Meghan McCain's photographer sucks

The first thing that hits me when I look at Meghan McCain’s “Blogette” is that the photography really sucks. Who is taking such bad photos?

Why are the photos so bad? They look like they are taken with a pocket digital camera and not a DSLR. All the photos have a very wide depth of field, which is the telltale sign of a pocket digital camera with a tiny sensor.

Now a DSLR isn’t necessary for all types of photos, but when taking indoor photos of people, one really benefits from the superior high-ISO performance of a DSLR. If I were taking these photos, I’d buy the Leica D Summilux 25mm/F1.4 lens for my Olympus DSLR. You could take some really nice available light photos with that beautiful lens!

The photographer also has no clue about color balance. A significant percentage of the photos of some serious color balance issues. Such problems can be avoided either by using the in-camera white balance settings, or doing some post-processing. As far as I can tell, the only post-processing that the photographer knows how to do is to add those rounded corners.

To demonstrate the lack of post-processing, I present a demonstration.

The photo above is the unedited photo from Meghan’s blog. We see the super-cute Meghan (I love the hoop earrings and the way that her platinum-blonde hair peeks out from underneath the cute beret) with her Asian friend Shannon. We see that the photo is severely underexposed (the photographer would clearly benefit from a higher ISO and a faster lens), and has an awful orange cast which is what happens when a photo is taken under incandescent lights but there is no proper color balancing. There is also visible camera shake/motion blur, a result of using too low of a shutter speed to compensate for the low light conditions.

Below is the same photo after I tried to fix it a little using Picture Window 4.0, a program that only costs $49.95. I’m sure that McCain’s campaign can afford to buy a copy. (I can afford a copy, and my daddy isn’t a multi-millionaire.)

My edited image is definitely an improvement.

So who is responsible for such bad photography and post-processing? That would be some girl named Heather Brand. The blurb on McCain’s blog says that Heather is “a professional photographer … who graduated from the University of Southern California with a major in Communications and a minor in Music Industry. She did her post-graduate training in photography in Paris.”

“Post-graduate training” probably means she took a single photography class at the French equivalent of a community college [David Alexander says more likely a three to four week seminar aimed at rich Americans], while she was hanging out in Paris and spending her daddy’s money. It’s pretty pathetic that she bills herself as a “professional photographer.”

Comments

[speed]

Yay, right on the money. It's amazing how badly run this campaign is. Did you check out John McCain's suits? They are a few numbers too big. He should be wearing Savile Row bespoke. Instead he probably just took some random suits from Century 21 when they were 90% on sale. John must come from a modest background, otherwise he would have known how to dress well. This is also the reason Meghan looks trashy. She looks like someone you would want to f***, but not marry.

She's got the moon-face, man-jaw action going. Plastic surgery doesn't fix those things.

She's also got a little of the brick house action going on. Just wait until she fills out in 10yrs or so. I'm seeing a young Madeline Albright.

[GOP Lurker]

An industrious cheapskate photographer could achieve similar results similar to HS's with free software. GIMP for the photo-geeks, Irfanview for a quickie windows freeware.

[Spungen]

Ah, I trusted that some rich chick was going to get it in this post. Glad I stuck through the jump.

So how could I have gotten better shoe photos? Even after multiple tries I still wasn't happy.

[David Alexander]

I’d buy the Leica D Summilux 25mm/F1.4 lens for my Olympus DSLR.

Or you could buy lenses for a camera system that isn't a useless dead end...

My Nikon D50 and a Nikon 35 mm f/2 would make for a brilliant wannabe photojournalism set up.

Why are the photos so bad? They look like they are taken with a pocket digital camera and not a DSLR

IIRC, in some of the photos, a Canon DSLR is featured which means somebody is using the damned thing for some reason. Otherwise, IIRC, they're probably using the same digital camera for the online videos on her blog for the photos. Too bad we can't strip the EXIF from the file to discover the source for her crappy photos...

(I can afford a copy, and my daddy isn’t a multi-millionaire.)

She could also afford Adobe Lightroom, which I find to be an essential tool in post-processing...

“Post-graduate training” probably means she took a single photography class at the French equivalent of a community college, while she was hanging out in Paris and spending her daddy’s money. It’s pretty pathetic that she bills herself as a “professional photographer.”

