Mark Cassino Photography - Mark's Blog

64,938. Based on the counters on my digital cameras, that’s the number of digital exposures I’ve taken in the last 3 years. Those shots are split between a Nikon CoolPix 990 (which accounts for just over 24,000) with the balance being shot on a Pentax *ist-D.

By the standards of digital photography, I’m really quite a slacker...

I often talk to folks who claim phenomenal numbers of digital shots taken in very short time periods. Heck, 65,000 shots in a four and half year period (I bought the CoolPix in the summer of 2001) works out to just one shot every 36 minutes. Well, I shot a lot of film as well, so I wasn’t entirely goofing off…

The ability to photograph freely, without worry about the cost of film and processing, and the immediacy of the results, are two of the great strengths of digital photography.

No matter what you set out to do, the more you work at it the more your learn it. Whether you are learning to play the piano, hit a baseball, sail a boat, or take photographs – practice makes perfect. Digital provides the photographer with the ability to shoot, evaluate, adjust, and re-shoot (if need be.) And that adds up to learning how to take better photos.

Some folks have argued that digital actually hurts your ability to learn photography by making it to easy to take photographs. That strikes me as a pretty odd concept. You certainly don’t hear music teachers telling their students to practice less, or athletic coaches telling players to knock off the exercise.

Apparently, the perception is that running around, willy nilly, shooting everything in sight is unconstructive, and ultimately harmful to one’s ability as a photographer. The logic is that a disciplined, studied approach to the subject is more productive.

There is a grain of truth in that logic, in that taking a serious and studied approach to anything is usually the best way to learn it. But at the same time – just doing something is useful, even if the doing is unstructured and free form. You may not make it into the NBA by shooting hoops in your driveway – but you’ll learn more about shooting baskets by doing that than by sitting on your front porch.

And while some digital photographers do run around shooting willy nilly, many don’t. Some of us only spend part of our time in chaotic abandon, and actually pay attention most of the time. Shooting a high volume of shots does not preclude a thoughtful and studied approach. Having more experience does not mean that you learn less from it.

Above all, digital frees up the imagination and makes it easier to experiment with different ideas and approaches. If they don’t work – well, you learn something and delete the image. If they do work, you just may find that you’ve discovered something worth pursuing.

The real challenge lies in evaluating and editing your work. Of those 64,938 images, how many are really worthwhile? I don’t have a count, but it would be a slight faction of them to be sure.

What the world needs now is another photo blog.

Moose Peterson has an excellent tutorial on the use of flash on his website, and there’s little that one can add to that. So, for overall information on TTL flash work, check out excellent essay.

But there is one thing that’s not covered there, and does not seem to be generally covered in books and articles about TTL flash. And that is the impact of film reflectivity on TTL systems that use "off the film" (OTF) metering…

Well, the idea is simple…

TTL (through the lens) metered flash works by cutting off the flash when the correct exposure level is achieved. Basically, the camera fires the flash and a sensor monitors how much light is put out. Once the correct amount of light has been reached, the camera shuts off the flash.

In many cameras, the sensor that monitors the amount of light put out by the flash are actually measuring the light reflected back off the film – hence the phrase, "off the film" metering. Obviously, when you reflect light off something, the degree of reflectivity makes a difference.

The image below shows a potpourri of different brands and types of films. I just raided my freezer and film bag and pulled out one of everything there… As you can see – the different film types are pretty different in color and overall darkness or lightness. In fact, when I ran a spot meter over the different types, there was over 1.5 stops worth of difference in the meter readings from the lightest to the darkest film emulsion.

Many brands of film...

Does this have an effect on the exposures gotten via TTL flash? Absolutely! I learned about this while trying to diagnose exposure problems with a roll of Kodachrome it took last summer. I was out taking insect macros and on this particular day had shot two rolls of print film, one roll of Kodachrome, and one role of Kodak Elitechrome EBX. All of the images were properly exposed, except for the roll of Kodachrome – which was consistently under exposed. Since the roll of Kodachrome was shot in the middle of the sequence, I could not figure out what change in technique or equipment settings could account for the exposure problem.

Then the question about TTL flash came to mind. When I compared the Kodachrome to the other film types, the hypothesis was confirmed. Kodachrome is a very light colored (more reflective) film. So… more light bounces off it, the TTL meter cuts out the flash that much sooner, and as a result the images were slightly under exposed.

Of course – for print film a stop or even a stop and a half of mis-exposure will not be catastrophic. But for fairly narrow latitude slide films, such exposure problems would certainly be noticeable.

