"Here's a shot I took while attending a City Lights workshop held at dusk in Brisbane, Australia," writes Paul Merrett. "The science fiction looking device shown is a 60m (200 ft) high ferris wheel called The BIg Wheel. We had started shooting it from different angles while the sunlight faded."

"I decided to try a shot of The Big Wheel from much further back. For this version, the white balance was set to Tungsten as a suggestion from the instructor who wanted us to experiment with different settings. Other parameters were, ISO 50, f22, 17-40mm f4L lens set to 17mm, Canon 1D Mark III, tripod and self timer."

"When I reviewed the shots later in Aperture, I liked this one the most -- even better than the other "correctly white balanced" frames, and better than the faster shutter speed shots that clearly showed the gondolas attached."

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

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Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

"I took this shot while attending (for the first time) the 2009 Imaging USA--the annual conference of PPA," writes Paul Leasure. "This shot was taken in the Phoenix Convention Center where this mirror rises approximately 90 feet from its base below the grand atrium."

Paul used a Nikon D70S at 1/80 second at f4.5 and ISO set to 640. The focal length was 24mm.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

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Technorati Tags: candid, digital photography, grab shot, The Digital Story

"Here's a shot that I think will raise a smile," writes Steve Cooper. "Taken in Bangkok, Thailand, with my Canon Powershot S5 IS."

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Follow me on Twitter

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Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion.
The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

Technorati Tags: candid, Derrick Story, digital photography, Digital Photography Companion, grab shot, Technology, The Digital Story

"I've heard you should have a connection with your subject," writes Francine Kunkel. "Well that certainly was the case with this praying mantis in my garden. His little head and big eyes followed my movements as I bent and knelt to get the right angle. I almost expected him to smile."

Francine captured this garden portrait with a Canon PowerShot SX10 IS at 1/250 with an aperture of 5.0, and ISO set to 80.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Follow me on Twitter

-

Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion.
The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

Technorati Tags: candid, Derrick Story, digital photography, Digital Photography Companion, grab shot, Technology, The Digital Story

One of my favorite weeks of the year is in early January when I teach at Macworld in San Francisco. I lead a two-day workshop in Aperture, a Mac Lab for Photoshop CS4, numerous sessions, and joined Rick Smolan on stage for State of the Art of Digital Photography.

What a great place to have a new DSLR to test. At night, when walking back from my last event, I would mount my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM prime lens and test the limits of the Canon 5D Mark II.

One night I passed by the Yerba Buena water feature behind Moscone North Hall. This is a great place to relax and enjoy the San Francisco skyline after a long day. I've always liked the water feature here, in part for its beauty, and in part for its soothing sound. On Wednesday night, I decided to photograph it.

I set the camera on the ledge in self-timer mode. I kept the ISO low at 200, and used Aperture Priority mode at f/16 to get as much depth of field as possible. The resulting exposure was 10 seconds. I then adjusted the color and tone a bit in Aperture on a MacBook Pro.

After my first week of shooting, I'm very much enjoying the Canon 5D Mark II, and I will miss San Francisco until my next extended stay here.

Photo of Yerba Buena water feature by Derrick Story, Jan. 2009

Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

Technorati Tags: Derrick Story, digital photography, technique, Technology, The Digital Story, Canon 5D Mark II

"As I was returning home this morning from exercising my dogs," writes Jane Ruhsenberger, "I noticed this tiny (about 3/4" tall) ice sculpture on top of my garbage can."

Jane used her Canon G9 set to ISO 100 to capture this miniature work of art. The image stabilizer did its job because her shutter speed was 1/6 of a second with an aperture of f/5.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Follow me on Twitter

-

Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion.
The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

Technorati Tags: candid, Derrick Story, digital photography, Digital Photography Companion, grab shot, Technology, The Digital Story

"I liked the look of the almost full moon coming up over the Colorado State Capitol," said Mark Castleman. And it somehow seems quite fitting for the season.

Mark used his Pentax K10D in aperture priority mode set to f/8. He kept the ISO at 100 to control noise, and mounted the camera on a tripod for a tack-sharp shot, even with a 10-second exposure.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Follow me on Twitter

-

Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion.
The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

Technorati Tags: candid, Derrick Story, digital photography, Digital Photography Companion, grab shot, Technology, The Digital Story

"This photo was taken after a race over a muddy track at the fairgrounds in Rocky Ford, Colorado," writes virtual camera club member Eric Simon. "After taking pictures of the horses during the race, I spotted these three returning to be unsaddled and was struck by their three-across-the-track formation."

"The jockeys on each horse were chatting with each other. Even though I might have tried for a wider angle shot (if I'd had a capable lens), I thought focusing on the head and neck of the first horse would make an interesting picture, and I was actually hoping to capture the sort of picture I wound up with. I modified the photo in Photoshop to bring out detail in the shadows and made it a tad warmer to lend a slight golden tone."

Eric captured this image with his Canon XTi with a (non image-stabilized) 70-200mm F/4 lens. The statistics for this shot are as follow: 70mm, F4, 1/1000 exposure, ISO 400, Aperture Priority, center-weighted metering.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Follow me on Twitter

-

Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion.
The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

Technorati Tags: candid, Derrick Story, digital photography, Digital Photography Companion, grab shot, Technology, The Digital Story

"I tend to not grab my camera on the way out the door as often when it's raining as I do when it's beautiful," writes Joe Rodricks. "However yesterday I noticed this drop of water, caught for its eternity, in the grasp of a dormant grape vine. I dashed back into my house and grabbed my D300."

"On it was my default, cheap-but-amazing, Nikon 55-200. I fired off a few shots at f8 to make sure the image was sharp. I wasn't very happy as the minimum focus distance is somewhere around 6 feet. I ran back inside and put on my trusty 50mm f1.8 and set it to f4 to keep it sharp. The difference with the depth of field at f4 with the 50mm over f8 at 55mm was preferable to me, as the wall in the background is only a few feet away."

"There was just something tranquil about the whole thing that made me feel good for having captured it."

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Follow me on Twitter

-

Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion.
The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

Technorati Tags: candid, Derrick Story, digital photography, Digital Photography Companion, grab shot, Technology, The Digital Story

"It was just a friendly game of two-on-two volleyball at Huntington Beach," wrote Kevin Miller. "Yet no one likes to lose."

Kevin captured this shot with his Canon 30D. Focal length was 105mm, ISO 400, Aperture Priority mode set to f/8 resulting in a 1/320th sec exposure.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Follow me on Twitter

-

Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion.
The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

Technorati Tags: candid, Derrick Story, digital photography, Digital Photography Companion, grab shot, Technology, The Digital Story