October 25th, 2020
Podcast 272 is a little different - first of all - this is The Fotobug Halloween special and we have a little fun with it! Jim and Fred also start a new segment called "Fotobug Snapshots" which are shorter segments to respond to questions about photography that have been received through Facebook or YouTube. The first two concern shooting macros of potted plants or flower displays indoors and how to "freeze" the wings of birds such as hummingbirds.
In addition, Jim and Fred talk about the latest photographic news and discuss the recent AdobeMax virtual event and new releases.
Please consider subscribing to The Fotobug YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/thefotobug) and Happy Halloween!!
October 11th, 2020
Essdras Suarez is a former photo journalist and two time Pulitzer prize award winner for his photography. Jim has been fortunate to travel with Essdras to Cuba and Cuenca, Ecuador. Essdras is now leading workshops (when Covid is no longer a deterrent) and is teaching photography. Jim and Fred sit down virtually and discuss photography with Essdras. We highly recommend you check out his website at http://essdras.com/ and consider his future trips, workshops and portfolio reviews as well as online training! Essdras is also affiliated with EMS Photo Adventures - https://emsphotoadventures.com/ and his photo education website, https://essdras.teachable.com/
In recent photo news, Astro Pad has launched a Kickstarter project which will turn your iPad into a secondary wireless display for your PC. Atomos has launched Connect, a $79 tiny USB card that will convert 4k video to 1080p so you can use DSLRs or video cameras as webcams. Facebook now permits creators to remove reposted images on Facebook and Instagram. Disk Drill is a new recovery program that claims to recover 96% to 99% of images and videos from corrupt drives or cards. Freefly Systems has announced a new commercial drone that can carry a payload of up to 3 pounds.
Please check out the new Fotobug YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/thefotobug and consider subscribing!
September 27th, 2020
Cheyenne Glade Wilson is a western photographer known as the Native Cowgirl. Jim and Fred are proud to interview her on this week's podcast! Cheyenne was also one of the virtual workshop instructors for this years Black Hills Photo Shootout Virtual event held in September. Check out the interview and check out her blog and gallery at https://www.thenativecowgirl.com/ !
In recent news, CAMERADACTYL is a Kickstarter project for a new slide scanner! GoPro has announced a new camera, the Hero 9. Sony is closing down it's operations in Brazil. The comedy wildlife photo awards have announced the 44 top images for 20202. Canon's EOS webcam app is now out of beta. Skylum has announced it's next line of Luminar software and On1 is releasing it's latest raw converter! Even more in the podcast!
Please check out and subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/thefotobug.
September 13th, 2020
The Black Hills Photo Shootout Virtual Event is coming up in a few days and so Fred and Jim have invited the organizer of the event to come on the podcast and talk about the event! There is still time to register! https://blackhillsphotoshootout.online/ Don't miss out - SIGN UP NOW!
In recent photo news, Photoshop now has a plugin that will randomly put up jokes and puns while you are working. Microsoft has an AI algorithm that can detect deep fake images and videos. Canon Australia is shutting down their operations. DAIN can create near perfect slow motion footage from normally captured footage.
For more details and more news, tune in to the podcast!
August 30th, 2020
Charlie Borland is a professional photographer who will be one of the instructors at the Black Hills Photo Shootout Virtual event in September. Check out Charlie's website and online photo courses at www.borlandphoto.com.
In recent photography news, Lightroom CC for IOS and iPadOS deleted settings and catalog for some users. The issue has now been fixed by Adobe. Sony is another company that is releasing an app to allow Sony cameras to be used as webcams. PhotoPlus event this year will also be a virtual event due to Covid-19.
Registration is now open for the Black Hills Photo Shootout at the end of September! Register at https://blackhillsphotoshootout.online - sign up now for this 10th anniversary event!
August 16th, 2020
On today's podcast, we welcome Erica Robinson, Tamron Technical Representative. Erica will be one of the virtual instructor's at the Black Hills Photo Shootout this September. Erica also loaned out Tamron lenses to try out at previous Photo Shootout events. Check out Erica's photo gallery at her website, www.ericarobinsonphoto.com. Sign up for the Black Hills Photo Shootout at https://blackhillsphotoshootout.online/
Watch the podcast for the latest photography news! Alter, maker of the Kickstarter project, Rapid Filter System is closing up operations. Canon servers were hacked. LRTimelapse has released a new update! Lots more in the podcast!
August 2nd, 2020
Jim and Fred invite Minnesota based photographer Tomás Alvarez to the podcast. Tomás is one of the newest instructors this year for the Black Hills Photo Shootout which will be a virtual event this year due to the pandemic. Please go and check out Tomás' website - www.tomalvarez.com and check out his wonderful galleries. We both recommend signing up for his BHPS workshops this year!
