Apertures Photo: Tulsa, Oklahoma - Apertures

Why Printed Photos Matter

Printing photos for children to view as they grow up is critical to keeping mental memories intact, strengthening family ties, and fostering emotional well-being, according to Dr. Kenneth Condrell, PhD and clinical psychologist who specializes in counseling families, children and teens.

“While the advent of digital cameras has resulted in people taking more pictures, fewer families are actually printing them for inclusion in photo albums or to frame for display. By exchanging photos via email and storing them on disks or computers, parents are actually jeopardizing the emotional well-being of children who need to see pictures of themselves as they grow to promote self-esteem and security,” said Dr. Condrell.

"In addition, the candid images that truly capture personalities, family members, and moments in time are becoming casualties of the digital camera’s ‘delete’ button, so entire portions of a person’s history are being erased,” he added. Today only 13 percent of digital pictures taken ever end up being archived on paper.

http://photoimagenews.com/picturesmatter/

Umbrella Soft Boxes

By PhotoGopher

Umbrella soft boxes are the “universal”, portable, easy to use option for light diffusion. A drawstring closure on the back of the soft box allows easy use with electronic flash units (speedlights, studio strobes, or monolights) since no speed ring or adaptor ring is necessary. Opening and closing the unit is as easy as opening and closing an umbrella which adds to the product’s ease of use and allows for quick setup and tear down. Assembly does vary slightly depending on the application. Most strobes or monolights are already set up to accept an umbrella, so all that is required is sliding the umbrella tube through the appropriate hole on the head and tightening it into place (as you would a photo umbrella). For use with speedlights, a bracket and either a light stand or light stick are required. A bracket allows for the speed light to be attached, the umbrella softbox to be attached, and for the entire setup to be mounted on a light stand or light stick (also known as Voice Activated Lightstand – VAL).

One of the many advantages of an umbrella softbox over a standard square softbox is that the light is allowed to bleed slightly out of the sides of the umbrella whereas softboxes that are too small for a particular application tend to concentrate light to a specific area because of the black sides. Additionally, umbrella softboxes, when used with speedlights, create a beautiful quality of light similar to that of a studio light.

So if you are looking to upgrade your quality of light, create a portable studio, or just have the best speedlight modifier for your kit, an umbrella softbox might just be the perfect fit for you.

Delkin Jellyfish

Functional Meets Funny Looking

By PhotoGopher

On a recent float trip everyone wanted to know, “What the heck is that thing?” To which I would proudly reply, “It’s a Jellyfish!” My fearless, pint-sized, orange companion and I braved the wet and the sun on an eight hour float trip and frankly, the Jellyfish fared much better than I did.

The Delkin Jellyfish is comprised of a buoyant, orange ball (with a built in bottle opener), two detachable straps (one with a regular loop and the other with a thin loop to attach a waterproof camera), and a waterproof pouch. Whether in the water or bouncing around in the bottom of the raft, my Jellyfish was easily identifiable. I had attached a set of car keys (with electronic key fob removed) to the longer loop, a waterproof camera to the camera loop, and had some cash and my ID in the waterproof pouch. Just to clarify, the waterproof pouch is not intended for holding a digital point and shoot camera. You may be able to fit a thin phone into the pouch, but it doesn’t provide room for anything that is too thick.

Throughout the course of my eight hour tour my traveling companions misplaced personal items, several bags went overboard (with car keys in them) and general panic ensued. However, my Jellyfish was always easy to spot so I always knew where my keys were and that my waterproof camera wasn’t at the bottom of the river (since waterproof cameras are waterproof but they do not float). And, at the end of the day, the cash that I had put into the waterproof pouch wasn’t even slightly moist (which was a surprise on a hot, humid day).

All in all, I give the Delkin Jellyfish 4 ½ stars. I was really impressed with the Jellyfish’s durability, functionality, and looks. I docked half a star since the plastic on the waterproof pouch seems a bit thin. The pouch functions perfectly well, but I think that thicker plastic would provide more peace of mind.