Hi kids…
I get a few questions about what I use to shoot roller derby pictures. I am currently shooting with a Nikon D90 and lately have switched to a Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens. I really like this lens because it’s very fast. Not just aperture-wise, but It can autofocus faster than just about anything I have seen. I am no professional by any means and I learn a lot at every bout. Lately I have been working on exposure and focus, trying to get better technical qualities out of the images I take.
Why doesn’t your point and shoot camera take good pictures at roller derby? It’s not broken, it’s just not meant for that sort of thing. Here’s why: (real photographers may skip this explanation, it is intentionally simplified for the people who hold up a little Coolpix and want to know why everything on the track looks bad)
- Mostly, because the shutter speed isn’t very fast, so roller girls will look blurry. They skate fast and the camera captures a blur. Take a picture of you waving your hand in front of your camera. See? Same thing, only bigger.
- The lighting in the arena usually stinks. Even if your camera has some sort of “sports” setting with a faster shutter, you can’t get a bigger lens on it to let more light in. Even if you could, there is nowhere for that light to go – the size of the image sensor (the electronic “film”) in a point and shoot camera is usually very small compared to a DSLR camera or 35mm film.
- The shutter isn’t very responsive on most of those cameras. There is a lag between when you press the shutter button and when the photo is taken. With a SLR camera there usually isn’t any lag unless you have autofocus turned on and the camera is confused for some reason (it happens).
- The focus and zoom controls are kind of slow so you can’t change them quickly to respond to what you are seeing.
The good news is that a point and shoot will take great pictures before and after the bout, and they are a lot less bulky for after-parties and stuff.
I occasionally read the RFT and Post-Dispatch food reviews.
Sometimes people make suggestions. Sometimes I follow them when I have time.
Occasionally I wander into random places that look interesting. (Continued)
This entry is about the two Schlafly restaurants here in St. Louis, Bottle Works and Tap Room. I was originally going to write two different posts, because they are really different places, but in the interest of not appearing to be a fanboy I’ve decided not to. The two restaurants have some similarities, but their menus are fairly different. I would recommend starting off with the beer bread at both of them, as it’s pretty damn good. I actually learned how to make beer bread myself because I liked it so much. (Continued)
BC's Cheesecake
So, Bill Cardwell opened a place out in Lake St. Louis last year. For those of you who don’t know, Bill Cardwell operates one of the higher-end restaurants here in town. There were a lot of questions about his newer restaurant, mostly of the form “Can he make it out here?” I think he can, it’s a nice place, and I recommend it for a nice dinner out. Their appetizers are interesting – huge plates of nachos, crab rangoon dip with won ton chips, better calamari than I’ve had anywhere else, etc. And their sandwiches and entrees are also generally good, with lots of interesting things you won’t find elsewhere in the area.
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So, I went to the ball game the other night and had a beer before and after at this fine place, with the owners of a couple local restaurants. I really like it. Outdoor patio, enough of a view of the ball game to leave early, really close to the stadium, friendly staff, streetside barbecue. What else could you want in a place to go grab a drink? Just head out the Spruce Street gates and look for the neon sign a couple blocks down Spruce Street. Can’t miss it.
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I like it, I must say. I went out for a bike ride and took a few pics at a little park by my house.
click here for pics
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Someone recently asked me about my thoughts on monitoring software (Blue Coat, Vontu, whatever) as it regards to protecting against disclosure of sensitive company data by social networking/Web 2.0/etc. I’m not going to get into individual situations and their legality, because privacy laws and cultural values differ. I think you’ll start seeing a lot more interest in these monitoring solutions because of the proliferation of PCI, HIPPA, and all those other fun standards that us infosec guys are begrudgingly thanking for job security. This was part of my response, and I wanted to record it for posterity.
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