Dan's Camera City blog

It's time for the City Nature Challenge

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:24:34 GMT

Join us for the City Nature Challenge : A four-day global event to observe and document wildlife in our cities!

April 24 – April 27, 2026

The Lehigh Valley and its surrounding counties harbor an impressive diversity of wildlife, from migrating warblers and native wildflowers to fascinating fungi and aquatic species along our creeks and rivers.

Here's how to participate:

Get the iNaturalist app and make an account. You can join the Lehigh Valley project on iNaturalist too.
Go out – Explore on your own or join one of our scheduled photo walks. You can even make observations in your own backyard!
Find any wild thing – Plants, mammals, birds, insects, fungi, or even evidence of living organisms like tracks, scat, or nests.
Take a picture – Use your camera or the free iNaturalist app on your phone to snap photos and upload your observations.
Learn more – Watch as your observations get identified by the iNaturalist community and contribute to our understanding of local biodiversity.

All observations made in the Lehigh Valley area during the challenge dates will automatically count toward our city's total. You don't need to be an expert – all ages and experience levels are welcome!

Join a Bioblitz this weekend

You can take pictures and make observations by yourself anywhere, but it's a lot of fun to go out with a group! We've scheduled two photo walks, and the Lehigh U Bioblitz Club is running four more. Sign up and come explore with us!

with Dan's Camera City

Friday, April 24th in Allentown

Jordan Creek Bioblitz (cancelled)

Monday, April 27 in Easton

Arts Walk Bioblitz

��️ Registration link »

A guided photo walk & bioblitz at the Karl Stirner Arts Trail

When: 4:00 – 6:00pm

1235 Simon Boulevard, Easton, PA

Meeting location: Park in the Karl Stirner Arts Trail parking lot at the Silk Mill. We’ll meet up at the Black Steel Root sculpture, then cross the pedestrian bridge to the Arts Trail.

With the Lehigh BioBlitz Club

The Lehigh Bioblitz Club is running four events during the City Nature Challenge. Come out and help contribute to a community science initiative aimed at documenting local biodiversity!

Contact auc426@lehigh.edu or rak326@lehigh.edu with any questions

Friday, April 24th:

South Mountain Creek Night Bioblitz

��️ Registration Link »

WHEN: 9:00 PM to 10:30 PM

MEETING LOCATION: Flagpole in front of UC (29 Trembley Drive)

Saturday, April 25th:

South Mountain BioBlitz

��️ Registration Link »

WHEN: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

WHERE: Meet in STEPS building, Room 102 (1 W Packer Ave)

D&L BioBlitz and Trash Pickup

��️ Registration Link »

WHEN: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

MEETING: Farrington Square (1 Farrington Square, Bethlehem PA)

Sunday, April 26th

Saucon Creek Aquatic Critter Wading Adventure

��️ Registration Link »
WHEN: 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM

WHERE: Meet at STEPS (1 W Packer Ave), drive to Saucon Creek

Come out and have some fun exploring nature this weekend! No science background needed, just bring your curiosity and your smartphone. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Get outside, snap some photos, and help put the Lehigh Valley on the map for biodiversity.

Raising butterflies and raising awareness

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 19:09:16 GMT

Meet Michelle, the butterfly educator behind our photo workshops

Our longtime friend and customer Michelle Ayello has been raising butterflies for educational programs for more than 10 years! We sat down to talk with her about how she got started, what motivates her, and to take a look at some of these tiny, amazing animals up close.

Michelle's journey began at a sunflower farm, where she was photographing butterflies and bees. It was there that she noticed caterpillars and, with the farmer’s permission, brought six home. Although one caterpillar didn’t survive, five transformed into chrysalises, and one emerged as a butterfly. This experience sparked Michelle’s interest in the challenges caterpillars face, leading her to conduct extensive research. The following year, Michelle’s efforts paid off and she successfully raised over 100 monarchs.

She learned about their endangered status and felt compelled to contribute to their conservation. Her passion for butterflies expanded to include raising black swallowtails, spice bush swallowtails, zebra swallowtails, and even moths, such as the luna moth. Did you know that luna moth caterpillars move around in their cocoon to startle and scare away predators? I didn’t know that until I got to hold one of her cocoons and feel it for myself!

Michelle finds joy in observing the metamorphosis of butterflies, from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to adult butterfly. This process has deepened her connection with nature and encouraged her to spend more time outdoors. She is also dedicated to educating others about these fascinating insects. Many people have never seen a caterpillar or butterfly up close, and Michelle’s educational programs offer them a unique experience.

Michelle often works with the Wildlands Conservancy , where she provides butterflies for monarch tagging events in September. She also offers programs where participants can learn about various butterflies and moths. If you’re interested in joining her, be sure to check the Wildlands Conservancy’s website for upcoming events.

We’re so happy to be able to work with Michelle, a longtime friend of ours, to bring you our Butterfly Photo Workshops. And if photographing butterflies and caterpillars sounds interesting to you, we hope you’re able to join us!

Our next butterfly photo workshop with Michelle is on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Space is limited, learn more & get tickets now.

A Place for Wildlife at Dan's Camera City

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 21:00:33 GMT

National Wildlife Federation Certifies New Wildlife Habitat Garden at Dan's Camera City

When we decided to turn the section of land behind our store into our Urban Photo Park, we imagined all the ways we could use that space photographically. It's a great place for portraits, for outdoor workshops, and for testing out photo gear. And since birds, wildlife, and nature photography are such popular subjects we always included bird feeders, native wildflowers to attract butterflies and other pollinators, and plenty of open, undeveloped space for our wild neighbors.

This year as part of our Earth Day celebration, we decided to make it official. The Urban Photo Park at Dan's Camera City is recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat® by the National Wildlife Federation. Through the Garden for Wildlife™ program, NWF celebrates efforts like these to create gardens that support birds, butterflies, bees, and other local wildlife.

Every Certified Wildlife Habitat garden provides natural sources of food, water, cover and places to raise young and is maintained in a sustainable way that incorporates native plants, conserves water and doesn’t rely on pesticides. Designing the Photo Park to be more inviting to wildlife not only gives us great wildlife watching opportunities, it also helps us to be greener – reducing lawn to mow, cutting down on watering, and saving time in the long run.

But the real payoff is the huge variety of wildlife we get to see here every day. Right now the spring bird migration is in full swing, and we're seeing dozens of different species regularly. Rabbits, deer, raccoons, and foxes all frequent the park, passing through for food & shelter, or staying here to raise their young. And native flowers attract butterflies and bees of all shapes and sizes.

An app we love: iNaturalist

Want to certify your own garden?

For more information on NWF’s Garden for Wildlife™ movement and how to qualify to have a garden space recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, visit www.nwf.org/garden . To jump start creating your own Certified Wildlife Habitat® order native plant collections for your zip code designed to provide three season bloom at www.gardenforwildlfe.com .

Perfect Video Exposure with a Variable ND Filter

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Sat, 04 May 2024 21:02:13 GMT

Getting perfect exposure for video on a bright sunny day is easy with a variable ND filter.

When we're shooting video, we usually want smooth, cinematic looking footage. Let's take a look at how a variable neutral density filter makes it easy.

To get that smooth, cinematic look we want to keep our shutter speed at 2x the frame rate we're filming at. So if we're filming at 30 fps, our target shutter speed is 1/60 sec. But if you go outside on a bright sunny day with a 1/60 shutter speed, your footage will probably be way too bright.

To fix it, first let's turn on zebra stripes on your camera, to see exactly what our exposure looks like. Zebra Stripes is a setting that lets you see exactly where in the frame your exposure is above a certain threshold. Set that threshold at 90.

Now we just need to get the exposure down to where we want it. Dial in your variable neutral density filter until only the brightest white parts of the picture show those zebra stripes.

That's it! Now you can shoot wide open on a nice large-aperture prime lens outside on a sunny day and still get that smooth, cinematic look by keeping your shutter speed at double your frame rate.

Try it out and let us know how it goes!
If you've got questions, we're always here to help. Check out our full line of filters for photography and video the next time you're here. You might also be interested one of our classes , like Intro to Video for Photographers .

Get Ready for the Solar Eclipse

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 22:06:27 GMT

Get your cameras ready, the eclipse is almost here!

UPDATE: Friday, April 5 - We are now SOLD OUT of solar eclipse glasses. Enjoy the show, everybody!

Public places here in PA experiencing totality include:

Presque Isle State Park
Erie Bluffs state park
Public parks in Erie PA

You’d also have a good view from Buffalo and Rochester.

Be sure to check local state park posts for public parking, and be sure to arrive early. Many people will have the same idea. Traffic for eclipse tourism can be intense!

To photograph the eclipse, you need to use a solar filter on your camera lens. There’s no substitute for this! Pointing your camera directly at the sun without proper protection will damage your gear. Check out this blog post from Lens Rentals to see exactly what that damage looks like: https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2017/09/rental-camera-gear-destroyed-by-the-solar-eclipse-of-2017/

In addition to the main event, look for other unique photographic opportunities. Try photographing crescent moon shaped points of light in shadows 1 hour up to 15 minutes before totality. You can also use a kitchen strainer to project a shadow of lots of tiny crescents on the ground. Or poke hole in a sheet of cardboard. The hole acts like a pinhole camera, projecting an image of the crescent of the eclipse on the ground, and you see the same effect from the dappled light that shines through the leaves in the trees.

The quality of light during the eclipse is different than anything we normally see. As the eclipse approaches totality the light becomes very dim, but still has the quality of daylight. Shadows are distinct and colors look normal, so you might not even realize how dark its gotten until you notice that automatic street lights have turned on.

During totality the light is like twilight, but in all directions. It's almost like a 360º sunset. You'll also notice that planets and brighter stars have become visible in the sky.

The next three photos were taken by Dan's staff member Steve Miller during the 2017 eclipse in western North Carolina starting with a wide angle of the quality of light visible during an eclipse, the moments before totality, and of course totality with several red prominences visible.

1 to 2 minutes before totality look out along the horizon you may see a prominent shadow moving towards you. Also 1 to 2 minutes before totality attempt to capture the rare shadow bands that appear like the rippling quality of light on the bottom of a swimming pool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_XMnU7Ad40

These shadow bands are best observed on light colored objects without pattern.

During totality a camera lens of 400mm or longer is ideal to see bailey’s beads, the diamond ring and prominences looking like red flares emitting from the solar disk.

Be sure to capture the landscape and maybe even a portrait of those near you with a second camera body to document their emotion and the unique quality of light happening now. Consider having your phone take videos on a tripod, or if you prefer just enjoy the moment.

More Eclipse & Photography resources around the web:

If you get some images be sure to share them on our Dan’s Friends and Fans facebook group !

Let us know if you have any questions, we’re always here to help. we’ve got plenty of eclipse glasses in stock, and we even still have some of those solar filters left too!

See the Aurora Borealis in the Lehigh Valley!

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Thu, 11 May 2023 15:59:57 GMT

The "solar maximum" is letting us see the Aurora Borealis unusually far south this year. Here's how to increase your chances of seeing them here in Pennsylvania.

ALERT: Strong geomagnetic storms are possible today, October 10 , when a CME is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. During Kp8 conditions, aurora have been sighted in the USA as far south as Oregon, Nebraska and Virginia. (via spaceweather.com )

First, we need to find out when there's a good chance to see the aurora. Aurora activity is rated on the KP scale . We need at least a 5 or 6 to be able to photograph the aurora and a 7, 8 or 9 to physically see the aurora with our eyes.

Keep an eye on spaceweather.com for the geomagnetic storms that cause aurora to appear in our upper atmosphere. You'll also want to watch the 3-day forecast at https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/3-day-forecast

You can sign up for free email alerts from NOAA when there is likely to have an aurora impact Earth. This way you don't have to sit out for hours waiting for something that may or may not happen. Create a free account at https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/subscription-services and choose the following settings under "geomagnetic storm products":

WARNING: Geomagnetic K-index of 5 (G1)
ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 6 (G2)
WARNING: Geomagnetic K-index of 6 (G2)
ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 7 (G3)
WARNING: Geomagnetic K-index of 7 or greater (G3 or Greater)
ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 8 (G4)
ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 9 (G5)
WARNING: Geomagnetic Sudden Impulse expected
WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G2 Predicted
WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G3 Predicted
WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G4 or Greater Predicted

They will send you email alerts so you have at least some advance warning.

Understanding those reports for better planning

In addition to watching the KP forecast, how do you make the decision to actually sit outside and wait, without feeling like you need to sit outside for hours at a time waiting for something to happen? Here are three more numbers to look at to cut down on the wait and see guesswork.

Bt - Ideally 18 or greater for our area to see or photograph the aurora. This is a measurement of the strength of the interplanetary magnetic field.

Bz - Values of -10-30 nT or more mean there is a much better chance of sparking aurora for our area. Bz measures the polarity or orientation of the energy coming towards earth. We need the orientation to face south or negative.

Speed - Solar wind speeds. These speeds can range from 250-800 per second. Normal wind speed not during auroras are around 250-350. For our area we typically need solar winds in excess of 500 kilometers per second to see or photograph auroras.

For more info, see https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/help/the-interplanetary-magnetic-field-imf.html

Where to go

You need to be away from light pollution to see and photograph the aurora well.

Check this Dark Skies Map to find a good location »

Areas in black, blue, green, and yellow work best. The areas in the transition of yellow to orange can work but will wash out the aurora. This means most of the areas within 10 miles of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton will not work well. But you can find spots not too far away that are dark enough to let you get some good pictures.

Some great legal spots to view the aurora that are open after dark are state forests and state game lands. Keep in mind many state parks are day use areas and not open at night. Make sure you visit these places before it gets dark so you can get your bearings and know where to go. Bring a friend too!

It's helpful to observe away from light pollution and have a good clear view down to the northern horizon, which many of these areas have less light pollution and good clear northerly views. State game lands 141 north of Jim Thorpe is great for viewing, especially the open logged areas on the Broad Mountain east of Route 93. The other observing area that's a short hike in is Tank Hollow Vista in state game lands 141. Weiser state forest outside of Port Clinton, state game lands 205 north of Fogelsville, Bake Oven Knob north lookout, and Bear Rocks are accesible via short hikes on the Appalachian Trail.

Healing with a little sunshine

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 22:02:02 GMT

We recently had the opportunity to install some new art at the Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital. The work is a vibrant collage of sunflower photos, and was donated by photographer Micki Wechsler.

She created the installation to be printed and displayed on our Collagewall materials, and the result is bright and cheerful display that brings a sense of warmth to the space.

Asked about the work and her donation to the hospital, Micki writes:

"There are a number of reasons why I wanted to donate the sunflower picture to Lehigh Valley Hospital specifically to the children's hospital. Many years ago my mother was in the hospital for several weeks and there were times when I had to leave the room just to clear my mind. I will go and look at the artwork and find some momentary relief, some comfort looking at the images and it helped me go back to the situation at hand with a more relaxed feeling.

Secondly, my daughter was experiencing a very difficult pregnancy and had to be transported over to Lehigh Valley Hospital to help prevent the delivery of my grandson at 27 weeks gestation. Although he was born a month early, two weeks ago we celebrated his sixth birthday and he is a happy, active little boy thanks to the wonderful support he and his mom received at Lehigh Valley Hospital.

The third thing is that in 2020, a very dear friend of mine suffered a stroke and was in very, very critical condition. There were two nurses who sat outside his door at LVHN and watched over him endlessly to make sure that he was gently being taken care of. The love that I saw from them was some thing I will always remember and was able to share with his family, his daughters, after he passed, knowing that he was in such wonderful care as he approached the end of his life.

I have always loved sunflowers, as they turn towards the sun to grow in a strong, beautiful manner. They simply exude warmth, comfort and feelings that things will be fine as they sway gently in the light."

