I am certainly not an exception. Who am I to think I would escape the frenzied pace at this time of year? It was more frenzied than I could have ever imagined leading up to and through this 2008 holiday season. I alluded to some of this insanity in my last post. Now I’m going to blog about it.

Has it got any sports in it?

Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…

Yes, it’s all true, except for the fencing, torture, and revenge.

I’ve Been Tagged Again

Down To Earth Mama has tagged me again, hoping to uncover more of what she calls an enigma. The last time she tagged me, I didn’t bite. This time, I must come through.

“Oh blogger, will you post a photo?”

As you wish.

The punk-ass that she is, she tagged me after I just spent 20 hours on a Greyhound bus!

No, this isn’t the first photo I took. Shooting into a mirror is tricky.  However, this photo is completely unedited except for resizing. I didn’t even fix the white balance or Photoshop out the convenient carrying handle attached to my head.

Here are the rules….

1) Take a picture of yourself right NOW!
2) DON’T change your clothes, DON’T fix your hair… Just take a picture.
3) Post that picture with NO editing.
4) Post these instruction with your picture.
5)Tag 10 8 people to do this..

I don’t want to tag 10 people either. That’s a LOT, unless you’re über-popular like Busy Dad. I see that he’s already been tagged by Joe.

Dad of Divas

Building Camelot

Buddha Belle

Mom is Just a Nickname

Dad’s Workbench

Israeli Mom

Dad Thing

21st Century Parenting

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Our Little Girl Turns 1 today!

You’re my precious little angel. You are my truest of true loves. You’re only going to be a baby once, but you’ll always be my baby girl.

One full year has passed since the journey began. Whew! It really does go by in a flash. From her incredible birth story to where we are today, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The incredible speed with which time passes after the birth of a child is offset by those times when she is crying, screaming, and inconsolable. That’s when time stands still. I love everything about this little girl, even those times when she is crying, screaming, and inconsolable.

Part of the festivities include a portrait of her in a traditional Korean hanbok. The dress she is wearing in the photo is one that is worn on a girl’s first birthday. You can see more photos of Twilli in my Flickr photostream.

A New Father and a New Man

I often say that I was born on August 7th, 2007 too. The birth of your first child changes you forever. My daughter’s role as my spiritual advisor continues to expand. No matter what happened in my past or what the crisis du jour is, my daughter is there for me as a reminder of how precious life is. She is the reason I want to be the best dad and the best person I can be.

Others Who Share a Birthday With Twilli

As a die-hard hockey fan, I’m pleased to know Sidney Crosby shares a birthday with my little one. He was born on 8/7/87, hence, he wears jersey number 87. Today is a significant milestone birthday for Mr. Crosby too. Twilli will enjoy some juice in a sippy cup. Sid the Kid barely missed drinking form Lord Stanley’s Cup this past spring. Today, he is raising a pint or two, or three or four or five…

Twilli has an affinity for metal objects. They hold her attention and sometimes find their way into her mouth. She likes metal. Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, also celebrates today. His impressive vocal range earned him the nickname “Air Raid Siren.” We get to hear our little air raid siren when daddy extracts inedible objects from her mouth or when the magic boobies are not there when she wants them.

Ernesto Brown, a reader in Miami, has a daughter who shares a birthday with our Twilli. Happy birthday to you too.

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Photography literally means, “writing with light.” The quality of the light dictates the quality of your photograph more than the camera you are using. Finding great light will improve the quality of your photographs more than buying a new camera.

Finding the Light

One of the best locations for a photograph is next to a window, preferably one facing the north. Professional photographers spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on specialized lighting equipment to duplicate this quality of light in the studio. You can have it for free.

I am a big fan of using flash creatively, but knowing how to find great light is just as important as knowing how to create it. Besides, if you know how to find good light, you can use any camera.

What Settings Do I Use?

The best part about using window light is, you can fire away in PhD Mode, or “Push Here Dummy.” Just be sure to turn off the flash. You’re trying to avoid the harsh, unflattering look of direct flash here. There may be enough ambient light for the camera to decide flash isn’t necessary. Consult your camera’s manual to find out how to turn it off.