LINK TO BHPS PAGE!
In recent news, Nikon has released a new camera, the Z5 and is also introducing a web cam app to allow Nikon cameras to be used as webcams. A researcher is attaching small "bug size" cameras to beetles to get a 'bug's eye' view of the world! Associated Press is now providing all their journalists with Sony cameras. The Consumer Entertainment Show for 2021 will be a virtual event. Watch the podcast for even more details and more news!
July 19th, 2020
We hope everyone is staying safe! In recent photo news, a woman recently fell off the rim of the Grand Canyon attempting to take a photo - be careful out there! Canon is about to release the R5 and R6 mirrorless cameras, although demand has been so high there is a possibility in a slight delay. In addition, there have been some reports of over heating issues although Canon is downplaying the issues. Kodak is selling off it's Alaris paper and chemical business to a Chinese company. Cascable has released an app for using 100 different DSLRs as webcams - currently free, but will eventually cost $40.
Fred and Jim present more hardware for capturing macro images using lenses you already own. There are inexpensive solutions in case you wish to get into macro photography and don't have the budget for a macro lens.
Items featured in the podcast:
Collapsible Rubber lens hood - https://amzn.to/30oI3R1
Extension tubes - https://amzn.to/393P7GG Note - search for your camera brand - there are a number of extension tube manufacturers available
Reverse Adapter rings https://amzn.to/2ZBkw00 Again - search for the ring to fit your model of camera and correct filter size for your lens
Macro coupler adapter ring - https://amzn.to/3hgmclH Once again, make sure to order to proper filter size for the two lenses you intend to use!
Subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube Channel and get a free book on macro photography!
Stay tuned for information about a virtual Black Hills Photo Shootout event coming up in September!
July 5th, 2020
Due to popular demand, The Fotobug guys demonstrate an actual timelapse capture using the Neewer Motorized slider.
In recent photography news, Duke University researchers have created an AI software program that can create a face from a blurred image, although it is A face, but not the actual image of the person in the blurred image. Olympus is in negotiation to sell off its imaging business to Japan Industrial Partners who plan to keep the Olympus name on the cameras. Sadly, The Black Hills Photo Shootout 10th anniversary workshop weekend in South Dakota has been postponed this September due to concerns over the Corona virus. H&Y Revoring has a Kickstarter project running for a variable step-up adapter ring for filters. A 72 year old woman was gored in Yellowstone National Park for getting too close to a bison to take a picture.
Due to popular demand, Fred and Jim capture a timelapse sequence using the Neewer Motorized Slider. The timelapse captures a sunset at a local park using a Canon 7D MKII camera. The camera was set on Aperture Priority and the Neewer app set the lowest trigger setting at 1 sec. so it would simply fire the camera and not control the shutter speed. The slider was placed close to the ground to maximize the movement effect (since the slider is under 3' in length). The final sequence was turned into a video using LRTimelapse - our go-to timelapse software program!
Not a great timelapse, but the important take away is the settings to use to capture a timelapse sequence! If you are capturing a timelapse sequence after dark, then set the camera on bulb setting and let the motor controller control the shutter speed! Since the minimum setting is 1 second, it isn't practical to control the shutter with the controller and therefore simply use it to trigger the shutter and let the camera control the shutter speed!
June 21st, 2020
Fred and Jim take a road trip to Lake Wales Ridge!
First, the recent photo news, Delkin Devices unveils a 2TB CFExpress card and Lexar has an affordable card reader that can easily and quickly transfer all that data! Lumix has released an app to turn the Lumix camera into a webcam, similiar to the one Canon recently released. Android Smartphones can become bricked if the user picks the wrong wallpaper - will be fixed in Android 13. GoPro announces a beta program to allow Hero 8 Black users to try out new features before they are added to the firmware. Fox News publishes obviously altered news photos and apologizes. Some Sony SD cards are corrupting video files and Sony will replace the cards for free.
Jim and Fred hit the road to Lake Wales to capture images of the rare Florida Blue Bee. Of course, the chances of encountering the bee are very slim - but any excuse to get out into the fresh air and capture some interesting images...! Lake Wales Ridge is the highest point in Florida and the Bok Singing Tower is located on Iron Mountain - a whopping 300 feet above sea level! Two million years ago the ridge was a series of islands and the flora and fauna there was isolated and therefore there are a lot of rare species only found in that area. Unfortunately, the increase in citrus farming and sub divisions has hurt these rare plants and animals, but many conservation groups are attempting to save them. One such creature thought to be extinct is the Blue Bee, but several specimens have recently been spotted around Lake Wales.
Keep listening for information about the upcoming Black Hills Photo Shootout in South Dakota in September - virus permitting!
