photography

Review: iPhone 4 Tripod Mount - SnapMount

Jeff's Rating: 5/5

tl;dr: Right in all the right ways, this is one of the two tripod mounts I keep in my bag.

There are finally a plethora of different iPhone 4 tripod mounting solutions on the market, and this is a very, very good thing. You can browse other Reviews on my website to find some examples of other great tripod mounts—some very nice for specific purposes, others that are only marginally better than duct-taping your iPhone to a tripod!

Snapmount for iPhone - on mini Tripod

Photo Used in History Channel Documentary

I've had a DVD from Prometheus Entertainment/History Channel sitting on my desk for a year and a half, and I had almost forgotten why I had it by the time I finally sat down to watch the DVD. The DVD is of the show "Angels & Demons Decoded," which aired on the History Channel on May 10, 2009.

While I was watching a part about Bernini's artwork, I noticed a photo of the 'West Ponente' direction marker in St. Peter's Square very similar to mine at 1:08:12 — this wasn't my photo, but was close enough a match to warrant further inspection.

Towards the end of the documentary, when the narrator was talking of the interaction between faith and science in the Church, I found my image at about 1:28:35:

Monstrance Image in Angels & Demons Decoded

Whoever did the matte on that image (a) had a lot of patience, and (b) is quite good at it! I don't think I've ever attempted to cut out such an intricate photo.

You can view the original photo on Flickr here: Eucharistic Adoration - Monstrance.

I'm glad I was finally able to sit down and watch the show. I also watched Angels & Demons (the actual movie) on Netflix, and thought it was a heck of a lot better (all around) than The Da Vinci Code. But it's still not a greatly historically-accurate film, in my opinion; like most Hollywood flicks, the director and producers played fast and loose with many theories and historical fact. But I don't let it ruffle my feathers :)

Review of Nikon D7000 - Almost Complete

Nikon D7000 - FrontSince about a week after it's introduction, I've been shooting with the D90 as my primary camera, and it's been a great run. The D90 is almost the perfect photo-making machine for me. I was thinking of either upgrading to a D300s, or possibly a D700 (all my lenses would work with either FX or DX), but then came the D7000.

I was instantly thrilled with the specs, especially since the D7000 body is almost exactly the same dimensions as the D90 (meaning I wouldn't need to get used to a bunch of new button placements). So, after a little consultation with my bride, I bought the D7000 (it was in stock, momentarily, from Amazon.com).

Radiant Sunshine through Clouds [iPhone 4 Photo]

Beautiful Sky - Taken with iPhoto 4

Photo of the sky with sunlight peering through clouds, as seen in Shrewsbury, MO. This is actually almost exactly how the scene looked IRL, which is a high praise of the iPhone 4's camera and HDR abilities—it's not so pronounced as to take the natural beauty out of a photo, but enough to strengthen the contrast ratio a bit.

The iPhone 4 is a great video camera, professional audio recorder, photo camera, and mobile Internet access device. I'm glad to be an owner :)

Patrons of Archdiocese of Saint Louis - Stained Glass

I recently visited the Church of the Most Sacred Heart in Eureka, MO, and took many photos of the interior (view a full gallery of the pictures I took). The standout photos of the bunch were of the stained glass windows. Below are the three patronal saints of the Archdiocese of St. Louis (depicted on the left side of the Church, when sitting in the main body of the pews).

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne - Stained Glass         St. Louis - Stained Glass         St. Vincent de Paul - Stained Glass