Mark Hatasaka’s Digital Landscape Photography

Posted on March 10th, 2005 in , , by jud || Add A Comment

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Mark Hatasaka, a professional nature photographer and author of two books on digital photography. While both of his books are very impressive and packed with useful information, I was really blown away by his most recent book, “Mark Hatasaka’s Digital Landscape Photography”. Both books are full of stunning images taking with a variety of digital cameras, ranging from compact digitals (which he advocates because of their convenience and use in capturing images other cameras can’t reach) to high end digital SLRs.

What I find most useful about his books is his overall approach to photography, which is to concentrate on the essentials, and focus on
those techniques which will allow you to rapidly progress as a photographer. For example, he advocates what he calls “high volume digital photography”, taking a very large number of pictures, bracketing compositions and exposures, and then carefully examining the results. Digital cameras are an incredible teaching tool, because you can experiment with new techniques, variations and (almost) random chance. By taking a large number of pictures, you become intimately familiar with how your camera responds to a wide variety of situations, you are able to record your photographic thought processes for future reference, and you have a visual record of what works, what ALMOST works, and what doesn’t work at all.

I have typically shot primarily RAW images. Mark advocates shooting highest resolution JPEG images for most landscape and nature photographs, arguing that the advantages of being able to take (and process) 3 to 4 times as many images with the same storage, battery and time requirements outweights the extra security (and detail) provided by a RAW file. Although I continue to pursue my own independent investigation, I have begun trying his techniques and in just the first week had learned more about how my camera handled exposure and depth of field by bracketing (and comparing) multiple hi-resolution jpegs instead of trying to post-process my RAW images in Photoshop.

I highly recommend his books to all serious students of photography. If you are new to photography and are looking for a way to take better pictures quickly, buy his book and follow his techniques. If, like me, you have been honing your skills for a number of years, there are still plenty of jems, and the photos themselves are woth the price of the book. As of this moment, only his first book Digital Nature Photography is available on his site, but if you contact him, I think you can purchase it directly. I also understand that Keeble and Schuchat Photography in Palo Alto, California, carries one or both.

I honestly think that had I gotten his book and began rigorously applying his techniques years ago, I would have progressed much faster as a photographer.

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Selecting “keeper” photographs

Posted on March 10th, 2005 in , by jud || Add A Comment

Much of my growth as a photographer has come from rigorously examining, comparing and ranking my own photos. This ongoing exercise has forced me to determine what works and doesn’t work every time I shoot by comparing photos with similar (or sometimes wildly different) subjects, compositions, lighting, depth of field, and/or other elements.

Alain Briot has an interesting article about how he selects his photographic “keepers”. I found it interesting because he goes into a fair amount of detail about not only the different reasons for selecting keepers, (commerical sales, personal enjoyment, years of viewing pleasure and discover, a “best of each location” album, same location in different seasons, etc.), but also some of the tools he uses and also some of the techniques he uses both to manage these collections, and to solicit useful feedback from other people.

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Fedora Core 3 and MySQL4.1

Posted on February 9th, 2005 in , by jud || Add A Comment

I wanted to install MySQL4.1 on my laptop runninng Fedora Core 3. Unfortunately, only the 3.23 versions are currently available through Fedora, evidently because of some license issues. However, there are some
good instructions for setting up MySQL4.1 under fedora here.

Everything seemed to work as specified with the following exceptions:

1. I installed the latest (4.1.9) version of MySQL. This hasn’t caused any problems.

2. I couldn’t find the version of MySQL 3.23.58-9 that they mentioned when created the
new MySQL-shared-compat rpm. Instead, I simply copied
the latest version from my yum cache, which was mysql-3.23.58-14.rpm, and modified the “define release3” line so that it was 14 instead of 9. Then the rpmbuild command worked fine. Still haven’t
tested it with php, etc… but I’ll get to that. Here’s the diff of my MySQL-shared-compat.spec file:

33c33
- %define release3 9
+ %define release3 14

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IPython: Interactive Python

Posted on February 8th, 2005 in , by jud || Add A Comment

There’s a great article on oreilly.com about IPython, an interactive python shell. Although not suitable as
a full shell replacement, it provides powerful enhancements to the standard interactive interpreter. The
interactive interpreter is one of the most useful features of python when working with small snippets of code, allowing you to try out things easily.

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redirecting sudo output

Posted on January 25th, 2005 in , by jud || Add A Comment

Sometimes I need to use the linux sudo command to run another command as another user, but also write the output of that command as another user. I always forget the proper syntax for this sort of thing, since simple quoting and escaping don’t work. Ryan pointed out a straightforward way to accomplish it.

