The Full Frame

Many of you are probably thinking/asking how many megapixels are required for a 4×6 print? or a 8×10? or a 24×36?

Here is a small table of the minimum sizes (at 300dpi) high quality:

Here is a small table of the minimum sizes (at 150dpi) bare minimum:

As you can see, actual pixel count is fairly demanding for a “high quality” print. High quality meaning what is actually observed by the camera and not made up by some computer program. Typically computers are used with a algorithm called a Bayer Interpolation that will blend and “guess” the colors to make up missing information between colors and pixels when someone tries to enlarge them, so it is possible to get an OK looking 8×10 from a 5 MP camera, or an OK looking 24×36 from a 22MP camera. So keep in mind that if you are producing any of these sizes with less than the Megapixels listed your print is more a test of the quality of your computer software than it is your camera!

Also keep in mind that imaging sensors will see only one color and one intensity per pixel. So 1 px will see red at lets say a value of 210 (1 to 255 intensity, 16 Bit color). In order to record the real color emitted in real life you need at least 3 of these. Yes, just like your TV or anything else the camera will blend the 3 colors to create the real “observed” color. What is the caveat for this? Digital cameras (non-Foveon) only really “see” 1/3 of the claimed Megapixel value that they advertise (because they are using 3 pixels to record each “real” color) so that fancy 10 MP camera you own in reality only can record 3.3 MP worth of actual real life image, just enough for a high quality 5×7, the rest is blended and made up by computer software. This makes a strong case for the reason why REAL professional photographers still use film for all of their important work. This is because film CAN record a real color at each “pixel” which is still higher than digital (roughly 88 real megapixels for a 35mm piece of film).

I came across Ken Rockwell’s site looking for reviews of a Zeiss 50mm 1.4 that I was contemplating buying and stumbled again upon his article explaining the “Seven Levels of Photographers,” a pretty clever satire that’s roughly a cross between the Buddhist cycles of reincarnation and Dante’s Inferno’s seven circles of hell. Rockwell encourages photographers to focus on creating pictures instead of focusing primarily on what type of equipment they have.

After reading the article, I had a bit of fun reminiscing of my progress through the “seven levels.”

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/7.htm

My past mentor, National Geographic photographer Don Doll S.J., used to tell me exactly the same thing in as many words.

Showing up with the 70-200mm 2.8 IS USM  or a 50mm 1.0L or a Leica won’t make you a better photographer if you don’t know what to do with them and if you aren’t creative.

Granted I, like many people, didn’t start out as a splendid photographer (continue reading…)

The title is named aptly for my original post on photo.net dated April 9th, 2004.

http://photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/007wWb

I’m proud to say after all these years it is the first search result when someone types in “Konica Impressa”

That type of thing means a lot to me. The fact that my sample pictures and insight have probably helped thousands of people all over the world in the past five years since that post was originally made.

I really hate to admit, but in the past 7 years since i first began in photography I still don’t have a concise portfolio anywhere…

I have hundreds of pictures in unique albums, hundreds of memories of friends, and pets, and sports…

And yet if someone asks me, “Can I see your portfolio?” I’m at a loss… Not because (continue reading…)

Here are a few shots that I took this evening. Hope you enjoy them.

Today I had a busy day. I’ve been booked every weekend for the past two months straight and last night I got another offer for Sunday…

Jennifer and her Escorts here were posing during a midday stroll through downtown Omaha.

Shoot at Heartland of America Park