Top 5 reasons to take an ONLINE class with Dan's

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 20:22:09 GMT

1. Traffic? What traffic?

We get it. Our location right off Rt. 22 is easy to get to, but sometimes the traffic is more than you want to deal with. Skip the drive and join in from home.

"I was ner vous about doing this class virtually. Well, I was absolutely blown away after this class because I learned so much and I don't feel like I missed out by not sitting in the classroom. I am so excited to sign up for my next class!"

– Beth T., Emmaus, PA

2. You live where?

The Lehigh Valley is great. We've got Musikfest, we've got Yocco's, we've got MeLVin... but we can't expect everybody to live here. If you're a little (or a lot) further away, an online class can make a lot of sense. We've had people join us from Washington, Texas, and even the UK!

3. Weekend plans

Most of our classes are on Saturdays. But if you've got other plans for the weekend (we're looking at you, parents with kids who play three different sports), one of our online classes on a weeknight might be a great fit for your busy schedule.

4. Instant replay

Miss anything? Want to go back and review something we talked about in class? For an extra $5, you can get the recording of your class to watch whenever you want. You get your specific session (not a canned, pre-recorded video) including all the questions and discussion that happened during class.

"Many thanks for this online class which I am very glad that I signed up for. Being based in the UK and receiving the recordings after the live showing was useful in many ways- being able to listen to the talks again and the ability to make copious notes for future reference. I've learnt so much more about my camera and the numerous functions hidden away in the Menu!"

– Grenville S., East Dereham, Norfolk, UK

5. Better dress code

Want to come to class in your favorite comfy slippers? No problem.

Dan's offers a ton of classes and workshops year-round, and we're always looking for new ways to help people have more fun with photography. We hope to see you soon- in our classroom, online, or out on location!

Classes & Learning at Dan's »

Let's talk FILM!

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 19:01:46 GMT

Call it a comeback...

What is it about film photography? There's more interest in shooting film now than we've seen in years! This week we're also joined by special guest Matthew Blum, a phot ographer whose work is extremely analog, but also a bit digital. Join us for a fun conversation about photography, film, and how sometimes something old can make you see things in a new way!

Dec. 11: Teddy Bear Toss 2021 with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 16:09:05 GMT

The Teddy Bear Toss is back for 2021!

We're proud to announce that we're sponsoring the upcoming Teddy Bear Toss night on Saturday, December 11 at the Phantoms game at PPL Center.

Now you may be asking yourself "what the heck is teddy bear toss, and what does it have to do with hockey?" So here's the deal: Fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears to the game, and to throw them onto the ice when the home team scores its first goal. Don't worry, teddy bears will be available for sale at the game if you don't want to make a special trip to a toy store! The toys are then gathered up to be donated as Christmas presents to Valley Youth House, a local children's charity.

Watch the 2016 Teddy Bear Toss:

Over the past six seasons, Phantoms fans have donated more than 30,800 teddy bears and stuffed animals, and we can’t stop now! Dan's Camera City is a proud partner of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and we're delighted to be taking part in this charity benefit event. Hope to see you there!

About our charity: Valley Youth House

Building Foundations, Shaping Futures

Valley Youth House does more than just provide a home for Pennsylvania’s vulnerable, abused, and homeless youth. We partner with thousands of individuals each year to build a solid foundation for young people and their families. With dedicated street outreach, housing, counseling, skills training, health, prevention, and intervention services, we empower resilient young people in establishing promising futures.

Whatever the situation, Valley Youth House is here to help! As an essential, life-sustaining non-profit organization, the doors of Valley Youth House have remained open through this life-altering pandemic to help youth and families who need our services. Now more than ever, young people and families need emergency supplies, life skills training, housing, and therapeutic support.

At Valley Youth House, we are taking care of vulnerable youth and families, and as an essential life-sustaining business, our doors remain open. Now more than ever, homeless young people and families need emergency supplies, housing, and therapeutic support. Our staff are on the front lines of service delivery, and we are in need of additional resources to support our long term needs.

At Valley Youth House, we are taking care of vulnerable young people and families, as well as our dedicated staff who work with them every day. As an essential life-sustaining business, our shelters and residential sites are still open and serving youth, and we are continuing to connect with clients virtually to assure their safety and wellbeing and to provide therapeutic support and needed resources. Like many of you, we are forecasting various scenarios based on how long this pandemic will impact us. We know one thing for sure – youth and families still need our help, families still need counseling, housing and support, and there are many people like you who care for others and want to help.

At Valley Youth House, we do more than just provide a home for vulnerable, abused and homeless youth; we partner with thousands of individuals to build a solid foundation for young people and their families.

#CouchesDontCount® is meant to raise awareness for the disproportionate rate of young people experiencing homelessness that are “couch surfing”, or staying with friends or acquaintances rather than sleeping unsheltered. Some studies have suggested as high as 64% of youth experiencing homelessness are “couch surfing” as means of shelter.

The message is clear: #CouchesDontCount® as stable housing for any young person experiencing homelessness. More can and should be done to support these young people in finding resources, shelter, and transitional housing, with the ultimate goal of achieving independence & stability.

Learn more about Valley Youth House’s life changing programs and services at www.ValleyYouthHouse.org

InVision Photo Festival & Free Print Swap

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 14:17:50 GMT

InVision Photo Festival & FREE Print Swap event !

Join us for a preview of the InVision Photo Festival and find out how you can join us for a FREE print swap event! We'll be joined by Nicole from the Banana Factory, and by photographer Jason Chen, who was the juror for this year's juried exhibition and will be having a solo exhibit ion at the festival.

Get Ready for Fall Color

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 14:14:35 GMT

Tips & ideas to capture fall colors

Fall is here, and the leaves are starting to change. This week we'll talk with Phil about how to get some spectacular photos of those autumn colors. We'll talk about planning ahead, picking a location, composing a great shot, and the gear that will help you out.

Top 10 Tips to keep your digital photos SAFE & organized

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 13:52:11 GMT

Keep your photos safe and your memory cards healthy

Memory cards and hard drives fail all the time. How do you keep your photos safe and organized when you've got lots and lots of digital pictures? Join us for a for a cha t about keeping your stuff safe, the hardware you need to get it done.

IMPORTANT! - If you're having problems with your memory card and can't get your pictures, STOP doing anything with it immediately. If your photos are accidentally deleted or your card isn’t working correctly, our camera card recovery service can attempt to recover your photographs.

The Photo Show: Macro & Monarchs

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 14:51:10 GMT

Teeny Tiny Wildlife Photography!

This week we're joined by macro photographer Chris McGinnis ( @innis2winnis ), along with friends from the Wildlands Conservancy ( @wildlandspa ) to talk about where & how to photograph some very tiny wildlife, and some great opportunities around the monarch butterfly migration.

COVID-19 Update

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 20:55:47 GMT

COIVD-19 Update for late summer, 2021

The situation may keep changing, but here at Dan's we remain committed to keeping our store a healthy and happy place to be. Here's a few updates for late summer, based on the latest guidance available.

Plexiglass shields remain in place in our retail customer service areas
Curbside pickup is available! Just park in the designated pickup spot in front of the store and call us at 610-434-2313 when you arrive
If you're fully vaccinated (2 weeks after your final vaccine dose) mask are optional in our retail areas.
In our indoor classrooms, masks that cover mouth and nose are required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status

We'll keep monitoring the situation and provide more updates as things continue to change.

The Photo Show: Street Photography

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 16:44:23 GMT

Let's talk street.

This week, Scott and Phil sit down to chat about one of their favorite subjects. We'll talk about tips & techniques, favorite photographers, gear suggestions, approachin g your subjects, and the allure of the street that draws so many photographers back again and again.

The Photo Show: Posing for Family & Friends

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 16:41:29 GMT

Not sure how to pose people? Here's a good place to start.

Do your family pictures ever wind up feeling a little stiff and unnatural? This week we'll chat with portrait photographer Matt Churetta about simple ways to help the pe ople you're closest to feel more comfortable in front of the camera, for pictures that are full of personality!

The Photo Show: Backyard Wildlife Photography

spiccotti@danscamera.com (Scott Piccotti) — Sat, 08 May 2021 16:28:30 GMT

Get started with wildlife photos close to home!

This week on the Photo Show, we chat with our own Steve Miller about getting started with wildlife photography close to home. Steve's got a ton of great info for us, and the whole episode is full of amazing insights.

COVID-19 Update

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 13:08:00 GMT

You have likely heard about the Governor’s request for all non-essential retail businesses to close. At Dan’s, we are following this request. We ceased our retail operations Monday evening. This was a sudden event, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We will be monitoring the email info@danscamera.com so if you have an urgent need please reach out to us. While we do not yet know what options we may have to continue even limited service we will do our best to evaluate any requests you may have.

We are continuing our mail-order service and shipping cameras and related products ordered through our website. UPS will still be delivering during this event, and shipping will be free . If you have any gear-related questions please send us an email and we will look to connect with you. We have some staff working remotely to help you, as we realize being able to continue enjoying your hobby may be a bright spot during this situation.

These are difficult times for everyone. We appreciate your past support and look forward to returning to “normal” operations as soon as it is safe to do so. We will update you as appropriate, and please stay safe.

Stay well,

Mike Woodland

BIG things are happening at Dan's

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 17:31:00 GMT

Coming Soon: Dan’s Urban Photo Park

Since 1977 Dan’s Camera City has been a business focused on continuously improving and evolving to remain relevant to our customers and to attract future customers. We have seen our customers wanting to interact and experience their hobby in a more hands-on environment. While we have been doing this through our various education classes and marketing events, we felt the need to develop a more convenient way for customers to gain hands-on experience. We feel that now is the time to announce Phase One of creating Dan’s Urban Photo Park.

Take a peek at all of the exciting things coming to Dan’s Urban Photo Park!

Fortunately, our founder, Dan Poresky, had the forethought to purchase a section of land behind our Allentown store. We have crafted plans to develop this large outdoor space in multiple ways. After discussions with our staff, camera manufacturer representatives and trainers, landscapers, and of course, our customers we have compiled an array of ideas.

In discussions with our customers and staff, we realized the need and opportunity for us to offer more in several areas throughout our business.

When it’s finished, the Urban Photo Park will encompass over 45,000 square feet. This will be a constantly evolving project as we learn what works well, and what we can improve upon. We will be building out the plan in phases. We want to ensure we meet the variety of needs and wishes we have for the space. We do not know of any other purpose-built space such as this in the country, so we have no guide we can work from. We appreciate your following our progress, and invite you to provide feedback at any point on any aspect. Watch for our ribbon cutting in a few weeks as we wrap-up Phase One of the project.

Sign up for our newsletter for updates as we make progress on this exciting project!

Subscribe now

A last look at Martin Tower

Tue, 21 May 2019 20:37:00 GMT

Did you know that we could see Martin Tower from right here at Dan's in Allentown? On Saturday afternoon, Scott grabbed the Nikon P1000 to take a few last pictures from this view. See? It's right there.

No really. It's right there down toward the end of the road, just poking up over the trees. Here, we'll zoom in.

See it now? Just above the trees, slightly to the right of the stop sign.

And we can keep zooming in...

Ok, let's zoom all the way in , to the maximum zoom of the crazy-long lens on the Nikon P1000 .

So long, Martin Tower. Even if you were just barely visible, you were still our neighbor.

Our Easton store is moving back to Allentown

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 14:55:00 GMT

After seven wonderful years of serving you at our store near Easton, we've found that we must consolidate that location back into our Allentown store. Although business at the Easton location remains very good, the terms offered for us to renew our lease just won't work for us. After considering all our options, we made the hard decision that it's best to focus on our Allentown location - a large facility that we own, rather than rent from someone else. We’re working on plans to remodel and enhance our main Allentown store to provide you with more interactive, hands-on educational areas. I’m confident you’ll like the changes we have planned!

All of the services we offered in Easton are available in the Allentown location, with the exception of the Studio. We do plan to re-open the Studio as part of our remodeling in Allentown, but we don't have a set date for that yet. Our School Photos operations are unaffected by this change, as they have always operated fully out of Allentown.

We're transferring most of the staff from Easton as well, so you’ll still be able to deal with the same great people you’ve become accustomed to. Naturally, all gift cards and warranties you may have purchased at our Easton location will be fully honored at our Allentown store.

We're working with a couple of businesses in the Easton area, and we'll soon offer a convenient option for you to pick up your orders from them. As soon as details are set we’ll let you know!

We’re offering free shipping on all photo orders through April 30th, just use the promo code EASTON when checking out on our photo ordering website - danspictureworks.com. And even after April 30, most orders over $49 will still ship for free. We'll be contacting anyone with an order awaiting pick-up from our Easton store to arrange the best option for them.

We expect to end operations at the Easton store on February 2nd. We'll have a Customer Appreciation Sale on our last weekend, watch for more info as we get details finalized!

We appreciate everyone’s support of our Easton location, and we hope you’ll continue to choose us going forward. If you have any questions or comments please let us know.

Destination: Pennsylvania Night Sky and Milky Way Photography

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 19:38:00 GMT

Here in most parts of the Lehigh Valley, you can only see 50-200 stars in the sky and the view of our Milky Way galaxy’s galactic center is only faintly visible if you can see it at all. 80% of the US population can no longer see the Milky Way due to light pollution across the US.

So how do you get those dramatic night sky photos? You’ll need to go someplace where it’s dark. Really dark. Someplace where you can see an amazing 2000-4000 stars and the galactic center of the Milky Way is very distinct and easy to recognize. Fortunately, there are some great spots just a few hours away right here in Pennsylvania. And they’re mostly on public land in state parks, state forests, and national forests, so they’re accessible to all of us.

This map at lightpollutionmap.info is an excellent resource to find locations to photograph, as you can click and compare relative sky darkness between areas.

The grey and dark blue areas are the most desirable to see stars, planets, other galaxies like Andromeda, and the visible glowing arm of light from our own Milky Way galaxy. Many of these locations will show only very faint orange or yellow glow near the horizon, and the very best locations show almost no light pollution in long exposures. They’re so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face unless you hold it up against the stars, and any clouds appear as black holes in the sky as they receive no lighting from the ground.

Green areas will be very impressive if you haven’t seen the night sky outside of the Lehigh Valley but will show noticeable orange haze near the horizon in any long exposure photos.

Yellow and orange areas will have so much light pollution from towns and suburban homes that your photos will have very bright orange or yellow glow that extends up into the sky, distracting from the Milky Way and stars. They’re still a treat for naked eye or telescope observing!

Areas within 2½ hours of the Lehigh Valley

R.B. Winter State Park is the darkest location within 2½ hours of the Lehigh Valley, and the area along the beach is excellent for night sky photography.

High Knob overlook vista along the rural dirt road near Worlds End State Park. There’s some light pollution from Williamsport and Bloomsburg, but it’s much darker than most places in this area.

Even better areas within 3-4 hours of the Lehigh Valley

Cherry Springs State Park photography field is a true dark sky preserve. It’s the least light-polluted location that’s easily accessible in PA, roughly 3 hours from the Poconos or 4 hours from the Lehigh Valley. Photography must be done on the photography field, not the main astronomy field.

Junction Road, Cherry Springs Vista, and other vistas in this area on state land are also great locations. Make sure to park your car completely off the road. Also, be aware that rattlesnakes and animals are still active at night and they may surprise you!

Lyman Run State Park and Kettle Creek State Park are in the desirable blue or grey areas, and both parks feature lakes that offer the ability to show the reflection the Milky Way in the water. Walk around the beach or canoe launch areas to find the best composition. These parks also have lower public visitation than Cherry Springs.

