"The Way I See It" - Russ Lowe

Gung Hay Fat Choy! - Happy Chinese New Year - "Year of the Dragon"

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

Wishing everyone a very Happy Chinese New Year!

"Gung Hay Fat Choy!"

New Nikon D4 Just Announced!

2012-01-06T15:09:00.003-06:00

Nikon has announced today the new Nikon D4 camera. At nearly $6000, this is not a camera for the faint of heart! Super fast burst speeds, high ISO, video... it's going to be pretty sweet!

Images borrowed from the internet.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:19:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas to all! Hope you all have a safe and joyous Holiday Season!

December's Flash Class

2011-12-18T03:47:00.000-06:00

Totally forgot to work on an image from the last Flash class in early December! Better late than never, I suppose. Here's an image of our model Jessica with a red gel for the backdrop.

Happy Holidays!

Flash Class

2011-11-23T06:28:00.000-06:00

Another Flash Photography class was held last night at Balanced Exposure.

This is one of the images from the class. I lit this photo with only one light to the right of the model and this is the result. Adding a reflector to the other side is an option to brighten up the darker side, but this image was done simply to see what a single light source would do. A medium sized softbox was used to soften the studio light.

Online Coupon Deals

2011-11-14T12:20:00.000-06:00

I guess Groupon was right.

As the first Groupon deal comes to a close on December 6 (that's when the first six months coupon runs out), I'm seeing a marked increase in people enrolling in a Photo 101 class. Even so, I can't help but notice how many people still have not signed up for class! Groupon mentioned that I should see a lot of people sign up for classes right in the beginning, then a lull will happen in the middle months and just before the end of the coupon's time, a bunch of activity will happen again.

Still, I have to wonder how many people will simply let their coupon expire and never take the class. That's too bad because I really want everyone who has purchased a coupon to come in and take the class!

While the weekend classes are all filling up to the max, the weekday evening classes are still relatively sparse with students. Plenty of space for people to take the class! They just need to come in during the weekday evenings!

The Photography Boot Camp deal that ran on Amazonlocal.com also has a lot of people who have not yet redeemed their coupons. They have until sometime in March 2012 to take a class, so perhaps these student are doing a similar thing and just waiting for the expiration date.

According to both companies, a certain number of people will never redeem their coupons. I won't divulge their statistics, but it's a lot of people. I just have to wonder why someone would spend money and not use their coupons? I know I wouldn't want to do that!

Still, I'm grateful to those who have come to class and have told me that they have benefited from taking the class. A decent number of my students have also signed up for post production classes from Balanced Exposure. I'm so happy that these students have decided to further their photography education beyond just the first class. Many more have also told me that they plan to take my DSLR ADVANCED class in 2012 too so that they can learn about the other features of their camera! That's a nice gauge for me to see if I'm doing a good job teaching. If someone is already telling me they are planning to come back, I must be doing something right!

Besides taking the class themselves, I've had a number of students recommend the class to their friends and relatives. These people simply buy the deal directly through Balanced Exposure. This has helped a lot to keep me in business! Thank you all for these referrals!

I shared this information with Groupon and Amazonlocal and they have told me that I'm doing a lot better in getting return business than some of their other advertisers. Many times, people use their coupons and never go back again. But in the case of Balanced Exposure, the return rate is well above the average for coupon company deals.

Because of this, Balanced Exposure will continue to work with companies like Groupon, Amazonlocal and LivingSocial to offer deals to photographers looking to learn about their cameras.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support of Balanced Exposure!

New Classes for 2012

2011-11-03T05:39:00.006-05:00

While I'm off of teaching this week until Saturday, I'm still working!

My goal is to get all of my accounting together in preparation for the end of the year and not do a last minute rush to get everything to the accountant. In the past several years, I've been pretty good at this. So far, I'm on track to get this finished by today.

I'm also answering phone calls from students trying to schedule their classes. This happens daily anyway. Other calls involve signing students up for taking a class if they did not go through an online coupon company to buy their class.

I've also been dealing with planning for the 2012 classes. The "Photography 101" class is going to be "more compact" in 2012 (and will be called "Photo Essentials" going forward) and will move to a 4 hour training session instead of 6 hours. This will move the class to a slightly faster pace in order to keep the information the same. I feel it will actually make the class more interesting... and it will keep the students on their toes. Several students have said that this is a good idea as well.

The Photography "Boot Camp" class will remain the same at 3 hours. The main difference between the two classes will be that the "Photo Essentials" class will also discuss composition and other topics that are not specifically just about how to use the mechanics of the camera. Boot Camp will concentrate solely on the camera's operations.

I am also adding a class called "DSLR Advanced." This new class is for those who have already taken "Photography 101," "Boot Camp" or the "Photo Essentials" class. It will be the continuation of those classes. We'll cover many more of the advanced features you will find inside the "menus" of the camera itself. There are a lot of features inside your camera's menu and it was impossible to even discuss them in the first class and still get through the main focus of the Photo 101 and Boot Camp classes. With DSLR Advanced, we'll be able to do this now. It will be a 3 hour class.

However, DSLR Advanced will only be offered to those who have true DSLR cameras. Those who own "hybrid" advanced Point and Shoot cameras will not be able to attend this class as it will be specific to the DSLR.

Can you get the new DSLR Advanced Class through Groupon, LivingSocial or Amazonlocal? No... but it will be available directly through Balanced Exposure at a substantial discount for students who have already gone through one of the first classes. Keep an eye out for a special email announcement in January for this class. You'll have an opportunity to get tthe discount if you respond to the promo offered via email.

Also in 2012, Balanced Exposure will drop Point and Shoot photography classes. With so many more DSLR students coming onboard in 2012, and also to service existing students, I decided Balanced Exposure will need to concentrate solely on DSLR cameras going forward.

Hybrid / Advanced Point and Shoot cameras will be allowed into the Photo Essential and Boot Camp camera classes, but they must be truly capable of functioning like a DSLR. This means cameras that can fully be controlled manually and also can be shot in both Aperture and Shutter Speed Priority Modes.

The calendar for 2012 is currently up on the website, but may be tweaked a little as classes are added throughout the year. Stay tuned!

Photoshop CS5 Magic

2011-10-29T22:40:00.011-05:00

Here is a little Photoshop magic...

I took the original photo of our model Jessica (top photo) and replaced the top of her hair with the hair from the other shot of her where I had used hair lighting instead. (See the two images from the 10-28-11 post on Professional Models.) I re-sized that second photo so that her head size was exactly the same, then repositioned the hair to fit on top of her first photo. Blending things together, you can't tell that the bottom image is a composite of two images. So now the image of her shows the image with "new" hair lighting on it.

To see a "flip" comparison, click on any of the images above and then "flip" between the two images in the resulting screen. You'll immediately see what was done with the hair this way.

I often do a similar thing to people's eyes in group photos. For instance, when I take a group photo, I usually shoot several of the same shot, just in case someone's eyes are closed. I just take the "open" eyes from one of the other images and place it on the closed eye image. Blend it together just right and you end up with a perfect image with everyone's eyes open!

Want to learn how to do things like this? Come take a Photoshop CS5 class at Balanced Exposure! Want to learn how to take great flash studio photos? Come take a Flash class too! :)

Professional Models

2011-10-28T07:02:00.006-05:00

Here are two photos from last night's Flash Photography class. This is Jessica who is a model for Balanced Exposure. You'll find her working hard modeling for some of the classes offered at the studio.

As a professional model, Jessica knows how to pose and helps our students out by posing naturally without having to be told to do it. Still, she'll take direction from students too if they want her to pose a certain way or to help find the perfect shot.

The top image was taken without hair lighting and the bottom image with hair lighting. Also a blue gel back light was added as well.

Doyle Dykes at Skokie Theatre - Oct 14, 2011

2011-10-18T01:07:00.002-05:00

Better late than never!

As always, I went to see Doyle Dykes perform last Friday at the Skokie Theatre. While it is always good to see Doyle, I was a little sad not to see his daughter Haley with him. In all the years I've been going to see Doyle perform, this is the first time that Haley wasn't there. She stayed home with her husband Jake.

I originally had sent a message to Haley saying that I might not be able to go to this concert, but Haley told me I wasn't allowed to miss any Doyle concert within 300 miles of Chicago. So, rearranging my schedule, I went with my friend Jerry as always.

Seeing that Haley wasn't going to be there, Jerry decided we should help Doyle at the merchandise table so that Doyle could take more time signing autographs. Our friends Steve King, Johnnie Putman (both from WGN radio) and Pastor Steve Lyons (Moody Publishers) all pitched in as well that evening. Steve and Johnnie had chauffeur duties and Pastor Steve brought more of Doyle's book, "The Lights of Marfa" for us to sell.

It was fun selling the CD's, DVD's and book. All we were able to do was take cash or check that evening and we didn't have any change! Luckily, people helped out giving us change along the way and everyone was able to buy what they wanted without a problem. Afterward, Doyle told us he actually had change for us, but we had already started selling and he was stuck on stage setting up. No matter... it all turned out ok.

Doyle played well and introduced some new arrangements I've never heard him play before. Among the songs was an incredible Beatles Medley played on his custom R. Taylor 12-string guitar. It was amazing! Steve King told Doyle afterwards that he just has to put this on one of his upcoming albums. I agree. It was really great and sounded so full on the 12-string.

Doyle also spent time playing a Fender Telecaster. The amps he used for the show were borrowed from his friends at The Guitar Works in Evanston, IL.

Overall, the sold-out Skokie Theatre audience was treated to great music that evening.

Vindicated!

2011-10-17T09:28:00.002-05:00

I'm back to 5 stars out of 5 stars! The single negative review has gone to the "filtered" area of the "not to be named" review site!

This reviewer only had one review to his name and so it should have gone to the filtered area like all the others, but it remained on the main viewing area for many weeks. But checking in today, I found it had finally been moved to the filtered area like all the other good reviews I had been given that had only a single review from the reviewers. It sure took a lot longer for this to happen though...

Edit Note: As of 11/08/11, the "bad review" has come back out of the filtered area! The reviewer still has only one review to his name, so really, it should have stayed "filtered" like all the other good reviews that have been banished there. This time, I have figured out how to place a comment in the review, so I did that to set the record straight.

The "not-to-be-named review site" actually called me several weeks ago to ask if I wanted to advertise on their site. I told them "NO WAY!" I wonder if this is why we now see the bad review resurfacing? Makes you wonder, doesn't it....

And yet another review goes filtered...

2011-10-11T23:41:00.000-05:00

I don't want to beat a dead horse... but yet another one of my good reviews has gone to the "filtered"area of the "not to be named" review site.

So now... I have 3 reviews left that can be easily seen... 2 good, 1 bad and 10 good reviews filtered in the "hidden" area.

Is it me, or is this review site totally off base here?

I'm now waiting for all of my good reviews to go to filtered... just so that the one bad review stays. At that point, I guess I can say I'd be batting 1000 for bad reviews. Wouldn't that be interesting?

Doesn't seem right, does it?

Sometimes You Just Can't Win

2011-10-06T16:34:00.001-05:00

Another one of my "good" reviews just got "filtered" again. It's now 9 reviews on that "not to be named" review site that has been filtered. While the company claims to filter reviews that are questionable, each one of these "good" reviews were removed even though they all came from students who liked my classes... not from me.

It just doesn't seem right that a person with one review to his name can have his negative review remain while another person who might have four reviews to her name gets hers filtered. Is a negative review to be trusted more than someone who gives a good review? I checked the other reviews from these people who have given me a good review. A couple of theirs are "negative" towards the the other businesses. I wonder, did they filter these negative reviews on the other businesses? Or is the filtered review only for the ones they wrote that are positive?

It's frustrating to see that of the 13 total reviews I've had on this site, only 3 good reviews are seen and 1 bad is seen. 9 other good reviews are hidden.

Just doesn't seem right to me...

You Can't Satisfy Everyone

2011-09-28T08:08:00.005-05:00

Over the past few months of teaching, I've learned a lot about working with people. The number one thing is, "You can't satisfy everyone."

After a great teaching session with lots of people participating and coming up to tell me how much they enjoyed the lesson, I usually go home pretty happy. I'd tell my wife what a great group of people I had taught that day and figured that most of them went home pretty satisfied as well.

Apparently not everyone feels the same way though. On a couple of occasions, I've had people comment on an online review site indicating they didn't like the class. That's to be expected I suppose as you can't please everyone. Usually it is done by people who might have a little more photography experience than the rest of the class and expect that I'll be teaching to their level... but the class they signed up for is a beginning intro to photography class and I have to teach to the vast majority of the students there. While they have a right to say what they please, the hard thing to accept though is when things are taken out of context and written on a public forum which influences others to either sign up for classes or not without the ability to rebut the comments so that those reading will have the full story.

For instance, one student wrote how I took so much time to get started and spent a half hour showing a diagram of my office space. While it is true that I often take time to get started and that I do show a diagram of the 14th floor space on the overhead projector (I do it at every class really), it's done so that those who come in late can have the opportunity to not miss the most important beginning instructions that will be needed to understand the class for the entire six hours. And, the diagram of the office is shown so that people can find the washrooms on the office floor in relation to the office space I have rented. I do mention how in a short time, I was able to go from a small space to the largest on the floor with thanks to those who purchased my online class deals, but I guess I won't be doing that any more as it could be misconstrued. The motivation here is a bit different reason than what is insinuated on in the online review, don't you think?

As for the comment on showing a Groupon deal during class... that's true. But it was done because we were discussing the Groupon deals that everyone had purchased and others mentioned the deal going on and so we checked it so others in class knew what was being talked about. That happened before the class began. Again, taken out of context.

