Dom Bower Photo Blog

By Dom Bower

Facebook

Flickr account

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22767497@N05/

Twitter

Website

http://www.dombower.com/

Browse other personalized gifts from Zazzle.

Do not look at the site or tshirts if you are under 18 years old

you have been warned

The link for UK photographers check out

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/sportinwaves

For the US buyers click below

wedding website

Photobox gallery page

Lady Lucie Latex shoot

2011-07-01T00:51:00.000-07:00

I may fill this up with more words but in the mean time I am just putting up some of the photos from the first shoot yesterday

WARNING WARNING!!! DONT WATCH IF YOU DONT WANT TO SEE sb900 SPEEDLIGHT F...

2011-06-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

Photo Portfolio Critique Page 41-50

2011-06-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Things are a changing at Photo portfolio critique headquarters.

Due to the number of submissions, I am not able to put up the photos individually to the page to critique as it is using up too much memory space. I am also going to stop naming the critiques and in the title put what I suspect is the most important piece of info regarding the whole critique.

Normal Rules for submitting your portfolio
1) no more than 5 of your best photos (no more than 1mb per photo)

2) All photos must have names (if the photo does not need a name please delete the file number)

3) Describe what the photo is.

4) Describe why you think it is good.

5) In your email you must state "I hereby give Dom Bower the rights to replicate my images in his youtube channels and his blog, I also appreciate if Dom is as harsh as he likes on my Images"

6) send them to dombower@hotmail.com

(at the moment there are 71 emails waiting to be opened, you may not be replied to for over a month.)

"I do not look at the images before i record, all reactions are genuine and truthful. Where I give harsh critique I try to support with advice and direction."

So first off

Sigma 10-20mm DC HSM Lens Review

2011-06-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Sigma 10-20mm lens is one of two that sigma make. There is the f/4-5.6 and the new version the f/3.5. (that means that the new version the aperture does not change as you zoom in from 10 to 20mm and you don't loose a whole stop of light (ie half the amount of light gets into the camera at f5.6 as it does at f/4)

This is a DC lens meaning that it is for Cropped sensor cameras ie anything below the level of the Nikon D700.

Its HSM focus motor means it is fast and very quiet. (being such a small focal length and such a small aperture focus speed is going to be quick on almost all cameras)

It also gets a very close focusing distance but in no terms is this a macro.

more videos after the break

Here are a bunch of photos taken with the sigma lens on a trip in Japan (along with some shots with the 105mm macro)

And here is one where I do a bit of time lapse and also shot at 3fps chasing Kim on a bike again in Japan

and here is somones shots with the newer version the f/3.5

here is some crazy wide angle video with the new version as well

and here is some sexy twitor effects

Nikon 18-200mm vr lens review

2011-06-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't do enough reviews of this lens when I had it so I am borrowing some others peoples videos for your decision.

First thing to remember is that there are now two versions the vr1 and the vr2, the vr2 being the newer and more expensive and the vr1 now possibly only able to be bought second hand.

When first released this lens was one of the best and first MEGA Zoom lens and there was something like a 9 month waiting list before you could buy it.

Now remember this lens is for DX only body cameras so anything below the Nikon D700.
It has Vibration reduction and I have managed to get sharp shots (at 200mm) at 1/10th of a second.

However It did suffer from a thing called Lens Creep where if you were not holding it straight or upwards the lens would extend downwards (zooming). Which was annoying.

There was also a fair bit of distortion but you have to expect that from something that is giving you such a range of focal lengths to play with. This was still not fixed with the VR2 version though.

Its closest focusing distance was 50cm at all focal lengths. Now to be a 200mm lens at 50cm you would expect some amazing macro but this is not so as there is a large amount of lens breathing the closer you get to your subject.

In conclusion it is fair to say that this is a good lens that is very very versatile. Optically it is not excellent and never considered Professional but it is good. I would consider it to be the best all in one Mega Zoom lens out there.

More videos after the break

Proof of extra zoom creap

Nikon D300 vs Nikon D700 vs Fuji S5pro ISO test

2011-06-12T03:22:00.000-07:00

In this video I have looked at the noise you get form your Jpeg images you get out of 3 different cameras. I had all the cameras on a low noise reduction (in camera)

And now the noise tests in RAW!!!

Guess which camera and which iso!

