Hey Everyone! Hope today finds you healthy and safe. Today I want to talk to you about something that I just started doing myself. That's using my photography camera as a web camera or webcam for my computer for video conferencing. This is something that I had to teach myself how to do, and if I can do it anyone can. If you have a modern mirrorless, DSLR, or even an advanced point and shoot, these cameras also have video capabilities that are far better than the camera that is hooked to your computer. With a little bit of lighting that you already know about with your portrait photography, then you should be able to wow your friends and co-workers with professional-looking video when you make your video conference calls. There are two basic ways to achieve this. Software and hardware.

Software:  Depending on what brand of camera you own, you may be able to hook your camera up to the computer with no out-of-pocket expense.  Since the pandemic, many camera companies have come out with software that will make your camera act as a webcam, at no cost to you. You just download the software and follow their instructions, which is to just hook up your camera with a USB cable and you're in. Your camera works as a webcam. Audio will still be handled through your computer. There are other hacks where you can download third-party software and make your camera work also. There are many to try.   YouTube is a place where you can learn about these, and they seem to work. Working with software does have some drawbacks though. Sometimes the video and audio do not sync properly, and you may look like you're in a cheap Chinese Kung fu movie. It might not be that bad, but it may be noticeable. But if your setup works and you don't have a lag, then you're in.  All you have to do is choose what video conferencing software you are using and then go to settings and choose your camera for the webcam.  

Hardware: Instead of using software to connect to your camera, you can use hardware to do the same thing. This will cost some money but shouldn't break the bank. The things that you will need are a video capture card and an HDMI that will hook up to your camera and your computer. Most modern cameras have an HDMI cable port. You may also have this cable if your camera came with it. If not, or if you're like me and couldn't find it, you'll have to get one. Like with everything else, you can spend as much money as you want on these things, but you don't have to. I spent $22 for the video capture card and $20 for the cable to hook up between my camera and the card. I bought an inexpensive capture card that plugs into my computer via USB port (the regular port, not the USB C port). Then I plug in the HDMI cable to the card (regular full size), and the other end of the cord hooks to my camera via an HDMI MICRO/MINI connector. This is the connection that you have to make sure you get right for your camera because they can be different on different models of cameras. When all is hooked up, you go to the video conferencing app of your choice, go to settings and pick USB camera, and you're ready to go. Your camera can now be used for both video and audio. This can fix all of the audio lag that you may have gotten on the software option. You can use the onboard camera microphone, or you can attach an external mic to the camera. I have another cheap option where I use a $20 LAV mic that I bought a while ago that I can plug into my camera and improve the audio. All of the hardware I use I got off of Amazon.

Now. I'm no expert at this. As I said, I just started to do this myself. But you can really see the difference, and by using your photography skills you can really make a professional-looking video through your computer. You will be able to use a low aperture on your camera and blur out the back. Depending on what type of camera you have, you can have the autofocus follow your face so you are always in focus and the background is blurry, making it look very professional.  

So until next week, please stay safe and healthy and explore with your cameras. Get outside!

Hey Everyone! I hope today finds you healthy and safe. Today I want to talk about the three-legged monsters known as tripods and when and if we should use them. This discussion is mainly for newer photographers, but old folks like me might benefit also. A question I sometimes get asked is, "Do I really need a tripod?" I could give you a short answer, but let's get into it a little deeper. Let me say that I have had all sorts of tripods from 7-foot tall ones to ones you can hold in the palm of your hand, so I know a little about tripods. First of all, tripods have been around since the beginning of photography by necessity. Back in the days of film, film came in lower ASA (ISO's) than modern cameras. Say you get a film of 100 ASA indoors. You would have to drop your shutter speed way down to get a properly exposed film, and that brings in camera shake. Thus, the tripod is needed to get sharp photos. This is why initially tripods were necessary to get sharp photos. Now, let's move to today with modern digital cameras. You may think that the newer digital cameras come with IBIS (In Body Camera Stabilization) or some kind of lens stabilization, and so now we can shoot at higher ISO's.  And all of that is true. But with higher ISO's comes more noise or less sharp photos. IBIS and lens stabilization is great, and I love it. But you still can't drop the shutter as low as I would want without camera shake. 6400 ISO will never be as good as 100 ISO.  It's good, but not as good. So I think the question comes down to what type of photography you shoot and will you need a tripod for that type. Some old-timers will argue that you always need a tripod and that you can use it with all types of photography, and I kind of agree. But it's not always practical. So let's go over some different types of photography and see if you need a tripod.

Portrait Workshop-6 Portraits - Portraits may be the one type of photography that you can get away with not having a tripod, especially if you're using strobes. Portraits can be done without a tripod, but most formal photographers still use a tripod. Here's why. It's not for camera shake or blurry photos. It's for framing and posing. If you have your camera on a tripod and your subject in front of you, it free's up your hands to position your model and move lights around without having to re-compose your subject. And I am a big fan of using a tripod in these situations. Also, if you're doing a natural light photo in low light, a tripod is a must to eliminate camera shake. So my answer on tripods for portraits is, no, you don't need them, but they are recommended. 

Sports Action/Wildlife - Photographers that shoot sports or wildlife very often use long, heavy lenses. Yes, they can hand hold them, especially on bright sunny days. But the cameras and lenses do get heavy, and most sports/wildlife photographers do use a tripod, if for nothing else, to support the weight of the lens between shots. A wildlife photographer may sit in one spot for a long time just waiting for an animal to show up, and the camera sitting on a tripod will help frame and support the lens while doing so. So my answer for sports or wildlife photographers is, yes, you need a tripod.

