Drag Boat Racing
Drag Boat Racing
Drag boat racing archives now open for business!
Rick Cline Photography is proud to announce we have just opened our drag boat archives. By popular demand we have finally opened our vast photo files. We have thousands of color and black and white images captured from 1981 to 1997. Many have never been viewed, printed or published. NDBA, IHBA, NJBA and even APBA. Each and every photo order will be custom printed from the original 35 mm color slide or negative, at a professional photo lab. If you don't see what you are looking for, please feel free to contact us. We will need important information from you, such as: boat name, number, racing class, racing venue and year it was campaigned. The more information, the easier it will be to find the image.
Do it yourself digital photos, a big mistake
With the introduction of digital cameras came thousands of people who soon considered themselves "photographers." With each passing day more businesses are turning their efforts to unskilled employees and or friends for money saving do-it-yourself digital photos using a newly purchased camera. But instead of professional quality photos they are soon previewing dozens of poorly framed, out-of-focus, and improperly exposed images. The results are almost always a disappointment and a complete waste of time and resources. It can be a very expensive experiment in attempting to save money.
In most cases the solution is just a simple phone call away to a knowledgeable professional photographer. When you hire a skilled pro, you're not just getting a person who uses an expensive camera and lighting equipment. A professional has the ability and artistic eye to both frame and light your subject matter in the best possible manner. Through years of hands-on experience they know how to use and blend f-stops and shutter speeds to bring the lighting, exposure, colors and depth of field into perfection.
Lighting can make or break your results
The most important variable in today's photography is not whether or not you use film or digital, its proper "lighting" that still remains at the top of the list. Lighting can make or break an image and amateurs frequently lack the know-how and proper equipment to achieve the best quality results. The light issue becomes most important with an indoor or studio-type atmosphere. While a single or on-camera flash can sometimes help an outside photographic setting, inside it yields poor and often harsh effects. Ask a professional photographer and they'll tell you, good quality photographs are the result of proper or excellent lighting. Indoor, skilled use of the correct lighting equipment can make the difference between outstanding and unfavorable images. Professional lighting equipment can cost thousands of dollars. Knowing how to use these tools and create the best possible photographs takes talent and expertise derived from years of experience.
Camera lenses often an overlooked factor
One final valuable note on do-it-yourself photos comes from the glass or camera lens. Consumer point-and-shoot film or digital cameras are inexpensive and while their photos appear nice, they lack the high-end optics found on professional grade equipment. As a result there is a world of difference in the final image quality or output. If you want a professional photographic image for your company or business, hire a pro who uses professional grade equipment and lenses.
Not all megapixels are created equal
The first five years of the digital camera craze was dominated by a competition of manufacturers who had the most megapixels (MP). It was assumed by most that a 3 MP camera was better than 2 MP. Therefore a 5 MP digital camera was thought to be far superior to a 3 MP. While the number of megapixels is still important, it is vital to understand not all megapixels are created equal.
The biggest mistake among those first entering the world of digital photography is assuming a megapixel is a megapixel. This is not true! Depending on the manufacturer, size and shape of megapixels are very different, and size matters! There is no way to compare two cameras solely based on the number of megapixels. With the recent introduction of the popular 5 MP point-and-shoot cameras many unknowing buyers believe these must be able to out-perform digital cameras that have a fewer megapixels. Nothing is further from the truth. As an example, Canon's "EOS-1D" a professional 4.1 megapixel camera has pixels 12 times larger than the pixels on Canon's 4 MP "G2" consumer camera. This of course makes a big difference in image quality, that few if any camera store salesman will mention.
The above photo compares the typical consumer point-and-shoot 3.3 MP image sensor (left) with Canon's larger state-of-the-art CMOS 3.25 MP sensor the right. Note the drastic difference in size.
Doubling the megapixels
Six plus six does not equal twelve
Doubling the MP dimensions:
Time up for
camera film? Nikon focuses on digital
Experts believe the days of
conventional film cameras are now numbered
January 2006
TOKYO,
JAPAN (AFP) - Nikon, the iconic Japanese camera
maker, has put another nail in the coffin of traditional photography with
plans to stop selling most of its film models in favor of hot-selling
digital cameras. Sales will end when stocks run out, news that could trigger
a rush by camera buffs to snap up the remaining ones. Experts believe the
days of conventional film cameras are now numbered.
The
decision reflects a wider shift away from film to digital cameras, which
have won over consumers by eliminating the need for rolls of film and
allowing users to view images immediately and delete unwanted ones. "The
trend of shifting to digital cameras is a common phenomenon in the world
camera market although the trend is led by Japan," analyst Fujimoto said.
While Nikon and Canon are enjoying robust sales of their
digital cameras, other Japanese rivals are fairing less well. Konica Minolta
slumped into loss in the first-half as sales of conventional photo film fell
and a price war in digital cameras intensified, while Olympus saw a sharp
decline in net profit. US film and photography giant Eastman Kodak, one of
the best-known global brand names, also failed to adapt to the digital age
quickly enough and has long struggled to catch up with competitors. The
shift from analogue to digital is taking the heaviest toll on those
manufacturers that also produce camera film. "It must be an annoying problem
for companies such as Fuji Photo Film and Konica Minolta on whether to stop
producing film cameras," said Fujimoto.
Canon latest to pull out of film cameras
TOKYO, JAPAN (AFP) - Canon Inc. says it will stop developing film cameras, joining a growing number of high-tech firms pulling out of the sector as digital cameras take over. "The situation is very difficult for new (film-based) cameras," Canon president Tsuneji Uchida told Jiji Press in an interview. The announcement by Japan's largest digital camera maker followed similar exits from film cameras by rivals Nikon and ailing Konica Minolta. Nikon has said it will end production of all but two of its eight single-lens reflex (SLR) analogue models and axe all of its non-digital compacts, ending more than 50 years of selling film cameras. Konica Minolta said in January that it would pull out completely from cameras, both digital and film, and slash 3,700 jobs or 11 percent of its workforce. Uchida said Canon remained focused on digital cameras. "We should be able to compete with our rivals by offering an attractive product lineup," he told Jiji. He told Kyodo News that Canon would continue making the existing lineup of film-based cameras, "as long as they are in demand." Once debt-ridden Canon has been widely praised for turning around. Canon's chief executive officer Fujio Mitarai this week took the reins of Japan's biggest business lobby, the Japan Business Federation. He was named in January as Fortune magazine's Asian business leader of the year.
Polaroid to halt Instant Film production
February 2008
Polaroid, has announced it will cease production of all of its instant film. The company stated, "Due to marketplace conditions, Polaroid has discontinued almost all of its instant analog hardware products. Polaroid has also made the difficult decision to cease manufacturing of instant film products in 2008." As a result the company will shut down three factories and lay off 450 workers. Sales of chemical film by all makers have dropped by at least 25% per year in this decade, and the decline is likely to accelerate. Fujifilm is now the only remaining supplier of instant film in the United States.
Free digital photography services
Rick Cline Photography has launched a new program for Non-Profit Organizations. We understand that non-profit company's frequently do not have the budget nor funds to pay for much-needed professional photography. In an effort to help these organizations, we will do what we can to free-up time and offer our services to your company at no charge. If you own or operate a non-profit business and are located in our general area or vicinity, please fee free to give us a call. We will do what we can to answer your needs.
Call today and lets get started on your next project!
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Copyright 2010 by Rick Cline Photography Unlimited. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of photos and material is prohibited.
