Work in progress (...)

The Internet is for...

2010-07-13T00:31:00.002+01:00

Just finished reading a new photography-related free online magazine's 1st number, whose link I found through a self-promo private message on Twitter.
I have to admit, after reading the title, slogan, and "letter from the editor" I had really high expectations for what I though would take me some 30 mins to read.
Unfortunately, and even though I recognise the effort that goes into putting together something like this, what I found was a great deal of misleading, sometimes contradictory, and often plain wrong information being passed out to unsuspecting readers. Don't get me wrong, I have found some tidbits of decent information in it, but even those were mostly common sense.
Even though my attention levels were going downhill fast with every page I scrolled through, the articles whose titles had grabbed my attention were still to come, so I stuck with it only to find things were going downhill even faster than my attention span...

The title for the 1st article I wanted to read promised the reader how to "Master the Nikon D90", my current camera of choice, "like a Pro". I've owned this camera for 1,5 years now, and after reading Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D90 and using it as a daily reference for a great deal of that time, I consider myself to know it pretty well by now but I'm always open to read someone else's view on it. After all, there's always something new to learn from everyone.
Anyway, back to the article. To say the title is misleading is a very mild understatement... what I found made me go back to their website and post the below comment in the respective section:

Filipe M.July 13, 2010 at 8:25 am
Hi,
I’ve just read this chapter in the magazine, and even though I feel there’s a good effort being done there, in my opinion there is some misleading and contradictory information being given:
- in the tip section: setting the rear command dial to change ISO. This will only work in Aperture Priority mode. In Shutter Priority, Manual and Program mode, the rear command dial will change shutter speed, and ISO will be changed by the front command dial (except in M, where it changes aperture). This can (and will) be a source for confusion.
- setting exposure compensation to -0.3 to increase contrast: I’m sorry but I don’t even know where to begin with this one! Underexposing, for a given situation, might give you more saturated colours, but it doesn’t change contrast. It just shifts the tones down in the tonal range (and it might help the matrix metering in the situations where it might be blowing highlight details).
As for the negative points about the camera:
- the very annoying auto-focus assist illuminator can be turned off;
- the built-in flash can be used to trigger off-camera flashes, so it’s not completely useless;
- in over 3 years of shooting with DLSRs I’ve never lost a single photograph to “unreliable SD cards” (maybe because I am quite careful with the cards I buy and use);
- the “12 bit sensor”… the sensor is not “12 bits”, it’s actually based on the used in the D300 and D300s. The files it produces, on the other hand, are 12 bit, but comparing the results to an old Xerox machine or 16 colour monitors is just plain wrong.
Lastly, I feel like using a section called “Mastering D90 like a pro” is really not the best place to advertise your book, but I understand a free magazine has to pay for itself somehow.
I’m really sorry for sounding so negative, as I really appreciate the effort you’ve clearly put into this free magazine. I do hope you take this as constructive criticism.
Best,
Filipe

(As of 2010-07-13, 00h30, the comment is still awaiting moderation (the discrepancy in hour in the transcription comes from the 9 hour time zone difference). The other 9 comments on the page are all tweets with links to the same article.)

Oh well, I guess learning the shortcuts to formatting your memory cards and resetting the camera are part of the "like a Pro" thing...

And when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I reached the other article I wanted to read. Book recommendations. Let's just say that writing

"Scott Kelby and Joe McNally are selling their books using their fame and the control of online media they have. These books hardly contain and useful information (...)"

effectively slating two of the most acclaimed photography related book writers in the world in one go, promptly followed by a full review and praise of the editor's own book (already mentioned time and time again in the magazine, even though the words "normally we don't do a lot of self-promotion on this magazine" appear somewhere in the text...) is not the best way to earn respect in the photographic community. I guess it's just an opinion. A shameful one, in my own opinion. And I'm really sorry, but I'm not even going to advertise it for free by posting a link (10 secs on google will find it if you really want to, though!).

Update: 10 hours later, my comment has not been accepted. The other 9 self-promoting tweets are still there, though... Mmm...

Purple #1

2010-02-16T17:31:00.002Z

F100

2010-02-05T12:35:00.002Z

PunkDuck #2

2010-02-03T00:57:00.008Z

Autumn Colours #1

2009-12-07T16:31:00.004Z

Freeriding

2009-11-12T17:06:00.003Z

Sorria, está na Maia!

2009-11-10T15:42:00.002Z

...mas tenha cuidado com os pés...

Streetscapes #8

2009-11-08T22:48:00.001Z

Street furniture #10

2009-11-08T22:34:00.002Z

Meet Animal!

2009-11-02T23:48:00.001Z

Meet Punk Duck!