Another comment said that I spent time trying to sell my used equipment. Actually, I don't have any used equipment to sell. And yet another comment said I was pushing a friend's filters. Well, actually, I was showing a recommended flash diffuser by Gary Fong called the Puffer which is commercially available and works well for those with pop-up flashes. Is Gary Fong my friend? Well he knows me and I know him, we are both Asian, but that's about the extent of it. We are both former wedding photographers. He lives in Canada, and I'm here in the US. Am I helping him sell his product? I suppose you could say that since I'm telling people that there are some products that could help their photography. It all depends on how you look at things. Do I benefit from his sales... no, not at all. Does he need my help? No... he makes hundreds of thousands of dollars worldwide on his sales already. I don't think the few items that might be sold because I recommended them will make a dent in his overall marketing of his products.

Another comment said I was trying to figure out what to say. Absolutely. I have 6 hours to teach and so I reference my outline constantly to make sure everyone gets every bit of information I want covered in that 6 hours. Struggling to figure out what to say? I don't think so. Making sure people get their money's worth? Absolutely.

The whole point here is, "You can't satisfy everyone." And, you can't believe everything that you read on a public review site either. Where you try to do your best with the best of intentions, there's always someone who thinks you aren't doing enough or not doing it right. Public forums like online review sites are ok, but they don't give the merchant the ability to tell his side of the story. It's very one-sided. So when someone writes a negative review like this, it's just hurtful. Whereas a reviewer might justify his reasons for writing a negative review as "trying to help others," I can't help but think it is most likely being written to try to ruin someone else's business. That's not helpful... that's just being vindictive.

I remember the person who wrote that review. He left the class early. Right after he left, several people in the class said, "Good Riddance! He was disruptive anyway!" That says a lot, don't you think?

While I might not be able to comment on the review site to set the record straight, I suppose I have my blog to use to do a rebuttal.... :)

10/05/11 Edit Note: One of the other students who was in the same class that the reviewer was in came back this week to take the Workflow Seminar. She mentioned that she hoped that the rude disruptive person who had been sitting next to her was not going to be in the class. Sure enough, she was in the very class he had been in. I mentioned to her about the bad review and she could not believe it. Basically backing up everything that I wrote here on this blog post, she said his review was definitely WRONG and inaccurate. It's nice to know that it's not just me thinking his review was incorrect. She backed me up and said I'm right in this account... not the reviewer. Thank you! :)

Russians Listen To My Music

2011-09-22T12:14:00.001-05:00

I have several songs that I recorded over the years uploaded to a separate website for people to listen to. Check them out on the far right side of this blog to find a link.

Interestingly, after checking my site statistics, I find that most of the people checking out the songs I recorded are all from Russia! The one song that they seem to check out most is called "I Could Fall In Love With You" which is a song originally done by Selena. I recorded a cover of it as a guitar instrumental and apparently the people in Russia have found it and listen to it quite a bit now.

Perhaps there's another song with a similar name that is now popular in Russia and so when they do a Google search for the song, they end up at my site instead. Who knows. But it's rather interesting that people so far away are listening to my recording when the people closer here in the United States are not.

Check it out for yourself and see if you like it... www.russlowe.com/music

Salmon Are Not Native To The Great Lakes

2011-09-14T10:03:00.001-05:00

A common thing I get from people who find out that I like to fish for Salmon out of Lake Michigan is, "I didn't know Salmon was in Lake Michigan!"

Well, it isn't. It is stocked into Lake Michigan. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stocks them in and we rip them right out! :)

Our fishing license allows us to fish for the year and we also pay a "Salmon Stamp" fee as well which helps to fund the Salmon stocking program. From what I'm told, areas like Kenosha, Wisconsin and Racine, Wisconsin stock more Salmon than Waukegan, IL. For years I've been saying, "Next year, I'm going to get myself a Wisconsin license and go up there to fish!" But each year, something comes up and I just have not had the opportunity of time to do it!

This year, all of the new students coming in to take photography lessons have kept me from doing it. No real regrets as I really enjoy teaching. But there are days I long to get out there to do a little fishing but just can't find the time to do it!

I have yet to catch a Salmon from the piers. No problem doing it from a boat though. Still, I like getting out there and enjoy seeing the sunrise and sunset from the water... even if I don't catch anything. Maybe next year....

(image borrowed from the internet)

9/11

2011-09-11T14:30:00.002-05:00

My flag is flying today.

How about yours?

9-11-01 - We Will Never Forget

2011-09-10T11:36:00.001-05:00

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

Everyone was affected by this terrible event. I recall specifically where I was and how I learned about the attacks. To this day, it brings a tear to my eye when I think about it. We will never forget....

God bless those who serve our country in the pursuit of freedom.

Stereotypes....

2011-09-09T16:42:00.002-05:00

I got this from my niece's Facebook link. Enjoy!

Lake Geneva - HDR

2011-09-04T15:43:00.003-05:00

Here are some HDR images taken with 5 handheld exposures each. Images were shot on 9-04-11 with a Nikon D3 and Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Update on the Knee Brace

2011-09-01T16:53:00.001-05:00

Well, I wore the knee brace for about 3 days and stopped wearing it. I had developed an allergic reaction to the straps!

I'm not sure what the straps are made of, but it looks like some kind of neoprene material around the outer edges of the strap padding. That's the areas that my skin was reacting to. So, off came the brace and electrical stuff!

I waited all this time and just started to wear the brace again today after being shipped a Lycra "sleeve" which could be worn under the brace to shield my skin from the straps. Hopefully this will help. And, I don't need to wear the electrical components during the day either now. I was sent a "Night Wrap" which allows the electrodes to be attached to and then I can wear that while I sleep. While it might be a hassle wearing this on my leg all night long, at least I won't need to mess with the electrical device during the day.

I'll report back once I've had a chance to wear this new configuration for a while. Right now, my knee actually feels just fine. But several weeks ago, it was another story... totally in pain then with every step. Today, you wouldn't know I had a knee problem. I don't attribute that to the brace or anything though. I think it just naturally got better. Time will tell if the brace and electrical stimulus will really do the job.

My New Knee Brace - Bionicare Knee System

2011-08-18T14:47:00.003-05:00

After a long wait, I am now wearing my new Bionicare knee brace.

This brace is supposed to help me delay a total knee replacement for a couple of years. But it's not really the brace that is to do this... it is the electrical stimulus device that is supposed to do it. This device gives electrical impulses through two electrodes that is worn under the brace. Up to 12 volts of DC current is run through wires attached to the electrodes. Given enough "wear time" it is touted to help make knees with osteoarthritis cope with pain much better. We will see....

The brace is very expensive (approximately $2200), and there's an added cost of replacing the electrodes every 7-10 days. I think it would have been more upfront of the company selling the device to disclose the fact that there would be an added expense of buying new electrodes so often. While the initial cost of the brace is hard enough to deal with, adding in about $100 every month isn't something I was prepared to do. Of course now that I have it on, what choice do I have? I need to keep this brace on for at least 8 hours per day and rack up about 1750 total hours of wear-time with the electrodes. After that, I should be able to eliminate the use of the electrodes and electrical stimulus system which is the heart of this device.

If this brace does what it claims... delay a total knee replacement surgery for up to 3 to 4 years, then the cost would be worth it. My commitment to teaching at Balanced Exposure takes priority at this point, so I have to delay any surgery. Perhaps in a few years, I can take some time off and get the knee replacement surgery for my left knee. Of course, my right knee is just slightly better, but it's got issues as well. Who knows when that knee will also develop enough problems to have to do all this again!

(Image borrowed from the Bionicare website.)

Photoshop CS5 Preferred by Most Students!

2011-08-12T08:56:00.001-05:00

Huh! Who'd have "thunk" it? :)

I had thought that many of my students would prefer to learn to use Photoshop Elements 9 over Photoshop CS5 simply because of the cost difference between the two products. But after several sessions at my Workflow Seminar, I'm finding many students telling me that they prefer to get the more expensive Photoshop version to learn!

There is one way to get Photoshop CS5 at a discount directly from Adobe. It's called a student discount. If you are a college student currently enrolled at a college, you can qualify. Just buy the product directly from Adobe.com and supply them with a scanned copy of your student ID or other proof of your enrollment and Adobe will call the school to verify it. Once done, you'll get Photoshop CS5 at a substantial discount. How much? Well, CS5 costs roughly $650 normally. Get the student discount and your price drops to $199! In fact if you do it by August 14, 2011, you can get another $20 off! It's probably a "back to school" special...

To help with your software education, I'm also offering a discount for your training. Contact Balanced Exposure for more details!

Finally Got Out To Fish - Lucky Dog Charters

2011-07-28T09:55:00.006-05:00

With so many things going on this year, I worried that I might not get in any fishing this year! But this past Sunday, some friends from church along with my nephew and his best friend gathered together on Lucky Dog Charters out of Waukegan Harbor to spend 6 hours out on Lake Michigan.

The day started out with thunder and lightning and so we wondered if the afternoon trip from 1:30 PM to 7:30 PM would be rained out. But a call to Captain Jim Kaske of the Lucky Dog was all it took to confirm we were headed out. The captain was right... it turned out to be a great afternoon... not too hot, slightly overcast day (until later when the sun started to come out.)

We were after steelhead salmon and to find them required us to hunt for colder waters. We went out perhaps 7 or 8 miles into the lake and started catching fish in pairs. Almost immediately after setting the lines, my nephew caught the first fish. A second one followed shortly after. Whenever the bite stopped, our captain started looking for colder waters. Everytime he found a patch of cold water, we'd get a fish or two!

In all, we caught 15 fish... mostly steelhead in the 7 or 8 lb range. But we also had a couple in the 10 lb range as well. For me, I caught the smallest of the group at only 2 lbs, but made up for it by catching two large 7 or 8 lb King Salmon as well. The last fish of the day was a lake trout.

Our group photo shows only 13 fish, but we caught two more after the photo was taken. A small Fuji F10 point and shoot camera was used to take these images.

Kudos to our captain from Lucky Dog Charters for working so hard to find us fish. I'd definitely recommend him to anyone looking to do some charter fishing out of Waukegan Harbor!

Be sure to click on each photo for a closer look.

Still Going Strong!

2011-07-18T17:16:00.000-05:00

I've been teaching a lot of classes lately, but still having fun doing it!

The classes have definitely been keeping me from updating my blog however. In the past, I'd update at least twice per week. But now I'm finding it hard even to keep up with all the emails and phone calls that it makes it really hard to even take the time to post a simple blog entry.

I appreciate everyone checking in on the blog though. While I may not be posting as much, according to my blog statistics, my readers are still hanging in there with me. Nice to know I have dedicated readers!

Hang in there!

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T07:16:00.002-05:00

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July! :)

Workflow Seminar!

2011-06-26T14:28:00.005-05:00

A new 2-hour seminar is being offered by Balanced Exposure.

The new Workflow Seminar allows students to watch while I work on their images in various post production software like Adobe Photoshop CS5, Photoshop Elements 9, Adobe Lightroom and Portrait Professional.

By taking the seminar, you can see exactly how an image is manipulated for color and exposure balance, the removal of facial imperfection on portraits, and removing other non-desired things in a photo. Then, after you've attended the seminar, you'll have a better idea of what each of the various software packages actually can do so that you can make the right choice as to which post production class is best for your own photography.

The cost is $95 for the two hour group seminar. But if you have purchased a online coupon deal from Balanced Exposure, you can take this seminar for only $35! And, if you purchased this seminar on the same day of your Photography 101 class and if you sign up for one of the advanced post production classes after attending this seminar, you'll get all $35 back to use as part of the cost of your post production class! Can't beat that! Add in the 35% discount you are going to get by taking a post production class from Balanced Exposure if you take one of these classes with 3 months of your online coupon class attendance, it just adds up to an even better deal for having purchased one of our online offers!

To sign up for this seminar, contact Balanced Exposure by email or phone. studio@balancedexposure.com or 847-840-4082. We'll accept a personal check or you can pay via PayPal. A PayPal Invoice will be sent to your email address and you can use your credit card to pay for this... even if you don't have a regular PayPal account. All you need is an email address.

(Image borrowed from the internet)

Photos Of The New Classroom / Studio

2011-06-15T17:06:00.000-05:00

I've been rather busy lately, but wanted to put some photos of the classroom / studio up for everyone to see. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look!

New Facebook Page For Balanced Exposure

2011-06-08T07:23:00.002-05:00

I created a new Facebook page for Balanced Exposure and need your help!

Twenty-Five fans are needed to "like" the page before it can get a username. Please visit the Balanced Exposure Facebook page by clicking here. Then click on the "like" button to add yourself to the page's fans. In exchange, you'll get updates on Facebook about Balanced Exposure as it happens.

Our most recent accomplishment was to sell 689 Groupons last week. That's a lot of new students! Many have asked if we have additional training classes available once their Photography 101 class is done and the answer is YES! Besides advanced group classes, individual help is also available.

To me, the most logical next step in advancing an interest in photography is post production work via Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Elements. Adobe Lightroom is also a very powerful tool... one I use more often than even Photoshop!

Another announcement is that Balanced Exposure is moving into the largest space on the 14th floor of Zurich Tower's Tower Two. We have secured a space that's a little over twice the size of the old studio space. In here, we'll hold classes that can hold as many as 24 students as well as the studio itself. This new addition should be sufficient to handle all the new students gained by the Groupon deal.

Don't worry if you missed out on the last Groupon offering. We have more online deals coming up with Groupon! It's in the works! In the meantime, become a fan of our page on Facebook.

Be sure to click on the floor plan above for a closer look.

A Screaming Photography Training Deal

2011-06-02T03:57:00.001-05:00

Well, the day has finally come. My photography training deal for Balanced Exposure is now being offered online!