I suspect that she took a three to four week seminar that was held there, and she bills herself a professional. Either her skills have been focused on film development, and thus is lacking in the skills to manage a digital darkroom, or she's a scam artist. Mind you, if my low IQ ass managed to figure out how to use Lightroom effectively to create something resembling a decent workflow with good output, then I think she could too...

She looks like someone you would want to f***, but not marry.

If she was a normal prole girl, I'd marry her. Otherwise, I'd attempt to make my fortunes first, then buy her love and respect.

[probligo]

Personally I still use film, and I am learning digital with a Lumix Z50. RAW processing is fun when you got the capacity... :) Oh, and I use the proprietory s/ware that came with the camera and Micrographix v6.0 which I got as a freebie about 12 years back. Cheapskate, huh!

I wonder how many young bucks will vote for daddy because of the daughter?

[DML]

I don't think the issues you pointed out are a big deal...but then I view "professional" photography in much the same light I view "professional" fly-fishing. ("He calls himself a pro and he uses X12AJ7 Model Cricket Lures to fish BASS?!! He's an embarrassment!") . There are certain "careers" where the only thing it takes to be a professional is to call yourself one. :)

"post graduate training in photography in Paris" is probably exactly what you said it was. :)

[Gannon]

"wonder how many young bucks will vote for daddy because of the daughter?"

Common guys, she is only a 7, not even an 8.
Anyway, that's why pictures are so meaningless these days. They are way too overmanipulated. You have to see a woman in person.

[Brandy]

Lately when I visit HS's blog I find myself thinking, "I am actually worse off now for having read this." I just keep coming back for more though...

[dan tdaxp]

The second photograph is too washed out. I prefer the first.

(Additionally, your pro-Giuliani bias has got you hitting pretty low, these days. )

[Half Sigma]

David Alexander: "My Nikon D50 and a Nikon 35 mm f/2 would make for a brilliant wannabe photojournalism set up."

Olympus has image stabilization built into the camera, so every lens, even the Leica F1.4 normal lens, is automatically image stablized, allowing for superior low-light peformance. Not a dead end at all.

Despite your ill choice of camera, I'd recommend you over Heather Brand, I've seen your photos and you know what you are doing. Furthermore, McCain would benefit from having a black guy following him around. It would make him seem more sensitive.

"in some of the photos, a Canon DSLR is featured which means somebody is using the damned thing for some reason."

Obviously one of the press photographers, not Heather.

[Vim]

Do you folks really care this much about this girl? Anybody have any idea why there have been more than 200 comments on this girl (and topics related to this girl) alone?

[superdestroyer]

vim,

Looking at the children of the rich and politically powerful demonstrates much about America.

Does anyone really believe that Meghan would have been admitted to Columbia if her father had owned the Coors distribution franchise for Phoenix instead of being the daughter of a senator? My guess is no and that she would have ended up in a sorority at Arizona/Arizona State while majoring in mass communication.

Does anyone believe that the daughter of the Coors distributor in Phoenix would ever be able to get about being a reporter for the local television in Arizona instead of the daughter of a Senator who will end up in the media?

Look at Cate Edwards. Do you really believe that she would have been admitted to Princeton, NYC media intern, and Harvard Law School if her father had not been a senator and VP candidate? Do you really believe that she earned enough as an intern in NYC to afford the apartment, the fashions, and the social life or that her father finance her lifestyle?

[Peter]

Heather is “a professional photographer … who graduated from the University of Southern California with a major in Communications and a minor in Music Industry.

So ... how would those fields of study compare in intellectual rigor with, say, biochemistry or electrical engineering?

--

Look at Cate Edwards. Do you really believe that she would have been admitted to Princeton, NYC media intern, and Harvard Law School if her father had not been a senator and VP candidate? Do you really believe that she earned enough as an intern in NYC to afford the apartment, the fashions, and the social life or that her father finance her lifestyle?

She would have been advantaged even if her father never went into politics, as John Edwards became filthy stinking rich from his law practice.

--

Did you check out John McCain's suits? They are a few numbers too big. He should be wearing Savile Row bespoke. Instead he probably just took some random suits from Century 21 when they were 90% on sale.

Men's suits are the most evil form of clothing ever invented.

[Vim]

superdestroyer:

"Does anyone really believe that Meghan would have been admitted to Columbia if her father had owned the Coors distribution franchise for Phoenix instead of being the daughter of a senator?"