Bucktail Overlook, Elk State Forest: State forest locations that are open to the public at night, and there are several great ones. Bucktail Overlook is on top of a mountain and has a much better view of the horizon and more interesting trees to use as foreground elements than Cherry Springs. It’s also nearly as dark, but it does have some light pollution along the horizon.

Cook Forest State Park: Here you can see 300 to 500-year-old old-growth hemlock and pine trees, and use them as unique foreground elements. The main campground area provided this photo. There are also areas along the Clarion River to provide a unique foreground. Cook Forest and PA’s old-growth forests are a special paradise for photographers too!

On location

Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to appreciate the stars best. That means no car headlights, phone screens, or even a car dome light. If you need a flashlight, red lights help preserve your night vision. Use a filter or a red LED flashlight.

Turn your camera’s screen brightness down to its lowest level, or you’ll have to wait longer to see the stars again after checking your composition. Learn to use the histogram instead of the screen brightness to determine if you have a good exposure.

Remember, autofocus won’t work well in the dark. Use live view to magnify a bright star or the setting moon and then switch the lens to manual focus to make sure you’ve got it sharply in focus. Play back your image and zoom in to 100% to make sure your stars are indeed in focus. Double-check your focus periodically. There’s nothing more frustrating than coming home to look at pictures on your computer and finding that they’re not sharp.

Use hand warmers rubber-banded to your lens to reduce condensation on or around front elements. Temperatures cool rapidly in rural areas and condensation is a real problem. Condensation on your lens will make for hazy images. You may need to remove your protection filter briefly to remove condensation before you reinstall it.

Plan to arrive at your location during the day, so you can plan out interesting compositions to give the Milky Way a sense of scale and majesty. This also gives you a chance to capture sunsets and the transition from day to night. And scouting your location ahead of time also allows for safer travels to and from your photography site. Getting familiar with the area means less chance of walking into something or getting lost in the dark.

When to go

Plan your trip for the new moon, otherwise that dark sky you’ve traveled so far for won’t be very dark at all! July, August, and September new moons are are great times to photograph. The bright galactic center of the Milky Way is less visible in October and doesn’t reappear until March or April (depending on how early you want to get up).

During new moon in the summer, you start photographing after around 11:00 p.m. Why so late? We have to wait until the end of “astronomical twilight” when the sun is no longer contributing any light to the sky at all. And by about 3:45 a.m. the sun starts to light up the sky in the east again. You’re only got a few hours to work with for the very best results! And that’s just for the summer. This calendar will tell you when you need to wait until for other times of the year: www.sunrisesunset.com

Ok, so what if you can’t wait for the new moon? You can still photograph during the first and last quarter, just as long as the moon hasn’t set or will not be rising for the next 45 minutes.

The Milky Way appears to travel across the sky, and its angle changes from horizontal to vertical due to our earth’s rotation and tilt. You can use the setting sun as a starting point. The Milky Way will appear this time of year in the southern sky, which means the Milky Way will be in front and above you if the setting sun is hitting your right shoulder. There are also some great apps available to help you determine its exact location.

Taking the pictures

When you pick a location, try to find a nice grove of trees, rock formations, man-made structures, or still water to anchor a wide-angle composition of the stars. Images of the stars alone are less interesting. This photo was taken at Mauch Chunk state park lake, less than 1 hour away from the Lehigh Valley, which offers a chance to reflect the Milky Way in the lake for a really stunning view.

Getting a good picture requires a bit of planning. Our goal here is to come up with an exposure that’s long enough to capture all those stars, but not so long that they start to turn into lines as they move across the sky. Fortunately, there’s a great exposure calculator out there to do the work for you. Enter your focal length, aperture, and ISO , and it will tell you where to set your shutter speed:
https://www.lonelyspeck.com/milky-way-exposure-calculator/

The ideal gear list for this project:

You want to provide the camera with as much light as possible to reduce underexposure, increasing image quality and reducing noise. Higher ISO and less underexposure produces a cleaner image than lower ISO and having to brighten it up in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Of course, if you don’t have everything on that list, the principles still remain the same. Just getting to one of these dark sites makes a huge difference, even some point & shoot cameras can capture the Milky Way with a really dark sky. If your camera has an APS -C or Micro 4/3 sensor, or if your image quality really maxes out at ISO 3200 , you can still create some amazing pictures. The one thing that’s absolutely necessary is a good solid tripod. With exposures this long, it’s vital that the camera remain absolutely still.

For more reading on this topic, here’s an excellent resource to understand exposure differences and considerations: https://www.lonelyspeck.com/how-to-find-the-best-iso-for-astrophotography-dynamic-range-and-noise/

Need to borrow some gear?

When you’ve got a special project in mind, sometimes it makes more sense to rent the gear you need than to buy specialized equipment you won’t use very often. Our rental department is here to help!

For night sky photography, we suggest these combinations:

Both of these cameras are exceptionally good setups for the Milky Way and can produce stunning images from RAW files at ISO 6400 or even 12,800. The Nikon D810 was used for the bucktail and cook forest Milky Way samples we used in this article.

We also have sturdy tripods and cable releases available to reduce shake in your images.

Getting great night sky photos takes a little work, but we promise that the results are worth it! If you have questions, feel free to get in touch or stop by and chat. And if you do make the trip get some pictures, please share your pictures with us on Facebook or Instagram!

Young Authors at Lehigh Parkway Elementary

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 19:59:00 GMT

The young authors at Lehigh Parkway Elementary School are back, putting the finishing touches on their books!

For the third year in a row, a group of third, fourth, and fifth grade students have been meeting twice a week to create their own books from start to finish. They've been busy working as writers, illustrators, editors and layout artists, and the results are looking great!

We're proud and honored to be able to support this program again. Under the guidance of their teacher Donald Stahl, we've watched these students develop ideas and create books reflecting everything from personal life experiences to imaginative fantasies, as each week they've logged into our online book creation system and brought their books to life.

We invite you to come out and support their work at Meet the Author Night on Thursday, May 10. They'll all be there signing copies of their books, and we'll be there taking pictures and showing our support. Hope to see you there!

Preserving a dance recital memory

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 14:54:00 GMT

We're always so happy when we get to help someone preserve a special moment in their life, and our Custom Frame Shop has lots of great stories to tell! We'll let Katrina talk about this one in her own words:

"This is the dance outfit from my daughter's first dance recital. I wanted to preserve this special moment, so I decided to have her whole outfit and the ticket and her photo all framed together so she has this forever. Right now it's hanging in her bedroom and she absolutely loves it. Ken did an amazing job laying the project out. I had tears in my eyes when I first saw it finished. This moment in her life will never be forgotten."
— Katrina W.

First Ken lays out all the individual pieces, pinning them down to create the perfect layout. Since glues or adhesives could damage the fabric or come loose over time, he carefully stitches everything in place using archival materials. And to protect everything from fading, we use UV protective glass.

And here's the finished piece, ready to hang!

Here at Dan's, we spend a lot of time talking about photos, but there are lots of other ways to share and preserve a memory. Stop by any time to chat about what we can create for you.

Photo Destination: The Snow Geese of Middle Creek

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 20:52:00 GMT

The Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area is an amazing place to see massive numbers of migrating snow geese and tundra swans. Located at 100 Museum Rd in Kleinfeltersville, PA, the area sees peak numbers of migrating birds in late winter and early spring. On Feb. 8, 2018, park officials counted roughly 50,000 snow geese. This place is a fantastic photo opportunity!

Considerations for getting there

This is an easy hike, it's only about a quarter mile from the parking lot to the viewing area. Plan on getting up early! You'll want to be there before sunrise, before the snow geese all leave for the day. You can also see them around sunset when they return to roost. In addition to snow geese and tundra swans, be sure to look for great blue herons, bald eagles, and various species of ducks.

A long lens is a must for birding of any kind. 400mm or more (preferably more!) is the way to go here. If you don't have anything that big yourself, don't forget to check out our rental department.

What to bring with you

You should definitely pack a good tripod. Practice panning on a moving subject to capture sharp photos of birds in flight! Make sure you've got plenty of fast memory cards. You'll likely shoot a lot of photos very quickly to make sure you get a few good ones. Be sure to bring extra batteries, and keep them in your pockets so they don't get too cold. Frozen batteries run out of power fast.

Keep yourself warm too! When the geese are there in late winter & early spring, dress in layers and be ready for cold termperatures and wind. And if you make the trip out there, please share your photos with us on Facebook or tag @danscameracity on Instagram. We'd love to see what you get!

— Scott B. is a photo equipment specialist at Dan's and an avid photographer. He's one of the most senior Dan's staff, having started at our old store on Highland Street. Scott has a BS in Wildlife Biology from Penn State University, and enjoys macro and wildlife photography.

Putting the pieces together

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 16:59:00 GMT

We restore old photos all the time, but occasionally one really stands out. This old document dating from World War I is one of them, but we'll let its owner describe it in her own words:

"I came across this document with photos of my mom's family. The original document was in pieces - worst puzzle I ever encountered. Dan’s restored a photo for me a few years ago and I was very happy with the results. I knew Dan’s could help me, and so they did. The document was in very bad shape with parts missing. They restored the document beyond words. I cannot express how happy I am with the beauty of the document - dating back to World War I. I am so very happy."

—Rosemarie

Do you have old, damaged photos or documents you'd like to display? Maybe our Photo Restoration Services can help you out.

A year-end message from Mike

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:28:00 GMT

In 1977, Dan Poresky began a journey guided by a vision of serving customers in a way that wasn't common at the time. He was intent on offering a wide selection, competitive prices, and most of all– superior customer service. Dan's focus (pun intended) was to treat every customer as unique and work with them to find the best solution. People were often surprised when Dan would suggest a new or gently used item that was well under their budget. He wasn't out to make the most dollars possible from every customer, but to build an enduring relationship built on trust and confidence.

Over the years Dan's Camera City won the Reader's Choice, Who's Who, Best of the Valley, and most every other award in the region for a camera store- not because his goal was to win awards, but because he was continually improving his offerings and he remained dedicated to providing a better buying experience. Now, here at our 40th year, I'm proud of how Dan's Camera City continues to carry on Dan Poresky's vision. "What would Dan do?" is a phrase still heard, even after his retirement over 13 years ago. He was demanding yet fair, and he invested heavily in mentoring his staff to bring out all of their talents and capabilities.

Even with all of his other tasks, Dan always was involved in the local community. Today, when he could easily spend his time in warmer climates, Dan continues to work with local organizations for the benefit of those less fortunate. He is a great example of excellent corporate citizenship, and we strive to continue that lead.

As we enter the holidays of 2017 and look forward to 2018, Kevin and I hope you realize your goals as well as Dan did. May your hard work, determination, and compassion for others lead you where you wish to be!

The Lehigh Parkway "I Am On A Bookshelf" Project needs your help!

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 17:42:00 GMT

We've talked about the fantastic "I Am On A Bookshelf" project before - the program at Lehigh Parkway Elementary that allows young authors to write, edit, illustrate and publish their very own books. We've been happy to partner with the school to produce their books for the past two years. Now they've asked us to help raise money to continue the program. We hope you'll consider making a small donation to help out.

Support the program now on GoFundMe

The Lehigh Parkway students that sign up for this wonderful program share a common dream. A dream of that euphoric moment when a first-time author gazes upon their published work in a bookstore, and proudly boasts, “I Am On A Bookshelf!” The vision of Lehigh Parkway students making that ecstatic shout was the inspiration behind this project.

To date, the I Am On A Bookshelf program has made it possible for 75 Parkway students to write, edit, illustrate and publish their very own books! They were also given the amazing opportunity to be the stars of a book signing held in their honor at Barnes & Noble. We at Dan's Camera City provide printing services so that each student participant gets their own unique book. The books are custom designed, contain an author bio, have beautiful full color pages, and even contain an individual UPC code.

Over the previous two years, the Allentown School District Foundation has supplied the funding for this initiative. We are incredibly grateful of their help and support thus far. As the program enters its third year, they are looking for financial support to continue to promote the dreams of these outstanding students. The goal is to ensure that every student participant receives a free book at the conclusion of the project. If you are able to support this effort, donations can be made out to Lehigh Parkway Elementary School through this GoFundMe set up by teacher & project coordinator Donald Stahl.

Support the program now on GoFundMe

Even a dollar or two will help them get closer to their funding goal. Every $35 in contributions helps another student in fulfilling their desire to shout, “I Am On A Bookshelf” while holding their published work for the first time. Letters of appreciation documenting your kindness will be mailed to each donor.

Thank you for any support you can give. Please share this and spread the word!

Previous posts about the "I Am On A Bookshelf" Project:

Gear Spotlight: the 5-in-1 Reflector

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 19:50:00 GMT

If you're taking portraits, formal or candid, and you think of yourself as a "natural light" photographer, the first tool we always recommend to start to take control of that light is the trusty old 5-in-1 reflector. Reflectors give you more control over harsh shadows and allow you to redirect the light you're working with. It's a simple way to take your pictures to a new level.

The Promaster ReflectaDisc 5-in-1 Plus includes a translucent, silver, gold, black and white disk. In this video, Ben shows you each part of the 5 parts, explains why you'd want to use them, and gives you a few examples to see it in action. Check it out!

We have a bunch of different sizes available, and they all pack up small and light. They're easy to use, and probably the most affordable piece of lighting gear in your kit.

Shop Online

If you want to try one out, stop by either of our stores. We've got them set up and ready to use!

Quick tips: Product Photography

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 19:50:00 GMT

We get this question all the time. People want to sell their stuff on eBay or Etsy, or they've got a collection they want to document, and they run into problems getting clean, consistent pictures. It's not easy, either. Getting the light nice and even, getting rid of shadows, and managing reflections can be tricky.

In this video, Ben shows off a gadget that helps fix all that and gives us a few tips for using it effectively. Meet the Promaster Still Life Studio:

We have three different sizes available, to accomodate whatever you need to photograph.

Shop Online

If you want to try one out, stop by either of our stores. We've got them set up and ready to use.

Bully Busters Unite!

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 17:20:00 GMT

Dan's Camera City is proud to be sponsoring "Bully Busters Unite", the Lehigh Valley Phantoms anti-bullying campaign. The program features meLVin, the Phantoms mascot, and introduces elementary-aged students (K-5th Grade) to helpful tips for dealing with situations of bullying.

If you've ever seen meLVin in action, you can imagine how much fun and energy he brings to the program! We loved seeing him interact with all the kids at Sheckler Elementary recently.

Bully Busters Unite is offered to schools located in the Lehigh Valley, and Dan's sposorship helps keep the program free of charge. For more information or to bring Bully Busters Unite to your school, school administrators and teachers can contact Phantoms Director of Public Relations Dan Fremuth at 484-273-4571 or via e-mail at dfremuth@phantomshockey.com

Photo Destination: Ricketts Glen State Park

Thu, 26 Oct 2017 17:13:00 GMT

Ricketts Glen is a Pennsylvania State Park on 13,050 acres in Luzerne, Columbia and Sullivan Counties. It's home to 500 year old old-growth trees and over 20 waterfalls. It is such a spectacular place that it was originally considered to be developed into a National Park, but because of World War II it didn't receive the necessary funding for improvements and infrastructure to support National Park status.

In the fall the park comes alive with dazzling colors, and in early summer the waterfalls are running at their peak. But it's a wonderful place to visit any time of year (although winter conditions close the falls trail to all but experienced ice climbers) .

Considerations for getting there

The park can be accessed via 309 or the PA turnpike, parking is best at the Lake Rose lot. Here's a Google Maps link to help you out .