For only $50, you can get two 3-hour training classes in Photography 101. That's an 80% discount off my normal price of $250 for both classes.

Click here to see the Groupon deal that's running from June 2 through June 4. Spread the word in case you know anyone interested in taking a photography class!

CCUC North - All Church Retreat

2011-05-23T16:28:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, members of the Chinese Christian Union Church - North from Highland Park, IL attended an All Church Retreat in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The event's code name was "Extreme Makeover - God Edition."

I believe we had about 270 people signed up, although I don't think all 270 are depicted in the photo above. I know I'm not in the photo! :)

To take this photo, I had to stand on a tall 8 ft ladder and shoot down at the people. If you are on the same plane as the subjects in a huge group shot like this, it is usually hard to see everyone in the photo. So getting up higher is necessary.

The image required the grass area to be "cloned" in Photoshop as there were just too many dandelions and other weeds in the image. Plus, a huge wooden swing in the background made the image look unbalanced. So Photoshop's "Content Aware Fill" helped to remove that.

I had hoped for a shaded area to take the photo, but with so many people in the shot, there just wasn't a good place to do it and still have a decent looking background. So out onto the grass we went. We were really thankful that the weather cooperated as we had a great sunny morning for the photo.

Be sure to click on the image to take a closer look.

Haven't Gone Fishing At All This Year!

2011-05-16T22:25:00.001-05:00

I have not had the chance to go fishing at all this year! The photo above is one I posted in 2010.

Last year, I had hopes of doing a lot more fishing in 2011, but with the new teaching studio open, time is limited. In addition, our weather has just not been cooperative either.

I keep reading the various reports on fishing forums and it seems few people have been lucky catching fish this year. Reports from other sources show that fishing is just plain down this year because of the weather. Eventually, I get out there, but it seems it will have to be in the early morning hours of the weekdays. I'm actually ok with that as I enjoy watching the sunrise over the water. But I've never had any luck out on Lake Michigan on shore. All of the fish I've caught have been out on a boat in Lake Michigan.

Of the various species to catch, I enjoy catching salmon the most. Big fish like you see above is what I like catching. I also like catching pike out of the Des Plaines River, but nowhere is it as much fun as catching a salmon! Even if I don't catch anything, I still like getting out there and trying. It's very peaceful out on the water.

My desire for getting a Wisconsin license this years is over too. Again, lack of time is the issue. From what others have told me, the chances of catching a salmon in Wisconsin is far better than in Illinois. They stock a lot more fish up there. But I'll have to make do with what might be available from Illinois. Time... I need more of it!

The Lights of Marfa - Doyle Dykes - New Book Is Now Available!

2011-04-02T16:34:00.006-05:00

I just received my copy of guitarist Doyle Dykes' new book entitled, "The Lights of Marfa."

I pre-ordered it on Amazon.com and was amazed it came in already! The book was released just yesterday (April 1, 2011) and here it is April 2 and it's in my hands.

I can't wait to read it! Doyle and I have been friends for many years now and I've had the privilege to get to know his entire family when he hired me to photograph his daughter Holli's wedding. In the years to follow, we've only grown closer and when I heard he had written a book, I knew I would be one of the first to pre-order it on Amazon.com.

Our mutual friend Pastor Steve Lyon from Moody Publishers asked him to write a book which took Doyle by surprise. When he first told me about it, I immediately thought, "What a great idea" but apparently, that's not what Doyle thought. It took him by surprise, like many other things have in his life. But looking back, these things were obviously in God's plan for him.

The 'real' Lights of Marfa is just as mysterious and unexplainable. This is why Doyle chose this title for his book. Life's adventures are sometimes hard to figure out and explain. But Doyle is such a good storyteller that I already know before reading this book that this is going to be one interesting book to read.

If you are a guitar player like me, it's an obvious book to buy and read. But for those wanting a spiritual uplift, I'm sure you will find that here in the book as well. Doyle is the real deal as many have pointed out already on the book's first few pages. The likes of Phil Keaggy, Tommy Emmanuel, Pastor Rick Warren, Roy Clark, Eric Johnson, Mason Williams, Steve King & Johnnie Putman from WGN Radio and many others have said the same thing.

Go out now and get a copy of the book. It promises to be an inspirational read!

Oh, one more thing, the book comes with a free DVD. In it, you'll see and hear Doyle talk about the book and also get a bunch of great videos of him playing a number of songs too! For guitar players, the DVD has a lot of closeups of Doyle playing, so maybe you'll pick up some playing tips too by watching! Just one more thing to make this book a great buy!

A New Home Page Photo for Balanced Exposure

2011-03-30T16:42:00.002-05:00

I think this one looks a little better than the old home page photo. It also shows the wood floor that's now been added. Be sure to click on the image for a closer look.

Studio Updates

2011-03-22T19:54:00.003-05:00

The studio is coming along just fine. I've been devoting most of my time on it and neglecting everything else... like this blog!

A new website has been implemented... so please visit www.balancedexposure.com. One of the main reasons for the new site is because the old one was really geared as a photographer's website and it did not allow for more information to be put in easily. Plus it was a flash site which made it invisible to people who use an Apple iPad. The new site is an HTML site, so everyone can view it.

The Wait Is Over - Studio Announcement

2011-03-08T15:57:00.008-06:00

Well, the wait is over. For those who have been wondering what I've been doing for the past several weeks and not blogging about things, it's because I've been busy setting up a new teaching studio facility!

Visit www.balancedexposure.com to see more about the studio and pricing. You can also download our rental brochure there too. See you all soon! Be sure to click on each photo for a closer look.

I've Been Tied Up Lately...

2011-02-21T15:33:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the lack of blog posts... I've been super busy the past couple of weeks.

I'll have a major announcement soon. Most likely will not not have any blog posts for at least another week.

Thanks

Band Of Brothers

2011-02-13T20:54:00.001-06:00

After watching the HBO mini-series "The Pacific" on DVD, I decided to watch "Band Of Brothers" too as it is really the movie sibling of The Pacific. Band of Brothers was first aired in 2001 whereas The Pacific was in 2010. So I actually saw these two mini-series in reversed order.

While both mini-series were excellent, Band of Brothers seems to be slightly less edgy. By this I mean that it had less confrontation of the men against their own men due to the stress of the war. The men in The Pacific seemed to have more personal issues with the other men in their units than in Band of Brothers. Perhaps that's why they named it Band of Brothers!

Both movies had their share of gore, but I think in the nine years of time, the film makers have gotten better at it and applied that to The Pacific.

I must admit that after viewing these two mini-series, I really feel an even greater sense of gratitude for all that the men who fought in WWII had to go through. Every one of them are true heroes. The next time you run into one of our service men currently serving or who had served our country in the past, be sure you thank them for all that they do or did for our country. For me, I always offer them a discount on my photography services. I always have and always will. It's a small gesture, but it is something I believe they deserve.

I encourage you to watch these two mini-series on DVD. Go to your local library and borrow the DVD set or purchase them if you'd like to own it.

The images above were borrowed from the internet.

Jennifer Hudson

2011-02-11T00:15:00.001-06:00

Have you seen Jennifer Hudson lately? I borrowed these images from the internet that show "before and after" shots of her. She looks terrific!

I watched the Oprah Show today and was amazed at how much Jennifer Hudson had lost in weight! She's gone from a size 16 to a size 6 and has lost 80 lbs. That's impressive!

I've always liked her. She's a Chicago hometown girl and everyone here is so proud of her. A lot has changed in her life in the past several years... winning an Oscar, a Grammy, losing her mom, brother and nephew, having a baby and now losing all this weight. She keeps going through the good and the bad and has a great outlook on life. She says that when she does something, she just asks herself if her mom would approve. I think that's great. Good for her!

I wish her the best in life. She's an amazing person and a terrific talent.

The Pacific - HBO Mini-Series

2011-02-07T22:45:00.007-06:00

I just finished watching the HBO mini-series, "The Pacific" on DVD. This 10 part series features the lives of various real-life World War II heroes like John Basilone who was one of the most decorated Marines in history.

This series really opens your eyes to all the things our veterans had to go through for us while serving during WWII. This movie is GRAPHIC. I kept thinking to myself, "Wow... this would never have been shown on TV back in the 1960's with all the blood and gore!" Back then shows like McHale's Navy and Combat! were all the rage. I know because I used to watch them both. I told my wife many times in the past that of all the war movies or series out there, I prefer to watch WWII movies. I'm not sure why, but perhaps it is because it is the one war that I feel the entire country really stood behind. Patriotism was very high back then and everybody did their part in the war effort. That appeals to me.

Ever since "Saving Private Ryan" starring Tom Hanks (who also happens to co-produce this movie along with Steven Spielberg), seeing a war movie without some of the gore doesn't appeal much to me anymore. I think having seen this new style of shooting (handheld cameras moving along with the men as they charge up the beach) and seeing the gore that so obviously had to have happened in real life, I can't go back to see war movies without it. That may sound a bit morbid, but I think I prefer to see it more real. Remember too that I come from a homicide background having worked for three law enforcement agencies in the past, so seeing it on the screen is actually less graphic compared to seeing it up close for real.

I'd recommend anyone interested in seeing what WWII was all about in the Pacific to view this series. It makes you really appreciate the things our fighting men did for us to remain free in this country. Recently, I lost an uncle and I attended his funeral just last week. I did not realize he served in WWII as he never spoke about it. It was told to us during the eulogy at his funeral. In addition, members of the armed forces presented the draped US flag over his casket, to the family. It was quite moving to see this ceremony. That night is when my wife and I started to watch this DVD series. To me, it was very fitting.

If you get a chance to rent or buy this DVD series, I would highly recommend you do so. But be aware that there are scenes that are quite graphic.

The photos above were borrowed from the internet.

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-03T09:32:00.000-06:00

"Gung Hay Fat Choy!" - This is the traditional Chinese greeting wishing congratulations and to have a prosperous and good year. Be sure to say this to every Chinese person you meet today!

This lunar New Year is the year of the Rabbit. You would be born in the year of the Ox if your birthday was in 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 or 2011. But remember, each year, the actual date in a lunar year changes, so the change of the year doesn't always fall on February 3 as it does today.

Why not go to your favorite Chinese Restaurant today and celebrate the New Year?

Snow!!!!

2011-02-02T10:27:00.003-06:00

Back in 1967, Chicago had a record snowfall of 23 inches. Click here to see The Chicago Tribune's account of it and photos.

It's hard to say how much snow will fall for this 2011 blizzard. I have heard reports that we have had at least 17 inches so far and more is coming. I got up early and was out working my snowblower at 5:20 AM this morning and finished doing my driveway around 7:30 AM. Normally, it would only take about a half hour to do my driveway, but not today. The drifts were "thigh-high" and working a snowblower only allowed me to go down a path a few inches wide at a time. Had I tried to blow out the entire width of the snowblower, it would have stalled the machine. Even after finishing the driveway, only an hour later, there was a bunch of new snow on it again.

I know that I will need to do battle with the snow several more times today. This is the most snow we have had in a long time!

Edit Note: We ended up with 20.2 inches, making it the third largest snowfall in Chicago history. In 1999 we had 21 inches and the number one snowfall record was in 1967 at 23 inches.

Snow Days

2011-02-01T13:17:00.002-06:00

Chicago is preparing for a lot of snow. It seems kids are the only ones who benefit since they get a "snow day" out of it. Even libraries are closing early and shutting down for the entire day tomorrow.

I went to two grocery stores yesterday and found a huge line of people there trying to buy food. The parking lots were full and jammed with cars. My wife went to get gas and also had to wait in line. Are people smart to stock up, or are they just panic-stricken?

I didn't buy lots of food, I just got what we normally get. We have a lot of food in the freezer anyway, so we are in good shape (so to speak.) But if a little snow is enough to throw people into a rush to buy stuff, what would they do if something even greater were to befall the area? I can only imagine how it is when there is something like an earthquake or a typhoon or hurricane. Yikes!

We'll see how much snow we end up with. Maybe it's a ploy to get people to go out and spend.... what do you think? :)

Edit Note: The snow is coming down... we are expecting a LOT of snow during this blizzard!!!

"Specmanship"

2011-01-21T13:35:00.002-06:00

Years ago when my family owned a stereo store, we used to go to the Consumer Electronics Shows (CES) where all the new electronic products for the year was introduced. It was one of the highlights of being a stereo dealer. To get consumers to buy, manufacturers used to exaggerate their specifications. For instance, they would combine the wattage of a stereo amplifier's left and right channels and call it a more powerful amp. A 100 watt per channel amp might be touted as a 200 watt amp simply by adding the two channel's power specification together.

"Specmanship" is a term we gave to those products that pushed the limit of specifications. An amplifier can be 100 watts per channel or it can be said to be perhap 250 watts per channel. How? Well, if you push that amplifier so that the distortion is moved up as well, you can get a lot more power. Granted, it is "distorted" power, but it's power none-the-less. "Specmanship." Not good.

Today, I'm noticing some companies are doing this again. A five channel receiver that has 100 watts for each of its channels (used in a 5.1 surround sound system) might be said to have 500 watts of power. Come on! That's specmanship once again!

I recently saw some powered speakers used for PA systems (public address systems) that had 500 watts of power going into the woofer and 500 watts going to the tweeter. Now there's no way a tweeter would need 500 watts. You'd burn out the tweeter well before you would hit 500 watts going into it. Yet, the powered speaker was advertised as a 1000 watt powered speaker! While you might have the ability to have two amps running together, I'll bet that tweeter amp is never going to reach the bi-amp'ed 500 watts. "Specmanship." Not good.

