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Archives for May 2003
May 30, 2003
Today's Image of the Day is a
panorama of
Tuolumne Meadows - a dazzling
(and much less crowded) gem in the crown of
the popular Yosemite State Park in
California's High Sierras. Tuolumne first
intrigued me years back, while on my way
to Mono Lake. It seemed like the ultimate
high mountain wilderness - pristine, sparkling
streams winding through vast and untouched
meadows, hidden swimming holes, and dramatic
rock formations as well as abundant wildlife.
Having fiddled with above image in Photoshop Elements's
PhotoMerge feature for quite a few hours
today, brings me to another subject though: Panoramic
photography.
A superb site to indulge and study
successful examples of the craft is
this danish panorama site. Don't leave without
having seen the world in a breathtaking 360 from the
top of
Everest. For a as-good-as-it-gets-without-making-the-trip
look at the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, go ahead and
tool around
here. And I just found this excellent
guide for an intro on how to make panoramas.
My biggest problem when creating panoramas
is always adjusting the hue, color and brightness
of all images involved to get an even-looking
end product. Due to varying light angles
when shooting, most panoramas have vast
differences in those areas, and making the
adjustments across multiple images is a
frustrating and time-consuming process.
Above panorama was stitched together
from four images, and although the
Panoguide site provides some guidance
for color adjustments while shooting,
I wish PhotoMerge would include a function
that would even out color across the
entire panorama.
A nasty cold/flu had me nailed down for
the past few days, so no blogging for me.
In a moment of dayquil-induced
light-headedness, I had the great idea to
do a stream-of-consciousness entry nonetheless, but
luckily my relentless self-censor stepped in
and avoided disaster.
So, now that I'm back and have recovered
my normal mental self (if you can call
that "normal" anyway), I thought
I'd share a pic from a recent outing to
one of the most hidden natural gems in Oregon's
treasure chest:
The Painted Hills.
It was my second trip there, and although
both times the weather was torn between
glorious sunshine and impending natural
disaster, I was drawn to the irresistible
play of the hill's sensuous curves and
rich velvet colors.
These shots here are actually from last
year's visit, but I promise to post more
once I get the latest crop of images
back from the lab.
Also - a quickie update on the FotoWeb pricing issue:
A FotoWare rep finally got back to me with a cold hard
number, and the result was as expected:
Sometimes, I just want a straightforward answer.
But every once in a while you come across a company or a sales person
who just keeps beating around the bush. Like in the case of the
recently
discussed
FotoWeb software. Don't they know it makes the customer instantly
suspicous?
Not only is there no price for the product on the company's website,
but there's also no contact info. Nevertheless, after painstakingly hunting it down,
I emailed FotoWare, asking for a
price quote for FotoWeb. The rep got back to me today, saying that
"The best thing to do, is to contact one of our distributors in the US,
and discuss this with them." Luckily, she graciously gave me the direct
link
to the distributor site (since of course the
"Information" site is empty), and so I was able to go continue my easter egg
hunt some more. I was starting to feel a bit like Sherlock Holmes.
The first distributor, Alisopix, had
an online store with prices
of various FotoWare products, but FotoWeb was positively MIA (although they list it
on their homepage as one of the products they sell). The second distributor,
Eroket, didn't lead on that they were selling FotoWare
stuff on their site at all, and even after extensive searching, I couldn't find a single
mention of it. Ok - next. No luck with the
third contact on the list either. Distributor
number four looped you back to the swedish FotoWare homepage, with no further
information. And, of course, same with
number five.
So I've had it.
At this point, no matter how fantastic this software might be, I will not buy it.
Because there are only two reasons, why six sites, who are obviously there to try
and sell a product, don't list any information or prices: either the
people at the producing company are complete and total numbskulls - or the product
is so damn expensive, that everybody who is selling it, is too embarrassed to
even mention the price tag.
So I'm a little bit closer to my ambitious goal for the perfect
photography e-commerce site. Alert reader Kerry Liles from
Toronto (thanks, Kerry!) sent me a link to
FotoWeb, a software that allows you to distribute and sell your
images on the Net. It looks easy enough, and through their yahoo newsgroup,
I've found a student who has
implemented the software more or less successfully.
As Kerry so very rightfully pointed though - "I'll be damned if I can
figure out how much it is or how to buy it!! That's a bad sign already,
but perhaps the product makes up for it?"