I don't really mind rich folks and their fancy ways. University is a pyramid scheme. Undergrad tuition and especially handouts (read bribes) from the rich fund much of graduate research, equipment, salaries, libraries etc, so I have no problem with rich people buying their way in. If you look into the history of universities, there has always been this relationship.

Universities have many roles. I think you are thinking of the university in its role as a merit based social equalizer or maybe as a place for creating human capital. There are definitely other roles such as categorizing employees for business, answering societies problems, reducing social stratification.

The university's role of reducing social stratification provides the logic behind AA and letting in rich kids. By making sure that poor people, rich people, black people and white people all have a chance to meet and even marry each other, the university homogenizes society both socially and intellectually. Most of these people are going to be leaders and it's helpful for them to be intellectually on the same page. This is a traditional role going back to British schools where the children of the rich and the smartest poor children associated in the same schools.

In particular, the academic elite courting the financially and politically elite is a relationship of great antiquity, going back as far as Aristotle teaching Alexander the Great. I imagine the logic goes like this: one day if Ms. McCain finds herself thinking of advising her father or in a position of great power herself, she may consider the advice or even call her ivy league professors on the phone and ask them what to do. This is probably a mutually beneficial arrangment. I can think of several examples of countries outside the united states where a child of a head of state has been influencial in changing the mind of their powerful parent based on experiences in a western university.

But apart from that, getting into the ivies is very much about the resume and with a father as rich and powerful as she has, I am sure she had access to all the resume building experiences she needed. He can pay for trips to good places to work or study and smooth the way for her to get mentored by impressive people. It's hard to ignore a good recommendation letter from a colleague. She may very well have gotten in on the merits. I don't know anything about her. Having a powerful father doesn't preclude being intelligent.

"Do you really believe that she earned enough as an intern in NYC to afford the apartment, the fashions, and the social life or that her father finance her lifestyle?"

As far as having her dad pay for things for her, so what? That critique sounds bitter. If my dad wanted to pay for a car and a house and he could afford, I'd probably take it. Maybe I'm a bad person too like Ms. McCain.

[Spungen]

[David Alexander says more likely a three to four week seminar aimed at rich Americans], while she was hanging out in Paris and spending her daddy’s money. It’s pretty pathetic that she bills herself as a “professional photographer.”

As far as having her dad pay for things for her, so what?

Because you just know all of them are going to join the Independent Women's Forum. Oh, the irony. "Feminist beliefs are for whiners who can't be successful on their own, like I am!"

Hey, how is it we got through that whole last thread without discussing Ms. McCain's likely political stances, and how extremely hypocritical they are considering she's had everything handed to her? I guess I was trying not to piss off the Republicans here, but since it didn't work anyway ...

[superdestroyer]

Vim,

Your point about the rich and elite buying their way into elite universities would make more sense if it was not for the fact that most people conduct their business and professional lives. People seem to act on the belief that the dumbest person at Columbia is smarter that the smartest person at Arizona State. On a one to one basis, people will disagree with that point but professionally, they act as if it is true.
So, who was the deserving really smart person who did not get into Columbia so that Meghan could attend.

Also, since getting into leadership these days in a matter of being rich and affluent enough to get into an Ivy, get the non-paying internship in DC, LA, or NYC, and getting into the elite graduate/professional school, it should be no wonder why most of the leadership is so bad. Because the first rule of leadership is do not ask others to do anything that you would not do yourself.

[Spungen]

Because the first rule of leadership is do not ask others to do anything that you would not do yourself.

Nice, SuperD.

It's been a while since I kept tabs on who the Republican anti-feminist token female Barbies were. Maybe it's not such a big deal now as it was 6 or 7 years ago. Maybe someone like Ms. McCain can just get a makeup show on cable without making her politics an issue. And maybe the Right won't hold her up as a false example of an independent working woman. But that's how it would have been, not too long ago. That's why I care if she's a twit.

I see her dad came from a multi-generational military family. Seems like that's a big part of his appeal. Looks like that line is over.

[David Alexander]

There are certain "careers" where the only thing it takes to be a professional is to call yourself one.

Photography is a highly vague craft where schooling doesn't count for much, and any retard on the street with a high end DSLR and two lenses now sees him or herself as a "professional". My personal demarcation of what constitutes a "professional" is somebody who simply receives a considerable source of income from photography. That should weed out the bored weekenders who do it as a "second job".