During the day, the light outside your house is several times brighter than the light inside. Don’t put your subject between the window and the camera, unless of course, you want a silhouette. Your camera may also have a “backlight” setting that helps you out in a situation like this.

I used my point-and-shoot camera in auto mode to take the photos you see here. I did a little tweaking in Photoshop, but with a little practice, you can get great images right out of the camera. You don’t have to plant your child right in front of the window. Open up those drapes or blinds and let the light come in. You’ll end up with a large and directional source of light that gives shape and definition.

A Few More Tips

Your toddler is a fast little bugger. How many times have you missed the shot due to that darn shutter lag that point-and-shoot cameras still have? It’s gotten better, but there’s still a little lag time. It feels even longer if you’ve ever had the pleasure of using a DSLR.

• A tried-and-true method is to do a half-press of the shutter to let the camera’s auto-focus lock on. This will take a half a second or so. When your little one is in the frame, press the shutter all the way down. This should increase the number of keepers you get. Don’t worry about perfect focus. Your point-and-shoot camera has some fudge factor here.
• You can Google “the rule of thirds,” for the long explanation. The short version goes like this: don’t put your subject dead-center in the frame. A slightly off-center composition makes for a more compelling photograph.
• Get down on the floor! People and children look their best when the film plane (or sensor plane) is perpendicular to the floor. This works for pet pictures too. Standing up and shooting down distors perspective and makes heads loom large. Full body length portraits are actually taken with the camera at waist level.

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One of my friends recently sent me an email, “My hard drive crashed and I lost all my photos. Can you send me any pictures you have of the gang?”

A little while back, I described how to organize your digital photos. Organizing your photos is just as important as backing them up. You can’t effectively back up your photos if you don’t have them organized.

Backups Are More Feasible Than Ever

But why do so few people do it? Is it because we’re lazy? Yes. Stop being lazy. You’re not my teenage stepson, so you’ll actually listen when I say, “stop being lazy!” Does it take much effort to burn a CD or DVD once a month? How about a little drag and drop action between two Windows Explorer or Mac OS Finder windows?

In the film-only era, organizing your photos meant putting them in photo albums and storing the negatives in a safe place. Did we ever do that? Based on how people are now, I doubt that many people’s photos were organized. I still have shoeboxes with envelopes in random nooks and crannies in my house! My digital photos have fared much better. In the digital world, organizing your photos is easier than ever. Having a backup copy is within the reach of our budgets, our technology, and the precious time we have.

Several of my older co-workers in the past were afraid of the computer and skeptical of the security of the data. The argument always was, “but what if something happens to the computer?”

My internal dialogue went like this, “Sure Louise. Your paper filing system is really secure. What if we had a fire? All the electronic files we have on the swappable backup drive is off-site. We’ll still have those files. Your paper files are toast! See what the boss will think if you spent the next 6 days doing nothing but photocopying every sheet of paper in our file cabinets. Then see what he thinks about leasing storage space across town to keep all this paper!”

Storing your data, or in this case, your photographs, in digital form is the easiest, most cost effective, time-efficient, and most secure option available to us.

Backup Methods

Backup strategies range from the simple to the elaborate. Your family photos are no less valuable, but you don’t need the same robust solutions that professional photographers use. The important thing is, you must do something.

CD-R and DVD-R

Once your photos are organized, it’s only a matter of dragging and dropping the folders into your CD/DVD burning software or your external hard drive. If your photos are organized on your “live” drive, then they will be organized on your backup media too.

External Hard Drives

I’ve seen many references to CD-Rs and DVD-Rs being an affordable method of storage. Byte for byte, even an external firewire drive (more expensive than USB drives) are cheaper than the equivalent storage in CD-Rs and DVD-Rs!

Hard drives are always getting cheaper and cheaper. This is the most convenient method of redundant storage. You can drag and drop folders from one window to another. Voila! Your photos are saved to more than one location. You win extra bonus points for stashing the external hard drive off-site, like in your desk drawer at work.

