Picture This!

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D300, 18-200VR lens, 1/50 sec, f/29, ISO 400

Daisy out on a hike with Hewey, Louie and Dewey.

What a difference three years make when I put out my first Christmas buying guide on the Picture This! Photoblog. Used to be Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States), was the only time you could get amazing deals on everything from apparel to electronics. Now, retailers are putting out door buster deals throughout the month of November. Not to be left out, online retailers like Amazon and Dell have jumped in. This all makes for a great time of year to be looking for a new dSLR camera and accessories.

Books. In this age of the Internet, it seems funny to be recommending books each year. Photography books are hot sellers as digital photography grows each year. I do a lot of online research but a book is still a great way to become engrossed in a subject without distractions and when being online is not possible.

Scott Kelby released his third Digital Photography Book for those who already have the first two books. If you don't have these books or know a phtographer in your life, there's a new three volume box set available. These books, in short, concise one page per subject format, gives great tips and tricks to get the results of professional photographers. The books are easy to pack and carry, too.

As you know, I am a big fan of Joe McNally. His book, The Moment It Clicks, was a huge success and has inspired me in my quest to find special moments in my photography. This year, Joe came out with a book on using off-camera speedlight flashes. These flashes are a big mystery to most of us. Though it does focus on Nikon cameras and flashes, The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes, is another book to inspire you to learn how to use these speedlights in new and creative ways.

A book released earlier this year which I have not been able to read is Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision by David DuChemin. It's been getting excellent reviews and is on my Wish List this year.

For more book recommendations from Barrie, Lisa and I, visit the AllEars Amazon Photography Book Store.

Each year I recommend some cool stuff for us dSLR photographers, this year I'm going to do it by using links to past articles which have links to the products I mention in them. Ready? Here we go!

If you are still using the kit lens or lenses that came with your camera, I recommend picking up a Nifty-Fifty which is a 50mm, f/1.8 prime lens. These lenses are great for learning how to use and control our cameras. Not to mention their value in getting dark ride photos at Disney and other themeparks. Another new lens from Nikon is the 35mm f/1.8 for DX (cropped) cameras which gives a more normal focal length.

One of the best lenses I have purchased in the past year was the Tokina 11-16mm Ultra Wide Angle. It has brought a whole new way I look at things at Disney and elsewhere.

If you are ready to do some serious night and low-light photography, a tripod is a must and I showed you how to plan for using one at Walt Disney World earlier this year.

To see the rest of our recommendations for photographic accessories, go to the All Ears Accessories Store.

I checked and all the links from my previous Christmas Gift Guides still work and will give you more great ideas for your photography gift giving needs.

1st dSLR Christmas Gift Giving Guide

2nd Annual dSLR Christmas Gift Giving Guide

Go luck if you venture out for Black Friday next week!

Last week I posted that I wouldn't have a blog for you this week. I'm still dealing with computer issues so I pulled up an old blog of mine from September 2007. Since we do get new readers and reminders are welcome, I thought this was worth re-posting. Enjoy the saga.

Sit back, relax, and pay close attention as this a true story.

It was a damp and dark night with the fog rolling in from the Atlantic coastline. In the distance, a shrieking owl and the rattling of chains echo in moonlight. Then all of a sudden,

Wait, wait, wait, that's the wrong story. Sorry folks. I left the computer for a few minutes and my cat got ahold of the keyboard.

A woman came into my work today with her Kodak Easyshare C653 wanting to print out her photos. We inserted the SD card into the computer and it said she had 20 photos on her card. She shook her head and told me she had LOTS of photos and she'd taken them recently. Alright, they are probably stored in the camera's internal memory. I put the SD card back into her camera and copied them from the camera to the memory card.

By doing a quick calculation in my head, I guessed the monitor would now show a total of 30 photos, give or take. I reloaded her card into the monitor and it showed a new total of 72 photos! If I was a cartoon character, my eyes would have bugged out, my jaw would have hit the floor and I would have left a mark on my forehead for smacking it too hard. Why, you ask. Because you see my friends, in order to get that many photos into 32 MB of internal memory, you have to reduce the megapixels to next to nothing.

What does this mean? It means that the photos she took of her grandkids weren't going to make good prints because they were shot a 1 MP. That's right, just 1 million pixels.

What happened when she tried to print her photos? The computer gave her a warning that said her file size was too small to get a decent 4x6 print. In bolder terms, the kids are going to look like they're made out of Legos or if they're toddlers, Duplos.

How does this happen? It's quite simple. Someone lowered the quality level on her camera. Many pepople do this so they can get more photos on the memory card, understandably. However, they're usually not aware of the impending results. I see this happen all too often. Dads who kick themselves and friends who are saddened all by the fact that their great shot won't make a great gift.

