Posts for: lgaravaglia
Dec 27, 2018 19:08:11 #
Nov 26, 2018 00:45:29 #
As to the tripod. There are so many tripods and so many compromises. I bought a Marsace carbon travel tripod for roughly $100. Pretty good price. Now there are things I love about it and things I don't.
What I like:
1) It is that it's light, easy to carry.
2) The legs are stiff so I don't get much vibration.
3) The legs unlock and lock by twisting the foot. Easy peasy. Really nice feature.
4) The legs spread open for low shots and it has a pretty nice ball head you can use for panos.
5) It has a nifty little hook under the base to hang some weight on to counter is natural
tendency to tip over.
6) It fits in my carry-on.
7) The extension tube that sits on the tripod can be unscrewed.
What I don't like:
1) Scary unstable in it's default configuration.
2) The ball head cannot be removed from the extension tube
3) It uses an extension tube on top of the tripod to lift the camera up instead of using longer legs.
Longer legs spread out more and would have made it more stable.
I set this thing up in my living room and decided right then and there that I was never going to put $1500 worth of fragile camera on top of something that sooooo wanted to tip over. Which brings me to my main point. The Marsace tripod is desiged with a long tube sitting on top of the tripod. Unlike travel tripods of yore the tube does not descend down between the legs when putting it away. Rather the legs lift up and wrap around the tube. It is this tube that gives the tripod and extra 18" of height or so and it is this extra height that makes the tripod unstable.
I deal with the I'd-rather-be-on-my-face nature of the tripod by unscrewing the center tube and putting a ball head directly on the tripod base. This lowers the center of gravity just enough to be safe (relatively). I also attached a carabiner to my backpack and hang it under the tripod if needed. Now, this setup would be ideal if it weren't for the fact the ball head does not come off the extension tube so I am forced carry an extra ball head with me. Also, the extra ball head needs to be <= the diameter of the original ball head (which mine is not) to allow the tripod to fold up.
Would I buy the Marsace tripod again? No. I would look for one that is light, stiff, and stable. This pretty much rules out designs like the Marsace (unless the legs are sufficiently long enough to counter problems inherent in this design).
What I like:
1) It is that it's light, easy to carry.
2) The legs are stiff so I don't get much vibration.
3) The legs unlock and lock by twisting the foot. Easy peasy. Really nice feature.
4) The legs spread open for low shots and it has a pretty nice ball head you can use for panos.
5) It has a nifty little hook under the base to hang some weight on to counter is natural
tendency to tip over.
6) It fits in my carry-on.
7) The extension tube that sits on the tripod can be unscrewed.
What I don't like:
1) Scary unstable in it's default configuration.
2) The ball head cannot be removed from the extension tube
3) It uses an extension tube on top of the tripod to lift the camera up instead of using longer legs.
Longer legs spread out more and would have made it more stable.
I set this thing up in my living room and decided right then and there that I was never going to put $1500 worth of fragile camera on top of something that sooooo wanted to tip over. Which brings me to my main point. The Marsace tripod is desiged with a long tube sitting on top of the tripod. Unlike travel tripods of yore the tube does not descend down between the legs when putting it away. Rather the legs lift up and wrap around the tube. It is this tube that gives the tripod and extra 18" of height or so and it is this extra height that makes the tripod unstable.
I deal with the I'd-rather-be-on-my-face nature of the tripod by unscrewing the center tube and putting a ball head directly on the tripod base. This lowers the center of gravity just enough to be safe (relatively). I also attached a carabiner to my backpack and hang it under the tripod if needed. Now, this setup would be ideal if it weren't for the fact the ball head does not come off the extension tube so I am forced carry an extra ball head with me. Also, the extra ball head needs to be <= the diameter of the original ball head (which mine is not) to allow the tripod to fold up.
Would I buy the Marsace tripod again? No. I would look for one that is light, stiff, and stable. This pretty much rules out designs like the Marsace (unless the legs are sufficiently long enough to counter problems inherent in this design).
Oct 17, 2018 16:29:40 #
Nice shot. Love the textures and the contrast with the sky.
Oct 17, 2018 15:43:53 #
Oct 17, 2018 15:42:24 #
Oct 12, 2018 08:17:50 #
Love it. Really draws me in.
Oct 12, 2018 01:35:36 #
This church in Oakland just begs for black and white...
Sep 29, 2018 10:50:32 #
The feeling evoked when inside the church is one of serenity and peace. All the curved surfaces seem to embrace you no matter where you are in the church. When you walk around it's hard to resist touching the curved surfaces as you walk by. From the darkened concrete walls waist high it seems many feel the same.
