Feb29
So far my Japan dream tour (co-lead with Arthur Morris) has been more than I could have expected or imagined, the photography opportunities have been unbelievable good. And its hard to imagine that the tour is just past the halfway point. Look for a lot more photos and a full trip report here soon.
All content (including text, design, photos, layout, and graphics) are copyright © 2012 Robert OToole. All rights reserved.
Feb23
For the photographer more RAM equals a faster computer and when you consider the amount of performance gain a 16GB RAM offers for such a low price it is almost too good to be true.
This is the very first upgrade for my new 17-inch MacBook Pro (late 2011 version). Since this computer will serve as my main travel computer I need the maximum speed and response possible for downloading, saving, optimizing and transferring large files on a daily basis. Additional RAM can also make a huge difference in performance when running multiple programs at the same time, such as Photoshop, Lightroom, video files, web browsers, and email.
Upgrading RAM will make even bigger gains in speed if you are using solid state drives.
OWC the supplier of the RAM upgrade reports that benchmark Photoshop tests show moving from 8GB to 16GB RAM show a 42% increase in speed. With an SSD the numbers jump 52% again with 16GB RAM installed.
With 16GB and an SSD drive the numbers are 300% faster than a stock Apple machine with 8GB RAM and a standard HDD.
The Apple 8GB RAM upgrade is $200 (from the standard 4GB), the OWC 16GB RAM upgrade is only $244. 16GB of RAM for $245 is an astounding value, this same upgrade was $1600 in 2011!
I chose OWC (Other World Computing) for my RAM upgrade purchase: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/1333DDR3S16P/The OWC RAM will not void Apple’s warranty, it exceeds Apple and Intel standards, it comes with a 30 day money back guarantee, a life time advanced replacement guarantee, and OWC offers excellent customer service.
So why didn’t I just have more RAM installed when I ordered my MBP? Apple only offers a maximum of 8GB RAM on the MBP and since I was planning on upgrading to 16GB I actually ordered my machine with only 4GB of RAM.
I used Apple’s RAM upgrade support document to install the RAM modules myself : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1270#link6
The complete upgrade took about 15 minutes at the most but you will need good quality Phillips #00 Screwdriver to do the job.
OWC has RAM installation videos available on their site: http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/
The 16GB OWC RAM upgrade was easy to order and install. All 16GB was recognized by the OS on the first restart. I would not hesitate to recommend this upgrade to any 2011 MacBook Pro owner.
To find out the amount of RAM in your Mac: http://eshop.macsales.com/memory/maxram
How to identify MacBook Pro models: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4132
All content (including text, design, photos, layout, and graphics) are copyright © 2012 Robert OToole. All rights reserved.
Feb18
For a limited time I have 3 openings in a previously sold out photography tour. The tour dates are absolutely prime time for eagle photography in Alaska, Wed March 28th - Sunday April 1st, 2012, 4.5 DAYS. The workshop fee is $2999 and If you sign up now you can enjoy an add-on day for no extra charge. This add-on day of Monday April 2, 2012 is normally $550.
Nikon D700 with Sigma 100-300mm @ 170mm, 1/125 sec, f/16 ISO 800 in Manual mode, handheld.
You will photograph eagles in flight until you are too tired to lift your lens. On Robert’s tours, some group members stayed in the motel on the last day because they were too tired to photograph! You will photograph eagles in flight. Eagles perched on lichen-and moss-covered driftwood, in small spruce trees, and on rocky shores and beaches. Eagles diving. Eagles fighting. Eagles fishing. Eagles of all age classes. This will be one of the great photographic experiences of your lifetime. Snow possible. Additional likely subjects: Sea otter, harbor seal, Long-tailed Duck (aka Oldsquaw), both goldeneyes, Common and Red-breasted Merganser.
Your tour leader Robert O’Toole has more than 6 years of professional experience with both Canon and Nikon and seven solid years of experience around Homer.
Nikon D700 with Sigma 150-500mm @ 100mm, 1/1600 sec, f/7.1 ISO 500 in Manual mode, handheld.
What’s included: lots of eagles and lots of instruction. Photography will be from land and from a boat. Ground transportation from the motel to the dock. As above we cover all boat fees and boat-related expenses but for the tips. Breakfast at the motel. We may be able to pick you up at the airport to save you the cost of a cab. Note: some folks may wish to rent a vehicle so that they can photograph on their own during free and nap time. This trip will be based in Homer Alaska but our photography locations are outside of the city limits.
What’s not included: your round trip airfare from home to Homer. (Driving from Anchorage in winter is recommended only for the adventurous) The cost of your room. Meals other than breakfast.
For more information: http://www.robertotoole.com/workshop/bald-eagles/
If you snooze on this one you will lose. Because the tour date is rapidly approaching you will need to make full payment shortly after signing up to hold your spot. Please call or email Robert to check on availability: Robert at Robert OToole.com or +1.310.619.8017
All content (including text, design, photos, layout, and graphics) are copyright © 2012 Robert OToole. All rights reserved.
Feb5
Southern California this time of the year means tons of tame California Brown Pelicans, Double-crested cormorants and Brandt’s cormorants in breeding plumage, Peregrine falcons flying over head with prey, and whales, seals, and dolphins just offshore. I spent the last couple of days photographing in La Jolla in San Diego and some of the opportunities were very very good. If you have never been here you really should make some time to try it. Winter time in Southern California is the best time time of the year, the weather is beautiful, the crowds are down, and in Jan-Feb the birds are all in amazing breeding colors. The photography can be epic and staying in the area is reasonable. If you would like to attend a workshop here sometime, I will be leading a photo tour to this area in 2013, more details coming soon but let me know if you would like more information.
All content (including text, design, photos, layout, and graphics) are copyright © 2012 Robert OToole. All rights reserved.
