Archive of ‘Technology’ category

Nikon 70-200mm F/2.8 – Tech Thursday

Photo with Nikon 70-200mm, www.timelinedc.com
Flower bed photographed with the Nikon 70-200mm F/2.8 lens

This Nikon 70-200mm lens is the first professional lens I had the opportunity to purchase. The above photo is the first I took with it right out of the box. Just a simple shot of the front bed of mums. Truth be told, my mom helped me out with the payment – but I have made good use of the investment.

Professional Gear

The 70-200mm is the most versatile lens in my bag. I have used it on almost every assignment from ballroom dance, to weddings, sports, and portraits. When I first started using the lens, it seemed like it instantly transported my photography to the next level. This was different from other “new” lenses because of two factors. The first is the focal length – starting at 70 and going to 200 means that you cannot take a shot that is too wide.

Photo with Nikon 70-200mm, www.timelinedc.com

Anything you are trying to photograph with this lens has to be a good distance from the camera, and many distractions will be eliminated from the frame. Both of these factors already change how you think about composition, making it simpler than if you had a wider angle lens on your camera. With an isolated subject, now you only need to think about placement of your main subject, and maybe something at the edges that would give some context.

Portraits

Photo with Nikon 70-200mm, www.timelinedc.com

All camera manufacturers make a variant of this lens, so this information is not exclusive to Nikon. The other technical specification of this lens that helps your photography is it’s constant f/2.8 maximum aperture across all focal lengths. There are kit lenses that are sold with cameras that have longer focal lengths, but their max apertures vary getting smaller as the lenses is zoomed out to it longest focal length. Having f/2.8 allows me to photo at lower ISO settings in low light situations like conference rooms, and dance studios.

Photo with Nikon 70-200mm, www.timelinedc.com

For shooting any field sports, the 70-200mm lens would be a minimum for catching action on the field. It was often too short to catch game action for me without extreme cropping. On the practice field or warm ups before the game, however, it was still able to work its magic. 

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Photography and Social Media – Tech Thursday

Social-Media-collage-www.timelinedc.com

My career as a photographer has grown leaps and bounds with the explosion of social media. I first saw the power of social networking in reconnecting with old school friends and previous job friends. Also I have family that reside across the globe. The next step was the ability to connect with other photographers that I admired. With photographers linking directly into their Facebook pages and their Twitter feeds it became easy to reach out and connect. As it became normal to communicate this way, I was able to introduce myself. Additionally I was able to let people know what I do. I asked them for business tips, photo technique tips, and ideas for other shoots.

Connected Marketing

Social-Media-collage-www.timelinedc.com

Facebook and Google Plus in particular make sharing photography a top priority. These are the best way that I have used to show off my photos and current projects. Posting to these pages let not only my friends, but their friends that are not directly connected to me view some awesome images! When their friends view, like, and comment on images, my contact information will be easy to find. I have connected with clients this way and have been invited to shoot events this way too.

Event Marketing

As you have seen, I do shoot lots of ballroom dance events. I get so  many action shots from these weekends, that I can keep posting images on this blog for a long time to come. These shots can be used by the organizers to promote future events, by judges that are marketing their services to other events, and to the teachers that use events as recruiting for new students and studios.

The organizers of the New Jersey State Open held in Atlantic City, NJ have used lots of my images in their routine postings on Facebook. Adding some of my photos that show their event as it was held has helped them to get over 4000 subscribers to their web page!  They will be the first to know about any developments on their event, and the visual images helped to keep them at the top of mind for dancers planning their competition schedule this year.

There are so many resources available for small businesses that allow them to market their services to targeted audiences on social media. Having good head shots, environmental, and other promotional photography is important to convey your company on the internet. Show off your products, your culture, and your style through photos. If you have any need for these, contact me. I can be reached on social and traditional means below –

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
TimeLine Media Facebook Page
Rassi’s Twitter Page
Rassi’s Google Plus Page
Email: rassi @ timelinedc.com
Phone: 703-864-8208

NASA Memorials – Tech Thursday

Space Shuttle Discovery photo - www.timelinedc.com

NASA – Memorials

There are some sad postings for memorials at the NASA website this week. The Apollo 1, Challenger, and the upcoming Columbia anniversaries are all this week. Although I was not around for Apollo, my childhood is framed around the era of the Space Shuttle.

GCB

The interest in space was instilled by my father. He was an architect, which would discuss engineering, design, and accomplishments of the space program. I had models of the shuttle on the back of a Boeing 747 as a background for many photos. I wish I could find one right now. We never made it to a launch in Florida, but we did visit the Kennedy Space Center on family vacations. I still have 2 space shuttle launches on VHS tape in the archive – the NBC coverage of STS-6 when Sally Ride became the first American woman in space, and STS-8 the first night launch of the shuttle.

He would explain to me the technical aspects of launching – how the boosters would be used for only part of the launch, then fall back to earth, and how the shuttle would fly with it’s bay doors open, then glide back to earth like a airplane. In a time well-before the internet, he provided me with books, magazines, and all the information I could want on the space program. We went to Dulles airport in 1985 when the Enterprise was delivered prior to display at the Air & Space Museum. It would be almost 20 years until the aircraft would be displayed at the new museum in Chantilly, VA.

NASA Delivery

Space Shuttle Discovery photo - www.timelinedc.com

Last year, the Enterprise was being replaced at the museum by Discovery. It would be flown in just as in 1985 with flyovers giving the public many chances to see it before landing. It was a beautiful morning, and the views were perfect to see this marvelous machine as it retires. This was a personal memorial for my father who gave me an appreciation for the Space Shuttle program and astronauts and engineers that gave us pride in our resourcefulness and imagination. If he was still with us, I’m sure he would have been out there shooting a camera with me.

Space Shuttle Discovery photo - www.timelinedc.com
Space Shuttle Discovery photo - www.timelinedc.com

I had a quick short video of my shoot from that day – Waiting For Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery photo - www.timelinedc.com

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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