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[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] UFOs Over New York City and More!

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : October 30, 2014
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Category: Archive, Been, Columns, Going, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

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UFO’s over New York City? That’s not all!  Jersey Joe features 3 never before seen photos and videos of UFOs, including his close encounter over the Pennsylvania countryside.

THE 411

What: UFO

Stand for: Unidentified Flying Objects

Years spotted: 1998, 2012, 2013

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

I honestly have no idea what these flying crafts are, but I made sure to capture my 2 on camera.  With everyone having a smart phone now, there’s no reason not to take a quick shot when you see something out of the ordinary.  Then, you can upload it to Twitter or YouTube and share your story.  Who knows – maybe others have just seen the exact same thing!

[Images from the Id] – A little planning goes along way or it’s the Holiday Season.

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Posted by :Terry Mieger On : November 27, 2013
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Category: Images from the Id

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Images from the Id: A little planning goes along way or it’s the Holiday Season.

Jack-001

Last week, we were talking about exposure. What does that has to do with the Holidays and planning? One of the most important parts of the exposure triangle is the f-stop or aperture. Learn to use it and you will experience significant growth  in your ability to create your vision. This is why advanced photographers always set their camera mode to A for Aperture Mode or even M for Manual Mode. P or Programmed Mode can be usable but more complex. Why all this trouble? It has to do with focus. There is a property of any instrument that produces an image called Depth of Field. If there is one thing you learn to use correctly this is it. Depth of Field is the distance (or depth) of the image, foreground to background that is in focus and it must be controllable and controlled.  The smaller the aperture (Bigger number – Remember it’s a fraction and bigger denominators mean smaller numbers) mean greater depth of field. DON’T forget that. The problem with a typical point and shot camera is there is very little control of the depth of field. It drives me nuts because that is the first thing I try to do. Now my iPhone like most Smart Phones has no control because it has a huge depth of field  because its lens focal length is extremely short. It is an advantage for that type of photography.

Rules

1 – Get the camera out of Automatic and into A (Aperture) so you can select the aperture

2 – Learn to control Depth of Field with the f-stop. The greater the f-stop the greater the Depth of Field.

3 – Keep the exposure you want by observing the Exposure Triangle (Last week)

4 – Change the “normal” exposure to create your vision

 

A modern camera will select the exposure by comparing what the camera sees with a tiny computer perception of what it is. Usually this is a decent average but not necessarily what you want. Change that to get the depth of field you want then look for the expose you want.

Holiday shots can be more creative if you try some different ideas. Example, use a lower view point, kiddingly called getting down. Try a low shot of the turkey with the camera close to the bird and the family around the table. The bird will look very big and with a small aperture (big f-stop number) like f-18+ and everything in focus. This is one place where the smart phone may out do a point and shot. Now how about a picture of the turkey with the background out of focus. Hint – large aperture (small f-stop number). Get the idea? Impossible with the smart phone. This is one of the highest priorities in good photography.

 

Exposure – This is a little more difficult but learn how to override the camera’s exposure choice. Most of the time this is a button marked +/-, somewhere on the top of the camera. This is why most pros and advanced amateurs use the Manual Mode. In the Manual Mode you ca easily see the camera’s choice and adjust it to want you want. I find this is good for many situations but not for fast shooting, such as wildlife.

If you want something moody cut down on the exposure. Snow sense might need a little more exposure for white snow. Next week: So all this is interesting but who do I judge exposure or Why are those guys always looking at the back of their camera?

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Bitstrips Blues

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : November 7, 2013
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Category: Columns, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe

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me bitstripsIt’s great to be back and at my new home here on Been & Going!  It’s been a few months since we’ve chatted and we’ve got lots to blab about.  Apparently, so do many of my friends.  Have you noticed all of those personalized cartoons popping up all over your Facebook timeline?  They’re part of the new online craze – Bitstrips.  I decided to animate myself and see what all the hype is about!

bitstrips joe make comics all day

Bitstrips is a free Facebook and mobile phone application that allows anyone to design their own cartoons with them as the star.  Bitstrips calls itself “the most customizable avatar-creation tool on the Web.”

 

The company is based in Toronto,  Canada and has 10 employees.  Bitstrips went from 0 to 10 million users in 7 months.  It all started with $0 funding!

 

The main Bitstrips app avatar design menu.

The main Bitstrips app avatar design menu.

The app is extremely simple to use.  You are presented with multiple choices for body type, hair color, wrinkles; the list goes on and on.  You can even show your true feelings with an emotion.  So, if you have a sour stomach – it’s easy to tell your friends!

 

The Bitstrips app scene menu.

The Bitstrips app scene menu.

After you have your body design down, you can then need to choose a wardrobe, which is broken down into six categories.  One of the weaknesses of the app though, is that you have limited customization options on the wardrobe.  While there are tons of choices you have to start with six basic categories.  I’m usually wearing my Yankees jersey and cap and was hoping to find something similar.  I doubt they will get the rights anytime soon to use MLB logos, but at least have something generic.  I went with a hoodie and backwards baseball cap, which I again wished I could customize further.  It also seems easier to locate the additional customization options on the desktop Facebook app.  On the mobile app, I couldn’t easily find simple controls such as changing the color of a shirt.

 

After creating your character, you then choose from a predesigned scene and you can also import the image of a friend.

 

While there are many scenes and comics to choose from, here is where another limitation creeps up.  There are more than a thousand to choose from with more being added every day, but scrolling through my timeline most of my friends have already taken the best scenes.  Plus, there are very little customization options, so you are basically stuck using the same scenarios as your friends.  The more people that use this, the less unique it will become.  Each scene needs more customization options, such as adding furniture or moving your character around.

bitstrips joe time magazine

The app also gives you the option of saving your cartoon or publishing it straight to Facebook.

 

With the choice of creating a simple cartoon, a greeting card, or even just posting how you feel at the moment, you can see how this has exploded in popularity.

 

The Bitstrips website boasts 11 million unique users, 55 million shared, and 3 billion viewed!  TV networks would love to have these ratings!

 

bitstrips joe hamburger headSome of my online friends have lost their restraint however and upload cartoon after cartoon, really clogging up my Facebook wall.  Other users have taken to Twitter to express their outrage over all the hype.

 

Bitstrips launched on Facebook in December 2012, but it wasn’t until the IPhone app was released in October that the popularity skyrocketed.  It was the number one download app for both IPhone and Google last week.  The large demand has caused the app to run slow at times and the site is often down often for crashes and maintenance.  Millions of users at once will overload just about any server.

 

According to an interview with venturebeat.com, Bitstrips VP of marketing Shahan Panth says the company is exploring adding more premium content, including ads and special clothes that you can unlock for a fee.

 

He also states  “We’ll also be bringing your Bitstrips character into the real world with plush toys … the next big brand is you and your friends.”

 

But, unlike many Facebook trends – this one you can turn off.

 

Find one of the Bitstrips posts that show up on your Facebook wall.  Click on the blue arrow in the upper right hand corner of the post and select HIDE ALL FROM BITSTRIPS option.

 

Forget the old fashioned emoticons – it looks like Bitstrips is here to stay!

bitstrips joe TV scene

THE 411

 

Name: Bitstrips

 

What: cartoon pics for social media and to share with friends

 

Cost: Free

 

Website: bitstrips.com

 

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

 

It’s cool that you no longer need a pen and paper to create a cartoon of yourself and this app is super easy to use.  I’m sure it will make many school art teachers cringe, just another thing that can be done on the computer!

 

Just please control yourself and not upload a zillion cartoons at once, unless you’re in the mood to drive your friends nuts!