How can I get more photos on my memory card? The larger the card, the more photos it will store. The more megapixels in your camera, the larger the file sizes. Today's cameras average 8 MP and either come with a 32MB or 64MB (megabyte) card or internal memory of the same size. That's around 8 photos at the highest resolution. Be good to yourself and get a memory card that is no less than 512MB. That will hold around 160 photos on a 7 or 8 MP camera. To double that amount, you'll want a 1GB (gigabyte) card. We'll go over memory cards in more detail in a future edition of Light Meter.

The best advice I can give you is to always shoot at the highest resolution your camera has. If you have a 6 MP camera, set it to 6 MP. It may also offer a quality level showing a number of stars. Choose the most stars. This way, you'll never have to worry about changing the settings and if you can make that enormous poster of your hubby dressed as the Tooth Fairy for his surprise 40th birthday party.

Camp Minnie-Mickey is situated in New York State's Adirondack Mountains and Disney Imagineers have done a good job depicting the woodsie feel from that location. I spent many days hiking, camping and photographing around the Adirondacks while growing up in nearby Syracuse. However, there's one thing you will not find in New York's Adirondacks that you will find in Disney's: Character Greeting Trails! Nor will you find Ranger Donald Duck high up in a fire tower on Whiteface Mountain but he is my Disney Pic of the Week for Camp Minnie-Mickey.

Ranger Donald Duck posing with guests at Camp Minnie-Mickey.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/5.3, 280 ISO, +0.3 EV, 90mm Focal Length, Flash Used

Barrie will be here later this week with a photo from Camp Minnie-Mickey. Lisa is experiencing computer trouble and will not be able to post this week.

This was Challenge #109:

And here's the answer:

Copyright © 2009 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR, 1/100s shutter, f/8

It’s always “that time of year” on the Streets of America with a snowman that never melts. You’ll find this jolly guy outside It’s a Wonderful Shop in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, near Mama Melrose’s. Seems this is a very popular photo spot. Several of you commented that this is where you take pictures of your growing children on every visit. Several others mentioned that they have used this as their Christmas card.

