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IN CAMERA DUST REMOVAL - REALLY??? 
A great many cameras today have internal cleaning systems to get dust off the sensor of your digital single lens reflex cameras. The first one I ever used was on the Olympus E-1 camera and it certainly did an ok job for the most part but it was far from perfect. Todays cameras including the Olympus have vastly improved methods of removing the dust. The stangest one I have shot with is the Pentax, which literally vibrates through your hands. All the others seem to not make any noise at all. I shoot with two Nikon D700 bodies and I have to admit that I have yet to encounter any dust issues at all. ((I HOPE THOSE WERE NOT FAMOUS LAST WORDS)) While this technology is a wonderful thing, I think it is important to realize that it is just that, a technology. It has been designed to shake loose dust that has settled on the filter in front of the sensor and deposit it somewhere in the bottom of your camera.
But does it work under all conditions? Should you depend upon it to always keep your sensor area free from annoying dust particles? I would say no! I would say that you are going to have dust, from time to time, that settles on your sensor that cannot be shaken loose by a technology and you shall have to take other steps to resolve this problem. What are one of the ways that this problem can occur? You are living in it if you are in the Washington DC area. Of course this time of year it applies to a lot of areas. It is hot and humid ouitside, but our cars are nicely air condoitioned as are our homes, work places, or hotels. When you move from one extreme to another especially in a humid climate, condensation can occur inside and outside your camera bodies and lenses no matter how well we think they are sealed. When this happens, you may see fogging of the eyepiece or condensation on the body, and you can be pretty sure that it is on your mirror and of course your sensor. I would say you are on the high percentage side that if there was dust on the sensor at that time, and the mirror received condesation and fogging, then when it went away, THE DUST PARTICLE OR PARTICLES WAS ADHERED TO THE filter on the front of the sensor. In camera sensor cleaning will more than like not suffice to remove this dust. WHAT TO DO? 1- Take the camera to your local dealer, but call first to see if they clean sensors, and how much they charge. 2- Purchase the materials from your local camera store for cleaning your own sensor not to mention lenses and other camera components. Who makes such stuff? Where can you buy it? Your local camera store and make sure your sales person shows you how it is used What do I use? I use visable dust products, including their new hand blower. It costs more money but it does what it says it is going to do. And as a side note, you should be using a good hand blower to blow out the mirror box, and then the sensor itself after every time you shoot pictures. Here is a video from Senor Swab DISCLAIMER:Blue Ridge Workshops LLC or any of its employees will not be responsible for any damage to your ccd/cmos sensors and dslr. use at your own risk. These are solutions we use to clean OUR cameras that we have had great success with, but ultimately the responsibility is yours. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ DO YOU HAVE TO STAY WITH THE CAMERA MANUFACTURERS MACRO LENSES? 
For years camera manufacturers have insisted that the best macro lenses are made by them and to use any other brand would be incredibly detrimental to image quality. Now I shall admit there are differences in the way lenses perform, but I am not so sure that it always about optical performance. I tend to beleive that there might be some differences in mechanical or autofocusing capabilities, but even there it would be a stretch for a camera manufacturer to be too bold. I have read articles from several reviewers that it is pretty hard to make a bad macro lens. HOLD THAT THOUGHT. There are two manufacturers that have been producing some extremely fine macro lenses for a very long time. Listed below this line are the ones I have found to be some of the best of the best. Very sharp, excellent focus, better than what I have seen in the camera manufacturers lenses.
Check out these lenses for yourself. Bring your camera to your camera store and take some shots to prove it to yourself. Make your choice and wind up paying less because they are called Tamron and Sigma. What do I use? I use Sigma macro lenses as do some of our other instructors. Some instructors use Tamron. And a couple use Nikon & Canon. So there is a big mix. What ever choice you make I am sure you will get incredible images. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
HOW DO YOU USE YOUR TRIPOD? NOW ISN'T THAT SILLY QUESTION? NOT REALLY I have spent many years working with all levels of photographers and one thing they all have in common is that at some point they are going to need a tripod. Tripods are out there to provide stability, steadiness, rock solid platforms that do away with handshake and camera shake and vibration. SO WHY THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE? Welllll, it's because having given many workshops, and worked with lots of photographers, I have seen tripods used as monopods, bi pods, and orange squeezers. What is an orange squeezer. It's someone who pulls the tripod legs together just a little bit to get a better angle or position. TRIPOD LEGS ARE MEANT TO BE SPREAD OUT TO THEIR LOCK POINT. That is where they perform the best. YOU CAN GO BEYOND THAT POINT WITH SOME MODELS, but narrowing the footprint for the above reasons is an absolute no, no. Number one, the tripod is no longer a stable platform. And number two, and worse, it is completely out of balance and will probably tip over and smash all your wonderful camera gear. SPREAD THEM OUT TO THEIR LOCK POSITION.
