Tag Archives: nikon

Travel

Aloha and Mahalo

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Kauai_JDZ_043ALOHA:

Everyone should have their own special place.  Even though Patti and I have done a fair amount of traveling Kauai is ours.  It is where we go to refresh our bodies, physically and mentally.  During the year we get caught up in the rat race, the day to day reality.  Pressure to perform, meet goals and expectations slowly build up and affect who we are.  Time for a break.  You don’t need to run off to Hawaii, but we do.

MAHALO:

Being on the island helps us refocus, relax and regain clarity.  There is a feeling of the beauty that nature is sharing through the lush tropical landscape, cascading waterfalls, the myriad of hidden beaches and the power of nature as the north swell arrives increasing the waves from 1-3 feet to often over 10 feet.  Kauai has been our home away from home for over twenty year.  We always find or have a new experience.  I return to San Diego more centered ready to share my refreshed vision.  Mahalo Kauai.

Kauai_JDZ_002 Kauai_JDZ_065  Kauai_JDZ_023Kauai_JDZ_013

techy stuff:  Nikon D810 camera with a 14-24, 24-70 and a 70-200 lens with a 1.4 convertor.  Images processed in Adobe Lightroom 5.

ART, career, family, Kansas, Lightroom 5, location shoot, photography, Travel

Been there, Done that?????

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_JDZ8515A

Have you?  Have you been to that place more that once where you start to shoot the same photos the same way?  STOP……. don’t go into autopilot.  You know what works, now look for something different.  Whether a different angle, different lens, different time of day or a new technique, explore it.  Dare to be different, that how you become better.  Don’t go home with the same or similar images.  STIMULATE YOUR VISION!!!

Techy stuff:  camera-Nikon D800 and Nikon D600.  Lenses Nikkor 14-24 and 70-200.  Processed in Adobe Lightroom 5.  Locaton, Macksville, Kansas, population aprox. 500.

More of my work:  http://zwink.com

Business, photography

Is Nikon in trouble?

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Nikon Stock Plummets 19% After Cutting Profit Forecast, Biggest Drop Since 1985 nikonstockfall

One of the big stories in the business world Sunday was that Nikon’s stock took a historic fall of nearly 19%. The company is weighted so heavily in the Nikkei Stock Average that the news had a rippling effect across the market, causing most Asian shares to drop.

Businessweek writes that the price drop was the largest single day decline in Nikon’s stock since 1985. It happened after the company cut its profit forecast due to decreasing demand and plummeting prices.

For the fiscal year ending in March, Nikon now predicts that it will pull in roughly $407 million in net income, down from the ~$643 million it had previously forecast.

Rare Nikon Lens Deals

Nikonsale

Just one example: the AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80–400mm—$350 off.
There are more lenses in the sale—18 in all.

Nikon is having an unusual sale on some of its very best lenses. Nikon very seldomly offers significant discounts on its premium lenses—especially its best fast primes—when they’re not bundled in a package. This is the first such sale in a number of years.  If you’re in the market for new equipment or want to expand your selection now is the time.

Nikon lenses

Nikon “buy together and save“

Image credit: Photo illustration based on Tokyo Stock Exchange by Dick Thomas Johnson

family, location shoot, photography, Sports

Pajolie’s Opening Day

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Today was not only Pajolie’s Opening Day in her first season of T-Ball but the first opening day for our family.  Pajolie, aka Payton Jo, is my oldest granddaughter.  Although she has tried dance lessons this is her first softball experience.  In organized softball the first weekend of the season is accompanied by the league’s pomp and circumstance ceremony.  You can tell the newbies.  They are the small young girls that are wondering what this is all about, what they should do.  Next year they will be the veterans.

Payton’s sister and dad were there to experience it along with her.  Three year old Parker, had big eyes, it was hard on her as she has always been her sister’s companion, now on the sidelines, a spectator.  I could sense it, watching her stare at the scene and all the older multicolored uniformed girls.

Four o’clock, game time.  Actually more like 4:20, and the Blue Diamonds were ready to play.  In the crowd were her Mom, Dad, sister, Patti  and even Zoey (our Frenchie) there to see the action.  Along about the third inning her Uncle Joe and cousin Jameson came to participate.

