Gallery Opening for Photographer Julie Cochran

Join us!
Gallery Opening for Photographer Julie Cochran
Penn Camera Fair Lakes
Friday, February 12th
7:00pm - 9:00pm

Photographer Julie Cochran will be exhibiting a variety of fine art images in her gallery opening on the 12th.

A sampling of images from the show!


Julie is a native to the Washington Metro area. After graduating Robinson High School in 1981, she attended Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and graduated in 1987 with an Associate’s degree in early childhood education.

In 1993, she took her first photography class at NOVA using her husband’s Pentax K1000 camera. Since then she has taken many more photography and photography-related classes like developing and printing as well as digital imaging. Julie has participated in workshops offered by Blue Ridge Workshops led by Elliot Stern, and those at Meadowlark Gardens given by Jack Nevitt, Cory Hilz and William Folsom. Julie is also a member of Vienna Photographic Society and Vienna Arts Society.

In her Penn Camera Gallery Exhibition, Julie is presenting a body of work entitled “From the Ground Up”. All images were taken with a Minolta 5d and a Nikon D40dx. The pictures in this show are a product of above mentioned workshops and other photographic excursions.

“My favorite subject is nature, in all its forms. From a butterfly on a flower, to a sunset framed by mountains. There are, however, subjects nature cannot produce. Like two planes passing so close together you’d think they touched. Although not shown here, I also enjoy photographing animals of all shapes and sizes, from horses to cats, to snakes.”

SPECIAL NOTE: For each picture purchased there will be a 5% donation made to the Red Cross to help fund the relief effort in Haiti.

Would you like to host your own Gallery at Penn? Highlight and exhibit your, or your student's finest artwork with a Gallery at a Penn Camera store. High School students, College students, Amateurs & Professionals welcomed. Email us for information.

The Filter Factor: Using Filters on Your Digital SLR

By Brendan Keenan, Penn Camera Tysons Corner

Whether you’re new to SLR photography, or you're a seasoned professional, people generally put a lot of thought into what type of lenses to use. Wide-angle or telephoto? Prime or macro? What many people don't consider, and often miss entirely, is the importance of filters for all of these lenses. Lenses can be large investments, while filters are relatively inexpensive, and can serve to both protect your investment, as well as improve the quality of your pictures.

With the huge popularity of today's high-end image editing software programs, the need for many traditional filters has been virtually eliminated. Programs like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, Apple's Aperture, and others include tools or offer plug-ins that can create specific filter effects easily, without the need for extra equipment. However, there are a couple of filters that no photographer (or lens) should go without. These filters can not only help you get the best out of your photos, but also can save your lens from dirt, scratches, and even protect against impact.

There is one type of filter that should be on every lens, film or digital, even video. A UV filter, or even a clear protective filter, is an essential item for any lens. UV filters serve a dual purpose; first, they protect the lens both indoors and out, preventing dirt, dust, and scratches from reaching the front of the lens. Most lenses have special coatings, and the best way to preserve lens quality is to keep that lens untouched. The second benefit to a UV filter is that when taking photographs outdoors, UV light is filtered out. This is great for landscape photography, as distance usually causes a haze effect from UV light. A UV filter cuts through this haze, giving your photograph a sharper look. Clear protective filters, like Skylight filters, will provide protection but will not filter UV light.

The second must have filter is a Circular Polarizer. The best way to think of it is as sunglasses for your camera. Polarizing filters have two major advantages. When shooting outdoors, a polarizer will add depth and contrast to the sky, making the clouds pop out in detail against a deeper blue sky. This is a great effect for landscapes, cityscapes, or beach photos. A polarizing filter also removes reflections from non-metallic surfaces. Reflections from glass or water can be controlled and eliminated with a polarizing filter. This feature alone has a huge number of benefits in everyday photography.

So there you have it. Two must-have filters for every lens that can both protect your equipment, and improve your photos. This is true for video as well. Most camcorders are compatible with certain size filters. Some high-end point-and-shoot cameras even have filter options, usually with adapters. If you want the best photos and videos, make sure you have your bases, and your lenses, covered.

