Media Sonic Enclosure

Added on December 26, 2012 by John Sturr.

Here's the heartbeat of the set up -- my drive enclosure - it's a Media Sonic with two 2TB WD Red's. They aren't set up as raids - just drives which are mirrors of each other. I'm a photographer - and this is where my photos reside. Speed isn't a concern as this is just a repository - the LRoom library is on the main MacMini drive.

Whenever I import photos to LRoom from my memory cards - it's a dual push to both drives. I'm also subscribing to BackBlaze - which pings a backup to the cloud. Backblaze is a bit different than Carbonite -- where Carbonite doesn't pull from tethered drives with the base subscription, where BackBlaze does. A very key distinction.

Drive bay was $100 and drives run about $125 - RED's because they are robust enough for NAS enclosures and from what I've read - the WD Greens don't respond the same in enclosures.

Why not Drobo -- well - the expense is one - and the proprietary FAT has me wondering. I'm still researching the system - I can see myself going to it eventually - just not now. They've made some gains with the new system from what I'm reading in Scott Bourne's recent review.

I'm pretty happy with the Media Sonic - it's really quiet - and I've rid the studio of individually powered USB drives - where now they are all wrapped in one device.

Dell 2408wpf and Calibrating

Added on December 24, 2012 by John Sturr.

The Mac Mini is up and running -- LRoom installed, presets found - but the monitor was giving me fits. I'm tethered to a Dell 2408wfp which was one of the reasons I went to the Mini, as the iMac was just too integrated - so the Mini it was.

But I digress. As this is about calibrating the Dell 2408wfp.

In some twisted stroke of luck - Datacolor - who makes the Spyder, of which I have the Elite 3, totally brought down their site for the next few weeks. So -- I'm not able to install this piece of hardware on another machine - as I can't access their site and download the update.

I have no loyalty toward this company after this -- none, zero.

Scouring the net, most of the info relating to calibration of this Dell 2408, was from 2008. Your guess is as good as mine as to why this time frame is so pivotal, yet anything more recent isn't apart of the front loaded search results. Maybe Dell changed model numbers after 2008.

I first tried to calibrate, as best I could, using the Apple Monitor utility. I did this multiple times - and I've gotten pretty good at it - but - the colors were still "off". Muted colors, with no pop - and skin tones were, just wrong.

Here are my settings before running the Apple Monitor utility

Brightness @ 50
Contrast @ 100
RGB @ default
Hue @ default
Saturation @ default

Calibrate with Apple Monitor utility.

Gamma @ 2.2

*** this will give you a base line for adjustment ***

Whites, Blues and Greens will look great -- the screen will be very bright though. These Dells are really bright.

The following is my final adjustment.

Brightness @ 20 (and can probably be brought down a few clicks more)
Contrast @ 75
Red @ 90
Green @ 90
Blue @ 96
Hue @ 46
Saturation @ 80

*** The last two adjustments of Hue and Saturation will dial in your skin tones. ***

So -- I'm about 99% there. I would like to have the skin tones just a bit more dynamic across all images -- there is too much variation - I'm hoping the Datacolor Spyder will dial that in.

But - if Datacolor went out of business - I would be perfectly happy with these settings.

On another note -- as the sign suggests - we did get Snow - about 5" so far.

Tuna's and Mini's -- oh My !

Added on December 22, 2012 by John Sturr.

I've been eyeing a new PC lately - the Windows based '09 vintage is long in the tooth - and it is time for an upgrade. Save the fact that the Windows updates fail, every day - and the whole system reboots in the middle of the night. I have tried to figure it out - where I downloaded the diagnostic utility to work its magic - nothing -- nadda. An ending battle. I've given up. Of the system the only pieces saved are the external drives and the Dell 2408 monitor. The box is replaced by a MacMini. Yep -- there -- I said it - Mac. If you would have told me 3 years ago I was going to go Mac I wouldn't have believed you.

So far -- the integration and usability has been great. I really don't care what I use - but it needs to work when I want it to work. Done.

On another note - I found a new watch. One of which I've been trying to figure out if I wanted to acquire for a while now. And as luck would have it - one became available. The Seiko Tuna Can, sbbn007. It's out of production - but still relevant, to those who are fans of the hard use timepiece.

Mated with a Maratac Nato 4 ring Zulu, it's Money !

Seiko Tuna Can - sbbn007 - with Maratac Zulu 4 ring

Lenses vs. Cameras and Sony

Added on December 13, 2012 by John Sturr.

Where is all of this camera non-sense going ?

I say it is all about the lenses. But, more about that in a bit.

Sony is on a yearly hype cycle - Nex-5, and 5n last year, followed by the 7 -- and boom - Pop Photo Camera of the year - for what ever that is worth.

