Donald Scarinci Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Fine Art Photography Studio

Gear What Drone Should I buy?

January 18, 2016 Donald Scarinci

Selecting a drone can appear complicated at first. There are many makes and models. The first decision is to choose the company. The next decision is to choose the model that is right for you. DJI manufactures some of the most popular drones on the market. While they are more expensive than other drones, Phantom drones are among the easiest to fly and pack the most features into a small device. The drones also became a lot more affordable in the New Year with DJI announcing significant price reductions on their Phantom 3 Standard and Advanced. The Phantom Standard is…

Gear What is the Law for Drones?

January 11, 2016 Donald Scarinci

Just in time for the holiday gift giving season, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched a mandatory registration program. For drones. It applies to even entry level, first time buyer drones. Under the new rules, anyone who owns a small unmanned aircraft that weighs more than 0.55 lbs. (250 g) must register with the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) registry before they fly outdoors. People who previously operated their UAS have until February 19, 2016 to register. While many have questioned the effectiveness of the new system, the good news is that registration only costs $5, covers any number of…

Software Is Aurora HDR the Ultimate HDR Software for Mac?

December 28, 2015 Donald Scarinci

In November, Trey Ratcliff and Macphun introduced Aurora HDR Pro software. After a few short weeks, photographers are already calling the app the “ultimate” HDR software for Mac users. So what’s all the hype about? The app is designed to help photographers combine multiple exposures into “high dynamic range” (HDR) images. Macphun, which is known for its award-winning Mac photo software, teamed up with renowned HDR photographer Trey Ratcliff, to come up with what they call “the most advanced HDR software in the world.” So far, the reviewers largely agree. According to PetaPixel: “The tool is designed to be both…

Lenses Nikon Lenses to Wish For

November 16, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Now that Nikon has refreshed the classic 24-70 f./2.8 and included VR, what other Nikon lenses do photographers want most? Sigma has been catching up to the quality of Nikon optics. Many consider the new art series Sigma 35mm and 50mm prime lenses superior to their Nikon equivalents. Perhaps a good way to approach the “what next” question for Nikon would be to anticipate Sigma. Nikon has a hit with the new technology they are using in the 300mm f./4 lens VR2 recently released. This could become a line of fixed lenses—400mm; 500mm and 600mm. Even if the focal length…

Gear The DxO One iPhone Camera is a First Generation Breakthrough Product

November 2, 2015 Donald Scarinci

The DxO One ends any excuse photographers might have to miss the moment. This palm-size device uses the same one inch 20.2 megapixel CMOS sensor in Sony’s RX100 111, and even takes pictures as a standalone camera without taking the seconds needed to attach it to an iPhone. DxO has been known primarily as a software company, but with the introduction of this little, almost spy-sized camera, that will soon change. Every photographer needs a good travel camera on hand. Unfortunately, even the Panasonic or Leica portable camera is a bit too large for a back pocket. The DxO One…

Software Topaz ReMask: Digital Scissors that Cut

October 19, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Creating masks and selections within photos can be tedious and time-consuming, even for professional photographers that edit images every day. Topaz is taking the pain out of mask making with ReMask, its new plug-in for Photoshop. While there are many editing tools that allow photographers to switch backgrounds, make composites, and selectively adjust images, ReMask is arguably the best. It not only creates a flawless final product, but also is extremely easy to use. In many cases, creating a perfect cut out requires only a few digital brush strokes. To mask an image, the user first outlines the subject that he…

Photographer Calibrate Your Monitor With Datacolor’s Spyder5 Pro

October 5, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Whether you use a Mac or Windows, your computer likely came with a very clear warning: “The color on the printed document may not match the color that you see on your monitor.” For photographers, the difference between what you see on the monitor and the images you print or post online can be significant. It can also be extremely frustrating to spend hours editing an image only to have the printed photo look nothing like you intended. The problem comes from the fact that standard settings for most monitors are extremely bright and often oversaturated. In addition, ambient light…

Lenses Nikon Debuts Two New Lenses: NIKKOR 500mm and 600mm

September 10, 2015 Donald Scarinci

In July, Nikon announced the addition of two new full frame telephoto lenses. The AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR has a focal length of 500 mm, while the AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR has a focal length of 600 mm. Thanks to the addition of two fluorite elements, Nikon boasts that the lenses are “the world’s lightest lenses available at their respective focal lengths.” Compared to their predecessors, the AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR weighs 20 percent less, while the AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR is 25 percent lighter. Of course, the…

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…