So years ago when the electronics industry had cracked down on manufacturers misleading the public with specmanship, it seems once again, this practice is out there to make products appear more powerful than they actually are when in use. I'm disappointed. :(

Beach-front Property

2011-01-20T13:48:00.000-06:00

I've always wondered about beach-front property. Here's one along a beach in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

I've wondered if it is a hassle having people hanging around your property all the time since they too share the beach. Of course it's convenient for you to head out to the beach by just going into your "backyard" and having it there. But would you get used to all the strangers hanging around your property?

The weather in Fort Myers Beach, Florida today is 80 degrees. That sure beats the cold of the north!

Photos taken with a cell phone camera. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

A New TV

2011-01-17T09:56:00.007-06:00

Four years ago, I purchased a Vizio 47" LCD 1080p TV at Costco... and then to the exact day four years later, I returned it for a full refund, back onto my American Express card.

The Vizio TV had "popped" when I changed channels on the remote, effectively killing the machine. While it would still power up, it didn't have any other features working. You couldn't even turn off the TV after turning it on. So I decided to invoke Costco's old "Free exchange for life" warranty that had been in effect for our set.

Just a couple months after we bought our TV four years ago, Costco stopped their "free for life" electronics warranty. But we got "grandfather claused" because we purchased the TV before it became in effect. The requirements were that you must return everything that came with the TV, including the box.

Since we knew that one day, we might need to do this, we decided we would keep the huge TV box in our garage. It was a good thing we did that because four years to the day, we had to return the TV.

To their word, Costco returned my purchase price (just over $2000 with tax) directly back onto my credit card! So with the returned money, I purchased a 46" 1080p, 120 Hz LCD Samsung TV in its place for about $900 plus tax. It even has internet capabilities via WiFi. While the new edge-lit LED screens are the latest development in flat-screen TV's, we found that this particular Samsung model actually looked better than many of the LED TV's, so we decided to stick with the older LCD technology. The new LED models have a potential for leaking some of its backlighting causing some "cloudiness" issues on some models and we found one Sony model that did just that. So we were fine with getting the older LCD model Samsung instead. Plus we found that the Samsung actually looked much sharper and cleaner than the Sony screen.

So now I have a new TV with better capabilities for about half the cost of the old TV and essentially, I had the free use of a 47" TV for four years. Not bad!

Today's Costco policy offers 2 years of warranty, still not a bad deal, but the old lifetime warranty can't be beat. I suppose I can't blame Costco for changing their policy, but I'm glad I had the old policy in place for that old Vizio set! Thanks Costco!

Question 67 & 68

2011-01-13T11:01:00.001-06:00

This is another one of the videos from our Chicago Tribute Band performance back on October 1, 2010. It was from the rehearsal just minutes before the actual performance. We had never played this song together before this recording. The vocal was sung one octave lower than the original from Chicago because I can't sing that high! I think it loses a lot of the dynamics of the song, but oh well...

Enjoy!

One Of My First Wedding Clients - Nearly 20 Years Ago

2011-01-10T22:55:00.007-06:00

2011 marks my 21st year photographing weddings!

I decided to take a look back at some of the old images I shot on Medium Format film and found these 5x5 proofs of some studio shots I did of one of my first clients in the San Diego area. I don't remember their names or when their wedding took place as it has been so long ago. I would guess that this was probably 2 or 3 years after I started photographing weddings because of the studio lights. Also, I remember this session as I didn't have that many wedding clients who brought their own props with them! Since the groom was a firefighter, he brought in an old-styled fire extinguisher and also a small fire alarm box!

I remember that the bride was the first bride who actually got into her dress while I was in the room. I am not normally in the room with the bride as she dresses (usually just after), but I was specifically requested to be there to document her getting into her dress. You don't forget that kind of request! I'm not shy about that and neither was the bride apparently. Over the years, I've seen a lot of things at weddings, so nothing really surprises me any more. Well, ok, just last year, I helped photograph a wedding with another photographer and that was the first time I had someone pull out a Sig semi-auto 9mm handgun and fire off several rounds of bullets into the air. That surprised me a little since I was about 6 feet from the shooter.

Anyway, as for this San Diego wedding, I used to take studio portraits of my clients the day after their wedding. I had a studio set up in my garage back then (it was a 3 car garage that had fully finished walls) and I'd make the bride and groom come to my place to take their shots on Sunday mornings. We had to do it then because the groom usually had to return his tux on Monday. Plus, if they went on a honeymoon, they'd either leave later on Sunday or perhaps on Monday. So Sunday morning, bright and early, we'd get these shots done. Believe me, all of us were usually tired when we were taking these photos because they had been partying until at least midnight and I'd been working all day as well at the wedding. Still, we got some pretty nice shots considering the circumstances.

Today, I don't offer the studio photo option the day after any more because I don't have a location to do that any more. My office is only set up for meetings.

These photos are scanned images of the original 5x5 proof prints. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look. Remember, these are scans, so there are dust spots and the resolution is only as good as the actual 5x5 print. Still, it's not too bad.

Kirkland AA Batteries

2011-01-06T23:21:00.000-06:00

You can buy "name brand" batteries, or you can buy private label batteries. I prefer to save a few dollars and buy private label for certain items and AA batteries are one of them.

I don't buy "Heavy Duty" AA batteries as they aren't nearly as good as alkaline batteries. Some devices won't allow the use of heavy duty batteries unless you want to void your warranties. But alkaline batteries are a safe bet if you buy ones that do the job right... correct voltage, long lasting while being used, and long lasting shelf life.

The Kirkland brand is Costco's brand. I picked up their 48 battery pack for $10.99. That's about $0.23 per battery. Compared to brands like Duracell, that's about half the price. Not bad!

I checked the batteries on a digital multimeter and they read 1.625 Volts each. That's pretty good. AA batteries are rated at 1.5 Volts. Getting a little more out of the battery to start is a good thing.

In the past, I have purchased batteries from Rayovac, which is a name brand. Still, in general, I found that Rayovac tends to be less expensive than Duracell and Energizer as well and they have always held up well too. But these Kirklands are even less expensive and seems to do a good job too. So why not?

Some online reports have also confirmed that the Kirkland AA batteries do a fine job. Click here for one of the reports.

The photo of the batteries were borrowed from the internet.

Testifying In Criminal Court - A Repeat from 2008

2011-01-02T23:28:00.003-06:00

Back on Dec 6, 2008, I wrote about how to properly testify in court. The subject came up again recently and so I thought it might be good to repeat it here. I'm recycling information on my blog! Never thought I would, but this one is good to know in case you ever get called to testify in court. Pay attention!
________________________

As an expert witness, it's often asked of me... "What's it like to testify in court?"

Well I can tell you, it's pretty easy (if you are not the defendant) and not like what you see on TV! You need to be very specific when you answer in court. On TV, I see so often how witnesses add information that they really shouldn't.

For instance, if the question is, "Mr. Lowe... Did you take a photograph of the victim on December 5, 1993 at 123 Main Street in San Diego California?" The answer should either be, "Yes" or "No" or "I don't recall." That's it.

But on TV, this is what I usually hear, "Yes, and it was done with the best camera I have too." Way too much information given!

Or how about this one, "Mr. Lowe, did you dust the gun for fingerprints?"The answer should be either, "Yes, I did" or "No, I did not" or "I don't recall." But on TV, this is what you'll hear, "Yes, I did and I used a special silver colored powder that works better on black surfaces of guns." Again, way too much information.

The tendency is to offer more information, but that's not the proper way to answer in court. As an expert witness, answering the question with only a Yes or No is better. Should the attorney want more information, he'll ask for it.

For example, "Mr. Lowe, did you dust the gun for fingerprints?"Answer... "Yes, I did." Attorney... "And Mr. Lowe, what type of powder did you use?" Answer... "I used a special silver colored powder designed to work better on black surfaces like guns."

Here's another type of answer that is not correct... Question... "Mr. Lowe, what time of the day did you take the photograph of the victim lying in the street?" Wrong answer, "You know, it was dark that day so it was hard to take a good photograph." This answer would most likely be objected to as being "non-responsive" because it never answers the original question! The attorney objecting would most likely motion for the answer to be "stricken from the record." The proper answer should be, "I took that photograph at 4:00 PM" or, "I do not recall."
Is it easy to testify in court? I think so. But you need to listen closely and only answer what is asked. No more, no less. If the attorney is doing his/her job properly, an additional question will be asked if needed to help clarify. Oh, and don't forget to address the judge as "Your Honor."That's always fun! :)

The Last Blog Post for 2010

2010-12-31T04:36:00.002-06:00

What makes a good post for the end of a year? A recap of the year? A look towards the upcoming year? What should the blog focus on in 2011? Who is reading this blog anyway?

From statistics given to me by my StatCounter account, it seems people from all over the world check out my blog. It has been that way since its inception. I don't think people read every post I write, although some people do. Most often, people do a Google search and my blog pops up as something to check out on a given topic. Or, people will look for photos of a certain subject and my blog will offer some photos that match that search.

So really, I can write just about anything and there will probably be someone who will eventually see the post.

I found that if I post about "popular" things like cameras, guitars, celebrities... I'll get a bunch of hits to my blog. The most hit post was probably my post about Charice Pempengco, the amazing Filipino singer. I don't recall the exact number, but I think I got over 600 hits in one day. I wonder if just writing her name here will get some hits too!

You may wonder why I often end each post that have photos on it with the instructions, "Be sure to click on each image to take a closer look." Well, I found that many people only look at a single blog post, not the entire blog. So that one phrase is the first (and possibly the only time) they will ever read it. My weekly blog readers see it all the time, but they don't. And, a reminder for them to click on the image is necessary because I don't downsize my images too much. I usually leave them at 4x6 size at 300 ppi., so you can see some good details if you click on the images to view them closer. Many photos on the internet have been downsized so much that you can't see any details if you enlarge them. Not mine.

So what is interesting to write about? What will my readers want to read? That's a question I have to ponder twice each week. Usually on Mondays and Thursdays, my blog is updated with content. While not all posts are interesting to everyone, I find that my readers still come back to check up on me. I may not know who the people are, but I can tell from my StatCounter that the same IP addresses have come back often. Hundreds of times actually. To those people, I'd like to say, "Thank you" for your continued interest in seeing what I'm up to weekly.

I go through phases it seems when I post. Sometimes I'll do a whole string of posts on fishing, or perhaps guitars, or photography related posts. I keep wondering if I'm going to run out of ideas to keep the blog fresh. Writer's block... you know. Just kind of like this post. I'm not really sure what to write about, so I'm just rambling here. And, if you've read all this so far, I guess you don't really mind reading all of this babble either. Otherwise you would have already moved on to something else, right?

I also find that having a photo along with a blog post makes a huge difference. I don't know about you, but I like seeing pictures with things I read. For instance, this post doesn't have a photo. So have you been thinking, "Why am I reading this? It doesn't have any pictures to look at!"

While this post hasn't had any real value to speak of, it's been keeping me busy at 4:30 AM. Yes, I often have weird sleeping patterns. Sometimes I go to bed late and get up late. Other times, I go to bed early and get up early. Other times I go to bed at "normal" hours and still end up waking up at 3 AM! There are no "normal" hours for me. I don't sleep throughout the night either. I often wake up many times during the night. It's been like this for years. So when I don't have the ability to sleep, you'll often find me on the computer. Just like right now.

OK... seems I've typed enough. This post looks "long enough" to be legitimate, even though it's been nothing but worthless information that most people will think was a real waste of their time reading. You are probably wondering why you've even stuck with it this long right?

Have a great 2011... better posts to come next year! :)

R Taylor - Style One with Maple/Sitka Spruce

2010-12-27T12:36:00.002-06:00

I never posted about this guitar until now. It's been my main steel-string guitar for over a year. While it is basically a more advanced Taylor GS guitar, the R Taylor Style One is the "hand-built" version made by just a few select Taylor employees.

Back in 2006, Taylor decided to make some hand-built instruments and so they formed the R Taylor company. The company makes a little over 300 instruments per year. Consider that Taylor's yearly production is well past 70,000 instruments per year, this is a very small division! But only the best woods and construction techniques are used and yes, you CAN hear the difference!

I've owned several Maple guitars from Taylor over the years, two of which were GS models. The Style one has been described by some guitar forums as a Taylor GS Guitar on steroids, but I like thinking of it as a more refined Taylor guitar. Deeper bass, clearer trebles... an overall more satisfying sounding guitar.

This particular R Taylor happens to be the third R Taylor ever made, with serial number 003 from 2006. It not only looks great, but sounds that way as well. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Ovation Classic 2073LX with Tremolo

2010-12-23T14:32:00.002-06:00

I took a photo of the Ovation Classic 2073LX (my new nylon-string guitar) and Photoshopped in a tremolo onto it. Rock 'N Rollers would call this a "Whammy Bar." This would never really work on a classical guitar as it would probably cave in the top if you tried to work it. Plus the constant stretching of the nylon strings would make it go way out of tune!

Looks pretty cool though, don't you think?

The before and after photos are included. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Studio Work

2010-12-20T16:42:00.003-06:00

Recently, I was asked why I didn't do more studio portrait work. After all, there's a lot of money that can be made doing that! But my response was that it takes more space, time and effort than I can often give right now. Even a simple two umbrella, backlight, and hairlight setup requires a lot of work to set up correctly.

I initially set up for a 17 person session with a black backdrop and a gelled backlight, but found out the night before that several of the people planned to wear dark colors. So I switched to a white seemless paper backdrop instead. While it doesn't look very wide here, the backdrops are 10 ft wide. They still weren't wide enough for that many people and so it needed to be "extended" via Photoshop. Individual photos of the people were also taken and I used a smaller 5 ft wide black velveteen backdrop with a gelled backlight for those images.

