Carla underwater

In my last post I promised to post pictures of homes decorated for Christmas.  I had 24 great shots.  Notice I said "had".  Apparently during the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, the pictures grew legs, and walked out of one of my shopping bags.  I still haven't found them.  So, I'm posting this short video about under water photography.  This is a movie, (not shot by me) so I'm inclined to think it was not taken with a 35mm film camera. But, because I've always been fascinated by under water still shots, I've posted it here.     

Free Computer Wall Paper

For those of you who might be new to my blog and haven't seen these posts, below are pictures that make good computer wall paper.  Enjoy.

I'm taking pictures of the decorated houses in my neighborhood, later this weekend.  It's hard to believe Christmas is only 10 days away.  My next post will feature the nicest of those photos.  For now it's Christmas shopping time. 'til next time, happy shutter bugging.

Selling my Minolta 300si film camera (Update: SOLD)

 
     I'm selling my Minolta 300si film camera on Ebay.  To view it just go to Ebay and search for the Seller; "Mrdlt.2"   This is a good little camera.  It takes great pictures.  I have over 15 cameras now, so it only seems right to allow someone starting out in film photography to get a break on a good piece of equipment for a low ball price.

    Update: SOLD!  The camera sold on Ebay for the opening bid price of $19.99 plus shipping.  The lucky buyer was Cheri C., from Illnois.  I know it will bring as much pleasure to it's new owner as it did to me.  I just finished packaging it for shipment tomorrow morning via USPS priority mail so it will be received within 3 business days.  Congratulations Cheri, and happy shutter bugging. 

Photography Techniques : Effect of Color Filters on Black & White Photog...

Ebay bargain cameras

Usually my posts are about the bargains I've acquired on Ebay.  This one is going to be a little different.  Below are pictures of  3 cameras I'm selling on Ebay.  After careful consideration I've decided sell some of my equipment.

The first pictured above, is a Minolta 3000I 35mm film camera.  A very basic, auto focus camera, good for the beginner photo student.

 This is a Minolta 400SI auto focus film camera.  It's a bit more advanced, and like the 3000I above, it gives the photographer the choice of operating in auto focus or manual focus mode.

This last set of pictures is of a Minolta 3XI auto focus film camera body only. (you'll need to buy a lens separately.  They're cheap on Ebay)   A fun camera to use, easy to operate, and like the two above, it offers the option of choosing between auto focus and manual focus operation.  All 3 cameras will be listed for sale by 9:00pm Central Time, Monday,  September 24, 2012. To view these and other items I'll have for sale, please go to www.ebay.com, and search for "Seller", listed as mrdlt.2     
To give everyone a fair chance at obtaining these items, they won't be listed for sale before the time and date above.  Thanks for stopping by my blog.  'til next time...happy shutter bugging.  
    

Kate Middleton topless photos

Sorry if you came looking for tawdry photos of this young couple.  As a photographer, I'm appalled by the antics of the publisher who chose to make the topless photos of this young woman public.  Below is a link to a video made by the publisher, who is trying to justify publishing the pictures.
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2012/sep/14/kate-topless-photographs-editor-video 

Depth of Field

This is an entertaining video by "Snap Chick".  Even though she uses digital cameras, the information can easily be applied to film photography. 

No more blurred photos - ever!

Making a $

  Even in this bad economy, can you still make money as a Photographer even if you don't have a digital camera?  The short answer is yes, if you have a computer, and a printer with scanning capabilities you can create "digital" photos from your film camera pictures.  Check out this link to learn how to create residule income from your pictures: http://www.sell-stock-photos.com/?hop=goodcheck

   If you have a digital camera, just type the article link below into your web browser and click (The Author  Joseph Chackery) will shed some light on how to get started.   http://www.articlecity.com/articles/hobbies/article_2141.shtml    And the best part is you don't have to have those "once in a lifetime" shots to make a profit. 

What you can do with your photos

It is that time of year again when you are all off on holiday or have been on a great holiday and we all like to take lots of pictures but a lot of us don’t do anything with the pictures we take we look at them when we get back and show them off but more often than not they are left on the phone or camera and forgotten about.

