Weekly digital photography podcasts, photo tips, reader submitted pictures, equipment reviews and more.

"Saw your post about making the most of scene modes," said Eric Marin, "and had to send some shots from my trip to the Museum of Modern Art in New York." "As you'd guess, I had my compact Fuji in "museum" mode, and I was pretty happy with these results. This first shot is a ceiling view of a light installation by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson. A large ring in the middle of the room gradually changed colors, and I caught a glimpse of the green end of the cycle." Eric recorded this beautiful shot at 1/200th @ f-2.8... read more

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Posted by dstory on May 8, 2008 | Comments (0)

"I took this while on a photo outing with the Denver Photographic Society," writes Mark Castleman. "I found the pattern of the old wheels stuck in the ground interesting, and the texture lent itself to something more artistic. I converted the image to B&W in Apple's Aperture and used the red filter to bring out the texture more while increasing the contrast some." Mark used his Pentax K10D in aperture priority mode, 1/30 @ f/5.6, with the ISO set to 100. His lens focal length was 55mm. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look... read more

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Posted by dstory on May 2, 2008 | Comments (0)

"I was listening to your presentation the other week and tried out one of the ways of making a photo stand out," said David Hunt. "This example was to get in close." "So I looked up my camera manual on how to take macro shots, and came up with this shot of cherry blossoms. Camera was an Lumix DMC-FZ50, f/5 at 1/200, ISO 100." "I also just received your new book, The Digital Photography Companion, and will be putting in to use right away. Thanks for all the inspiration and insights into photography." Thank you David, and what a... read more

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Posted by dstory on April 25, 2008 | Comments (1)

"This grab shot was taken on a recent trip to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize," said Neil Martin. This is the most common mode of transportation on the island along with many golf carts and a few van type taxis. Belize is a great place to visit with many photo opportunities from beaches and colorful towns to Mayan ruins and jungle wildlife." Neil used was a Sony DSC-W90 point and shoot: 1/400 @ f/8 ISO 125. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll... read more

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Posted by dstory on April 15, 2008 | Comments (0)

"I shot this with a Canon 30D on my first weekend out with a new 100-400 IS L. Yes, that's right, the same lens that will have me eating rice & beans for the next 6 months after the Visa bill comes in," says Allan Cunningham. "Years from now I know it will seem a trivial price to have paid for all the neat shots I hope to capture. These dog races are events at a winter carnival held every year here in Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada." Allan set his Canon 30D to Aperture Priority mode at f-7.1... read more

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Posted by dstory on April 4, 2008 | Comments (1)

"My wife and I were visiting Alexandria and one of our stops was a beautiful fort," wrote Howard Lewis. "Alexandria is a great city, and we found the people to be very outgoing and interesting in conversation. They seemed very happy we were there. At this particular location, there were many young people dressed in the most colorful clothing you could imagine. We stopped and talked with some of them, and I was fortunate to be able to photograph some of them. After chatting with these young women, as they were walking away, I took one shot of them... read more

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Posted by dstory on March 21, 2008 | Comments (1)

"After lunch a few blocks from work, I saw this tempting view of the Space Needle and the Monorail," said Hai Vu. "Too bad, I didn't have a camera with me, so my cell phone had to do. I fixed up the image in Lightroom and converted to B&W with a hint of yellow for an old picture look." Hai Vu used a Sony Ericsson W810 cameraphone to capture this image. I happen to have that phone too, and it takes surprisingly good 2-megapixel images, as this shot will attest. As I've said a hundred times before, the best... read more

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Posted by dstory on March 14, 2008 | Comments (0)

"It was late afternoon on Cat Island. Atop Mt. Alvernia, the hermitage was perched, under fast-moving clouds," said Jim Austin. "Steps leading up to this monastery were small. Near them was a tomb, where Father Jerome was buried." "When Father Jerome arrived on Cat Island, he bought the highest hilltop he could see. It was called Comer Hill, and is, in fact, the highest hill in the Bahamas (206 feet) with a 360 degree view of the island." "Before he died at age 80, Father Jerome hand built this Hermitage out of native rock, and constructed a bell tower,... read more

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Posted by dstory on March 6, 2008 | Comments (0)

"Below is a grab shot I took recently at Lee Canyon Ski Resort in the mountains just outside of Las Vegas," said Kevin Miller. "I am sure most of this Fed Ex employee's deliveries were done in the valley below under the relative warmth of the sun, hence the shorts. The uniform definitely seems out of place in the snow." And yet he pushes on... Kevin used a Canon 30D, with a 200mm lens set to f/2.8 in Aperture Priority mode. ISO was 100, and shutter speed was 1/2000 of a second. If you have a candid you'd like... read more

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Posted by dstory on February 27, 2008 | Comments (0)

