Focus your camera AFTER the picture is taken

As an amateur photographer one of my greatest frustrations is when I get that perfectly-timed shot, and then find out the camera focussed on the wrong thing. Thousands of my photos have had to be discarded for poor focus, despite the fact that what I was capturing would have been stunning. A new company is about to introduce a new light field technology camera which claims to be able to focus your shot after the fact, allowing you to shoot now and choose the focal point later. It also allows 3D pictures to be taken with the same shot.

This has the potential to transform digital cameras, and to allow fewer photos to tell a more complete story of any event.

The breakthrough is a different type of sensor that captures what are known as light fields, basically all the light that is moving in all directions in the view of the camera. That offers several advantages over traditional photography, the most revolutionary of which is that photos no longer need to be focused before they are taken.

That means that capturing that perfect shot of your fast-moving pet or squirming child could soon get a whole lot easier. Instead of having to manually focus or wait for autofocus to kick in and hopefully center on the right thing, pictures can be taken immediately and in rapid succession. Once the picture is on a computer or phone, the focus can be adjusted to center on any object in the image, also allowing for cool artsy shots where one shifts between a blurry foreground and sharp background and vice versa.

A Moment of Peace and Stillness

Definitely feel like after the last few weeks, I could use a moment to catch my breath. I suspect the same is true for most of us. And a reminder that the world is bigger than our little frantic corner of it.

This is NOT a photo I took. Click thru to get back to the original photographer on Flickr.

Photos of Afghanistan Atrocities Horrify

We have been in Afghanistan far longer than the Russians were, and there is no end in sight. President Obama came into office in hopes of getting us out of Iraq and Afghanistan, but 3 years in we're still there.

Sometimes it takes a true shock to convince people to change the status quo. A rogue team of soldiers that photographed the atrocities they committed may be the catalyst. Warning: Photos on the attached article are deeply disturbing. And there are many more that remain unpublished for now.

It is feared that these pictures - which show the aftermath of the murders at the hands of a rogue U.S. Stryker 'kill team' - could be even more damaging as the trials of the 12 accused men are currently under way in Seattle...

Army officials attempted to keep the photographs under wraps as part of the war crimes probe fearing it could inflame feelings at a time when anti-Americanism in Afghanistan is already running high.

In their statement, the U.S. army said the photographs depicted 'actions repugnant to us as human beings and contrary to the standards and values of the United States Army.

Forbidden?: Photographing Farms in Florida

Sometimes Law is all about Justice (with a capital J). But sometimes Law is all about petty overreaction. Consider, the case of a new bill SB 1246 written by Sen. Jim Norman (R-Tampa). The bill would outlaw taking photographs of any farm without the express written consent of the owner. Suddenly, beautiful agricultural vistas would literally be a felony.

But there must be a really good explanation, right? One having to do with National Security that clearly justifies this incredible violation of Free Speech and Press Right. Maybe not.

Simpson, president of Simpson Farms near Dade City, said the law would prevent people from posing as farmworkers so that they can secretly film agricultural operations.

He said he could not name an instance in which that happened. But animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Animal Freedom display undercover videos on their web sites to make their case that livestock farming and meat consumption are cruel.

Someone please tell Senator Norman to drop this travesty of a bill now. It is a bad idea on so many levels.

Banning photographers at accidents is a mistake

In the old days, the main danger of an accident was a rubber-necker (someone slowing way down to look at an accident). These days, the cell phone sniper is a much bigger danger, as people try to use their cell phones to grab an amazingly gory or dramatic picture of an accident scene. So, it is no surprise that some lawmakers want to ban photographs at car accidents. After all, isn't that the best way to force people to do the right thing, and spare families the trauma of seeing pictures of injured loved ones?

Nope. The fact is this law will be essentially unenforceable... except for cases where law already exist - where someone endangers someone else to get the shot by driving dangerously or getting in the way of emergency responders. And if anyone tries to enforce it, they are more likely to take energy away from the wounded in favor of punishing the stupid.

Let Free Speech win in this case. Forget these well-meaning, but foolish laws.

Yes, this winter HAS been Hoth-like

I can't tell if it is art or commentary. But it makes a whole lotta sense to me!

New England Foliage

I am home sick today, and not up to any in-depth political or technophile analysis. Instead, here are some photos of the Autumn foliage surrounding us up here in New England.

Visiting the Bowhunters

We had a great time visiting the Bowhunters this past weekend, and as usual our friends included an unusual wildlife sighting as part of our trip!

Camoflage

Flickr Friday: If you can't afford a body shop...