Memory Cards

Memory cards also continue to drop in price. For special events, consider buying memory cards just for the occasion and storing them somewhere secure. Of course, you’ll also have the images on your hard drive, your external drive, and a CD-R too.

Multiple Locations

The ultimate in security is to have your data in different locations. This protects your family memories from natural disasters.

Send a CD-R copy to your relatives. They would love to see the pictures, and storing your backups off-site is as secure as it gets. Likewise, you should offer to store their backups too.

Upgrade to a pro account on Flickr. For $25 a year, you get unlimited storage. You can even set up your computer to automatically upload your photos to your account. You will be uploading uncompressed full-resolution photos, but do not fear. They can be set for private viewing only. The added bonus here is, you can just flag the ones you want to share publicly with a few clicks.

There is some debate on the volatility of the media we use to back up. CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, and hard drives each have their advantages and potential downfalls. Data can get corrupt on any storage medium. However, with redundancy, you are ensured that your family memories are secure. Storage media fails, but the chance of all of your redundant media failing is slim.

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Within a week of getting your first digital camera, you already know why it’s so awesome to have one. It takes a little longer to realize the bad that comes with the good. You have a hard drive full of photos and they’re all disorganized.

My method of organizing photos requires no special software and works on any operating system. What’s even more amazing is, my method is free and easy.

Admit it. You take more photos than you ever did when the only choice was film. After flexing some math muscles, I found that:

• I have taken over 25,000 photos since I first went digital in 2002.
• If those photos were taken with a film camera, it would have cost me over $13,000.

You end up with a ton of photos. Only a few are worth printing, and fewer are worth enlarging, but you keep them all anyway. It’s out of focus, underexposed, and unintentionally motion-blurred. But it’s a picture of your daughter smiling. How can you delete that? Hard drives are cheap, right? Photos accumulate. More megapixels only translates into bigger files, not necessarily better photos. You will eventually run out of space.

As an early adopter of digital photography, I had to stay organized since day one. Back then, memory cards cost about 120 times what they do today. I had to offload my photos after every outing. Even with today’s pixel-bloated cameras, you can go for weeks without downloading pictures to your computer. The advancement of technology makes us lazy.

How to Organize Your Digital Photos

I organize my photos by day. Each day’s photos gets a separate folder. Each folder is named like this:

• YYYY.MM.DD – description
• 2007.09.29 – funny cat pictures

I put the year first like that because of the way computers sort search results. You don’t have to. It just makes sense to me.

If I caught the cats wrestling in the afternoon and have a social gathering in the evening, I make 2 separate folders, even if those events are on the same day. It’s easier to remember “2007.09.29 – Eric and Debbie’s party” than “2007.09.29.” Eric and Debbie have a lot of parties, so the date needs to be there too.

Then I put all those folders in one big folder for each year. It’s not necessary to put all the folders from January 2008 into one big folder called “January 2008.” Alternately, you can just put all of your photos from each month into one appropriately named folder. A folder called “Photos – January 2008″ is still way more organized than most people are now.

Throughout this process, you’ll be looking at almost all of your photographs. You’ll see some that deserve deletion. There’s no need to keep photos resulting from poor decision-making (why did I take a picture of that?!) or those that are bad for technical reasons (exposure, focus, camera shake, etc). You might recover some significant space on your hard drive.

Free Tools To Help You

If you don’t feel like doing all of that, at least download the obviously crappy photos and download Picasa. Picasa is also a very capable photo editor – crop, straighten, fix exposure, and do much more! If you’re sick of viruses, spyware, and spotty performance, switch to a Mac and use iPhoto.

It’s still worth doing all of the above. I name each “film roll” in iPhoto according to my established filing and naming conventions. This facilitates making backups. I make backups once a month and immediately after special occasions.

I’ve never been happy with the software that cameras are bundled with, so resist the temptation. Use Picasa, iPhoto, or your own filing system instead.

What if I’m Totally Disorganized?

Sorting your photos may seem like a daunting task, but it’s well worth it. Worst-case scenario is, you’ll spend about 2-3 focused hours on it and be done. It doesn’t have to be done all in one sitting either.