"This pavement stallkeeper in Bangkok Thailand was not quite ready for customers when I spotted him from an elevated pedestrian walkway," said Steve Cooper. "In the busy evening traffic and with rapidly failing light, I had only a moment to catch him alone." Steve used a Canon PowerShot Pro1 set to 1/40 at f-3.2 to catch the snoozing seller. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story. And you can view more images... read more

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Posted by dstory on February 17, 2008 | Comments (0)

"I was walking around the beautiful city of Venice, and it was getting toward evening," said Howard A. Lewis. "I was losing the light and came across this square with the old man artist. A number of people were around, and I felt this would make a wonderful image. I had no tripod, so I knew that there would be some 'noise' in the image. But I thought it would look like a painting of the old man painting. I love the woman on the left pointing. When printed it looks exactly as I had anticipated. On canvas at... read more

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Posted by dstory on February 7, 2008 | Comments (0)

"When I saw the entrance with a neon open sign," said Jay Hunt, "I couldn't resist taking a couple of shots. It seemed so foreboding and beckoning at the same time. There was nothing but this black void after a couple of steps and the eerie light of the sign -- it was like someone from the 'dark side' saying, 'Come in if you dare.' I converted the image to black and white to work with the mysterious mood and to make it seem even more timeless." If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look... read more

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Posted by dstory on January 31, 2008 | Comments (0)

"While at the recent Nikon Expo in London, the model got bored waiting round for her session to start," said Matt Newsome. "Inset is the great look she could pull for the camera on demand, whereas I think her expression in this shot is probably the more honest one!" Matt captured his grab shot with an Apple iPhone in existing light at f-2.8. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. And you... read more

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Posted by dstory on January 11, 2008 | Comments (1)

"The evening the light was amazing," said Alexey Stiop. "I was outside when I noticed the sky turning purple. I rushed in the house to grab my camera. I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to set up my tripod -–every second counts at sunsets. I leaned against the wall trying to stabilize the camera (I also used image stabilized lens) and took a series of shots within 5 minutes. I had my camera (Canon XTi) set in Aperture Priority mode at f/4 and exposed for the sky. I ended up with a number of decently sharp images at... read more

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Posted by dstory on January 4, 2008 | Comments (2)

"This is a shot of Boulder Creek in Boulder, Colorado during a recent snowstorm," said Mark Castleman. "There was hardly any color in the scene to begin with, so converting it to black & white actually brought out the image better. I bracketed the shot from 0ev to +2ev in 0.5ev increments to compensate for the snow throwing off the exposure and +1.0 seemed to look best to me." Mark used a Pentax K10D, Pentax 18-55mm lens, 1/30. f/9.5, +1.0ev, ISO 100, converted to black & white in Aperture. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take... read more

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Posted by dstory on December 24, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I recently captured this shot of these tiny beetles on a 'feverfew daisy' in my garden," said Ruth Cooper. "These flowers which are about 1/2" in diameter, are honey-scented, and are very attractive to insects. These little fellows, (about the size of a pin-head,) apparently weren't about to miss the last drop of nectar!" If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. And you can view more images from our virtual camera club... read more

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Posted by dstory on December 21, 2007 | Comments (2)

OK, here's one I can't quite figure out. While traveling back from Southern California on a recent road trip, I encountered this bathroom with not one, but two toilet paper dispensers. One roll was positioned high (about elbow height when standing) and the other the normal low position next to the toilet seat. I have my theories about this arrangement... but I'll just keep them to myself. I captured this high/low arrangement with an Apple iPhone under existing light. I could have gone out to the car for my DSLR... but, well, that would have been just too weird.... read more

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Posted by dstory on December 7, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I took this shot on a visit to the Budapest Zoo earlier this year," said Ruan Viljoen. "I'm not sure what kind of animals these are, but the couple did put up a very good show! The signs were all in Hungarian which is very different to English or Afrikaans, which are my native languages. Ruan captured this make-out scene with his Canon 350D using the 28mm - 135mm lens extended all the way to 135mm. Because there was plenty of light, he was able to use ISO 100 and still shoot at 1/250 at f-8. If you have... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 30, 2007 | Comments (0)