I responded to this problem by just not using Kodachrome for this kind of work… I just use the film brands that I know will work with my system.

But, if I wanted to keep using Kodachrome, or found problems with other films, the answer would be to calibrate the TTL meter with a gray card, basically shooting some sample shots to confirm that the exposure is correct, and then adjust setting accordingly. I suspect that to use Kodachrome for with my technique of shooting insects, I’d need to dial in ½ to 1 stop of positive flash compensation.

Photos accompany article appearing in Michigan Birds & Natural History, (April-June 1999) v 6, no. 2:

Normal Coloration: 

Mark Cassino is a fine art and natural history photographer based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. His work runs the gamut from micro-photographs of individual snow crystals, to close ups of butterflies and birds, to landscapes depicting Michigan’s unique terrain.

Mark uses a variety of techniques to create his unique images. He works with the latest digital technology, but also utilizes medium format film cameras and toy, junk, and antique devices. His creative techniques include extreme close up photography, digital and film based infrared photography, alternative B&W processing techniques, and digital enhancement. 

Working from both a scientific and artistic perspective, Mark’s works have been exhibited in a diverse variety of venues. 

His scientific photos have been displayed in the gallery of the National Botanical Gardens in Washington, D.C., on several covers of American Entomologist, in Science World, and in numerous textbooks, calendars, and trade publications. His work has appeared on many science oriented websites, including those of the US Department of Agriculture’s Systemic Entomology Laboratory, NASA, and the popular radio series Earth and Sky. 

His fine art work has appeared in national and regional juried art shows, including  the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2011 West Michigan Area Show, sponsored by the Kalamazoo Institute of Art and the 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2014 American Landscapes national juried show sponsored by the Maryland Federation of Art. His work has also appeared in The “Rural Outdoors” and "Selected Works from the Rural Outdoors" exhibits in New York State, the 2005 All Michigan / All Media exhibit, sponsored by Ferris State University’s Rankin Art Gallery and the 2006 Krappy Kamera Contest, a national exhibit of photos taken with toy cameras, hosted by the Soho Photo Gallery in New York City. Two of his photos were accepted into the 2008 Macroworld competition, hosted by the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado. One of his pieces was also accepted into the 2008 Street Photography competition, also hosted by the Center For Fine Art Photography. 

One of Mark’s specialties is close up photos of individual snow crystals. His technique utilizes ordinary photographic equipment to capture close up images of the tiny crystals. Mark teamed with physicist Jon Nelson to write The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder which was published in October, 2009, by Chronicle books. The book was named an Outstanding Science Trade Book by National Science Teachers Association, received a Blue Ribbon award from the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, was a Junior Library Guild Selection and was included in the Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best” list for 2010.  The Story of Snow has been published in Japanese, Korean and Chinese editions. Six years after its original publication The Story of Snow continues to be a popular with kids, parents and educators.

Updated: 3/26/2015

Updated 8/21/22

2022

2022 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 49007. June 4 - September 3, 2022.

Tell Me A Story: Narrative Expressions, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093.Signature Artists group exhibit. June 24 to September 22, 2022.

Glimpses of Nature: Landscape and Close Up Photography, Pierce Creek Institute, 701 W. Cloverdale Road, Hastings, Michigan 49058. Solo exhibit of 39 photographs.

2022 Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. January 23 - February 23, 2022.

2021

COVID Reunion Show, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. Group Invitational Exhibit.June 22 - September 10, 2021

2021 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 49007. June 4 - September 5, 2021.

2021 Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. January 21 - February 20, 2021.

2020

2020 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007.

American Landscapes 2020, Maryland Federation of Art, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401. August, 2020.

Personal Landscapes, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. Group Invitational Exhibit. July 21 – September 3, 2020.

We Are the Earth/ We Are the Problem/ We Are the Solution, Kalamazoo College UpJohn Library, 150 Thompson St, Kalamazoo, MI 49006. March, 2020.

Abstracts Matter, 311 Gallery, 311 West Martin Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 March 5 - March 28, 2020.

2020 Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. January 19 - February 10, 2020.

2019

American Landscapes, 2019, Maryland Federation of Art, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401. August 22 to September 21, 2019 at the Circle Gallery, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401.

Inspired By Birds, Carnegie Center for the Arts in Three Rivers, Michigan. June 21 - September 7, 2019.

2019 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007.  May 17 - August 26, 2019.

2019 Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. January 20 - February 20, 2019.

2018

American Landscapes, 2018. Maryland Federation of Art, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401. August 23 - September 22, 2018.

2018 Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. January 21-February 17, 2018.

