Mid-Maryland Photo Blog

D3/D300 Rant

2008-05-16T13:55:00.002-04:00

I just responded to a local photographer's post about his yearning for a D3 and sent him this email. I though it would make an interesting blog post. Enjoy

I am sure I am preaching the the choir regarding the power of the D3 but I wanted to reiterate how great it is. I started shooting sports as a frustrated Dad about 5 years ago and ended up spending what I thought was a fortune for a D70. Next came lenses, my first "biggy" as an used 80-200 from Service Photo. Then I started renting from them and finally upgraded to a 70-200, which probably was not worth the $$. Anyway the bug continued with me headed to purchasing two D200's over the next two years. I thought they were the all be it, "I will never need anything else". When the first posts about the D3 came out I was thinking that I would never spend that kind of money on a camera. Well, I did. I ditched both D200's and jumped-on the D300.

What does all of this mean, not much, just thought I would show you some of the stuff I have shot with both. I shoot the D3 with the 300 2.8 almost exclusively. The D300 is always my "utility" camera with a wide angle or usually the 70-200. To be honest I do not go the D300 much, not because it is not a good camera, just more because I love the D3/300 combo. Recently shooting a Orioles game I nailed a pretty good shot of the runner sliding into third but being in the third base photo well was too tight for the D3/300 combo. This was shot at 1600 ISO, something I could not have done with the D200 w/o a boatload of noise reduction at best.

At a recent lacrosse shoot the sun set quickly and I found myself going from harsh shadows to a crappy high school stadium and the D3 was amazing. This shot is at 5000 ISO, something I never thought would have been possible. A parent just purchased a 4x6 of this shot about an hour ago, also at 5000. I actually fin myself scared to push higher ISO's, which I know sounds completely odd but it is what it is. As the night went on I was finding myself at 6400 and got this one. I also agree with your comments about the D3 and using a teleconverter. I find myself with the 1.4x on the 300 now, almost all the time since I can push the ISO up and have the speed I need. I have to be honest, I do not see a huge difference in photos with DOF at f4 or f2.8. This shot and this shot were at f4 with the exact combination I was speaking about.

Anyway, just some more food for thought and something to add to your frustration. Everyone can sit back and say "I can have two D300's for the price of one D3" and that is true. Since you already have a D300, who needs two more?

Mid-Maryland makes "Shots of the Week"

2008-04-28T11:14:00.002-04:00

For the second time, Mid-Maryland Photo (aka John Middlebrook) made the Cal Sport Media "Shots of the Week". I am not sure how flattered I should be, maybe a slow week for them? Either way, their editors take the best shots of the week and highlight them for all to see, including Sports Illustrated, ESP, the Magazine, etc. This week they have three of mine highlighted from the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. It is cool to see your name in lights.

Next stop, double truck?

An Amazing Feet?

2008-04-27T11:27:00.002-04:00

Attending the Penn Relays this week was a first for me and I have never seen anything run with such professionalism and organization. They had record crowds and perfect weather over the three day event. Almost 22,000 athletes attend and each day they had over 35,000 attendees in the stands the cheer on the high school and college athletes.

I took almost 5000 images in two days that I was in attendance and the editing and captioning the images for the ire has been taxing to say the least. I think I have spend as much time with my edits than I have doing the actual shooting. I MUST work on my post event processing process. Each time I do a photo shoot for the wire I get more efficient but I have a ways to go.

Here is a link to what I have published to Cal Sport so far and I still have to publish to Image of Sport.

Oh, the Irony

2008-04-20T19:42:00.003-04:00

In June of 2006, the Baltimore Ravens had made the best trade in their history, or so they thought. The Titans agreed to trade Steve McNair and the deal was done afetr he passed his physical. That night he was ushered to Baltimore to throw out the first ball at the Baltimore Orioles game in Camden Yards. Afterwards he attanded a silent auction party thrown by Ray Lewis at Martin's West in Baltimore. I attended that event and befor Steve left I was fortunate to get my picture with him.

Almost two years later on April 18, 2008 McNair decided to walk away from the game and he and the Ravens made the announcement to the world. On April 18th the Orioles asked him to return to thank him and to ask him to throw out the final ball, one last time. I happened to be shooting the Orioles game that night for Cal Sport and when I made my way into the inside photo well I realized that Steve was sitting right there. At that point I put the two together and realized the irony of the first and last and spoke to him a few minutes, thanking him for his time in Baltimore. Oh, the irony.