"On a warm, bright, sunny day in Santa Monica, I was shooting promo shots for Jenna Phillips of Mission Possible when three warmly dressed, umbrella carrying ladies walked right through my set," said Joshua Targownik. "I stood up as they passed and waved them through, but kept my finger on the shutter release. When they were in frame, I snapped a shot and startled all three of them with a loud pop from my studio strobes. They laughed it off and kept going, and it turned out to be one of those photos that I couldn't have planned any... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 23, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Walking back from a favourite photo shooting haunt, I saw these kids collecting crabs in the mud with their dad, whilst their mum looked on from the beach," said SD for Australia. "A few minutes after I walked past, I heard their excited yelps as they ran back to their mother relaxing on the beach ahead of me. I didn't have time to raise the camera to my eye, but rather went 'from the belt,' as I have read about many times in stories of how urban photographers get their best grabs. I just love the blur of the... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 18, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Dia de Patria, Santiago, Chile -- Figured I´d stroll around and find a festival," said Capn Scott. "I ended up in Parque O´Higgins… Yep.. a good old irish name for a spanish park… (though, doesn´t beat the chinese restaurant in David named Don Jose). There had to be over 10,000 people here. And yes, I want one of these." Capn Scott used a Canon PowerShot G7 ("Didn´t want to break out the 20D in a crowd of 10,000") set to 1/80th at f-4.0 with the zoom on its widest setting (7.4mm). If you have a candid you'd like to... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 3, 2007 | Comments (0)

"The Bazaar Cemetery is located on the Scenic Byway 177 in the Flint Hills of Kansas," says Jay Hunt. "I couldn't resist grabbing a shot because it seemed so...well... bazaar." Jay used his Canon PowerShot Pro1 in center-weighted average metering mode with the aperture set to f-2.8. The beautiful cloud-filled sky didn't hurt any either! If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. And you can view more images from our virtual camera... read more

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Posted by dstory on October 26, 2007 | Comments (2)

As part of my PhotoPlus activities, I was invited to the Digital Photo Masters Event last night, which took place on the 22nd floor of the AT&T building on the Avenue of the Americas in NYC. The atmosphere felt very New York trendy to this California boy -- loft with high ceiling, lots of artwork, expensive shoes, dispassionate DJ, and an air of importance. Among the highbrow activity was a nicely-booted mom with child in tow. It was odd to see a child in this otherwise very adult setting. At one point the child had a clothing malfunction prompting... read more

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Posted by dstory on October 19, 2007 | Comments (2)

"I attended my daughter's gymnastic competition last weekend and managed to get some great action shots with the new Canon 70 - 200mm f4 L," said Paul Merrett. "Typically gymnastic halls are dark and make action photography quite a challenge. I was lucky this time as the place was well lit with lot of translucent sheets in the roof." "I grade my photos according to the usual filters such as composition and aesthetics. Then my wife decimates my gym photos with correct (gymnastic) technique. Comments like "non-pointed toes," "bent back," and "wrong shape" come fast and furious. Plenty of... read more

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Posted by dstory on October 12, 2007 | Comments (4)

"Me, my camera, and my tripod hung out a hotel window above a small canal in Venice, Italy," said Joan Hall. "The camera was a Canon 350 XT with the 17-40mm L Canon lens. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery. Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.... read more

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Posted by dstory on October 4, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I saw this at a construction site while walking through Downtown New York," said David-Emil Wickström. "It's not too often that you see construction workers dry their clothes in the sun..." For this texture extravaganza, David used a Nikon D70s and a nikon 18-70 mm zoom lens at a focal length of 70mm. The settings were f/4.5 and 1/400th at ISO 200. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. And you can... read more

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Posted by dstory on September 28, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Following in the footsteps of a recent grab shot," says Peter Norby, "I thought I'd throw this one your way, taken out my hotel room window after settling in from a long trip to San Francisco. I'm not sure if I'd want a job where I could take a break with a view like this or not." Peter used a Canon 30D with a 135mm f/2 L telephoto. The gritty look was created in part by the ISO 1600 setting. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us... read more

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Posted by dstory on September 21, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I was walking my son home from pre-school when I saw this cat sitting on a table, alongside a pottery-sculpted cat in a neighbor's front yard," said Neville Jones. "I liked how they struck almost identical poses..." Neville captured the shot with his Canon 400D and a EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro lens -- ISO 100, Aperture Priority, f/13 at 1/80th of a second. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. And you... read more

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Posted by dstory on September 14, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Here's a grab shot I took in June while on a walk over the Williamsburg Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn," said Jim Stocking. "The bridge divides the human powered traffic into a bike lane and a walking lane. They use pictograms painted on the roadbed to remind you which one is which. I was amused to find a wag had given one of the walkers this cigar to smoke." Jim captured this grab shot with his Canon PowerShot S80. Editor's note: I'm not 100% sure that he's smoking a cigar... If you have a candid you'd like to share,... read more

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Posted by dstory on September 7, 2007 | Comments (1)

"This image is from a series of shots taken in Madrid during a July '07 Novillada, a bullfight involving young and less experienced bullfighters, also called Novillos," said Michel Bricteux. "This is part of their training to become real Toreros. The Novillo, captured here in a moment of extreme levitation under the incredulous bull's stare, actually recovered from his pirouette, got back on his feet and, proud as he was, continued the fight until the end, winning the public's acclamation. As a passionate amateur photographer living in Spain, I found bullfighting an extremely graphic subject, where ancient tradition mixes... read more

