Steve Pilgrim: Photography

KEEP THEM COMING
It's great that the web lets you learn from the pro's in so many fields

Is it sharp or not? I've started posting images from my Nikon Coolpix 5700. I've now shot about 500 images. When everything goes well, the camera is awesome. It does take some getting used to the focus and manual settings, though. I'm still learning about the camera and probably will be for years. But, right out of the box you can see that it makes pretty darn nice and clear images. All of the images posted so far are unretouched images straight off of the camera. I think in the few hundred images I've posted so far you'll see a good range of different types of subjects. You'll also see that I used flash a lot (I bought a new Nikon SB-50DX flash that is pretty nice). [Scobleizer Radio Weblog]

IT LIVED A YEAR
An amazing photo for 1862

First naval gun turret to rise from the deep [New Scientist]

GOIN' FOR FOUR

Armstrong wins stage and yellow jersey [USA Today : Front Page]

CANON APPEARS TO HAVE FARED WELL HERE

TIPA awards 2002-2003. TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) has announced the results for 'Best Photo Products in Europe' from the European Photo & Imaging Awards 2002-2003. Best Digital Prosumer camera went to the Olympus... [Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)]

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS

gets added to the shopping list. Terry Frazier weighed in with a comment and an educational post about my question earlier today. I also got a comment from Dave Rogers. Thanks to both of you! Oh, and Rob made a couple of great suggestions without coming right out and calling me a dummy. If you haven't already, check out the apple cores for permalinks.

WHICH APP TO USE?

Sticking my toe in the digital photography pool, I hear about three applications for photo editing:

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop Elements

JASC Paint Shop Pro

Does anyone have advice on how to determine the right tool for the job? Is it logical to think that someone just starting in digital photography will find all they need in Photoshop Elements, and because it's from Adobe, the upgrade to Photoshop would be an easy transition?

Adobe Elements 2.0. Adobe has announced an new version of Elements. Version 2.0 adds a variety of new features and improvements including a Glossary of digital photography terms, Quick Fix dialog which can add immediate fixes in... [Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)]

WHAT A PLACE FOR A PHOTO SAFARI

Where the Bears and the Wolverines Prey: The Wildest Valley. Grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, pine martens, cougars, lynx and 11 other species of predator roam and prey to their hearts' content in a forgotten corner near Glacier National Park. By Jim Robbins. [New York Times: Science]

ROBERT'S EXCITEMENT IS CONTAGIOUS
When was the last time you were this enthusiastic about a purchase?

More great Nikon Coolpix 5700 images. Think digital cameras aren't there yet? Look at these shots, taken and posted yesterday. The Nikon 5700 is looking like a very awesome $1200 camera. In particular, look at this image. Along the bottom, you can see the full image as it came off of the camera. These are unretouched images. Awesome. I have this one on my desktop right now (I applied a little sharpening in Photoshop, and also increased the contrast slightly to accentuate the color -- I cut off some of the darker pixels by using Photoshop's adjust levels tool). If this is the kind of thing we can expect to see, we're going to see a whole new age of photography. Ansel Adams would be thrilled. Oh, by the way, http://www.pbase.com is awesome for sharing photography with others. I'm going to send them some money to help them stay in business. [Scobleizer Radio Weblog]

THIS WILL BE GOOD, STAY TUNED

New Nikon Weblog Started by Scoble. I started a new Nikon Weblog to track my experiences with the Nikon Coolpix 5700. I'll post more soon. [Scobleizer Radio Weblog]

What's the camera behind these photos? Great job Jerry Halstead!

Photography on the web and in weblogs may just now be coming into its own.

"THE SAME USA TODAY REPORT...

says that US officials also believe al-Qaeda operatives have uploaded 2300 images containing encrypted information to the internet auction site eBay since the start of 2002."

Hunt for hidden web messages goes on. New claims emerge of terrorist steganography - but one expert warns that apparently supporting evidence may be misleading [New Scientist]

PT109 TO REMAIN UNDISTURBED

Sea Explorer Uncovers Kennedy's PT 109. Dr. Robert D. Ballard, who discovered the Titanic, the Bismarck and dozens of other lost ships, on Wednesday announced his latest find: PT 109, John F. Kennedy's wartime boat. By William J. Broad. [New York Times: Science]

BEGS SEVERAL QUESTIONS
I guess it is insulting to ask designers this talented to do a Radio weblog theme!