2009-11-02T11:55:00.000Z

Good things come to those who wait...

2009-10-27T18:23:00.002Z

When I grow up... #3

2009-10-25T12:15:00.001Z

Set in stone #2

2009-09-25T18:47:00.001+01:00

Blue post #1

2009-09-25T18:26:00.001+01:00

Soft focus #2

2009-09-25T17:23:00.001+01:00

Set in stone #1

2009-09-11T19:16:00.004+01:00

Waterscapes #13

2009-09-10T12:49:00.006+01:00

...

2009-07-09T14:30:00.005+01:00

Waterscapes #12

2009-07-08T11:53:00.002+01:00

Things #3

2009-07-08T11:22:00.003+01:00

Moonscapes #1

2009-07-08T11:05:00.001+01:00

Street furniture #9

2009-05-07T14:23:00.001+01:00

Waterscapes #11

2009-04-27T13:38:00.001+01:00

Waterscapes #10

2009-04-19T21:14:00.001+01:00

Waterscapes #9

2009-04-19T21:10:00.003+01:00

Waterscapes #8

2009-04-19T21:10:00.002+01:00

Not so wild life #15

2009-04-19T20:57:00.000+01:00

Streetscapes #7

2009-04-19T20:54:00.000+01:00

Not so wild life #14

2009-04-19T20:00:00.002+01:00

Streetscapes #6

2009-04-18T23:41:00.000+01:00

(...)

2009-04-18T23:07:00.002+01:00

Streetscapes #5

2009-04-18T23:05:00.001+01:00

Viewpoints #1

2009-04-14T21:54:00.001+01:00

Here's a picture of my foot! #1

2009-04-01T19:50:00.000+01:00

Colourscapes #3

2009-03-31T16:40:00.005+01:00

Street furniture #8

2009-03-27T12:41:00.001Z

Streetscapes #4

2009-03-12T18:01:00.003Z

Colourscapes #2

2009-03-12T17:57:00.002Z

Far beyond the sun #1

2009-03-12T17:26:00.000Z

Another link in the chain... (actualizado em 2009.03.12)

2009-02-21T12:44:00.022Z

Indiciado pelo Pedro Aniceto a continuar a corrente, e apesar de a minha mãe sempre me ter dito que mentir é feio, aqui vai:

(regras: 6 são verdade, 3 são mentira, os indiciados por mim terão que tentar descobrir quais são quais).

1 - Já fui arrastado debaixo de uma escada móvel num espectáculo de variedades Russo. - Verdade. Expo'98, os gajos estavam com pressa...
2 - Já acabei uma noite de passagem de ano dentro de um carro-patrulha da PSP. - Verdade. Shit happens! ;)
3 - Tenho vertigens. - Verdade. Tenho mesmo!
4 - Adoro voar. - Verdade. Pois, eu sei, não bate certo com a 3, mas é mesmo isso!
5 - Já percorri mais de 15.000 kms de bicicleta. - Verdade. Bons velhos tempos em que fazer só 500 kms num mês era mau sinal...
6 - Nunca deixei cair uma mota numa bomba de gasolina. - Mentira. Malditas poças de gasóleo no chão...
7 - Já caí para o lado, de bicicleta, parado, em frente a uma paragem de autocarro cheia de gente em hora de ponta. - Verdade. A culpa foi dos pedais!!!
8 - Tenho uma paixão secreta pelo iPhone. - Mentira. É melhor nem comentar...
9 - Sou completamente inútil na cozinha, não sabendo sequer estrelar um ovo. - Mentira. Para além de saber lavar a loiça (ah pois, também conta!!!), há quem diga que também sei cozinha uma coisa ou outra...

E os nomeados para a categoria de melhor mentiroso são:

382u
Blimunda Sete Luas
Ana Amil
Daniel (ora gaita, já vamos tarde...)
Paulo M.
Patrícia Lousinha (voltei a chegar tarde...)
Sr. Dr. Pestinha
Pirralha
r.

Vá, agora desenrasquem-se (e mintam vocês também!).

Glass painting #1

2009-02-20T23:32:00.001Z

Para bom entendedor...

2009-02-02T16:13:00.002Z

Streetscapes #3

2009-01-31T21:32:00.001Z

Finalmente, a explicação...

2008-12-23T23:33:00.001Z

2008-11-07T23:36:00.001Z

Colourscapes #1

2008-11-03T11:50:00.000Z

Futurescapes #1

2008-10-31T22:33:00.000Z

Waterscapes #7

2008-10-31T22:32:00.002Z

Streetscapes #2

2008-10-20T00:16:00.002+01:00

Waterscapes #6

2008-10-18T22:11:00.001+01:00

Waterscapes #5

2008-10-14T23:24:00.001+01:00

Waterscapes #4

2008-10-11T21:32:00.002+01:00

2008-10-10T11:41:00.001+01:00

Q: What is the one thing Wall St and the Olympics have in common?
A: Synchronised diving.