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Posted by dstory on August 31, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Taken in July in downtown Denver, Colorado at the annual "Piazza del Arte" street fair, where artists spend two days for hours on end to create works of art with chalk on the street -- simply amazing stuff!" says Paul Leasure. "Took the photo in early evening under a nice cloud cover." Paul used a Nikon D70s with his zoom set to 18mm. The settings were 1/200th at f-7.1. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra... read more

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Posted by dstory on August 25, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Forrest fires in Central Oregon are a part of daily life," says Buck Heim. "This person takes a moment to notice just how close this burn is to town, while her teammates focus on marching their Outrigger to the banks of the Deschutes for an afternoon practice." "There’s not a lot to this shot other than grabbing my camera and firing. I stopped down the lens to get some depth and maybe get the shutter slow enough to pick up some motion." Buck captured this grab shot with his Nikon D200 and a 50mm lens. The settings were 1/80th... read more

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Posted by dstory on August 17, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Here's a genuine grab shot," says Steve Cooper. "I didn't have the camera with me and had to race home to get it, hoping that the car would still be looking just as lost as when I first spotted it. Fortunately that was the case." Steve used a Canon PowerShot Pro1 set to 1/100th at f-3.5. The focal length was 30.5 mm If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. And you can... read more

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Posted by dstory on August 10, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Berlin is Germany's largest melting pot, a place that became home to people from all over the world," says Jan Bölsche. "Each year in May, the city celebrates its cultural variety with the "Karneval der Kulturen" (Carnival of Cultures), which takes place in the streets of Kreuzberg, the district with the largest percentage of non-german inhabitants." "I managed to grab this shot using a 450mm equivalent tele lens in aperture priority mode. Having mounted such a long lens on my Sony Alpha 100 got me in trouble a few seconds later though, when a couple of beautiful dancers right... read more

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Posted by dstory on August 2, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Here's an old picture I have of my 4-year old son who was less than happy with being at church," said Joshua Buche." I've always liked this picture and thought it was a good candidate for a Grab Shot." "My wife took this on our Sony T1 point-and-shoot. I believe he had his elbows on his knees, which if was visible I think would have added to the shot, but the close up makes the picture work as well, IMO." If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us... read more

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Posted by dstory on July 27, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Got my first DSLR for Father's Day and have been quite trigger happy since," said Daniel Szecket. "It's a Nikon D80 with the 18-55mm lens. I took this picture in the car, on the road, on the way up to Canada to get my children back from the grandparents where they had been staying while we searched for houses in Pittsburgh." Daniel set his D80 to Aperture Priority (f-3.5) with an ISO of 100. He then loaded the image into Aperture and adjusted the contrast and saturation slightly to give it a bit more drama. If you have a... read more

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Posted by dstory on July 20, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I grabbed this shot, killing time, in the train with a wondurful mixture of cold window light and warm tungsten or halogen," said Chris Wesseling. "Wide open, aperture priority. Focussing so close gives you a lot of room to play with depth of field. Even though in color it's a pretty monochromatic image, I chose a toned B&W to lay even more emphasis on the softness of it all. The hanky, the slumber, the skin, the focus." If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot.... read more

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Posted by dstory on July 13, 2007 | Comments (1)

"Some friends and I were celebrating the 4th of July by exploring an abandoned gold mine here in Alaska," said Erik Halfacre. "The last man was a ways behind us and was carrying a 2 million candlepower spotlight. As I looked over my shoulder after exiting the mine I saw the way the light was illuminating the dense fog, so I set my camera down on the ground in shutter priority mode with the speed set to about 2 seconds and got this shot." And you nailed it nicely, Erik. Shutter priority mode is handy for these types of... read more

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Posted by dstory on July 6, 2007 | Comments (0)

"If a fly can be a grab shot, why not a cicada," says Doug Barnes. "These things are only around every 17 years. This was taken at a picnic in Wood Dale, IL. Just got a Canon PowerShot A630, and I recently started listening to your podcasts. I have downloaded all your past episodes and am playing catchup. I started out barely knowing anything about the finer aspects of photography and have gotten a lot of great tips so far." If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us... read more

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Posted by dstory on July 1, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Driving through a small town," said John Badgerow, "my wife firmly instructed me to drive around the block and get out my camera. No further instructions were necessary as to what to do next." John used a Canon PowerShot A80 in auto mode to capture this striking colorful shot. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.... read more

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Posted by dstory on June 24, 2007 | Comments (0)

