My dad found this flyer that was using some of my images. He works as an educator teaching students how to become utility line-workers and this is an event (the APPA Lineworkers Rodeo) that his school is participating in this year.

Canon 7D, Canon 400mm f/2.8L IS, Canon 1.4x II, 1/60th sec at f/4.0, ISO 100

Yesterday morning I went out to the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area here in Utah to attempt some bird photography (my first time!). I was hoping to spot some Bald Eagles, since this is the time of year that they pass through the area, but I really didn’t have any luck. (I did spot one lonely eagle out in the water, but even with a focal length of 896mm I still couldn’t get in tight enough.) This little Seagull was just chilling by the water so I followed him around and got nice photo of him. I really like the shallow DOF and cool tones in the image … not too bad for a first time, eh? :)

A huge thanks to BorrowLenses.com for the use of the 400mm lens and Wimberly tripod head. If you’re wanting to try out a lens, camera, or any other accessory they have some a huge selection at some very competitive prices, and is s a really great way to try out equipment if you’re thinking about purchasing the same item … or if you just want to have fun with something you either can’t afford or only need for a one-time event. I’ll definitely be renting from them again in the future.

Yesterday I asked the Twitterverse about their opinion on using the “Full Auto” mode on a camera. The question I asked was:“When would a photographer want to use the ‘Full Auto’ mode (green square – not ‘Program’ mode)?” I got quite a lot of responses … here are some of the replies:

@ekopsala - when they give up trying.

@bkolodzaike – When you’re handing the camera to someone else to take a picture of you.

@klosfoto - green square only when all other functions are broken ;)

@designerdaze – a bit scary, but when handing the camera to a novice.

@RyanRomeike - Use full auto green for fail-safe photography while under the influence. It works great for easy ETTL bounce flash too.

@duncan - for me, never is the answer. I’m always happy to get cameras that don’t have green square modes.

I think that those answers pretty much sum up the majority of the responses. Seems like most people only use the “Full Auto” mode when handing the camera to someone else who doesn’t know how to use a camera, or when they need a quick image made without having to think about it. My opinion is that when you turn your camera to the “green square” (or your camera’s equivalent) then you are just turning it into a very expensive point-and-shoot. I’m not saying that it’s wrong to use it, but if you have an SLR and aren’t using any of the other modes then you aren’t getting your money’s worth!

So for those of you who don’t touch the other modes here’s my challenge: read up on the basic photography concepts of exposure (here’s a good site to get you started) and once you have a good grasp on how they work then start trying out the other modes (I usually use the “Av  - Aperture Priority” mode on my cameras since I like to have full control of my depth-of-field). BTW, here’s a link to an article that gives a pretty decent explanation of many of the different camera shooting modes.

What you use is up to you, but if you ultimately want to have more creative control of your images then it’s my recommendation to say “no” to the green square. :)

Jeremy Hall put together this awesome video on our recent “Studio Lighting Photowalk”. It’s one of the largest Photowalking Utah events of the year and he really did a good job of portraying the spirit of our photography community.

Thanks to everyone who helped out and participated … the event was an overall success and I was glad I could be a part of it. The photography community here is why I am making Utah my new home and it’s the people at events like the one in the video that makes me realize I made the right choice. :)

This year at Photocamp we are going to do something new … if you are attending the event not only will you be able to participate in classes to learn about photography – you will also get to share your own photographs with everyone else! There will be a print gallery for all registered attendees to contribute to where we will be displaying your work.

If you are going to be at Photocamp and want to participate then the great news is that it’s free! You will, of course, have to print and matte your image on your own (no framing, btw, so it shouldn’t be too pricey). I’m definitely going to bring something to the event. Since most of my work is created, shared and licensed through a computer and the internet then I rarely print my work and this is a great excuse to finally print something out.

Here are the requirements:

1. Print requirement: You can only bring one print … you are allowed to put more than one image on that one print (like a collage) or just select one print and make it big (up to 11×14). I would recommend picking only one of your very best images that really represents your style of photography to share.

2. Size Requirement: The largest total size allowed will be 11″ x 14″. It’s highly recommended that you attach it to a piece of matte board no more than 1/16″ thick. No frames are allowed, btw … the display setup can only support a your photo attached to a matte board, so if you bring in a framed print then we won’t be able to display it for you.

3. Networking is okay! You are also encouraged to put your name and website info somewhere on your work so we can find out more about you. Just try to keep it simple and classy … and try not to turn your image into an advertisement. ;)

4. What NOT to do: I already mentioned a few of these, but they are worth repeating – no frames, image/matte no bigger than 11×14, and don’t use the image as an opportunity to advertise. We want to keep a “gallery” feel to the setup.

There is more information listed at the Photocamp Utah website, and if you have any questions please join in the discussion in the Flickr group here.