Common guys, she is only a 7, not even an 8.

She's a 9 to me! I'd kill for more girls like Meghan. :)

I challenge you Gannon to post or link to a photo of a woman that you find attractive. At minimum, post a photo of your girlfriend.

Olympus has image stabilization built into the camera, so every lens, even the Leica F1.4 normal lens, is automatically image stablized, allowing for superior low-light peformance. Not a dead end at all.

I'm not fond of body-based stabilization primarily because they're a compromise design that raises the price of the body. I'd much rather have the option to carry around a lightweight body and use the image stabilization as needed. With lens based stabilization, my hideously old Nikon DSLR body can take advantage of next generation while your Olympus body cannot be upgraded to work with new technology.

The technology itself may not be a dead end, but Olympus DSLRs are a dead end due to their small market share when compared to Nikon and Canon which have larger installed user bases and plenty of used lenses available.

Despite your ill choice of camera, I'd recommend you over Heather Brand, I've seen your photos and you know what you are doing. Furthermore, McCain would benefit from having a black guy following him around. It would make him seem more sensitive.

I bought a D50 since it was basically the only one that I could afford at the time and purchase without financing. Plus, it had the benefit of working with my existing Nikon AF lenses. If I was bored, I could purchase a used D200 or D2Hs, but that would leave me with camera, but no money to use to travel and exploit the power of such advanced photography.

I actually had an old black railfan colleague who was attracted to McCain's so-called "Maverick" stance and support for McCain-Feingold as an alternative to classical liberal Democrats. Once he found out the McCain was anti-mass transit and Amtrak, and McCain took that trip to Bob Jones University and pandered to Bush to shore up support before announcing his run for 2008, he decided that McCain was no better than the rest of the politicians, liberal or conservative.

Interestingly, in some of the photos, there's a black male hanging around Meghan, and I wonder if she's just a friend, a black republican trying to win brownie points for a future gig, or due to her chubbiness, her special friend. :)

BTW, thanks for the compliment on my work. I guess low IQ photos can take decent photos too...

Obviously one of the press photographers, not Heather.

Firstly, it was a low end Canon, which is certainly not a photojournalist's camera, especially when an older higher end model can produce better results than their low end offerings. Secondly, I believe she referred to the person holding the DSLR as a friend.

[Peter]

I challenge you Gannon to post or link to a photo of a woman that you find attractive.

He's off to the nursery school playground to find one.

superdestroyer,
It is like I said yesterday. This nation needs to bring back the draft so that all classes and IQ's get an understanding of reality. No "national service" bullshit either, but military discipline (because that entails the possibility of killing or being killed). Our entire social structure needs to be straightened out.

[David Alexander]

I see her dad came from a multi-generational military family. Seems like that's a big part of his appeal. Looks like that line is over.

McCain's second son from that marriage is currently attending the Naval Academy at Annapolis following in his father and grandfather's footsteps.

[hugh go naught]

Yes, 11:24am, what this nation needs is to bring back slavery! Not the bad kind, where you have to work in cotton fields, but the good kind where the government can use you to kill foreigners. Yee haw!

[Gannon]

@Peter
"challenge you Gannon to post or link to a photo of a woman that you find attractive.

He's off to the nursery school playground to find one."
I'm sure you meant High School or College, I'm not a pedophile you know.

Well, I could send DA a picture of my gf if he promises he won't publish it. I don't think she will like it if I post pictures of her on the internet. She doen't even have a potolog.
And really guys, Meghan is very sexual, but her face is far from perfect. Also, she may turn BBW rather soon if she doesn't take care like hell.I'm not surprised that she is your type though DA, she has somewhat sluttish and prolish on her. An underclass beauty.

[roissy]

for those giving gannon a hard time about stating out loud that nearly all men do find girls as young as mid-teens and with developed secondary sex characteristics more bangable on average than the typical 30 year old woman, remember that by those strict neopuritan standards john derbyshire stands equally accused of haunting the playground:

"It is, in fact, a sad truth about human life that beyond our salad days, very few of us are interesting to look at in the buff. Added to that sadness is the very unfair truth that a woman's salad days are shorter than a man's — really, in this precise context, only from about 15 to 20."

ps: derb is right. tho i'm personally a little more generous in extending the salad days of women who are committed to staying fit to 25 years old.

