This Week in Photo

TriggerTrap Saga – ITL 07

Engineering photographic equipment isn’t easy, especially in mass quantities. This discussion with Haje Jan Kamps of TriggerTrap details the entire saga from inception to the end of a company that had many successes and failures along the way. We chat about everything that made the company successful, how photographic engineering challenges are faced, and a behind the scenes look at what happens when those challenges cannot be overcome. It’s a great candid discussion that I’m all listeners will find insightful.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* TriggerTrap Website

* Going out of Business FAQ – TriggerTrap

* TriggerTrap Flickr Group

* (failed) TriggerTrap Ada Modular Camera Trigger Kickstarter

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Don Komarechka: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Pinterest

* Haje Jan Kamps: TriggerTrap Website, Twitter, E-Mail

This episode is sponsored by Outdoor Photography Canada Magazine

Use coupon code ITL for 20% off 1-year subscriptions to Canada and the United States!

Printing with Martin Bailey – ITL 06

Printing is a perceptual art based on solid science. Many photographers choose to let someone else print their work, but what are they missing out on, both in terms of challenge and reward? Martin Bailey helps navigate the environment that fine art printers find themselves in today, from calibration and paper choices to equipment failure and the newest technology.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* Colorburst Overdrive (RIP – Raster Image Processor)

* Canon Professional Fine Art Printers

* Breathing Color Metallic Canvas

* X-Rite ColorMunki Photo print and monitor calibrator

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Don Komarechka: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Pinterest

* Martin Bailey: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

This episode is sponsored by Outdoor Photography Canada Magazine

Use coupon code ITL for 20% off 1-year subscriptions to Canada and the United States!

Gigapixel Macro – ITL 05

Shooting macro images can be difficult, but no one pushes deeper into the technical challenges than Gene Cooper at GIGAmacro. We chat about the limits of resolution, how to use microscope optics, and the reasons why creating gigapixel macro photographs is such a challenge – with all the geek chatter that goes along with it.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* GIGAmacro primer on how their images are made

* photomacrography.net forums

* Diffraction Limiting primer from Cambridge in Colour

* Terabite – world’s first terapixel macro photograph

* Beetle parts in Similac formula from recall

* Zerene Stacker software

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Don Komarechka: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Pinterest

* Gene Cooper: Website, E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Google+

Infrared and Beyond – ITL 04

A engaging and geek talk about the science behind infrared photography, and much more! Cameras are designed to mimic human vision and limit themselves to only the spectrum that we can see with our own eyes. Creative photographers can step beyond the limitations and modify their cameras to explore the magical world of infrared, ultraviolet, and full spectrum photography. This conversation with Dan Llewellyn is a mind-feast for those photographers that love to understand light. I don’t think I could have had a better guest on the podcast to have this discussion with!

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* Maxmax.com – Dan Llewellyn’s commercial site for extra-spectrum gear

* Video: How the Sun Sees You

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Don Komarechka: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Pinterest

* Dan Llewellyn: Website, E-mail

Images From Electrons – ITL 02

Our desire to see more and more detail on a microscopic scale eventually hits limitations of light itself. Where photons fail, electrons take over and allow us to create images of unbelievably small things. Cells and viruses, even small clusters of atoms, electron microscopes reveal tiny universes for scientific value. Many of these images can be beautiful, and we talk with Ted Kinsman about how they work, why they’re needed, and how you work with such extreme imaging equipment. Ted Kinsman uses electron microscopes to create images for education, but builds beauty into his work to captivate viewers. Get ready for a very geeky conversation!

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* Wikipedia: Electron Microscope

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Don Komarechka: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Pinterest

* Ted Kinsman: Website (faculty, RIT), website (sciencephotography.com), Instagram

Color Science with Ray Maxwell – ITL 03

Color science is difficult to wrap into an understandable conversation, and there isn’t anyone better to help us get a handle on the peculiar nature of human vision than Ray Maxwell. This conversation winds around a number of topics, from how camera sensors are designed, how printers work, and how our eyes perceive the world around us. As photographers, a greater understanding of color science can spark creative ideas and help us overcome technical problems… but it’s also fun to simply geek out over it!

Note: There was some audio issues with the recording near the beginning of the conversation and a few sentences needed to be cut or reconstructed. Sorry about that!

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* Wikipedia: CMYK Color Model

* Wikipedia: Chroma subsampling

* Foveon Image Sensor Technology

* Bill Atkinson Nature Photography

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Don Komarechka: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Pinterest

The Beginnings of Digital – ITL 01

The world of digital photography has drastically changed since it’s inception. We dive back in time to discuss the first “triumphs” in digital photography and how a young Frederick Van Johnson cut his teeth on early Kodak DCS cameras while in the US Air Force, and the conversation continues to discuss how far technology has evolved. The limits of light and technology are constantly being pushed, and a greater understanding of these limits helps photographers push their creativity further.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

* Kodak DCS Series of Cameras

* Sony Mavica

* MIT “Modulo” camera that never over-exposes an image

* Tutorial on Diffraction Limiting

Connect with Our Hosts & Guests

* Don Komarechka: Website, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, Pinterest

* Frederick Van Johnson: Website, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest

This episode is sponsored by Drobo.