Donald Scarinci Archives - Page 5 of 7 - Fine Art Photography Studio

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…

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…

Astrophotography Nikon Introduces First Astrophotography Camera

March 9, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Nikon has introduced the first full-frame camera designed exclusively for astrophotography. The Nikon D810A essentially includes the basic body of the popular D810 along with a number of added features specifically created for astrophotography. According to Nikon, the D810A “makes the most of the incredible rendering capabilities of the D810, while utilizing an optical filter adopted to enable beautiful reproduction of vivid reds in images of nebulae that emit H-alpha light, something very difficult with run-of-the-mill digital SLR cameras.” Most cameras have broad-ranging infrared filters that filter out some visible red light. While useful in traditional applications, they make it…

Astrophotography Shooting for the Stars: Introduction to Astrophotography

February 23, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Astrophotography can be challenging. After all, you are not simply shooting something right in front of you, but an object that may be located millions of miles away and invisible to the naked eye. But you only have to look at a beautiful picture of a star trail against the night sky or even the full moon to understand why astronomers and photographers alike are drawn to astrophotography. The History of Astrophotography People have been taking pictures of the night sky since the early days of photography. In fact, John William Draper captured the first image of the moon in 1840….

Books Bryan Peterson Says You Can Improve Your Photo Skill in Just 4 Weeks, Believe It!

February 2, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Understanding Exposure, by Bryan Peterson is a classic “must read” for every serious beginning photographer. The latest edition of the book is now available in hardcover. As on line classes became popular, Bryan Peterson started the Picture Perfect School of Photography (PPSOP). Without doubt it is one of the best online photography schools on the internet. Its founder, Peterson brings more than 30 years of professional photography and teaching experience to his classes. His instructors teach with the same clarity that Peterson uses in his books that have made him so popular. While there are a variety of YouTube videos…

Photographer Outdated Laws Make for Fun Photos

January 19, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Many states have old, outdated laws on the books as lawyers in New Jersey can attest. While hundreds of new thousands of state and federal statutes are enacted every year, lawmakers are notoriously bad at spring cleaning, when it comes to outdated laws. While clarifying and modernizing our statutes is serious work, photographer Olivia Locher reveals that it is also fun to celebrate their absurdity. She satirizes the most outlandish and outdated laws from across the country in an ongoing photo series, I Fought the Law. According to Locher, the idea for the series sprung from her discovery that it…