Memories we make on holidays are great and a good way to keep them is to have your photos and pictures printed on to canvas it’s a great way to display your precious memories. Canvas photo printing has been around for a long time but is still very popular and with the amount of people out there that are supplying them now it’s easy to find the rite canvas prints for u and as there is so much canvas printers out there you can get a great very competitive price.

Canvas prints are a excellent way to keep an display our memories but also make brilliant gift it can be very hard to find people a gift that is thoughtful personal and unique that is why this could be a great idea for you what could be better than giving someone a memory for any occasion they are great for birthdays Christmas ect.

no one wants to give a friend or family member a gift someone else has given them already and as the canvas print you have made will be unique to you and your specifications so there is no chance of you turning up at the party with the same present as anyone else with your own unique canvas print this will never happen to you again.

Any picture that is special to you is a great idea to have put on to canvas weddings your children or holidays but it doesn’t have to be a photo if you are in to art and designing your own artwork it could be a great way to quickly and cheaply reproduce your work even your children love to create pictures why not have them made in to something you can keep and treasure long after they have grown up and moved out.

A lot of businesses that specialize in canvas printing are based on the internet and this is where you can find the best deal and search lots of businesses without leaving the house they can also offer canvas artwork printing to which is also a great idea.

There are a lot of effects an touch ups that can be used when making your custom made canvas print don’t hesitate to ask the person supplying you if there is anything you want touched up added or repaired on your picture i am sure they will be happy to meet any of your requirements .

When having a picture printed on canvas you can have it done straight from your camera off a disc memory card or even from a old picture that can be scanned straight on to a computer.

Thanks for reading.

www.personalcanvasprints.co.uk
Article by Andrew Bourke

The Wrestling Icon

The Wrestling Icon (pictured above) photographed at the "ToyMan Show 2012", in Bridgeton, Missouri, a toy and comic book convention now in it's 22nd year.  As you might guess the Icon sold wrestling action figures, and his legendary, hand painted, wrestling poster featuring Wrestlers dating back from the 1920's until today.  It took him 3 years, and hundreds of hours to finish the portrait.  The detail on the painting is so precise, that you can easily distinguish any Wrestler with whom you are familiar.  Click on this link, or type it into your browser, to visit his site and view the portrait. http://www.iconsofwrestling.com/   Below are some of the action figures he sold.  Would you believe that some of these things sell for as much as $75 each!   

 That's me pointing to a copy of his "Icons of Wrestling Poster".  I knew Wrestling Entertainment was a growing sport, but I did not know how much it was growing until I agreed to help my friend "the Icon", in the absence is of his 'better half', (out of town on business) who usually handles his customer flow, and money management.  
 

OK, this is a little self serving.  I agreed to help out at the convention if I could bring some of my "2012...B.O. is worse than flatulence" T-shirts.

                                  The Convention was so much fun, even R2-D2 showed up. 


Photographed with my Olympus Camera

How to use a Reflector in Outdoor Photography

   Now that Summer has officially begun (actually it starts tomorrow) the natural sunlight of each day affords us great picture taking opportunities.  This short video by Photographer Greg Helton demonstrates the effective use of reflectors to enhance portrait photography.

Nikon N65 Pictures

On Monday, April 16, 2012  I posted about the Nikon N65 camera I won on an Ebay auction.  Below are some of the pictures I've taken with that camera.  Because Nikon has such a good reputation for making quality equipment, I wanted to take a few shots under different lighting conditions, using no additional lighting except the flash (when necessary) that comes with the camera.

The picture above was taken in broad daylight, around 10:00am.  Obviously there is lots of sunshine, and no lighting challenge.

 This shot of the flag was taken later the same day around 7:00pm.  Again, good lighting, and no challenge.

These last two pictures are the real reason for this post.  Even after sundown, (around 10:00pm) with only the aid of the camera flash, the pictures came out well.  I did use the "auto" setting for all of these pictures.  There is an optional "manual" setting as well, for those who prefer more control of the camera. 