I would hope so. I have, however, found some contact info for the company
FotoWare (located in Norway), only after extensive searching though (how about
putting contact info on the website, boys?). Instead, they decided to hide the
info at the bottom of a 2-page PDF file you can download about FotoWeb.
For anybody who wants to inquire as well, here's their email:
fotoware@fotoware.com.
Image of the Day: We had some mighty wild skies yesterday here in
Central Oregon. The unusual cloud formation hovered over Mt. Bachelor
and the Cascades into the failing evening light.
So after checking out how
my images from the Pole Pedal Paddle event from Saturday
turned out, I dug around some more on the
Photoreflect site for information on their storefront.
It's actually a pretty nifty system that I'm now considering
for my own storefront over at
Emerald Bay Photography (as you can see, the site is still
under heavy construction - to be conservative ...).
Despite it's high 18% commission structure, Photoreflect provides
some services that might in the end greatly outweigh the pain
of having to deal with hosting and serving of the images in my
own shopping cart system. They seem geared towards event
photography though, so I'm not 100% sure if it's truly applicable
for me.
PayPal, in comparison, is a lot cheaper, with a smidgen under 3%
commission, but it's a lot more down and dirty. You have to
cut and paste the html code for each item (!) into the code on your site, and
setting up a database to connect to the PayPal shopping cart seems
already like a daunting task. For around thousand images, that
means pretty much putting myself into cyber-jail for the
summer...
So here's my dream scenario (and if an alert reader has a solution
handy, please don't hesitate to email me):
I want an image management database that stores, categorizes and automatically
assigns image codes (for stock) as soon as images are added. Uploads should be
able to be made in batches (unlike FileMaker's dumb Photo Catalog, that makes you
add each image individually...). Image description fields should retain the typed text
until changed (for those batches again) and recall previously entered descriptions
with ease. Other features of the software should include: date created (not input!),
size of the digital image file, a keyword search engine, the ability to sort the images
by single or multiple categories (which can be customized), plus the ability to print
dual slide labels automatically with the image number, a short description, and copyright
language.
In addition, the software should have integrated forms, that make invoicing for
stock and assignment a snap, and produces customizable delivery memos, model and property
releases, plus various contracts. And of course, it should also have fields for image
rights and tracking information.
To be fair, there is already a pretty decent software
out there for this: NSCS is a software
developed by a photographer, for photographers.
At $189 and quite a few favorable peer reviews, it's really pretty attractive.
The only drawback - I emailed the guy with a simple question about 2 months ago, and he
still hasn't gotten back to me. So his software better be bullet-proof, for getting tech
support from him would quite likely be impossible...
That software now should be easily and painlessly able to hook up to a web-backend (NSCS
doesn't even mention that, unfortunately), making each addition to the database an
automatic update on the website's image gallery (again, one should have the option of
easily picking which images go up and which ones don't, maybe with a check box tool).
A shopping cart should hook up to that database, displaying not only the image, but also
the image number, description, and copyright information - automatically, and not
with endless manuals entries. For a little touch of solar pipe dream, I'd like to have
the shopping cart display the rights and licensing information too, drawn straight from
the database again.
From here, the shopping cart should be on auto-pilot, gathering billing and shipping
information from the customer, and sending a confirmation email to my inbox with the
necessary information for packaging and sending out the requested print or original slide
for licensing.
Best of all of course - I don't want to pay a fortune for this. And why *shouldn't*
a system like that be available for the small business person? I'd be happy to pay
a grand or two for the software and setup, but it shouldn't put me in the poor house,
and it shouldn't tie me permanently to the computer for years, because that's not
why I'm starting my own photography e-commerce business. After all - I'd rather be
out shooting.
Technology News:
Also from the NYT:
The World according to Google, or would the Internet really collapse without Google?
And I never ever thought, I'd read
this headline... Sun the target of a possible hostile takeover?
Pic of the Day:
My excuse for not posting anything yesterday is that I
was at the annual
Pole Pedal Paddle in Bend, Oregon. And no, folks, I didn't compete.
Instead, I was hired by Cloud 9
Photography to shoot the kayak segment of the race. Four hours,
550 images, and ten nearly-frozen fingers later, I turned in the
Canon
EOS D30 to Bryan.
