The publishing industry is surely changing. Prior to the digital age, an author had to submit his or her manuscript to a publisher and hope that someone would even read it, let alone publish it. These days anyone can publish their own book. All you have to do is take the time to write it and format it. The more saavy authors pay a professional editor to go through it and make improvements.
Self published books range from "not so good" to "very good." I have read quite a few really good self published books, books that I would not have ever guessed were self-published. The only reason I would even suspect a book might be self-published is if I start reading it and it becomes apparent that it was not properly edited. Other than that, I can't distinguish self-published from a book released by a publishing house unless I look at the price. The price often, but not always, is the dead give away. With that said, it is obvious to me at least, that if done properly, it does not matter who publishes a book. The important thing is the content and the editing.
That brings me to book reviews. Just about any good on-line book dealer or book site allows readers to rate and review the books they read. This is one of the best services they provide as a few good bad reviews can save you from spending money on a dud. Earlier I did a Google search on "book reviews wanted" as I am trying to help a friend get her book "out there." I was surprised to see how many sites are soliciting book reviews! In the pre-digital day it was hard to get a book reviewed. The author would have to send copies out to newspapers and magazines and hope and pray that anyone would read and then review his or her work. There just weren't enough reviewers to read and write about all of the books that were submitted. Another thing, the people who did read and write about books were usually paid. Not anymore! It seems that just about anyone can sign up to be a book reviewer. He or she can simply send book reviews in or in some cases read and write about books that are sent out to him or her. In the second case. getting to keep the book is part of the compensation. The other part is "seeing your name in print" - online or off.
There are still outlets like the NY Times Book Review which employ professional book reviewers. It is still an honor to get mentioned in publications such as these. Is this good for the industry or does it hurt the industry? I don't think it matters. The old way still works and the new way simply brings more books into public awareness.
Maximum Rock N Roll - MRR Monday Photoblog
Anyone who is into punk rock is familiar with Maximum Rock N Roll. I'd like to thank Mark Murrmann who serves as photo editor (and a million other jobs) for including a few of my photos in this week's MRR Monday Photoblog. I also think you should check Mark's website out as he is an awesome photographer and does some really cool B&W work. I'm kind of fond of him as he is a Bay Area Photographer and I'm kind of partial to those guys (especially the ones who are into music). Make sure to take a look!!!
Paul Davis
After finally finishing my book I decided it would be nice to let some of the people in it be the first to know about it. More than a few years have gone by since my camera captured them live on stage. A little research was certainly in order. Looking for the whereabouts of Paul Davis I was sad to find out that he is no longer with us.
"Paul Davis who played in Bonnie Hayes and The Wild Combo and The Yanks went into a coma after complications with his elbow caused by Carpal Tunnel and he was pronounced dead on Sunday Morning Nov 10, 2007" - Ginger Coyote - Punk Globe Magazine.
Gossen Luna Pro
As I've implied elsewhere, I am pretty much shooting with Pentax M Series lenses from the 1970s. The quality is just awesome. The problem is that the K10D exposure meter does not work after you take the initial reading. I always have to take the shot and then check the histogram and adjust from there. That is okay, but sometimes leads to missed opportunities. Photography is mostly about capturing a moment in time and in many cases those moments are short.
Well, my Luna Pro arrived today and it is one beautiful piece of equipment. I can see why antique dealers want them. To be honest, one of the reasons I wanted this particular meter over any other is kind of silly. Its because I like the little sun and moon symbols on the dial :-)
Using M Series Lenses on a K10D
PENTAX: "Pentax K-mount, M-series and S (screw) mount lenses without auto-aperture control (an “A” setting on the aperture ring) can be used in Manual exposure mode using stop-down metering and manual focus. This is the exposure mode which will give accurate exposures when using these older lenses on our digital SLRs. If older lenses without an "A" setting on the aperture ring are used in Av (Aperture Priority) Mode, an exposure error may occur. "
Up until today I had a hard time believing the above statement. Whenever I use manual mode I have to do some compensation. If I use the reading the "green button" comes up with, my images will come out overexposed. I have to adjust my exposures using a histogram to guide me. I have read posts on several sites from people having similar results. If I shoot in Av mode the exposures are right on (contrary to the above statement). The problem is that when shooting in Av mode, you are shooting wide open no matter which F-stop you select.