[David Alexander]

I'm sure you meant High School or College, I'm not a pedophile you know.

As we've pointed out, to Americans, your taste in jeune filles, is a little extreme for us. Even at Roissy's place, men who aren't feminist or Christians think your views are a little extreme.

And you still have yet to answer my question. :)

Well, I could send DA a picture of my gf if he promises he won't publish it.

Gannon, if you feel comfortable, send it over to saturnrings at lagrandeanse.com

I promise not to send it. Caribbeans can keep secrets, and I understand the desire for secrecy. :)

And really guys, Meghan is very sexual, but her face is far from perfect. Also, she may turn BBW rather soon if she doesn't take care like hell.I'm not surprised that she is your type though DA, she has somewhat sluttish and prolish on her. An underclass beauty.

She could gain 50 lbs, and she would still be better looking than any celebrity.

Yes, she does have the beautiful prole/underclass girl look because of her make up, but her fashionista tastes point towards money. Mind you, her clothes are not particularly slutty or revealing. For some reason I have been unable to explain, she somehow falls under the "fuck and marry" category.

[DJ]

Cute? I want to vomit.

[hugh go naught]

DA,

I hear she's really into trains too!

[David Alexander]

for those giving gannon a hard time about stating out loud that nearly all men do find girls as young as mid-teens and with developed secondary sex characteristics more bangable on average than the typical 30 year old woman

I'm the same age as Gannon, and I've yet to see what he finds in these teenage girls that he's going crazy over. Most of them look like taller little girls, and the vast majority are flat chested and haven't filled out. The girls are that age are too silly and immature for anything longer than a simple conversation.

[Vim]

superdestroyer:

I think I was saying it's a mix of rich and very smart poor. But anyway, I would say most ivies have their reputation based on their selectiveness and the quality of their graduate student population (law school, medical school, engineering schools, architecture schools etc) more than their undergraduate population. But even in the undergraduate population ... you can find math and physics olympiad medalists and spelling bee champions walking around along with the sons and daugthers of the elite ... and a lot of kids who've done a lot more professionally in their life than you or I: actors, sporting prodigies ... Anyway, like I said, you sound bitter more than anything. I layed it out for you. I don't see much wrong with it (tactically speaking) since it brings hundreds of millions to the ivy league and associates the schools with power and winners.

hugh go naught,
Part of my post from yesterday:

"Bring back the draft. Discipline, especially military discipline, is vital for all IQ types. It teaches many valuable lessons that everyone can benefit from. Not only would it discipline and educate lower IQs, it would get the elite back into the military and make them understand that they can't coast and that life is a serious business. They need discipline as well. The high IQ's need to understand that they are the elite and that if they want to be in that position and reap its benefits, it sometimes involves leading and sacrificing (including lives) every now and then."

I still don't see anything wrong with it.

[hugh go naught]

12:51pm

I'm sure you don't see anything wrong with government forcing people to work for them. The question is if you find anything wrong with plantation owners forcing people to work for them, and if so how do you justify the difference?
I'm skeptical that teaching high IQs a lesson somehow justifies military slavery, but I'm willing to hear the argument.

[Peter]

john derbyshire stands equally accused of haunting the playground:
"It is, in fact, a sad truth about human life that beyond our salad days, very few of us are interesting to look at in the buff. Added to that sadness is the very unfair truth that a woman's salad days are shorter than a man's — really, in this precise context, only from about 15 to 20."

He also got a LOT of criticism for writing that. From men as well as from women. And it's sort of funny that Derb considers a woman to be past her prime at 21, yet he himself didn't get married until he was in his mid-40's. I don't know how old his wife is (he has some recent pictures of her but it's sometimes hard to judge age with Asian women), but it seems to be a reasonable assumption that she was at least in her late 20's when they married.

By the way, while she's clearly out of my age range, I'd have to say that Art DeVany's wife still looks pretty decent at age 70.

[Gannon]

"I'm the same age as Gannon, and I've yet to see what he finds in these teenage girls that he's going crazy over. Most of them look like taller little girls, and the vast majority are flat chested and haven't filled out. The girls are that age are too silly and immature for anything longer than a simple conversation."