For example, if I wanted to run a command as *apache* when running as user *me*,

(me@home) $ sudo -u apache command 

However, trying to redirect the output of the command will cause the output to be written as user *me*, not *apache*, causing
an error when writing to a directory or file not writable by *me*.

(me@home) $ sudo -u apache command > /home/apache/out
bash: /home/apache/out: Permission denied

Ryan’s solution is as follows: use sudo to call an shell with the quoted command as a parameter:

(me@home) $ sudo -u apache /bin/bash -c "command > /home/apache/out"

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Simple forums with FUDforum and mailman

Posted on January 23rd, 2005 in , , by jud || Add A Comment

I set up an online forum and mailing list for a class I’m taking. I used FUDforum, which was easy to install and
configure (it’s php). One of the other things I wanted to do was to set up a mailing list that would serve as an alternate entry point for users: mailing list posts would be copied to the forum, and forum posts would be copied to the mailing list. Using mailman and procmail, this was relatively simple. After downloading and installing fudforum, I installed mailman from RPM using the yum package manager. Following the instructions in the docs, I created a mailing list and added some test names.

After setting up the mailing list, I configured FUDForum to post to the mailing list (using the mailing list options), and got it to remove the title of the mailing list when copying to forums. This was slightly tricky, since the regulur expression should be [ListName], not [ListName].

Then I added procmail entry that pipes any list mail into the FUDforum mailinst list script (scripts/maillinglist.php). I had to fiddle with the permissions a bit since the web owner wasn’t receiving the mail, but a set of directories with a special group, and group write/set permissions did the trick. I did have much more trouble with the procmail recipeit since it wasn’t clear when mail should be copied to the forum. Because mailling list mails are sent via BCC, the recipient doesn’t show up in the header all the time (I tried using a special mailing list email address). In the end, I had to for mail with the mailing list name as the recipient, which seems to work most of the time,. However, I just discovered that if someone BCCs the list, the mailing list doesn’t even show up in the To: field.

However, the forum is now up and working, and students can post to the list, or the forum, and everyone sees the messages.

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New Camera: Canon 20D 8MP DSLR

Posted on January 12th, 2005 in , by jud || Add A Comment

This Christmas I decided it was time to upgrade my canon D60 camera. It’s nearly two years old, positively ancient! I briefly experimented with the Canon Powershot G6, and although I liked the video feature, I simply found it too limiting to use a non-DLSR. I have a nice variety of canon lenses for the D60 which give me much more flexibility, and although the small point and shoot would be handy, it wasn’t truly small enough to put it in my pocket and forget about it. So as someone described it, it was the “worst of both worlds.” That being said, I had many great experiences with the G1 before I got into more “serious” cameras, and the G6 would be a good camera for someone not willing to go the full monty with a DSLR.

All that is just preamble for the main event– I decided to get the new Canon 20D, and keep the D60 as a backup. I’m very pleased with it so far, and for me the best improvements are as follows: It’s FAST (5 frames per second)!, has better flexibilty with the raw/jpeg/both shooting formats, has a sensor that autorotates pictures taking in portrait mode (a HUGE annoyance with the D60!), has much better low light shooting (low noise and better focusing). I’ve shot a few hundred pictures with it, and I’m very pleased overall. It’s a significant but not monumental step forward, and I feel very comfortable knowing that I have a capable backup camera. I got the 18-55 kit lens which was a mistake (I misread the specs, and thought it had image stabilization. That’s the 17-85 IS for about $500 more!). I purchased the camera from www.buydig.com, the same place I got the G6. Excellent price, speedy delivery, and no problems.

If you’re interested, dpreview has a nice review that I found to be helpful in making my decision.

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Redundant equipment for photographers

Posted on December 23rd, 2004 in , , by jud || Add A Comment

One of the things that I stress to people who want to invest their time (and perhaps money) on photography trips is the importance of redundant equipment. Two years ago, I discovered first hand how devasting this can be. I had 5 days off, and had planned a trip to Mono Lake. Getting there during the winter took almost 2 days, since I drove up through Reno and then down 395 (I’ll be trying a new route this Christmas, along HW 88). I arrived just as night was falling, jumped out of my car, ran through the deep snow and snapped a few test pictures. The next morning, I got up nearly 3 hours before daybreak. It was nearly an hour hike through thigh-deep snow in the dark to get to the edge of the lake, where I settled in to await the sunrise. About 15 minutes later, my camera died. I should say, my ONLY camera died. Completely. Banging and cursing didn’t help. Power cycling. New batteries. Fervent prayers. Incantations. Sacrifices of small snow creatures. All to no avail.