Ken Gravitt was the first to send in the correct answer for the challenge! Congratulations to Ken and all the other readers who got the answer right: Jen Snapp, Sharon Lee, Tommy Carty, Theresa Rucando, Pollyanna Buff, Mark Swayze, Mary Beth Tarbet, Dale Knight, Todd Ritter, Marc Acosta, James Berry, Irene Kleintop, Kathy Berry, Sharon Pierce, Heidi Summers, Leigh Mertz, Roseann Brent, Caryn Schill, Ed Nawrocki, Lee Anastasi, Chloe, Stephanie Visco, Emma Poprock, Paul Cooper, Ashley Hill, Sherry Klinefelter, Jill Hiers, Kathryn Perkins, Linda Mac, Maryann Eckenrode, Jamie Kelly, Kris Nixon, Beth Mcmeekin, Courtney Marlowe, Sarah Smee, Emily Currier, Sue Mcdonald, Double Family, Sharon Dale, Karen Adamakis, Joy Johnston, Melissa Jennings, Mary Brennan, Brian Haas, Tim Johansen, Tom Koval, Scott Otis, Mckinley Yeaman, Frank F. Fincken Iii, Wendy And Marina Crober, Alissa Ammons, Pat W., Diane Furtado, Brian Miller, Kelley Lord, Darlene Harmon, Baines Family, Kristen Mccoy, Ronnie Lane, Annette Nuenke, Jason Skow, Tracy Sinatra, Mike Timmer, Brittany Siminitz, Michele Delorenzo, Michael Jamison, Lin Fales, Sarah Haas, Deb Staples, Stacey Hutchinson, Tiago And Rocco De Oliveira, T.j. Valentine, Christie Condit, Brian Yesutis, Kim Meyer, Tim Wingfield, Jane Bradley, Ashley Salters, Duane Wisniewski, Michael Utesch, Russ Morgan, Debbie Hudson, Alicia Henderson, Bob Kourofsky, Jessica Deans, Brenda Mcguire, Christine Lograno-weinstein, Sheilah Smith, Regina Shuster, Debbie Austin, Kathy Wong, Yulady Rodriguez, Regina Baker, Greg Gallo, Barbara Cerimele, Lori Fein, Heather Melito-dezan, Nadine Kuntz, Julie Eurich, Nik Morley, Scott Junkin, Mary Jane Keeble, Tom Hicks, Carol Baranowsky, Dara Giannotti, Suzanne Samse, Doug Brigger, Diane Boorum, Valerie Beals, Dave Soto, Natalie Ashton, Mary Butler, Judy Terrell, Mary Lynn Ranger, Betty Jo Howell, Michelle Stuck, Alison Rosenberger, Lesley Laplant, Susan Feeback, Charles Wright, Diane Welch, Tricia Noble, Margot Garofalo, April Ramey, Ellie Argaluza, Mercedes Cluck, Linda Scrivano, Kathleen Batchelder, J Brizzle, Janice Dion, Norm Balko, Ken Fischler, Linda Wigginton, Brandon Emerson, Julie Bridges, Judy Davies, Joni Januszewski, Matt Degrandis, Chad Ryan, Ruth Amaio, Andrew Gump, Cindy Hershey, Allie Laguardia, Molly Laspada, Tim Rachuba, Eric Enli, Laura Carter, Sarah Connors, Maria Alessi, Kim Requa, Debbie Hicks, Pam Vanaustin, Mike Schelfhaut, Marietta Falk, Jen Marx, Mike Gillardi, Nicole Lauzon, Joan, Mickey Eckert, Alison Mccrum, Teresa Cole, Laura Barnes, Loretta Reed, Jill Bent, Sandy Hamel, Carolyn Poirier, Lisa Mckenzie, Evelyn, Curtis Bille, Kendra, Elaine Tomko-deluca, Kurt Knappman, Lauren Russell, Kelly Zanauskas, Shane Stack, Robin Holcomb, James Greene, Glenn Meyer, Sandy Hunt, Carri Marotto, Cheri Mccoy, Michael Smith, Suzanne Kennedy, Linda, Amanda M., Amy Music, Jeremy Reichelt, Robin Mcconnell, Jay Reagan, Robert Anderson , Steve Lenkel, Laurie, Nicholas Gonzalez, Linda Reynolds, Brendan Abel, Jillian Domings, Debra Soley, Kirsten Stark, Cindy Ferenburg, Heather Courtney, Lorne Harris, Amie Mattson, Rochelle Moser, Stacey Cangemi, Charity Maas, Amie Mumpower, Betty Rozum, Craig Canady, Ken Jackso, Bonnie Ford, Jay Bradfod, Noreen Rachuba, Jen Norris, Tammy Mcenturff, Dionne Chamoun, Steve Pocopanni, Amanda Diresta, Jim, Allison Newman, Donna Mcguire , Matt And Danielle Murgia, Maureen Hanlon, Lynn Barber, Joanna, Emily Dagney, Sharon Leitgeb, Liz Moreau, Katie Wetzel, Bridgie Auckland, Mike Graham, Alicia Roth, Dominic Cooper, Mike Zendler, Mike Zendler, Mike Graham, Crissy Wertz, Christopher Barnes, Janice Broussard, Veronica Schreyer, James Hickey, Carol Donoghue, Terri Thornton, Angela Haire, Vanessa Gordon, Lisa Cash, Tom & Susan Linder, Jamie Poynton, Bob Mchale, Lauren Mcgowan, Mike Zendler, Dawn Bach, Ashley, Christine Dagney, Tracy Cegielski, Marie Phillips, Ashley Hill, Susan Hines-brigger, Peggy Hickey, Emily Nussbaum, Isabelle Boivin and Janet Theriault. Each of you will be entered in the November winners’ drawing.
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Challenge #110: Where in the world is this?

Do you know? Do you have a guess? Send in your answer, before the end of the day on Thursday, November 19, by clicking on the blue box below. Please do not post answers using the Feedback Form link at the bottom of this post. Remember to be specific with your answer - just naming a park will not get you into the drawing.

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Everyone who sends in a correct answer to a Where in the World Challenge this month will be entered in a drawing at the end of the month for some special AllEars® goodies and a cool Disney book!

Photography is a visual art which makes it a challenge to convey the other senses. Walt Disney World on the other hand fills our senses with the smell of buttered popcorn, feel of acceleration on Rock'n Roller Coaster, taste of a pineapple Dole Whip and then there is sound. As soon as you enter a Disney park you hear it. Each area has unique music being played in the background. Sounds are everywhere.

How do you capture sound in a photograph? You can photograph things which reference sound like musical instruments, CDs, iPods, fireworks explosions, cars smoking tires and so on. Another way is to show people playing those instruments, cheering, yelling or singing. The latter is what I did in the photo below of the a cappella group, The Voices of Liberty, who perform approximately fifteen minutes before each showing of the American Adventure.