All of my living room furniture needs to be moved away for photo sessions. Basically, the entire house is turned upside down to do a session. Washrooms are turned into dressing rooms, the family room becomes a staging area... it's too much to ask to do it more than perhaps a couple of times per year. Still, my family has put up with it when needed. (The second photo shows what the room looks like with furniture still in the way, but with the softboxes used for main and fill lights.)

Umbrellas were used for the group images, but later I switched to softboxes for the individual photos I have a little more control of the lighting with softboxes, but umbrellas spread the light wider which is good for high-key photos (white backgrounds.) Ideally, I would have lighted the backdrop with two umbrellas and then used two more ro light the people. But there just wasn't enough room to do that. Years ago when we lived in the San Diego area, I had used my three car garage as a studio. It had plenty of room to shoot out of. All I had to do was pull the cars out. The garage was fully finished, so it had walls, not like some garages where you can still see the 2x4 wood supports.

One day I'd like to have some real shooting space where I can leave all my gear set up. Then perhaps I can do more portrait work or commercial photography work. One day...

Be sure to click on each image to take a closer look.

Hawaii Five-O

2010-12-16T21:46:00.004-06:00

Hawaii Five-O was one of my favorite shows while growing up in the late '60's through the 70's.. It seemed every high school and college band played the theme song from the hit TV show. Every half-time football game had the bands playing the song. (They also played the song Vehicle quite a bit too, but that's another story.)

In the original TV series, the character "Kono" was a big Samoan guy played by an actor named Zulu. But in the new TV show, Kono is now played by a Korean actress named Grace Park! How did that gender change happen? And not only that, but the new Kono is now detective Chin Ho Kelly's cousin!

Look closely at the video below and watch for the credits.

Here it is:

Ovation Classic 2073LX

2010-12-13T17:05:00.002-06:00

(All Images Borrowed From The Internet)

Years ago, I had an Ovation Legend nylon-string guitar, but sold it to get a Godin Grand Concert Multiac nylon. That got sold to get my new Ovation C2078LX... which has already been sold to get the new Ovation Classic 2073LX. I've come full circle!

The new Ovation has a 1-3/4" nut width which will make it much easier to play. The new contour body shape is better than my old Legend which had a super shallow bowl. It should sound deeper and fuller. The OP Pro Studio preamp should also make it sound nice when plugged in and played amplified.

While the guitar looks virtually identical to my old Ovation Legend, it should be much different in its playability. It's slightly smaller nut width should help a bunch and I am excited about the new bridge design as well.

The guitar is expected to arrive on Friday.

The Russ Lowe Method Of Success In School

2010-12-09T11:09:00.004-06:00

When I went through college (the first time) to get my bachelors degree in Electronics Engineering Technology, I was an ok student. I got B's and high B's mostly and a few A's sprinkled in here and there. My Grade Point Average was 3.3 out of 4.0. Not bad, but nothing spectacular either.

Years later, I decided to go back to school to get two Associates Degree's in Evidence Technology and in Pre Law / Court Management. I was older than many of my fellow classmates since it was technically the second time around for me at college.

I made the decision that if I was going to put myself through the torture of studying again for another degree, I had to be the top student in the program. After all, I was older than the other students, I was already married, and I didn't really want to be in school any longer than I had to.

To get these two degrees, I decided I wanted to finish the program as quick as I could. Three semesters total was my goal. To do that, I had to take 18 to 21 credit hours of classes for the three semesters, plus take one summer session (Biology and Sociology.) That's a lot of classes, but I petitioned the Dean and was granted permission to do it. A lot of my general education classes transferred over, so I was able to skip those classes again. On top of that tough class schedule, I worked at the San Diego Police Department after my morning and afternoon classes and then returned back to the school to take a night class. I literally went from 8 AM to about 9:30 PM. Sometimes too, I'd go out on homicide calls at night. I barely slept for three semesters!

The way I did it was I kept telling myself these things: "I LOVE this class! I really like this teacher!" And, I always sat in the front of the classroom. That's it. Even if I hated the class, I told myself that I loved it. It worked. I graduated at the top of my class with a 3.92 out of 4.0 GPA (I got one B+ which threw off my 4.0 goal.) I graduated with honors from the Administration of Justice department. I was granted a special law enforcement memorial award for being the top student of the program and given a plaque, but a trophy with my name engraved on it (along with others who won the award each year) sits at the school.

Today, whenever I get asked by people who are thinking of going back to school, I tell them this story. I tell them that the secret to success in getting good grades is to tell yourself you love the class and teacher and to sit in the front every day. One person I know has been doing just that and he swears it works. I hope others will take the hint as well and do it because it really does work. Psyching yourself up for class every day, paying attention in class, doing your homework diligently and basically concentrating 100% of your daily effort on your goal, will guarantee success in school. That's the Russ Lowe Method of Success in School.

DVD-R Discs

2010-12-06T09:47:00.000-06:00

I've tried many different brands of DVD-R media, but the one that seems to work the best on a variety of DVD players for me is made by Verbatim.

It has gotten to the point that I only seek out Verbatim discs now when I shop for DVD-R media. Other brands sometimes do not play in my DVD players. Also the "minus R" discs work best too, not the "plus R" discs.

While it has been nice to print images on plain white discs for my wedding clients, going forward, I think it is actually safer that I simply put their wedding images on these DVD-R discs without an ink-jet image printed on the surface of the discs. My computer seems to be able to play just about any brand of disc, I wonder if I just used the Verbatim discs even for computer files like JPG photo images, maybe the data would be even more "universal" for more computer disc drives.

Whatever...the Verbatim discs have always been rather reliable, so that's what's going to be used going forward. While it is not as "fancy" when no picture is printed onto the back surface of the discs anymore, on the long run, it's probably better without it anyway.

Glee And Other Series DVD's

2010-12-02T08:22:00.005-06:00

I just finished watching the first season of GLEE on DVD. I love the show!

While others may not like Glee because they think it's annoying or that it promotes things like teen pregnancy, homosexuality or other issues, I think it shows the various kinds of social groups at a typical high school.

I know when I attended high school (many years ago) we had similar issues. There were guys who were obviously gay, although back then, "coming out of the closet" wasn't something that was done at that early of an age. But you could tell... everyone could. Interestingly, many of them were either in the theater club or glee club as well. Years later, these same people have openly "come out of the closet" and we as a group of high school friends have accepted them the way they are. They are our old friends, after all.

As for teen pregnancy, I know of a couple of people at my old school who went through that. So really, I don't think the show promotes either issue, it just shows what happens in real life. It's more about accepting people for what or who they are and not to be hateful about it.

Other characters include a physically disabled kid in a wheelchair, an overweight African American girl, a "Goth" dressing asian girl, stuck-up cheerleaders, jocks, and more. Yes, it's about a typical student body at a school in Ohio.

This is not the first TV show I've watched on DVD instead of on TV. I've watched the entire eight seasons of Monk on DVD. I've also watched all of the episodes of Deadliest Catch on DVD. I've watched at least three seasons of 30 Rock this way too. I've also "re-watched" all of the old Brady Bunch shows on DVD.... so I'm no stranger to DVD TV show releases.

I actually prefer to watch shows this way... no TV commercials! Plus the shows really move by faster as it doesn't take a full hour to see the episode.

As for Glee, I'm a HUGE fan of Lea Michele who plays Rachel Berry on the show. Her singing is amazing! Put right next to Broadway stars Kristen Chenowith and Idina Menzel (both of whom I absolutely love as well) who starred in many shows including Wicked, Lea's voice competes very favorably. She can belt out a tune with the best of them.

To date, I've yet to see the show on TV though. Since I'm now "late" in catching up to season two, I'll just wait for the second season's shows to be available on DVD. And yes, I watch these shows from discs I get for free at my local library!

New Musical Tools - Electro-Voice, TC Helicon and Ovation

2010-11-29T11:00:00.004-06:00

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I had the opportunity to play my guitar and sing for a group of women at a women's shelter in Chicago while others from my church served lunch. I played mainly Christian praise songs as well as a few Christmas songs.

This was the first time I had a chance to try out the Electro-Voice N/D 767a microphone with my Mackie SRM350 speakers. It worked great! The microphone gave me a lot more depth to my voice as I sung mostly within 1 to 2 inches from the windscreen. Since the microphone has a lot more volume than a standard Shure SM58, I was able to turn down the overall volume level on the PA and I was still louder than with an SM58 microphone!

The Electro-Voice mic really sounded nice with my rather "thin" sounding voice. The proximity effect from singing close to the windscreen never sounded "boomy" but rather just gave me a fullness that I was often missing when just using a Shure SM58 microphone.

Just before lunch was served, my cousin Sue gave a testimony and borrowed my PA system. I switched the microphone to a Shure SM 58 as I knew that she would never hold the microphone anywhere close to her mouth. I was right. She held it around chest level and so I had to turn up the volume on the PA to compensate for the distance of the microphone to the source. Since the Electro-Voice N/D 767a really only sounds good when close mic'ed, I figured the SM58 would be the better choice for her to use. I was right.

Besides the microphone being used for the first time, I also had the chance to use the TC Helicon Harmony G XT harmonizer as well. I used it sparingly to give some of the songs a little extra vocal punch with two extra harmony parts singing along with my main voice. It worked great too!

My new Ovation Custom Elite C2078 LX acoustic guitar was also used on this gig. I did not utilize my full array of pedals with the guitar but decided to only use the built-in reverb from the TC Helicon unit. While I missed the fullness I get from my other pedals and processors for my guitar, it still sounded very good! Definitely, the Ovation's built-in preamp and pickup does a terrific job all by itself.

Now that I think about it, the one Mackie SRM350 speaker that I used was also "new" as well as it was purchased on eBay to compliment my other speaker. So actually, every piece of equipment I used on this gig was new! It was great to try out all the new gear together. I'm looking forward to the next time I can play live again... which will be this Sunday at church!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T01:30:00.001-06:00

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

TC Helicon Harmony G XT

2010-11-23T16:13:00.003-06:00

Harmonizers aren't new. They've been around for a while. But this one is unique because it's my first one! :)

What does it do? Well, several things. It's main function is to create 2 and 3 part harmonies out of one singing voice. All you have to do is sing and the unit will figure out a third above and a fifth above your singing voice and "clone" your voice singing in those new notes! (Or, it can sing an octave above or below, or even a third or a sixth below.) Instant harmonies of three voices! How does it know if you want a major harmony chord or a minor? Well, it follows your guitar which is also plugged into the unit and figures it out based on the chords your guitar is playing. Pretty nifty, eh?

Besides harmonies, the TC Helicon Harmony G XT also has effects like Reverb, Echo, Doubling, flanging, compression and pitch correction. Yes, it will even make a slightly off-pitch singer sound like he/she is singing on the correct pitch. The effects are also shared with the guitar if you decide to use the unit to control your guitar sound too.

So, no more singing by myself... I now have two singing partners whenever I need them. I just have to step on the switch and there they are!

My first public performance with it will be the day after Thanksgiving at a women's shelter in Chicago. Our church will be serving lunch that day and I'll be the entertainment. It will be interesting to see people's reaction to this when they see one person at the mic, but hear three people singing.

Rectilinear Correction of Fisheye Images in Photoshop CS5

2010-11-18T10:41:00.006-06:00

The upper two images above were taken with a Nikon D3 camera and a Nikon 16mm f2.8 Fisheye lens. The venue is the Marriott in Burr Ridge, IL. The top image is the original image and the middle image is one that was corrected in Adobe Photoshop CS5 Camera RAW. The bottom image is a standard 24mm image taken with the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens. All images were taken in the RAW format.

While the corrected image "fixes" the curved distortion so typical of fisheye lenses, it does stretch the image on the far left and right sides. If you zoom in, you'll see the distortion. Still, it is possible to crop the far left and right sides to eliminate the distorted sections, but it makes the image less wide by doing that. The 24mm image doesn't have the curved distortion, as expected, but it has a much less wide angle of view..

Remember too that the Nikon D3 is a full frame camera. So the equivalent focal lengths using APS-C sensor digital cameras would be 10.5mm (compared to the 16mm full frame fisheye) and 17mm (for the 24mm full frame lens.)

I suppose you need to make decisions as to what's most important. Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Not My Wedding...

2010-11-15T23:12:00.002-06:00

Nice looking wedding couple! Unfortunately, I don't have a clue who they are!

I was at the Marriott in Burr Ridge, IL this past Friday taking photos of their banquet room on the hotel's behalf and the bride and groom who had booked the room for their reception came in to check out the progress of the decorating. They were amazed and happy with the way the room looked and afterward they shared a private moment together.

Since their photographer was outside of the room taking photos of other events at the time, I decided to take a shot of the couple to cover it for him. I've given the photo to the hotel who is welcome to give it to the bride and groom with my compliments.

Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time...

Be sure to click on the image for a closer look.

Happy Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T17:34:00.002-06:00

Thanks to all our military personnel for keeping our country safe and defending our freedom!

Undercover Boss - Season Two Episode 7 - Chicago Cubs & Rocco

2010-11-07T22:37:00.009-06:00

Like many other Cub fans and television viewers, I tuned in to watch Sunday night's episode of Undercover Boss on CBS. Episode 7 of Season Two featured Todd Ricketts, one of the owners of the Chicago Cubs as he went undercover to see how employees of the Cubs organization did their everyday job.

One of the featured employees teaching Ricketts how to do his job was a food vendor named Rocco. The second I saw him on the TV screen, I knew immediately that I had taken his photograph back in July 2007. I was attending a Cubs vs. Astro game at Wrigley Field and as I normally do, I was taking photos of everything that happened at the game and that included food vendors! I don't know what triggered me to remember his face, but I immediately knew that my photograph was of Rocco. I did not post his photo on my blog at the time, but I still remembered his face. You can see that post by clicking here.