At least I got to enjoy a spectacularsunrise.

And since I had no camera, the rest of the “photography trip” was shot, and I left for home that afternoon. Fortunately, one of my test shots turned out ok, and so the trip wasn’t a complete photographic disaster.

Now, with the purchase of the 20D, I finally have 2 cameras that I am happy using. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend buying two new cameras to get started (unless of course you have the budget). That’s why I got the Canon G6 last month, as a smaller, cheaper backup camera. (However, as I noted, I am upgrading already!)

Because my cameras are DSLRs, I have a variety of lenses that I can use. In fact, becuase I have a mix of prime lenses and zooms, plus a teleconverter, in a pinch I could get very close to the same focal coverage losing any one lens.

I have 3 memory cards (2 x 1GB, and 1 256). Again, I can lose 1 without any problem.

I keep my images on a laptop, and on a portable hardrive (mindstor by minds@work, now out of business). One dropped/crashed piece of equipment, and I’m still ok.

I have 4 batteries and 2 chargers (car and wall)

There is no single point of failure (except the photographer!), and so if I’m going to spend a fair amount of money on a 4-7 day photography trip, I can be sure that
it isn’t my equipment that stops me.

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Canon 20D on its way

Posted on December 23rd, 2004 in , , by jud || Add A Comment

I ordered a canon 20d from [buydig.com](http://buydig.com) yesterday. Actually, I puchased one from San Jose camera too, got back to the office, and then Andrei found it for $275 cheaper online. Even with 2 day shipping it was still almost $250 in savings. I couldn’t pass that up. I’m selling the Canon G6 that I got last month as a backup– although it’s a nice camera, using the Canon D60 DSLR for the last two years has spoiled me. My trusty D60 will become a backup, and I will take advantage of the slightly higher resolution, and better low-light functionality for the 20D. Also, I’m really looking forward to having a camera the can autorotate vertical images!

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The Apprentice: NEWSFLASH: male executives prefer male executives!

Posted on December 17th, 2004 in by jud || Add A Comment

I got hooked on *The Apprentice* this season. That’s pretty surprising because I don’t normally watch TV (I bought an antenna 4 years ago to see the Olypics, and this is the first show I’ve regularly watched in years). I was drawn in by the boardroom byplay that went on. The tasks weren’t terribly exciting, but seeing how each of the contestants spun reality was very interesting and even applicable to real life. It was very interesting to see how each person represented themselves, when they waited and watched, and when they attacked. So I was looking forward to the finale. However, one thing stood out even more clearly than the winner. Kelly’s good, no doubt about that. But I was astounded that Donald Trump couldn’t even drum up even one female exec outside of his sidekick Caroline to comment on the candidates. It was astonishing to see, actually. Jen completely dominated Kelly in their discussions, attacked him on issues where he had no credible response, and left him looking flat and unimpressive. Trump even warned him that he was getting schooled, before firing Jennifer.

I couldn’t help feeling that the glass ceiling had smacked down pretty hard on her. Yes, Kelly was great, a natural leader with impeckable credentials. But come on! Jen was outstanding too, and seemed to posess the skills and aggressiveness that Trump values. Does Trump really not know any high-powered females that he’d invite onto the show to share their perspective? Although the numbers might truly be representitive national averages, I’m left with the dissapointing feeling that the status quo was just reinforced: The old boy club just picked one of their own. Trump seemed to feel that Jen had a lot of opportunities ahead: perhaps he meant that he’s saving a spot for her in his Miss Universe pageant. Boo!

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The origin of PHP’s “global” keyword

Posted on December 17th, 2004 in by jud || Add A Comment

At lunch earlier this week, [Rasmus](http://lerdorf.com/bio.php) was telling a few of us a story that led to PHP’s *global* keyword.
As a college student, he got a work-study program assignment at a telco. When he showed up for work, they suggested that he spend his time reorganizing a massive rat’s nest of cables into a patch panel. He balked at this, and instead countered that they should give him some real code to work with. Evidently, this caused consternation and confusion on the part of management, leading to a flurry of activity and meetings as they tried to decide what to do with this cheeky “intern”: send him back , or give him something real to work on. Finally, he was given a real problem: discover why the switching system running on their proprietary OS was mysteriously and intermittently crashing. Rasmus went to work, taking over a hallway and walkpapering the walls and floor with highlighted printouts as he spent the next several weeks searching for the answer (think *A Beautiful Mind* :) ). Eventually, he found the source of the problem: a local variable that was overriding a global one. Later, when he was designing PHP, he wanted to be sure to eliminate this particular headache, hence PHP’s *global* keyword!