There's a 3.5 mile glens loop that starts at the Lake Rose lot that goes onto the highland trail then onto the Glen Leigh side of the falls loop before climbing back up the mountain at Waters meet on the Ganoga Glen Side to take you back to your Car at the Lake Rose Lot, This loop allows you to see 17 of the 20+ falls within the park. The loop has over 1,000 feet of elevation change so it is a moderate to difficult hike depending on physical condition and is best done with a partner. Expect to hike for 4-8 hours depending on how often you stop to photograph and your physical condition.

Some of the largest Old Growth Hemlocks can be found near Ozone Falls and RB Ricketts and also along Boston run near the bottom of the mountain on the Evergreen trail.

Additional waterfalls are found on other parts of Red rock mountain such as on State Game Lands 13 on the following streams: Sullivan Run, Heberly Run, Lead run, Pigeon Run and Ore Run. None of these falls are easily accessible and are recommended only for experienced hikers.

Gear to bring

You'll definitely want a tripod, but make sure it's a lightweight model that you won't mind hiking with!

Lenses : Wide angle lenses wider than 24mm will help capture sweeping views of the foliage and waterfalls, and a 24-70mm type lens will give you extra versatility in the field. Macro lenses are great for close ups of moss and leaves, and summertime salamanders and insects.

Filters : Polarizer filters can help enhance fall colors or remove reflections from the water's surface, and neutral density (ND) filters will help you get longer exposure times for that classic waterfall motion blur.

This photo was taken from the same spot & same time of day as the photo at the top of this article, but without an ND filter to increase the exposure time. Look at what a difference it makes in the way the water looks!

Extras to pack : Bring a cable or remote shutter release, lots of lens cloths (or even a spare towel) for water spray from the falls, and a fast access pack such as the Mindshift Rotation Panorama series that carries a tripod, as well as snacks and jacket.

— Steve M. is a photo equipment specialist at Dan's and an avid photographer. He's got a particular skill for wildlife and landscape photography, and also enjoys riding across those landscapes on his mountain bike.

If you take the trip, don't forget to share your photos with us on Facebook or Instagram! We'd love to see what you get.

Photo Destination: Walnutport Canal Park

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 18:12:00 GMT

About a half hour north of Allentown, Walnutport Canal Park is a tiny gem of a photo location. With flat, well-maintained trails and ample parking, it’s well worth making the trip for a casual photo walk.

This picturesque park along the Delaware & Lehigh canal trail is full of small wildlife to photograph- there’s plenty of ducks, geese, squirrels and even some turtles. But at this time of year I’ve found Walnutport Canal to be one of my favorite places to take fall foliage photos. There are several very large mature trees throughout the park, and the park is full of color. Rustic bridges and split-rail fence complete the scene.

My photo tips

Gear to help you out

All of these photos were captured with the Olympus E-M1 with the 40-150mm f /2.8 lens . I find that a mirrorless camera with a single high-quality zoom lens lets me focus on making photos here without being weighed down by a lot of gear. I also always carry a Joby GorillaPod so I can easily steady my shots but not be bothered with carrying around a big tripod.

In the fall, a polarizing filter really helps make the fall colors stand out. You can also use it to cut back reflections on the water and increase contrast in your photos by darkening the sky and cutting through haze.

— Jeffrey H. is the Director of Marketing at Dan's and casual weekend photographer. He has a passion for the outdoors during the fall months and enjoys capturing as much of the colorful scenery as possible during his hikes with his family.

Photo Destination: the Elk of Northern PA

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 21:31:00 GMT

Did you know that Pennsylvania is home to the largest free-roaming elk herd in the northeastern United States? About 4 hours drive from Allentown, the herd primarily roams in Elk, Cameron, and Clinton Counties in the Pennsylvania Wilds .

The PA Wilds is an enormous 12-county region in North Central PA. It's home to the Allegheny National Forest, and is a spectacular destination for outdoor photographers. It has more public land to explore than Yellowstone National Park at over 2.1 million acres. And the fall mating season is the perfect time of year for elk viewing.

The best places to photograph are state game lands 311 at the bottom of Dewey Road and off Porcupine Road. Check this map from the PA Game Commission for info. There's small parking lot along Porcupine road (map location 22). A larger dirt parking lot is at the bottom of Dewey Road (map location 14). Other locations that require less walking from your car are the Hicks Run viewing area and the Elk Country Visitor center above the town of Benezette. Here's a map of the Elk state forest and State Game lands 311 areas closest to the town of Benezette to help choose your spot. Any large open food plots draw in elk to feed and breed and can be great places to visit during the fall. Be cautious of rattlesnakes!

The best time to go is from late September through the first week of October for peak activity due to the breeding season, but good photo opportunties are available until the end of October. Plan to photograph from sunrise until about 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. and again from 5:00 p.m. until sunset. Plan to photograph macro or landscapes during the day as the elk are not usually active unless its rainy or very overcast.

Considerations for getting there

If you plan to go, you can stay in Saint Marys, Dubois, Clearfield, Renovo and Emporium. There's also places to stay in Benezette, Medix Run, but they're likely to be reserved at this time of year. Camping Permits can be obtained for several state forest camping areas, contact either the Elk State (814-486-3353) or Moshannon (814-765-0821) Forest Offices for more details on primitive camping.
Cell service is limited to towns mentioned in places to stay and near the viewing area at Dewey road above the town of Benezette.

What to look for

You can see elk, bear, deer, bobcat, coyote and rattlesnakes, but the real stars this time of year are the elk.
There's also a lot of great hikes in the area. The Fred Woods Trail features unique boulder outcrops, Elk Trail takes you through deep woods and pretty streams with a chance to see elk in a deep forest habitat, and a drive up to Bucktail Overlook is excellent for sunrises or stargazing. Jerry Run and Johnson Run are remote areas best visted by SUV that contain 300+ year old old growth trees and very few people.

Gear to bring

Your best bet for lenses would be 400mm or longer, as its very large open country. Choose a camera that's good at high ISO and plan to shoot ISO 640 — 25,600 most of the time for the elk. Check our rental department for options to help you get great photos! You should also pack a sturdy tripod, and a polarizer for landscapes.

If you take the trip, don't forget to share your photos with us on Facebook or Instagram! We'd love to see what you get.

Photo Destination: the Eagles of Conowingo Dam

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 21:33:00 GMT

The Conowingo Hydroelectric Station on the Susquehanna River is the site of a hydroelectric generation plant that has areas open to the public. As a result of the dam stunning fish as it operates, migrating bald eagles congregate here for an easy meal. They're often found numbering several dozen to even a hundred or more! You can sometimes have eagles as little as 50 feet from you and they fish from early morning well into the afternoon.

Considerations for getting there

The dam is located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River on the Chesapeake Bay, about 5 miles south of the Pennsylvania border ( see Google Maps for details ). You'll get the best photos if you arrive within the first hour or two of daylight. The best times to go are October to February , although most years largest numbers of eagles are usually present in November or December. Call ahead for the generation schedule at the dam, as the eagles are most active on those days: 1 (888) 457-4076.

Gear to bring

You're going to want either a super-zoom compact camera like the Nikon P900 , or a DSLR with a good long telephoto lens, around 500mm is ideal. And if you don't have a lens like that, we've got you covered. Take a look at our rental department for choices like the Nikon 200-500mm or Tamron 150-600mm, or our Canon 500 f4 + 1.4 TC and 7D MK II with wimberley tripod setup. Any of our staff will be happy to help you choose the right gear for your outing.

And don't forget to bring spare batteries and lots of memory cards. It's very easy to fire off hundreds of frames while you're trying to catch the action just right. Those memory cards can fill up fast!

If you take the trip, we'd love to see your photos. Share them on our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram. Have fun!

If you take the trip, don't forget to share your photos with us on Facebook or Instagram! We'd love to see what you get.

Quick lighting for better portraits

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 21:03:00 GMT

Take a look at how Dan's staff member Kyle S. made a great portrait in less than five minutes with some super simple lighting.

Katrina, who works in our DigiPrint Lounge, happened to bring her daughter with her, and Kyle saw an opporunity for a quick little portrait session. This first photo was taken with just the available light in the store.

It's not bad, but we can do better, right? So Kyle grabbed a Promaster Light Wand to really enhance the look, letting him use light to really separate his subject from the background.

That's a lot more interesting, but we've got some dark shadows on her face that you might like to fill in. Easy enough! Just grab a 5-in-1 reflector disc and bounce a little more light in there.

And that's all there is to it! Stop by and try it out yourself, we've got everything set up for you right here.

Yes, that's it- I told you it was a really simple setup. Happy shooting!

Meet the Authors

Tue, 16 May 2017 21:05:00 GMT

See that crowd? That's just one small group of all the wonderful people that came out to support the young authors from Lehigh Parkway Elementary School last Friday at Meet the Author Night. Barnes & Noble at the Lehigh Valley Mall were fantastic hosts, and we couldn't be more proud to be a part of this program.

Everybody was busy signing autographs at their tables...

And authors read selections from their books for their adoring fans

It was great to see so many family members and friends in attendance. It feels like a celebration of everything these kids have accomplished, and we can't wait to do it all again next year.

Young authors return!

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 21:27:00 GMT

Last year, more than two dozen students at Lehigh Parkway Elementary School participated in a wonderful project to write, illustrate, and publish their own books. The program was an amazing success, and this year almost 50 young authors are hard at work again!

The basics of the project are the same as last year: getting kids involved in every step of the process and giving them a goal to work toward that's more than just a grade on a paper. But the program has expanded tremendously!

With double the number of students participating, they're using two full classrooms to accomodate everybody. Donald Stahl is joined this year by project co-leader Robin Hohe to make sure every student has enough guidance and mentorship. And at Dan's, we've been more than twice as busy getting all these books printed!

Twice each week, the students logged into our system to work on their projects, and then sent the finished books in to our lab for production. We've gotten tons of pre-orders from the students' friends & family, and our photo lab has been hard at work getting everything printed and ready to go.

And here's the whole stack of books - one from each author.

We have lots more copies ready for Meet the Author night on May 11, 6:00 to 8:00pm. That's when all the hard work pays off, where these young authors get to present their work to the public at Barnes & Noble in the Lehigh Valley Mall. A number of students will even be reading selections from their books.

Meet the Author Night is open to everyone - and when you shop at Barnes & Noble that night a portion of the proceeds go to the school. It was a fantastic event last year, we can't wait to see the turnout this time!

How good is the Nikon P900 zoom lens?

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 20:14:00 GMT

Scott B., one of our long-time staff members, spotted one of our neighbors having a nap in the back yard at the Allentown store. So he ran back inside and grabbed the Nikon P900, a great little camera with a whopping 83× zoom lens. The images he captured are nothing short of incredible. Take a look!

24mm

He's got the lens zoomed all the way out here, at the widest setting of 24mm equivalent. If you look really closely at the full size file, you can see a little spot along the fence near the tree line.

300mm

300mm is a pretty respectable telephoto, and here we've got a much clearer shot. You can definitely see the fox now. But that's nowhere near the best this camera can do.

2000mm

This is what a 2000mm equivalent looks like. Take a look back at that first photo, and it's hard to believe that this was taken from the exact same spot all the way back in our parking lot! But with that incredible lens and great image stabilization technology, the Nikon P900 lets you create amazing images like this. And if you want to try one out, we've got one available for rent too.

Now we just have to convince the foxes to take a nap where the fence isn't in the way...

Thanks for a great 2016!

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 22:29:00 GMT

2016 is winding down, and it's the season where we reflect and give thanks for all we have. At Dan's we have plenty to be thankful for- especially you, our extended family. This past year we saw even more of you capturing images and sharing memories with our photo services. Thank you for trusting Dan’s with your treasured memories.

Naturally, nothing we do would be possible without our wonderful staff. They work tirelessly to maintain our superior quality and service while we're both adding more customers and expanding into an even wider array of offerings. They all deserve more thanks than we can possibly express.

While our photo and imaging services continue to evolve, our business services are expanding as well. Thanks to our wonderful team you'll see a few new services being launched early next year. Dan's Aerial Imaging Service will allow you to capture unique points of view to showcase your property or facility. Our team is FAA licensed, insured, and ready to work with you to create truly stunning visuals. And our Corporate Décor Service is expanding to include digital signage and more options to help local businesses enhance the way they connect with their customers. And these are just a couple of the great things we’ve got in mind for the coming year!

Now as we enter 2017, I’d like to ask for a small favor. We always want to provide the best solutions for you. So as Dan's continues to grow and change, I’d like to hear your opinions! We have a lot of options to pursue, but the ones we need to explore first are the ones you feel would be most beneficial for you, our customers and friends. If you have any thoughts on how we can serve you better, I’d love it if you could send me a quick note at mike@danscamera.com . I look forward to hearing from you!

As always, all of us appreciate you choosing Dan’s Camera City. We hope you have an enjoyable end of 2016 and a wonderful 2017.

Mike Woodland
Co-owner, Dan’s Camera City

My worst pictures from Lakota Wolf Preserve

Tue, 12 Jul 2016 21:09:00 GMT

Every fall, Dan’s runs a photo expedition to Lakota Wolf Preserve. I’ve always wanted to go, and this year I got to be the instructor’s assistant! Now we always see a ton great pictures from all our students on this outing. I figured you might be tired of those, so I wanted to share my experience with a few of my worst photos.

Keep scrolling, they're not all this bad...

So here's the deal.

For the best light, we want to be at the preserve for sunrise. And that means waking up at stupid o’clock in the morning. I wasn’t quite awake yet here and my settings were all off for this photo of the bus. Let me tell you, it was dark. Chilly too. You get the idea.

By the time we passed through Martins Creek, you could just start to see the sky lighting up in the east. There was some quiet chat on the bus, but I think a lot of us were napping. The light in the front seat is Patty from Tamron going over her paperwork with a little flashlight.

It was still pretty dark when we got there but Patty, our amazing Tamron rep, is always quick to have everything ready to go. She brings a ton of Tamron lenses for everybody to use, free of charge. It’s fantastic. When you go, make sure you take advantage of this.

From the parking lot here, we took another small bus up the hill to the preserve itself. The sun was just starting to come up- time to see some wolves!

We get special access on this trip. We’re in an area where the general public doesn’t get to go, with big open holes in the fence where you can get an unobstructed view. You can see what I mean in this shot.

That’s Jim from Lakota Wolf Preserve telling us all about the animals we’re looking at. And I was expecting the wolves to be off the in trees, out in the distance.

I wasn’t expecting this.

I missed focus here. The whole picture is slightly blurry because I wasn’t prepared for this wolf to only be a couple feet away from me. So here I am crouched down with my little camera pressed right up against the fence, using a 23mm wide-angle lens instead of a telephoto. She was right on top of me. After I clicked the shutter she came toward me and sniffed a bit, and I could feel her breath on my hand. When we say you’ll get a close-up view here, this is what we’re talking about. She came over to me a few more times too. Jim said she liked me. I’ll take that compliment.

And I had that same problem over and over all day. For all the shots I have like this:

I’ve got lots more like this:

It was impossible to get a better picture of this guy. Every time I tried, he walked right up to the fence to see what I was up to. He was literally inches away from me.

It was the same story over at the fox enclosure. Mr. Fox here was perched on a log in the sun, but wandered right over next to me while I was lining up the shot.

Ok, so what did I learn here?

First, I need to watch my focus. None of these animals stay still for long, and they’re not always where you expect them to be. And I need to watch out for other stuff that will throw off my autofocus. This shot of a younger wolf would be better if the focus hadn’t locked onto the plants in front of him.

But at least I got this shot of him having a good scratch.

It’s kind of silly, but I like it.

And I also have to watch shutter speed, especially early in the morning when there’s less light. I didn’t manage to freeze the motion in this shot, and the wolf is blurry because he moved sooner than I expected.

