FREE, FREE, FREE...I have a large collection of 'vintage' photo magazines that I would like to get to a good home. Without actually doing an inventory, I think I have about 15 or so years of back issues of Modern Photography, Pop Photography, American Photographer..maybe a few more assorted issues. Without going through all of them, I'm thinking they might date from the early to mid nineties until about 2010...the Modern Photography issues would be of their last dozen years of publication...so somewhere in the 1975-1989 period.

The 'catch' is that I would like to have them picked up here in Topeka, KS. They are in storage now, which is only a block away from an Interstate Hiway….I-435, an easy place to find when you are passing through....

There's a TON of good information and great tips is this Topic/Thread...about the only thing that I can add to the previous posts would be that if you think you will be needing photos with a 'softer' touch, think about using broader lighting, bounce light or multiple lights. A small soft-box a few feet off camera can do wonders when it comes what might be needed during retouching. As amphoto1 pointed out, doing all you can to get it right when the photo is shot can really save time later on... Thanks goodness for digital....where you can immediately see the results...!

I totally agree with this. The current state of "stitching" software will allow all sorts of wide...(and TALL!) photos to be taken that would not be possible even with the widest of lenses. PhotoMerge...(an option in both PhotoShop and Photoshop Elements) is very 'forgiving' of variations from image to image....just be sure you have ample 'overlap'...try for at least 20% for safety...remember that any missing section can not be made up..! (I nearly always shoot two sequences when I do this, just for 'insurance'...)

Try some test sequences before you need the actual shots...this will give you some practice...AND confidence in your gear and processes.

Speaking of doctors, just think of how much fun you could have with a doctor's wife and a bushel of apples...……!!!

Q. How many lawyers does it take to shingle a roof???

A. Depends how thin you slice them...…………….!

Those "Hand Warmers" can put out a lot of heat, but they do it very slowly. If, for example, you activate (that is 'break' one) and place it on a table, it will hardly get warm at all. If, however, you place it in your glove or sock, before long it can get almost uncomfortably hot. So...like a previous poster said, I'd be cautious about putting it in direct contact with a camera or lens....especially if that gear is wrapped up or confined in any way. And...with all things like this, working this out in a 'controlled setting'....i.e. at home, BEFORE using it in the woods, would be a good idea.

Andy, Bob, Cameraf4....thanks to you for your 'spot on' observations and tolerant attitudes... The important thing in all of this is that we develop a set of gear, approaches, procedures and processes that get the results that 'fit' each person on here. While I can....and do...often respond to a question about "how do YOU do this...or that?"....I certainly can't ever say that my opinion or advice fits YOUR situation. Some of the extensive threads on UHH that offer tons of conflicting advice..."You MUST do...or buy...or operate....in this manner...", seem to me that, without knowing the goals and limitations of each camera user, it's just impossible to set any kind of rigid rule or advice. So that's MY advice......grins...!

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Let me add my 2 pixels worth to this discussion about the sharpness of the Nikon 28-300mm. The attached photo was, of course, shot with this lens....and handheld as well. There are actually two 'focus stacked' images here, for the first one I focused on the saguaro on the right side, then changed the focus to the larger saguaro in the middle of the frame. These were then processed with Combine ZP to form the final image. Some very minor tweaking was done in Photoshop...cropped slightly, etc.

Be sure to take a look at the full sized image ("original") and examine the 'sharpness'...(no pun intended, even though it would have been a good one!)...of the spines on the right hand plant....and then have a look at the cactus in the center of the photo.... I know we all have different standards, but for the work I do, this lens has really filled my needs for about 85% of all of my shots and the impact of this shot has been well received by many others. The wonderful light at day's end only adds to the scenic quality...IMHO.

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I'll have to 'second' this idea....even though I have a good selection of wide angle lenses..fish-eye, 12-24 zoom...I don't always have one of them mounted when I need a very wide shot...so, merely taking two...or more....overlapping shots with whatever lens you have on your camera will take in as much 'width'...(or, if shooting vertically), 'height' as you need. I have Photoshop and both the full version, as well as "Elements" has a very easy to use...and nearly "fool proof" option called PhotoMerge. When you select the frames you have shot...make sure that each of them has a 'comfortable' ..(20% will provide some 'insurance')….then click "Start" and in a few minutes...at most...the software will stitch, blend, mask, correct for distortion..etc. It's nearly a miracle to see the results when the pano view pops up on your monitor.


Don't worry about all of the dire warnings about such things as: keeping your camera perfectly level, making sure that you have identified the "Nodal Point", taken all of your images in Manual with AF turned off and more well-meaning advice. IF you have the time to do all of this 'set up', you will get good panos….but PhotoMerge is VERY forgiving....

You will find that Photomerge…(and maybe many of the other Stitching Programs!) can handle wide discrepancies in your shots....just be absolutely certain that you don't leave any gaps in your sequence. Software can't handle image that were not taken in the first place...…...duh..!

There is a very simple solution to this vexing problem....merely set up a tripod and make all the required settings to take a longer landscape 'study' of a quiet street scene. Suddenly you will find three lanes of heavy traffic have been diverted and are now passing right in front of your position...!! Removing your camera from the tripod and getting into BBF mode will instantly revert things to a tranquil scene.... Ask me how I know...…!

We have recently returned from a trip to Arizona, Utah, etc....and used my Golden Age passport at both Zion and Bryce Canyons in Utah as well as Walnut Canyon in AZ. There were absolutely NO issues at any of the sites. The ranger at Walnut Canyon did ask for my DL for ID, but the others just waved us through as I held up my Passport card. I did notice the posted signs that had either a $30 or $35 per car admission fee for everyone else.

This trip was in April, of this (2018) year, so that's fairly current. There had been an earlier proposal to charge much higher admission fees, but the outcry about that seemed to make the administration have a change of heart. My view is that a fee in the $65 range would mean that a LOT of people of limited means would not be able to appreciate the amazing sights in these wonderous places...

After some 60 or more years....don't ask....of using 'conventional' shutter button focusing, it took me a few days of actual shooting....no, make that a few weeks....before it became 'natural' to me... It's hard to break such a long standing habit, but once I had my camera set up for BBF, I could see the advantages of this method. From then on, it was just a matter of training my keen (!) mind/body/fingers to adapt. Fortunately, each time I used BBF, it came more quickly and now it's pretty much automatic.

And...after a very brief period of having some of my camera (Nikon d750) options set to BBF...and others to the default of Shutter Focusing, I found that keeping my reflexes "up to date" on which I was using at any one time was NOT working..., I just went all in for BBF...and have never looked back...

Now, THAT'S "tricked out"....!

On the other hand, just think how much fun you could have with a bushel of apples and a Doctor's wife.....!!! Bada Bing, I'll be here all week!