My Favorite Time of the Year

2008-04-13T10:03:00.004-04:00

No, it is not Christmas, Summer or Holiday. It is outdoor track season! The air was brisk and the sky changed colors all day long but nonetheless, it was a great day of shooting outdoor track. The Don Boyer Invitational is named after my high school track and cross country coach, Don Boyer. Coach Boyer has been on the job for 43 years and to this day can recite back the times of the thousands of kids he has coached during his tenure. This meet brought 17 teams together from all over Maryland.

I continue to be amazed by the performance of the D3 and it's range and speed options with such high ISO's. During this meet, it literally became pitch black with storm clouds and I had to reach ISO levels of 1600 in order to get the correct shutter speed for such of fast sport. No problem.

I just got approval for the Penn Relays next week in Philadelphia and I will need the shutter speed as the event goes into the laste night under the stadium lights.

Building a Tear Sheet.....

2008-04-01T23:25:00.002-04:00

.....One day at a time. Today, two images from a photo shoot I did several weeks ago appeared on a monthly magazine for the Seventh Day Adventists. The day of this shoot was interesting, it was supposed to start at 4Pm and the "model" did not arrive until 5:45PM. After he arrived and got out of his work clothes and into his uniform, we realized that he brought along rain clouds as well. We literally had about 10 minutes before the skies opened up and I went running to cover with camera and all equipment in tow

They were happy with the images I provided but I wish I had more time and another model or two, could have been a little more creative. You can see the "Visitor" magazine online here.

Back in the Saddle

2008-03-30T09:52:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I went out with good friend and fellow photographer, Brent Ferree, and shot my first outdoor track and field of 2008. Every early spring I chomp at the chance at getting outside and working the 300 mm lens again. This day was a chilly spring day and the day started at 37 degrees and maybe reach 50 by the early afternoon.

Shot around 1000 images and posted about 180 online so please enjoy.

Oh what the day job brings.....

2008-01-15T18:26:00.000-05:00

The day job, the one that pays the bills, I direct the online strategy of the second largest temporary staffing company in the U.S. With that role, we sometimes have some fun and with this latest site rollout, we really did. I convinced the powers that be to let us create our own stock photography by conducting a photo shoot within our corporate walls. It was rather difficult to coordinate schedules and the 'models' we gathered were very accommodating to our needs. The company is filled with young men and ladies and to say we had plenty to pick from was an understatement.

I hired a friend and photographer, Mark Cozzoli, to handle the photo shoot. A few of my employees took care of schedules, picking the subjects, what shots we wanted to capture and even down to a makeup artist they found on Craig's List. Each model we had completed a model release, giving us full rights to the images. When you look at the prices of rights managed images on any stock photo site, you know the price to maintain individuality is rather expensive. We did the whole thing for a few grand and what you will see on the completed site is phenomenal. We agreed that all he had to do is shoot, we get full rights to the shots and he walks away with no post processing work at all.

It is a good feeling know the people that represent your products and services online and off are folks you know. Take a peak at the site here.

To Portfolio or to Not?

2008-01-05T12:02:00.000-05:00

I just finished putting a final touch on my online portfolio and posted it today. I looked back at what I had sent U.S. Presswire and WireImage last year and it was pretty funny. I think it says a lot about me, professionaly, when my work improves so much from year to year. It helps I have been fortunate enough to work with good companies that help me have the access to capture these shots. Before I send these out to media outlets I have the ability to quickly edit them and add what I have recently shot and remove those that may not make the cut. The resume of a photographer is rather simple, look at his or her work. It is different than so many other verticals and so unique to what we do since it it is nobody's work but your own (hopefully).

Fell from Different Tree

2007-12-28T11:57:00.000-05:00

...or whatever that saying is. I cannot understand this industry sometimes. In the corporate world I come from when you have an issue with someone or need to talk about something, you do that. You contact them, sit down and chat, at a minimum. From what I see in the photography industry, people do not hold those standards, they just plain ignore you. I realize people are busy but when professionals reach out to other professionals I feel they owe you a return email. I will admit I have my share of un-returned emails but at a professional level I always try and return them. I run websites for a 5 billion dollar company with millions of visitors and I do my best to be sure that all emails are addressed by someone. Maybe I can change the industry, one email at a time!

A GPS (and life) Lesson!

2007-12-21T00:07:00.000-05:00

Today started out as a normal vacation day for me. I had tons of errands, dropped almost a grand on new tires for my car and was late for an appointment at the Mac store for one of my many one hour "one on ones". I pulled into the local mall parking lot and traversed isle after isle looking for a spot and finally found one after about what seemed like an eternity. I grabbed my MacBook and rushed in so I would not be late to my first appointment (like they were waiting for me).

