Benjamin Smith Photography

flickr gadget for google wave

So I got an invite to <a href="https://wave.google.com" target="_google">Google Wave</a> last week. It was pretty fun to play around with the latest and greatest toy from google, but the novelty quickly wore off. After everyone realized they were using it like a chatroom + wiki, I think we all got bored. When I was first invited, everyone was adding and editing waves… now no one I know is still using it. ANYWAYS… during the first few hours of being excited about Google Wave, I decided to write a “Gadget” which would embed a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/" target="_flickr">Flickr</a> user’s latest images into a Wave. It was super easy to write. Gadgets are basically JavaScript and HTML wrapped in some XML. So whipping up a Rails app that fetched Flickr images via the Flickr API and rendered some HTML to display them was cake. I deployed the Rails app/Gadget to heroku… check it out here: <a href="http://flickr-wave.heroku.com/" target="_gadget">http://flickr-wave.heroku.com/</a> There seems to be some bugs, for some reason after embedding the Gadget and reloading the wave SOMETIMES it won’t load the Gadget. I don’t know why… and I probably won’t worry about fixing it unless I start getting excited about Google Wave again. Ohh well, check out the source here: <a href="http://github.com/benjaminleesmith/Flickr-Wave" target="_gadget">http://github.com/benjaminleesmith/Flickr-Wave</a>

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climbing photos: blue skies and happy faces

Taking climbing photos can be frustrating to say the least. Anyone who’s taken a few climbing pictures has probably noticed that either the climber’s face turns out very dark, or the sky in the background turns completely white. This balance of getting the correct exposure of the climber without blowing out the background is tricky. Here’s some examples of each extreme: What happened to that nice blue sky?… <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3839863717/" title="clear creek deep water soloing by benjamin.smith, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/3839863717_4bdbf7bfcc_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="clear creek deep water soloing" /></a> Sorry Eddie, your face looks like it was consumed by a black hole… <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3984874028/" title="groom creek campout 2009 by benjamin.smith, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3984874028_bf35fa893e_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="groom creek campout 2009" /></a> So what do you do? Well… usually I adjust my exposure so you can see the climber, maybe slightly under exposed. Then I’ll do my best to crop as much of the over exposed sections out later. Like so… <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3984861522/" title="groom creek campout 2009 by benjamin.smith, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/3984861522_c3289990d6_b.jpg" width="1024" height="954" alt="groom creek campout 2009" /></a> It’s not horrible, but it’s not great either. A better solution is to expose the photo for the background, then add a flash into the mix to light up the climber. I’ve just started doing this with limited success so far: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3984863348/" title="groom creek campout 2009 by benjamin.smith, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2576/3984863348_4c8116f2e2_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="groom creek campout 2009" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3984865342/" title="groom creek campout 2009 by benjamin.smith, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2652/3984865342_8029363cd1_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="groom creek campout 2009" /></a> It’s not wonderful yet, but it’s getting there.

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climb for a cause

<table style="width:auto;"> <tr> <td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Jr6VMbVKQw4dqEC618nQqA?feat=embedwebsite" target="_pi"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_m1FTfX8GeeI/Sr5AGIq0zKI/AAAAAAAAAVI/r6Ra6t-8BZ0/s800/poster.jpg" width="500"/></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/benjamin.lee.smith/Events?feat=embedwebsite">events</a></td> </tr> </table> Tonight, from 7-10 a group of ASU Interior Design student will be holding an event to raise money for victims of domestic violence. It’s a climbing event held at the Phoenix Rock Gym. It should be a fun. I’ll be there taking pictures, and a friend of mine will be DJ’ing. If you’re looking for something to do tonight and you want to boost your karma points, you should stop by. Here’s more details: Climb for a Cause!!! Rock climb for Chairity as your complete entrance fee will raise money for victims of domestic violence! 4th year Interior Design students at Arizona State University: - create a chair that encompasses the mission of The Family Advocacy Center while promoting awareness of domestic violence - builds a chair that is inspired by an artist or artistic movement - raise money or use donated supplies/services to build the chair The chairs will be auctioned off in Spring 2010 at the annual CHAIRity gala where all proceeds benefit The City of Phoenix Family Advocacy Center The chairs will be auctioned off in Spring 2010 at the annual CHAIRity gala where all proceeds benefit The City of Phoenix Family Advocacy Center September 26th 7pm – 10pm Phoenix Rock Gym 1353 E. University Dr. Tempe, AZ 85281 only $ 5 without gear $ 10 with rental gear Cash or Check accepted only Enter raffle and win! For more information contact Elena Reiche 602.460.6704 or email ejreiche@asu.edu

