Pixel Pete’s World

Despite its share of controversies, this year’s Beijing Olympic Games will stay with me a long time.

The awe and magnitude of the Opening Ceremony had me glued to the tv.

Was it the sheer number of participants 2,008 drummers, the huge LED screen which was unrolled, the choreography and direction of acclaimed director Zhang Zimou, or was it the music?

In case you missed watching the 4-hour long ceremony, turn on your computer’s speakers.

This audio slideshow by China Daily showcases some wonderful photography. No photo credit is given so the images must be from a pool of photographers.

As I watched each still image, I wished I could have been there to capture them myself.

I don’t care what the mayor of London says. This is going to be tough to top.

I just read the new bad boy Canon 50D is due to hit the streets soon. At first glance it appears not that big an improvement. Sort of like when Canon released the 30D a year after the 20D.

They must be figuring they need to do something.

Coincidentally this “arms race” between Nikon and Canon, doesn’t appear to be letting off. Nikon just announced the release of their D90.

I used to get caught up with the latest and greatest. Not so much anymore.

Better to invest my energy in learning new skills whether it’s a photoshop trick, a new recipe that’s easy, quick to fix and nutritious which my kids won’t wrinkle their noses at.

Naturally I speak as someone who’s got priorities. I’m actually more anxiously awaiting the Canon 5D’s replacement.

The Canon 5D is a good buy but it lacks the sensor cleaning capability.
Read more…

More and more, especially for photographers, gaining access especially in this post 911 world to various subjects is harder and harder.

I recall in the mid 80’s driving into Boston and seeing a huge billboard which read “Stan Grossfeld shoots People, Places, Sports and Pulitzers for the Globe.”

I was just a college student then and I wondered to myself. Wow, that’s got to be nice. Doors would just open for you everywhere you go. Read more…

As a photography instructor, if you were to ask, “What’s toughest to teach in photography?”, I’d have to answer, “How and where to find Inspiration or Motivation.”

The concepts, the technical wizardry, the f-stops and so on, my students will get. Some faster than others. Eventually that stuff sinks in.

After all, there are only that many controls on the camera. Aperture controls depth-of-field. Shutter speed controls whether you freeze the motion et cetera…assuming you just stick with available light and a few lenses. Read more…

You’ve heard the cliché: if the clock on your VCR still blinks, then you must be ill-equipped to deal with anything digital.

I don’t think that’s true. Especially when it comes to digital photography and digital cameras.

Actually, if you still own a VCR, I say, lose it. Well, maybe not yet. First, you’ll need to convert all your analog videos to DVDs or digitize and store them on hard drives.

If you don’t own any analog video tapes of any kind, then you should be using TiVo. Read more…