Before I sat down to make this blog entry I did check Ebay to see if I could find anymore Nikon N65 cameras for sale.  The good news is that I did find them.  The bad news is that the prices are all over the place.  If you have the cash and don't like competition, try asking the Ebay Seller if He / She would consider giving you a "buy it now" price.  This approach works best if the item is for sale via an auction, but has not yet received any offers.   Another option is to offer a higher than opening bid price to the Seller if the auction closes and the item received NO offers.  Obviously the Seller wants (or needs) to sell the item.  Your offer just might be a welcome relief, if the item had no other interested Buyers.  And last but not least is my favorite approach, sniping!  When you snipe, you decide days before the auction ends what the item is worth to you.  You then watch the item to see how many other interested potential Buyers make offers.  If the buyer interest seems to be low, for example; there have been 3 bids on the item and the highest bid is $9.99.  I would then place a "my highest bid" of $38.99 (I do this about 13 minutes before the bidding is scheduled to end).  The auction will not show that I bid that high.  It will usually only show that I've outbid the last bidder by 50 cents.  The closer you get toward the end of the auction, the more other interested bidders raise the bid.  They are trying to nickle and dime their way to the highest bid, and still keep the price low enough to get a good deal.  What they don't know is that you and I have already outbid them.  In my experience, I usually get the camera or whatever the item is that I'm bidding on.  If the price goes over $40.00 or whatever the upper limit is that I've already decided on for that item - I'm out!  That buyer can have that item, I'll get the next one.  I hope this helps if you've been wanting to buy a camera (or anything else) on Ebay, but weren't sure how to proceed.  'til next time, happy shutter bugging.          


Photos by: Darryl Turner

My new (to me) $10 Toy

$10.00, that's what I paid (plus $8.10 for shipping) for this Minolta 3000I film camera on Ebay.  Below are the stats for this model.

Detailed item info

Product Information Capture the world around in photographs with the Konica Minolta Maxxum. Equipped with an auto focus mechanism, this Konica 3000i SLR makes photography effortless. With the manual focus mechanism, the Konica Minolta 35mm film camera lets you modulate the focusing of the camera for more control over your photography. This Konica Minolta Maxxum 3000i SLR gives audible alert tones for using the self timer, loading of films and more. The Konica Minolta 35mm film camera sets the exposure automatically and lets you have hassle free photography sessions. The easy to use Konica Minolta Maxxum makes photography fun. Product Identifiers Brand Minolta Model Maxxum 3000i Body Only MPN Maxxum 3000i Key Features Camera Type SLR (Single Lens Reflex) Film Type 35mm Lens Mount Minolta A-Type Battery Type Lithium Battery Focus Focus Type Autofocus, Manual Focus Exposure Light Metering Modes TTL Viewfinder Viewfinder Frame Coverage 90% Viewfinder Magnification 0.75X Dimensions Depth 2.38 in. Height 3.5 in. Width 5.56 in. Weight 14.81 Oz Miscellaneous Additional Features Auto Exposure, Interchangeable Lenses, Self Timer

This one brings the total number of cameras in my collection to 15.  I had intended to stop buying cameras and focus (no pun intended) on acquiring long focal length lenses for the cameras I already own, but this one was so good I couldn't pass it up.  If you've had a similar experience on Ebay, let me hear from you. 'til next time, happy shutter bugging.

  

Photo by:  Darryl Turner

Konica TC update

This is a quick update about the Konica TC film camera I mentioned in my last post.  It finally arrived in the mail today.  As I suspected, (see the previous post below) it is a manually operated "old school" film camera.

The lens is an 80mm - 200mm lens, and came with a UV filter attached.  Like many of my cameras this one was also purchased on Ebay.   The Seller I purchased this one from is an experienced Ebayer (over 8,230 transactions) and goes by the Ebay name of "Marknmandee".   Ideally, you always want to buy from experienced Sellers.   If you're looking for good used camera equipment be sure to check out their page.

The camera lens is an "after-market" lens made by Toyo Optics.  The camera is in better physical condition  than the Seller had indicated in the Ebay listing.  I can hardly wait to put a few rolls of film through it.

Ok, that's my quick update.  Thanks to those of you who've taken the time in the past to leave comments on my blog.  Previously anyone could leave comments.  However, we've made a slight change in the blog format.  You can still leave comments if you choose to, but you'll have to register with the blog to do so.  The reason for this is our attempt to discourage Spammers.  Thanks again for taking a look at our blog.  'til next time, happy shutter bugging.



Photos by: Darryl Turner