Donald Scarinci

Software Learn Photoshop with Maria Ferrari

August 19, 2013 Donald Scarinci

They ranged in age and profession, but all have a need and desire to understand this important but complex program and to pick up a few tricks and tips from a professional. Maria Ferrari teaches Photoshop step by step by working with the program in real time on a big screen. She begins with setup and proceeds to the most commonly used features. Even though I thought I knew most of the features she covered in the first class, I left with new information that is now part of my Photoshop workflow. There are more books and more online training…

Software B&H Photo Releases App for iPad

August 5, 2013 Donald Scarinci

“There’s an app for that,” even for browsing and shopping for photography gear. Who ever thought that retail stores would begin to use the Apple platform for advertising and selling their goods? The progressive thinkers at B&H Photo have created an app to do just that. It is a fair assumption that if you are serious about taking photos, you have already visited the B&H Photo and Adorama Camera websites. Both are located in Manhattan and both offer just about every product available from every manufacturer of photo gear. B&H Photo’s retail outlet in Manhattan is often referred to as…

Exhibitions Annie Leibovitz: A Celebrated Portrait Photographer

July 22, 2013 Donald Scarinci

Anna-Lou “Annie” Leibovitz is one of America’s most celebrated portrait photographers. Leibovitz has shot portraits of iconic celebrities and political figures from John Lennon and Yoko Ono to Demi Moore and Johnny Depp. Her work remains influential to portraitists and enjoyed by people around the world. Leibovitz was born in 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut, and started her career at the San Francisco Art Institute where she specialized in painting. Following a brief stint in Israel where she worked as a photographer, Leibovitz earned the opportunity to truly showcase her talents as a staff photographer with Rolling Stone magazine in 1970….

General Accessories The Kelly Moore Camera Bag For Photographers with Style

July 8, 2013 Donald Scarinci

Give up shopping for the perfect camera bag! There is no single camera bag that will satisfy all of your needs. Different shoots require different camera bags. A backpack style bag works well for street photography and nature photography. A roller bag is big and well suited for traveling on planes or cars. Airlines permit a carry on as well as a handbag for personal items. For a stylish camera bag that is camouflaged as a briefcase or women’s handbag, I highly recommend the Kelly Moore line. Photographer Kelly Moore has an extensive line of camera bags that appeal to…

Books Photography Books For a Hot Summer Night

June 24, 2013 Donald Scarinci

Photography Books For a Hot Summer Night When it’s just too hot outside to take pictures, take a good book to the pool or crank up the air conditioner and sit in your favorite easy chair and fine tune your photography skills with one of these great photography books. Here are my top three favorites for a hot summer day: 1. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson This is my all time favorite book about photography. The new 2013 edition makes this classic even better. Peterson has a gift for explaining important principals of good picture taking in a simple and…

Lenses The Big Three Nikon Lenses for Vacation Travel

June 10, 2013 Donald Scarinci

The Big Three Nikon Lenses for Vacation Travel When photography is not the main purpose of a trip, lenses compete for space in carry on luggage with other essential items like books, food, a laptop and spare clothes in case the packed luggage gets lost in flight. Just as there is a “big three” for professional photographers who use Nikon FX cameras—Nikkor 14-24 f./2.8; Nikkor 24-70 f./2.8; and the Nikkor 70-200 f./2.8 VR, there should be a “big three’ for travel photographers who want good pictures with their FX Nikon as well as a happy family vacation. For me,…

Gear Choosing the Best Microphone for Your Nikon

May 27, 2013 Donald Scarinci

Choosing the Best Microphone for Your Nikon All new Nikon cameras can shoot video and come with a built in microphone. While the quality of the microphone is quite good, its location in the camera picks up the focus clicking sound. There is no way to avoid that unless you could somehow detach the microphone from the camera. The Nikon solution to the detachable microphone is the ME-1. This is an excellent device that can be used on all Nikon models that shoot video. At about $120 retail, it is an outstanding value for photographers who don’t shoot video very…

Exhibitions Benrimon Contemporary Features First Liz Nielsen Solo Exhibit

May 13, 2013 Donald Scarinci

It is always a great thing when a contemporary photographer’s work is exhibited in an art gallery that does not normally carry photography. Liz Nielsen’s solo exhibit at the Benrimon Contemporary in Chelsea is good news for Liz, for collectors of fine art photography and for the art of photography. The Benrimon Gallery made a good decision to offer photography in its gallery and it could not have picked a more talented artist to represent than Liz Neilson. Neilson received her MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2004 and her BFA from the School of the Art…

Gear Lastolite Ezybox Softbox To Go

April 29, 2013 Donald Scarinci

Controlling the direction and intensity of light coming from a portable flash unit can pose a challenge in the field where natural light can sometimes be unpredictable and when there is not much gear you can comfortably carry. The Ezybox Hot Shoe Softbox from Lastolite is a good solution. It is small and light whether it is open or folded and it does a good job directing the light from just about any flash whether off or on camera. If you are looking for a light modifier that is easy to carry and reasonably priced then you will want this…

Exhibitions Fine Art Photography of Cindy Sherman from Glen Ridge, NJ

April 15, 2013 Donald Scarinci

Cindy Sherman grew up in Glen Ridge New Jersey where she gets surprisingly little attention in contrast to the international attention this Essex County native enjoys. Sherman’s photographic art appears in her 8 books and it has been exhibited in museums around the world including the New York Museum of Modern Art in 2012. Her earliest works were also included in an important 1999 Christie’s auction where some sold for a record $190,000, an unprecedented amount for fine art photography at that time. Those prices are a bargain today. While Sherman’s art is exhibited as photography, her work pushes boundaries…