But mostly what I learned is that i f I hadn’t gotten a single good photo, I’d still have been completely happy with the whole trip. Meeting these animals where they live and watching them interact was a fantastic experience. Standing in the middle of a pack of howling wolves is a sound you won’t ever forget. If you’re thinking about it at all, just find a way to make it happen and go.

Join us next time! Check out the current Photo Expedition Schedule »

-- Scott Piccotti is the website developer at Dan's. He's also been avid photographer for about 25 years, and occasionally manages to get out from behind his desk for fun stuff like this.

I Am On a Bookshelf - Writing & Publishing at Lehigh Parkway Elementary

Fri, 13 May 2016 18:28:00 GMT

This may look like an elementary school classroom, but for the past few months, it's actually been a bustling publishing company. Really! Take a look inside.

Under the guidance of their teacher, Donald Stahl, more than two dozen authors at Lehigh Parkway Elementary School have been hard at work. These third, fourth, and fifth-grade students experienced every step of the publishing process, from story development and illustration through editing, design, and layout.

The idea behind this project was to show the kids that there's more to writing than just completing an assignment and getting a grade. Writing is an exchange of ideas between authors and readers. And by publishing a finished hardcover copy of their story, the students gain a real sense of purpose for their work.

That last part is where Dan's comes in. Using our software and printing technology, we partnered with the school to produce these original books. Students used our online ordering system to work on their projects, so they could save their progress and log in to work on them each week.

We also loaned them Olympus cameras to help them create illustrations, and produced custom book jackets and "meet the author" signs for each book project. Those signs were important, too. Once the deadlines were met and the books were sent to Dan's for production, all that was left for the kids was to wait for their big event: Meet the Author Night at Barnes & Noble!

The authors got to show off their work to a huge crowd, greeting their fans and signing autographs. WFMZ was even there to cover the event for the news!

Later in the evening, each student had the opportunity to share their story in a reading for the audience.

We couldn't have been more pleased with how the whole project came together, and we're absolutely delighted to have been a part of it. The creativity and excitement shown by these student has been inspiring. It was wonderful to see them so proud of the work they've done, not to mention the outpouring of support they received from the community.

Treasures from the attic

Fri, 11 Mar 2016 18:06:00 GMT

Last week, a customer came to us with a photographic treasure chest! She had lots of old slides, and came to us to see what she could do with them. The subject of those old photos? Jackie Kennedy.

Making prints from old slides is something we do every day, and every so often a little piece of history shows up in our lab. We were thrilled to help her out, and the pictures came out great! The customer even commented that our prints looked much better than some old ones that she'd had made previously, which of course we were happy to hear.

These slides could have remained locked away in a closet for years. But now that she has digital images and prints, everyone can share this glimpse into American history.

What's in your attic?

An unlikely studio: LED lights for quick portraits

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 20:18:00 GMT

This is the story of a photo from an ugly location. Well not really ugly... let's just say it has "character". Because when the light is just right, a plain looking spot can turn into something special.

This is the employee entrance to Dan’s Camera City in Allentown. It’s really not much to look at. “Utilitarian” would be a good word to describe it. But one night on the way out the door, I noticed the light and the rain on the window looked interesting.

So I poked around a little bit to see if there was something usable here. Yep, there’s some potential! This looks like I could use it for a background:

Note that I’ve set my white balance to Tungsten here to keep the sky a nice deep blue.

Now the light in here is terrible, there’s just one small, gross-looking lightbulb overhead. And there’s barely enough room to turn around, let alone set up a light stand and umbrella. I needed something small. So I grabbed a Promaster Light Wand that we have on display.

This thing is sort of a softbox-on-a-stick. It’s a bank of LEDs with a handle on the end. The diffuser has a white side and an amber side. I switched it around to the amber side, since I’m using Tungsten white balance here. That keeps everything consistent.

So I’ve got my background and I’ve got my light, now I just need a model! Lucky for me it was the end of the day, and everybody was headed out that back door to go home. I grabbed Ken here and made this quick portrait.

Not too bad, huh? The whole thing took five minutes to set up and shoot, and that’s including the time to convince somebody to pose for me.

Big thanks to Ken for playing along. Ken works in our custom frame shop, say “hi” and tell him you saw his picture on the blog the next time you stop by Dan’s!

Want to learn more?

Take a look at our Lighting & Flash classes with Dan's Photo University »

Three Looks, One Light

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 21:12:00 GMT

We’re always telling people you don’t need a lot of special equipment to start working with studio lighting. But the proof is in the pudding right? So let’s take a look at how it’s done. These three photos were all taken with the same light, with the same equipment. All we have to do is move that light around, and we wind up with very different looks!

Ok, let’s start with the gear. Here’s what I used:

That’s it. This is a very small, minimal kit that gets the job done. Let’s take a look at the pictures, and if you want to read more about the gear I’ll talk about that at the end of the article.

Meet Kyle

Kyle is the newest member of the Dan’s team, and was a good sport about taking a little time to help us out with this article. Say “hi” the next time you’re at Dan’s!

Here we’ve got that umbrella a couple feet left of the camera and a bit above Kyle’s head. This is a classic look that’s sometimes called “45/45”, as in 45 degrees off center and 45 degrees above eye level. Nice, simple light with a clean look.

So let’s move that around a little and start to have a little fun.

Here I’ve brought the light around so it’s right in front of Kyle, and right at his eye level. All those shadows that define his face in the first picture have been filled in with broad, even light. This is similar to the “ring light” effect that you see in a lot of fashion photography. Now let's go the other way...

Now I’ve moved the light around the other way, so it’s all the way around to his side. Instead of smoothing things out, we’re heightened the difference between the highlights and shadows. So now we’ve got a bit more of a dramatic, edgy look. Again, this is exactly the same light and settings, all we’re doing is moving it around.

For the advanced students in the room: there's a little bit of fill light on the dark side of Kyle's face here. Where do you think that's coming from? I'll show you the answer at the end of the article!

Ok, I said “three looks”, but let’s go for the bonus round. I grabbed a friend (hi, Audra!) and had her hold the light stand up so the umbrella was directly over Kyle’s head, pointing straight down.

You wouldn’t want to run into this guy in a dark alley, right?

But then if I move the light just a little further out in front of him, I fill in some of those dark shadows a little and suddenly he’s looking much frendlier!

That was just a tiny little change in the placement of the light, and look at what a big difference it makes in the photo!

All of these pictures were taken in one corner of our “living room” here at Dan’s. There’s no studio, no special setup. Just a couple walls and a little bit of space to set up a single light. You can pack this up and use it just about anywhere.

Oh, that fill light I talked about earlier? That's a little bit of light bouncing off the wall on the right side here. You can use that to your advantage. Shoot in a corner like this, and you get a reflector for free!

About the gear

Your flash

You might already have one of these, but you need to make sure it’s going to work for what we’re doing here. The important feature to look for is manual control of the power. You need to be able to dial it from full power down to 1/16 power, manually.

Another feature to look for when you’re choosing a flash: a built-in optical trigger . When you get into using more than one light, then you don’t need a separate trigger for each flash. When one fires, it can set off the other ones too. If you’re getting into off-camera lighting, stick with flashes that have an optical trigger built in. It will save you money and hassle in the long run.

Something to trigger the flash

This part is key to using your flash off-camera. You can use a radio trigger, or you can go low-tech and use a cord that runs from your camera to the flash. In this case, for the sake of keeping things cheap and easy, I used a cord.

Radio triggers are nice because you’re not limited by the length of the wire, and there’s nothing to trip over while you’re walking around.

An umbrella

Umbrellas are a great light modifier when you’re starting out. They’re inexpensive and versatile, and they pack up small and light. They’re not the most durable thing in the world, and eventually you’ll want some other options like a softbox and beauty dish, but to start out just get yourself one flash and one umbrella. I'd start off with something like this , because I like the "convertible" type of umbrella that can be used as either reflective or shoot-through. To me, the added versatility is worth it.

An umbrella adapter, or "swivel adapter"

This is the little doohickey that lets you stick a flash and umbrella on a standard light stand. This one will work just fine.

The smallest, most inexpensive light stand I could find

In this case, I used a Promaster LS-1 . It’s a tiny little thing, but we’re not putting anything big or heavy on it. It works great for this kind of setup.

Questions? Thoughts? We're always here to help! Stop by, or get in touch!

A year-end message from Mike

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 17:52:00 GMT

Every December we stop to reflect back on the past year, and this year I’m especially proud of our staff for always making your needs and memories their first priority. The one thing that’s been constant these past many years is change - the devices we use to capture our photos, the way we share them, and the way we display them all are evolving. Keeping up with all those changes isn’t easy. Year after year, Dan’s has grown in our breadth of products and services thanks to the dedication of our staff.

While Dan’s is a small company, we’re fortunate to have the resources and partners we need not only keep up with the changes, but to be a national leader in our industry. Our new micro-stock service Lehigh Valley Art Stock is beginning to take shape. This offers local artists a venue to sell and showcase their work while allowing consumers and businesses to find superior imagery to fill their needs.

We’ve also been fortunate to experience fantastic growth in our services for schools - capturing portraits, producing yearbooks, and much more. And it’s always nice to see so many happy parents when we deliver those school pictures! New services like these (along with those that we have provided for decades) help us to keep creating better memories, and are ensuring Dan’s continued prosperity along the way.

Kevin and I are very excited and optimistic as we look ahead, we have some great things in store for 2016! We thank you for your continued support, and pledge to continue our efforts to provide the best products and services possible. We appreciate having you as part of the extended Dan’s family, and look forward to seeing you soon.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Mike Woodland, Co-owner
Dan's Camera City

Football for a Good Cause

Thu, 10 Dec 2015 18:18:00 GMT

We're honored to have been the sponsor of the Nazareth Area Middle School's Powder Puff Fundraiser football game this November! This is a great that event raises money for two organizations - The Giving Tree, which benefits families in need, and Best Buddies, which is a group of students who assist their fellow students with special needs. Dan's provided a variety of services to increase awareness of the event, and increase the amount of donations brought in.

Nazareth Powder Puff Football - Nov. 2015 from Dan's Camera City on Vimeo .

The entire event was very well run - players were evaluated in a combine, coaches used a blind results list to draft their teams, players practiced and practiced hard, the community rallied around the game and the result was an amazing evening.

For our part, we produced programs for the game and donated our drone and photo services. Food trucks were also on hand, and there were activities such as bounce house and the Dan's PhotoBooth.

All together, the event raised over $8000. Well done! We can't wait to see what they can do next year.

A 120-Year Tradition

Fri, 16 Oct 2015 16:14:00 GMT

We recently had the privilege to work on a really unique project in our custom frame shop. This story was brought to Dan's by Leslie Kingston, who needed to frame photos of the last 5 women who wore a very special wedding dress. This heirloom dress has been in the family for 120 years, first worn in 1895. We worked to create a design that complemented another frame that holds the photos of the first 6 women to wear the dress.

The reason for working on this project now? Leslie's daughter Abigail will be wearing her great-great-grandmother's dress for her wedding cocktail hour on October 17th in Bucks County PA, where the framed photos of all 11 women who wore the dress will be displayed. Congratulations Abigail! And thank you Leslie for allowing us to help you celebrate your family tradition.

The story of the dress has recently been featured on several news websites, including Lehigh Valley Live . And we hear they'll also be featured on television - watch for the story on Good Morning America soon!

Team Carly Rocks!

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 15:45:00 GMT

Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending a very special fundraising event. For the fourth year in a row, 10-year-old Carly Lenett led a swim to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. Carly has already raised over $25,000 this year alone!

We were set up with our capture and print service - a portable photo studio where we print portraits on the spot in just a few minutes. We met some amazing people, and everyone had a great time and enjoyed their free portraits!

Of course, there was a lot of other stuff going on too! An art teacher dontated his time to draw caricatures...

But the highlight of the day was Carly's swim. With U.S. Olympian Kristy Kowal swimming by her side, Carly swam over 2 miles in 75 minutes.

We're so happy that our donation could help with this amazing, inspiring event. But there's still work to be done. Check out Carly's team page and join her for the 2015 Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes on Saturday, October 10 at IronPigs Stadium.

2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Fri, 03 Apr 2015 19:54:00 GMT

Our 2nd annual Easter Egg Hunt was a huge success! On Friday, April 3, lots and lots of you came out to participate, making this event even bigger and better than last year.

Despite the forecast, the weather held out and we didn't get rained on - and it didn't dampen anyone's spirits either! The turnout was amazing. We had a ton of fun, and we hope you did too.

Dan's co-owner Mike has a few words before we get started.

Meanwhile, the crowd was eagerly awaiting the signal to start.

And they're off!

We had over three thousand eggs on the field!

Each egg contains a candy treat - and some contain special prizes!

Treasures at the prize table

Thanks again to everybody who came out. See you again next year!

Don't miss the 2016 Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, March 25!

3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt »

More work from Dan's in the home of the Phantoms

Fri, 27 Mar 2015 20:54:00 GMT

It’s been a while since we shared some of the work that we’ve been doing at PPL Center in Allentown, but we’ve had a lot of projects going on over there! Steve and Mark were heading down to install a new mural last week, so I tagged along to grab a few photos. Let’s take a look…

Right now, it’s a big blank wall. We’ll take care of that! Melvin, the Phantoms mascot over there on the left, will be surpervising the work.

This is going to take a while, so let’s take a look around and come back later.

Right here in the same lobby there are signs everywhere, and lots of them were printed and installed by Dan’s.

The day we were there, they were getting ready for the Monster Truck Jam. That means covering up the ice and filling the whole arena with dirt!

And out here in the arena are more signs printed and installed by Dan’s. You don’t even want to know what it was like getting these two hung up there. This isn’t a great job for people who are afraid of heights.

The hallways are full of pictures of Phantoms team members and other events that take place at the arena. Every one of these was printed, framed, and installed by Dan’s Camera City.

Out at the box office you can see more of our work. We supplied and installed these individually cut letters to create the three-dimentional signage shown here.

And through the doors into the lobby? You guessed it, even more signs…

This really is a nice looking place, isn’t it? If you’ve never been there, it’s even more impressive in person.

For the Guest Services desk, we produced adhesive graphics on a shiny aluminum material.

Continuing down the hall, we produced and installed cut vinyl graphics for this overhead sign.

And over at Crust restaurant, we’ve provided a whole lot of art and signage, including framed photos on the walls, a cling graphic featuring the Crust logo in the dining area, and a huge mural outside the entrance to the restaurant.

Speaking of murals, let’s go back and check on how Steve and Mark are doing…

Yep, they’re finishing up and that blank wall is now covered in amazing artwork. Really livens up the place, don’t you think?

There’s always more going on down at PPL Center, keep watching for our next update!

Meet Dan's Staff: Sam Ferrara

Tue, 17 Mar 2015 18:20:00 GMT

This winter, Dan's staff member Sam Ferrara spent a little time getting some amazing photos on the other side of the world. He mostly works behind the scenes here at Dan's, so we wanted to take some time to chat with him and show off some of his pictures. Take a look!

O'Neill's Bay, Bethells Beach, on the Tasman Sea

Hi, Sam. Tell us a little about what you do at Dan’s.

Hi, Scott. I’m the employee behind the scenes at Dan’s who interacts with, manages, and fixes anything that turns on or makes a beep. From kiosks and workstations to servers and networks, and anything in between. I’ve implemented a fully virtualized server infrastructure with over 50 terabytes of storage across more than a dozen servers between both Dan’s locations.

I also have a role as our Camera Card Recovery specialist. We offer a service at Dan’s Camera City – recovering images and videos from corrupted or seemingly unusable memory cards. We have a very high success rate recovering lost images from all sorts of media including SD cards, USB sticks, and others.

