Bird Photograph

"The moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing." - Eric Berne

f/5.6
1/80th of Second
ISO 200
270 mm

Product Review: Neewer TT520 Speedlite Flash

(Photo left belongs to Neewer)
I recently purchased one of Neewer's "TT520 Speedlite" for my Nikon D3000. The box contained a velvet case, a shoe hold for off camera use, and the flash itself. The flash fits easily on my Nikon and I found it very easy to operate. Overall I was please with the resulting photographs. The few controls the device includes are light intensity adjustments, a test button, and a mode button (M, S1, S2). One thing I noticed was that I never set the intensity above the 3rd lowest setting. When I did go above this, the photograph would be overexposed. On some more expensive models the flash can be synchronized with the camera while set on the "automatic" mode. However, it is good to experiment with manual settings. You can set the flash head itself to basically every angle from 90 to 180 degrees. Neewer does include a built in diffusor that pulls out along with a reflector flap. The two are supposed to be pulled out at the same time, however the reflector would occasionally get stuck and be difficult to get back out. The actual light (depending on the intensity) charges very quickly upon start up and in between firings. The shoe holder I mentioned above can be attached to any standard tripod. Although the Nikon D3000 model does not have wireless capabilities, I tried it with a D90 and had difficulty getting the flash to fire off camera. My advice to anyone on a budget looking for an external flash would be to go with the TT520. For its low price it is definitely something good to have until you invest in a more advanced model. You can purchase this item on Amazon here. Below are some photographs I have captured using this flash (more after "See More").

The Holidays 2011

So I haven't blogged in awhile, but I just cannot pass up the chance to post some of my photographs from the Holidays. Some may know that my father is Jewish and my mother is Catholic so therefore I celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah.

"For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas.  Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home." - W.J. Ronald Tucker


"Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame
Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart..." - Hannah Senesh

(Don't forget to click the "See More" at the bottom of the post!)

Give Away - $30 Easy Canvas Prints Gift Card

NOTICE: This give away is CLOSED!


Update: You must COMMENT on a post to be eligible for the give away! (put "give away" in your comment). Following me is step one and commenting is step 2!

If you are following me on Twitter or Facebook you may know that I am doing a Give Away!

I recently reviewed a canvas by Easy Canvas Prints. I also received a $30 Gift Card to the Easy Canvas store which I will be giving away just in time for the Holidays!

To Win:
- Must be following me on this blog OR Facebook OR Twitter (follow me on all and your chances go up)
- Must leave a comment on any post on this blog (the more comments you leave the better your chances are)

I will announce the winner on December 1st, 2011!

Have any questions? Email me at samrphotography@gmail.com

Easy Canvas Prints - Product Review

Easy Canvas Prints is a fun and easy way to create a real canvas of any photograph of your liking. From start to finish, the process could not be easier. In just four simple steps, you can have a professional canvas on display for your friends and family to see.

Easy Canvas Prints offers a variety of sizes (8"x8" to 24"x36" and any custom size) that you can have printed, all with very reasonable prices.

Like me, if you are not a numbers person, they offer a visual depiction of how your canvas, complete with a living room like scene, will look.
Image belongs to Easy Canvas Prints
Uploading your photo is easy, just like uploading to Flickr or Facebook. They accept a variety of file formats such as PNG, JPG, EPS, BMP and TIF files that are 20MB and under. You can have the options of different boarders or no boarder at all.

They also offer optional color finishing and color retouching and if your photograph has low resolution, their designers will do minor retouching to ensure the best quality.

Upon receiving my canvas, I was very pleased with the quality of both the materials and they way my photograph looked on the canvas. The canvas is made of cotton based materials which will last for many decades.

My photograph also looked exactly as it did on the computer, no quality was lost. I was also pleasantly surprised to find three $10 gift cards to the Easy Canvas Prints store. During this month, I will be giving away these gift cards! Keep a look out for my next post which will have details of how you can win!
Special thanks to the Easy Canvas Prints team for contacting me and allowing me to share a quality product with my readers. www.easycanvasprints.com

If you are interested in having me review your product, please click here.

Fall in Vermont

"The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many" - Oliver Wendell Holmes

f/6.3 - 1/160th of a second - ISO 100 - 18mm

f/4.8 - 1/80th of a second - ISO 100 - 32mm

f/8 - 1/250th of a second - ISO 100 - 18mm

Different Angles & Compositions

These two photographs are of different angles and composition of photographs I had posted in my last post "Main - Vermont - New York".

Maine - Vermont - New York

After stopping in Saratoga, Ny I went drove up to Kennebunkport, Maine stopping again briefly in New Hampshire. The photos below are from New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

Saratoga Springs Race Track

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." - Winston Churchill

Lake George, NY

"A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable." - William Wordsworth