City Escapes Nature Photography: June 2011

5 Stars

Full of elegant charm and friendly, helpful staff, the DoubleTree Arctic Club Hotel is a welcoming place for the traveler to Seattle. Located close to the city’s center, the Arctic Club is within easy walking distance to many restaurants, museums, and Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market. The elegantly understated interior is designed to evoke the ambiance of early 20^th century exploration and is replete with portraits of Arctic explorers, maps of the Northwest Passage, and stately chairs and tables reminiscent of the era. Just past the lobby is the Polar Bar, which perfectly exemplifies the hotel’s desire to provide luxury without taking itself too seriously. The Polar Bar, full of deep, comfortable chairs, cloth napkins and polished silver, has a drunken polar bear as its emblem.

Our room, though small, was very well appointed. Many amenities were incorporated into the room, including some that we had never before seen in a hotel room. As well as such common things as a coffee maker, hair dryer and ice bucket, we found tea, a loose tea strainer, and a French press. In addition to the large flat screen television, there was a DVD player and a stereo system complete with CD player. The writing desk was stocked with such office basics as a stapler, scotch tape, scissors, rubber bands and a calculator – no need to go to the office center. Robes and a safe awaited us in the closet, as well as a large umbrella (this is Seattle, after all).

The mini-bar was fully stocked with an array of beverages from champagne to sodas to fruit juices, and there was a basket of snacks that included an impressive array of choices. To their credit, the hotel made it clear that these items were not included in the cost of the room, but did so in an unobtrusive manner (again, their elegant understatement came through). Upon check-in, we were told that we could empty out the mini-bar to make room for anything that we might want to keep refrigerated, a welcome change from the old-style mini-bars that automatically charge you if anything inside is moved.

The bathroom was surprisingly roomy, and was designed for comfort and class. The towels were plush and thick, the bathtub jetted. A marble countertop graced the vanity, which had ample storage underneath. The bathroom door was charming, and included a frosted pane in the upper half. This proved to be one of the very few drawbacks, as it allowed light to spill into the main room (only an issue when one of us was in bed before the other).

The staff was extremely courteous and knowledgeable about the area. We were given many wonderful recommendations regarding everything from where to dine to modes of transportation to things to see and do. When they discovered that I was on a hunt for one particular item, the front desk staff took it upon themselves to call three different stores that they thought might carry it, and they checked with me upon my return to the hotel that evening to ensure that my quest had been successful. The housekeeping staff, too, was wonderfully warm, courteous and thorough; our room was kept in tip-top shape throughout our stay.

Many small details were attended to that really distinguish this hotel as a top-notch place to stay: a hand-written note welcoming us to our room, a variety of teas (not just black, but green and herbal as well), warm cookies upon our arrival. Overall, we were quite impressed with this hotel, and we would definitely stay here again.

City Escapes Nature Photography

CITY ESCAPES

Nature Photography, LLC

Newsletter

June, 2011

Digital vs. Optical Zoom – They Are Not the Same

One of the functions most sought after in cameras these days is the ability to zoom in on your subject. Personally, I use this function all the time. For me, it not only offers several different framing options, but it also acts as a sort of insurance: many of my subjects would just as soon eat me or stomp me to death as allow me to get close to them. The ability to zoom in on these subjects from a safe distance keeps me safe and them calm, both desirable traits. All zoom functions are not created equally, however, and to get the most from your camera, it is important to know the differences.

While DSLRs usually rely on lenses to achieve magnification, point-and-shoot digital cameras often have two different kinds of zoom: “optical zoom” and “digital zoom.” These two functions result in quite different qualities of image, though the average consumer is unaware of this and is often puzzled by the results of their efforts. Here is what you need to know.

“Optical zoom” uses the lenses (the optics) within the camera to achieve true image magnification. The lenses are moved in relation to one another, creating a crisp, clear magnification, while simultaneously using the full recording capacity of your camera (more on this below). This is by far the best method of achieving image magnification, and for most people, should be the only kind of zoom considered when purchasing a p & s camera.