Blurbomat - the person or the weblog?
Ceasing - by your choice or someone else's?

Blurt. Skomp. Dvvvvvt.. The sites, sounds and smells of Blurbomat ceasing to work on any level. At all. o... [Blurbomat]

PRODUCT PROMOTION
Apple & Nikon may be missing the boat!

WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE AHEAD - Robert Scoble rants about Apple's new found method of trying to minimize product rumors and leaks. Nikon catches some flack as well. The best part of this is Robert's link to Phil Askey's reviews at dpreview; they are indeed the best!

Why can't big companies figure out that it's the smaller sites that get people excited about their products? Heck, I was really close to buying a Macintosh.

By the way, Phil Askey writes the freaking best reviews of any product anywhere I've ever seen. Any journalist who wants to see how to review a product should see his stuff (his Nikon 5700 review is only about 1/2 of what he usually does on cameras). I'm in awe. [Scobleizer Radio Weblog]

A SERIAL ADVENTURER

Balloonist's Next Try: How High. Steve Fossett finally made it around the world in a balloon. Now, in a sailplane, he's going to try to set the world record for altitude. Kim Griggs reports from Wellington, New Zealand. [Wired News]

WISHING FOR AN iPHOTO FOR WINDOWS
Anyone know of a similar app for WinXP?

Top Ten iPhoto Tips. Yes, at first glance, iPhoto appears deceptively simple. But there's a Unix-compatible database lurking beneath that beautiful Aqua surface. This article gives you five "data in" and five "data out" tips that will help you get the most from this very cool iApp. [O'Reilly Network Articles]

EXCELLENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Welcome back Noah. Noah Grey is back with his incredibly elegant weblog, and his beautiful photographs. I am just now dipping my toes into the Black & White photo world. I've long been held by the rich hues of color photography, enamored of... [Burningbird]

IEEE SPECTRUM ON DIGITAL HUBS

"Digital Hubbub" is an article about the digital alternatives in future home entertainment centers. It's quite well done and worth the read.

GROUND WINDS DELAY LANDING

Fossett Finishes Global Balloon Trip. After becoming the first person to fly solo around the world in a balloon, American adventurer Steve Fossett faces a new challenge - landing safely somewhere in Australia. [AP World News]

THE TEMPTATION THAT WON'T GO AWAY

Mac OS X release ahead of schedule. The widely anticipated update to Apple Computer's operating system will appear earlier than expected, sources say--good news for the company in a tough year. [CNET News.com]

LANDING SOON
Balloon's designer mentioned

Balloonist Fossett in Final Dash. This time around for Steve Fossett, there has been plenty of fuel, no rogue nations to avoid and enough spare oxygen to keep the American adventurer on track in his bid to become the first solo balloonist to circle the globe. [AP World News]

LIKE REFOCUSING THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE

Canon post AF adjuster for A10, A20 and A40. Canon BeBit (Japan) has posted an AF adjustment program for the PowerShot A10, A20 and A40 digital cameras. This software is loaded onto the camera via a Compact Flash card and when run (in camera) adjusts and... [Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)]

HE'S GOING TO MAKE IT

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, JUNE 30, 2002, 6:00 p.m. CDT (JUNE 30, 2002, 23:00 UTC)Steve Fossett and the Bud Light Spirit of Freedom have rounded third base and are making a run for home. That is, the last 12 hours have begun the final leg of Fossett's solo bid to circumnavigate the globe by balloon. [Read more...]

GETTING THINGS DONE

Yesterday I said I wanted to get three things done. Here's an update:

1. Computer: It's now down to the Apple Powerbook, IBM or HP.
2. Wireless: Definitely adding a Linksys WAP11 to the network.
3. Camera: 3 Canons and Olympus are now in the hunt.

iPhoto is compelling. The problem with the Mac is that buying all new software drives the price well above a truly top-end Windows XP notebook. Comments are still welcome!

THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE

Here's the latest on the Spirit of Freedom.

Here's the latest on Thomas Degremont's voyage.