My new photography book. click below

By Dom Bower

Facebook

Flickr account

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22767497@N05/

Twitter

Website

http://www.dombower.com/

Browse other personalized gifts from Zazzle.

Do not look at the site or tshirts if you are under 18 years old

you have been warned

The link for UK photographers check out

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/sportinwaves

For the US buyers click below

wedding website

Photobox gallery page

Quick flash photography tips

2011-06-12T03:20:00.000-07:00

My new photography book. click below

By Dom Bower

HDR Vs Flash for internal property photography

2011-06-02T00:33:00.000-07:00

HDR

Slow shutter 20th

1/250th and flash

1/50th and flash (forgot to turn on ligh in background)

My new photography book. click below

By Dom Bower

Getting There with Photography by Dom Bower | Make Your Own Book

Getting there with Photography: by Dom Bower

2011-05-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

YeeHaa! I have finished my book! Only taken me 2 years to get it finished. Large amount of procrastination and also fear of actually ever finishing it.

By Dom Bower

So for the first fortnight I am going to have the book at a discounted rate for all you loyal followers and Youtube subscribers.

The book is Produced by the online book making company Blurb who are the guys I use for all my wedding albums. This is by far the biggest book I have made with the most amount of information and detail possible. A full 120 pages long (not bad for my first book). I could have made it twice as long but once you go past 120 pages the price jumps up a big notch again.

The book is a new concept in photography books. Many times I have walked into book shops and flicked through the photography book titles on show and walked away thinking "what a pretentious load of shit" or massively unmotivated by the bland snap shot black and white images of arty, or famous people, or even also disheartened by seeing photography that is on such a scale that is impossible for many if not all other photographers to reach. i.e. Gregory Crewdson, David Lachapelle, etc.

Well that is where my book is different. I am not a photography lord/guru but I am a hard working, trying my hardest, confident, try my luck anywhere type of guy, and in the book I will show you how sometimes my positive thinking and contact making has helped me make images that a year or so before hand I may never have had the chance.

I show everything, the mistakes I have made and also give tips on how you can do the cool images I have created and make even better versions. I point you to things that you should watch out for and also give you the Aperture, ISO and Shutter speed settings for almost every photo in the book!

I'll give you an insight into how I have gone from the Dyslexic kid at school who was taken out of all creative classes - to focus more on maths and english - to ending up doing photoshoots with Playboy models and running one of the biggest photography blog channels on youtube.

Getting There with Photography

Tin Lee

P.S. I have already finished your book, i know it has taken almost 2 year of your time to get it finish, but it is a real page turner, and I bought it with me every where I go ( and I have to say it is a really good toilet read)!

P.S.S Look at the picture! there is a flash with a red colour gel on a light stand ..... ar... and there is a Dom's book as well :P

Book Comments

- Celio H. Barreto Congratulations Dom! Feeling very proud over here!
  
  Monday at 5:32pm ·
- Simon Mc Garry love the book dom great work
  
  Monday at 6:49pm ·

Amanda Diaz Photography
‎...a teaching and motivational book written by Dom Bower ...has TONS of fantastic information! In print and now ready for orders!! Check it out!!! ♥♥♥ bookhttp://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/2215491

David Lane, Jure Ogrin and 2 others like this.

Jure Ogrin love it!!!

May 29 at 9:37pm ·

Jamielynn Ryan very cool! can't wait to get my copy..

May 30 at 12:36am ·

David Lane Just orderderd..looking forward to it.

May 30 at 10:22am ·

Andrew Razos
Awwwsum !!!!!!!!!! hard cover ordered cant wait!!!!!!!!!

Kim Grant Oh wow congratulations!!!! :D and go you on getting it all finished, can't wait to see it, I would feel bad getting a copy though since a lot of hard work went into it , I would buy it if I had the cash, I could take a peek at yours though? Next youll be making millions :P

May 30 at 2:31pm ·

Dom Bower No you deffo get a free one. but if your dad wanted to buy one after that, that would be most welcome!

May 30 at 2:32pm ·

Kim Grant ‎:D I will share the link on my wall so everyone can see it

Cesca Howard Dom, it looks awesome! Well done man. Really really beautiful shots in there, from what I can see online. Good on you!

