Kalamata, June 2012

I've just finished the vast amount of photos I had to select and post process and I have mixed feelings about Canon's accuracy in focusing successfully.  I cannot understand if the unsuccessful focus is because the camera can't focus accurately or because subject or photographer moves.  I have used long and short lenses, high and low shutter speeds in day and night and what I have found is that when focusing from camera's live view in day I have many successful shots, but when point and shooting, things become difficult. 

(2012-06-16) Wedding of Kiriaki Zambara

Early afternoon in Meligala, the bride drives around the church three times as the custom commands.  The groom is waiting patiently in front of the church with a bunch of flowers in his hands.  The bride arrives, the car stops and through the open window the smiling face of the bride appears. The wedding ceremony will start in a few moments.  Photographers and guests are waiting for the meeting out of the church and they applause for the couple.  They enter the church and the mystery begins.  The couple is happy and it is showing as they keep smiling and whispering.  Their smile makes everyone else smile too. 

Time of your life

There are times in your life and then, they are THOSE times in your life that makes your hobby enjoyable.  Such a day was the 14^th of June, when our company of four planned a trip to Polilimnio falls near Charavgi village.  I had been there before, but two trips are never the same and the time I now spent was the most enjoyable one.  I personally made a childhood dream come true by swimming in the turquoise waters of a dream lake and I had good company with me.

Photoshooting Maria, Polilimnio

I am always asking for permission to publish details of every photo shooting I do from my models and I was granted one from Maria for our photo shooting at Polilimnio area, at lake Kadoula (which resembles the shape of a heart – I could not see that anyway!).

Technical Data

Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Lens used: Canon EF-S 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS, Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 Macro APO Super II + Culmann 4500-C flash (24-85mm)
Aperture: Min f4, Max f8
Shutter Speed: Min 1/200, Max 1/80
ISO: Min 200, Max 800
Weather: Similar to an overcast day due to the sun not reaching the bottom of the canyon

Vacation sample

Summer arrived and I spent my first days on vacation trying to find new challenges for my camera.  Fortunately, these were very busy days with promises for future endeavors for photo shootings and excursions.  The past few days I made a dream of mine come true and it was nothing more than swimming in a dream-lake.  We found this lake at Polilimnio area near Charavgi village.  This is by no means a summary of the day, but rather a promise for a future photo story as I am still processing the photos from these few days.  

Canon announces EOS 650D / Rebel T4i 18MP touch-screen DSLR with Hybrid AF

Canon has announced the EOS 650D (known as the Rebel T4i in North America), and 18MP touch-screen DSLR with a sensor-based hybrid AF system for improved focus in movie and live view modes. The camera gains the all-cross-type 9-point AF sensor from the EOS 60D and can now shoot at 5fps. It also adds stereo mics for its Full HD video recording, which is available at 30, 25 and 24fps. The camera will be available from the end of June at a price of $849, body only, $949 will the 18-55mm IS lens or $1199 with the co-announced 18-135mm STM IS lens.

2002-2003 Olympus C220 zoom, a step ahead

It was an exciting moment when I bought my first digital compact camera. It would mean that I could make mistakes and learn from them, since I could select what photos to print and what settings to test. Unfortunately, it would also mean that I was about to lose all customization of shutter speed and aperture value, but I guessed that the “automatic little miracle” would know what I wanted to expose and where to focus. Of course nothing was like that.

OAKA - "fighting with light and space"

Athens Olympic Aquatic Center at Athens Olympic Sports Complex or “fighting with light and space”

Later this May I came across a difficult challenge which I feel I have failed although I managed to salvage all the shots up to a satisfactory (for others) degree.  I took some shots during an event in the Athens Olympic Aquatic Center at Athens Olympic Sports Complex that stretched my knowledge and steadiness more that I felt I could handle. 

Nikon issues firmware updates for D4 and D800/D800E

Nikon has updated the firmware of both the D4 and D800 professional DSLRs. The D4 receives updates to v1.01 for both firmware A and B, while the D800 and D800E only have B firmware v1.01. In both cases the firmware corrects minor operational glitches, including one that could cause the cameras to occasionally lock up. The updates can be downloaded from Nikon's websites.