And how long have you been interested in photography?

It’s only been a couple of years. I began my photographic journey with macro photography using a Canon Rebel and some older manual-focus lenses. Seeing the smallest things enlarged to such a degree was fascinating, but there’s only so many times I could take pictures of flowers. When I tried to move on to insects I realized that I’m terrified of them, so I moved on to different kinds of photography altogether. Since then I’ve dabbled in portraiture, event photography, aviation photography, and product photography, but I think my absolute favorite has been landscape and aerial photography.

So you recently took a month-long trip to New Zealand…

Yes, I did. And I still miss being there.

What attracted you to that destination?

I’ve wanted to visit New Zealand ever since December, 2001. Looking back, that’s when Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released. I’d never seen images of New Zealand and knew little of this amazing place until I saw it on the silver screen. Ever since those movies I’ve been determined to make it there somehow. New Zealand is often described as a photographer’s paradise. I’ve been told that you can’t take a bad picture in New Zealand – point your camera in any direction and magic seems to happen. And frankly, it’s true.

Eroded Rock at Takapuna Beach, Auckland

Obviously, photography was a big part of your trip. What kinds of pictures were you hoping to get, and how did you prepare?

I planned my trip around two major events. The first was a 14-day Lord of the Rings tour of ALL filming locations in New Zealand with Red Carpet Tours , and the second was a private helicopter flight over the Southern Alps in Fiordland National Park on New Zealand’s South Island. My main goal was to capture epic New Zealand landscapes. Going on the tour really helped – I was granted access to locations on private property and to places I wouldn’t have gotten to visit otherwise.

All the Comforts of Home - Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata

I prepared by revisiting all six Peter Jackson movies. I studied the on-location shots as if I was taking an exam. I watched all of their behind-the-scenes videos probably thousands of times. I consumed every documentary on New Zealand that I could find. I started reading digital New Zealand newspapers, visiting New Zealand websites, and signing up for NZ’s national weather service alerts, MetService . I learned more about videography, landscape photography, and aerial photography in the process.

Tell us a little about how you packed for the trip. What kind of gear did you take?

I can safely say now, after being back from this trip and unpacking, that I over-packed. I took close to 50 lbs. of gear with me. I had the largest backpack that Lowepro makes stuffed to capacity, and a giant 5.11 Tactical Overseas bag also packed full.

My main camera was a Canon 5D III with the new 2014 Canon 16-35mm f /4L IS USM lens and a 77mm Heliopan circular polarizer. I had a Canon T5i for video and as a backup body. I used the Canon 28-300mm f /4.5-5.6L IS USM lens and a 18-55mm f /3.5-5.6 STM lens on the T5i.

I also brought two GoPro video cameras with me, the GoPro Hero3+ Black (which was the best available at that point) and I pre-ordered a GoPro Hero4 Black. I must have had 20 different mounts for them, from over-the-shoulder backpack mounts to a custom made mount for the helicopter I’d be flying in to weather-sealed time-lapse enclosures and even an IKEA egg-timer as a time-lapse panning device.

You weren’t kidding, that’s a whole lot of stuff! With all that planning and preparation, did New Zealand live up to your expectations?

We toured the entire country starting with the largest city, and there are not enough descriptive words to tell you how well it lived up to my expectations. There wasn’t anything I did or any place that I went that was a let-down. Since I went in the middle of their summer, we had near-perfect weather. Our tour group had a hobbit habit of saying, “today was amazing. It can’t get any better than this”, and yet each day outdid the last.

I was able to take my time at each location thanks to our gracious tour guides. I took exposure-bracketed shots for HDR and composite photos the whole time. I found settings that worked; programmed them, and let the camera do the work.

Rushing waters of Lake Erskine, Fiordland National Park

Were there any photos that were particularly challenging?

The most challenging photo I took was an epic selfie. My pilot Dave and I had flown up to an area within Fiordland at the base of Mount Earnslaw called ‘Earnslaw Burn’. It’s one of the most famous spots in Fiordland because it features over 50 cascading waterfalls. It was featured in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey showing the company of Dwarves riding their horses behind the largest waterfall at the Burn. I wanted to go there for that reason alone. I knew that I wanted a picture of myself at that waterfall. We arrived at the spot, I set up my camera, and told Dave how to operate it and what the signal would be to take the shot when I was ready.

What I didn’t see in the film was that this rushing, falling water actually has to go somewhere and creates a labyrinth of streams and little rivers – some of which are nearly 20-30 feet across. I spent 30 minutes trying to find a way across by either hopping on stones or taking a far leap – but couldn’t find a way. I almost gave up, but I realized that I may never get another chance at this picture, I may only be here once. So, #YOLO – I stripped off all of my excess camera gear, and just hopped right into the frigid glacier runoff. By the time I got to the waterfall itself, I was drenched from head to toe – from the river as well as the waterfall spray – but I got the shot.

Best. Selfie. Ever.

Wait, your pilot? As in your very own flight? How did that work out?

I’d never flown in a helicopter before going to New Zealand, but I knew it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to take pictures from the air, but most helicopter companies only did short 30-60 minute tours with one landing. I wanted a more tailored experience. I booked three hours in the air, and Heliworks Queenstown offered to remove the doors for the whole flight as a courtesy to me, so I wouldn’t have to shoot through a door or a window. It was only me and Dave the entire time.

Shooting from the helicopter was different and challenging. While I had been shooting 5-shot composites my whole trip with high f-stops and long shutter speeds, I had to quicken my shutter speed to 1/1000s – 1/1250s to be sure nothing was blurred, and shoot on burst mode – otherwise I’d risk only taking one shot and possibly having a helicopter rotor blade ruin the shot. More shots meant a better chance of a clear picture.

This flight was the absolute HIGHLIGHT of my trip. It was both the scariest and most calming adventure I have ever been on. We initially departed the helipad at 6:30am and arrived back at 4:30pm. I was able to spend as much time as I wanted at over 10 different landings we made that day.

We went straight up above the clouds, and up to a permafrost glacier where we landed after a 30 minute flight. There was zero wind at the top. Dave informed me that usual tour groups that land at this spot can’t stay for more than 5-10 minutes before the wind and cold gets the better of them. We stayed for close to 45 minutes in this one spot looking over the clouds at distant mountain peaks.

That sounds amazing! But you were there for a whole month, were there any other memorable highlights from your trip?

One of the most memorable moments I had was on the Interislander Ferry we took across the Cook Strait between the two main islands. I’d contacted the Interislander Ferry Company a few months before my trip to see if I could do some personal video recording while on the vessel, and perhaps attach a GoPro or two on the ship for an over-the-sea time-lapse, and they agreed. I met with the Deck Captain, Sami, who led me to the top of the ship and allowed me to attach my weather-sealed time-lapse enclosure to the bow. I used a railing and almost a quarter roll of gaffer’s tape.

After 30 minutes into our three-hour journey across the sea, the wind picked up. They closed off the observation decks, and told everyone to hold on. Sami told me that no one, not even he, was allowed out on the decks at that point. We’d have to wait until we were closer to land before we could check on my camera. I overheard the outside wind speed: 140km/h (ed. note: about 87mph) . I figured my GoPro was lost, gone, floundering at the bottom of the Strait. Eventually the wind wound down enough for Sami and I to check for my GoPro. We went up to the top deck, and had to CHARGE head-on into the wind, as if we were climbing up a hill. To our amazement, the GoPro had held through the storm. It was still recording when we made shore, and I captured it all.

The whole trip sounds like an incredible experience. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us! I have one more question that I think a lot of our readers deal with after a vacation: now that you've got these great pictures, what do you actually do with them all?

One of the first things I realized that I wanted to do since coming back was to create a website showcasing my best photos and videos. I experimented with 500px, Flickr, and Smaugmug, but ultimately decided to host and run my own website which I could tailor to my needs. The result is One Lidless Eye .

Before I could even start working on a website I needed to be sure that I had backup copies of my original files. I shot my images on large 32-64GB SD and Compact Flash cards, and transferred them over to external hard drives each night. When I came home I made copies to my home RAID device, to a backup drive, and a third copy of my images kept on a drive here at Dan's.

Since coming back, I've been showing my coworkers various images from my trip. The initial impressions of my work have been truly humbling. One of our staff members made a 14×20 Gallery Wrap Canvas from one of my images through our lab, and it now hangs where I'm sure it'll get noticed.

I'd like to take a lot of the credit for my work, but the real star is New Zealand. I've already begun planning my trip back in 2016 to revisit a lot of the same locations, but also a ton that I missed. In the meantime, I'm planning on a series of trips to Switzerland, Northern Italy, and possibly Austria to visit the Swiss Alps and the Italian Dolomites. This trip has been my first exposure to larger-than-life, epic landscapes, and I plan to visit many, many more.

Mount Aspiring - tallest peak in Fiordland; the Matterhorn of the South

You can see more of Sam’s photos from his trip on his website, One Lidless Eye .

Beautiful photos are good medicine at Sacred Heart

Mon, 23 Feb 2015 20:26:00 GMT

We recently had the pleasure to help Sacred Heart Hospital as they renovated a floor of patient rooms. To create a more pleasant, welcoming atmosphere, Sacred Heart selected artistic photos taken by a local physician to decorate patient rooms & public areas. For printing, framing, and installation services, they turned to Dan's Camera City.

We produced 39 fine art prints on cotton paper, which we dry-mounted and framed to compliment the new décor. To eliminate the potential for broken glass in patient care areas, we used conservation acrylic instead of glass in the frames. We also framed three original oil paintings that were donated to the hospital. The whole project was completed and installed in less than two weeks to meet the hospital's deadline.

Whether you want to decorate a single wall in your home or a large area of your business, Dan's has services to help make your project a success. Call us today for a no-obligation quote on your project: 610-434-2313

A plan to make prints

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 16:39:00 GMT

There's a lot of things we know we should do, or that we'd like to do, but life always seems to get in the way. Somehow we just never seem to get around to it. Now, if you've been following along, you know that we're taking a look at how to make sure our digital pictures will still be around in the future. Last time we talked about how making prints is the simplest way to get started. (If you haven’t read the blog post yet, you can check it out here to catch up)

We asked for your thoughts, and we got some great responses! This one is one of my favorites:

This Christmas, my son was amazed at the pictures his great-grandmother has on her family room wall – she has wonderful old photos of family members. And it was so amusing to tell him that no, that isn’t daddy, but his daddy’s dad or even his grandpa’s dad (they all look so much the same)!

But no, I don’t print regularly. For me, it’s mostly time. I fell behind when my son was a baby, and now catching up is so overwhelming (not to mention hard with a little one who doesn’t sit still!) and leaves me too exhausted at the end of the day to do it then.

ps – I’m really glad you are doing this – I just found out that even external hard drives might only last about 5 years, so my winter project was already to get printing and organizing!
— Diana

This is something I hear over and over again. We know why it’s important to make prints. For Diana, something as simple as sharing those family pictures with her son is priceless. If those photos were to just sit on a hard drive for years, they could disappear forever. But if you’ve got a whole lot of photos that you’ve never printed, how do you get started? First, don’t feel bad – this is a really common problem!

It’s easy to look at all those photos and get overwhelmed. And that makes it easy to put it off until another day. But it doesn’t have to be a big project, this is something you can do a little bit at a time. In fact, it’s far easier to make a few prints regularly than to let them pile up and try to do it all at once.

Now, if we’re going to tackle this project we’re going to need a plan. So I’m giving you a challenge to take action right now – but just a little.

Try this: today, go and pick out just 10 photos and make prints. Maybe they’re from last month, maybe they’re from a year ago, just pick 10. Don’t put it on a to-do list, just do it today while you’re still thinking about it. Do it right now if you can. Then – this is the important part – take a couple of those pictures and mail them off to somebody who would like them.

Why is that part important? Well, have you ever noticed that sometimes it’s easier to do something for someone else than for yourself? I know I can keep putting off personal projects, but as soon as somebody else is involved it becomes much more important. So I came up with a way to trick my brain into getting those prints done without procrastination. After all, it’s not really much more work to print a dozen photos than it is to print just one. So by telling myself I need to print that photo for my sister or my aunt, I manage to make time to get a few of my own prints finished too!

Give it a shot. Pick out just 10 photos, and order prints.

Then give a couple away – and when you think about how much they’ll appreciate getting a few pictures in the mail, you’ll want to do it again! So mark it on your calendar and do it next month. Keep a regular schedule and stay in the habit. I’ve found that once I get into a routine it doesn’t feel like a chore anymore. And remember that you don’t have to make a big project of it, just print a few pictures. Bit by bit, you can chip away at that big backlog of photos and get prints made of the ones you really enjoy. And by sharing a few with friends & family, you can spread the enjoyment and stay motivated to keep at it.

Ok, you’ve got pictures, and you’ve got a plan. What do you think, are you ready to give it a try? Do you have another trick to stay motivated on your photo projects that you’d like to share with us? Or have you run into other problems that get in the way? Get in touch and let us know, either by email or on our Facebook page . We read every message, and look forward to hearing from you!

Previous posts in this series:

What if this was the only copy of your grandparents' wedding pictures?

Wed, 07 Jan 2015 12:43:00 GMT

The younger readers out there may not recognize this thing. It’s a 5.25” floppy disk, the way most of us saved computer files back in the 80s. Today you’d be hard pressed to find somebody with a 5.25” floppy disk drive. Even if you could find one, it’s very likely you wouldn’t be able to read the data on this disk anyway. Any files saved on here are probably long gone.

In our last newsletter , we started talking about how to protect our pictures to make sure they’ll still be around to share in the future. We got a lot of responses, but this one really got us thinking about the long-term problems with saving your photos:

“Thanks for making a resolution to study how we can protect/store our digital pics. We’ve been wondering the same thing. A CD is large enough to hold many but will the technology still exist to view them in the future? Some people store on thumb drives but, again, will the technology still be available in the future in order to view them? […]”
— Marie & Paul

These are great questions. And while we’re going to talk about organizing your files and backing up your data, this email from one of our readers brought us back to the simplest, easiest way to start making sure your most important photos will still be around years from now - make prints.

In days before digital cameras (way back in the early 2000s) taking pictures meant you had to get prints. You brought in your film, and you got prints back- that was the only way to actually see your photos. And that’s why I can go to my grandmother’s house and look through albums of old pictures, all the way back to when she was a child.

Digital cameras let us take lots of pictures, and it’s great! We don’t have to pay for film and we don’t have to make prints to see the pictures, we can see them right there on the screen! And we save money by just printing the good ones, rather than needing to print every single photo. But how many of us bother? Do we remember to make prints of the photos we actually do want? I can look at those old albums in my grandmother’s attic and see my dad’s baby pictures. But I look around at my family and friends today, who have hundred of pictures of their children stored on their phone, and I wonder how many of those kids will ever have a chance to show their baby pictures to their children.

Too many of us never think to make prints or back up our files until it’s too late. When my phone breaks or my computer crashes the pictures can be lost forever – and all hard drives do fail eventually. If I upload those photos to an online storage service and trust that to keep them safe, years of family memories could disappear in the blink of an eye when that company goes out of business.

Without prints, the next generation may be the first since the invention of photography who can’t look back at pictures from their childhood. What will they think of us? In our rush for faster and easier, cheaper and more convenient, what have we lost? If I don’t make prints of the photos I took of my nephew last year, will he ever see those pictures of his first Christmas?

Prints are only part of the story, and only part of the solution to making sure your memories are preserved for the future. But they’re a big part. They’re the simplest, most reliable way to share your family’s story for generations to come.