"This photo was taken at a local park," said Michael Cortina. "I often watch my grandson on my days off and always take my Nikon D50 with me when we go. I am a newbie, but belong to a local camera club. I'm always trying new things to improve my technical skills as well as my creative eye." "For this shot, I tried to zoom in close and just watched him and he inspired this shot. I was aware of the time of day was not ideal for photography, and the focus wasn't as exact as I would have... read more

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Posted by dstory on June 12, 2007 | Comments (1)

"I had just gotten my Chapman Stick back from the manufacturer, and I was taking pictures to put on my blog," said Eric Knapp. I had a bunch of hot lights set up and was using my favorite lens, a Tamron 90mm macro, on my Pentax *ist DS. I was concentrating on the fret work when this fly landed nearby. All I had to do was loosen the tripod and swivel a little to the right to take this shot and a few like it. What are the odds of this happening? I couldn't believe my luck and just... read more

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Posted by dstory on June 7, 2007 | Comments (0)

"As I walked through Boston's Faneuil Hall Market Place today," said Greg West, "the gentleman who portrays Ben Franklin pulled a cell phone from his cloak and took a call. Whether it was Jefferson, Adams, or Hancock himself, the inopportune interruption was the Cingular costume flaw of this beloved character." Greg grabbed this shot using a Nikon D200, Nikkor 18-70mm AF-S at f/4.5, 1/320. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. Technorati... read more

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Posted by dstory on May 31, 2007 | Comments (1)

"I captured this shot a few months ago while taking my wife to work," said Lee Love. "I noticed it was very foggy, so I ran home, grabbed my camera, and went to the end of the street to capture this image." We'll have to coax the image data out of Lee since it was stripped out of the shot, but you gotta admit, this is a handsome landscape image. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an... read more

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Posted by dstory on May 24, 2007 | Comments (2)

"While walking through one of the universities in Hanoi (Vietnam), this women with incredibly long hair walked by," said David-Emil Wickstrom. "My vietnamese friends urged me to take a picture, so I did." David used a Nikon D70s in Aperture Priority mode, f/2.8 @ 1/1000th of a second. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story... read more

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Posted by dstory on May 18, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I found out about the fire in Griffith Park, California after it was well underway," said Joshua Targownik. "I grabbed all of my gear, which is always packed and charged, and went to the roof of my apartment building. I spend five hours, until well past sunset, shooting and simply looking at the fire, just a few miles away." "I wanted to capture the color, ferocity, and the size of it all. I waited like a hunter for moments when planes or helicopters flew near the flames. I specifically snapped this one in the middle of a sequence of... read more

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Posted by dstory on May 10, 2007 | Comments (1)

"We just got back from a day at the beach and Jacque was strolling around camp after her shower," said Buck Heim. "After a great day of taking purposeful pictures, my favorite shot of the day just sort of happened. This shot was also my runner-up for last month’s window to the soul photo assignment." Buck caught this grab shot of Jacque with a Nikon D200 using the popular 18-200mm VR zoom. The focal length was 170mm. Exposure was 1/20th @ f/8; ISO 100. Good example of how image stabilization can save a grab shot. Normally 1/20 would be... read more

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Posted by dstory on May 4, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I took this last November in Chicago on a rainy evening at Millennium Park," said Julianne Fishell. "I used a Canon 30D with the fab Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens. (ISO 1600, 1/60, f5.0)." "Thanks to your podcast on packing for a trip, I had a a ziploc bag in my camera bag, which I was using to keep my camera dry from the pouring rain. Thanks to you (again!), I've been using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for about a month now and have been rediscovering pictures that I never bothered to look at or process before, this image being one... read more

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Posted by dstory on April 25, 2007 | Comments (0)

"The pic shows Jakob, my elder son," says Paul Vanovertveld. "Spring is already everywhere and naturally the dandelions attracted him. I was lucky to get some good shots." Paul used a Canon 20D set to Aperture Priority mode (f-5.0), 1/200th sec., ISO 200, lens set to 105mm. And I think we should take a moment to celebrate our 100th Grab Shot. By all of you sharing your fine work, you've helped create a more interesting destination for all of our virtual camera club members. I'm going to think of some way to further acknowledge this, but for the time... read more

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Posted by dstory on April 18, 2007 | Comments (0)

"A friend and I went out shooting for fun one night," said Thomas M. Loftus. "This bridge, the Veteran's Memorial Bridge, crosses the Missouri River between Sioux City, IA and South Sioux City, NE, suddenly had a blazing backdrop. We were certainly in the right place at the right time. Some minor color adjustments were done and some distracting lights in the background cloned out." Thomas captured this glorious image with a Canon Rebel XT, kit 18-55mm Lens at 37mm, f/5, 1/15 sec., auto white balance. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at... read more

