As any aspiring photographer likely would, I quickly turned to my instructional resources so I knew what camera settings would be a good starting point for this particular photo adventure.  I recently purchased a MacBook Pro (my first Apple product and I'm in love), and it included a free iPod touch as part of a promotion.   I downloaded a few apps for the Touch to help with photography so I won't have to carry bulky manuals or scraps of paper.   The app I referred to and will be referring to for a LOT of camera work in the future was PhotoCaddy by Aspyre Solutions.  But I also turned to Google (it never hurts to see if someone has an easier way of doing things), and it was there that I found the solution I was looking for.... "Bulb" mode.

If you're not familiar with Bulb mode, it simply allows you to keep the shutter open until you take your finger off the trigger.  Of course, shooting this way requires a tripod and is best done with a remote - you don't want any camera movement! You also must get out of any automatic modes on your camera and go full manual - automatic modes will ruin fireworks shots (and most other nighttime shots).  I set my camera to an aperture of f/8 with an ISO of 100 and Bulb mode.  Since I always shoot in RAW, any additional refinements could easily be done on my computer when I got home.   For shooting fireworks, it couldn't be easier; firework is launched, press trigger, firework explodes, release trigger once you see what you like.  You can even get multiple fireworks by holding the trigger a bit longer.  There are more "exotic" techniques for shooting fireworks and I look forward to trying some of those the next time I'm at a fireworks display.  However, for anyone wanting to get decent looking photos of fireworks without much fuss, it can be done easily with Bulb mode!

I've been somewhat frustrated, lately, with the apparent lack of commitment on the part of Nikon to further develop their Capture NX2 software.  It's great software, but it doesn't do some very basic functions that I suspect most photographers would like (such as text for watermarking and the ability to use plug-ins for effects), and it's being left in the dust by other products I have tested, such as ACDSee Pro, Photoshop Elements 8, Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3 Beta.   So, I've been spending a lot more time playing around with Photoshop Elements 8 and a few plug-ins (largely because I'm also frustrated Adobe doesn't seem to have released the "plain-old-vanilla" Photoshop CS5, yet - and I certainly don't want or need CS5 Extended version's 3D text).

One plug-in I have really come to like is Topaz Lab's Detail plug-in.  It is the first plug-in that I have liked so much that within a couple days of playing with the demo, I had to purchase a copy (I'm also playing with Topaz Lab's DeNoise, which will likely be a future purchase).  Topaz Detail allows quick and easy tone-mapping of photographs, giving a variety of effects from simple increase in sharpness to psychedelic colors.  It even does a great job creating a pseudo-HDR effect from a single photo!   Very nice!  I'm especially enjoying the effect on structural photos (though it can be used effectively in a variety of settings).  Maybe it's a phase I'm going through.  Maybe I'm finding my niche.  Anyhow, it's a great plug-in and I highly recommend it to those who use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements 8.  If you want to see more photos rendered with Topaz Detail, there are several in my Harrisburg, Pennsylvania gallery.

As you're likely aware by now, I have been getting quite a bit of use out of my Sigma "Bigma" 50-500mm lens.  It is a great lens for an extremely wide variety of subject matter.  I've used it for everything from flowers at about a foot away to moon shots.  Frankly, for a lens that has essentially no competition in its price bracket, it is a very capable, 4 lb. performer and has, oddly enough, become my main lens.  I'm very pleased at what this value priced performer can do.

I have, as would be expected, had to change my mode of operation with the "Bigma".  In order to get the best pictures at the full 500mm you really need to use a tripod.  I tried a monopod after reading posts on a forum somewhere that said "real photographers" use monopods, not tripods.  Yeah, right!  I'd like to see someone use this 4 pound lens on a monopod and get photos as sharp as if they were using a tripod.  Anyhow, when I am trekking the countryside I now do so with my "Bigma" equipped camera attached to my tripod, resting over my shoulder, "rifle-style", often with tripod legs fully extended (with a lens of this reach, you don't have to sneak up on animals nearly as much).  It actually has not been a bad experience.  The first time I tried it, I was hiking trails for the better part of 3 hours and did not feel overly fatigued.  Of course, knowing I can have my camera solidly positioned for that perfect long-range shot within seconds is worth the slight inconvenience.  

Oh, one last interesting insight I resurrected from my days when I was shooting wedding videos as a side business.  I have found that I can hold my zoomed lens steadier if I shoot with both eyes open!  There is some conditioning one needs to do in order to teach their brain to alternate dominance between eyes, so you can concentrate on what's in the viewfinder or the overall picture, but there are a number of benefits to developing this skill.  I thought it was interesting to find this topic on another web site as I was preparing this blog entry.

I had my first opportunity this past weekend to really try out my new Sigma 50-500mm zoom when I went to Conowingo Dam in Conowingo, MD.  This particular area has been said to be one of the best sites east of the Mississippi for viewing Bald Eagles.  Of course, this was not the peak season, when there are more than 20 pair of Bald Eagles present, but one can find at least a pair or two in the off season.  I had been looking forward to making this trip with my new lens to see just how much I could do with it.

The island on which the Bald Eagles congregate (along with Osprey, Blue Heron, Gulls, and several other types of birds) is approximately 200+ yards from shore.  To get the best results I knew I would need to use my tripod.  I found the greatest challenge of the day to be waiting patiently for one of the more obvious eagles to leave his perch on a large boulder on the island (circled in red on the photo shot at 50mm with a 500mm view of the eagle inset).  I had read lenses less than a 500mm would not be adequate for taking pictures of the birds on the island and I quickly found that to be true.  Even with 500mm, I had to do a significant crop of the photo in order to get a decent image of the eagle (a 2x tele-converter, in addition to a 500mm lens, would undoubtedly be a beneficial thing to have for this location).  However, it was still a fun experience and even watching the fishermen at the base of the dam proved to be interesting as they pulled huge 2'-3' carp from the river.  

BTW, I waited for about 3.5 hours for the eagle pictured here to move from the boulder; I simply couldn't leave because I could only imagine, as soon as I packed my gear, the eagle would fly and I really wanted to get a few shots of him in the air (which I did, as seen here on my facebook fan page).

It looks like something that could pass as a classified weapon, but it's not.  At 4 pounds in weight, 9 inches retracted, 12 inches extended, a zoom range of 55-500mm (f/4.5-6.3) and the ability to bring what's far away very close and still take pictures of objects less than a 12 inches away, it's an amazing piece of lens - at least to me!   I'm talking about the 2010 Sigma "Bigma" 50-500mm HSM OS lens and I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase one.

I was stoked about how great it was, the first time I took it out, to be able to be far enough from the Canada Geese near my home without spooking them and still get a nice picture with minimal crop.  This is going to be a great wildlife lens.  I also took a picture of my neighbor about 50 yards away, motoring across his lawn on his riding mower (he has a huge lawn and mows in high gear) and was amazed to be able to read the dealer's name and contact information on the side of the mower!  But what also surprised me with this lens was just how close I could get to an object and get a usable picture.  For a non-prime lens, it seems like a winner.  I can't believe I'm so blessed to have a lens that should work well for nearly everything I would ever want to shoot (and one which will also get me in much better physical condition at the same time). Please note, the pictures on the right have been significantly reduced in size, even in magnified mode, so they display properly on this website.

Anyhow, it's cool and you can look forward to seeing a lot more pictures on this site in the future that are taken with the "Bigma!"