The 65 minutes with the Mac expert went well and was truly one on one. Afterward I had to sneak next door for a last minute gift for my wife and then back to the car to drop off the laptop and bags. I weaved in and out of cars on the way to mine and when I got there I felt time stand still. My window was gone and the majority of the glass and debris was inside and on my seat. Next thing in my mind was the obvious, "someone broke in and grabbed my GPS off the dashboard". That was the easy pill to swallow. Next was a gasp when I thought about the hundreds of dollars of gifts in the trunk and my D3 sitting there in my Tamrac bag. I had a feeling this loser was only after one thing in the bright daylight and I was right, he only took the GPS.

I called 911 since I had no way of finding mall security and they said they would send someone out to investigate. After what felt like an eternity a nice police officer pulled up and said "we caught him". He was driving around with his child in tow and using a slingshot to break into car after car, in front of Macy's and Nordstrom’s. Long story short, he did get caught by someone that witnessed a break in and got his tag and had an entire carload of goodies stolen from unsuspecting shoppers.

The police called my two hours later and said if I could “identify my GPS system” that I could have it back and he would be charged with the first of many. I was there in 45 minutes and put my four digit code in and confirmed it was mine. Bottom line, even when you are in a hurry, hide those GPS systems and NEVER leave anything of higher value in sight, even for a few minutes.

Today I had a bit of a reality check. Sure I was violated and had my $600 GPS stolen and returned but it put life in perspective for me. My 3 year old nephew is in Hopkins with brain cancer and going through chemo every two weeks and fighting for his life everyday and I am pissing and moaning about a toy. Today, tomorrow and through the holidays please remember what is important to you and never forget it. To all of you on this forum, have a great and safe holiday and hide those “toys”

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2286/1220071544iv1.jpg

Here is the article about the thief.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-md.ho.arrest22dec22,0,4060055.story

I made Cal Sports "Shots of the Week"

2007-12-04T12:14:00.000-05:00

I do not shoot for Cal Sport Media as much as I would like but I did shoot the Army-Navy game last weekend in Baltimore. Each week they highlight what the tag their "shots of the week" and two of my "editorial" shots were selected. I need to improve my action work and have those get highlighted more. Maybe someone will pickup some of these this week, who knows.

John's work published in the SI family!

2007-11-30T14:24:00.000-05:00

After many months of work with CalSport Media, I finally had one of my images posted on Golf.com. They are a network partner of Sports Illustrated so it is cool to have the exposure,e ven if they did not display my name. Oh well, looks good on resume and I will keep plugging away.

OMG, I made it into DMOZ

2007-11-24T15:06:00.000-05:00

DMOZ, a free Internet Directory, looks as if they approved my request for a listing recently. I must have submitted it over a year ago and anyone in the search marketing world will tell you that the site was dead and impossible to get new listings into. DMOZ offers an amazing level of credibility and getting your site listed within it will bring higher rankings.

New Photographic Subject?

2007-10-14T21:32:00.000-04:00

Well, we decided a "buffer" dog would be a good thing for our family since our 13 year old golden is getting older, not younger. The sun and the moon aligned and we got a great, 16 week old golden girl from a breeder in Baltimore County. She is beautiful and everyone is getting along so far. Check out some of her shots from day one.

How Viral is the Internet Really?

2007-10-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

I shoot Linganore High School fall athletics regularly and it amazes me how the word gets around once I place galleries online. Last Friday I posted a gallery from the Middetown High Varsity football team and as of this posting their have been over 40,000 thumb-sized images viewed. I know they have a link to my site from the Boosters site and the Linganore Football site but they are buried there.

Lansdcape and Non-Sports Photography?

2007-10-11T15:06:00.000-04:00

My sister is the CEO of two small art galleries, one in Hagerstown, MD and the other just recently opened in Gettysburg, PA and she has a proposal for me. They have space available for "rent" at Benjamin Art Gallery and they would like to try selling framed photography in the gallery. Basically I think they are looking for landscapes, abstracts, travel and other non sports art. I threw together a quick gallery for them to review, nothing fancy, and they are interested in more. I am not sure I want to spend the full rent but maybe worth a try. Here is the gallery I put together. Let me know what you think of them and this idea.

John, Where Art Thou?

2007-10-08T22:21:00.000-04:00

I have been as busy shooting sports than I ever have over the last few weeks. Between business travel and my wife, someone has been gone most of September. On top of that I am trying to cover Linganore sports and my responsibilities with the yearbook photos for Walkersville. Either way, I need to blog more often.

This past week I had the opportunity to shoot a senior PGA Tour event and took three days to do so. I must say these guys are so real. I know that sounds cliche but they are not fake, enjoy the crowds and are just overall nice guys. One thing that stands out is Tom Watson walking down the 17th hole of the final round and he literally took the time to speak and/or acknowledge every fan along the ropes. I spent the time trying to get interesting shots of scenes that I think could "sell". This wire service work is tough and almost cut throat. So many outlets get everything from the AP, Wire Image and a few other big boys so I always stay away from them on the course and look to get unique photos.