If you feel you are totally disorganized, Picasa will search your entire hard drive for photos. Then your photos will be sorted by date, provided your EXIF data is correct (you did set the date/time on your camera when you bought it, right?). After your photos are sorted, you will be able to move them into logically named and organized folders.

Learn More About Digital Photography

• Back Up Your Digital Photos
• Strobist
• Shooting the Kids
• 5 Quick Tips for Better Child Photography
• Digital Photography School Blog
  

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Amazon is giving $100 instant rebates if you buy any of the following cameras:

• Nikon D40 with the 18-55mm kit lens
• Nikon D40x with the 18-55mm kit lens
• Nikon D80 with the 18-135mm kit lens

The savings are deducted separately during checkout so take a short hop of faith and add the items to your cart. You will need to do that to see the discount applied. Select Amazon as the seller (if the option is available) otherwise, you’ll miss out.

The instant rebate on the D40 will bring its price down to point and shoot territory. If you’ve been thinking about getting a DSLR, now is the time. After showing off the photos you take with your new Nikon DSLR, people will tell you “What kind of camera do you have? Your camera takes great pictures!” You can smile and say, “My children love Harry Potter, Ms. Rowling! What version of Microsoft Word do you use?”

But wait. There’s more! Amazon is also offering rebates on select lenses too! Extend your reach with some of these telephoto zooms:

• 55-200mm
• 55-200mm VR
• 70-300mm VR

The 55-200 paired with the kit lens will give you just about every focal length you’ll need for general shooting. I’d spring for the VR version. VR (“Vibration Reduction”) is Nikonese for image stabilization. You need faster shutter speeds at longer focal lengths. VR is like having a virtual tripod. My point-and-shoot has image stabilization and it’s addicting.

They’re not pro-grade lenses, but they are a HUGE step up from the mega-zoom point-and-shoot you were duped into buying. Those silly 10x zoom cameras are totally worthless for sports photography. As long as your kid’s soccer game is during daylight hours, these lenses will be fine.

I’ve talked about taking your own photography to the next level. I even told you what camera to buy. But there are times when it’s better to outsource this family duty. As the family photographer, you are conspicuously absent from your family’s visual history. Sometimes you just want to be in the moment rather than behind the camera.

This is the perfect opportunity to hire a pro. I’m not talking about taking your child to JC Penney, Wal Mart, or Sadie’s. I am referring to independent freelance family and portrait photographers. You see them all the time on craigslist. There may be brochures in your pediatrician’s office. You might even know someone. He’s an all-around nice guy, he takes great photographs, and he writes a great blog. You might have heard of it. It’s called 21st Century Dad.

You can’t beat the portrait factories on price, but you get the same tired backgrounds and props that everyone else gets. They might as well just Photoshop your child’s head in. An independent professional is always the better choice.

• An independent pro can come out on location. Your children will be more comfortable in familiar settings.
• You can have a one-of-a-kind portrait session at your favorite park, the beach, or even in your own home.
• The big studios play it safe. There is no room for creativity and experimentation. You get a photo of what you look like. An independent professional can take photos of who you really are.
• Independent professionals are driven by a passion for photography. Photography is their livelihood, not just a means to drive traffic to the retail store.
• The personal interaction will bring your family portraits to life, especially if the photo shoot occurs at a location of your choosing.
• You are free to enjoy the special occasion. My neighbor hired me to be the photographer at their son’s 1st birthday party. They were so thankful that they could focus on being gracious hosts and enjoy this special day without the additional responsibility. They ended up with hundreds of high quality photographs instead of hurried snapshots.

A personable and friendly photographer with a consumer camera will get higher quality photos than the stick in the mud with a top-of-the-line pro rig. How can you tell? You’ll figure this out when you speak to the photographer and view the portfolio. Photography is a people skills job, not technical one.

Develop a relationship with the photographer; it will translate into even better photos. Repeat customers are treated better. The smart ones offer discounts for package deals. For example, a photographer may offer a package where they shoot the maternity portraits and the newborn photos for an all-inclusive price lower than two separate sessions. If they don’t offer it, suggest it.

