Friday, August 8, 2025

The secret that many do not know

 You can get a MacBook Air for a fraction of the price—and still enjoy Apple’s 1-year warranty!



Refurbished laptops may come with minor scratches or cosmetic imperfections, but they’ve been thoroughly inspected and repaired by the manufacturer. When you buy through this link, you're purchasing directly from Apple. And here’s the best part: when I bought my MacBook Air M3, it arrived looking just like a brand-new machine—no scratches, no defects. It was packaged exactly like a new MacBook Air. Honestly, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference!

Stop struggling with your old laptop or trying to edit videos on your iPhone. And just so you know—this isn’t a sponsored post. This is not an affiliate link. I'm not getting paid by Apple. I’m simply sharing my personal experience, nothing more. I’m sharing this to show how happy I am with my purchase after three months of using it to edit my photos and videos. 


Thursday, August 7, 2025

The Best Used DSLR Cameras Under $500

 According to KEH, the used camera and lenses store that I trust, here are the best DSLRs for under $500.

 


  •  Nikon D5600: A well-rounded DSLR with features for both beginners and more experienced shooters.
  •  Canon EOS 1300D: Simple controls and helpful auto modes make this ideal for new photographers.
  •  Pentax K-70: A rugged, weather-sealed DSLR that is great for outdoor adventures. 


 

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

You may be doing it wrong, read this

Why don’t photographers charge camera batteries by connecting the camera to a USB charger?

Cameras get hot, especially when shooting video — and when they do, they can overheat and stop working until they cool down. When you're charging a battery — whether it's your camera or your phone — the battery generates heat. See the issue? By charging the battery inside the camera using a USB cable, you're adding more heat, which can shorten the amount of time the camera can operate while recording video.


 

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

What’s my most popular photo?

 It's not about Birds, a Portrait or a Landscape. My most popular photo according to Flickr is...

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But why? The rich, vibrant red hues grab attention and evoke strong emotions like passion and warmth. The close-up reveals intricate textures of the petals, adding depth and interest. The tight framing focuses the viewer’s eye on the beauty of the flower without distractions. The contrast between the petals and the yellow stamens creates visual interest. Flowers inherently appeal to our sense of aesthetics due to their organic, symmetrical forms.

These elements combine to create a visually captivating image.

Monday, August 4, 2025

Last weekend was a Karate Weekend!

Last weekend I shot a Karate Event. I took more than 2000 pictures! I was using shooting bursts of 12 fps trying to capture all the most important moves of the athletes and as a result I ended with a huge amount of pictures that I'm still processing. I hate deleting pictures other than those that are not in focus, and when you shoot burst you have to delete pictures even if they are sharp, otherwise you are going to fill your backup drive really quick. 

20250802-R6I-095144

 20250802-R6I-074540-2

I'm having a hard time choosing which ones are my favorites — I like all of them. What started as taking pictures of our grandsons quickly turned into photographing the whole team, as usual. I may have missed some of them, as many were competing at the same time — and I haven’t yet figured out how to be in two places at once!

Big thanks to Kaufmann's Karate (#kaufmannskarate) for allowing me inside the arena to capture these moments.

Note: All pictures of the event are located in these two pages:

 

Friday, August 1, 2025

You are wrong

If you're one of those who believe DSLRs are better than mirrorless cameras, you might be making a mistake.


 

 If you're buying today, and especially if you're shooting:

  •     Sports
  •     Wildlife
  •     Events
  •     Video
  •     Low-light environments


Then a mirrorless camera of the same professional tier will usually outperform a DSLR. The technology has matured — Canon R3, Nikon Z9, Sony A1, etc., are at least equal to, and often better than, their DSLR counterparts (like the 1D X Mark III or D6).

But if you're:

  •     Deep into a DSLR lens ecosystem
  •     Prefer OVF shooting
  •     Working in situations where battery life and toughness matter more than speed


Then a DSLR is still a strong, reliable tool.

 Mirrorless is the future — and the present — especially for high-level work. DSLRs were fantastic and still hold up in many scenarios, but the flexibility, AF performance, and video capabilities of mirrorless now tip the scale clearly in their favor.

Note for myself: I wonder how many hits this article will get just because of the tittle. ;-) 

Stop shooting at 100 ISO!

There was a time, not long ago, when shooting at the lowest possible ISO—100—was a priority for me. Today, I don’t care.

20250727-R6I-080057-3

Can you guess the ISO used in the photo above? 25,600! Yet it looks like it was taken at ISO 800 or lower. Thanks to the performance of cameras like my Canon R6 Mark I and the power of post-processing software such as DxO PureRaw (my favorite), Topaz Photo AI, and Lightroom Classic, it’s now possible to achieve remarkably low noise levels—easily cleaned up with these tools. 

Results like the photo above made me change my default approach—from manually selecting the ISO to simply using Auto ISO.