What else should you know? 1-Make sure the leg locks are tight 2-Make sure the head you have on the tripod is tight to the base it is on. 3-If you are using a quick release clamping system for your cameras and lenses, make sure it is tight and secure, locked so you equipment does not fall off or wobble. 5-If you are carrying your tripod fully opened or even partially opened, make sure the legs are pointed down. I have seen so many people carry the full leg extension behind them without any concern for other people behind or near them. This is really poor form and should be avoided at all costs, especially if you want to avoid a law suit. 6-Make sure that the surface you put your tripod on can hold your tripod securely. Tripods with adjustable leg positions come in real handy. 7-When you are done for the day, it is probably a good idea to wipe down your tripod and head with a damp & clean cloth in case any dirt may get trapped in the mechanisms. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ LIGHT TENTS ARE SIMPLY A BLAST TO USE 
Whether you are shooting pictures for Ebay or more seriously for Macro and Closeup creativity, then there is nothing like a good light box to make the photography more rewarding and downright simple to do. But for the rest of us who do not want to recreate the world unless it is photographically, then here are some places you can look for the finished products. So what does the light tent do? Help increase your creative macro-close up images using Light Tents. Produce professional quality images with these inexpensive and simple to use Light Tents, designed to diffuse light and eliminate unwanted reflections and shadows. Works with any type of lightsource - photoflood, quartz halogen, strobe, fluorescent, ambient daylight. Made of durable white diffusion material, the Light Tent is ideal for product shots, glassware and metal objects as well as many other subjects such as flowers, insects, and other parts of our natural world. It should have a removeable front panel for ease of product positioning on inside and for camera lens positioning. Most are of a pop-up design for ease of set-up and should fold up flat and come with a case. You can also buy very short rolls of seamless papers that can be adhered to the back for different lighting effects. There are hot lights available but I do not recommend them. They do get very, very, very hot. You can also use daylight corrected flurescent lights and they are cool. One of my favorite lighting sources is the Nikon Creative lighting system, but any strobe system will work. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ EVERY DAY WE EXPAND OUR HORIZONS _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ROADS LESS TRAVELED CAN BECOME THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED Someone very close to me always scolds me because I stick to the main roads, won't stop the car because it might be illegal or too dangerous, or because of incredible ability to get lost out of my driveway. Really! Well today I broke the rules. I was alone and somehow my GPS got all confused and it wound up directing me to some pretty strange but incredily beautiful country side. It took be down some very narrow dirt roads with encroaching growth on both sides of the road. I found very old barns, abondoned homes, beautiful scenery, wild turkeys, and on and on. it was not only an adventure it was a photographic bonanza. I was in uncharted territory and loving it because of all the photographic oppourtunities. When it comes to our workshops we always find new and interesting places to photograph, So this person who is very close to me has finally gotten their way. I shall, even at this time of my life, travel the untraveled and find new beauty and opportunities to add to my photographic experience. So why am I writing this? I am writing this for those who have stayed on the main road and I am telling you to find new roads to new worlds. Make that left or right turn into the unknown and come back with new and wonderful images. Of course common sense should apply. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHAT SOLD ME ABOUT THE WAPITI CAMERA STRAP 
First of all, short of wanting everyone to know that I think I own the best camera system in the world, I cannot think of any good reason for using a camera manufacturers strap. Not ony have I paid a lot of money for that equipment, I swear that I do not remember in the warranty agreement that I was to provide a free, walking, talking billboard for the camera manufacturer with a neon sign on the back of my neck or down my shoulder telling the world what I am shooting with. What's even more important is the fact that they are not the greatest straps out there. There are lots of very excellent straps, that yes, you will have to pay extra for, but they will provide a more comfortable carry. I have setteled on two brands. One which I do not use too much anymore because, while it provides incredible security, with its non slip pad, it can be uncomfortable because of the its non slip pad. It has little teeth on it that helps it grip the surface of your clothing, but it sure can provide a rash if it is allowed to rub on your skin. So while it is a wonderful and secure strap system it falls short in the comfort area. That said there are also foam straps, cloth straps, and the list goes on. What I have finally found is a strap that gives me not only non slip security and most of the surfaces I wear, but because it has Elk hide, it is extremely comfortable in the coldest or hottest weather. The Elk hide provides the non slip capability, and the hardware makes the strap itself secure with heavy loads. Check them out here. THIS STRAP ISCOMFORTABLE AND DOES NOT SLIP. WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ I HAVE WRITTEN LOTS OF ARTICLES ABOUT TRIPODS, BUT........ 
