Some useful sites

I am still wading through the 1732 photos I took during Eagle Weekend part two, but I thought I might add some links to sites that I find useful.

First is a new one that I just started looking at since it is new as well. Two great photographers with lots to teach, and they seem to be adding supporting bloggers from all areas of photography.

http://dpexperience.com/

The second is a site from a British photo magazine that I read regularly. This site has tons of video tutorials and stuff for all levels.

http://www.photoanswers.co.uk/

And finally one for the person whoe wants to see what a ton of photo blogs are talking about, all at once!

http://photography.alltop.com/

Hope these help!

Ken

Dust Bunnies? Arctic Butterfly Available to Members

This is to let everyone know that I have purchased the Arctic Butterfly Professional sensor cleaning kit from Visible Dust Technology.  The Arctic Butterfly is generally considered to be the best product in the industry for dry cleaning of digital camera image sensors.

For those of you who are new to digital photography, you may have noticed those irritating little "smudges" on your photos.  They usually show up in the "sky" portion of outside photos, and you know if these are dust bunnies when they are always in exactly the same place on your photos.

Personally, I recommend removing them first by blowing air into the chamber - be sure to follow your manufacturer's recommendations for locking the mirror out of the way. The best air blower is the "Rocket Blower" by Giotto's ($12.95 from B&H).  Only if that doesn't work, move to step 2 - dry cleaning - with the Arctic Butterfly.  The Arctic Butterfly basic set is available directly from Visible Dust for around $150 (Canadian).  Link to Visible Dust website.  In the event that dry cleaning does not solve the problem, wet cleaning is the last resort.  I recommend sending your camera in to the manufacturer's maintenance facility, or using a reputable local shop, for wet cleaning.

For anyone who would like to try dry cleaning, please let me know and I will bring the Arctic Butterfly to our next meeting.  If you are not confident about trying it yourself - I will clean your sensor for you in return for a small contribution to The Photography Club in the amount of $10 per sensor cleaned.  Please contact me in advance to set it up.

Links to Capture NX2 Video

While browsing dpreview today, I discovered a discussion about Nikon Capture NX2 that contained a video showing some of the cool features.  The two links below represent a combined total of 12-13 minutes of tutorials on great features, most of which were not known to me until I watched it.  Check it out.

Nikon Capture NX2 - part 1

Nikon Capture NX2 - part 2

A Link to DP Review - one of the best resources for photography tips

I discovered dpreview.com (Digital Photography Review) several years ago, as I was just converting from film to digital.  I have found this site to be my "go to" source when I have a question and I need a reliable answer.  The site has thousands if not millions of regular participants, and many of those are earning a living from photography.  I encourage you to check it out, and even set up a membership account there.  It does not cost anything to join.

DP Review was an independently-owned enterprise until about a year ago, when it was purchased by Amazon.com.  Despite the fact that it is now owned by a large enterprise, I continue to find it to be one of the better resources for honest, independent exchange of ideas.  If you decide to post a photo there for comment, be advised that you may receive "honest" comments!  Don't have thin skin!

Here is the link:  http://www.dpreview.com

Be sure to check out their "Discussion Forums"