Introducing the BigShot .00
My friends over at Shuttercal.com are having a contest all through January. The winners recieve a XShot2.0. The XShot is a nifty little gadget that allows you take take photos of yourself from a nice distance. It’s a small telescoping device that puts your camera a good ways in front of ya so that you can either get a good background shot or get a shot of yourself with a group of others. In order to win one of these babies at Shuttercal you must upload a self portrait. I really really want a XShot but I’ve seen my competition over there and don’t like my changes of winning.
However, I realised that the XShot2.0 is really for wimps. It’s long and flimsy and looks like it belongs nestled in a pocket protector alongside a calculator and half a dozen leaking pens. I decided that I’d make a better camera extender thing meself.
So, without fanfare or any pomp and circumstance nonsense, here’s the BigShot .00.
It’s chunky and rugged. It can hold a REAL camera and lens.
It allows you to take nice pictures of yourself.
But, I got to thinking that my BigShot can do a lot more than the little XShot2.0.
It can be used as a club to fight off man eating bears or dive bombing magpies.
It makes a nice walking stick or just a good ol place to rest your noggin.
I’m pretty proud of the BigStick.
So, I’m off into them there hills and gonna take a few panoramics of meself from the ridge.
BTW, I’d recommend you drop on around to Shuttercal and check out the photo a day projects and their really cool prints + shoeboxes. Also, even though you might really want a BigShot .00, I’ve decided to keep it a one-of-a-kind so you’ll have to settle for a XShot2.0.
But, Shuttercal, I still wouldn’t mind a XShot2.0, just to compare of course …
Read MoreLittle Red Planet Camera Speaks
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Hello, I’m the little red planet work horse. You rarely, no let me take that back, you NEVER get to see me cause I am the one that does all the grunt work behind the curtains here. To toot my own horn, I’m a Canon EOS 400D with 55mm and 300mm lenses. I’m pretty average on the digital SLR scale but what I lack in power and features, I more than make up for in ease of use and I’m light weight.That means my user doesn’t get tired lugging me around all day.
I like to shoot in AV mode most of the time. I always tweek my white balance and ISO before closing the shutter. I think my best attribute is my rich understanding of color. Yeah, that’s where I leave all them big bad boys in the dirt. I like color and I make sure it shows in my photos. If I could make any improvements I’d make my digital screen a bit bigger and maybe even add live shot to it. I know the newer models have made these adjustments.
My user drools at my more expensive brothers at the camera store but I’m not worried. I know that there’ll always be a place for me in the camera bag regardless. Hope you enjoy the fruits of my labor.
cheers
PS – You know, it’s not all about features, frames per second and all that jazz … it’s really about art.
Read MoreWynding Way – Creative Photography
Creative Photography Judge
Sometimes I am compelled to take a photo only to find that the photo is sub-standard. This is when I start thinking about why the shot is so compelling and how could I capture that essence on the camera. I keep thinking and experimenting until I get an image that works.
I came upon this boardwalk while walking around a nature reserve near my house. I really liked the look of this boardwalk cutting across this grassy/swampy area. After taking many photos, none really capture the essence of what I was seeing. I kept looking at it and then realised what intrigued me most was the line of the curve plus the muted contrast between boards and grass. I started experimenting with zoom and tilting my camera until I hit upon this image. This is what stopped me at this spot in the first place. Just tiliting my camera gave me that perfect perspective to show off the contrast and the curve.
EXIF Data
- Camera: Cannon EOS400D
- Exposure: 1/1600
- Aperture: f/5.6
- Focal Length: 18mm
- ISO Speed: 200
- Exposure Program: Aperture Priority
- Flash: Did not fire
Editing
- Gently Pulled the curve