This year, let’s make a resolution to not let all those photos wind up trapped on the equivalent of old floppy disks! Of course we’d love it if you make prints at Dan’s. But regardless of where you go, print those pictures that are important. The ones that will sit in boxes in the attic until one day, at a family gathering years from now, someone will pull them down off the shelf and share your story with children and grandchildren who will see, in pictures, who they are and where they come from.

Has there been a particularly memorable time that you’ve gone back to look at old photos with family or friends? Are you in the habit of printing important photos regularly, or is there something keeping you from making prints? We’d like to hear your stories. Send us an email , or leave a comment on our Facebook page . We read every one, and look forward to hearing from you!

Setting up your new interchangeable-lens camera

Mon, 22 Dec 2014 14:13:00 GMT

Congratulations on your new camera! Whether it’s a DSLR or a mirrorless compact system camera, I’m sure you chose an interchangeable lens camera to get better quality photos, and hopefully to have a little more control over how your pictures come out. So, let’s cover some basic items to get you started!

Battery Basics

Once you power up the camera, be sure to set the time and date. It may not seem important at first, but every photo you take is tagged with the date and time it was taken. Making sure that info is correct will make organizing your photos much easier later on.

Lens Tips

When attaching or changing lenses, be sure to turn the camera off first, to safeguard the electronics inside. Also, since the sensor is electrically charged when it’s powered on, this will help prevent dust from being attracted to (and sticking to) the sensor. I always suggest tilting the camera body so it faces downward when there’s not a lens attached, to help prevent dust particles from falling into the camera and finding their way to the sensor. While just about every model now has a dust reduction system, you can help it out by avoiding as much dust as possible.

Memory Cards

If you didn’t buy your camera from Dan’s, make sure that the memory card you got is at least a Class 10 card. Often times, kits or bargain priced cards are slower in their ability to read or write data. Class 2 or 4 cards are fine for digital frames, but they slow down a new high resolution DSLR . A Class 6 card will probably be fine if you’re not doing burst shooting or video. The card should have its rating on the front, usually inside a letter C. If your card has U on it, then it is even better than a Class 10 and you’re in great shape for anything you can throw at it.

Image quality settings

Out of the box, your camera is set to give good results in most situations, so you don’t need to dig too far into the menus right away. Two settings you may wish to check before you do a lot of shooting though, are the image size and image quality. Most cameras come set to give you the largest file size (highest resolution) and moderate JPEG image compression quality. Compression allows the camera to reduce the size of your files. More compression means you can fit more pictures on your memory card, but that reduction in size comes at the cost of image quality. Memory cards are inexpensive enough now that it doesn’t make much sense to use anything but the best image quality your camera can produce. Pick the largest image size and the best image quality. You can always make a smaller version later to email or share online, but a large high-quality file will give you the best results when you make prints or do anything else with your pictures later.

Unless you’re familiar with shooting and processing RAW files, stay away from that setting for now. RAW files are the unprocessed data captured by the camera, they need to be converted into an image format in your computer to do anything useful. The JPEG files your camera produces are the result of processing that raw data. If you start with a RAW file yourself you can have more control over how that image is made, rather than letting the camera do it, but you need special software on your computer, not to mention the extra time and effort to do so. If you’re interested in the extra control that the RAW format can give you, we have classes and special deals on software to help you out!

Protecting your lens

Hopefully, you also got a protective filter for your lens. If not, it’s time to pick one up. The better grade filters may make a slight improvement to some of your photos, but the real reason to have one is to give your lens some extra protection from scratches and other damage. Be sure to put it on before you venture off to start shooting. If the filter gets scratched or cracked, it’s much cheaper to replace than the whole lens!

Depending on the lens you have, it may have also come with a lens hood. I strongly recommend these- they improve your photos by preventing stray light from hitting your lens, which results in “lens flare” in your pictures. I’ve seen those hoods save a lens from damage, too. Having that extra “bumper” of plastic or metal out in front can make a big difference. Not all companies include them, so if you didn’t find one in the lens box be sure to pick one up. They’re inexpensive, protect your lens, and help give you better pictures.

Protecting the screen

For protecting your LCD screen on the back, there’s a couple options. For a few bucks you can use a thin plastic film to prevent minor scuffs. For just a little more, we have a solid optical plastic option which also helps protect from most types of impact. Both styles attach to the viewscreen with a firm yet removeable adhesive. If you have a model with a touch screen, don’t use a hard plastic screen protector! You’ll have to go with the thin film version.

Some tips for when you’re ready to start shooting

On your main mode dial, you’ll probably see a shooting mode like AUTO , or a green rectangle. That locks the camera in a full-automatic mode. It’s a good starting point, though you may get better results using some of the other options. Most cameras also offer Scene Modes, which let you to tell the camera what kind of pictures you’re taking. When the camera knows what you’re trying to do, it can do a better job of adjusting its settings to help you get great pictures. To get at the Scene Modes, look for ‘Scene’ or ‘SCN’ on the dial. Then you can browse through the options, which usually include Portrait, Sports, Landscape, and probably some others, too. There’s probably also a mode labeled “P”. That’s still an automatic setting, but it lets you change some settings for a little more control without getting into too much extra work. Try out all of these settings in different situations, and see what they look like! You can read all about each of them in detail, but there’s no substitute for getting out there and taking some pictures. Experiment, change some things, take some more pictures, and see what you like and what you don’t.

There’s a lot that goes into making really great pictures. I invite you to stop by and ask one of our photo experts to review your camera’s options with you. Naturally, our classes can take you even further, and now with our Click2Learn online courses you have access to our learning resources 24/7.

Using your flash

In full-auto mode, your flash will probably pop up on its own when it’s needed. Keep in mind the built-in flash is ok, but it’s not intended to be your primary indoor flash. These tiny flashes are mainly for convenience. They can act as a fill flash outside, and on some models they can even be used to remotely control other flashes. But because they’re so small, they create a very harsh light which isn’t exactly the most flattering for pictures of people. (There’s a reason you never see a wedding photographer using the built-in flash!) An external flash that you attach to your camera can make a big improvement in your pictures, especially indoors. And they don’t need to be large or expensive. Check with our Equipment Specialists for options for your camera. Most flashes can be used to produce a softer, more flattering light, either by bouncing them off the ceiling or adding some type of diffuser or other light modifier.

Getting connected

While many newer cameras have WiFi, some models that don’t can take an accessory which will provide the same functionality, which can be very handy for transferring and sharing your photos. Each model has slightly different capabilities with its WiFi connection, but the general idea is to be able to move your photos right to your smartphone for instant sharing.

Another great way to share your photos is to display them on your HDTV . Your TV is probably in the comfort of the family room, and it’s likely much larger than a computer screen. With an inexpensive HDMI cable that connects your camera to your HDTV , you can show off your photos and movies in all their high-definition splendor.

Working with your pictures

Finally, and you’ll need to think about how you’ll organize all the photos you’re going to capture. This is an important one! With a good organization and archiving system, all your memories will be accessible and safe for years to come. But without planning ahead, it’s easy for photos to get lost in endless folders of pictures on your hard drive, or worse, lost forever in a computer crash. Depending on your computer setup, there are a lot of options. Software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements and Google Picasa offer organization options. If you don’t have a good working system, talk with our experts to find a solution that will work for you. And make sure you have a backup plan! It could be as simple as an external hard drive and some backup software, or copying your files to DVDs after you import them from your camera, or whatever else works for you, just as long as you don’t rely on only one computer’s hard drive.

When you have a question, or wish you knew how to get a different result, please stop by. Bring in your camera, and bring some of the photos you wish were different on the camera’s memory card so we can take a look at exactly what you’re getting. You have a powerful tool, now let’s make sure we get you the knowledge and techniques so that your results are exactly what you’re hoping for. You can contact the Dan’s staff at info@danscamera.com or you can reach me directly at mike@danscamera.com . And remember, for better memories, take pictures!

A Year-End Message from Dan's

Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:54:00 GMT

Another year is drawing to a close as the holidays are upon us. Kevin and I would like take a moment to express our appreciation to everyone who has been kind enough to support Dan’s this year. All of us are working very hard to ensure we deliver the value and service you expect from a local, family-owned business.

As you know, when you support Dan’s the vast majority of your money stays local, and helps other local business continue to prosper as well. Of course Dan’s continues to support many charities, youth groups, and other deserving causes around the Valley as well.

Kevin and I are very proud of our staff who continue to serve you day after day. Again this past year we've made new friends and continued to expand our family. Our services such as School Photos, Corporate Décor, and On-Site Photo Services are experiencing significant growth, so we’ve added several new staff to those areas and satisfied many new clients with these services.

We’re extremely grateful our staff has continued to learn new techniques, tackle new challenges, and refine our offerings as Dan’s continues to evolve to best meet your needs. And our new clients join the many folks who have trusted us with their family memories for over 37 years. Thank you again for helping to make Dan’s a Lehigh Valley institution. Best wishes for a warm and enjoyable holiday!

Photographing Holiday Lights: The Basics

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 15:05:00 GMT

Some people think that you need an expensive camera or an elaborate setup to photograph holiday lights, but in truth you can work wonders with a standard point-and-shoot and a little knowledge of how to balance the light.

Flash Not Necessary...

When it comes to photographing the season’s lights, the lights themselves are all you need for proper illumination. A flash can easily overpower the scene and create a washed-out effect. The holiday lighting is more than capable of standing on its own and actually shines better when left alone.

...but sometimes you need it

Most of the time, you'll turn the flash off. But if you want to take pictures of people along with your lights, you'll need to use flash. Just make sure you use your camera's Night Portrait Mode. That will tell the camera to use the flash to light up your subject, but keep the shutter open long enough to correctly expose the lights in the background, too.

Start Early to Include Ambient Light

Photographing holiday lights means keeping track of the fading daylight as the sun sets. You’ll get the best results photographing lights before it gets dark. During the dusk period, you’ll find a nice balance of diminishing ambient light contrasting with the holiday lights, which means you’ll be able to see more objects in the background.

And there’s another benefit to starting early- by the time it gets dark enough enough to look good to your eye, it’s already too dark for the best results from your camera. So take your pictures first, then relax and enjoy the lights as the last bit of twilight fades away.

Try Tungsten

Set your custom white balance to tungsten, just as you would if you were photographing something indoors without using a flash. That will push the whole picture toward the blue end of the spectrum, creating images with a nice color contrast between the warm lights and the cool sky and background.

Bring Your Tripod

Using a tripod is especially important for shooting holiday lights. It will provide the stability that’s critical for low-light photography, and will keep your shot properly framed as you continue shooting as the evening light transitions to black.

Take Ten Shots (Over Ten Minutes)

Once you have everything set, begin taking a photograph every minute or so over a 10-15 minute period. Your eyes may not register the gradual changes, so track the time with your watch or cell phone. You’ll see the shift in evening lighting as you scroll though your shots.

There’s no one right answer when it comes to photographing holiday lights, and that’s a good thing! Every situation is different, so feel free to apply these tips and then experiment based upon the results. There are few things more fun than an impromptu holiday photo safari, so grab your gear a bit before twilight and enjoy the experience!

Have you ever seen a Zamboni full of teddy bears?

Thu, 11 Dec 2014 14:09:00 GMT

On Saturday, December 6, more than 1,700 teddy bears were tossed onto the ice at PPL Center for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms first annual Teddy Bear Toss. Thanks so much to all of you to came out to support this wonderful event! This week we got to participate in the official presentation of the the bears to Valley Youth House, who will be distributing all the donated bears to children in need this holiday season.

The sheer number of stuffed animals was impressive to see, and some really big bears were donated! The Phantoms' "Fanboni" and meLVin's four-wheeler were loaded up to bring all the toys into the stadium.

And here's the whole group for the big presentation! From left to right, they are: Phantoms mascot meLVin, Kevin Harayda (Dan's co-owner), Christina Shoemaker (Director of Development at Valley Youth House), Phantoms players Kevin Goumas, Steve Delisile, and Brett Hextall, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, and Annette Duranso, CEO and President of Valley Youth House.

Valley Youth House helps at-risk youth and their families to become healthy, productive, responsible members of the community. Dan's Camera City is a proud partner of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and we're thrilled to be part of this event that benefits a local charity with such an important mission.

New Camera Technology

Tue, 02 Dec 2014 18:50:00 GMT

It used to be that you picked a digital camera based on a few basic features- How many megapixels? How big is the screen? What kind of zoom does it have? But as cameras have rapidly improved, many of these features don’t mean much anymore. Almost all the cameras on the market today can make great images – and that makes shopping a lot more interesting. Since the basics are pretty well covered, the fun stuff today comes from new features and new technologies that weren’t available anywhere just a few years ago.

Going Wireless

This year, lots of cameras are featuring Wi-Fi wireless networking, letting you send photos from your camera right to your phone or tablet. This is a great feature for couples where one enjoys taking pictures and the other wants to quickly share them online. Some cameras even let you use an app on your phone as a remote control for the camera, seeing what your camera sees on the screen, focusing, and taking the picture all from your Apple or Android device! The app can be installed on their phone or tablet and when the camera is powered on, they’ll be able to access those photos. Ask us for a quick demo the next time you’re at Dan’s!

New features for DSLRs

It’s common now for DSLR cameras to capture video at full 1080p HD resolution, at 60 frames per second. That high frame rate is great for capturing fast action without motion blur. Autofocus for video has come a long way from what it was just a year or two ago, and microphone & headphone jacks are now standard, giving you access to professional grade audio quality.

This year we’re seeing much more affordable full-frame camera systems too. For example, the Nikon D610 is only $1599.99 after Instant Savings, and the Canon 6D is $1699.99 after $200.00 mail-in rebate. These cameras feature a larger sensor than the size found in most DSLRs, and would have cost thousands of dollars more not too long ago. If you’ve been thinking about a full-frame camera system, there’s never been a better time to get started.

Compact System Cameras

(or “mirrorless” interchangeable lens cameras)

These little cameras have been around for a while, but recently we’ve seen them go from an interesting alternative to a fully capable category all to themselves. They cut down on size and weight by eliminating the traditional mirror and prism viewfinder, for a camera that’s much smaller than a DSLR but with much better performance than “point & shoot” cameras. With simple operation if you want it but full creative control available, these small cameras pack a big punch of photographic power.

While the DSLRs have pretty much settled into a standard features, these relative newcomers are showing off lots of innovation. Higher end models like the Olympus OM-D family and the Fujifilm X series rival the performance of professional-level SLRs, and many pros are finding a place for new systems in their bag.

GoPro HERO4 action cameras

These tiny waterproof & shockproof video cameras, favored by everyone from bungee jumpers to dogs on skateboards, have two new models and featuring a lot of great features. The new HERO4 Silver Edition ($399.99) is similar to the previous top-of-the-line camera, but with a new built-in touchscreen display – a first for GoPro. And the new HERO4 Black Edition ($499.99) is the most advanced GoPro ever, featuring super high-resolution 4K video at 30 frames/sec. and 1080p HD video at 120 frames/sec., letting you create amazing slow-motion effects. It’s waterproof all the way down to 131 feet, and captures 12 megapixel photos at a blistering 30 frames per second!

If that wasn’t enough, Night Photo and Night Lapse modes let you capture the night sky in a whole new way, with exposure settings for both single photos and time-lapse video. And as always, GoPro accessories can help you use these amazing little cameras in just about any situation you can imagine.

Image Capture Re-Invented: The Lytro Illum Light Field Camera

At the cutting edge of photo technology, a company called Lytro has recently introduced the first high-end light field camera – capturing the direction, color, and brightness of the rays of light within the frame and giving you the ability to explore your pictures from different perspectives, focal points and dimensions after the picture is taken.