All's I wanted after that was a hot cup of coffee to thaw me back out
(despite some sunshine, temps in Bend were right around 35 - 40 F all day) -
and the dough to buy myself a high-end digital SLR.
The experience of shooting a pro digital SLR for the first time was
surprising and pleasant. Canon has managed to keep all the dials simple
and easy to use, the LCD menu was self-explanatory, and coming from
using an EOS 10s for years, I could have used the D30 blindfolded.
Since I was shooting kayakers, quick reaction time by the camera and
continuous shooting were imperative. Many times, the kayaker would move
his/her paddle in front of his/her face right the second when I was pushing the
shutter, so the ability to take a second safety shot within a fraction
of a second was hugely important. The D30 delivered nicely, with virtually
no delay for saving the files. And of course being able to go back and
instantly edit the images was great. No more waiting for slides to come
back from the lab. No more guesswork if you should adjust half a f-stop
to compensate for glare on the water. Instant results, instant adjustments,
instant gratification. And all that with a professional outcome.
Another nice feature was that all my existing Canon USM lenses fit the
D30 perfectly. The lens I had been given, a 28-105mm, wasn't quite adequate
for close-up sports, so I simply substituted my own 75-300mm. I guess my only
quibble with that setup was that the autofocus wasn't fast enough, although
I don't know if it was due to the limitations of the camera or the lens.
And a second real drawback made the shoot yesterday somewhat of a nailbiter:
due to the cold weather, all four batteries that I had with me crapped out
after just 20 or 30 minutes of shooting, forcing me to frequently change
them, or flipping the on/off switch in order to reboot the battery. I know
there is not much one can do in cold conditions like that, but I sure would like
to see the battery/camera manufacturers come up with a solution for this
particular problem.
I realize of course that the D30 has been discontinued by Canon, and the
new EOS D1 reigns supreme now, but at $1,395 versus a juicy
$3,400 for the D1, the D30 isn't a too shabby entry into the world of pro digital photography.
DPreview.com also has a sweet and very
detailed review of the D30
right here.
Pics of the Pole Pedal Paddle should be up at the Cloud 9 site tomorrow at the
latest, so if your interest was piqued, go
check it out.
Film Review: The Matrix - Reloaded
As I sat in my theater seat yesterday afternoon, trying to ignore the
endless procession of commercials and previews that were being forced
down my throat, I was pondering how I was supposed to feel about The Matrix Reloaded.
In one sense, I had revelled in built-up anticipation ever since
the two sequels of the Matrix were announced a couple of years ago.
In another, I was fearful that it would be an ugly fall-from-grace for one
of the most enthralling cult movies in cinematic history. And it's no
mystery that sequels usually suck.
I knew I couldn't expect my universe to get rocked again like
in the original Matrix. Fresh from the X-Men 2
viewing however (which was no doubt better than X1), I was semi-optimistic.
Article: A Tale of the Refund Blues
Is it just me, or has it really become increasingly difficult to get a refund on products
ever since the economy took a nosedive?
Case in point: PDA manufacturer Handspring Inc.
Three years ago, while still working for O'Reilly,
I purchased PDA's for the whole PR department. At the time, Handspring was an up-and-coming,
pre-IPO company that had only two products in its lineup:
the plain black Visor, and the more jazzy blue, white, red, or teal
Visor Deluxe.
Handspring was competing against the established Palm Inc.,
a pioneer and proven force in the still-young handheld computer market, and seemed
hungry and promising.
... continued...
On the bright side though: Here's today's pic.
A snowclad Mt. Bachelor, revelling in the golden light of an early
spring morning.
Spurred on by Luke's
recent (and far more regular than mine) displays of photographic creativity,
I decided to try and put up a new pic every day (ok - at least every other day).
Granted, they may not always be fresh off the memory stick, but at least
it will force me to deal with my images on a daily basis.
So here's today's "Image of the day":
Angel statue in front of a mirrorbuilding in
downtown Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Seems my silent pleas have been heard. The weather has finally turned
a spring-like, balmy 78 degrees. I remember now what made me fall in love with
Central Oregon, or more precisely, my little house on the river last
summer.