2017

Botanical Studies, Carnegie Center for the Arts, 107 North Main Street, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. June 18 - August 4, 2017. Solo exhibit of 18 botanical photographs. 

Signature Artists: Beyond Boundaries,  Art Center of Battle Creek, 265 E Emmett St, Battle Creek, MI 49017. June 4-24, 2017. 

2017 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007.  March 4 - May 28, 2017.

2017 Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. January 22-February 18, 2017.

2016

American Landscapes, 2016. Maryland Federation of Art, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401. August 12 - September 10, 2016. 

2016 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007.  April 8 - July 10, 2016.

2016 Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. January 24-February 20, 2016.

2015

Signature Artist Cooperative: New Work 2015, Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 203 , Kalamazoo, MI 49007.  August 28 - September 25, 2015.

American Landscapes, 2015. Maryland Federation of Art, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401.  August 14-September 13, 2015.

2015 Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan, 49093. January 25-February 25, 2015.

2014

American Landscapes, 2014. Maryland Federation of Art, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland, 21401. August 15-September 15, 2014.

Selected Photographs, Transformations Spirituality Center, 3427 Gull Road, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 49048. February-March 2014.

2013

Signature Artists Cooperative: Signature in Summertime, Holland Area Arts Council, 150 East 8th Street, Holland, Michigan, 49423. June 11-August 31, 2013.

2012

Selected Photographs, Rivers Edge Conference Center, 3030 Rocky River Road, Cleveland, Ohio. August-September 2012.

2011

2011 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI. May 7 - Junel 26, 2011.

2010

Signature Artists Cooperative: Renewal, Portage Public Library, Portage, MI.

2009

Signature Artist Cooperative: 30 years of Michigan Artisans, Downriver Council for the Arts, 20904 Northline, Taylor, MI 48180.

Midwestern Photography 2009, University of Indianapolis, Christel DeHaan Fine Art Center, Indianapolis, IN. February 23, 2009 - March 27, 2009.

2009 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI. February 28 - April 26, 2009.

2008

American Landscapes, 2008. Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, Maryland. 

Your Best Shot. foto-foto gallery, Huntinton, NY. Jurored by Constance Schwartz.

The Elements: Signature Artist Cooperative Group Exhibit. Art Center of Battle Creek, Battle Creek, MI 49017.

Macro World. Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado. 

Street Photography. Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado. 

Regional Juried Arts Competition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, MI.

Snow Crystals! Solo exhibit of 50 snow flake images. Glenn Vista Gallery, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo, MI.

The Planets: Invitational Collaborative Group Exhibit. Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, MI.

Spring Into the Arts! Battle Creek Arts and Industry Council, Battle Creek, MI. A large selection of my print were exhibited at Barrista Blue's Restaurant and the HAPPI Store.

2007

Krappy Kamera Contest IX: Soho Photo, New York, NY. 

Pinhole Camera Exhibit. Montclair Public Library, Montclair, New Jersey.

ASC Gallery: Solo exhibit of 39 prints. Ambulatory Surgery Center offices of HealthCare Midwest,Kalamazoo, MI.

DUO:Group exhibit by the Signature Artist's Cooperative. Epic Center, Kalamazoo, MI.

Snow Crystals! Solo exhibit of over 40 snow crystal prints. Piece Cedar Creek Institute, Hastings, MI.

2006

American Landscapes, 2006. Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, Maryland. Jurored by Edwin Ahlstrom. (Honorable Mention).

Fifth Annual Art Source Gallery Juried Art Exhibit, Art Source Gallery, , Boise, ID 83702.

2006 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Kilverts Hills: Twenty Two photos accompanied Lin Foulk in her premier performance of Hillary Tan's Kilvert's Hills, a composition for the French Horn. Michgan State University Hart Recital Hall, East Lansing, MI, and Western Michigan University's Dalton Recital Hall, Kalamazoo, MI.

Signature Artist Cooperative Group Exhibit, Saniwax Gallery, Kalamazoo, MI.

Kalamazoo Arts Council Art Hop, October 5, 2006: Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI.

Inspired By flowers: Invitational Mixed Media Exhibition, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, Michigan.

Kalamazoo Arts Council Art Hop, June 2, 2006: Burnham & Flower Insurance Group, Kalamazoo, MI.

Kalamazoo Arts Council Art Hop, March 3 , 2006,Kalamazoo River Watershed Council, Arcus Depot, Kalamazoo, MI.

The Bloom and the Crystal: Selected Floral and Snow Crystal Images, Transformations Spirituality Center,3427 Gull Road, Nazareth, MI.

