toe-mA-toe, toe-mAH-toe

Is mySQL pronounced - "My S Q L" or is it pronounced My Sequel?

I'd always assumed it was the latter because of calling SQL statements "Sequel Statements". But my co-worker was talking to his "geek" friend this weekend who lectured him about "pronoucing it the right way".

That last thing I want is to be one of "those guys" that calls a GIF file something that sounds like a brand of peanut butter.

Funky Little Ringflash Reflector

Ringflash-1
Originally uploaded by motoed.

In an article I wrote for istockphoto, I discussed a little ringflash reflector that I have been experimenting with. The above photo is a shot of that setup... and here is the quoted text about this lighting setup.

For a "poor man's" ringflash, you have a couple options. It works best with two flashes, but you can make do with a single flash unit. Cut an oblong hole (vertically) in a large white card just large enough to fit over the outside of your lens. Set your flashes up on a stand so the flash units are on either site of your lens, facing each other (I use Canon flashes that operate as master/slaves via IR). Then place the card over the lens through the hole in the card and position it so the top of the card is tilted at a 45 degree angle toward the subject. The flashes will bounce off the card and toward your model and give you an effect "similar" to expensive ringflashes. You'll have to experiment with power output and exposure, but you can get some interesting lighting effects.

See the article for more information and some samples.

Photographer with Canon EOS-1D barred from flying

In a story on Gizmodo today. A photographer was not allowed on a flight because of his EOS-1D and a laptop because "it might be a security risk".

Things are really getting out of hand.

Internet Photography Site Of The Week

With the increase of digital photography on the rise, it seems like everytime you turn around there is new photography site on the net. It's really the best invention for photographers. The wealth of information available is unheard of before and it gives you a chance to discuss techniques with other photographers more easily then ever before.

I will continue to feature a link from my extensive list of bookmarks each week. I'm going to start with one of my favorites, FredMiranda.com. The main reason I read FredMiranda so often is the professionalism of the members. The work and advice they share is consistently top-notch. You can get that same quality on other forums, but FredMiranda seems abundant with it.

Fred Miranda is also known for his excellent Photoshop actions. I have the Intellisharpen action and love the results. I've also played with the BW Pro action and found it to be a very great tool for someone highly interested in BW photography.

An interesting note: Fred Miranda, the person, was a model with a number agencies and decided to give up being in front of the lens to move behind it and start learning the art. His site is an excellent resource that I value highly.

Check it out at: FredMiranda.com

Portfolio

I am a stock photographer and I've been working more with models and honing my studio lighting techniques. Here is a small sampling of some of the commercial photography projects I've worked on.

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