Thanksgiving w/ Rock and Roll

It's Thanksgiving weekend and I think I've had quite enough of the festive foods that this season brings. Turkey, stuffing, casserole string beans, pumpkin pie, etc. I've had two big thanksgiving dinners already and I have to admit that I'm already sick of it.

Today is Black Friday. The day where retailers slash their prices like it's the end of the world. But this year, it seems that they knew there was a tomorrow. The deal list this time round is really disappointing. For all those sad guys who are camping out in the snow right now to bust down the doors at 6am..... I've got nothing to say to you.

Now for the Rock and Roll part....
GempitaFest 2006 is upon us. It kicks off on Saturday and once again I've been recruited to be the photographer for the event. Unofficial one actually, because of my late green light. I had good fun shooting the event last year. Crazy lighting proved to be a challenged. But now I'm armed with more experience, harnessing the knowlege of RAW and new lenses. So this year's images should be better than the last.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Picking Up Birding

It is estimated that about 2/3rds of housholds in the United States have birdfeeders in their backyards. Birdfeeders are a pretty big business too. You get get feeders and birdfood at almost any local convenience store here.

I've just recently jumped on the bandwagon. Now I have two feeders outside my apartment. There's just this huge thrill of seeing those feathered creatures congregate and chirp happily as they enjoy their free meal.

It took about 2 weeks before I saw birds visitng my feeder. From about two species, the number has grown to about 6 distinct varieties of birds that drop by. Of course I wouldnt have been interested in birding if it werent for photography. So here are some images for your viewing pleasure:


Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)


Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)


Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta Canadensis)


Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

I've also started a birdfeeder diary on my Pbase site at:
http://www.pbase.com/mikench/birdfeeder

Enjoy!

The D200 Has Landed...and I'm Found Lusting.

Image from DPreview.com

Ah, so as predicted, the Nikon D200 along with some extra Nikon Christmas goodies were officially announced. Some pundits were wrong, and some where right.

The strangest thing was claims from a guy who said that he saw the D200 being used in Argentina before the official release date. And he was actually right. The test images used in Nikon’s website were taken in Argentina. But imagine the ridicule he must have gone through. Who’d have thought?

Anyway, I’m stuck with my trusty old Nikon D100. It’s Nov 1st and it’s still working. Didn’t self destruct after seeing me staring longingly at the D200 image on my computer screen.

Anyway, I decided to take the old timer out for a treat. I gave him a hot pixel remapping treatment. Hot pixels are those bright red/blue/green pixels that constantly appear in your images no matter what settings you use. The only way to fix them, instead of cloning them out in Photoshop, is to remap them.

The remapping software I obtained is apparently one that got leaked out from some Nikon source. It’s the same one Nikon service centers use to fix returned cameras and charge US$340 for the service. And I got mine done for free. Now my D100 doesn’t show any more hot/stuck pixels at high shutter speeds. Some at low shutter speeds but that’s normal for CCDs.

Back to the Nikon D200….
I have decided to wait and not rush into it. The official ship date is around the 16th of December (just in time for Christmas). But I shall be patient and wait for the official reviews, the discovery of the bugs and the release of the bug fixes before I seriously consider adding this baby to my arsenal.

But the biggest gripe I have about this camera is that it’s MADE IN THAILAND and not Japan like its professional brothers. Yes, I do stereotype a lot when it comes to where my electronics are made. And I believe I have good reason to. But we’ll save that for another debate. Now I have to figure out how to raise some cash…

Mom! Dad! I want a graduation present!!