2005

All-Michigan All-Media Exhibit. Rankin Art Gallery , Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Mi, 49307. Jurored by Boyd Quinn.

Man And Nature Photography Exhibit. Northwest Cultural Council,Kimball Hill Galleries, Rolling Meadow, Illinois, 60008. Jurored by Jeff Dionesotes.

2005 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The Rural Outdoors, Sullivan County Museum, Hurleyville, New York, 12747. Jurored by Joseph Coscia, Associate Chief Photographer, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

The Rural Outdoors: Selected Works, Mountaindale Art center Gallery, Mountaindale, NY.

New Works: Interpretive Landscapes and Nature Photography, Little Yellow Frame Shop & Gallery, Richland, MI.

Snow Crystals! Glenn Vista Gallery, Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI.

Selected Nature Photographs, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, Hastings, MI.

2004

American Landscapes, 2004. Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, Maryland. Jurored by Ross Merrill.

The Great Pollinator Partnership: Garden and Photographic Exhibits. United States Botanic Garden Conservatory,100 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington D.C..

Annual Fine Art Exhibit. Indiana Wildlife Artists, Muncie, Indiana. (Best Photograph Award.)

2004 West Michigan Area Show, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Photo Club Netanya, Natanya, Israel, April 10 - 30 2004: 49 image, one person show.

Signature Artist Cooperative Group Exhibit, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Three Rivers, MI. September, 2004

2003

Riverfest Photo Contest, Kalamazoo River Watershed Council, Kalamazoo, MI. (First Place).

Selected Nature Images, Transformations Spirituality Center,3427 Gull Road, Nazareth, MI.

The Cycle of the Seasons, 48 pieces solo exhibit. Glenn Vista Gallery, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo, MI.

2002

Inner Images Art Gallery, Kalamazoo, MI.

Mark Cassino Photography, LLC

Email

cassino@markcassino.com

Legacy Mail
Mark Cassino Photography, LLC
5047 West Main #393
Kalamazoo, MI 49009-1001

Phone
(269) 330-2334

Updated: 3/15/2015

This site is owned and operated by Mark Cassino Photography, LLC.

Terms of Use

Copyright

With the exception of banner links to third party sites and comments posted to the site blog, all content on this site is copyright (c) by Mark Cassino. All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer of Warranties / Limitation of Liability

Reasonable effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information presented in this site. However, this site is provided "as is" and without warranty of any kind and users utilize this site and its content at their own risk. Under no circumstances is Mark Cassino Photography, LLC liable for any damages, direct or indirect, that may arise out of use of this site, inability to use this site, or inaccuracy or errors in the content of this site. We assume no responsibly or liability arising from the external sites we link to or the contents therein.

Comments posted to the site blog are displayed or deleted at the discretion of the operators of this site. Users who choose to post on the site blog relinquish all rights to control such postings.

By visiting this site and utilizing the materials herein, you agree to these terms.

Privacy Policy

Cookies

This website uses a blogging / content managment system tool called b2evolution. B2evolution stores a "cookie" (a small text file stored on your computer) that contains information regarding your personal settings for this software. This information includes, among other things, your user ID and selections regarding the cosmetic appearance ("skins") used in the b2evolution. This information exists to improve the functionality of the blogging software, and is not used by this site to track personal information about visitors to this site.

Google Analytics

This site utilizes Google Analytics, a web analytics tool that helps ebsite owners understand how visitors engage with their website. Google Analytics customers can view a variety of reports about how visitors interact with their website so that they can improve it.

Like many services, Google Analytics uses first-party cookies to track visitor interactions as in our case, where they are used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We then use the information to compile reports and to help us improve our site. Google Analytics collects information anonymously. It reports website trends without identifying individual visitors. The implementation of this site has been set to anonomize ip addresses. 

Usage Tracking

In addition to Google Analytics (see above), B2Evolution logs generic information about visitors, including IP Address, bowser, referring pages, search engine queries and other information regarding the general usage of the site. This information is analyzed to evaluate the performance of the site and it's contents. This information does not reveal the name of individual users. IP information is collected and retained for 15 days and is then deleted.

Information Provided by Users

The only individual information obtained by this website is provided by users themselves. This includes information provided by users when they post on the blog or establish a user account for the site blog.

Information Sharing

Personal information is not shared with third parties, unless disclosure is mandated by legal process.

Changes and Updates

Changes to the terms of use will be posted on this page. This page was last upated on July 12, 2018.

Questions? contact cassino@markcassino.com

Updated July, 2018