The Voices of Liberty a cappella group perform in the rotunda of the American Adventure.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/5.6, ISO 800, EV -0.3, 18mm Focal Length

The Voices of Liberty sing American folk songs and patriotic music under the American Adventure pavilion rotunda which was built to enhance sound. If you have never heard them I encourage you to take the time on your next visit to Epcot. As their sound is a beautiful as they look.

Have any questions? My next trip to Walt Disney World is coming up fast. Is there something at the WDW resort you would like to know how to photograph? Let me know and I'll do my best to come back with information and a photo for you. Thanks!

Country Bear portraits hanging in Grizzly Hall.
Nikon D70/18-200VR, 1/60s, f/4, 250 ISO, +0.3 EV, 28mm focal length

When visting Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom, I make it a point to stop by and see the Country Bear Jamboree. The first major attraction to premier at Walt Disney World before later debuting at Disnelyand and Toyko Disneyland. While waiting for the show to start in Grizzly Hall, I took this photo of Henry, the Five Bear Rugs and Wendell paintings for my Disney Pic of the Week on Frontierland.

Oy, such choices. Do I vhant to send out cards this year? Should I use the ones we already chave or go out and buy new ones? Vhat about those photo cards they have, should I do that? Decisions, decisions.

Finally, I made up my mind... a yittle bit. I'll buy new cards. I'm not buying presents so why not just get some fancy schmancy new cards. Ohhhh, but what if, what if, I have cards made! Yes! Just for kicks, I'll put one or two maybe three photos on the card. It'll be so nice. The kids will love it and by kids I mean my friends, my family, the mail man perhaps, vhat's-his-face down the street you know the one with the hot rod who drives too fasht.

Did you know there are several, a few, more than one places that print photo cards online? Well, let me tell you, it's true. I saw it for myself. It can give you such a cheadache and who needs a cheadache. Come, sit, eat something. I'll tell you vhat I've learned.

www.Snapfish.com is a division of Hewlett Packard. They're based out of San Francisco, CA
Customer Service 1-800-634-4500 calls are routed to India

4x8 photo cards
printed on glossy or matte Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper
single-sided
envelopes included
available for pick-up at select Walgreens locations
20 cards at 75 cents each, 40-60 cards at 55 cents each, 80-160 cards at 45 cents each

Shipping Fees: 20-60 cards standard delivery $5.99, 2-day $9.99, 80-100 cards standard delivery $8.99, 2-day $13.99

5x7 folded photo greeting cards
printed on cardstock with a glossy front and matte inside
envelopes included
orders must be shipped to customer
1-19 cards at $1.99 each, 20-49 at $1.75 each, 50-99 at $1.55 each

Shipping Fees: 10-19 cards standrard delivery $4.99, 2-day $11.99, 20-49 cards standard delivery $6.99, 2-day $12.99, 50-99 cards standard delivery $10.99, 2-day $14.99

Additional Fees: Writable stationery cardstock cost based on quantity

Notes: Photo resolution chart. The Customer Service rep I spoke with knew zilch about how the cards are printed. He kept referring me to the website no matter vhat question I asked him even after checking with someone else. You'll need to sign-up as a member before creating anything.

Promotion Code: EXPRESS9 for free shipping on orders of 40 or more flat photo cards. No expiration date given.

www.Shutterfly.com is based out of Redwood City, CA.
Customer Service 1-888-225-7159 calls are routed to India

4x8 photo cards
printed on glossy or matte Fujifilm Crystal Archive paper
single-sided
envelopes included
available for pick-up at select Target stores
25 cards at 67 cents each, 50 at 65 cents each, 75 cards at 62 cents each, 100 cards at 55 cents each

Shipping Fees: 13-25 cards standard delivery $4.99, 2-day $14.99, 26-50 cards standard delivery $6.99, 2-day $17.99, 51-75 cards standard delivery $8.99, 2-day $20.99, 76-100 cards standard delivery $10.99, 2-day $23.99

5x7 folded photo greeting cards
printed on your choice of matte or satin finish cardstock
envelopes included
orders may be shipped to the customer or addressed, stamped, and mailed to recipients for an additional 99 cents per card
10-20 cards at $2.19 each, 21-50 cards at $1.79 each, 51-100 cards at $1.59 each

Shipping Fees: 10-25 cards standard delivery $5.99, 2-day $13.99, 26-50 cards standard delivery $9.99, 2-day $16.99, 51-75 cards standard delivery $12.99, 76-100 cards standard delivery $14.99, 51-100 cards 2-day service $20.99

Notes: Take a look at their image requirements. Finding information on Shutterfly was fairly easy.