Click anywhere inside this picture to refocus the image

ILLIUM features a 30-250mm f /2 lens, and captures what they call a 40 Megaray image. That translates into a roughly 4 megapixel file in terms of output resolution, but that’s with layers of added image information impossible to capture with a standard camera in one shot. You’ll want to see this one in person to really understand exactly what it does. It’s going to be interesting to watch this company and see how they develop the ideas in this entirely new type of camera. Stop by and check it out!

Teddy Bear Toss with the Phantoms

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 17:00:00 GMT

We're proud to announce that we're sponsoring the upcoming Teddy Bear Toss night on Saturday, December 6 at the Phantoms game at PPL Center. And we're giving away 5 tickets to the game! Enter now to win 5 Club Level Seats for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms vs Bridgeport Sound Tigers on December 6th courtesy of Dan's Camera City.

Enter to win tickets now »

Now you may be asking yourself "what the heck is teddy bear toss, and what does it have to do with hockey?" Well, this video answers that question far better than I can explain it here.

Fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears to the game, and to throw them onto the ice when the home team scores its first goal. Don't worry, teddy bears will be available for sale at the game... they've got you covered if you don't want to get too close to a toy store this week! The toys are then gathered up to be donated as Christmas presents to Valley Youth House, a local children's charity.

Dan's Camera City is a proud partner of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and we're delighted to be taking part in this charity benefit event. Hope to see you there - with a little luck, you might be going for free!

Enter to win tickets now »

The Howling of Lakota Wolf Preserve

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 18:47:00 GMT

On a cold November morning, a group of photo enthusiasts embarked to capture the beauty of the creatures who call Lakota Wolf Preserve their home. Our bus ride started at Dan’s Camera City in Easton, only about 35 minutes away from Columbia, NJ where Lakota Wolf Preserve is located. After we arrived, a very bumpy 5 minute drive took us from the lodge up to the preserve itself.

It was now time to split up into smaller groups and make our way around the preserve. Our well organized leader, Patty from Tamron, made sure everybody got where they needed to be for some great photos. Each group rotated from area to area, getting an opportunity to meet all of the wolves.

As we finished the last rotation Patty gathered all of us to the upper area and she started to howl! Soon after, all the wolves followed her example. It was a beautiful sound to hear and amazing to see. You could see the wolves howls- it was so cold we saw the steam from their breath.

Our time at Lakota Wolf Preserve came to a close, but we had to find a way to warm up. So on our way home we stopped at Brooks Hollow winery for some brunch and a wine tasting. It was a great time, we hope you can join us the next time we visit this amazing destination! Big thanks go out to Tamron, and the wonderful folks at Lakota Wolf Preserve who make it all possible.

Join us next time! Check out the current Photo Expedition Schedule »

The Olympus InVision Photo Festival

Fri, 31 Oct 2014 18:25:00 GMT

The Olympus InVision Photo Festival is fast approaching! Join us November 7-9 at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, and be sure to check out a couple of great seminars on Saturday, Nov. 8 - Olympus Trailblazers Laura Hicks and Tracie Maglosky will show you how to immediately improve your family photos. Dan's offers the region's most comprehensive photo-learning options, and now we're excited to partner with these wonderful photographers to provide two unique seminars.

You'll learn to use your DSLR or compact mirrorless system camera to create images with more impact, whether you're photographing the kids in action or looking to create a great portrait of a quiet moment. Tickets are just $20, and you'll receive a $25 gift card for Dan's Camera City just for coming to the class, which makes these events better than free! Attend one session, or join us for both.

Instantly Take Better Photos: Part 1 »

Instantly Take Better Photos: Part 2 »

Dan's is proud to sponsor the Olympus InVision Photo Festival, and we invite you to join us at the many outstanding events that are planned. Don't miss it!

Introducing our Barnwood Collection

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:50:00 GMT

Here at Dan's we're always on the lookout for new ways for you to display your photos. Our latest creation combines old with new, rough with smooth, and rustic with modern. Today we're proud to introduce our Barnwood Collection, metal prints that are float-mounted onto reclaimed Pennsylvania barn wood.

Handcrafted in Pennsylvania, our Barnwood Collection is built using reclaimed wood from old barns throughout the state. Choose from three finished sizes and several different layouts, from a single photo to a collage. Reclaimed woods are a product of nature with unique variations in grain, color, and texture, making each one unique and beautiful.

Our Barnwood Collection is sure to add charm to any room. It's a great way to display wedding photos or those milestone moments like graduation. Create a natural warmth in your home and share your story with a piece of art that has a past.

Order your Barnwood Prints online , or stop by and ask to see our samples!

The perfect autumn photo getaway: Jim Thorpe

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 16:35:00 GMT

This past Saturday we had the pleasure to host a Photo Expedition led by photographer and Olympus Visionary Trailblazer Frank Smith to one of our favorite local photo destinations – the picturesque town of Jim Thorpe.

Our day started with a private tour of The Old Jail Museum. Our students had unlimited access and plenty of time to create some wonderful photos. With Halloween right around the corner, this is an amazing place to visit.

Next on the agenda: ride the rails and take in all the autumn colors along the train tracks! The train car was perfect for photographers, everyone had the freedom to move around and take photos from both sides of the car.

Here's a little time-lapse video of the train ride that we shot with a GoPro action camera:

After the one hour train ride, it was time for lunch. Several of the instructors and students ventured out to Molly Maguires Pub & Steakhouse to rest up for some more photo fun. Then we finished our day by visiting the local mansions and some abandoned train cars.

We'd like to thank all the students who attended, and all the staff from Olympus who made this event possible. And if you haven’t been to Jim Thorpe before, right now’s a perfect time to visit. Take a ride on the steam train, and capture some amazing fall photos for yourself!

Join us next time! Check out the current Photo Expedition Schedule »

Making our mark on the PPL Center

Thu, 02 Oct 2014 13:42:00 GMT

Over the past few weeks, our team has been busy creating and installing signs at the new PPL Center in Allentown. While you may not think of Dan's when it comes to business signs and graphics, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms trusted Dan's Camera City with lots of the signage for the arena. We've been helping businesses in the Lehigh Valley for years on a smaller scale, but we knew our team was up to the challenge!

In our bag: macro reverse ring

Wed, 06 Aug 2014 20:27:00 GMT

Did you know there’s a way to take super close-up photos without spending a lot on a new macro lens? Starting at about $10, one inexpensive accessory will let you take stunning macro photos using lenses you already own. (above photo by Dan’s staff member John E.)

It’s called a reverse ring , and it works by letting you mount a lens on your camera backwards. With the lens the wrong way around, everything changes, and suddenly you’re looking at the world through a microscope.

What’s the catch? Well, since there’s no electronic connection bewteen the camera and the lens, you have to do everything manually – focus, exposure, all of it. It can take a little experimentation to get it working for you. But if you’re willing to play around a little bit, you can get some really amazing results.

We’ve been trying these out for a little while now, and they’re a whole lot of fun. For the big results you get from such a tiny item, one of these should be in every photographer’s bag. Here’s a few more pictures from our staff…

Have you used a reverse ring yourself? We’d love to see your pictures! Join us on Facebook and share your photos.

Look at all the cool stuff our framing team created

Wed, 23 Jul 2014 01:21:00 GMT

Our framing team has been doing some great work, creating a large variety of framed items for customers. And not just pictures, they’ve framed everything - sports jerseys & memorabilia, awards, etching, family documents, paintings, and lots of other really unique items.

Our team works very hard to listen to what you’re trying to accomplish and uses that information to create your custom frame design. So no matter what items you have that are special to you, bring them in so our framers can help you preserve, protect, and share them for the future.

ProMaster Universal GO! Charger

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 20:16:00 GMT

So you're on vacation, camping with your family. Your campsite doesn't have electricity. Your camera battery warning light comes on, and your forgot your spare battery at home. Thankfully, you did remember to bring your ProMaster Go Charger!

The ProMaster Universal GO! Charger is the perfect tool for charging a digital camera battery when you don't have access to electricity. You simply charge the device in advance and it's ready to charge your camera batteries. And it can also be used as a power supply/charger for cell phones, iPhone, iPad, digital music player or other USB-powered device. The GO! has a built-in fuel gauge that lets you know the condition of your battery or the internal power unit with the touch of a button. It is perfect for the family who is always on the GO! And it's 20% off thru July 11th 2014.

CES Wrap-up

Fri, 27 Jun 2014 03:09:00 GMT

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, one of the most anticipated trade shows of the year that features new technology for everything from home lighting to photography. The Photo Marketing Association International (PMAI) was running at the same time, and between the two of them there were a bevvy of events that I was able to attend, along with conferences & seminars presented by The Sports Photographers of American (SPAA) and the Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA). It was a busy week, to say the least! After days of walking the trade show floors and talking with reps, attending the conferences and seminars I returned with notebook full of work to review and ideas to start implementing at Dan’s. In addition to new suppliers I discovered, the most invigorating part of the trip was meeting with industry leaders in various organizations. You’ll see the exciting changes based on these meetings throughout the coming year.

There wasn’t a whole lot in the way of new cameras, mostly because the camera companies usually launch new products in the spring and fall. Nikon showed a couple new point & shoots, a new full-frame 35mm f /1.8 lens, and the new flagship D4s (which was only displayed under glass). Canon showed some minor updates to their point & shoot models as well, and some really impressive shooting areas to try out their gear.

Sony showcased their growing full-frame mirrorless camera system, which has won much praise from both new and seasoned photographers. Their booth was overflowing with 4K TVs, with amazing picture when used to display images from their digital still cameras. But I expect a lot more excitement in the camera world over the next couple months than was on display at CES , just because of the timing of the show.

As far as electronics go, this was show to go big or go home. Super sized TVs flooded the show floor. Not just 4K, but also curved models and a Sharp 85” model boasting 8K and glasses-free 3D. No price or delivery time was available (of course), but it was impressive to see the quality of the picture, even the 3D effects were pretty good.

The other big trend this year was the connectivity of “smart devices” to nearly everything else you could imagine. Want to control your toaster from your smartphone? Someone at CES was there with a product and happy to show you how. One of the more practical implementations was in the BMW booth, featuring an Intel-powered electric car loosely resembling the new X1. With a sparse and uncluttered looking dashboard, two main display panels give a clean and futuristic look, one I’m sure many twelve-year-old’s will be explaining to their parents.

Tablets and “phablets” (phone/tablets) also dominated CES this year. New models with more processor speed, larger, clearer screens and easier connectivity will soon be readily available. Your memories are now more portable then ever before, but with limited storage and lack of CD or DVD drives, how you store and access those memories can become challenging.

With more people opting for a tablet-based device instead of a traditional computer, you’ll see Dan’s bringing in some new, creative products and creating services to help you with the challenges of organization and editing your photos. At Dan’s, we’re committed to helping you find the best ways to be confident your precious memories are well taken care of.

Photo Walk at Grounds for Sculpture

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 02:04:00 GMT

Join Dan’s Co-Owner Mike and his family for a day trip to Grounds for Sculpture. Mike found this to be a great venue for creative photos, but since it was raining on his visit he’s been looking forward to returning. Mike’s wife, Melissa, is an Art Teacher and finds the grounds very enjoyable and inspiring. Their daughter Mallory will also be along with her camera and her art bag to capture her own images.

This outdoor museum and gardens is a wonderful venue to explore sculptures set in fascinating scenes. Photographers will find opportunities to capture images of the artwork itself as well as the gardens and unique landscape. Artists can enjoy the sculptures and are free to use any medium they choose if they wish to create their own work while on the grounds. Melissa will coordinate an artist’s meet & share if there’s enough interest.

The current exhibit is so popular there are some weekends where the museum has to turn people away, so check your calendar for Friday June 27th. Mike and his family are planning to go then so long as the weather is at least partly sunny. This is a chance to meet up and enjoy photographing, creating artwork or just taking in the wonderful grounds. We aren’t having anything structured so there’s no cost beyond your own transportation and admission. You don’t need to RSVP , just join Mike and his family if you wish.

We’ll post more details as we get closer to the date. Visit www.groundsforsculpture.org to see details about the museum itself. Even if you can’t make it on the 27th we encourage you to consider a trip on your own.

UPDATE : The weather is looking great for Friday’s trip to the Grounds for Sculpture! I’m charging batteries, packing my polarizer, reflector, and some extra lenses. Looking forward to a wonderful day. Say hello if you make it down, and be sure to post any photos you capture from anytime you visit the grounds. – Mike W.

Dan's Camera City blog

It's time for the City Nature Challenge

Join us for the City Nature Challenge : A four-day global event to observe and document wildlife in our cities!

April 24 – April 27, 2026

Here's how to participate:

Join a Bioblitz this weekend

with Dan's Camera City

Friday, April 24th in Allentown

Jordan Creek Bioblitz (cancelled)

Monday, April 27 in Easton

Arts Walk Bioblitz

��️ Registration link »

With the Lehigh BioBlitz Club

Friday, April 24th:

South Mountain Creek Night Bioblitz

Saturday, April 25th:

South Mountain BioBlitz

D&L BioBlitz and Trash Pickup

Sunday, April 26th

Saucon Creek Aquatic Critter Wading Adventure

Raising butterflies and raising awareness

Meet Michelle, the butterfly educator behind our photo workshops

A Place for Wildlife at Dan's Camera City

National Wildlife Federation Certifies New Wildlife Habitat Garden at Dan's Camera City

An app we love: iNaturalist

Want to certify your own garden?

Perfect Video Exposure with a Variable ND Filter

Getting perfect exposure for video on a bright sunny day is easy with a variable ND filter.

Get Ready for the Solar Eclipse

Get your cameras ready, the eclipse is almost here!

UPDATE: Friday, April 5 - We are now SOLD OUT of solar eclipse glasses. Enjoy the show, everybody!

More Eclipse & Photography resources around the web:

See the Aurora Borealis in the Lehigh Valley!

The "solar maximum" is letting us see the Aurora Borealis unusually far south this year. Here's how to increase your chances of seeing them here in Pennsylvania. ﻿

Understanding those reports for better planning

Where to go

Healing with a little sunshine

Top 5 reasons to take an ONLINE class with Dan's

1. Traffic? What traffic?

2. You live where?

3. Weekend plans

4. Instant replay

5. Better dress code

Classes & Learning at Dan's »

Let's talk FILM!

Call it a comeback...

Dec. 11: Teddy Bear Toss 2021 with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms

The Teddy Bear Toss is back for 2021!

Watch the 2016 Teddy Bear Toss:

About our charity: Valley Youth House

InVision Photo Festival & Free Print Swap

InVision Photo Festival & FREE Print Swap event !

Get Ready for Fall Color

Tips & ideas to capture fall colors

Top 10 Tips to keep your digital photos SAFE & organized

Keep your photos safe and your memory cards healthy

The Photo Show: Macro & Monarchs

Teeny Tiny Wildlife Photography!

COVID-19 Update

COIVD-19 Update for late summer, 2021

The Photo Show: Street Photography

Let's talk street.

The Photo Show: Posing for Family & Friends

Not sure how to pose people? Here's a good place to start.

The Photo Show: Backyard Wildlife Photography

Get started with wildlife photos close to home!

COVID-19 Update

BIG things are happening at Dan's

Coming Soon: Dan’s Urban Photo Park

Take a peek at all of the exciting things coming to Dan’s Urban Photo Park!

Sign up for our newsletter for updates as we make progress on this exciting project!

A last look at Martin Tower

Our Easton store is moving back to Allentown

Destination: Pennsylvania Night Sky and Milky Way Photography

Areas within 2½ hours of the Lehigh Valley

Even better areas within 3-4 hours of the Lehigh Valley

On location

When to go

Taking the pictures

The ideal gear list for this project:

The "solar maximum" is letting us see the Aurora Borealis unusually far south this year. Here's how to increase your chances of seeing them here in Pennsylvania.