In all of our articles about tripods, there has been one constant. That constant is simply, you have to own a tripod, you have to use a tripod, and you cannot think CHEAP when it comes to tripods and tripod heads. You must consider the VALUE OF YOUR EQUIPMENT, AND MOST CERTAINLY THE QUALITY OF YOUR IMAGE in regards to SHARPNESS AND COMPOSITION. It is also important to buy a set up as light weight as possible. Why? BECAUSE IF IT IS TOO BIG AND TOO HEAVY YOU WON'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. Just keep in mind that it has to be able to hold your equipment steady and secure. At Blue Ridge Workshops, we test, through heavy use, a great many of the tripods and heads that are out there and because of that we are able to evaluate different brands. We certainly have favorites based on ultimate quality, and we have favorites based on great quality and better prices. Because that can be confusing we are putting a list below of those tripod brands we use and loan in our workshops. 1-GITZO (SIX OUT OF FIVE STARS) This brand perhaps more than any other in the Photography industry, is the bench mark for quality, performance and durability for tripods. With their new lighter yet stronger carbon fiber, coupled with G-Lock built into the twist and turn on their legs provide the technology to give a highly stable platform to put your ball head and camera on to. They come with a higher price but without doubt there are many reasons that make that price extremely worth while. 2-FEISOL (FIVE STAR OUT OF FIVE STARS) We have been using a variety of Feisol tripods for almost a year now. Their Traveler tripod series is unrivaled, and the rest of their line offers highly competitive, quality products at lower prices. Have they reached the quality status of a Gitzo tripod or the technology of a Gitzo tripod. No! But are they a good alternative? Yes! They are a good alternative because of the price . Their quality is more than sufficient to put them in the FIVE STAR catagory. Feisols largest tripods will rival the best that are out there. Very strong, very stable and if you add a column you get to almost 8 feet tall. However, Gitzo's G LEG LOCK technology AND 6X CARBON FIBER is AN INCREDIBLE ADVANCE, for stability and control and we have not seen anything yet to rival these features. What about Feisol ball heads? They are actually quite good. But hey have one major flaw and I am hoping they address it. The clamp knob that tightens the camera to the head, does not have a capture point. This means the knob can be unsrewed completely and lost making the head useless. 3-MANFROTTO (FOUR STARS) Manfrotto has been around for a very long time and like Gitzo has been known for its quality products. Over the last few years Manfrotto has diversified into a variety of catagories involving many different sizes and purposes. For the Slr user, we have only considered their fiber based tripods. The system they use to open a close their legs are clip locks which some people like better than the Gitzo twist locks. They also come in considerably under Gitzo prices. Gitzo is still the QUALITY AND STABILITY KING, but Manfrotto offers a very good fiber based system of tripods. Ball heads, no comment. Your best bet as always is to go to your local camera store like Penn Camera and look at the Gitzo or Manfrotto offerings. That way you can decide what is best for you. Feisol is still a web only store and while we like the tripods very much, and have no problem recommending them as a Gitzo alternative, right now the only place to see and use them is at one of our workshops. Hey! That's a good idea. We also loan out Gitzo and Manfrotto at our work shops. Do not let the price of Gitzo be a deterent. Budget yourself and be prepared to pay $350.00 to $1000.00 for a good set of legs and between $300.00 and $500.00 for a good ball head. WOW, I know.....I know, but how much are your images worth? How much is your equipment worth? Be smart, work within a budget, but buy and USE a quality tripod and ball head. You will have to pay the price, but it is worth it. Explain to the store personnel what you are going to mount on the tripod so they can help you make a choice. If you are not sure what to get, then contact us at BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS. It will be our pleasure to give you advice and point you in the right direction.
----------- That said, what about ball heads. ALL OF THESE BALL HEADS USE AN ARCASWISS TYPE MOUNTING SYSTEM. IT IS THE ONLY SYSTEM WE USE AT BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS.
