Month: March 2010

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Interest in Photobooth functions?

I noted that several people have used the Camera control script as the software to drive a photobooth as events, such as wedding, where guests can come up and take their own picture.

The script can be used like that, but is hardly ideal. However I can imagine making a “photobooth mode” specifically for this purpose which would take away some of the problems.

E.g. you could have a simplified control – basically only one button to press.

Let me know if that sounds interesting and if you have any ideas to add and see if I should spend some more thought on it.

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Maybe it is all in the cable…

Seems strange but if you are having trouble with Camera Control being unreliable or failing to perform, try making sure that your USB cable connection is good:

  • Use a short cable
  • Use the best quality cable you have
  • Plug the cable directly into the PC, not via a hub

Strange as it may seem this has fixed some of my own problems. Apparently it is possible to have an unreliable USB connection which is good enough for some purposes (including downloading images in batches), but not good enough for tethering.

The details I don’t understand, but give it a try if all else fails.

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My old work isn’t that bad, but what about my new work

I have a fever of 103 f and am supposed to be resting – that may or may not relate to this post.

Read this:

http://missanielablog.com/your-old-work

Makes me think because often recently I find that nothing I have been shooting has really come out very interesting, whereas I actually had more worthwhile pieces years ago.

Maybe part of that is just being busy this past year, with the new baby and work there isn’t much time for anything else.

Yet it is worrying when I think I should be “improving” to find that I go through the whole 2009 catalog and find maybe 4 shots I like. I am sure I did “better” in earlier years.

So why is that. It could be that my taste has changed and I’m getting more selective, which could be seen as a good thing. Or it could be that because I’m shooting less I’m really doing less good work. Or, and this is the worry, maybe I’m thinking about it too much – certainly I’m thinking (and reading) more than I’m shooting and that is cramping me somehow. Putting an (unnecessary) level of selectivity on top of my choices of what to shoot.

Now that connects to another thought:

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/7577

Which basically boils down to “don’t put out pictures which are not your best”, and I would extend that to “which you are proud of”.

It connects for me because I rarely post or show to anybody my photographs because typically nobody likes them (I don’t have that problem of getting uncritical praise from friends and family, basically *nobody* likes my work), yet recently I saw some people around me on facebook post some snaps of a recent dramatic sunset.

Now I had noticed that sky also and taken a few snaps so I thought hey I’ll post one too, just as a community thing, not thinking about it as “a photograph”. Yet of course I take them into Bridge, select the best two, go into ACR and tweak them. A little shift of the WB brings out the dramatic colours nicely and so I go and post that.

“Wonderful picture” people say, you’re such a great photographer I hear. I should be pleased right? But I’m not, it’s a sunset pic of all things with some cheap trickery to make it look like a postcard. Not at all the sort of photography I want to develop, or be known for.

So I’ve shot myself in the foot a little, not bad but it’s annoying.

But but… two years ago I would have selected that image for my portfolio whereas today I wouldn’t touch it.

So my friends like my photographs that I don’t like. What do you do, change your photographs or change your friends?

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