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opteka professional wrist grip strap review

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3723235671/" title="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (2) by benjamin.smith, on Flickr" target="_fr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2640/3723235671_4ec8b83b35_b.jpg" width="500" alt="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (2)" /></a> I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00166EUI0" target="_am">this strap</a> to use with my 40D. I was shooting a lot of bouldering competitions and was playing with holding a remote flash in one hand and the camera with the other. I got some great shots, but the trouble was, I couldn’t really operate the camera with one hand. For example, after shooting a couple of frames, I would want to switch to playback mode and review the images. I found I couldn’t press the “play” button with the hand holding the camera. So I was left juggling the camera and the flash. I thought that with this strap, I would be able to completely hold and operate the camera with one hand. Unfortunately when you have your hand in the strap and the camera is completely hanging off one hand, you CANNOT reach any of the buttons. You can BARELY reach the shutter release button. The problem is the camera hangs down, leaving your thumb way above any of the buttons. If you want to press any of the buttons on the camera, you need to hold it with your other hand. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3723236907/" title="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (6) by benjamin.smith, on Flickr" target="_fr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2661/3723236907_5ec173c48a_b.jpg" width="500" alt="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (6)" /></a> As you can see, none of my fingers are anywhere close to the buttons they need to reach! The only way to use the camera, is the same way you would with any other strap: hold the grip, and use both hands. Once I came to the realization that this strap was nothing special, I immediately removed it and went back to using the stock strap that came with the camera <img src='http://disjointthoughts.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif' alt=':(' class='wp-smiley' /> Here’s some more pictures for anyone who’s interested: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3724046138/" title="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (5) by benjamin.smith, on Flickr" target="_fr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2619/3724046138_a9deb5be64_b.jpg" width="500" alt="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (5)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3724045694/" title="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (4) by benjamin.smith, on Flickr" target="_fr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3450/3724045694_106e52fc28_b.jpg" width="500" alt="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (4)" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminsmith/3724045442/" title="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (3) by benjamin.smith, on Flickr" target="_fr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2516/3724045442_f71bda3481_b.jpg" width="500" alt="Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap (3)" /></a>

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blackrapid r-strap model differences

I just purchased a BlackRapid R-Strap for my 40D (review will be forthcoming). When searching for a place to purchase the R-Strap, I found that most places online were sold out of the RS-4 which I stupidly assumed was the latest, greatest and best version of the R-Strap. It wasn’t until I looked at <a href="http://www.ephotocraft.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=BlackRapidRS-1">ePhotoCraft’s description of the R-Strap</a> that I actually learned the differences between the different models of R-Straps: <blockquote> “The difference between the RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RS-4 straps: * RS-1: Black fabric, slim design, no storage pockets. * RS-2: Black fabric, Front flap opens and has a zippered pocket on the inside for storing small things like memory cards. Front external pocket is good for smaller cell phones (not compatible with Iphones or PDAs). * RS-3: Camouflage Ripstop fabric, Front external pocket is good for smaller cell phones (not compatible with Iphones or PDAs). Does not have flap that opens like the RS2. * RS-4: Black fabric, front zippered pocket for storing small things like memory cards or business cards Sizing: The R-Strap is very adjustable. RS-1 & RS-4: 60″ (30″ from top of left shoulder to right hip). The max circumference of the RS-2 & RS-3: 72″ (36″ across torso top of left should to right hip bone.” </blockquote> I ended up getting the no-frills RS-1.

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