The body is great - but it was quickly criticized for the lenses. The whole system just fell apart optically. Compared to the what Olympus was putting out - Sony just couldn't compete. AF is slow - and optic selections are limited. The 18-55mm kit really needs to be worked - sometimes it is surprising and other times I convince myself I'll never use this again. And then I use it again. I have since moved to the Sigma 30mm f2.8 - whoa… I would almost venture to say, amazing - almost.

Before the Sigma 30mm -- this is the sharpest lens I had on the Nex - an adapted Canon 24mm FD SSC f2.8 - a $60 ebay buy - and probably close to 40 years old. Focusing drove me crazy though - there was something about it where I couldn't confirm critical.

This was shot this last summer -- the sharpness seems infinite.

Mid range - this lens is crazy sharp - longer range it falls apart and turns to mush.

Trey Ratclif is using the Nex-7 of which he discusses on his site.

This year -- the two cameras with all the buzz - the - RX100 and RX-1 -- and boom - some say the 1 will be the camera of the year. Hmmm… and the difference - full frame and a killer f2.0 Zeiss. But the lens is stuck to the body -- no other options. $2700. Steve Huff is raving about it, calls it his camera of the year and DDavidson happened to get one and seems to give a thumbs up.

I would totally have one - but 3k is too much right now - and I would feel limited by the 35mm lens - and that lens only. But -- I must say - that I always come back to JSturr's Law #1 - "One will always default to the sharpest lens, irregardless of its focal length."

I could make it work. I'm really intrigued by the Fuji XE-1. If they would get it together and off the SDK Raw codec to Adobe and the likes -- I think I would be sold. I'm loving just the JPG's - along with everyone else.

But I digress and that leads me to the next point -- what the hell has Leica been doing --- I should really have these marketing types on my staff, because they are geniuses'.

So where do I start - build a dog slow camera, dated sensor, no AF -- oh, and sell it for an insane price -- and Boom… winner. And why is this system so successful - the lenses. I'm leaving the Monochrome out of this -- but its the same deal. Only Mono.

So what is the take away -- no matter what you are shooting - get a great lens or a very, very good lens - and go take some pictures. When you open that new SLR in a few weeks - shelve the 18-55mm kit lens - and get a 30mm, 35mm, or 50mm f1.4, f1.8, or f2.0. Shoot it at the Max aperture - and you will be looked at like a photographic king. Save the kit lens for another day - for when you sell the camera.

Christmas Story

Added on December 3, 2012 by John Sturr.

I was surprised to see this replica of the Christmas Story leg lamp. A thing of beauty, in some eyes, I'm sure.

Coffee Garden - SLC

Added on December 1, 2012 by John Sturr.

Thanksgiving

Added on November 24, 2012 by John Sturr.

Thanksgiving is the best -- I wish happy times to all !

Great Light

Added on November 20, 2012 by John Sturr.

I couldn't help myself - coming home on the Slingshot bike from the dentist. The sun was setting and the reflections on downtown looked great.

Deseret Trust - Sony Nex-7 Olympus Zuiko 35mm f2.8 Shift

Forever 21 - Nex-7 Olympus Zuiko 35mm f2.8 Shift

BCUT

Added on November 19, 2012 by John Sturr.

Cloudy skies, the threat of rain, and the deadline loomed, but there was more.

A 5am wake up where I planned to get an early start to photograph the Brigham City Utah LDS Temple, which was recently completed in cooperation with FFKR Architects, and Big-D Construction.

It rained last night, and the morning forecast didn't hold much promise. The schedule was pushed an hour and I was off to the races at 0800. Head still shaking and expecting a total bust.

I arrived and set up to take interiors of the garage, and about 15 minutes into it - thru some divine power, one could surmise, the clouds parted, the sun broke, and who would have guessed; it all came together. Go figure.

This account is totally unbiased -- as I'm Catholic.

Nikon D3s - Nikon 24mm PC-e Tilt Shift

Brigham City Utah Temple - FFKR Architects, Record Architect

Shared thru a Picture

Added on November 14, 2012 by John Sturr.

Some of my greatest pictures are the result of serendipitous events. Events where things, "just happened". And with this, there is always a back story to a picture. And sometimes I find that more satisfying then the picture itself.

Yet, when the two come together, the subject, and the picture - well - an emotion emerges.

I always take my gear to work - and if you follow me on the blog - well, that's the Nex, but that hardly matters - as this is not about gear.

Sometimes I'm shooting head shots for the firm - or there are times I have to take the train home, and I'm a romantic for a possible "Street Shot".

So I always have a camera with me - Iphone also.

Yesterday, while sitting at my desk - a co-worker approaches - "do you have your camera" - "Always" - "Roger is drawing out here, you should take a picture" - "Moving", I said.

I approached - and 16 feet below, in fact, Roger was drawing. And I made a picture.