You don’t have to make a donation. If you use the money to hire a professional photographer instead, that’s certainly OK by me.

Increase your knowledge base through one of my favorite blogs of all-time – Strobist.

The winky little flash on your digital camera is responsible for more red-eye than every instance of demonic possession ever documented by paranormal experts. Its location near the lens axis provides the most unflattering light ever known to mankind (think of your driver’s license or passport photo). When you have an external flash unit (or multiple flash units) positioned away from the camera, it makes your photographs come to life with a 3D-like quality. Strobist teaches you how to do it.

I debated whether or not to really pimp Strobist here on 21st Century Dad, but I have to admit it. I am a pathetic Strobist fanboy! David Hobby is the MacGuyver of lighting. I’m doing more with two small flashes, some free sample gels, and stuff lying around the house than I ever did with an entire professional studio strobe setup. The studio strobes are now sitting in someone else’s closet gathering dust. Now my wallet weighs more and my lighting bag weighs less.

I’m so grateful that I had the chance to learn how to use off-camera lighting. My daughter’s first year is being documented in a much more satisfying way. I’m getting professional results from a pretty minimal rig that’s easy to use. We’ll never have to drag her to JC Penney. With some more tools in my toolbox, I’m also able to get some the most elusive photos of all – photos of angst-ridden teenage boys.

Just as it was when you made the jump from point-and-shoot to DSLR, you can run on a sort of a semi-automatic mode until your comfort level and knowledge increase. The most basic Strobist techniques already improve your photos dramatically. As your ambition and budget grow, your creativity does too. It doesn’t have to cost much at all. For around $200, you can get a complete starter kit.

When you buy your Strobist kit, you might want to pick up a battery charger and some rechargeable AA’s too. I recommend the La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger and Sanyo Eneloop NiMH AA batteries. Standard NiMH batteries lose their charge over time, even when unused. The Eneloops don’t. Strobists are among the most demanding and critical users of AA batteries. You can get an 8-pack on Amazon for a little more than the 4-pack at your local discount store.

David started the blog in February of 2006 as a way to store his notes. It has since grown to get over 1 million page views a month. He took a leave of absence from his job in June of 2007 to focus on the blog full-time. David is an inspiration photographically, but he’s also one of the reasons I started blogging. He made the right decision for his family and for 200,000 daily readers. The blogger’s lifestyle allows David to spend more time with his favorite Hobbys – Susan, Emily, and Ben.

Buy your Strobist kit on Amazon

A few months ago, I made a pathetic plug for the Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card. That was hardly a worthwhile introduction to photography 21st Century Dad style.

I didn’t want my photography related writing to go over the heads of the point-and-shoot crowd. My original plan was to share more general photography tips that everyone can benefit from. DSLR users are notorious for spending more time online than shooting. There are plenty of camera aficionado sites out there for the technical information you crave (notice I didn’t call them photography sites). I’m here to talk about photographing your family. I know a better way, and I’m here to share.

What’s a DSLR and Why Do I Want One?

Oh wait a minute. I just got done saying I didn’t want to alienate the point-and-shoot crowd. What’s a DSLR? DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. If you’re still scratching your head, it’s the camera that uses interchangeable lenses. You probably think of it as a “professional” camera.

DSLRs are now within reach of mere mortals’ credit limits. You can get an entire kit with a body, a great lens, and plenty of great features for under $500. So why would you want a DSLR?

• Ready to shoot as soon as you flip the power switch on.
• No shutter lag.
• Higher image quality (a 6MP DSLR beats a 12MP point and shoot in image quality, no contest.)
• Versatility and expandability through countless accessories.
• Men like to play with advanced technology, no matter what it is.

That’s all fine and dandy. But what does that mean in real life?

• “Honey get the camera quick! Jenny just put her Dora shoes on the dog!” By the time the cheesy little start-up song and cutesy animation is done playing on the LCD, Jenny has her little brother in a headlock because he put Play-Dough in her hair.
• “Hey Peanut! What a gorgeous smile!” Click. Half your child’s face is out of the frame and out of focus.
• A 6MP DSLR beats a 12MP point and shoot in image quality, no contest.
• More cool stuff to buy like lenses and flashes.
• How does GPS tagging of your pictures and wireless control of multiple flashes sound to you?

