, using slider a bit. Turned on mirror-lock to prevent camera shake.

Behind the scenes shot:

5X: Less than 10mm between lens and subject, micro-adjustments throw the shot off focus. 

Behind the scenes shots:

Equipment used:

• Tripod
• Macro sliding rail
• 3 external lights (2 above, 1 on the side)
• Wireless remote control
• Canon Rebel XTi

365 Days, v. 35

I restarted my 365 days photo "challenge". After the birth of my son it became harder and harder to keep up at the beginning, but now we have some more chances of taking photos.

So here it goes, once again. Here are number 1 through 9 so far:

# 1/365: April 24 - Birthday Hair

# 2/365: April 25 - Cat's Ear

# 3/365: April 26 - Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley, WA

# 4/365: April 27 - Succulent Macro

# 5/365: April 28 - Yellow Tulip

# 6/365: April 29 - Three Buds

# 7/365: April 30 - Aztec Calendar (Keychain)

# 8/365: May 1 - Mobile Upload of Tulips in the wild

# 9/365: May 2 - Dog Paw seen at 4X macro

Macro shots on Canon 30D vs Rebel XTi

I repeatedly heard from different sources that shooting Macro on a Rebel XTi has its advantages because of the smaller sensor on the camera. 

Honestly I don't know much about sensors so I decided to take similar shots and let the results judge.

What I expected to see:

• I thought that the sensor difference will result in more cropping (less image area) in the XTi than the 30D.
  
• Better quality in the XTi due to its 10 mega pixels, compared to 8 mega pixels in the 30D.

What I actually saw:

• No cropping; same image size.
  
• Better quality in the 30D despite the mega pixel difference.

The Experiment

Two shots taken with the 2 cameras, using a tripod and a Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro lens.

I used the maximum length on the Tamron lens, same exposure setting, 2.8 aperture, and 1/4 shutter speed.

Myth # 1 busted: As you can see, there is no visible cropping, the area covered is practically the same.:

In this comparison of their levels curves, you can see how the 30D has a "richer" set of levels, whereas the XTi has a more limited one. This results are noticeable in the next shot.

Myth # 2 busted: Here, I zoomed at 400x in Photoshop and notice how the XTi shot looks a little "burned" and the 30D's colors look a little bit warmer (capture of light working better?):

(Click on the image to see it in large size)

Verdict:

Unless you zoom to 400%, you won't notice the differences, and you will be able to compensate any issues with good ol' Photoshop.

So the verdict is: I still like my Rebel XTi for its compact size and its comparable quality to the "xxD" family. :-)

Bad CF card or camera problems?

I just purchased a PNY 2GB 266X Compact Flash card, and noticed that every now and then I get shots that get some weird noise in the very same spot:

And another shot on a different day, same card:

Both photos were taken with my Tamron 90mm lens. Has anybody experienced this problem? Card problem, camera problem, lens problem?

It's usually the last photo of a batch.

Mine's bigger than yours: My wife's MacBook Pro vs. my MacBook

Benchmark Results

Bottomline Geekbench Scores: 

MB 3208, MBP: 2656

I downloaded Geekbench 2.1.2 and ran it on both Macs to compare the scores. The chart above was created using Excel.

TECH SPECS

1) MacBook Pro (17-inch)

• OS: OS X 10.5.6
• CPU: Genuine Intel T2600 (Core Duo) 2.16 GHz
• Cores: 2
• Bus Frequency: 664 MHz
• L1 Instruction Cache: 32.0KB
• L1 Data Cache: 32.0 KB
• L2 Cache: 2.00 MB
• Memory: 2.00 GB
• Memory Type: 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

2. MacBook (Late 2008)

• OS: OS X 10.5.6
• CPU: Intel Core2 Duo P8600 2.4 GHz
• Cores: 2
• Bus Frequency: 1.06 GHz
• L1 Instruction Cache: 32.0KB
• L1 Data Cache: 32.0 KB
• L2 Cache: 3.00 MB
• Memory: 4.00 GB
• Memory Type: 1067 MHz DDR3 SDRAM

February 2009 in retrospective

This month's over, and looking back at the stats, it was very obvious that I had my hands full taking care of and loving my newborn son.

