Question A Day: Image Importing as Corrupt

This week I had a question.

Well, actually it was a five alarm, full on panic attack that I had to calmly, coolly collect into a question.

See, when I uploaded this photo (left), it imported into Photoshop and Lightroom as this colourful ditty (right).

Gasp. Scream. Queue the nausea. Hide under the table. Rock back and forth slowly. I just didn’t want this to be happening!

Was I overreacting? Perhaps. But my first line of thinking was how, now that I couldn’t ‘have’ that photo, *that photo* was the only one I wanted. I had snapped close to 20 different ones of Isla in and around the window, but this one… This was the one with her fingers just so, her leg just so… This was the one I wanted forever and ever. 

My next line of thinking was far more sobering. What’s wrong with my equipment, and how much is this going to cost me? Is it my camera? My memory card? This flippin’ computer again? It was a spiraling descent into finger math and quick thinking on how to get myself out of what would be my fifth technical disaster of 2010.

I took to my Twitter account and reached out to Canon, the card reader company I was using Lexar, and Adobe’s Lightroom in a desperate plea for ideas to pinpoint the drama, as well as a dear and fabulous photographer friend Kimberly Dunbar (one who, incidentally, you’ll be hearing much more from in the future as our resident Nikon expert!)

The pull through was amazing and I’m appreciative at how quickly Lexar and Lightroom’s Product Manager Tom Hogarty were in touch with suggestions. I knew how quickly and intimately Twitter worked but it’s definitely inspiring and amazing all at once to have access to such expert real-time assistance.

As for the problem, I think we’ve narrowed it down to the way I was importing the photos and the connection not being… well, good enough in layman’s terms.

See, folks. I had been lazy and just plugged the camera cord into the USB drive on the side of my keyboard. Keyboard! Unthinkable, unspeakable and clearly unsuccessful. After plugging in properly and reuploading the images, all seems to be well.

I now have this…

Manual | f/3.5 @ 1/160, ISO 400 • Editing: None (SOOC)

Let the lesson be to never take a short cut when handling your digi files and, just as importantly, never panic because sometimes there’s a way around the problem. I’m looking at you, self. :)

17 November 3 Permalink

Tutorial & DIY: DIY Soft Box Example Pic

There are several reasons I love this photo. Why, I think I’ll count the ways…

1. It’s of Isla, and I’m biased when it comes to her cuteness.
2. It’s the first photo in a long time where I instantly thought, “that’s being blown up.” Normally, I have such a hard time narrowing them down and then I get stuck and then another day strikes and, before I know it, I’ve got folders upon folder to sort through.
3. It was really easy to take and get this result instantly.

Manual | f/3.2 Aperture @ 1/125 Shutter Speed, ISO 400, Exposure Bracket +1.5

This was taken in a part of the room where the sun doesn’t easily reach. (It was also taken on a part of the carpet that needed vacuumed and in front of a hallway that needed decluttered. But that’s neither here nor there, right?) 

It’s a problem lots of us face if we’re hanging out playing in an area where natural light doesn’t easily filter in. In order to get this setting to the level I would need to get this nice, bright picture with a smooth complexion. I solved this by busting out my DIY Soft Box lamp which I posted about the other day.

I carefully placed the soft box lamp on its side and ensured the cords were well out of reach as well as the bulb as it tends to get hot. The front was covered with a piece of winter white heat safe non-flammable fabric and clipped on with office supply clips.

The lamp was then placed securely on a side table which brought it to the same height as me, sitting on the floor, and aimed directly at her. If you look closely at Isla’s eyes, you can see two squares in each one; one of those squares is the window and the other is the soft box.

Has anyone else tried a DIY soft box?!

8 November 8 Permalink

Question A Day: Baseline DSLR

Q: countryfair asked:

I have always loved photography but haven’t really gotten into it since high school. Now that I have a little girl, I’ve been taking pictures like crazy. I want to upgrade my camera to a dslr. I am familiar with Canon’s so will go with them, but do think their baseline Rebel XS is a good camera, or should I splurge on the Rebel T1i? I am planning on learning how to really use the camera, but imagine I will mostly use the auto settings.

Thanks for your help. I love both your websites!

A: Thanks! And thank you for the question!

Here’s the thing: the Canon Rebel line is a great line, but there are shortcomings of the XS in particular that I feel are valuable to consider.

The Canon XS is currently retailing for about $580 CAD with a kit lens. The XS came out in 2008 and, as such, doesn’t have any movie capabilities. The T1i, its big brother, does have a movie capability and a higher megapixel count at around 15MP vs. 10MP.

The T1i is currently retailing for around $800 CAD. For that extra few hundred, you’re getting a remarkably better camera that you could most definitely grow into, but if you don’t think you need those extra oomph-factor features, it’s definitely not going to be money well spent.

I know you said you’re familiar with Canon, but maybe consider looking into this other option as well: the Pentax K-x which retails for about $620 with a kit lens, making it just a smidge higher in price than the XS. The thing I like about this camera vs. the Canon XS is that it’s low noise for a high ISO, 12MP, movie capabilities and an image stabilizer mechanism that is quite, quite popular.

Automatic modes are incredibly handy, and if you’re looking for a camera that will take great pics while it does the majority of the math on the settings, this might be a great option for you. Even if you have a separate movie recording device, I know from personal experience it can be really handy having it all in one so maybe consider the Pentax just to see? I just think it might give your pics that extra edge with the increased MP count, image stabilization (never hurts with little ones!) and so on.

That said, I truly believe you buy the best equipment you can afford and you make it work with attention to detail as the user. Trust me: a $10,000 camera is just as capable of taking a bad photo as a $100 one is. After all, my first DSLR is still capable of snapping a great pic if all the settings are in place properly! It’s about practice making perfect just as much as it is about the equipment.

Enjoy, and I hope that helps!

xo, Tamara

4 November 6 Permalink