Thoughts Coffee Fest 2010 NJ/NY

Posted on March 11th, 2010 by gservo

The Coffee fest show was surprisingly good. If you are new to the Business of Coffee, or just a coffee lover, it’s actually a great show. One of the most interesting things was, I don’t think I had a really good cup of coffee the whole time at the show, ironic, yes?/no?. A lot of the people exhibiting were a little burned out. They were all very social though.

Anyhoo I sampled some really decent espresso and coffee goods, and saw a lot of source materials, roasters, espresso machines. There were Enough things to, basically, price out starting a cafe or Adding to one of my other ideas.
Anyhoo, I can see myself attending this event again with coffee experts along for the fun.

For me, at the end of the day, it was nice to see All the parts of the coffee food chain represented in one room. Coffee is a product with underutilized potential.

It was Fun taking photos at this event. I made the wrong lens choice again though. A fast prime lens like a 35mm or a 50mm is perfect for an event like this. Composing a shot is a little difficult if you’re trying to avoid people. The best thing to do is to incorporate them into the photographs, Adds more interest anyway.

website work is hot and steamy

Posted on March 9th, 2010 by gservo

20100220-PhotoFu0409, originally uploaded by gservo.

NOT !!!!

Nikon D90 Sample

Posted on March 9th, 2010 by gservo

Nikon D90 Sample Photo for Review, originally uploaded by Akihabara News.

Working on site, deciding weather to launch a new one

Blue drops (just Joined the Depth of Feild group on flickr )

Posted on March 5th, 2010 by gservo

Blue drops, originally uploaded by elitatt.

Something i need to work in this area
http://www.flickr.com/groups/dof/
Depth of Field – For the Technical and Artistic.

Images:

- Don’t necessarily have to be a very shallow depth of field, but there must be a clear focus point, and a clear field of de-focus.

- Photos where everything is clearly in focus won’t be allowed: this is a group to showcase the use and control of Depth of Field to acheive a particular result.

- No “faked” depth of field please! (i.e. the depth of field must be an entirely natural consequence of the aperture and not created or altered [exaggerated] in photoshop) Absolutely NO HDR.

- No photo compositions – single photos better portray good DoF.

Tap NY 2010

Posted on March 2nd, 2010 by gservo

Tap NY 09 090, originally uploaded by gservo.

Thinking about Tap New York 2010 , and the photo essay i am going to create that day Its in April (24-25) I am purchasing my on 3/3/2010 well in advance.

When is TAPSM New York?
TAPSM New York is always held the last full weekend in April. The date for 2010 is April 24 & 25.

What is TAPSM New York?
Over the years, TAPSM New York has developed into one of New York State’s largest craft beer festivals.

We’re not talking about big-corporation beer that comes out of huge vats in a 300,000 sq. ft. production plant. We’re talking about hand-made beer…. not beer that is rushed through the brewing process to get it on the shelf as quickly as possible, but beer with enough personality and genuine taste to be called “craft-brewed”. This is beer made with pride by people who truely enjoy a quality, flavorful beer.

Many of the invited brewers produce their beer for sale only in their location…. whether it is a restaurant, a brewpub or a small brewery. Others are breweries large enough to distribute on a larger scale, but maintain an excellent quality through their commitment to craft-brewing their product. You won’t find Anheuser-Busch, Coors, or Miller products here. What you will find are some truly remarkable beers that will tantalize your taste buds… beers that offer a variety of color and flavor that the big boys only dream of. You’ll find everything from pale ales and pilseners, to weisbiers, porters, stouts, and scotch ales; from hearty Bohemian and Bavarian-style lagers to glorious Belgian-style ales and, dare we say, even more.

But TAPSM New York is more than just about the beer. It’s about great food — tasty morsels that carefully complement these rich brews. And plenty of it.

It’s about education…. about beer, about home-brewing, about beer/food pairings…. it’s about cooking demonstrations from some of the best chefs in the region (and beyond)…. and it’s about good friends coming together for a weekend of good beer, good food and good times.

TAPSM New York is also a competition. Beer experts and non-experts will judge in a competition for the “Best Beer” and “Best Brewery” in New York State. Two cups are awarded on Saturday, the Matthew Vassar Cup and the F. X. Matt Memorial Cup.

Where is TAPSM New York held?
TAP New York is held at Hunter Mountain in upstate New York.

Will I need to eat before attending?
No. A big part of TAP New York is the food. There will be plenty to eat.

Simply … S p l a s h

Posted on February 27th, 2010 by gservo

Simply … S p l a s h, originally uploaded by Faisal | Photography / (OFF).

I admire this image, i like the colors and the reflection

Tasting Beer and more indoor Photo-Fu

Posted on February 24th, 2010 by gservo

My Beer Appreciation Club, the Draught Board 15, recently, met with a Representative from Samuel Adams andhad a semi tutored Beer tasting of a variety of beers at the Gaslight Brew Pub in South Orange NJ. For me, it was another chance to practice my indoor event photography. 

Unlike the last event, I used my 28-80mm 3.3. This lens  does not handle low light as well as my 35mm 1.8 lens, but allowed fir some light zooming when I could not get up and/or close.  Anyhoo, after processing the images,  I sort of realized how I could of done things  better , Exposure Compensation.

The Exposure Compensation button is an important control on the D90 or any other camera, but I really have not used it much. It is time to change that

“Hold the button and spin the rear dial. + makes the next picture you take brighter, and – makes it darker. If your photo is too dark or light, just change the setting and try again. Easy!” Right now I am reading , How to Set Exposure.

The pictures came out half way decent but could have been much better. The group, by beer club enjoyed the images and even used them on their site. It’s great to have my Pictures viewed.