Not too bad, considering that one of my photos made it to Explore.

Tower to nowhere

Tower to nowhere
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 059/365
Photo Challenge 2009: Day 59, Blocks

I built a tall tower on top of the dining room table using my son's wooden blocks (as tall as it could stand without starting to swing), and then I climbed on a chair and took shots from above.

Marchita

Marchita
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 058/365

As the flowers begin to die, a snapshot captures a last breath...

A very nice downgrade!

A very nice downgrade!
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

Sold my Mac Pro and got a MacBook. Yup, not a MacBook Pro, and so far I've been fairly impressed with its speed and nice features. It should be called the MacBook Pro Jr.

Highlights:
- 1066 bus speed
- DDR3 memory -whosh!-
- 802.11n WiFi access rocks!
- Weight and size feel great too
- It doesn't get unbearably hot
- Size of AC adapter is great
- Accessing the back for HD, battery and memory replacement is simple and includes clear instructions in user's manual.
- A 4GB memory upgrade was cheap and mostly noticeable in bootup time, launching apps and running VMWare Fusion along with other apps -Wow!-
- Not having the speakers on top makes it for better hands-free Skype calls
- Battery status indicator on the side vs. bottom is nicer
- Backlit keyboard is a very nice feature (only avail. In 2.4GHz model)
- Best of all, I saved some money :-)

Cons
- Battery life is average ~3hrs (compared to my previous laptop, a PB 12")
- The multi-touch trackpad is its major drawback to me... I have big hands so I constantly place my palm unadvertently and cause quirky behavior on my mouse pointer and random clicking and dragging stuff.
- The lack of locking mechanism on the lid feels weird, but that's just me.
- Only available in glossy screen finish, but can get used to it...

[Created with Comeks. Download free mobile application from www.comeks.com.]

# 054-057/365

Brick Handshake

Brick Handshake
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 053/365
After several trials, this 'accidental' hand held shot (with lots of camera shake) turned out to be my favorite from the series.

Idea from the 2009 Challenge, Day 53: Bricks

Taken at Juanita Beach Park in Kirkland, WA

Implosion of emotions

Implosion of emotions
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 052/365
I got my Mother-in-law a nice flower bouquet and when she was gone from visiting I decided to take photos of her beautiful flowers.

Hello there!

Hello there!
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 051/365

Photo Challenge 2009: Day 51 - Selective Color B&W

Kickin' it

Kickin' it
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 050/365

My son's little feet. Cute.

Got Milk?

Got Milk?
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 049/365

Setting the tone for the rest of the night

Setting the tone for the rest of the night
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 048/365

Photo Challenge: Day 48: B&W Flowers

(I managed to squeeze this photo last minute before going to bed... I just have to take photos every day, that's the only way to get better!!!)

The calm always comes after the storm

The calm always comes after the storm
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 046/365

** blush **

** blush **
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 45/365

Happy Valentine's day my friends! | ¡Feliz Día de San Valentín!

(Shot without flash and with long exposure)

Explored! # 399 on Feb 15, 2009

Our Turn

Our Turn
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 44/365
Nico and I had our night shift and were hanging out between feeding times. It was truly the first day I didn't even think about taking pictures. Fatherhood is such a beautiful thing, and nothing better than living it with your own eyes.

This cell phone photo with my G1 was taken to rescue my day and a reminder to all of us Dads to enjoy every moment.

Not missing a beat

Not missing a beat
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 043/365
My son Nico's eye at almost 3 weeks old.

Cola

Cola
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 042/365
This is my favorite soda, made with real sugar (not corn syrup), caffeine free.

PhotoChallenge.org: SODA

Night life

Night life
Originally uploaded by Alejandro Ramírez

# 041/365
Night light in our baby's room