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Two amazing photographers: Mona Kuhn and Fan Ho

Posted on December 16th, 2004 in , by jud || Add A Comment

This evening I discovered the [modernbook gallery](http://www.modernbook.com/gallery494.htm) in Palo Alto. They are currently featuring two excellent exhibits, one of portaits by [Mona Kuhn](http://monakuhn.com), and another, older set of prints from Hong Kong by [Fan Ho](http://www.modernbook.com/fanho.htm). Both are well worth seeing in person, as the web images do not do them justice. It was shocking to see how good art can be. I am particularly struck with how, in lesser hands, Mona’s photographs could end up trite and common, but instead they leave me with a sense of awe and appreciation for her vision.

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WordPress – yet another blogging package

Posted on December 15th, 2004 in by jud || Add A Comment

I’ve very quickly given up on Movable Type. I was unable to install it on my ISP due to problems with the perl modules it requires. That, coupled with the fact that it is not open source, sent me searching for yet another solution.

[wordpress](http://wordpress.org) is what I’m trying now. Lets hope this works better than the previous three attempts. On the plus side, installation is straight forward, and once I solved my mysql compatability problems (I was trying to use mysql 4.1, but my PHP installation only supported 4.0x) it worked like a charm, I got up and running very quickly. The downside is that MySQL is now required, and I have to either use the mysql on my home system, or get my ISP [ultimanet](http://www.ultimanet.com) to give me MySQL access.

First impressions are that wordpess is a slick package. The UI isn’t perfect, but it is very usable and has a nice blend of flexibility and simplicity. It has the feature set that I’m interested in (templates, trackbacks, pings, archives and an API, and PHP is an improvement over perl since the rest of my site is in PHP)

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autohotkey – open source macros for windows

Posted on December 14th, 2004 in by jud || Add A Comment

I just discovered a cool new macro/hotkey packages for Windows called [autohotkey](http://www.autohotkey.com). I’m a big fan of keyboard shortcuts, and in fact this was one of the primary factors for my shift to the text-only email client mutt (under linux/unix). However, I’m happy to find
a nice open source package that will work for my other operating system. autohotkeys includes a scripting language, and can use both keyboard and mouse buttons. Best of all, it can handle simple hotkeys, and/or bind any two-key combination (like right-alt + a) or (F1 + F2).

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selecting ranges from a file with the perl .. operator

Posted on December 9th, 2004 in by jud || Add A Comment

Mike Schilli showed me a cool perl operator today that I haven’t ever used. Often I want to get lines from a file that are between to specific lines. For example, given a file like:

blah
blah
START
THIS IS
VERY IMPORTANT
END
blah
blah

I would like to easily extract everything between (and including) START and END. Using a perl one liner and the .. operator, this is very easy.


$ perl -ne'print $_ if /START/ .. /END/'

START
THIS IS
VERY IMPORTANT
END

The .. operator (and it’s cousin the … operator) is a flip-flop operator. In scalar context, it is false until the first expression becomes true and then is true until the second expression becomes false. In this case, we want nothing to be printed until the current line matches /START/, and then continue printing until the current line matches /END/. I’m using the implicit variable $_ (the current line) to make this more succinct.

See perldoc perlop for more information

Here’s a more complex example that excludes the boundary lines by making use of a hackish perlism:
When true, the .. operator returns a sequence number (starting with 1). However, on the last item (when the second expression becomes false), perl will return not simply a number like 24, but instead, a number like 24E0. This is actually 24 in scientific notation (24 * 10 ^ 0 = 24). This evaulates to the correct value when treated as a number, but can be identified via a regular expression in string context. So in this case, we print lines EXCEPT the last line by adding the condition our pattern matching expression ($i !~ /E0^/), and we print all the lines in except the first one by including the condition ($i > 1).


$ perl -ne'print $_ if ($i = /START/ .. /END/) and ($i > 1) and ($i !~ /E0$/)'

THIS IS
VERY IMPORTANT

Just to confuse matters, the .. operator builds a range when called in a list context, e.g.


@alphabet = ( 'A' .. 'Z');

Finally, remember to use a regular expression that is as specific as is ncessary, like /^START$/ instead of START so you don’t match string like RESTART.

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