Digital zoom is slightly more complicated, as there are now two common methods of achieving digital magnification. The most common digital zoom uses a process called interpolation. This involves enlarging the desired portion of the image to create gaps between the pixels. The camera’s computer then fills in these gaps with more pixels, estimating the proper color for the new pixels based upon the colors of the surrounding pixels. The resulting image is often slightly blurry or hazy, without crisp lines or sharp features. Detail can be lost as the image is, for lack of a better term, smudged.

The second, newer method of digital zoom has several names, depending upon the manufacturer, but is generally called something to give the impression of a higher IQ: smart zoom, intelligent zoom, etc. It is only available at a resolution below the camera’s maximum. This allows the camera to shoot the image at full resolution, then trim enough data from the perimeter to shrink the size of the image to your chosen resolution. Say you set an 8 megapixel camera to record the image at 4 megapixels. The camera will take the image at the 8 megapixel size, then cut 4 megapixels’ worth of data from around the perimeter, effectively “zooming in” on the subject. What it is actually doing is cropping the image in-camera. This has the benefit of eliminating the need to interpolate, thereby preserving the sharpness of the image. A major drawback, however, is that it simultaneously reduces the size of the image file, resulting in a lower ability to print the image at full size. This is where optical zoom really shines: you get both the clarity of no interpolation, AND full size images that can be printed at larger sizes.

If you use any kind of image manipulation software, either version of digital zoom can be achieved after taking the picture, as well. Though here, too, the results will not be as good as those achievable through optical zoom.

One should therefore use caution when using any kind of digital zoom, as there is definitely a price to be paid for it, either in image quality or file size. In many cameras, it is possible to deactivate the digital zoom, and if quality is important to you, I would highly recommend you do so. If you do not wish to disable the digital zoom, at least be aware of when you are using it. All cameras will first move through their optical zoom range before utilizing their digital zoom. Some camera models transition smoothly from optical to digital zoom, while others will move through their optical zoom range, stop, and require you to press the zoom button again to activate the digital zoom. This can be a useful feature, as it makes it clear when you are switching from true zoom to interpolative or smart zoom.

As an aside, we should emphasize that zoom capability and megapixels are not the same, and are in fact completely independent of each other. Megapixels refer to the amount of data stored in an image, while zoom capability refers to the magnification possible. Think of megapixels as the size of the windshield in your car, and zoom capability as how close to your subject you can drive. The size of your windshield remains constant regardless of the distance to your subject. Nonetheless, when you are far from your subject, it looks small in the windshield, and you see more of what surrounds it; when you are close to your subject, it looms much larger in your windshield, and more detail is visible within it. Larger megapixel ratings give you a larger windshield, while larger optical zoom ratings allow you to drive closer to your subject.

Happy shooting, and remember, for shots like this month’s featured shot, “The Cat’s Meow – Lioness,” a good zoom doubles as good insurance!

The “Get the Word Out!” Event Deadline is Approaching

Time is quickly running out to enter our “Get the Word Out!” Event. Subscribe to our newsletter and “like” us on FaceBook by June 17, 2011 to get your name put into the drawing (once for each) to win a limited edition print. But remember, we must have 75 newsletter subscribers or 100 fans on FaceBook for the event to take place, so now is the time to get your friends involved, too. Don’t miss your opportunity to win a beautiful City Escapes Nature Photography limited edition print! And, since we will only give out the print if we hit our target, make sure your friends enter as well For full Event rules, see the April, 2011 newsletter, or go to here.

June’s Fun Facts

Jodi is off on a quest to find one of her favorite large mammals this month, so we thought we’d share a little about this ungainly creature: the moose.

* The moose is the largest member of the deer family.

* A moose’s gangly legs must support a considerable weight: adults weigh between 900 and 1800 pounds.

* That funny looking flap hanging from under a moose’s chin is called a dewlap or bell.

* Baby moose, called calves, can outrun a person by the time they are five days old.

* In Europe and parts of Asia, moose are called elk. This can lead to some confusion in North America, where “elk” refers to a completely different animal.

* Moose attack more people annually than bears and wolves combined.

* Think only road vehicles collide with moose? Not so; according to federal records, an average of one moose per year is hit by an airplane!