Your Photo: Our Critique

Dimitris Amvrazis submitted this HDR image taken with a Sony A-100, at ISO 400. Using an HDR approach to this subject was a great idea. The colors come to life in an otherwise dark tunnel. Dimitris used a tripod so all of the files he used for this HDR were identical in composition. The tunnel creates a nice visual line leading into the image. The writing on the entrance gives you some context that this was taking in Greece. Unfortunately the light closest to the camera is distracting. Overall this is a well done HDR with a perfect subject to take advantage of the benefits of HDR.

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets four stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!

Nikon to Fix D5000s That Won't Turn On

If you're a D5000 owner and you've had a little problem where your new camera refuses to turn on sometimes, Nikon wants to fix it for you. Starting on July 23, Nikon will pay for you to ship your unit to a "special repair facility" for repair. Also from the press release: "To further minimize customer inconvenience, Nikon will return serviced cameras to customers promptly, employing (whenever possible) transportation that limits transit time to two days." It's a bit of a pain to have to send in a new camera, but it sounds like Nikon is on their game when it comes to handling the situation. They will be releasing a serial number checking utility on their website when the recall begins, so be sure to check the Nikon site with your camera in-hand to find out if you're going to be handing over your new baby to the delivery man. If anyone goes through this process, please let us know how it goes for you.

Click here for the official service advisory

Tip of the Day: Shooting in the rain

Some tips for taking photos in rainy weather: 

• Look for patterns and reflections. 

• Use a dark umbrella to keep stray light from ruining your shot. 

• Surfaces react differently to the light when wet-- look out for interesting shots. 

• Protect your camera! 

For more tips, check out Tips on Taking Photos in the Rain at Brighthub.com.

Apollo 11 blasts off again for 40th anniversary

The JFK Presidential Library and Museum, along with AOL, will recreate the Apollo 11 lunar mission tomorrow, exactly 40 years after the 1969 launch. 

WeChooseTheMoon.org will use 400 NASA photographs and 44 archival videos to create an interactive, real-time experience for viewers. The site will combine the images with over 100 hours of audio transmissions, which will stream over a four-day period-- the same amount of time it took Apollo to reach the moon. 

The site includes extensive galleries that will become accessible as the mission unfolds. Eleven animated mission events will be rendered throughout the recreation and transmissions will be released in real-time through three Twitter accounts. 

Apollo 11 blasts off tomorrow at 9:32 a.m. and will reach the moon on July 20.

Your Photo: Our Critique

Michelle Winterstein submitted this image taken with a Canon Rebel XT, with an exposure of 1/125sec at f/4.0, ISO 1600. Michelle has cropped this from the original version with the drummer in the background. This is a very interesting photo. The red light hitting the front of the guitarist gives the image a graphic feel. A touch of curves would preserve the look of the image while accentuating the red. To clean up the background, consider cloning out the partial microphone. 

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets four stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!

Tip of the Day: Adjusting Tone

Your camera’s histogram can be useful in figuring out exposure, but you can also use the histogram to determine the in-camera setting for TONE (contrast). The histogram is a visual reference to tonal range. If the bell of the graph is quite narrow, it is indication a lack of contrast in the scene. To increase the level of contrast in the picture, increase the level of TONE compensation in the shooting menu. Similarly, if the contrast range is too great, you can reduce TONE compensation.

Adapted from Digital Wildlife Photography by Chris Weston (Photographers’ Institute Press, 2008; $20)

Your Photo: Our Critique

Valerie Holden submitted this photo taken with a Canon 50D, with an exposure of 1/80sec at f/3.5, ISO 100. What Valerie has accomplished is a nice looking pan shot, meaning she moved the camera along just enough while the boy jumped out of the swing, that he is sharp and the background has a slight blur, giving the image the feel of motion. The tilt of the scene really adds to the image. I would suggest some fine tuning to tighten up the photo. Consider cropping the top just to rid the image of the overblown sky and darker rooftop. This will leave some space above his head and will help to clean up the background. Also crop in from the right a bit, but be sure to leave some space for him to move through. With his backward glance toward the camera, the photo doesn’t need quite as much negative space and this will also move our flying boy out of the center. Also, to really add some pop to the image you could adjust your levels. Move the black point in just to the edge of the histogram and apply the unsharpen mask. This will separate him from his background even more.  A nice little snapshot turns into a top notch photo with a little digital adjustment.    

—Melissa Macatee
Contributing Blogger

This photo gets three and a half stars on the PopPhoto Flash rating system.

The PopPhoto Flash rating system.
*= This part of the camera is called the lens
**= Don’t quit your day job
***= Good, but not yet great
****=So close you can taste it
*****= Yes, a thousand times yes!

Want us to critique your shots? Send 'em to us!

Tip of the Day: Ski and snowboard photos

When shooting skiers and snowboarders in action: 

• Set your shutter speed to at least 1/1000. 

• Get as close to your subject as you can, safely. Try shooting from low angles to make jumps look more impressive. 

• Use a flash. If your subject is close, it'll help balance out the brightness of the snow and the sky. 

For more, check out 5 Ways to Take Great Ski and Snowboard Photos by Rik Fairlie at NYTimes.com's Gadgetwise blog.

New Gear: Samsung SL720 and SL502

The economy is still borked, which means low price tags are still en vogue. The newest addition to Samsung's SL series are in fact cheap; the SL720 and SL502 check in at $229 and $149 respectively. The 720 draws its name from the fact that--you guessed it--it shoots 720p HD video (The 502 maxes out at standard def, 640x480), which is an accomplishment for under $250. Both cameras sport a 12.2 megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom with Samsung's various shooting modes, including the Perfect Portrait System, which should come in handy for a camera that's designed to live in your pocket.

The 720 has a few more advantages over its cheaper brother, including a 3.0-inch LCD (the 502 has 2.7-inches) and a wider lense (28mm vs. 35mm). The extra money also gets you dual image stablization in the form of optical IS and (meh) digital IS. With all of those additions for just $70, it seems like a no-brainer to go up a step. Of course, we'll have to get our hands on one before we can actually decide whether it's worth any of your dough, but if you're in the market for a cheap cam, these are worth some hands-on time at the electronics store.

Shoot This: A Shuttle Launch

© Andrew LeCates

Whether it's your first time, or your 10th, witnessing a space shuttle launch is an awesome experience to capture with your camera. Unfourtunately the planned launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida today has been delayed and NASA officials are in a "hold" position. Nevertheless, if the weather clears and you are in the area, you might have a chance to capture a great photo of Shuttle Endeavour as it takes off for the International Space Station like Andrew LeCates did of Shuttle Atlantis on June 8, 2007 (above photo). So, if the weather improves and you are one of the lucky few to capture the launch, make sure you upload your photos to our Flickr pool. Otherwise, make sure you check back with us if the launch gets canceled and we will have another post about the next launch date and another chance to send us your photos.