Things #2

2008-10-06T00:49:00.002+01:00

Things #1

2008-10-06T00:15:00.003+01:00

Not so wild life #13

2008-10-05T23:54:00.001+01:00

Waterscapes #3

2008-10-04T21:28:00.001+01:00

Self portrait #2

2008-09-30T13:48:00.000+01:00

Mens (in)sana in corpore... pois.

2008-09-26T23:47:00.004+01:00

Foto: Lara Lacerda

Translation necessária, s'il vous plait?

2008-09-26T10:33:00.004+01:00

"Ja vi ke n krx a minha ajuda ahp ok"

"Bom dia entao,ja flxt km ela?km tao as coixax? Xe ja o fizex-te dz para eu te fzr o ke td dixe"

"Ok eu karrego-te km 10 e dps se flrs km ela e se as coisas ficarem bem eu karrego km mais 10"

... será isto o famoso acordo ortográfico?

adenda:

"Ja te karreguei se flrs km ela lg karrego o resto"

dúvida ética: será k dvo avsr xta pobr alma k tm o nmr errado?

Streetscapes #1

2008-09-25T16:36:00.004+01:00

Beyond words...

2008-09-23T14:48:00.001+01:00

Bobby McFerrin & Richard Bona

Sim, é um repost de outra coisa qualquer, mas hoje deu-me para isto...

You will never be forgotten.

2008-09-16T12:41:00.004+01:00

Richard William Wright (28 July 1943 - 15 September 2008).

Self portrait #1

2008-09-14T20:07:00.003+01:00

Street furniture #7

2008-09-11T16:05:00.001+01:00

Flying in a green dream

2008-09-08T12:54:00.001+01:00

Dreaming #1

2008-09-08T12:36:00.003+01:00

Curriculum para o novo ano lectivo.

2008-09-05T17:23:00.001+01:00

...to burn a crown that has a name...

2008-08-27T13:26:00.002+01:00

Live, "Selling the drama".

Timeless...

2008-08-26T14:51:00.000+01:00

Details #1

2008-08-26T13:06:00.001+01:00

Postcard #1

2008-08-24T21:24:00.002+01:00

2008-08-24T21:23:00.001+01:00

Pois, voltei...

2008-08-16T17:36:00.001+01:00

Lost and found #1

2008-08-14T23:31:00.000+01:00

Not so wildlife #12

2008-08-11T20:44:00.002+01:00

Rural furniture #1

2008-08-04T11:50:00.002+01:00

Cais de Gaia II - The Raiders of the Lost Pillar

2008-07-28T21:59:00.003+01:00

Mas desta vez sem estragar o poste...

Gone solo #3

2008-07-22T19:31:00.004+01:00

Gone solo #2

2008-07-21T14:20:00.002+01:00

Gone solo #1

2008-07-20T22:24:00.002+01:00

... blame it on me...

2008-07-17T11:08:00.001+01:00

Dream Theater, "Sugar mice" (Marillion cover).

Not so wild life #11

2008-07-13T22:20:00.002+01:00

Começo a ficar realmente lixado com a compressão jpeg...

If you could keep me floating...

2008-07-13T18:50:00.003+01:00

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, "Jimi Thing".

Stone cold #2

2008-07-12T21:48:00.003+01:00

Stone cold #1

2008-07-12T21:46:00.001+01:00

Street Furniture #6

2008-07-12T12:59:00.005+01:00

Shit happens #1 (and hopefuly the last...)

2008-06-29T15:47:00.005+01:00

Bumper sticker #2

2008-06-26T12:18:00.001+01:00

"No one is listening until you fart."

Akordu Ortugráfiku #1

2008-06-26T02:03:00.002+01:00

Waterscapes #2

2008-06-25T21:25:00.003+01:00

Waterscapes #1

2008-06-25T21:12:00.001+01:00

Not so wild life #10

2008-06-25T21:03:00.002+01:00

Not so wild life #6 - revisited

2008-06-24T16:37:00.002+01:00

When I grow up... #2

2008-06-24T16:06:00.001+01:00

2008-06-23T23:19:00.003+01:00

Sim, eu sei que é S. João, mas já podiam meter a merda dos petardos num certo sítio... f*da-se!

Not so wild life #9

2008-06-21T22:43:00.001+01:00

Not so wild life #8

2008-06-21T22:40:00.002+01:00

Not so wild life #7

2008-06-21T22:31:00.001+01:00