Oh well, the Fall sports are winding down a bit and the winter always sucks and the 300 never leaves the case. Hopefully I 'll continue to get some wire work and then continue to grab prep sports as I can.

Ravens Fans on SI

2007-10-03T23:09:00.000-04:00

I always, almost daily, read the Sports Illustrated photo galleries to learn and enjoy the good work of the folks that get selected to display their work there. This week I viewed a gallery of the Syracuse Girls Lacrosse team and their "cribs". On the fourth of fifth picture in the gallery I see the girls are from Maryland and are highlighted in their Ravens jerseys, watching a Sunday game. GO RAVENS!!

It is officially a Ritual

2007-08-26T22:46:00.000-04:00

I have shot a total of around 6 games for MLB this year and it has been exciting and enlightening as well. After speaking to others, watching their moves and figuring out my own, I think I actually have it down to a ritual at this point. This is what I do at every Orioles game:

1) I head to the main gate and get my credentials. The gents there tag my bags (for what I do not know) and I head up to the second level, "level 2". Once there we have a decent room where the wiFi works.

2) I unpack all of my sh!t (stuff) and get settled, I like to make sure the wireless works and that I have all of my pre-loaded templates loaded and ready to go. I get my laptop setup and ready to go and then I grab the "Game Day" and press documentations (if any).

3) Once the game starts I usually head to a standing area in the seats within the stadium. The photo "wells" are always packed and photographers literally mark their spots with pee, kind of nasty. There are four wells in Cambden Yards, Inside and outside left (opposing team) and inside and outside right (Orioles). I usually head down there after everyone gets tired of being there and then they start to move around.

4) I move around all over the stadium, looking for all opportunities. The other bit of advice, I stay away from the AP Photographer. Basically, they shoot what I shoot and the chances that I will get picked up are slim since they have so many more syndications and a more established brand.

5) Around the fourth inning or so I head back up to the media room to download my cards and transmit a few to the wire. Basically the first folks that transmit good and news worthy shots can and may get picked up. I usually try for 5-10 shots and then go back down to the field. Unfortunately I do not have this part down to a science yet and will sometimes miss a good 2 innings while I crop and caption everything.

6) After the game is over its home and cropping and captioning again. All in all it take can a bit but it is completely worth it in the long run. How often do you get the chance to be on the filed at a professional sports event?

That is it for now. I will let you know when I get better at this stuff.

Another day, Another NO $$

2007-08-26T22:42:00.000-04:00

I shot another gig today for Cal Sport Media and the game went rather well. I spoke to few of my co photographers and they had little (8 to 10) shots to transmit but I ended up transmiting 20 during the game and another 50 afterward. Either way, I had a good day and that proves it, we are just humans and have bad days like others.

Oops, forgot Red Sox Pics

2007-08-22T19:44:00.000-04:00

I forgot to link these puppies up. Here are links to the Red Sox/Orioles pics I took. Oh, it is my 40th birthday today, oh yeah!

Shooting the Red Sox and Orioles Tonight!

2007-08-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

Been waiting all year to see the Red Sox come into to Baltimore. They are here tonight in a sold out stadium so other than the threat of rain and it should be a great game. To top it off, Dice-K is pitching against Erik Bedard, two of the best pitchers in the AL. Look for pics later tonight.

Tennis Anyone?

2007-08-06T10:10:00.001-04:00

I spent two days at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington D.C. this weekend and for the most part it was fun. Shooting from courtside was cool but I enjoyed moving around the rest of the arena as well. I got some of the smaller games of the women and some of the lesser known men players.

On the final day I went to cover Andy Roddick and wild card finalist, John Isner. I have to say I learn a lesson with every event I do. I was walking through the hallway on the way to center court and I walked past Roddick, standing there looking at the results posted on the wall. I went by him and realized what a great photo op it would be to grab this shot. I turned around and went back and asked him "Mr. Roddick would you mind if I grab a profile shot of you here?" and he said "Would you please leave me alone while I prepare for the tournament, thanks?". I felt like a heal but my job is to capture the essence of these events and I could not have staged that shot any better. Oh well.

I did sense that he was not a very personable dude after watching his expressionless face after he won. Either way, another sport under my belt and I plan on plucking away on every sport I can get my hands on.

My Latest Shooting Venture

2007-07-28T09:51:00.000-04:00

I just got an email from Cal Sport that I am credentialed all week for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. Now what? Time to start reading best angles, best lenses, best lighting, best parking. Stay tuned throughout the week to see how things go.