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Posted by dstory on April 13, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I took this whilst out at the Zoo with my little boy having a fun day out -- as well as looking for shots for this month's photo assignment," said Karl Gartland. "Originally, I was going to submit it for the Texture assignment, but finally decided it worked better as a grab shot. It's a photo of a Rhea who was busy grooming him/her self and not in the bit interested in the crowds of people walking by." Karl used a Canon EOS 400D (XTi) in Aperture Priority mode (5.6) at 160th of a second with the ISO set... read more

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Posted by dstory on April 8, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Here is a photo of my grandson receiving his birthday cake on his fourth birthday," said Rusty Rhodes. "I call it "Absolute Delight"." "It was taken with my Nikon D200 with an 18-200 VR at 24mm. 1/10 sec f/3.8 ISO 800. I'm usually pretty picky with the sharpness of my photo's, but this is one I wouldn't trade for 10 tack sharp pictures taken 10 seconds later. A "grab shot" indeed. I love this VR lens." If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If... read more

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Posted by dstory on April 1, 2007 | Comments (2)

"I saw this as I was riding north from Denver to Cheyenne on a strangely calm morning" said Mark Castleman. "It's a good reminder to keep your camera with you because you never know when you'll be in the right place at the right time." Mark used his Pentax K10D with a 100-300mm lens set to 185mm; f-9.5, 1/350th, at ISO 100 for this terrific grab shot. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom... read more

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Posted by dstory on March 21, 2007 | Comments (1)

"I was at the beach during sunset and walking around looking for interesting people (surfers, runners, kids, fishermen) to silhouette against the setting sun," said Gustavo Fernandez. "I walked by this local group of friends and immediately saw an opportunity. I took the first three images from a distance, and they looked like I was towering over them since the beach slopped upwards and I am 6ft tall. This was the fourth shot where I changed the perspective by getting lower and zooming out on my lens to fill the image with their silhouettes." Gustavo used a Canon 30D... read more

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Posted by dstory on March 15, 2007 | Comments (2)

"The eclipse was almost over as the moon rose over downtown Denver" said Mark Castleman. "This was taken from Lookout Mountain, just west of Golden, Colorado using a tripod." Mark set his Pentax K10D to ISO 100 (which is the right setting since his camera was on a tripod. The low ISO helped keep the noise in the sky to a minimum.) The exposure was 1/15th at f-5.6. Nice job, Mark! If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive... read more

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Posted by dstory on March 7, 2007 | Comments (0)

"This is the first photo I ever took with my Nikon D50," said Ken Larson. "I can't remember which lens I was using, but I was looking through my house for something to shoot and my girlfriend's cat, Grim, was sitting there and had just opened his eyes. The flash hit him just right." "This shot is cropped, but no other editing has been done. I've tried to get another shot like this ever since, but never again." If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab... read more

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Posted by dstory on March 1, 2007 | Comments (0)

"The little girl is waiting for her mom to get change so they can ride the carousel," says Victor Cenac-Mehedinti. "While she waits, she looks through the bars with anticipation!" Victor captured this image at the Santa Monica Pier with a Canon 5D, Canon EF 24-105 USM L. The ISO was set to 400, shutter speed was 1/100, and aperture was f-4. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. Technorati Tags: candid,... read more

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Posted by dstory on February 23, 2007 | Comments (0)

"Here's my cat having some fun with the USB end of my iPod cable," said Joe Rodricks. "This was taken with my Nikon D50 at f/22.0 with an exposure of 1/60 and a focal length of 80mm in direct sunlight. The cat is on an old wood sign that was turned into a coffee table with a thin sheet of Plexiglas on top, thus the reflection, which made the whole picture very bright." "While the cat chewing on the cord was impromptu, this was the result of my experimenting with such a bright setting. I'm pretty happy with the... read more

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Posted by dstory on February 18, 2007 | Comments (0)

"My niece was just leaving from visiting us before heading back to college," said Mark Gale. "As she walked out the door, I stopped her and said there was a beautiful photograph for her to take right behind her. She turned and didn't even see this hawk sitting on our fence until it flew. After my niece left, I grabbed my 30D with a 300 on it, and went to the back yard and crouched. The small birds came back in to the feeder, and I knew the harrier would try again. She dodged in and tried but the... read more

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Posted by dstory on February 13, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I live in a small apartment in New York City," said Shane Woodall. "This shot was taken with my Canon Digital Rebel XTi on Thanksgiving in my parent's back yard. It was the fist time my dog was able to run on the grass off his leash. As you can see, he rather enjoyed it." Shane set his Rebel XTi to 1/500 in Shutter Priority mode. ISO 100 and the focal length at 90mm. Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story Sponsor Note... You're Not Ken Burns -- But FotoMagico slideshows are so good that people... read more

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Posted by dstory on February 8, 2007 | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