A great day to start a career, a great day to enjoy the family.  Keep your head down when swinging Pajolie and run hard……. and enjoy every inning of the game.

The techy stuff:  Shot with the Nikon D600 and D800.  Images processed in Adobe Lightroom.

Team Sponsor:  Zwink Photography  www.zwink.com

career, Lightroom 4, location shoot, photography, Travel

Getaway

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We all need that special place.  Be it close by or halfway around the world we all need a place that has a hold on us.  The place that feels good, has the mojo to help recharge us, that make you feel safe, that you don’t forget and often return to.

Kauai, the northern most Hawaiian island, is our special place.  We’ve been coming here on and off for 24 years, since our honeymoon.  We have experienced the island go through many changes, a hurricane, an abundance of water, a drought, the effect of the economic collapse,  the death of a beloved local surfer and the resiliency to survive, never forget and move on.  We’ve also seen a kind, compassionate, caring culture  of the people that love their home.  The “aloha” factor.

This is our special place, it is a part of us.  No matter the situation we alway have a unique experience.  I try to share what we love about Kauai with our friends through my photography of our travels and adventures.  Every person has to find their own “special place” .  Kauai, just saying it warms my heart, it will always be our special place that keeps calling to come back.  What does it for you?

techy stuff:  all images shot with the new Nikon D600 and processed in Adobe Lightroom 4.  My website is www.zwink.com

career, Lightroom 3, location shoot, photography, San Diego

Learn to Communicate (Ask the right Questions)

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  (Above)  My client specifically  asked that I get images of the water feature between the two building.  Much to my chagrine there were white strips at the bottom the the pools.  If I was shooting this on an editorial job I would have to shoot it the way it was.  Being that this was for a commercial client I did a quick sample and emailed it to them.  They opted for the retouched version and the additional expense.  Communication with the client got them what they wanted and a more profitable day for me.

Fortunately most of my clients and I have some history.  Although most of my assignments come in by email we generally know what each other needs.  If you’re working with a new client, don’t assume.  You know the old saying.  Not only is it true but it can cause you more time on the project and even grief.  Ask what the final product is so you know how to shoot, are you going to have time to do it right, light it right or have to shoot ambient and minimize the impact on the tenant/subject?  In other words, get in, make great images and get out quick.  Here’s a short list to get you started.

  1. Make sure you have a contact # while on site.
  2. know in advance if this is the only day/time you can shoot if the weather is bad.
  3. Security.  Make sure they know you’re there.
  4. Shot list.  Make sure you know exactly what they need.  Anything else is cake, i.e. additional income.
  5. Be prepared.  Scout the location to know what you’re getting into.
  6. Deadline.  Know when the need it and get it to them early.
  7. Communicate.  To be successful you have to learn to talk their language.
  8. Make your own list.  But do it and constantly review it so you will do it right and enjoy the process.

More of my work:  www.zwink.com

Techy stuff:  Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop 6, Nikon D800

HDR, location shoot, photography, San Diego

Playing with a new lens

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Midland_JDZ7490a
Midland Animal Clinic

I just had brain surgery a week and a half a go.  Seriously…….  Modern medicine is a wonderful thing.  Eight days later it was time to get out the house and go test my new Nikon Nikkor 24 pc tilt shift lens.  I decided at the last minute I was going to do a sunset shot but then waited too long to go to my first choice of location.  So, I decided instead I was going to go shoot the Midland Animal Clinic in Poway where we take our pets to.  This is a fairly new building that I’d been wanting to shoot and this was the perfect excuse.  I knew that the success to making a good image was to take advantage of the lens, using it’s perspective controls to keep the lines on the building straight.  I then did several exposures as the dusk turned into the evening and from those multiple files selected four files to work with.  I used Photomatix to create a HDR image and then carefully layer in one of the original files to pull out the signage in the highlights.

Just a quick word about working with HDR tonemapping in Photomatix.  There are no sound formulas or great starting points that will give you a great image with the automatic settings.  It’s really a starting point to creating a good image and the more you experiment with it the more you will understand it’s controls, allowing for more creativity in the image making process.  HDR won’t work on everything.  Part of successfully integrating it into your work is to use it as a tool to enhance your vision, not create it.