Babs Dawson Aw Dom! Congratulations! what an awesome thing to have done, I am well impressed! What have you said about me? I hope you haven't tarnished my glowing reputation! xx

May 31 at 5:53pm ·
Dom Bower Said that thanks to you introducing me to your friend Dave who then introduced me to his friend Craig McLaren that i have had so many photography adventures and new contacts.

May 31 at 8:53pm ·
David Ronald
wouldn't you know it, I left home this morning from Melb Oz to go to Syd Oz to work up there until friday, my wife just texted me and said i got a parcel today, must be Dom's book, bugger, bugger, bugger, just my luck

Tin Lok Lee
the book just come through the post this morning!!!! a proud owner of Dom's photography books !!!

June 9 at 11:24am · · ·

You, Mike Avetikian, Eddie Rabe Jr, Lee Kerr and 4 others like this.

Getting There with Photography by Dom Bower

Make Your Own Book

Dom Bower's Photography Critiqued by you!

2011-05-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

Ok it may be unfair that I have been the one giving all the advice on others photos that they have sent in. So I have decided to level up the playing field, I have submitted my fav 5 photos (that I could find on this computer)…(oh look at me giving excuses already!) for you to critique. I would really appreciate it if you would do a video critique of my shots and explain what you think is good or bad and also how YOU think I could improve or what I should do differently if I were to do the shoot again!

All reply videos will be posted below.

To get the photos you will need the free file sharing thingy called Dropbox

You can get the link for that by clicking on this http://db.tt/W88s4mP

then you can get my photos (fairly small size) by clicking here

https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/10504939/1/doms%20photos%20for%20critique?h=a3409d

Fingers crossed that link works.

"I give you all the permission to use my photos for your photography critique on youtube or your blog as long as you mention that they are photos by Dom Bower." Please critique the photography not the models, if you critique my models, in a non constructive way, I delete your replies!

first video up already!

Second video up now

Sponsors...

2011-05-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

I am a photographer… and potentially a rubbish business man!

I recieved a very nice email this morning

Subject: Potential
> Sponsor for Your Videos
> From: Chris with xxx Lounge and xxxx
> []
> Message: We're big fans of your Youtube channel
> and website and all of the photography information you provide to the
> community.
>
> I wanted to introduce myself and our companies and discuss a potential
> idea that we have. We run a wedding photography studio in Orange
> County called xxx (xxxxx) and an online
> magazine called xxx (xxxx), providing free
> tutorials, blog themes, and resources for photographers. In addition,
> we create photography products, such as bags, filter cases, and straps
> that we sell through Adorama as well as on our site xxxxx
> (http://www.xxxxx.com).
> We're in the startup phase of xxxx, but we're quickly growing a
> loyal fan base; and we were hoping to reach out to you for some help.
> In an effort to grow brand awareness for xxx, we were hoping to
> sponsor some of your upcoming videos. In our ideal marketing plan, you
> would insert a slide at the beginning or the end of your videos stating
> "video sponsored by xxxx," with a unique coupon code ("dombower")
> for your viewers and fans to receive $10 off purchases of $60 or more
> (or something along those lines).
> We have a few options for things that we could offer in return. Our
> ideal payment would be a combination of aspects of the following, but
> we are also open to any other ideas you might have.
> 1) Money
> 2) Free Advertising for X amount of time on the sidebar of xxx Lounge
> 3) Featured Article for your site on xxxxx Lounge
> 4) Mailers to send out with all of our xxxx purchases
>
> If you're interested, please let us know which options (or combinations
> of options) you might be interested in. We really hope that we can
> work something out, as we feel that your casual yet informative, fun,
> and upbeat style of teaching photography is exactly what we're looking
> for and a great resource for the community.
>
> Thanks and have a great day!
>

Thats great chat, very nice of them to approach me like this and very nicely they way they have introduced themselves and given options.

Now here is my reply. Tell me if I am being a business idiot or if this is the right track you think I should stay on.

Hello Chris

Thank you very much for your email.

Firstly thank you for considering me as a potential client for you stuff and i am glad you enjoy my videos and think that they go well with your brand.

your studio and online magazines are very very nice. I have added the slr lounge onto my facebook. and i like the professional look to the Undfind. You have a very good web designer!