Visit Brendan for more information about choosing filters at our Tysons Corner store.

Gallery Opening at Penn Camera 18th St - Donna Haber

Join us!
Gallery Opening for Photographer Donna Haber
Penn Camera 18th Street
Friday, February 5th
3:00pm - 5:00pm

Donna Haber’s photographs and abstract images are reflective of her love of the outdoors as well as urban life. Coming of age in the 60’s and 70’s, her major influences include the music of The Beatles, psychedelic poster art, and the counterculture. She currently exhibits in Monet’s Garden Gallery in Los Angeles, California as well as the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia.

Here's a sampling of her work from this exhibition:





“Photography is my way of capturing a moment in time as I experience it. My only objective when out in the field is to have fun and enjoy myself. This simple approach allows a greater opportunity for creative spontaneity.”

You can see more of Donna's work at her website, http://web.me.com/djhaber.

Would you like to host your own Gallery at Penn? Highlight and exhibit your, or your student's finest artwork with a Gallery at a Penn Camera store. High School students, College students, Amateurs & Professionals welcomed. Email us for information.

Reviewing the Canon 7D

The Canon 7D Digital SLR camera is the latest development from the noted and cutting edge Canon. The camera is available for purchase after intense development and interviews with over 5,000 photographers to determine what needed to be included in this piece of top of the line camera equipment. Available at Penncamera.com as well as Penn Camera locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, the Canon 7D is second-to-none for professional photography. The camera is designed with excellent features to capture the interest and excitement of photographers. Improved resolution, processors, AF, light metering controls, HD video, and more automatic and manual controls make the Canon 7D SLR a formidable piece of photo equipment.

The Canon camera boasts 18.0 effective megapixels and the capability to shoot stills and video. Coupled with the versatility to capture images at 12800 ISO and up to a speed of 8fps, and with Dual “DIGIC4” processors, the Canon 7D is capable of taking amazing photographs in all situations and environments.

Accuracy of images is aided with a new high performance AF system that allows photographers the ability to track subjects quickly in both landscape and portrait composition. Highly customizable AF settings coupled with a new metering system aids photographers in composition, capture and consistent exposure. The new Focus Color Luminance metering system gauges focus, color and luminance through 63 zones. In addition, the camera has an Integrated Speedlite Transmitter to help photographers experimenting with unique and challenging light set ups.

Another benefit to photographic accuracy is the Intelligent Viewfinder. Along with 100% frame coverage, a transmissive LCD in the viewfinder allows photographers to choose between using AF points, composition grid, a spot metering circle and Dual-Axis Electronic Level to accurately frame shots and level the horizon.

The Canon 7D allows photographers to record Full HD movies, and has a variety of tools to aid in this process. Frame rates and exposure can be adjusted, and AF can be used to help track subjects. In addition to the ability to trim movies, the camera has buttons dedicated to movie use.

The Canon 7D SLR is highly customizable and is compatible with a wide range of camera equipment. Photographers can set specific controls for different settings and functions, making on-the-fly adjustments easy and specific to each photographer’s needs. All EF and EF-S lenses and well as Canon EX Speedlites are compatible with the Canon 7DSLR and are available at any good camera store. A completely redesigned camera with amazing features based on the needs of photographers’ worldwide is in store for those who purchase the Canon 7D SLR, an easy choice for professional photography.

For more information or for inquiries, visit Penncamera.com or any Penn Camera location. Experts at camera store locations can help you decide if the Canon 7DSLR is right for you, and give you information and tips to help make the most of every feature available on this professional piece of photo equipment.

Facebook Photo Contest Winners for December

Each month, Penn Camera hosts a photo contest on our Facebook page. We've had hundreds of entries during 2009 and hope to keep seeing your photographs again this year! For December, the contest theme was "The Holidays", and you sent in over 170 terrific submissions. Congratulations to the winners, and our thanks to everyone who submitted an image!


