Cognisys in the news….

In one or two of my last posts I have mentioned that I have begun working with the guys at Cognisys Inc. to resurrect the Fotronix StopLight series of high speed flash units. We are working on an update of the design, and should be prototyping in Q1 2011. If the stars align, we will be exhibiting at the NANPA Summit in March 2011 in Texas. We are excited about the next generation of StopLight – it will be a significant upgrade from the good old SL-80, which are still being used today by photographers around the world. I am also working on several other exciting projects with Cognisys – stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, take a look at the Wired Science article – you can see what can be achieved with Cognisys gear and a little imagination……

Enjoy, and have a Cool Yule….

P.S. The overwintering hummer population is about 50 birds – 144 oz of sugar water every other day…..unfortunately the birds look a little ragged over the winter – not particularly photogenic!

Remote Photography…..

My previous post mentions (shouts, actually) about my upcoming workshop on Remote Photography, to be held at the Thousand Oaks Library at 6.30pm, November 8th. Yet this blog is supposedly here to support my hummingbird photography workshops? Well, over the last couple of weeks, I decided to experiment by mixing both domains…….

Remote Photography Workshop on November 8th for the Thousand Oaks Photo Group

TOPCC Photo Group Workshop

“Photography using remote triggering devices is fun and simple!”

Ever wondered……

Flash Support Systems.

A common question from workshops is “What do you use to support the multiple flashes that you use in your setups?”. Indeed, many students note down the names of the clamps, stands, tripods, heads and arms that I incorporate into the workshop setups. This is a (very) long post, and includes images of a selection of my bits and pieces. It may take some time to load, but you may find it worth reading…..

If you think there might not be enough hummers to shoot…..

Right now, I am producing over 10 gallons of sugar water per week to feed the local hummingbirds. I am refilling 6 x 72 ounce feeders every other day, so it is a pretty industrial affair. It is fairly time consuming, but I don’t mind one bit – having so many hummers around is simply a pleasure to behold.

Incorporating all we have learned…..

Students who have been on my workshops know just how much time, effort and energy is involved in achieving images like the ones I shot this afternoon…..(see below).  Shooting hummingbirds amongst foliage is quite simply a nightmare, and only for those with a lot of patience.

A different challenge….

Running workshops is cool. You get to meet some really great folks, and every now and again, a kindred spirit. Paul Abravaya is one such  person – a fantastic photographer and a guy who has spent much of his life as a zoologist/biologist in Central and South America. He has only really been shooting for about 5 years, though his images would suggest he is a lifer….You can see some of his work (actually a very limited sample) at his website here. Paul worked with some legends in the field – Augusto Ruschi and Crawford Greenewalt to name a couple. Listening to some of his stories makes me green with envy.

More images, more creativity….

Connie Wade is the President/Chairperson/Head Honcho of the Thousand Oaks Photo Group. You can see their excellent website here. She is an outstanding photographer and specializes in pet photography, however is also (like me) fascinated in bugs and beasts of all sorts. Some of her macro work is breathtaking, regardless of the fact that (like me) she has a bad back….That doesn’t stop her getting down and dirty on the ground after subjects though – she is a real trooper. Take a look at her own website here. I was flattered to have her attend my hummingbird workshop, and she produced some wonderful images…..

Creativity….

I regard myself as a fairly competent photographer, particularly from a technical point of view. I can adjust the necessary parameters to create a great exposure for given conditions, exploit flash where necessary, and have a pretty deep understanding of the basic principles of photography in general. I am, after all, an engineer…..

Back Button Autofocus (Canon) and why you should be using it….

There is a very well written explanation of Back Button AF on the Canon USA website, and why you should use it. It only takes a few minutes to read, and is well worth it.  BBAF  is a feature exploited by many photographers to focus, instead of the standard shutter button. For hummingbird photography, I find it so much easier to divorce focus from the shutter button and metering – the article clearly explains why. I customize my settings one step further as well….