Now for the part that you say "In our ideal marketing plan, you would insert a slide at the beginning or the end of your videos stating "video sponsored by xxxxx," with a unique coupon code ("dombower") for your viewers and fans to receive $10 off purchases of $60 or more (or something along those lines) I do like the Idea of giving my fans/ subscribers a chance of getting some money off codes etc and it is a good way for you to see who is coming to your websites and how well the promotion is going.

However I am not keen on doing so. I don't mind mentioning it at the end saying "hay everyone there is a site here saying they can give you 10% off with my name" and putting that into the video but at the moment i am not a fan of having some companies banner at the start or end of the video. I know other photographers that do that but it is not really my style. and also it may make some of the viewers miss trust my reviews if i am being sponsored etc. (this may be an incredibly stupid business strategy of mine!)

I am really not doing any of the youtube stuff for the money, (although the google check i get each month or two is always a nice little benefit and motivator to make more videos) However I would like to get more and more subscribers on my youtube channel. So if you want to use any of my videos on your slrlounge page I am happy for you to link them up from youtube. Or even if you have any equipment you want me to review I would be happy to do a video and blog review (but i am honest with what I review so you would only want to send good stuff). I can also be kept up to date with any latest releases and if they are good i could mention them in future videos.

There is a camera company in the UK that has linked up my youtube account to their page http://www.staffscameracentre.co.uk/

I am trying to finish my photography book this month! and would love to get exposure on that and try and get the word out as much as possible so that is really the only advertising I would be interested in as refund.

So in summary, its a no to banners at the start or end or sponsoring of videos. but it is a yes to mentions and highlights/reviews and reductions for subscribers and potential mentions on your behalf of my photography books etc. And a yes to if you are wanting to put any of my videos up on your slrlounge on line magazine.

Let me know what you think.

Kind regards

Dom Bower

Dom Bower Photography
www.dombower.com

www.dombower-weddingphotography.com/

New Youtube channel

http://youtube.com/dombowerphoto

Facebook

Twitter

NEW BLOG!!!

http://dombowerphoto.blogspot.com

Now they have replied

Hey Dom:

Thanks for the response.

I completely understand and respect your position on the banner advertisements. True photography professionals, motivated by the art form and the sharing of knowledge rather than monetary gain keep the photography industry real and what it is today. I appreciate your candor; and we would love to discuss further any cross promotional or partnership ideas you may have.

I'll discuss with the partners and see if we come up with any specific ideas.

For now, I've created a coupon code for your followers that doesn't expire (for now) and gives anyone 10% off when they use "DOMBOWER" at checkout on uxxxxx

We'll be in touch; or feel free to contact me if you come up with additional ideas.

Take care!

-Chris

contact lenses

2011-05-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

contact lenses, a photo by FISHNROBO on Flickr.

this guy should have gone to spec savers!

Nikon D700 Prices !

2011-05-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

What the hell!

A Nikon D700
(the full frame camera in the body like the D300) is now fetching prices of £1900!!! (new)
Lets see what amazon gives us here

ooh ouch saying £1850 just now.

This is over 200-300 pounds more than what it was when it first came out!!!

People are now selling their Nikon D700
s for the same price as they bought them 3 years ago! how mental is that!

What the reason

2 things

The exchange rate with japan sucks

and

the earthquake crisis in japan has screwed up the supply, now very few shops are getting any D700 bodies and as demand is still around the same they are now putting up the prices.

So makes you have to think.

If you buy a quality dslr (not an amateur or even prosumer) you could have potentially used it for 3 years and sell it for say £100 less than what you bought it for. Kinda makes the idea of renting equipment a bit of a waste of time.

I have a wedding coming up this friday and I was going to be renting the Nikon D700
for the day, but for me to pick it up on the Friday morning, I would have to return it at 5pm that day otherwise I would have it for the weekend as the shop would be closed and I would in turn get charged for 2 days.

1 day rental is around £90 from Calumet (along with having to stump up the £1900 deposit) and for two days it was going to be around £170, (tiny discount). Now if you are shooting a wedding for a mate and you have given mates rates of £500 (not including album design or supply) then that is a big whack out of any profit you may have been made. In the end after travel, taxes, parking, food, and insurance, you are looking at a Mates rate wedding getting you only about £200, for 10 hours shooting(and travel) and 20 hours editing (and delivery). Thats back go minimum wage.

Now you know why photographers cost £1000+ per shoot. And remember the photos are the one thing you can really keep from your wedding, flowers, dresses, cakes, lighting, bands, hotels, honeymoon etc all disappear and photos are the keepers.