1st Place
Winner of $100 Penn Camera Gift Card
Kim Baker


2nd Place
Winner of a $50 Penn Camera Gift Card
Brian Nielsen


3rd Place
Winner of a $25 Penn Camera Gift Card
Porter Watkins

4th Place
Winners a coupon good for a choice of one 16x20 or two 11x14 enlargements

Nils Granholm

Erica Findley

Victoria Pickering

Keep the great photographs coming! We have some interesting contest themes planned for 2010. Keep check our Facebook page for the next contest announcement, coming soon.

Gallery Opening at Penn Camera Laurel - James Roy

Join us!
Gallery Opening for Photographer James Roy
Penn Camera Laurel
Friday, January 15th
5:00pm - 7:00pm

Photographer James Roy will be exhibiting a variety of fine art images in his gallery opening on the 15th.

“There are artists who transform the sun into a yellow spot, and there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow dot into the sun” (Picasso). Photographer James Roy is such an artist. His work provides viewers with glimpses of new meaning into everyday experiences and makes the ordinary extraordinary. James Roy has the unusual talent of creating fine art from many different types of subject matter. In this Penn Camera Gallery exhibit, he displays a variety of fine art images, including wedding, panoramic landscapes, cityscapes, architecture and The Carnival of Venice, Italy.

A sampling of images from the show!


James’ photographic work reflects over 25 years of professional and personal experience. His formal training is recognized through membership in the Maryland Professional Photographer’s Association (MDPPA), Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and American Society of Photographers (ASP). He has received numerous MDPPA Best-In-Show prints, PPA loan collection prints and Fuji Masterpiece and Kodak Gallery Awards. He holds the following internationally recognized PPA degrees: Masters, Craftsman. He also holds the prestigious title of PPA International Photographer of the Year in 2008. His wedding images have been published and featured on the covers of various regional wedding journals and in PPA’s “Professional Photographer” magazine. His fine art images are part of many private and public collections in the United States and Europe.

While servicing three years as a bilingual US Army NATO Liaison officer in northeastern Italy, James began the first of a series of photographic fine art portfolios. Over the past 25 years, he has had numerous solo fine art photo exhibits, including a 4-year exhibit in Venice, Italy. He continues to make annual pilgrimages to Italy, the Caribbean, and the American west. He has a rare talent of creating photographic art from diverse subject matter, and he has amassed numerous world class, eclectic fine art bodies of work including:

The Carnival of Venice, Italy
Staircases of the World
Landscapes of the American Southwest
Reflections Around Us
Caribbeanscapes
Weddings as Fine Art
Cityscapes & Architecture of Italy
The Beauty of Butterflies
Flowers in the Wild
Dazzling DC
“The Fine Art of Portraiture”

Join us for this electic exhibition! See more or James Roy's work at http://www.jamesroyphotography.com/.

Would you like to host your own Gallery at Penn? Highlight and exhibit your, or your student's finest artwork with a Gallery at a Penn Camera store. High School students, College students, Amateurs & Professionals welcomed. Email us for information.

Photographing Holiday Lights

Here is an article written by a great photography resource, Elliot Stern from Blue Ridge Workshops. So tonight, bundle up, and take advantage of the beautiful holiday light displays your friends and neighbors have errected. Happy Holidays!

PHOTOGRAPHING HOLIDAY LIGHTS
by Elliot Stern, Blue Ridge Workshops

Holiday lights and decorations always provide us with wonderful seasonal subjects to photograph, but how to photograph them can be a challenge for a lot of people so I hope this short list of things to do will help those who need a push in the right direction.

SUPPORT
A tripod is a must. That is all I am going to say about tripods.

CAMERA
My recommendation is a camera that allows adjustments of shutter speeds and apertures, with shutter speed being most important. This can be a Dslr, Hdslr, or a Bridge type camera that allows these adjustments. There are some point and shoots that give you control in this area too.