You probably agree with me on all of the above except for the megapixel issue. There’s a technical explanation and there’s an easy explanation. The easy explanation is to take my word for it. I own both types of cameras.

If you want to make high quality prints at larger sizes, elevate your photography to the next level, and have more creative control, a DSLR will let you do that. The photo you see here on the left is an example of some of the creative things you can do with a DSLR. This image was created without the help of an image editing program like Photoshop. It was done completely in-camera.

Things You Can Do That Cost $0

Will buying a DSLR cure you of all your photographic ills? Can it magically transform your snapshots into captivating photographs? The short and long answer is NO. Great photography is a result of upgrading the gear between the ears. Here is a short list of things that cost $0 that you can do to improve your photography:

• Get in close and fill the frame.
• Change position to eliminate a cluttered background.
• Use the longer zoom setting for a more flattering perspective when doing portraits.
• Use the flash outside in broad daylight.
• Avoid harsh mid-day sun. Early morning and late afternoon provide the most flattering natural light.
• Get down to the child’s eye level.
• Try the vertical orientation.
• Join Flickr and post your photos. Get feedback.
• Look at photographs you admire with a critical eye.
• Keep your camera with you all the time.
• Take more photos.

For more tips on how to improve your photos by spending $0, check out John’s article on photodoto.com

Is my Point and Shoot Camera Worthless Now?

Don’t put your little point and shoot up on eBay yet! The tips I just mentioned work on any camera, whether it’s the flagship pro model DSLR or a 3 year old camera phone. The camera you have with you will take better photographs than the one sitting on your desk at home. Sometimes, it’s just not practical to lug your DSLR rig around. Some people just don’t care to get a DSLR.

I used a point-and-shoot camera to take the photo you see here. There is no such thing as a perfect camera. The DSLR and the point-and-shoot each have their pros and cons.

Choosing a DSLR

Once you upgrade to a DSLR, image quality is the same, whether it’s an entry-level model or a flagship pro camera. When you spend more money, you only get more features and more pixels, not higher image quality. When I upgraded from a 6 megapixel DSLR to a 10 megapixel model, I only gained 866 pixels on the long side and 592 pixels on the short side. That’s not a lot.

As far as the different brands go, the image quality is really close. The decision will come down to price, the way the camera feels in your hands, and whatever I tell you. Canon and Nikon are the two top dogs in this game, and the consumer wins here. You get better OEM and 3rd party support. The community of users is much larger.

I spend my time with my children, writing for this site, and of course, taking pictures. I’d rather spend my time doing that than looking at “camera porn” sites. There are some links below to get you started. Making your purchase by clicking through to Amazon from this site puts a little money in my “tip jar” without costing you anything extra. This goes for anything you purchase on Amazon.

Next Steps

This is a daddy blog, not a pixel-peeper site. DPReview.com does a great job of running cameras through their gauntlet of tests. There is such a thing as too much information. You can just take my word for it, buy a Nikon D40 kit, and be extremely satisfied. You’ll be ecstatic with the responsive handling and image quality from any DSLR. If you’re not comfortable driving stick shift yet, the full auto mode works great. Even an entry-level DSLR has features you can grow into.

After you upgrade your camera, it’s time to improve your lighting. Direct on-camera flash is harsh, flat, and causes red-eye. Think of your driver’s license photo. David Hobby over at Strobist will show you how to use small flashes and a DIY MacGuyver ethic to get professional results. It’s nowhere near as expensive or difficult as you think. I’ll talk more about Strobist later.

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]]> http://www.21stcenturydad.com/2008/01/29/improve-your-family-photos-21st-century-dad-style/feed/ 0 http://www.21stcenturydad.com/2007/12/29/paternity-test-results/ http://www.21stcenturydad.com/2007/12/29/paternity-test-results/#comments Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:12:55 +0000 admin http://www.21stcenturydad.com/2007/12/29/paternity-test-results/