Yet another good photography tips site

Here is another side that has loads of photography tips.

Great deal on a Wii on Amazon.

I just bought a Wii (without all the bundled software) for $249.99 (no tax and free shipping) from Amazon. It’s hard to get and is always sold out but if you go to the Amazon site, you can put your phone number to send you an SMS when it comes back in stock.

I entered my phone number yesterday and it just sent me an alert to my cellphone telling me that it would come in stock in 15 minutes. I just logged in, waited and bought a unit.

Wii on Amazon

Photoshop Tutorials online (photoshopkillertips.com)

I was looking around for a Photoshop tutorial site and stumbled across this one – which I thought was pretty good.

 

Microsoft Outlook: 9 Things You Didnt Know You Could Do – Solutions by PC Magazine

 

I just added this using the “Press This” feature.

This is pretty useful especially the second feature (I’ve always wanted to do that !)

Display multiple dates in the Calendar
You can display multiple, noncontiguous dates in the Calendar by going to the monthly calendar display in the upper left of the Calendar window and Ctrl-clicking on the dates you want to view. Each date you Ctrl-click will appear as a column in the main Calendar display.

 

Microsoft Outlook: 9 Things You Didnt Know You Could Do – Solutions by PC Magazine

What is the best camera setting for taking fireworks?

I used my Canon Xsi over the weekend to take photos of fireworks. I used a tripod and the Opteka XL Remote Release Cord  (that eliminated camera shake).  I’m still learning to use it and haven’t mastered the timing yet. I’m glad I bought to Remote Release cord cause now I can take photos from 10 feet away too.

Set my camera to Manual, ISO 100, F/11 and Bulb mode. I held the remote release button open for 8 secs and took this shot.

What do you think?

 

Labor Day Fireworks

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Recent purchase (Opteka XL Remote Release Cord) is just in time for Labor Day fireworks

I just purchased the Opteka XL Remote Release Cord, just in time for the Labor Day fireworks. I decided to create a site that is dedicated to Canon SLRs and accessories.

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Taking photos of fireworks

I’ve been looking around for a “shutter release” for the Canon XSi for taking photos of fireworks.

Here’s what I found

Canon Shutter Release – wired

This is the Canon RS60 E3 which is $24.38 on Amazon. The cord is only 2 feet long.

OR

the Opteka XL Remote Release Cord which is $17.95 on Amazon and the cord is 10 feet long. Seems like thats a better buy !!

Does anyone have prior experience taking shots of fireworks ? Which shutter release is better? Any recommendations?

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Update: Aug 5, 2008

Here is a website with tips on shooting fireworks.

Seems like the basic recommendations are:

1- Get a tripod

2- Get a shutter release / remote control

3- Shoot in manual mode – Long exposure time

4- Find the best location (no lights, no obstructions)

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Canon USA Digital Learning Center Tips and Tricks site

Hosted on the Canon USA web site – Canon Digital Learning Center

 

The Canon Digital Learning Center contains a diverse body of fun and useful information for photographers of all skill levels. Use this powerful search tool to find the topics that are most important to you.

 

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=TipsAndTechsAct

 

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SanDisk 4GB SDHC card and MicroMate card reader.

I purchased the SanDisk 4GB SDHC card and found that my Dell laptop with Windows XP Sevice Pack 2 did not recognize SD cards more that 2GB (or SD ver 2 cards). To get it to work, you need to be running WinXP Service Pack 3. Once I downloaded the latest Windows Update, it recognized the card+reader when I plugged it into the USB slot.

 

Old versions of software – oldversion.com

Here’s a site where you can find old versions of software that you can’t find anymore or hard to find.

For example, I was looking to 3Com 3CDaemon but it’s nowhere to be found on the web…but I finally found it here !!

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Fast SD Card?

Does anyone know if there is a web site that compares the write speeds for various SD cards? The Canon XSi uses SD card and I have a Crucial 2GB SD card but I’m looking to buy a 4 or 8 GB card but want to get one with a fast write speed.

Yet another site with good photography tips.

Here is a site that was recommended to me by a friend of mine. Great site. Good tips. Awesome photos.

National Geographic Photo Tips !

 

 

Canon XSi Tutorial for begineers on YouTube.

I didn’t expect to receive my camera from Amazon within three days from the time I placed the order. I chose the free Super Saver Shipping and was amazed that it arrived so soon. Thank you Amazon !!

 Anyway, been playing with it all weekend and was amazed at the sharpness and quality of the shots as compared to a point-and-click digital camera. There are a million functions and buttons on the camera that I’m still trying to grasp.

So today, I thought that someone might have put a tutorial on the web and googled for it.

Here is the link. Pretty good video.

Just purchased – Canon XSi / 450D

I just ordered a Canon XSi (450D) from Amazon for $799. The reviews on dpreview and other blogs were pretty good. I wonder if there are any Canon XSi or DSLR User Group on the web.

Can’t wait to play with it when it gets here…

 

 

Photography tips – PhotoSecrets

I was just reading an old book that I had on photography tips and where in San Francisco and the Bay Area to go to, to take the photos that you always see online or on the postcards. Here is the publisher’s web site. There are some free online books and tips on taking good shots.

 

 

What is the time over there now?

UTC, GMT, PST, EST, PDT, EDT, MST, AM, PM ….. I can never remember what time is it over there. Well, here is a pretty handy site that keeps track of all the time zone and let’s you pick the time zone that you are looking for. No more guesswork or mental adding or subtracting.

 

“Are you about to make an International long distance phone call? Are you planning a trip to a foreign destination? Are you preparing for a web cast or online meeting? Are you looking for a free clock for your own web site or blog? With the Internet bringing everyone closer together, we still have to deal with our different locations having different times. World Time Server is here to help! World Time Server provides correct and current time in any world time zone, country or major city. Accurate adjustments for Daylight Saving Time ( or Summer Time ) are made according to each location’s rules and laws. No matter what time zone a country or city is located in, this is your top choice for a clock resource site.”

 

Fun digital photography tips for novices

This is a site that I came across that has some basic photography tips. It has some general advice and tips for novice photographers like me  🙂

 

 

 

Excellent camera review site – dpreview.com

I have been reading the reviews at this site for a long time now. It’s very informative and useful when trying to make a decision on which digital camera to buy. I always use this site to make comparisons before buying my cameras (I have a Canon A570 which I bought 18 months ago. I settled for that because I wanted to get one that uses regular AA batteries. Used this site to make comparisons)

 

 

Byways to visit

National Scenic Byways has a list of interesting and scenic roads to visit. Do you live near any of these? I’ve always wanted to drive some of these but there aren’t many near where I live 😦   -and with the prices of a gallon of gas nowadays, I don’t think I’ll be driving to see any of these in the near future. So the next best thing is to explore it online…

 

 

 

 

Choose the best seat before you fly – SeatGuru

Here is a site that I found sometime backand bookmarked it. It’s SeatGuru. It lists the seating plans for different airlines, plane types and even recommendations on which seats are the best. It’s pretty useful when you want to find a seat that has legroom and not near the toilets !!!