Donald Scarinci

Photographer Blog Images and Copyright Law

August 10, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Thanks to technology, you can click on basically any image on the Internet and download it to your computer. However, that does not mean you have permission to repost that image on your own website. Many bloggers (even lawyers) fail to consider copyright law when posting images online. A Washington, D.C. patent attorney recently paid $8,000 to settle allegations that he used copyrighted stock images without authorization. According to the National Law Journal, image-licensing company Masterfile Corp. initially filed suit in September, seeking $150,000 in damages for two instances of willful copyright infringement. Attorney Jerry Joseph allegedly used two of…

Software Five Great Photography Apps for Your iPhone

July 27, 2015 Donald Scarinci

No Nikon D800 in your bag? No Leica D-Lux portable in your pocket? Every cell phone has a camera and a number of great photography apps to go along with it. So use it! Once you have trained yourself to see the world around you as a stream of infinite artistic images just waiting for your camera to capture, don’t worry that you left your camera behind. It is always better to capture the image rather than lose an opportunity, and the iPhone is not a bad last resort. Apple has done a fairly remarkable job with the camera in…

Astrophotography Astrophotography: Summer “Star” Parties

July 13, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Now that the Northeast’s terrible winter is a distant memory, photographers are fully enjoying the warmer weather. For sky watchers and astrophotographers, that means spending the night outside. The sky is always changing, and some of the most brilliant stars take center stage during the summer months. The easiest to find is the Summer Triangle, which is comprised of three bright stars: Vega in the constellation Lyra, Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, and Altair in the constellation Aquila. The stars appear in the east at dusk, high overhead after midnight, and in the west at dawn. If you are away…

Lenses Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens

June 29, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Sigma touts the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens as the perfect blend of both versatility and portability. The hyper-telephoto zoom lens has been available for pre-order for the past few months and began shipping in June. Over the past year, Sigma has been rolling out updates to its lens lineup, creating three distinct lines — Art, Contemporary, and Sport. While all of these lenses deliver excellent quality images, the features and construction differ among the lines. (As does the price!) Like its other recent additions, the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens features the quiet Hyper Sonic…

Lenses Nikon Outperforms Sigma Art Series with the 20mm f./1.4

June 1, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Following up on the success of the two previous Sigma art lens series lenses—35mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.4—a choice between the new Sigma 24mm f./1.4 or Nikon 20mm f./1.4 released around the same time looked like it might be tough. Now that the reviews are in, it would appear that the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 is not quite up to the standard of their other Art Lens Series lenses. Nikon purists can buy the new Nikon 20mm f/1.8 knowing that photographers without Sigma Stigmaphobia won’t best them. The general consensus among reviewers is that the Sigma’s latest addition to the wildly…

Astrophotography Top Software for Taking Pictures of the Night Sky

May 18, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Taking good pictures of the night sky is not only about camera technique. It is about knowing what to shoot and how to edit the pictures you take. Here is a brief overview of good software programs to identify the shot and edit it in post. Selecting Your Subject Matter While purists may want to learn how to read the night sky, most prefer to rely on computers. There are a number of applications and other software programs that can direct you to interesting subject matter that is viewable in your area. Below are a few to check out: Star…

Lenses Is the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM the Best Art Lens on the Market?

May 4, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Sigma has stepped up its game with the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens. Arguably one of the best lof its kind on the market, the fast standard-length prime lens delivers outstanding images for every type of professional photography, including portrait photography, landscape photography, studio photography and street photography. For Sigma fans, the new lens is a completely reengineered version of the existing Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM. Below is a brief summary of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art’s key features: Aperture Range: f/1.4 to f/16 Hyper Sonic AF Motor 13 elements in 8 groups…

Astrophotography Astrophotography: Basic Camera Settings for Your DSLR

April 20, 2015 Donald Scarinci

To get started with astrophotography, all you really need is a camera, a tripod, and a dark spot to shoot. However, taking pictures of the night sky is a lot different than standard photography, so it’s important to adjust your camera settings. Below are a few basic tips: Unnecessary features: You won’t need your camera’s flash or red-eye reduction features, so make sure that they are turned off. Focus: Put your lens in manual focusing and select infinity focus. If you camera does not have a hard stop at infinity, you can get your camera to autofocus on something at…

Exhibitions The Whitney Museum Inaugural Exhibit is a Must See

April 6, 2015 Donald Scarinci

The Whitney Museum of American Art reopens its door next week, unveiling its new home and a new collection. The inaugural exhibition, America Is Hard to See, some classic photographic images from its permanent collection. Over 650 works by some 400 artists chronicle the evolution of American art from 1900 to the present. The Whitney Museum is located at 99 Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District, not far from its original home in Greenwich Village. It features 200,000-square-feet of space, including 50,000 square feet of indoor galleries and 13,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space. Located between the Hudson River…

Astrophotography Taking Pictures Through A Telescope

March 23, 2015 Donald Scarinci

While you can capture the night sky with a DSLR and any good long lens, attaching the camera to a telescope can yield more dramatic close up images. Selecting the right telescope is as challenging as selecting the right camera. Prepare to duplicate the research process and the process of trial and error that you went through when selecting between the many camera brands before settling on the one you have. There are generally three types of telescopes, each of which has advantages and disadvantages: Refractor: In the most common type of telescope, the lens is located at the front…