I thought it odd that the exposures can be so far off in manual mode. A little research shows that the problem is easily resolved by changing a custom setting:
Go to Custom Settings
Up until today I had a hard time believing the above statement. Whenever I use manual mode I have to do some compensation. If I use the reading the "green button" comes up with, my images will come out overexposed. I have to adjust my exposures using a histogram to guide me. I have read posts on several sites from people having similar results. If I shoot in Av mode the exposures are right on (contrary to the above statement). The problem is that when shooting in Av mode, you are shooting wide open no matter which F-stop you select.
I thought it odd that the exposures can be so far off in manual mode. A little research shows that the problem is easily resolved by changing a custom setting:
Go to Custom Settings
Step down to Green button in Manual
Press the right arrow and select Tv Shift
Press OK
(This setting allows easy and accurate exposure metering using older lenses without an "A" setting on the aperture ring. When the Green button is pressed in Manual exposure mode, the lens "stops down", the camera's meter measures the light passing through the lens, and an appropriate shutter speed is automatically set based on that measurement).
Press the right arrow and select Tv Shift
Press OK
(This setting allows easy and accurate exposure metering using older lenses without an "A" setting on the aperture ring. When the Green button is pressed in Manual exposure mode, the lens "stops down", the camera's meter measures the light passing through the lens, and an appropriate shutter speed is automatically set based on that measurement).
By default this setting is on "Program Line." Change it to "Tv Shift" and the problem is resolved. For those of you new to this, here are all the settings you need to change:
Press the Menu button
Go to Custom Settings
Step down to Green button in TAv & M (K10D/K20D).
Step down to Green button in Manual (K200D)
Press the right arrow and select Tv Shift
Press OK
(This setting allows easy and accurate exposure metering using older lenses without an "A" setting on the aperture ring. When the Green button is pressed in Manual exposure mode, the lens "stops down", the camera's meter measures the light passing through the lens, and an appropriate shutter speed is automatically set based on that measurement).
Step down to Preview Method
Press the right arrow and select Optical Preview
Press OK
(This setting enables the camera to "stop down" the lens to a selected aperture when the On/Off button is rotated clocwise).
Step down to Using aperture ring
Press the right arrow and select Permitted
Press OK.
(This setting allows the camera to operate with older K-mount or S-mount lenses that do not have an “A” setting on the aperture ring).
If Shake Reduction is enabled when using an older lens, you will need to manually select the closest matching focal length from the Shake Reduction (K10D) or Input Focal Length (K20D/K200D) menu. Press the Menu button, step down to Shake Reduction (K10D) or Input Focal Length (K20D/K200D) then press the right arrow. Scroll left and right to select the closest match for the focal length lens you are using. Press OK, then Menu.
Go to Custom Settings
Step down to Green button in TAv & M (K10D/K20D).
Step down to Green button in Manual (K200D)
Press the right arrow and select Tv Shift
Press OK
(This setting allows easy and accurate exposure metering using older lenses without an "A" setting on the aperture ring. When the Green button is pressed in Manual exposure mode, the lens "stops down", the camera's meter measures the light passing through the lens, and an appropriate shutter speed is automatically set based on that measurement).
Step down to Preview Method
Press the right arrow and select Optical Preview
Press OK
(This setting enables the camera to "stop down" the lens to a selected aperture when the On/Off button is rotated clocwise).
Step down to Using aperture ring
Press the right arrow and select Permitted
Press OK.
(This setting allows the camera to operate with older K-mount or S-mount lenses that do not have an “A” setting on the aperture ring).
If Shake Reduction is enabled when using an older lens, you will need to manually select the closest matching focal length from the Shake Reduction (K10D) or Input Focal Length (K20D/K200D) menu. Press the Menu button, step down to Shake Reduction (K10D) or Input Focal Length (K20D/K200D) then press the right arrow. Scroll left and right to select the closest match for the focal length lens you are using. Press OK, then Menu.
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