That's BS. Girls tend to start bleeeding at 11-12, whuch means that at the beginning of HS(14, 15)they have nice round bottoms, and firm, delicious fist size breasts. They do not look like Big little gilrs, but like YOUNG WOMEN, Because that's what they are.

[Vim]

There is basically a social contract in the West that men over 18 will leave girls less than 18 alone. I think in a way the media and parents are failing to live up to their side of the bargain by desexualizing these girls instead they are selling victoria secret underwear to these girls, in hollywood they but them on the screen in tiny little clothes etc. I think reducing the sexualization of young girls would be a good resolution to these hordes of people on the internet that run the gambit from talking about how pretty young girls are to the folks you see on 'To catch a predator' show.

[Tanked]

I have said it many times here before and I'll say it again: MILFs are the answer to all of our problems. No more cruising school yards with Gannon (and the possible ciminal record that entails) or getting rejected by stuck-up college types. Gone are the days of the "dinner whores" and gold-digging status sluts who want to know what kind of car you drive and if you have trust fund.
MILFs are everywhere and available. They are a vast resource, like some untapped reserve of oil or unmined vein of glittering gold, right in your backyard. Free yourselves Brothers! Break your bonds and shatter your chains!

[Gannon]

"There is basically a social contract in the West that men over 18 will leave girls less than 18 alone."

??????????????????¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿??????????????¿¿¿¿

No Vim, there is no social contract that states that. Feminists want you to believe that there is a social contract which states that. For the record, the bible states marriageable age for women as 13, and 12 was the legal minimum standard age of marriage thorughout the West.
In a lot of European countries (and also in Chile Uruguay Argentina) age of consent is 13/14/15, and in almost none it is higher than 16. Even half of the US has an age of consent of 16. Natural law dictates that a person once he reaches sexual maturity (for girls around 13/14))has the freedom to live his/her sexuality freely. A person who has reched puberty can consent in nonabusive heterosexual relationships.
Please Vim, you are to smart to believe the lies of feminists and fundamental Christians. Google around a little, and you will find that in most western countries girls in their middteens can genuinely consent, and the law of God or of nature does not condem men for seeking young women in their middteens.

[Peter]

Girls tend to start bleeeding at 11-12, which means that at the beginning of HS(14, 15)they have nice round bottoms, and firm, delicious fist size breasts.

Now really Gannon, if this isn't a really weird-sounding comment, then I don't know what is!

[roissy]

peter on derb on ephebophilia:
He also got a LOT of criticism for writing that. From men as well as from women.

no surprise that women protracted their claws for the kill, as most women reading pundits like derb on the net are past their salad days. i'd take their criticisms with a flat of salt.
as for the men riding to the rescue of prim social etiquette, it's important to distinguish just who was first out of the gate to pounce on derb for stating a truth as plain as day -- social conservatives (and neocons in their thrall) and opportunistic lefties who revile derb as a boogeyman.

And it's sort of funny that Derb considers a woman to be past her prime at 21, yet he himself didn't get married until he was in his mid-40's.

it's possible to acknowledge a truth about reality without personally benefiting from said truth.

I don't know how old his wife is (he has some recent pictures of her but it's sometimes hard to judge age with Asian women), but it seems to be a reasonable assumption that she was at least in her late 20's when they married.

his wife looks to be at least 10 years younger than him, and probably closer to 20 years younger. weighing his dating market value and his wife's attractiveness, i'd say he did pretty well for himself.

By the way, while she's clearly out of my age range, I'd have to say that Art DeVany's wife still looks pretty decent at age 70.

sure, she looks decent... for 70.
but that's like saying the titanic looks good for a sunken ship.
it's still a wreck.

[Vim]

Gannon:

"Please Vim, you are to smart to believe the lies of feminists and fundamental Christians."

It's an academic question for me. I have a girlfriend and she's not 12 :) But more importantly, I am smart enough that I have no problem getting the things I need from life within the contraints of the law and general social convention.

(I know it varies. I've lived in more than one country.)

But these children have no interest for me. To paraphrase Bill Maherr, I'm an adult with I have adult interests.

[Gannon]

"Now really Gannon, if this isn't a really weird-sounding comment, then I don't know what is!"