Rocco was assigned to teach Todd Ricketts the ropes of how to sell hot dogs. Despite his best efforts, Ricketts failed at selling hot dogs and actually threw away four of them just so he could go back and claim he sold all his hot dogs. But Rocco found four hot dogs that were thrown into a trash bin and confronted Ricketts about them. Ricketts denied it was his hot dogs, but you could tell Rocco did not believe him. Since he could not prove it belonged to Ricketts, he had to take him at his word.

Later, after Ricketts identified himself to Rocco as one of the owners of the team, he awarded Rocco the first employee of the year award (or something like that) to Rocco for his dedicated work. I remember watching Rocco working in 2007 and at that time he was selling beer. I recall thinking to myself that selling beer had to be one of the hardest jobs for a food vendor because beer is pretty heavy to have to carry all day long. Maybe that's why I remembered Rocco's face after all these years!

Congratulations to Rocco for his award for 2010. I wonder if anyone will remember him when they ask him for food at Wrigley Field in 2011 after having watched this episode. I hope they do. I know I remembered him and that's even before this show aired.

Be sure to click on the image for a closer look.

Mic Showdown - Shure SM58, Beta 58a, Beta 57a, Electro-Voice N/D767a

2010-11-05T08:50:00.006-05:00

I decided to do a comparison of various vocal microphones to find the best sounding microphone for my voice when singing live into a PA system... I reported this on a thread on www.acousticguitarforum.com...

I've now lived with the Beta versions of the Shure mics for about 4 days. The Electro-Voice... only one day. So please keep this in mind. Also, the tests I made are not scientific... these are just my own observations of the mics with my voice, not anyone else's. While all mics are great mics in their own right, there are distinct differences that can easily be heard. Whether they suit you or not is hard to tell. But these are my own conclusions based on what I hear for my own voice and my own preferences.

Also please note that my voice is rather "thin" in comparison to other male tenor voices. It doesn't have much depth to it when I sing. So I rely a lot on proximity effect (rising bass response when singing up close to a mic) to get some depth to my voice.

Also, these tests are geared for LIVE use... not for recordings. I'm not listening for the best recorded sound... I'm listening for the best live sound through a PA.

Shure SM58...
This is the standard by which most mics are probably compared to and that's most likely due to the fact that it has been around FOREVER. It's an old design, but one that has definitely lasted. I've used this line of mics for probably 40 years. The one I'm using to compare is perhaps 3 years old and hasn't really been used all that much. Relatively new, I'd say.

By itself, the SM58 is great. It's very smooth sounding and has a decent sound for most voices in my opinion. I've heard this mic used by a lot of people over the 40 years. Everyone seems to be pretty good sounding with it. While it claims to have a rising frequency response, you don't really hear that when you compare it to the other mics in this test. By itself, perhaps. In comparison.... no.

While some may say it's muted, I don't think it really is. I think its response is just smooth and so when compared to others that definitely have brighter sounds, it makes this mic sound muted.

Shure Beta 58a...
This was the obvious choice to compare against the SM58. Essentially, it's the updated version of the SM58. In comparison, it was louder than the SM58, slightly brighter, but seemed to lack bass response in comparison. I think this may be due to the relative level of frequencies, but not actually lacking in bass. Since the brighter high frequencies are more pronounced, you feel you are having less bass. Even singing close up on the mic (lips touching the screen), I don't seem to be able to get back the bass I think it should have for my voice. Mid frequencies also seem more forward to me. So with these two areas being emphasized more, the bass seems a lot less in comparison.

Shure Beta 57a...
This mic is advertised to be an instrument mic, more so than a vocal mic, although many people use the Beta 57a for vocals as well. In the past, I had a standard SM57 and recall it to be great sounding for vocals as well as instruments. An SM57 would work great for snare drums, toms, percussion and guitar amps (from what I'm told... although I never needed to mic my guitar amps in the past.)

The Beta 57a is similar to my recollection of what an SM57 is capable of as it seems to be much brighter than both the SM58 and Beta 58a. Of all, it had the least amount of bass response with my voice. Even singing with lips touching the mic, I could not get a decent bass response increase with proximity effect. So it could be that its proximity effect is very low, or that perhaps it just has low bass. I'm not sure what, but it definitely cannot give the kind of bass I hear with the other three mics. But due to its clear high frequency range, I see this mic as something that would be a killer sound if you want clean, crisp percussive sounds reproduced. For this, I agree, it's probably best suited to mic instruments...especially percussion instruments.

Electro-Voice N/D767a...
My first initial impression of this mic was, "Wow... this is so much louder than the other three mics!" Then, my next impression was, "Wow, this mic sounds funny..." Why? Well, with the gain moved up so much more, I found I had to move farther back from the mic than with the other mics so that I wasn't influenced by the shear volume increase! So my thin voice sounded even thinner and actually sounded really bad. I was extremely disappointed on my first try with the mic.

Then, I found out something interesting with the EV... it absolutely sounds awful if you sing without your lips within perhaps 1 inch or less to the screen! When I turned the gain down on my PA to compensate for the increased volume and I started singing with my lips literally touching the windscreen, this mic was AMAZING! Of all the mics, it has the deepest proximity effect but it doesn't seem to make the mic muddy sounding in the low-end! This is probably what they advertise as their VOB effect (Vocally Optimized Bass.) It actually works! Deep clean bass for thin voices.

The upper-end clarity is there as well. Very clean sounding. Mid frequencies are not too forward, but very clear as well. For my thinner sounding voice, this mic is what does the trick for me. It makes me sound a lot deeper than I actually am without a mic, but doesn't make me sound boomy. And it has a lot more clarity on the high frequencies than the SM58 or Beta 58a. Brighter than the Beta 57a? I'm not quite sure. It may be on par with it... I just can't tell. The two mics are so different that I don't think it is fair to compare them together with my voice.

Can the EV mic work with instruments? I haven't a clue. I didn't try it. But my gut feeling is that this mic is really a vocal mic. It's best qualities really only work when you are within about 1 inch or less from the windscreen. That would be hard for an instrument to be played properly with that kind of requirement.

In conclusion, for me, the Electro-Voice mic wins for my thin voice. Will it work for your voice? Who knows. Get one and try it. I'm really curious what it will do for people with deeper voices. I've read reviews where they all say it's great on female voices. But not many mention about male voices with this mic. Perhaps my thin male voice works with this as it falls closer to a female voice due to lack of depth. I don't sing as high as a woman... but the thin quality puts it as a good candidate for this mic.

Also, I'd like to mention that I don't think the EV mic would make a good general mic to use for various people who need to pass the mic around for announcements. For that, the Shure SM58 would be best. Why? Well, the EV needs your lips within one inch to make it sound good. Anything farther away lacks all bass and volume. Most people are afraid to sing or talk into a mic within one inch of the windscreen. Ever see what people who never use a mic do when you hand them one? It's probably about one foot away from their mouths! You'd never hear anything out of the EV mic if it was held that far away! With the Shure SM58, it's overall smooth sound and lack of need to be close to it would definitely work best. Very bright mics would just squeal in feedback if you turned up the gain to compensate for someone holding the mic a foot away from their mouth.

So in conclusion, for my voice, I'd rank the mic preferences like this:

1. Electro-Voice N/D 767a
2. Shure Beta 58a
3. Shure SM58
4. Shure Beta 57a

With your voice? Who knows...

Sometimes It's A Parent's Job To Make Their Kids' Lives Miserable...

2010-11-03T13:21:00.003-05:00

Back in the late 70's and early 80's our family owned a stereo store in Skokie, IL. My father, brother and I worked at the store selling mid to high-end audio gear. It was a lot of fun working in a business where I got to play with the latest stereo equipment and listen to music all day long. Many "regular" customers of our store would come in to just "shoot the breeze" with us and listen to music and play with the new gear too.

Since our store was in Skokie, many Jewish families frequented our store since Skokie (at least at that time) had a large number of Jewish families living in the town. If you know anything about Jewish culture and stereotypes (no pun intended), you'll know that sometimes it was the Jewish mom's job to try to make their kid's lives miserable. It wasn't done to be mean... it was more like a game they played with their kids. While I am not Jewish, many of my friends were and so I got to see how all this often played out.

Anyway, I recall one incident where one of our regular store customers named Joel came into the store one day with his mom. Joel visited quite often and so my brother and I knew him well. He was about our age and was still deciding what to do with his life, so he thought he'd go to college and take up "Business" as his major. Well, the decision to go to college was probably the best thing he could have done and I'm sure his mom knew that and was proud of it too. But it was her "job" to make his life miserable, right? So here's what his mom did right in front of us at the store...

Joel: "Ma, I'm going to go to college and major in Business."
Mom: "Business?! Are you crazy? You don't need to take business to be in business!"
Joel:: "Ma, I"m going to take business."
Mom: "You don't need business! Business? Why take business? Here, look at these two guys (my brother and me)... did you guys take business?"
Russ: "No 'mam."
Mom: "See, HE didn't take business. But he's IN business! Isn't this a business? (referring to our store.)
Joel: "Well... yeah..."
Mom: "HE didn't take business, but HE's in business! You don't need to take business!"
Joel: "Ma, it's not the same thing..."
Mom: "What do you mean? This is a business! Is this not a business? What are you talking about? This is business!... You don't need to take business to be in business!"

With that, she gave us a sly smile while Joel squirmed around trying to figure out how to cope with his mom. My brother and I were doing our best to hold in the laughter. :)

Sometimes, you just gotta love 'em. I love Jewish moms! :)

Skunked Again While Fishing

2010-10-31T08:53:00.002-05:00

I went fishing with my friend AJ yesterday. We were skunked! Ok, it's a term we use when we don't catch any fish.

All I came back with is this photo of Sand Lake in Lindenhurst, IL.. I sent the photo to AJ and he said the photo looked nice, but hopefully next time it would include a fish. I told him it did have fish... they are just all under the water...

Be sure to click on the image for a closer look.

Mackie SRM350 Powered Speakers

2010-10-28T05:45:00.001-05:00

After playing with the Chicago tribute band on October 1, many people have been asking me what I used for a PA system. Well, that evening, I only used a single Mackie SRM350 powered speaker to handle my vocals, guitar and my brother's keyboard. Surprisingly, it handled it fairly well considering it was only one speaker and had to compete with an entire band!

Recently, I decided I would get a second SRM350 to help spread out the sound better. Putting a speaker to each side of the band works much better to spread out the sound for the entire room. On Oct. 1, I had to move the single speaker to one side to avoid feedback for my microphone and guitar, but that just made me sound "off centered." Having two speakers will give me more volume level while keeping my feedback problems minimized at the same time.

In the past, I had two JBL EON15 speakers, but I sold them to country singer Dana Malow. They were getting too hard to move around at 44 lbs each and they wouldn't even fit in my car's trunk! The Mackie SRM350 is smaller in size and the weight is only 32 lbs each. Much better for me!

I hope to perform live a little more in the future and will be relying on the Mackies to handle my sound.

Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road

2010-10-25T11:25:00.004-05:00

I looked out of my front window today and saw this little guy lying in the street by our driveway. OK, he actually wasn't so little... in fact he's kind of big.

I called the village hall and was connected to the village's public works department and reported the roadkill. But I was told someone had already beaten me to reporting it. So he's going to be removed eventually. Of course that only meant that right after hanging up the phone that I had to get out there to take a photo for my blog! I used my Nikon D3 and Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens to take the shot as I really didn't want to get too close to the skunk. While I could smell him (or her as the case may be), it wasn't as bad as I thought it could have been. It must have been a quick kill.

I once ran over a squirrel accidentally. I felt really bad about it and actually circled back to check on it. I had hit him as another squirrel was playfully chasing him. I hit him with both my front and rear wheels as he darted right out in front of my car. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the other squirrel look at him and slowly walk away. I was devastated! So I drove around the block and went back to see if he was suffering or not. But having hit him with both the front and back wheels, I was pretty sure he died quickly. For that I was glad, but I still felt awful afterwards.

While I didn't have anything to do with the demise of this little skunk, I still feel bad for it. I guess animals just affect me like that.

Be sure to click on the image to take a closer look if you have to...

Fishman Aura Spectrum DI

2010-10-21T06:45:00.005-05:00

Used with undersaddle pickups, the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI is a preamp / "effects" box designed for bringing back the natural tone of an acoustic guitar when amplified. Often criticized for the "quacking" characteristic sounds, the undersaddle pickup's piezo elements are shunned by some guitar players who seek to amplify their acoustic guitars naturally. But undersaddle pickups often are the way to go if you want to minimize feedback while playing extremely loud.

For me, I had installed a K&K Pure Western Mini bridge pickup in my R Taylor Style One Maple / Sitka Spruce guitar. In the past many of my installations of the K&K performed just fine without feedback. But for some reason, the R Taylor guitar just did not cooperate in handling the K&K and it had major feedback issues with it.

After playing a gig with my brother in the spring and finding out that I could only amplify my guitar to certain volume levels without feedback, I decided that the K&K pickup had to go. I installed an LR Baggs Element undersaddle pickup in its place. Immediately, I found that my feedback issues dropped considerably. But turned up to concert hall levels, the guitar could still generate feedback at certain frequencies.

Always in a quest for better sound quality, I decided to try the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI. This unit is known for bringing back a certain quality of tone that simulates simply using a microphone to amplify your sound. But what I found was that besides its sonic qualities, the feedback suppression circuit and built in compressor is what amazed me the most! When feedback happens, just step on the footswitch marked "anti-feedback" and the unit instantly looks for the objectionable frequency causing the feedback and eliminates it while maintaining the overall tone qualities of the guitar! Easy and effective! The compressor helps smooth out your transient peaks and volume too making it easy to keep a level sound quality.