"I recently purchased a Canon Rebel XTi (Merry Christmas to me!)," said Eric Simon, "but owing to the horrible weather here in Denver, I haven'’t had much of a chance to get outside and take pictures (and man am I itching to take pictures!). As a compromise, I’ve been bugging my family by taking pictures of them engaged in various activities (... they’re itching for me to get outside too!) This picture is of my two-year-old daughter, Makenzie, reading a magazine." "Her mom usually wears her glasses at night, and our daughter has picked up on this fact. Since... read more

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Posted by dstory on January 31, 2007 | Comments (0)

Cruelles de Ville: "Septegenarians peruse antiques in the market at the Cour Soleya, Nice," says Simon Saunders. "The furs, diamonds and crocodile- and snake-skin accessories are real, as is the blonde hair (although even that may not be their own). I followed these ladies and hid behind an arrangement of clothes to catch them with my Nikon 18-200mm." "The image screams luxury, and decadance, although what it doesn't convey completely is the warmth of the day; temperatures on the French Riviera in January can reach the high 60s, which is why it's such a popular destination for the wealthy... read more

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Posted by dstory on January 23, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I took this shot while walking along the river bank one Saturday afternoon," said Carlos Fernandez. "I noticed this cafe worker taking her smoke break on the river bank. She was oblivious to my presence which gave me time to frame up and grab the shot." Carlos captured with a Nikon D80 at F5.6, 1/125, ISO 200, auto white balance, and 135mm focal length. Then converted the image to black and white. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll... read more

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Posted by dstory on January 18, 2007 | Comments (0)

"I took this shot while waiting in line for the keynote address by Steve Jobs at Macworld Expo," said Kevin Miller. "I got in line at 4am for the 9am presentation. Many had arrived earlier than I, in order to get a spot at the keynote. This faithful follower took a break in the middle of the anticipation." Kevin captured this moment with a Canon 30D, 24-105mm f4.0 lens, f4.0, 1/125, ISO=800, Expodisc for custom white balance. If you want to see more pictures from Macworld related events, take a look at this gallery I've posted. Technorati Tags: digital... read more

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Posted by dstory on January 14, 2007 | Comments (1)

"Here is a shot that my wife captured of me and the kids celebrating after I opened the new 20” iMac," said Ernie Hagenow. "This was our family gift for Christmas. Our oldest son was so happy he had tears of joy." "The motion blur was recorded because this was the ninth shot in a row and the flash fell behind in recharging." "I look forward of going to the next level in my digital photography with the iMac and Aperture. My kids love Photo Booth, and as you see it in the background the M-Audio keyboard has been... read more

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Posted by dstory on January 4, 2007 | Comments (1)

It's true, there will be no podcast for this last week of 2006. But don't be sad, I'll have plenty of interesting posts on the web site to keep you busy. Plus, you still have a few days to finish up your photo assignment for December, pool of light. I'll be back on the air on Jan. 2 with a brand new podcast to kick off 2007. As for today's grab shot, it was captured by Christopher Thompson. He recorded this great image while taking pictures for friends. Here's what Christopher had to say about it... "I snapped this... read more

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Posted by dstory on December 25, 2006 | Comments (0)

The tradition is that Denver was the first city to embrace outdoor lighting in a big way, and the City & County Building is a wonderful example of this," says Mark Castleman. "It's become a holiday tradition to come down to see the lights, and there is often a line of cars, buses and carriages passing by on Bannock St at night." "I really wanted to get both the building and a feeling of the people coming down to see it, and that's why I did such a long exposure so that the cars (and carriages) going by would... read more

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Posted by dstory on December 24, 2006 | Comments (0)

"I was on the Huntington Beach Pier recently when I spotted this bird flying by with something in its mouth, so I grabbed a few shots," said Allen Rockwell. "When I got home, I was able to see that it was carrying a whole cracker and was being careful not to crush it." "It's shots like this that justify the cost of the Canon 100-400mm IS L lens!" Allen used a Canon EOS 30D, exposure set to 1/500th @ f/8, focal length: 350 mm, ISO: 100 If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at... read more

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Posted by dstory on December 13, 2006 | Comments (0)

"This came about during an early morning commute when, for a change, I decided to take the ferry across the Potomac River rather than the bridge," said Alan Bushnell. "As I was leaving home (in the dark), I noticed my camera bag next to the door and grabbed it just for kicks. I'd done that a few times before, but never got the chance to use it." When I arrived at the ferry, it was still quite dark and the combination of a recent snow with the water gave the whole river a nice low fog. I took this... read more

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Posted by dstory on December 8, 2006 | Comments (0)

"I woke up at 4 am one morning and couldn't get back to sleep," said Jeremey Barrett. "So I made my way to earliest-opening coffee shop here in town, which is on Sugar Land's town square, and took my camera bag and tripod. This was taken around 6:30 am, and I really liked the balance of light from the sun just coming up and all the Christmas lights." Jeremey used a Canon EOS 10D at ISO 100, set to 4 seconds at f-8. Since he was using a tripod, he was able to keep the ISO setting low thereby... read more