As I sit on my deck, looking out over a lush green meadow, the Little
Deschutes River and a snowcapped Mt. Bachelor, I ponder how much longer the mountain
will now maintain his sugar-coated appearance. Signs of spring are
everywhere: tender blades of grass crunch under my bare feet, the
wild rabbit that resides in my meadow now ventures out for a snack
even during daylight hours. Daffodils are one the verge of exploding
onto the landscape with yellow.
A variable symphony of birds permeate the
aromatic air with their song - from tiny pygmy nuthatches to mighty
canadian geese, about 30 species of feathered friends have found and
enthusiastically embraced my hanging feeders and bowls of cracked corn.
The latest arrivals are a pair of scintillating swallows, but red-winged
blackbirds, flickers, a couple of species of woodpeckers, mountain
chickadees, and the gorgeous bright yellow-and-black evening grosbeaks
have been steady customers for pretty much the whole season.
Django, a small brown-grey squirrel with a characteristic white dot
on his left leg, is sitting just feet away in a tree, yelling at me with high-pitched
whistles that remind me more of an agitated, middle-aged soccer coach than
this furry regular. He's mad at me for sitting on my deck. Invading
his territory. And blocking the way to the peanut-filled feeder.
Earlier today, as I went down to the river's edge for a glimpse
at the calm waters, I surprised an otter, who was no doubt foraging
for the tasty local crawdads. Within moments, he vanished among a
frenzied squirl of brown wet fur, flashing teeth and splashing water,
and although I stood frozen for quite some time, straining my eyes
to penetrate the shallow depths, he remained gone, invisible and
ghost-like.
Perfect white little clouds dot the skyscape now, and quail roam past
me, undisturbed by my presence, their curious tufts amusingly
jittering with every motion of their heads.
Yes, that's right. Those are the reasons why I moved here. Never mind
that there are no 8-to-5 jobs here. That the next big city (Portland),
with its art museums and fancy restaurants, is a challenging 3 1/2 hours drive
away. That it can get (and has last November) up to -25F here on a
clear winter morning.
On my deathbed, what will I remember? How many glittering nights I've
spent at the rave warehouse? How many hours I sat in traffic, mentally
flipping off the a-hole who decided to drive the speed limit and
slowed down the whole road? How many press releases about some obscure
tech book I've written?
Or will I remember those moments of soul-filling calm and transcendentral
clarity I spent, sittig by my river? Those chance encounters with reclusive wildlife
that very well could be extinct by the time I myself lay on the deathbed?
Will I remember the sun on my skin, the breeze in my hair, and the impossible
blue of the sky?
It's still grey, cold and rainy here in Central Oregon.
Old-timers have said that this is probably the cloudiest
stretch in weather around here they can remember. I'm so
ready for some sun.
So here's an image that for me conjures up memories of
the sun warming my skin, digging my toes into the
fine Baja sand, and smelling the salty breeze coming in
from the ocean...
May 8th, 2003 I was going to write a rant about Handspring's newly discontinued 90-day phone tech support for their PDA's (just as my new Visor suddendly bit the dust), but since the situation is still playing itself out, I think I'm gonna save that one for a later date. In the meantime, I've got some new eye-candy from a recent fishing/photography trip to Coffee Pot Lake in Eastern Washington State.
|
![[Tuolomne Meadows Panorama]](/photography/galleries/so_co/tuolumne_meadows_panorama.jpg)
![[Painted Hill]](http://simone.seeto.com/images/painted_hill.jpg)
![[Painted Hill Detail]](http://simone.seeto.com/images/painted_hill_detail.jpg)
![[Wild Skies over Central Oregon]](http://simone.seeto.com/images/wildsky_over_cascades_pan.jpg)
![[Morel Collection]](http://simone.seeto.com/images/morel_collection.jpg)
![[Mt. Bachelor
in the morning light]](http://simone.seeto.com/images/MtBachelor_in_morning_light.jpg)
![[Angel in front of
mirror building, Vancouver B.C., Canada]](http://simone.seeto.com/images/angel_mirrorbuilding.jpg)
![[The Little Deschutes]](http://simone.seeto.com/photography/galleries/house/003_riverview_south.jpg)
![[Surfers]](http://simone.seeto.com/photography/galleries/baja/surfer_elcerrito.jpg)
![[Coffee Pot Lake]](http://simone.seeto.com/photography/galleries/coffeepotlake/02_coffeepotlake_w_grasses_H.jpg)