That's a poetic description of female nubile beauty.
Ah, and before I forget. To catch a predator is entrapment of young harmless man. If these guys were real criminals Chris Hansen would have been killed a long time ago. In fact, now that would be divine justice for ruining ao many young men's lifes. Ah yeah, and then they also show on the programming these ugly fat dykes from perverted justice who can't get any who are probably just jealous that these young men don't invite them. I agree however that these guys aren't too bright. I mean, they should at least make sure that they have the real thing and not solicit sex but simply take the presumed girl out to the cinema or park or something. Dating is no crime. After checking that they have the real thing then they should start evaluating about taking the risk of breaking the law. Man, you guys don't know how happy I am that I live in a country with non man hating laws regarding alimony, divorce, age of consent and so on.

[Half Sigma]

This was a post about the quality of Heather Brand's photography, the comments seem to have gone way off topic.

[Joe]

I too noticed how bad the photographs were. I was quite surprised to read that Heather was a "professional photographer." Upon reading that, I hoped the pictures were just snapshots by someone else and not anyone claiming to be a photographer, professional or otherwise.

My wife takes better pictures at her Girl Scout meetings with my Lumix and she only knows how to turn it on and press the button. (The framing is no better, but she at least uses a flash so the color balance is right.)

Oh God, another thread highjacked by the Gannon-teen girls thing. Please just stop. We have heard this literally dozens of time. HS, maybe you can set aside a separate thread just for Gannon & those who wish to argue with him becuase i think that's what it's going to take.

[miles]

OK Sigma, its time for you to stop jerking off to pictures on Mehgan McCain's blog, alrighty?

Her dad isn't going to replace Guiliani as your dream president as we are about to move into states whereby democrats and independents cant vote in the Republican primary to put Shamnesty-talk-express into office. Aint'a gonna happen

[David Alexander]

I too noticed how bad the photographs were. I was quite surprised to read that Heather was a "professional photographer." Upon reading that, I hoped the pictures were just snapshots by someone else and not anyone claiming to be a photographer, professional or otherwise.

My brother noted that the photographs reeked of the style typically used by Facebook users. Simple, slightly centred photos with an embrace between the two subjects which the vast majority taken with a lower end, pocket sized digital camera shot from arms length via an LCD.

[Half Sigma]

miles: "Her dad isn't going to replace Guiliani [sic] as your dream president"

I still support Rudy, but if McCain wins Florida, he's the next Republican nominee.

David Alexander: "If I was bored, I could purchase a used D200 or D2Hs"

That's how I feel about the Leica lens mentioned in the original post, I'd buy one if I had a good use for one (such as taking candid photos of the next President), but otherwise I guess I have better uses for the $700 (though I'm not sure what they are--maybe a new TV?).

[David Alexander]

I still support Rudy, but if McCain wins Florida, he's the next Republican nominee.

Thus proving that one hot girl can change a nation.

That's how I feel about the Leica lens mentioned in the original post, I'd buy one if I had a good use for one (such as taking candid photos of the next President), but otherwise I guess I have better uses for the $700 (though I'm not sure what they are--maybe a new TV?).

As of now, I own a D50 with four lenses that each have their own role, and as much as I'd like to get new equipment, I'm not going to squander my current savings on slightly better equipment when what I have is "good enough". I'd much rather spend the extra income on making use of my equipment by traveling to other cities. Hell, if it wasn't for my dad's current chemotherapy stint, I would be planning a February break trip to San Francisco or Europe if the fares are low enough, and at this point an extra funds are going towards paying for these trips.

Otherwise, I'd really consider a used D2HS for its brilliant high ISO capabilities and brilliant high speed autofocus. I could care less that it's 4MPs since nearly everything I take is downsized eventually from the original size. I'd also consider a Sigma 24mm f/1.4 or 30 f/1.4. Otherwise, everything else is something nice to have but not really necessary. The D300 is just too expensive for now, and I'd rather just hold out for whenever the consumer grade stuff gets upgraded...

[Joe]

Except that I wouldn't trust a horny 25 year old man with my hypothetical 16 year old daughter.

Having raised a daughter through 16, at the time I would rather she hung around with 25 year old horny men than the teenage losers that were always hitting on her. Then again, this is a girl who will kick a man in the balls if he acts up (and who wouldn't listen to me no matter what I said anyway.)

[Gannon]

Actually, the suitors come of as more normal than the fat ugly cowardish pigs and the warhogs and beachwhales from perverted justice. The suitors are admittingly somewhat plain and not to attractive, but are in the end just probably a fair representation of the average American.