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Posted by dstory on December 6, 2006 | Comments (0)

"We were going on a cruise for spring break and had hired a limo to go from the airport to Long Beach," said Neil Martin. "We had time to spare, so the driver took us for a tour of L.A. and one stop was the Santa Monica pier. After walking the pier and loading back into the limo, I spotted this gentleman and grabbed the shot out the window." "I liked the color contrast between the Coke machine in the laundromat window and the Pepsi bottle on his bike. Back home, I used Photoshop Elements to isolate and intensify... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 30, 2006 | Comments (3)

"I captured this grab shot on a trip we took last September to Italy," said Nicole Wijnands. "We were in Venice just sitting down for a break. I looked back at the bridge and saw this guy relaxing in the sun. I knew I had to get the shot! I quickly got out my camera with the telezoom attached and got it." Nicole's Canon 350D was set to ISO 800 (she just got out of a museum), 1/4000 at f/10, focal length 200mm on Canon EF 75-300mm F/4-5.6 USM III If you have a candid you'd like to share,... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 28, 2006 | Comments (0)

"I recently went to the Detroit Zoo and had a chance to experience their new "Australian Outback" exhibit," said Brian C Davenport. "It's a pretty cool concept. Just you and the animals... no walls, no cages per se. You are in the exhibit with only a roped off path for you to follow. The animals come and go as they please and even stop to stare at the visitors. One even decided to take a little nap on the visitor path. This big fellow seemed interested in the big black "eye" I was pointing at him." Brian used a... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 22, 2006 | Comments (0)

"My son and I were canoeing around the islands at Charleston Lake Provincial Park," said Andre Campeau, "when we came up to this northern water snake basking in the morning sun." Andre used a Nikon D70 with a 55-200 Sigma zoom at ISO 200 to capture this wonderful grab shot. If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. If we publish it, you'll receive an ultra cool custom carabineer keychain. Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story Sponsor Note... You're Not Ken... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 17, 2006 | Comments (2)

At a recent live fire training for my fire department, we burned three old dilapidated barns for a farmer," said Wade Moline. "As senior training officer, it is my responsibility to ensure that firefighters are being trained to meet state and federal standards." "For later critique of these training exercises I take pictures of everything I can and the photos are great to incorporate into Keynote and present to the firefighters so that they can see what they did right and what they did wrong as well as use them for classroom training." "After this training session, I downloaded... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 14, 2006 | Comments (0)

"I was just returning to my car just after day break because the rain was getting harder," said Mark Gale. "I noticed a small bird fluttering through the bare branches of a bush. I stopped where I was and set down my tripod. I then hunkered down to see what the excitement was all about. Seconds later this hawk dove in and missed the bird who could move around in the smaller parts of the bush. Tired and not so happy that she missed breakfast, she sat on this fence post for a couple of seconds before the hunt... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 10, 2006 | Comments (0)

"I took my camera to the Naples Fort Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs, FL," said Paul Tomlinson. "I was attempting to get down low (per one of Derrick's podcasts) to get a different angle on the subjects. I was dismayed that many of the images were out of focus, but darn it if these athletes aren't tremendously fast." Paul captured this shot with a Fuji S2 Pro using the Nikkor 80-200mm F2.8 at 200mm, F4, and 1/750 at ISO 100. As an aside (from Paul), if you have an interest in adopting a retired athlete, please visit: www.naplesfortmyersdogs.com/adopt.html... read more

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Posted by dstory on November 5, 2006 | Comments (2)

"The juxtaposition of the two sets of people struck me as a photo op," said Landon Michaelson. "White collar and blue collar. The bird added the final touch." "The couple stopped here briefly, as did I, then the moment was gone." Landon used a Nikon D200 with a 85mm 1.8 at f/4, and a polarizer and ND filter to keep shutter speeds in check in the bright sunlight, as he was shooting wide open for awhile. The shutter speed was 1/50 second. Landon thought f/2 was too shallow and would lose the fishermen, so he switched to f/4 and... read more

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Posted by dstory on October 28, 2006 | Comments (0)

"My wife has always wanted to see where the Woodstock Festival was held," said Jim Stocking. "The two of us, along with my brother and his wife and daughter, made a pilgrimage out there on a day that began as rainy and overcast. By the time we got there, however, the sun was breaking through and we saw a beautiful rainbow." "I took the picture with my Canon S80 using program mode with white balance set to cloudy, then I checked the histogram to make sure the exposure did not clip at either end. I used the Curves adjustment... read more

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Posted by dstory on October 25, 2006 | Comments (2)