As for the various sound "images" that the unit offers, there are many options available to match the tone of prerecorded guitars using expensive microphones to the various body types and wood options of acoustic guitars. Matching one closely to your own guitar's body type and wood type makes your guitar sound better than it would by simply using the undersaddle pickup alone.

While the manufacturer claims you should use the right sound image to get the best sound, I found that by playing around with various images, you can get a wide variety of tones. It may not be the way the pedal was intended to be used, but hey... who is to say what I can do and can't do? It's fun to be able to change the tonal characteristics of my sound if I want a certain quality for a particular song. This unit helps me do that.

So while I can simply just make my guitar sound one way, with the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI pedal, I can also make it sound like a lot of different guitars. Perhaps on the long run, that's cheaper than buying lots of guitars!

Besides the sound qualities, the unit also offers me the ability to sidechain my other effect pedals and then output the final signal through an XLR balanced line to be plugged directly into my PA's mixer. I can now run extremely long lines if I want without fear of signal loss. The unit runs on a single 9 volt battery with about 20 hours of usable life, or you can use a 9 volt adapter to power it up. I prefer to plug it into my pedalboard along with all my other effects pedals so I don't have to worry about battery drain.

In addition, the unit offers a phase switch to also help suppress feedback and it has a built-in chromatic tuner. A three band equalizer effectively adds to the tonal palette. Besides the built-in sound images, you can plug the unit into your computer's USB port and download more images as well. This offers updates to the unit as new sound images are made available.

Overall, the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI is a great pedal. While it's not one that you can point to and say it has made a major sound change to an amplified acoustic guitar, it's one of those pedals that works without you knowing it has made a difference in your quest to perform loudly without the typical piezo quack. The build quality of this pedal is incredible as well. Highly recommended.

Chicago Tribute Band Videos Now On YouTube

2010-10-18T05:43:00.006-05:00

I received some videos from my friend who also gave me the photo of our performance of Chicago songs on Oct 1, 2010 at a church's coffee house event. While a bit dark and grainy, I'm just happy to have them.

It's interesting for me to watch the videos as I don't usually get to see the audience's perspective of my performances. I never knew I tap my feet as much as I do while playing! I've got to work on that... :)

Enjoy the videos! Click on the lower right icon to enlarge each video.

Doyle Dykes Performs With Future Son-In-Law Jake Johnson and Daughter Haley Dykes At The Skokie Theatre

2010-10-16T04:45:00.011-05:00

What a night! After a surprise engagement for Haley Dykes and Jake Johnson early in the morning on WGN Radio, they joined father (and future father-in-law) Doyle Dykes to perform at the Skokie Theatre in Skokie, IL. This was the first time Jake has performed with Doyle on stage. Rehearsal? No way! Like Doyle said, "You're a musician. Get up there and play!" Jake did a great job playing the bass, so I guess he passed the criteria of joining the family!

I actually met Jake several years ago the day after I photographed Doyle's daughter Holli's wedding in Tennessee. He was playing bass for Haley for a church performance she had the day after the wedding. Who would have known that we'd meet up again here in Chicago the day after his engagement to Haley?

The show opened with introductions from WGN radio personalities, Steve King and Johnnie Putman. Doyle started the show and later invited Jake to come out to play bass. For someone who never had a chance to practice with Doyle before having to perform with him, he did a great job laying down the bottom-end. Later, fiancé Haley joined them on Mandolin and vocals. She wowed the audience as always.

I made a mental note that the sound they had playing all together at the Skokie Theatre was really nice. Usually, I've heard Haley sing and play with Doyle without a bass and having that extra low-end sound from the bass really helped fill out things. Mandolin and guitar are rather bright sounding instruments so having a nice bass line really makes the sound full. And hearing it in an acoustically balanced room that is the Skokie Theatre made it so much better too.

The Skokie Theatre is having some financial problems and really needs the support of the community to keep it open and running. Knowing this, Doyle was moved to donate his entire pay from this concert back to the Skokie Theatre to help it out. Way to go, Doyle! How many guys do you know that would do that?!

Pastor Steve Lyon who was instrumental in getting Doyle to write a book which is coming out on April 1, 2011 joined everyone for a group photo. I first met Pastor Steve when he was the pastor of the Des Plaines Bible Church. Today he works with Moody Publishing.

Doyle also announced that he will begin taping a new cable TV show for the RFD network which will be based on his Live Sessions DVD. Guests will include a LOT of great musicians including such musicians like Roy Clark, Duane Eddy, James Burton, Tommy Emmanuel, and Eric Johnson! This is going to be one incredible show! Seems EVERYBODY who is anybody is scheduled to be on this show! Congrats Doyle!

After the show, my friend Jerry Moy and I joined everyone for a late night dinner. We were all very tired as we have had very little sleep since staying up for the WGN radio show which started at 12 midnight Friday morning and ran until 3:00 AM (actually the show runs longer, but Doyle's segment finished at 3:00 AM.) I think the only ones that didn't look tired was Steve and Johnnie! Well, I suppose they do it every night anyway, so they are used to it. For us, we were all tired by the end of the night.

Here it is, now 4:44 AM as I'm typing this and I'm still up finishing things! I told Haley and Jake that I was tired and will work on the images later. But as Haley predicted, "You are going to stay up and work on them right after you get home." I guess she knows me better than I know myself.

Congrats again to the happy couple! Love you guys! :)

Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Here's a video I got off YouTube of Jake and Doyle:

Haley Dykes Gets Engaged - Live on WGN Radio

2010-10-15T00:50:00.009-05:00

I'm listening to The Steve & Johnnie Show on WGN Radio as I'm typing this....

Best Wishes and Congratulations go out to Haley Dykes and her fiance' Jacob Johnson as Jake just popped the question on the radio! Amazing!!!

What a surprise to everyone listening, but apparently many people were in on this to help pull this off. As Jake called on the phone to the show from Washington state (or so we all thought) he comes into the station instead and asks her if she will marry him! Cool!

Congrats to both. See you guys at the Skokie Theatre later tonight!!!!

Edit Note: Video of the proposal is now on line here: http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/stevejohnnie/

HDR vs Non-HDR... again

2010-10-11T15:29:00.000-05:00

Here is a comparison of HDR vs Non-HDR. This was covered before on one of my previous posts, but I thought I'd show another comparison anyway. Check out the details under the A frame of the house and also under the top porch. Can't see any details at at all with the standard photo. The richness of colors is of course very obvious.

Be sure to click on each photo for a close up.

Weekend Retreat

2010-10-11T12:42:00.001-05:00

This weekend, my wife and I got to go on a weekend retreat with several members of our church. We were graciously given the opportunity to stay in a nice log cabin up in Wisconsin. The cabin was truly a log cabin as every inch of the home was made out of real logs. Even the steps were half-sawn logs!

The property had its own private lake and so one of my friends and I got to do a little fishing. Since there was only one rod and reel available, I let him fish while I pointed out the fish I saw in the water. It worked great! We caught a total of five small large-mouth bass in less than an hour! The water was so clear that we could easily see them looking at the lure and then go after the artificial bait! That made it a lot easier! Too bad I don't get this kind of advantage while fishing for salmon out on Lake Michigan!

We had a great time and it felt really good to get away just for the weekend.

Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Memory Foam Mattress Focus Group

2010-10-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

Once again, I participated in a focus group. This time it was a study on memory foam mattresses.

Six people (only four showed up) were picked to test out mattresses. We rotated from one mattress to the next and filled out a sheet to let the testers know what we felt about each mattress. We were asked questions like whether the mattress was firm enough, had enough support, was comfortable enough, if it was easy to get out of the bed, easy to move around in and if we felt the quality was good.

Initially, I felt the foam mattresses had too much memory. It was hard to roll around in the bed and it was definitely harder to get out of the bed because the foam tended to suck you back into the bed. The first three beds felt like this, but in different degrees. The last three beds actually felt like regular mattresses. In the end, I felt I liked the last mattress the best.

I don't know if this bed had any memory foam in it or not, but it was comfortable, had good support, was easy to move around in and I had no problem getting out of the bed. It didn't suck me back in. So am I a candidate for memory foam? Perhaps not. I'm ok with that. I still got paid to lie down on the job. :)

Chicago Tribute Band Photo

2010-10-06T18:55:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine sent this photo to me of our Chicago Tribute Band that performed last Friday. She preferred to be anonymous, so I'll honor that request... but she did a great job, don't you think? Thanks!

I'll post this photo on the previous Chicago Tribute Band post just to make that complete. By the way, we never did have a name for this band! Be sure to click on the photo for a closer look.

Done With Fishing For The Year?

2010-10-05T07:48:00.000-05:00

I've been out to Waukegan Harbor many times this year and have never caught a single fish. Most likely, I just don't know what I'm doing. But it doesn't appear I'm the only one with this problem. More people seem to be in the same boat (no pun intended) as I am with nothing to show for their efforts.

Because of this, I think next year I'm going to get a fishing license for the state of Wisconsin. From reports I've read on the internet and also from personal accounts from fishing friends who go there, Wisconsin's the place to be if you want to catch some nice Salmon out of Lake Michigan. So it looks like I may be done for this year as far as fishing is concerned.

I don't do ice fishing (too cold) and while this is the time for people to go out "snagging" for salmon, I'm just not into that. Snagging is where you throw a big heavy hook at a fish if you see it and hope it hits the fish so you can drag it in. To me, there's not a fighting chance for the fish this way and it just seems plain "mean" to me. It's just gotta hurt too! So you won't see me out there snagging for fish. I may be desperate to get a fish, but I just can't see myself doing it that way.

So perhaps next season, I'll head up to Wisconsin. The license year starts in April for fishing licenses, so I've got many months to think about how to approach it. Perhaps I need to start reading every book I can get my hands on that discusses the way fish behave. It seems those who know this, do much better. Technique helps as well. But I guess I have got to start thinking like a fish, if I want to catch one! :)

Last Night's "Chicago" Tribute Band - A Huge Success

2010-10-02T10:41:00.003-05:00

Last night, I performed with my brother and several members of his church in a "Chicago" tribute band. We had over 150 people attend the event making it the largest attended coffee house event for their church. I had anticipated at least 100 people, but we ended up with even more.

I started out the evening with two songs to get warmed up. After that, we had the rest of the band join in and we played seven songs from the group Chicago. I have posted the songs at www.russlowe.com/chicago. Be sure to check it out! (Edit note: please see my Oct 18, 2010 post for videos of two of the songs we performed.)

The entire band had only one rehearsal together and that was only about 45 minutes before everyone started to show up for the concert! While my brother had rehearsed several times with the horn players and I attended one of these as well, we had not played together with everyone in attendance. So with all things considered, we didn't do too bad for a quick "pickup" band!

Enjoy the songs on the link above!

I'm Playing In a "Chicago" Tribute Band Tonight!

2010-10-01T13:12:00.008-05:00

Tonight I'll be performing with my brother and several members of his church in a Chicago tribute band! We'll be playing a full set of hit songs made famous by the group. Instruments tonight include keyboards, two guitars, drums, three trumpets, two trombones and flute.

Update: Here's a video of us doing "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is"

Greg Laurie - Chicago Harvest 2010 Concert

2010-09-26T23:09:00.021-05:00

My wife and I attended the Greg Laurie Chicago Harvest 2010 Concert on Sunday evening which featured recording artists The Katinas, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Jeremy Camp. The event was held at The Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.

The arena was packed with people. We arrived at 4:30 PM and already people were streaming in for the 6:00 PM concert. Originally, we were going to sit closer to the stage, but to do that, we would have to sit to the sides of the stage which would force us to look at an angle the entire time. We didn't want to do that, so we moved to the balcony area all the way on the opposite side of the stage. The problem with that was it meant that I would be photographing the event at the absolute farthest distance from the stage!

Armed with my Nikon D3 and Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens, I settled in on what I knew would be a difficult photoshoot. The distance was greater than I really should have been which meant that any closeup shots of the performers would mean having to crop the images in Photoshop. If you look at the wide shots of the concert, you can see how small the performers looked. Actually many of these "wide" shots are actually the 200 mm shots! So you can imagine the amount of cropping that was needed to make closeups of the shots you see here of Steven Curtis Chapman!

Like most other concerts, the volume level was very loud, but both my wife and I wore ear plugs. I'm always prepared with ear plugs as I wear them at every single wedding reception I attend. I often have to stand literally in front of the DJ's speakers at the receptions just to get my shots, I learned early on that ear protection was a MUST for wedding photography! So for this concert, we both brought along some hearing protection. We agreed that it was the smart thing to do.

We left before the concert was over because my wife needed to get up early in the morning and we did not have the ability to stay too late. Being way up at the top of the stadium and with a capacity crowd, we knew it would be nearly impossible to get out of the building quickly and even worse to get out of the parking lot in any timely manner. So as the Katinas were coming back on stage to perform again, we decided to leave. We missed the end of the event where they did their "altar call" asking for people to come down to to make their commitments to become Christians. (edit note: Someone sent me a note to ask if I knew that the intent of this concert was to bring people to Christ and if that was important to me... and the answer is yes... I knew that, but we had to leave early, so we had to miss the end. We have both already made our commitments many years ago. While it would have been nice to stay to see the Altar Call, we just did not have the luxury of time that evening.)

Interestingly, as I was heading out of the arena and into the hallway, the gentleman who was sitting behind me came running out and stopped me to inquire if he could purchase some of my photos! I handed him a business card and asked him to email me. I had not intended on selling any of the images I captured from this event as it was only really intended for myself and for this blog, but I decided to let him order some if he wanted them.