In my 6+ years -- I've never seen this before - on such a scale. As our work is the such of Ants, locked in the screens of computers in the files of Acad, and Revit - were the work of the many make the whole - and the whole is usually 18-24 months out.

And before me, in this scene, everything is big - and you know what - I was there to see it - and it can be shared, thru a picture.

Roger Jackson - FFKR Architects / www.ffkr.com

NYC

Added on November 11, 2012 by John Sturr.

Of the photos taken last month in NYC - this is my favorite. We walked the Highline Trail - and in the first third - we saw this - and I had to capture it, with the Sony - which is quite a step from the Nikon. That's not to say I didn't want the D3s, though.

LHM Honda Murray

Added on October 23, 2012 by John Sturr.

The clouds broke and with little time before the sun set - I grabbed the D3s, 24mm shift, 35mm shift, tripod and ladder. Yes -- ladder - as the tripod is the tallest made. After shooting the Nex-7, it is nice to grab the Nikon on occasion.

I decided to shoot this at 35mm. I really wanted to fill the frame.

I set up up the shot. And as luck would have it, the cleaning crew was inside this early evening on Sunday - and so the lights were on. Perfect. And I waited for the Sun to become a bit more dramatic.

With each shot taken - the scene improved - about every 5 minutes - then every one minute.

The 35mm converted Olympus Shift is great.

LHM Honda Murray - Nikon D3s, 35mm Olympus shift with Leitax adapter.

Ribbons of the Dead

Added on October 19, 2012 by John Sturr.

Somewhere in NYC - I can't remember where, (Marble Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 5th Ave and 29th St), these ribbons line the fence of this Church. A ribbon for every dead, Sailor, Soldier, Airman or Marine - of the current wars this Country fights. It is a moment of solace, causing a snapping into pause form our daily grind. The visual is dramatic, and sad.

Of the names in the frame, is PFC. Albert M. Nelson - and his story is unique - I ask that you follow this link and read his story. And remember Nelson, and his family of which I wish GodSpeed.

From the Hip

Added on October 18, 2012 by John Sturr.

Street shooting is a bit of a stretch, compared to some bigger cities. M was working late - I took the train home and decided to take advantage. 35mm - FOV at 50mm, and you make it what you will.

Sony Nex-7 with Olympus Zuiko 35mm f2.8 shift - SLC

Violet - the Cover Girl

Added on October 15, 2012 by John Sturr.

Much to the surprise of the cat - Violet - I practice my photo techniques, which, as sometimes luck would have it, turn into skills. Go figure.

If the light is right - and the cat is in that light - key point - I break out the camera and see what happens. Of those times - most of them are junked - but a few make it past the editor (me). I'm sure Violet would like some say - but Meow just doesn't cut it anymore.

So -- what am I getting at - well… Violet made the cover of Pets in the City Magazine - and its cool. The shot is about 2 years old - with the nifty 50mm. She was on the floor as I was over her, her eyes are tack sharp - and we both got lucky. Good times.

NYC Bike

Added on October 12, 2012 by John Sturr.

I just got back from NYC -- and there are two, make that three, types of bikes...

1 - The fancy ones, which you know exist - but you never see anyone riding. The BMC's - Trek's - anything carbon fiber. Those who are on EPO, PO, E...

2 - The ones you see chained up to something (see pic) - where the paint is rubbed off exposing the aluminum, and steel - sometimes covered in a vinyl type to protect the tubes etc.. most of these are ten year old frames. There is usually something on the bike which tells you there is a passionate rider - some nicer components - cool seat - a sticker.

3 - The ones you see chained up to something - but abandoned, for ever -- with locks and chains which would need the jaws of life to break - frequently the rims are taco'd and the chains are completely rusted. No signs of life what so ever.

Wendell

Added on September 29, 2012 by John Sturr.

Near Wendell, Idaho -- off of the highway 84 is a large Cowboy Man. One of which I have wanted to capture for years. I have a place in my heart for the art of Americana - painted on the side of a building, or otherwise.

Nikon D3s with Olympus 35mm f2.8 Shift - converted with Leitax adapter

Good Light or Good Form

Added on September 17, 2012 by John Sturr.

A colleague asked me when do I usually go out to shoot - "When ever I can", I said. There are times when I plan a shoot - or have an idea of what kind of look I want. Other times the moments are serendipitous.

As seen from my most of my work, it is probably not too difficult to see how I am attracted to very, strong, rectilinear forms. And that is sometimes satisfied thru harsh light and shadow - and I'm really fine with that as the form is what I'm after. The above image was shot with an Olympus Zuiko 35mm f2.8 Shift - converted with a Leitax Nikon adapter.

This last weekend I shot the Triad Center - and because that area is so vertical and channeled - overhead sun worked out well. Else - the contrast between the shadow would be too difficult to balance.