AK Photo Blog

Picture Gallery | Lytro

2011-07-21T02:00:00.000+02:00

Picture Gallery | Lytro: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

It’s all about the light: The Photographer’s Ephemeris

2010-11-20T01:05:00.000+01:00

It’s all about the light: The Photographer’s Ephemeris: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The day in pictures - Photos - USATODAY.com

2010-10-26T22:30:00.000+02:00

The day in pictures - Photos - USATODAY.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

CHDK (Canon™ Hack Development Kit) User Manual for Canon Powershot Digital Cameras at CHDK Wiki

2010-01-22T21:05:00.000+01:00

CHDK User Manual - CHDK Wiki

"Introduction To Using CHDK

What is

CHDK is a unique software application developed by enthusiasts that enables extra features for ported Canon™ Powershot™ cameras.

What can it do ?

CHDK enhances the capabilities of your camera in a non-destructive, non-permanent way. After loading CHDK, your camera will have the following extra functionality:

* Shutter-priority (Tv) exposure - via shutter value override feature
* Aperture-priority (Av) exposure - via aperture value override feature
* Shooting in RAW, with RAW Average, RAW Sum, and RAW Develop features
* DNG (Digital Negative) in camera conversion, and USB download options
* Bracketing -Tv, Av, ISO, and Focus bracketing, using scripts, or in continuous or custom timer modes
* Live histogram (RGB, blended, luminance and for each RGB channel)
* Zebra mode (a live view of over and under-exposed areas of your picture) for many cameras
* Depth-of-field (DOF)-calculator, Hyperfocal-calculator with instant Hyperfocal and Infinity focus-set, and more
* Battery indicator
* RAW and Video space-remaining gauges with custom low-limit alerts
* USB cable remote shutter release
* Motion-detection trigger - automatically fires camera on motion detection. - Ability to capture lightning strikes.
* Adjust Video quality and size (compression) adjustable while recording
* Elimination of 1 Gig video-size limit (for most DIGIC II cameras)
* Zoom during video function - for cameras without this feature
* Shutter, Aperture, and ISO Overrides
* Ultra-long shutter speeds - up to 64 seconds - and much longer for supported cameras
* Ultra-fast shutter speeds - up to 1/10,000' and higher
* High-speed Flash Sync at all speeds up to 1/64,000 second
* Custom user-editable visible Grids for framing, cropping, and alignment (not all cameras)
* File browser
* Text reader
* Calendar
* Games
* Fully customizable CHDK display, info placement, user-colors, fonts in menus, etc.
* Multi-language Interface - CHDK supports many languages
* Custom CHDK User Menu - for instant recall of up to 10 favorite functions
* Scripts execution - including intervalometer, motion detection, etc
* And many others.

How is all this possible?

Firstly, by the the skill, persistence, and generosity of the Developers, and other contributors to the CHDK project.

Secondly, in the same way that your computer hardware runs an operating system, such as Windows, Mac OS, or Linux, your Canon camera also has an operating system in it. And in the same way that your OS runs Photoshop or Zoombrowser on your computer, the OS in your camera is also able to run programs such as CHDK.

Does CHDK permanently alter the camera?

No. CHDK is simply software. Just like your computer, when the camera is turned off all the software disappears from memory until it is turned on again and CHDK is loaded again. Also like some software, there is an option to automatically start CHDK when the camera starts.

How does CHDK get on the camera?

In the same way that you install Photoshop or Zoombrowser onto your computer (by copying the software onto your hard drive,) CHDK is installed by copying the CHDK software onto the camera’s 'hard drive'...the SD flash memory card.

How does CHDK software get copied to the flash card?

You can copy software to your SD flash card using a file manager such as Windows Explorer. A card reader must be used to connect the SD flash card to your computer. Once connected, the SD flash card appears like any other hard drive on the computer. Your printer may contain a usable card reader. Card readers are fairly inexpensive, and can simplify transferring of files, although given the right file naming, files can be transferred via USB. See:- Raw Parameters, and DNG visible via USB.

Where is the CHDK software?

Visit the Wiki Downloads page to find the correct CHDK version, Here:- Downloads. There you will find directions for locating and installing the software."

Go to CHDK User Manual - CHDK Wiki for more.

Happy Halloween 2006 : The Pumpkin Cat for Cat Fans Everywhere

2006-10-30T19:58:00.001+01:00

Happy Halloween 2006
Our Pumpkin Cat for Cat Fans Everywhere

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2006.
This is our pumpkin cat, created this year for cat lovers everywhere.

Andis Kaulins and Gert Meier

2006-03-23T14:34:00.003+01:00

Our wives call this photo, "The Two Geniuses at Work"

Andis Kaulins and Gert Meier

2006-03-23T14:15:00.001+01:00

The same photo - a bit lighter.
Our wives call this photo, "The Two Geniuses at Work"
Andis Kaulins left and Gert Meier of Cologne right

Book Cover Stars Stones and Scholars

2006-03-21T16:15:00.001+01:00

JPG of Book Cover Stars Stones and Scholars for Megaliths Blog

Martha Walker, Photography, at the Megaliths

2006-03-21T15:56:00.002+01:00

Martha Walker - Photography of the Megaliths

Andis Kaulins, Golf

2006-03-21T05:42:00.002+01:00

Photo of Andis Kaulins at the Golf Course in 2004.

BloggerBot, Hello and Picasa

2005-05-18T22:15:00.003+02:00

Andis Kaulins at the Amphitheater in Trier in 2004. Photograph Copyright 2004 by Cary G. Wilson.
This was a successful test of the BloggerBot, Hello and Picasa programs.

Photo File-Sharing - Hello from Picasa added to Blogger

2004-05-22T01:30:00.000+02:00

Photo File-Sharing - Hello from Picasa added to Blogger

Blogger has a new feature, the peer-to-peer file-sharing photo program Hello from Picasa, which may turn out to be useful, we shall see.

Hello gives the user the ability to post photos to a Blogger blog through MSN Messenger by making Blogger a personal "peer" for photo sharing.

Since we have several blogs, however, it looks as if Blogger always takes the top blog alphabetically as its Photo Blog, so we have created the "AK Photo Blog" which now appears at the top of our Blogger list of blogs. We are not sure that this will work, but we will try it and report on our success.

UPDATE, May 18, 2005

Our above solution worked, but it was not necessary. Hello from Picasa has a Menu-Item "Blogger" which drops down a clickable list of our blogs, and so the appropriate blog can thus be selected as desired for the photograph to be uploaded.

AK Photo Blog

2004-05-21T21:50:00.000+02:00

AK Photo Blog Launched

AK Photo Blog Launched, 21 May 2004.