Be sure to click on each image here to see a larger version.

Want To See More About Guitars? Use The Search Function!

2010-09-24T16:10:00.001-05:00

Welcome to all who are visiting my blog for the first time!

If you'd like to see more posts about specific subjects like guitars, just use my search function on the upper left side of this page. Type in Guitar.

Or if you'd like to see more photos of certain people like Doyle Dykes... just type in Doyle Dykes.

Enjoy your stay here on my blog and thanks for visiting. Come back often. I update my blog usually on Mondays and Thursdays (generally..)

Taylor Guitars Roadshow with Bob Taylor and Wayne Johnson

2010-09-24T10:43:00.005-05:00

Tobias Music from Downers Grove, IL hosted an incredible Taylor Guitars Road Show at the Tivoli Theater last night. There were nearly 600 guitar players in attendance to see and hear Bob Taylor of Taylor Guitars talk about the Taylor Guitar line. To date, this was the largest Roadshow ever attended by Taylor Guitar enthusiasts!

We were treated to performances from Taylor factory reps Mike Ausman and Andy Lund as well as from famed guitarist Wayne Johnson. To see past images of Wayne Johnson from other roadshows, click here

To see all of the images from this roadshow, click here. There are plenty more pics of Bob Taylor not shown on this blog post.

Since I was not the official photographer for the event, I took my shots while seated in one of the seats of the theater. Lighting was strictly from stage lighting. Images were taken with my trusty Nikon D3 and Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens. All shots taken were done manually.

Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Cubs Vs. Giants At Wrigley Field

2010-09-22T23:27:00.009-05:00

I went to my first night game at Wrigley Field this evening. Although the Cubs have had lights installed many years ago, I had never had the opportunity to see a night game until today.

Like many Cubs fans, I had always thought of Wrigley Field as a place for day games only. So when I was given the chance to see the Cubs in a night game against the San Francisco Giants, I didn't hesitate in going. I wanted to see how Wrigley Field looked at night.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the stadium was how bright the field looked and how dramatic the sky was! I also noticed how hazy the stadium looked due to all the smoke generated by the barbecues from the neighboring rooftop seating companies! I overheard some people saying how disgusting it was to go to a game and have to try to view the plays through all the smoke. When the smoke is backlit by the bright lights, it looks like you are viewing the game through a dense fog.

Game time was 7:05 PM and my wife and I arrived at our seats just minutes before the National Anthem was played. Already, night was beginning to fall, adding wonderful colors to the sky. After waiting for some of the smoke to clear, I turned on my Nikon D3 and took several shots of the scene in front of me. These images are "standard" photography and not HDR images.

Because we had been given the tickets very late in the day, I had to rush to gather my camera gear together and leave for the game quickly. In my haste, I accidentally left my 70-200mm f2.8 lens behind but I had my 24-70mm f2.8 lens with me. I was disappointed as I wanted to take some shots of players but all I could do was take photos of the overall scenery. I did not bring any flash equipment with me.

We were situated in excellent seats out by the right field side. I looked around and thought, "We are in a position to get hit by a foul ball." Now I had never had a foul ball come even close to me... but today one came at the top of the 2nd Inning. I thought I saw the ball flying straight for us, but instead it was about 10 feet away from us. Had I not had my camera with me, perhaps I could have jumped out of my seat and moved towards the path of the ball. Instead, another person got into position to catch the ball.

Unfortunately for him, in his effort to catch the ball, he hurt his right hand. The ball bounced and went to someone else. The usher came over and suggested he go with another usher to get the hand looked at. Later, I overheard another usher stop by to tell his friend that the man had ripped the webbing of his hand! The friend left to go see him and they never returned to the game. I guess a baseball still has a lot of power left in it even after traveling so far. While I felt bad for the man, it was rather exciting to have a ball come that close. I had my Cubs baseball cap in my hand ready to catch it.

In the end, the Cubs defeated the Giants with a score of 2 to 0.

Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Standard Photography Vs. HDR

2010-09-17T10:22:00.001-05:00

Which version do you prefer? Standard photography, or HDR (High Dynamic Range)?

Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Kenosha Harbor - Wisconsin

2010-09-17T00:17:00.003-05:00

My fishing buddy AJ and I went to Kenosha Harbor today to check out the salmon fishing there. He's been there before, but I never had the chance, so I decided to tag along. He has a Wisconsin fishing license, but I don't, so I did not fish. Instead, I took the opportunity to take some photos of the harbor. I've been wanting to take a good camera with me fishing, but it was just more weight to carry around. So I have been taking photos with my cell phone instead. But today, I brought along my Fuji S5 Pro and Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens and a tripod.

It was a very windy, cold and overcast day (it had rained hard earlier in the day) and the waves were really high. Perfect for photos! I love using the HDR technique (High Dynamic Range) in stormy conditions as it adds more "drama" to the photos. But the moving waves and wind threatened my five exposures to be able to be combined easily into one. Still, I decided to go for it and I'm glad I did.

With some manipulation of the HDR software, plus Photoshop and Lightroom work, I was able to get some rather decent images.

I was curious to see if fishing up in Kenosha was worth it or not. To get an "out of state" license, the cost is rather steep. But I had read that more salmon are stocked in Wisconsin, so I wanted to see for myself if this was true. While out there, I saw two fish literally jump out of the water! AJ said he saw one do that too. Then, AJ hooked into a fish... but lost it in the battle to bring it in! We were both heartbroken, but determined to eventually catch one from shore. AJ has caught one from shore before, but I have not. I've only been lucky catching salmon while trolling on a boat.

The experience taught me that perhaps it might be worth getting a Wisconsin fishing license. The drive is just over one hour from my home, almost twice the distance as Waukegan Harbor is for me. But if my chances increase due to a higher stocking ratio, it might be worth the cost of the license, the gas money and the drive time.

Enjoy the photos!

Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Nikon Announces The D3100 and D7000 Cameras

2010-09-16T12:26:00.002-05:00

Nikon D7000

Nikon D3100

Nikon announced two new camera additions to their line... the D3100 ($699.95) and D7000 ($1199.95). Both of these cameras look very promising. The entry level D3100 will have a 14.2 MP CMOS sensor and the D7000 will have a 16.2 MP CMOS sensor. ISO capabilities will be 100-3200 for the D3100 and 100-6400 for the D7000. Both cameras will offer 1080p HD video abilites.

Cameras today are offering so much for the money now. Qualities are improving too. It's a great time to move into a DSLR if you haven't already done so. And if you aren't sure how to use your new DSLR, contact me for some private one-on-one lessons! You can read some nice testimonials about my lessons on my main website at www.russlowe.com. Just click on the testimonials tab.

To read more about the new cameras click here.

Salmon Fishing and the Apple iPhone 4

2010-09-13T23:13:00.009-05:00

While I have not been lucky at all catching salmon out of the pier at Waukegan Harbor, my cousin-in-law and his friend Rocky (pictured here) have been doing GREAT!

Between the two of them, I think they have caught at least five coho and king salmon in the past couple of weeks. This photo shows Rocky's first king salmon and it's a beauty! It measured 27.5 inches and weighed 8.3 lbs. It was caught on Sept 12 at 6:05 AM. Congrats to both of them on their fishing success.

This photo was taken with an Apple iPhone 4. No manipulations were done to the photo other than downsizing it for the web upload and adding a copyright notice. Overall, I'd say the image is near perfect. Great color, great exposure, and pleasing composition... you can't do much better!

But can the iPhone 4 replace a DSLR? No... you can't do all the great things that a DSLR can do with all the manual and automatic adjustments. But for a quick shot, this is one nice image from a phone camera!

Be sure to click on the image to take a closer look.

Continuous Chest Compression - Please View This Video To Save A Life

2010-09-11T22:45:00.002-05:00

Photographer Gary Fong posted this on his Xanga site and I thought it was worth sharing here as well.

Please review this video. It could very well help save a life if you do this immediately following a cardiac arrest. This is not for drowning victims... normal CPR is better for that. Please watch to the end of the video as they explain in full detail what this technique is for and when to use it.

9/11 - We Will Never Forget

2010-09-11T16:31:00.002-05:00

To all those who lost their lives at the Twin Towers in the 9/11 tragedy...

And thanks to all the men and women who serve our country, and to those who have lost their lives serving...

"We Will Never Forget!"

He Can't Stop Fishing - Even At His Own Wedding!

2010-09-11T14:35:00.005-05:00

You can't stop some guys from fishing!

I first met Dan earlier this year while fishing off Johnson's Pier in Waukegan, IL. He was a guy who happened to be fishing next to me and later we found out that we were both part of a online fishing forum. Through private messages on the forum, we discovered that he was getting married and that I was a wedding photographer. After meeting with him and his fiancé Jané, they decided to hire me for their wedding.

Both Dan and Jané are in the Navy. So I guess it isn't all that uncommon to see that Dan is into activities that have to do with water. But does that mean he has to go fishing on his wedding day in his tux? Not only that, but Dan and Jané are going to Canada for their honeymoon... so that Dan can go fishing! Now that's one dedicated angler! And, a very understanding wife... I might add!

To see my posts about Dan and our fishing adventures, click here and here.

Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Fox River At Night As Viewed From Riverside Receptions - Geneva, IL

2010-09-11T03:26:00.003-05:00

Leaning on the railing of the Riverside Receptions and Conference Center in Geneva, IL, I photographed the view towards the street overpass. I debated if I should color balance the street lighting to pure white, but decided that by leaving it as shot, it created a rather surreal feel which I rather like.

This is a "time exposure" image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens. The camera and lens were set at ISO 200, f2.8 at 2 seconds. The camera was steadied by holding it on top of the railing behind the building.

Be sure to click on the image for a closer look.

Boss TU-3 Chromatic Guitar Tuner

2010-09-08T11:00:00.004-05:00

For many years, I relied only on my ear to tune my guitars. While it is true that I have "perfect pitch", I find it is very convenient to use an electronic guitar tuner at times.

With the Boss TU-3 guitar tuner, I'm able to tune my guitar without allowing the audience to hear me do so because it cuts out the output to the amplifier while I'm tuning. So even in the middle of a song, if I wanted to check the pitch of a string, I can simply stomp on the pedal, pick at the string in question and check its pitch. While I'm doing that, nobody can hear me tuning since the rest of the musicans who are continuing to play will cover up any of the sound my guitar will make while tuning. My sound doesn't get amplified when I'm tuning! When I'm ready to play again, I just stomp on the pedal once more and start playing. Try doing that without an electronic tuner!

I get a visual confirmation as to whether my string is sharp or flat in comparison to the correct pitch. It's very easy to see even on a dark stage.

While there are plenty of guitar tuners out there, the ease of use, build quality and accuracy of the Boss TU-3 is really hard to beat. It's not the cheapest tuner out there, but it is well worth the price.

TU-3 photo borrowed from the internet.

Sunrise & Sunset - Waukegan Harbor

2010-09-06T20:06:00.003-05:00

Sunrise At Government Pier

Sunset At Government Pier

While I was unlucky catching any fish last Friday from 6 PM to 10 PM or today from 5 AM to 8:30 AM, I was able to catch a couple of interesting photos with my cell phone.

Watching the morning sun and evening sun is one of the benefits of going fishing out on Government Pier at Waukegan Harbor in Waukegan, IL.

Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

Weird Tomato

2010-09-05T19:57:00.001-05:00

My neighbor wanted me to take a photo of this tomato he grew in his garden. I shot it with a cell phone camera. Too bad the camera focused on everything except the tomato! Goes to show that even with the best intentions, sometimes these "point & shoot" quality cameras in the phones have a mind of their own.

What is that appendage on the tomato?

Charice Pempengco

2010-09-01T09:49:00.021-05:00

A couple of years ago, Charice Pempengco performed on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Oprah Show, blowing us away with her incredible voice. Now 18, she has released her first international album with the help of legendary producer David Foster.

I'm a big fan. Could Charice be the first Asian solo act to make it to superstar status in the US music market? I predict she will be. Her album has already made it into the top 10 of the Billboard 200 Album Charts. She's the first Asian to do that. What an incredible talent from the Philippines!

Unlike some other current pop stars whose voices are just "mediocre" at best, Charice's voice is incredibly full and she sings with the confidence that only mature divas are capable of. Hear for yourself.

Click here for her YouTube channel.

Here are a couple of quick videos for you to enjoy including her hit single, "Pyramid." (Photo of Charice borrowed from the internet.)

Edit Note: In the short time that this post has been on my blog, it has had more hits in just a couple of hours of being posted than any other post on my blog in the past five years! While I get a lot of regular readers checking out my posts on photography, forensics, music, guitars, fishing, etc... this single post has already proved to be extremely popular in Google searches! Just goes to help prove my guess that Charice is going to make it really big! Good for her!

For those new to this blog, be sure to click on any link on the blog archives to right of this post to see other posts.

Email Scams

2010-08-31T15:21:00.003-05:00

Like many others who have email addresses, I get email scams all the time. Seems many of these are from Nigeria... something I find a bit funny really, but not sure why.

I'm pretty good at figuring out a scam very quickly. I usually have a good laugh at it and then am tempted to email back to see how far the scammer will go to try to get my money. But I know better than to engage these scammers. So often, if I find a really good scam, I'll save it to a folder on my Microsoft Outlook to read again later.

Really, how many long lost relatives can a guy have? Besides, are all of these guys millionaires like the scams say? Are they really looking for me so that I can claim my riches? Come on... how stupid do they think I am?

Or how about the ones that say they need someone to accept money for them and in return, I can keep some of the money for helping them out? Get real!

Have you had any good scams sent to you lately?