Promotion Code: SHIP30 for free shipping on orders of $30 or more, no expiration date provided

www.Hallmark.com is based out of Kansas City, Missouri.
Customer Service 1-800-425-5627 calls are routed to Florida

4x9 photo cards
printed on card stock
double-sided
envelopes included
orders may be shipped to the customer or addressed, stamped, and mailed to recipients for 44 cents a piece to cover US postage
11-25 cards at 89 cents each, 26-50 cards at 79 cents each, 51-99 cards at 69 cents each

Shipping Fees: 10-25 cards standard delivery $6.99, 2-day $14.99, 26-50 cards standard delivery $8.99, 2-day $19.99, 51-99 cards standard delivery $12.99, 2-day $22.99

5x7 folded photo greeting cards
printed on card stock
envelopes included
orders may be shipped to the customer or addressed, stamped, and mailed to recipients for 44 cents a piece to cover US postage
11-25 cards at $2.99 each, 26-50 cards at $2.49 each, 51-99 cards at $1.99 each

Shipping Fees: 10-25 cards standard delivery $6.99, 2-day $14.99, 26-50 cards standard delivery $8.99, 2-day $19.99, 51-99 cards standard delivery $12.99, 2-day $22.99

Notes: Hallmark uses the Forever stamps. I suggest reading these FAQs about uploading and editing photos first. You can use Hallmark's stock photos at no additional cost.

Promotion Code: HOLIDAY30 to save 30% on your holiday card order of $30 or more offer valid until 12/31/09

www.Vistaprint.com is truly an International company based out of France. They have a US-based office in Lexington, MA. Cards are printed and shipped to North America from Canada.
Customer Service 1-866-614-8002 calls are routed to Jamaica

4x8 photo cards
printed on glossy card stock
double-sided
envelopes are included
orders are shipped to the customer
20 cards at 60 cents each, 30 cards at 57 cents each, 40 cards at 50 cents each, 50 cards at 48 cents each, 100 cards at 45 cents each

Shipping Fees: 20-50 cards standard delivery $6.15, priority $7.17, 51-100 cards standard delivery $9.52, priority $13.68

5x7 folded photo greeting cards
printed on cardstock
envelopes included
orders are shipped to the customer
10 cards at $1.29 each, 20 cards at $1.25 each, 30 cards at $1.23 each, 50 cards at $1.20 each, 100 cards at $1.00 each

Shipping Fees: 20-50 cards standard delivery $9.52, priority $13.68, 51-100 cards standard delivery $12.67, priority $18.85

Additional Fees: $4.99 per image, logo or collage uploaded, $1.49 for advanced editing, $4.99 full color printing on back side of 4x8 cards or inside 5x7 cards, $2.99 for 4x8 matte white card stock, $2.99 for 5x7 cards with linen finish, pricing varies for matching envelopes quantity, $1.99 per PDF proof requested

Notes: Vistaprint's website gave me such a cheadache. They try to sell you everything and more and you better watch it when you look up shipping fees because they automatically upsell you matte finish and matching envelopes and charge more for shipping if you vhant pretty envelopes. Ech. Look at all those extra costs, it's ridiculous. Look up image requirements here.

Promotion Code:

Keep in mind everyone has a different take on vhat "Standard Delivery" means. For instance, Vistaprint thinks it's 14 days. Hallmark says it's up to 5 business days. People must have different shtandards.

If you're vondereen vhat I deshided to do, I deshided that IF I am going to make cards vith my photos I'm going through Hallmark.

I will not have my regular blog next Wed as I'm dealing with technical difficulties aka the repair guy made my computer go from needing a little work to almost dead. Also, I'll have to miss out on Disney Pic of the Week this week and next week.

Frontierland is best described by Walt Disney himself - "Here we experience the story of our country's past... the colorful drama of frontier America in the exciting days of the covered wagon and the stage coach, the advent of the railroad and the romantic riverboat. Frontierland is a tribute to the faith, courage and ingenuity of the pioneers who blazed the trails across America." This week, we’re heading to the wild west for our Pic of the Week photos.

Copyright © 2008 Barrie Brewer, Nikon D50, 18-200VR lens, 1/30 sec, f/4, ISO 500

This is Walt Disney’s depiction of a Native American village, taken from the top deck of the Liberty Belle.

Happy New Year everyone! January’s coming and we’re starting the year off right – with Mickey Mouse leading the way. This is the start of our third year of calendars. My, how time flies!

You will need to have Adobe Reader on your computer to download the calendar(s). Just click on the photo to download the calendar you want.

This one prints out at 8.5" x 11". It's handy if you need a calendar that you can write on.

This one prints out at 4.75" x 4.75", the perfect size for a CD Jewel Case frame.