1-Really Right Stuff - Expensive and built and highly innovative in their design. (FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS) Only available on their web site. There are several different size heads which use a screw clamp or a lever clamp. We recommend the lever clamp. 2-Kirk Ball Heads - Expensive and offers traditional and most certainly proven powerful holding ability. (FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS) 3-Acratech - This company offers highly unique designs in ball heads and is the youngest of all the companies, to the best of our knowledge. (EIGHT OUT OF FIVE STARS). Ghezzz... Why EIGHT? They have several models all boasting a high degree of innovation. They are the lightest heads we have used and have in our arsenal. They are the easiest to keep clean, and they can hold, according to the manufacturer 25 pounds on a 45 degree angle without shifting. The Acratech is the choice for walkabouts and hikers. While I can tell you for sure that I have not mounted 25 pounds on the head, I have used some pretty heavy glass and camera combinations and I have yet to be disappointed. So why do the Acratech heads get EIGHT OUT OF FIVE STARS? 1-QUALITY 2-STABILITY 3-INNOVATIVE DESIGN - MEANING EASY TO KEEP CLEAN, EXTREMELY LIGHT WEIGHT AND VERY STRONG 4-CUSTOMER SERVICE 5-CLEANING-It never fails that somehow dirt can get between the ball and the cup. Cleaning conventional designs can be in issue, but because of the open ball on the Acratech it is easy to rinse in water, even streams without it retaining any harmful grit. 6-WEIGHT 7-STRENGTH-The friction control together with the ball control can keep heavy combinations of lenses and bodies on the focusing point you selected. A lot of ball heads have a shift. What that means is that you focused on one point, but because the ball head is poorly designed, when you tighten the knob that controls the ball, the camera and lens shift downward. This worsens the longer the lens you use or with macro-close up photography. THE ACRATECH DOES NOT SHIFT. They have several different heads that they are showing. My favorites are the GP MODEL AND THE GV2, but they have several others worth taking a look at. CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THEIR WEB SITE CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT ACRATECH PRODUCTS AT PENN CAMERA CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO FROM ACRATECH Acratech, Kirk, and Really Right Stuff as well as Feisol all use the ARCASWISS mounting system. All of these manufacturers make their own camera plates and lens plates. We have an assortment of everyones plates, but primarily use WIMBERLEY. Wimberley is known for their Gimble Heads
, which are used for long lenses and provide extreme motion control of the camera and lens under heavy use. However they also manufacture plates for many different lenses and one specific camera plate called the P-5. The P-5 will fit most cameras. Kirk and Really Right Stuff make exact model camera plates and L Brackets as does Kirk. Acratech makes a universal L Bracket that they say fits almost all cameras. We have not tried it. WHAT IS AN L BRACKET. Taken from the Really Right Stuff Web Site "Without an L-plate, flopping the head over into the drop notch to go vertical is a royal pain; you’ll have to recompose from scratch. When “flopped”, the camera body is laterally displaced, and also dropped by ≈ 2/3rds of a foot, so you’ll often need to extend the tripod legs (or elevate a center column) to compensate for the new position. And, if you don’t like what you see, you’ll then have to “back out” all of those adjustments in order to recapture the initial view. With an L-plate, your load stays perfectly centered over the tripod. This improves stability and reduces the need to recompose." It will also keep the vibration factor at a minimum by keeping the camera centered over the tripod _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
A BRAND NEW WORKSHOP THE KNIFE MAKER AND BLACK POWDER WORKSHOP IN LEXINGTON VA.--9/25-36-27/2009
It has been and continues to be a Blue Ridge Workshops desire to bring to its customers, its students, unique photographic opportunities. This new workshop does exactly that. In this setting you will be able to learn and apply new skills in dealing with lighting, textures, depth, color, white balance. Knife making is an art, and Edmund turns this art into incredible masterpieces. You will have an opportunity to photograph him at work from the beginning of the process to the end and is the main highlight of this photographic adventure. In the midst of this wonderful opportunity we shall travel both on private and pubic land to beautiful locations, each offering it own challenges in producing beautiful images. We shall work in some cases with High Dynamic Range – HDR- capture and processing to enhance and perfect certain shooting techniques. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
I PAID A VISIT TO VisArts in Rockville Maryland If you have an interest in the arts, and especially photography, this is a wonderful place to visit. They offer a multitude of classes in a large variety of artforms, but of course my interest was in their photography assortment. This 19 month old company has strived to provide both wet and digital darkrooms, professional style studios, not to mention special programs for teens and younger.
You really owe it to yourself to visit this wonderful state of the art complex in the heart of Rockville, Maryland. Even if it is only to visit and see the exhibits and get a first hand look to see what is available for you to bring out the artist within you.
Log on to their web site and take a look. IS OLYMPUS CAMERA COMPANY USHERING IN CAMERA ERA 
If you have not already read about this new little gem coming in July from Olympus, |
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Welcome to the June, 2009 newsletter. In this Issue THINGS TO THINK ABOUT _______________________
CLASSES FROM BLUE RIDGE WORKSHOPS COMING BACK IN THE FALL, NIKON CAPTURE NX2 CLASSES, ADOBE LIGHTROOM CLASSES - 8 HOURS - ONE DAY - $99.00......DATES WILL BE IN THE NEXT NEWS LETTER
WORKSHOPS THAT STILL HAVE OPENINGS 2009 PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP - THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF CHINCOTEAUGE VIRGINIA 11/6,7,8 2009
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