It seems to me that many cathedrals are designed to make you feel small relative to God. While this church is large you don't get that feeling. I was quite taken with ability of the architects to convey a sense of intimacy with such a large space. As I recall, the architects (Hartman and Milholand) purposefully set out to make this church approachable. I tried to capture that feeling of intimacy with the photos I took.
An interesting aside is that the Christ figure over the altar is actually digital photograph of a relief in France that has been photo shopped to restore damaged parts. The pixels are actually holes drilled in aluminum that lets the light shine through.
The wood louvers keep the heat out and I'm sure the concrete walls are a giant heat sink moderating the temperature inside the church.
The shape of the fish is obvious when you look up. The body of the fish is directly overhead, the tail is over the entrance.
It seems to me that many cathedrals are designed to make you feel small relative to God. While this church is large you don't get that feeling. I was quite taken with ability of the architects to convey a sense of intimacy with such a large space. As I recall, the architects (Hartman and Milholand) purposefully set out to make this church approachable. I tried to capture that feeling of intimacy with the photos I took.
An interesting aside is that the Christ figure over the altar is actually digital photograph of a relief in France that has been photo shopped to restore damaged parts. The pixels are actually holes drilled in aluminum that lets the light shine through.
The wood louvers keep the heat out and I'm sure the concrete walls are a giant heat sink moderating the temperature inside the church.
The shape of the fish is obvious when you look up. The body of the fish is directly overhead, the tail is over the entrance.
Sep 28, 2018 09:46:45 #
While I was waiting for my wife who was having foot surgery in Oakland CA, I saw this interesting all glass building a block away. There was no sign on the building so I walked over to it and walked in. Turned out to be Christ the Light cathedral. Unlike most cathedrals that are laid out in the shape of a cross, this church is laid out in the shape of a fish. Very cool. Very serene. Here's a few of the pictures I took.
Sep 16, 2018 09:10:33 #
Most pictures of sailboats have the sails filled and the lines taught. But a fair amount of sailing is in light winds with the boat barely moving. These shots were taken on Monterey bay near Santa Cruz CA. The winds were light coming from the south, the boat moving about 1 to 2 knots. We had just rounded the leeward mark and hoisted the spinnaker. We had hoped that the wind would fill in but it never did and we eventually drop the sail and motored in.
Sep 12, 2018 11:33:25 #
I'm not an expert by any means, but my experience is that aluminum rings bind much more easily that brass. Brass step up rings are marginally more expensive than aluminum ones and in my opinion well worth the money.
Jul 26, 2018 11:50:11 #
Pescadero light house is on the ocean side of the SF peninsula. About midway down in San Mateo county. The entire coast from SF to Monterey is target rich so to speak.
Jul 26, 2018 02:32:28 #
You know, when the say "you gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince"... It doesn't always end well.
Stopped me in my tracks. Great shot.
Stopped me in my tracks. Great shot.
Jul 25, 2018 20:01:24 #
I'd been waiting for a clear moonless night to shoot the Pescadero Light House with a star field behind it. I live about an hour away so it was kind of a crap shoot. The weather report said it was going to be clear but the fog was lingering right off the coast and as I drove up the coast I was in and out of the fog. I knew it would be iffy. I finally got there at midnight and was pleasantly surprised. The sky was clear and the moon was not going to up till about 1:30. Of course I was not the only person with the same idea as there were about a dozen of us doing the same thing.
This was the first night shot I have taken and learned a couple of things in the process. The first was that when when using the rule of 500, you must account for your sensor size. My shutter speed was about 10 sec too long as a result. Also, if you are wearing an head lamp with a red light TURN IT OFF.
Anyway, after 90 minutes or so I was done. I decided to walk across the field to the other side of the point where I could inland across a small bay. I was surprised see the moon just beginning to peep over the hills. Really quite pretty. I took a few pictures and then decided to pack it up. When I turned around I expected to see a bunch of other people taking the same shot and was shocked to see everyone else had left.
This was the first night shot I have taken and learned a couple of things in the process. The first was that when when using the rule of 500, you must account for your sensor size. My shutter speed was about 10 sec too long as a result. Also, if you are wearing an head lamp with a red light TURN IT OFF.
Anyway, after 90 minutes or so I was done. I decided to walk across the field to the other side of the point where I could inland across a small bay. I was surprised see the moon just beginning to peep over the hills. Really quite pretty. I took a few pictures and then decided to pack it up. When I turned around I expected to see a bunch of other people taking the same shot and was shocked to see everyone else had left.
Jul 23, 2018 00:38:42 #
I don't think that duck liked his picture taken.