TIME OF DAY
The best time of day for shooting lights and displays is while there is still a little bit of daylight left. Shooting in total darkness is not at all recommended. Just before sunset is a good idea, but remember that the lighting will change very quickly. Shooting at this time of day allows you to silhouette the background, giving an identifiable background.

CAMERA SETTINGS
NOW FOR THE NITTY GRITTY ABOUT SETTINGS
For available light photography (no flash) a good starting point is probably around about ½ second, lens wide opened and then work from that speed to achieve the effect you like. Probably the best general setting for iso is your cameras base iso 100,200 in most cameras, but as good as your cameras are at higher iso’s I would not stretch to far beyond this limit. Noise can still be an issue in very dark or close to dark situations no matter how well the spec numbers appear in the literature. There is also a provision in some cameras which is high iso long exposure noise reduction. This allows you to shoot long exposures at high iso and get rid of noise issues to some degree, but it takes a long time in camera to process. It is not good if lights and decorations are blowing in the wind. Another method which is available in a lot of cameras today is the ability to set in the menus, a dynamic range increase providing detail in highlights and shadows. In Nikon it is called D-Lighting, in Olympus it is called Graduation, and in Canon it is Highlight Tone Priority and Automatic Lighting Optimizer.

FILL IN FLASH
If you have an adjustable type of camera then it is more than likely that you have a provision for controlling the flash on your camera, or with an add on flash called SLOW SYNCH. In this mode the camera is permitted to go to very slow shutter speeds to record the ambient light in the background. The flash fires to record the foreground and then the shutter stays opened long enough to record the background light. It is great for doing portraits or groups in front of the lights and decorations. REMEMBER, SLOW SYNCH MEANS YOU MUST BE USING A TRIPOD.

One more word about flash is if you are in a home setting, and your ceiling is no more than 10' high, you should consider using bounce flash. Even better, use a Gary Fong flash accessory for a nice even soft light. CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE GARY FONG ACCESSORIES and CHECK WITH PENN CAMERA WHICH WOULD BE BEST FOR THE EQUIPMENT YOU OWN.

EXTENDED HOURS - 12/22 and 12/23

The snow storm this weekend knocked us all off course for finishing up our Christmas shopping. So, to help you get back on track, Penn Camera is extending our hours, today and tomorrow only.

All suburban stores - Open Until 10pm 12/22 and 12/23
DC stores - Open Until 7pm 12/22 and 12/23

Also, on Christmas Eve, suburban stores are open until 6pm, and DC stores are open until 5pm.

We want to give you a little more time to find those final gifts (or for some of you, to give you a chance to get started.)

Olympus E-P1 (the “Pen”)

The Olympus E-P1 (the “Pen”) digital camera gives you the portability expected in a compact digital camera along with the great picture quality of a DSLR. Somewhere in between, the E-P1 is an interesting camera choice for photographers of all levels.

The E-P1 reminds me of a DSLR in many ways, but lacks a key feature – a viewfinder. A problem? Not really. The Pen has a large display for composing your shots without the need for viewing through-the-lens. If this is a feature you feel that you really can’t live without, Olympus introduced the second generation in this series, the E-P2, that includes a detachable electronic viewfinder. You will be paying a premium for this feature, so buyers will need to decide for themselves if this is a must-have. Having the option, should you need it, is definitely a plus!

You’re not going to miss out on image quality either – 12.3 megapixels ensures that the E-P1 is robust as many other mid-range digital cameras. Other helpful features – interchangeable lenses, cool artistic filters built right into the camera, and a slick design that reminds me of classic rangefinders.

Overall take – this camera is really fun to use. While it isn’t the all-in-one solution for everyone, its flexibility and compact design makes this is a great option for location scouting, vacations, and maybe even the casual photo blog you keep thinking about starting. Need to get your hands on one? Come down to the stores and try one first hand. This one is definitely going on my wish list this Christmas.

We're back!

After a bit of delay, the Penn Camera blog is up and running again! In the next few weeks, we'll be sharing camera reviews to help you get to know some interesting gear. First up - the Olympus E-P1.