Computer

I’ve pretty much decided that I’m going to have to take my MacBook.  This will force me to carry two laptops (work provided and personal), but I really can’t figure out a way around it.  My only form of communication with my wife and friends will be through Skype and since my company completely locks down my work laptop, I have no choice but to take my own personal computer.  This brings up problem right away though.  I now have to carry on two computers.

From what I can tell, you’re better off with only one carry on bag for international travel.  So I started searching for laptop bags that would hold two laptops.  I also didn’t want to purchase a single trip item so I wanted something that I’d use for a long time.  Having owned one Timbuk2 bag, I knew that if I could, I wanted to stick with them.  Their bags are great!  So I ordered a Commute 2.0 with the idea that one laptop can go in the laptop area, and the other can go in the main compartment.  Keep in mind that I have to also have power cords, plug adapters and assorted cables for both laptops so that eats into my remaining space.  So… what room is leftover for camera gear?

Camera Gear

This is where things get tricky.  I have basically two options.  My Nikon D200 with one lens, or my Canon G10.  Remember, whatever I take has to fit in the above bag!  Now obviously, these two cameras are somewhat opposite with regards to size.  And as much as I love the G10, I’m a bit concerned that I’ll miss my dSLR once I get over there. Plus, when else will I have a chance to travel to Europe?  Shouldn’t I take the best camera possible?

On the other hand, the G10 and charger take up less space than the dSLR body itself.  And I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to remove the lens on the D200 to get it to fit into the bag.  Which means if I’m walking around, seeing sights, I’m going to have to remove the lens ever time I want to put it back in the bag.

Whatever I choose, I’m definitely packing my Ultra Pod. I received this as a gift and I can’t begin to explain how handy it is! It’s tiny, fits anywhere and is far superior to trying to balance your camera on a ledge, rock or picnic table!

So what do you take when traveling on business?

I’ve asked many people what they do when they travel for business. Everyone has different answers and it’s clear that many people have honed their preferred kit from years of experience.  For now, I’m leaning on taking my G10 and concentrating on enjoying the sites.  By all means, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Having worked with it for a couple weeks, I do have to say that I am loving the interface. it’s simple and quick. Thanks to Jeffery Friedl’s Lightroom Export plugin for Zenfolio, it takes only a few clicks to get whatever set of photos I’m working on uploaded.

I really like this photo. While it may look blurry, it’s actually perfectly in focus if you zoom in (click on it). This, and the next couple were all taken on a scenic hike near Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska.

To see the rest, visit my updated Alaska 2007 gallery!

2008 was a great year.  Exactly one year ago today this web site and photography business was merely a dream.  While I can’t claim complete success with regards to turning my photography into a full time job, I can say that I’ve had a great time, taken more and better photos than ever before, and actually made a few sales here and there.  I’m overjoyed and continually amazed that my work is considered good enough by some to hang on a wall!  For that support, I say a huge Thank You!!!

In other news, I’ve been slacking in my photography over his holiday season.  The last real opportunity I had to take some photos was when I traveled down to Washington DC to meet up with some family.  We had a great time, and I got some really interesting photos!  Check them out here.

Due to the rather gloomy weather we had all day, we were ducking in and out of restaurants and museums in a somewhat vain effort to stay dry.  While the above shot isn’t perhaps a photographic accomplishment, I really found the winding staircase visually interesting.

The above shot of the Capital Building is one of my favorites.  It was taken in almost total darkness with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D.  I actually dialed in a full +1 2/3 exposure compensation to get the lights to stand out.  Overall, I find it very striking.

I was intrigued with the designs under many of the trains.  All the cogs, push rods and wheel spokes seemed like a wonderful photographic opportunity.  Not a lot of my photos came out well, but I particularly like that one.

I really liked this bright blue train.  Unfortunately, I had only acquired my D200 a couple months before I had purchased the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens a couple weeks before.  this resulted in some very oddly exposed images!  The ceiling is overexposed and there are some dark parts of the train which are underexposed.  Luckily, with Lightroom 2.0 and the new selective adjustment brush, I was able to add a layer mask with an exposure mask of -1.0 to the ceiling and it doesn’t look too bad.

I had the same problem with the overexposed ceiling here, but to a lesser degree.  Much easier to correct using the same technique.

I finally got my act together for this last photo.  I used some fill flash dialed way down to just lighten some of the shadows.  While it may not be a great shot, it’s at least exposed correctly.  I can’t imagine being an engineer on one of these things.  Very complicated!  Unfortunately, they had to go and ruin it by putting a “NO SMOKING” sign in the middle.  The fact that there was no smoking anywhere in the building apparently didn’t deter people enough.

We’re supposed to head up to the Syracuse Zoo tomorrow.  Hopefully, the rain holds off and I can post some good shots of animals tomorrow!

As beautiful as the conservatory was, I really want to go back in the summer. Some of the outdoor paths, though a bit bleak this early in the year, looked like they would be beautiful.

Overall, we had a great time and there were lots of good photo opportunities.

These were taken just inside one of the entrances (the main entrance I believe) and I was truly impressed with the well manicured lawn — indoors!

Since this was an orchid display, the better part of the conservatory was filled with hundreds of different varieties of orchid. I have no idea how they switch from the orchid display to their next headline display. Perhaps it just follows the seasons. Regardless, some of these flowers were truly amazing!

I had just acquired the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 prime lens at the time and I was spending a good deal of my efforts experimenting with the very shallow depth of field.

I’m really kicking myself for not being more dillagent writing down names for all these plants. I got so caught up in taking the photos, I just never thought about it.

While the orange looks almost too bright, I’m really not exaggerating the colors — they were that vivid in person too! In fact, after a whole day of walking around inside, leaving to the somewhat somber march landscape seemed almost drab in comparison.

Unfortunately, being that this was one of my first tries at using the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4, many of the photos are either shot with too large an aperture or simply not all that they could have been. However, I still think I got a pretty good selection — in fact, this is only the first chunk of the images I took that day. I’ll probably have to write a part 2 with more images.