The MetroCommuters waiting for the Metro in Washington DC. Street Photography - The art of being a good street photographer is being stealthy, quick, and nimble and shooting from the hip. This is where a tripod will not come in handy because it is none of those things. Street photographers usually use small cameras with a fast response to the scene in front of them. Now, for urban landscapes or architecture photography, you will need a tripod to get the photo as sharp as you can. So my answer for street photography is, no, you don't need one, but for urban landscapes, yes, you do.

Landscapes -  Good landscape photography is often shot in the early morning or late evening to get the best Mountain Stream light, the blue hour. Using a tripod is necessary to get the ISO down as far as possible to get clean shots with slower shutter speeds. For long exposure shots with neutral density filters like shooting waterfalls or moving clouds, it is a necessity to use a tripod. You just can't do without it. So I would say using a tripod with landscape photography is a must.

Astro Photography - Shooting the stars, whether you're shooting the milky way or using a telescope to shoot a single star, you will need a tripod to do this kind of photography. There is no way around it.

So, as you can see, for most kinds of photography, in my opinion you do need a tripod. But what kind do you get? Like I said before, there are all kinds of tripods, and I have owned a bunch of them. My best advice is to get the best one you can afford. Like most things, you get what you pay for. The old saying goes, "Buy nice or buy twice."  I am a firm believer in this. You can get cheap tripods that you will have to replace, medium-range ones, or very expensive ones. I usually go for the mid-to-expensive range. I now have a tripod that is a carbon fiber travel-sized tripod. I shoot with a small camera, so I can use a smaller tripod. People with big DSLR's will have to buy bigger, heavier, and more expensive tripods. You have to find the one that is right for you. Make sure you get one that you can lug around. Because if it's too heavy, you'll never pull it out of the car. And that's not where the best photos are.

Well, that's all for this week. Until we talk again, please stay safe and healthy, and never forget to get outside and explore!

Hey Everyone! I hope everyone is healthy and safe today. Today I want to talk about an old friend of mine, Betsy. Ole Betsy has been a friend of mine for more than 20 years. She has taken me to places I have never been to before. She has hauled things, towed trailers, and moved children from place to place. She has helped clean my yard, and she doesn't leak or leave stains on the carport. What? Yep, Ole Betsy is my 1999 Ford F150 truck! Now, you're saying how does your truck pertain to photography or hiking? Well, without this old faithful friend, I wouldn't have made it to all of those places to hike or to photograph. She has been my transportation to get me to all of those places. I trust Ole Betsy to take me anywhere I want to go. 

Ole Betsy isn't the most sporty on the block. She's not the most powerful, but the most important thing is that she, like any good friend, is dependable. She has some nicks and dings that give her character just like anyone else. She has quirks and things that she does differently than others. Unfortunately, she has been neglected from time to time. But here lately I have been giving her a lot of attention. I try to do maintenance things that I can do, like when I changed the front bearings and brake pads. I have found a mechanic I can trust to do the things that I don't want to tackle myself to keep her running smoothly. And I can say honestly that she runs better now than she ever did when I first got her. She's a 21-year-old truck, and there are going to be some wear-and-tear  things that happen. But I'm very pleased with how she runs now and would trust her to drive across the US at a moment's notice. I am starting to do some upgrades and modifications to her to bring her up to date.

Betsy is an extended-cab, short-bed truck.  For many years, I drove her with just a tool box on the back that would hold my tools and such, and I could easily haul things I needed to work on my house. A couple of years ago, I got a camper shell to go over the back that would allow me to put stuff inside and have it protected from the weather. I recently modified the camper shell to have a bed platform inside with a pull drawer and some storage containers underneath so I could use the truck to sleep in if I had to. And I have. Maybe not my first choice because it's a small fit and I'm a large guy, but after getting in place I really slept well. I have room for all of my camping gear, and I always carry a hammock, tent, stove, and all of the accessories, including a battery to charge and run things like lights. So she has become a camping vehicle. She can easily tow our teardrop camper and was my primary tow vehicle until my wife got her new Honda Pilot a year ago. A new and fancy (to me) touch screen blue tooth stereo with a backup camera that can hook up to my iPhone for Google Maps on the screen has been a great upgrade.  I'm planning to put a roof rack on the top of the camper to haul extra things and maybe an awning to make a good quick campsite with shelter.  And I'm sure more will come.

Is Betsy my dream vehicle?  Well, no.  But a dream vehicle is just that, a dream, something that I can't afford and never will (unless I win the lottery) LOL.  But even if I won the lottery and could get my dream vehicle, I wouldn't get rid of  Ole Betsy. She has become a part of the family. Ole Betsy still gets 19mpg on the highway (flat land) and 16 or so in the mountains.  That's pretty good for a 21-year-old 8-cylinder engine, full-size truck. I'm sure with some tender loving care that she will last many more years to come. She is a very clean truck and stays under the carport most of the time, and I only drive her on the weekends. I'm a sticker guy, and the stickers of the places I have been scatter the back windshield and the camper topper windows.  The other day when I was in the mountains, I caught a guy looking at all of the stickers and places that Betsy and I have been. So she's not my dream vehicle, but she is a dream to own and drive. Without her dependability and longevity, I would have had to buy another vehicle and would not have the money to do the things I do, like investing in photo gear and traveling to different places.

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I'm sure you've seen Ole Betsy in the background at a campsite, and I'm sure you'll see more of her in the future. So until next week, please stay healthy and safe, and get outside and shoot!