To be clear, this photo is NOT mine. Just a random find on Flickr.

The Nomad's Wanderings

The Nomad has been wandering in southern New Jersey for the last week, but returns to his home tent today. If you'd like to browse some of the photos from his travels, click on the image below.

The Power of Photography

Amazing stop-motion animation video produced by Olympus for their new camera. Really captures the wonder and beauty of photography in capturing a life.

HARDWARE REVIEW: Canon PowerShot SX200 IS

The Short Version: I love this camera. While it has a few clear weaknesses, it more than makes up for them in quality, ability, and manual controls.

Background: I am a photography enthusiast. Not the kind who stalks around taking random pictures of strangers, or who wanders the forest looking for interesting plants. The kind who enjoys taking pictures at events: quiz meets, softball games, weddings, etc. to share with friends. I own a Canon EOS 50D (digital SLR) but also like to have a smaller point-and-shoot for travel or situations where the "snap-click" noise of an SLR is unacceptable. My last point-and-shoot had proved bad for the lower-light situations where I tend to shoot, and a wedding was coming up that I wanted to cover. In the past, I had always gone for ultra-compacts but this time around I wanted something that could handle both low-light and long zooms while still being pocketable. I tried an Olympus Stylus 9000 (returned due to impossibility of focusing reliably and blur indoors) and researched the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. But in the end, I chose the Canon Powershot SX200 IS and purchased it from Amazon.Com.

The Good: This camera is a joy to use. It has an automatic mode, a "super-easy" mode, 5 scene modes, a dedicated "special scenes" mode with less-used options, video, full manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and Program mode, like an SLR. Unlike the competition, the camera has nearly as much customizability as an SLR and the controls are fairly easy to use due to a new menu structure for Canon camera. The pictures are clear, crisp, and has relatively low noise even down to 1600 and 3200, when compared to other point-and-shoot models. The SDHC card slot will accommodate even the largest 32 GB models of memory card (yes, I tested with one those those) and saving to card is quick. The 3.0" LCD on the back is also clear and crisp. And I love the "selective desaturization" mode in the camera. And how do you beat 12x zoom (28 to 300mm equivalent lens) in this size package?!

The Bad: The camera is not perfect. First, while very pocketable, it is not an ultra-compact - it is about as long as an iPhone but 4 to 5 times as thick and it is has definite heft in your hand and pocket. Second, time from shot to shot is not quick, even in "burst" mode, sometimes taking a full second or 2 to recycle between shots. Third, battery is life is only moderate - over the course of a wedding and reception (about 8 hours) I went through 3 fully-charged batteries, and the batteries themselves take over 2 hours to recharge. Finally, when zoomed to the extreme, the camera often finds it hard to find a focal point and may vacillate between two of them, forcing you to let go of the shutter and recompose the shot. This lead me to lose a few really critical photographs.

The Bottom Line: This camera is a keeper, but you'll want to keep your SLR for the most important or challenging occasions. The 12x zoom is great for getting in close or finding a good wide-angle option. It is pocketable, has a plethora of manual options to allow you to get the best shot, has several really fun auto options, and comes in at under $400 even at the expensive shops. How much did I like this camera? Let's just say that I am now one of 3 friends who all own the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS.

Revelation Generation Photos

Yesterday, CRChair and I went down to Frenchtown, NJ for the Revelation Generation (Rev Gen) concert. I thought our Mod-Blog readers might enjoy seeing some photos I got of the event. And who knows? Maybe next year a few of you might come along if you are in the area.

Interesting tidbit for photographers among you. SLRs were banned from the event, so this was taken with the waterproof minicam that I use when biking.

Walking with Dinosaurs: The Live Experience

The Walking with Dinosaurs show was amazing! It is hard to overstate the spectacle or the attention to detail. To see a whole set of my photos, click the image below. CRChair will also have his up shortly.

Interesting idea for a cheap Image Stabilizer

$1 Image Stabilizer For Any Camera - Lose The Tripod - video powered by Metacafe

Photos Immediately Before, During, and After Bhutto Assasination

This is what it means to live in a digital age. Days after the event, a photographer can narrate, in his own voice, what he experienced during the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, with his digital photos taken in the moment.

Fair warning, some of these images are graphic and may not be suitable for young children.

I must admit, some days this is me

Photographing Christmas LIghts

For the intrepid photographers among us, Christmas is a great time to shoot interesting light displays. This video does a good job of explaining the way to get the most out of these kinds of shots.

The view out my window

The view out my window
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

The snow has arrived!