So the question is what do you do

do you buy a second hand D700 which is almost the same price as what it was when it first came out

or do you buy a new nikon D700 which will cost you around 300more than what it was when it first came out and then try and sell it once the upgrade nikon D800 comes out later this year (December 2011 abouts)

Me?

Well I have opted for buying a second hand Nikon D700
. I have managed to get one for £1500 and then postage from a camera company in London. Chesick camera company http://chiswickcameras.co.uk/

and Fingers crossed it gets here on Tuesday so I have a chance to test it out before the wedding on Friday.

I have no idea how many "actuations" it has, but I really don't care. My Nikon D300 has shot over 80,000 shots and is going strong. That roughly works out to 100 photos every single day I have owned it. Which of course I have not done that but some days I have shot 1000, and a wedding could easily be 2000 photos in a single day (depending on number of guests and size of event)

At the wedding I will still be taking my older camera as back up the Fuji s5pro, as although the ISO is shockingly low compared to the Nikon D700 its dynamic range is still amazing and trumps all but the NIkon D3x

So my advice, if you see an amazing camera for a good price buy it, as it may in the end cost you almost nothing for using it a number of years! save the money, Dont rent unless you have to.

Link to Getting There with Photography: By Dom Bower

By Dom Bower

HDR editing tips

2011-05-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

This page I shall be adding all the videos I have made regarding HDR photography and HDR photo editing. The one at the top is the most recent
More after the break

take a photo which is over exposed by 2 stops

take a photos whick is under exposed by 2 stops

this phot is the photo in the middle range

then edit them in photomatix to get an hdr photo like this below

My new photography book. click below

By Dom Bower

Gozilla's dead baby

2011-05-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

Even when i find something dead I can still let you know a little photography secret! The secret here is that even if you dont have an adaptor, you can still put a nikon lens on a canon camera. You just have to hold it on. This makes focusing very difficult if you are using a macro of course.

Facebook

flickr account

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22767497@N05/

Twitter

Website

http://www.dombower.com/

Sport in waves

Browse other personalized gifts from Zazzle.

Do not look at the site or tshirts if you are under 18 years old

you have been warned

The link for UK photographers check out

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/sportinwaves

For the US buyers click below

wedding website

Photobox gallery page

Slow mo water bombs!

2011-04-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

A little relaxing time from photo critiques!

Click more for more

It is sunny in Scotland this bank holiday so I got my buddy Neil round (Music video director). The plan was for me to throw water bombs at him but he reminded me that I got the best shot of him when i threw a ball at his face for an old slow mo video
So it was off to my back garden after visiting the local joke shop to get some water bombs, which we later found out are tiny! So many of them broke just trying to fill them up)

The plan is to do some video footage and then for Neil to do a tutorial on how to make it super slow mo where you add extra frames in with some software called Twixter which you use in after affects I think. anyway that video will come up later as the rendering time for that takes forever!

What these videos showed me was that the Canon 550d and 7d (same sensor) when shooting at 60fps (NTSC setting) out side on a sunny day shooting at 800th of a second, will produce some great slow mo.

Secondly it taught me that Imovie totally degrades my files so much more than Screenflow. Screenflow is a software used for recording your computer screen for tutorials, but it also is great for editing video, very easy to use and intuitive, I figured it out a lot quicker than imovie

So anyway on with the videos,

shot with the Canon 550D and the Canon 7D, with the Nikon 105mm macro and the 20mm ais and the canon 50mm f1.8
shutter speed at 800th of a second, aperture around f/4 and iso 100

If you want to edit the clip from Video "triple splash" Copy and paste this link http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10504939/MVI_0657.MOV

you may need drop box (file sharing thingy) and you can get the link for that by clicking this

http://db.tt/W88s4mP

I highly recommend watching these videos in full HD, (or the best resolution you can watch on your screen

and the imovie version

Check out this video of what twixtor can do

Facebook

flickr account

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22767497@N05/

Twitter

Website

http://www.dombower.com/

Sport in waves

Browse other personalized gifts from Zazzle.

Do not look at the site or tshirts if you are under 18 years old

you have been warned

The link for UK photographers check out

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/sportinwaves

For the US buyers click below

wedding website

Photobox gallery page