When we changed to "daylight" time Sunday, I remembered to reset my camera's clock

On Sunday, March 14, 2021, most of the U.S. switched to Daylight time from Standard time. Not all of the U.S. makes the change. Arizona, except for the Navajo Nation, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands don't switch to Daylight time in the spring nor back to Standard time in the fall. Their clocks are always set to Standard time.

Few of us are traveling internationally at this time due to the COVID pandemic, but when we do again, it's important to be aware that the Daylight/Standard time change doesn't universally occur across the globe. More than 100 countries never change to Daylight time and more than a few countries switch between the two on different dates than other countries.

Nikon's repair policy clause permitting them to refuse to repair a lens is unethical

Last week, Nikon announced the elimination of their international warranties for their interchangeable lenses and accessories. This includes both their F-mount and Z-mount lenses, plus all Speedlights, etc. In the future, Nikon will only provide local warranties specific to countries or regions of sale under their marketing system or by shipping destinations.

Nikon states that this change was necessitated due to regional and national laws and safety standards. They have found it impossible to craft an international warranty that is effective and falls in line with regulations and laws around the world. That's understandable.

For Nikon users with existing international warranties, the warranties will remain in force for the full term of their warranty. Nikon warns users with lenses and accessories with international warranties, however, that

“If any repairs are performed on that product in a country or region not covered by the warranty, the user is responsible for all repair fees, even if the warranty is still valid.”

That statement has always been true for Nikon lenses and accessories.

The new warranty policy changes are going into effect this month.

Happy New Year 2021 - Change your camera's copyright notice!

I hope the new year is a happy and healthy year for you!

It's January 1, 2021 in just a few days. The COVID-19 pandemic rages on, particularly in the U.S. If you've been following my articles and columns in various publications, especially at Travelers United, you know I've had little time to write about much else, during the “Year of the 21^st Century Pandemic.”

Unfortunately, with the end of year surge in holiday travel in the U.S. and elsewhere, I believe the pandemic is going to get a lot worse in the coming weeks. That's even while the vaccine to protect us from the deadly killer is being administered to millions. As I'm writing this final article for 2020, at the NSL Photography Blog, more than 81 million have been infected by the virus, with more than 1.7 million succumbing to it across the globe.

COVID-19 and Photography: Part 1a, Update - Understanding how the virus spreads

In the U.S., COVID-19 has already killed more than 193,000 people. It's done it in less than seven months. COVID-19 is a serious, highly infectious coronavirus. Since writing Part 1 of this series, nothing has changed about how serious the virus is and that photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, need to determine how to safely make photographs in the COVID-19 pandemic world. The photographic community needs to not only remain stay safe and healthy, but ensure, to the extent possible, that we don't spread the disease to others while making photographs.

While much about COVID-19 is still unknown, since writing Part 1 in late June, scientists have learned a great deal more about how the virus spreads. Here's what we know at this time.

Mask Up! Social Distance! No Touching! — COVID-19 is alive and well

Opinion: From the desk of Ned S. Levi

Today in the world, COVID-19 has infected more than 9.5 million people and taken more than 484,000 lives. In the U.S., COVID-19 has infected more than 2.4 million people and taken more than 124,000 lives.

Just yesterday, there were more than 173,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the world and more than 39,000 in the U.S. The fact is that COVID-19 is alive and well and still infecting and killing people, particularly those who don't remain on guard and cautious.

Any person who says that the fight against COVID-19 is over or remotely close to over is not telling the truth.

COVID-19 and Photography: Part 1, Understanding how the virus spreads

In the U.S., COVID-19 has killed more than 100,000 people. It's done it in less than five months. COVID-19 is a serious, highly infectious coronavirus. Photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, need to determine how to safely make photographs in the COVID-19 pandemic world. We need to not only stay safe and healthy ourselves, but ensure, as much as possible, that we don't spread the disease to others while making photographs.

While much about COVID-19 is still unknown, scientists have learned a great deal about how the virus spreads in the last several months. Here's what we know at this time.

COVID-19 transmission is primarily person-to-person.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said for months that the primary way that COVID-19 spreads is person-to-person. It's spread mainly between people who are near to each other, six feet or closer, via respiratory droplets expelled from an infected person when they cough, sneeze, or merely talk. The droplets are inhaled by those nearby, infecting them. The CDC therefore recommends that during the pandemic, everyone “socially distances” by staying six feet or further from those around us.

Daylight Saving Time and your camera

In most locations of North America, we just reset our clocks, moving the time forward one hour, in the “wee” hours of the morning, on Sunday, March 8^th, to begin “Daylight Saving Time,” or “Daylight Time.” In some parts of North America, such as the states of Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation lands there) and Hawaii in the US, and most of Saskatchewan in Canada, “Daylight Time” isn't used. They stay on “Standard Time” throughout the year.

North America isn't alone in the world moving it's time forward in the spring and back in the fall. Across the globe, 79 nations use “Daylight Time” in at least part of their country. The Falkland Islands stay on “Daylight Time” throughout the year. Most countries on Earth, 159 at this time, remain in “Standard Time” all year.

For those countries which use “Daylight Time,” the date on which “Daylight Time” starts and ends varies from country to country, set by government regulation or law. It also varies according to which hemisphere each country is located, north or south.

Happy New Year 2020 - Change your camera's copyright notice!

Happy New Year. I hope it's a happy and healthy year for you!

It's January 1, 2020. That means we may or may not be starting a new decade.

While it may look obvious that a new decade has begun, if we're consistent within our Gregorian calendar counting, we'll have to wait another year before that happens.

There's confusion about when decades start because Pope Gregory XIII, who in 1582 introduced the calendar most of the world uses, didn't start the calendar with year “0,” but started it with year “1.” In fact, in the Gregorian calendar, there is no year “zero.” From the year 1 BCE (formerly BC), the calendar goes to 1 CE (formerly AD).

Therefore, when a new century or millennia starts, it begins on a year that ends with a “1,” not a “0.” So, to be consistent, new decades should really start with a “1” too, but since we talk about decades belonging to teens, twenties, thirties, forties, etc., most people have gotten used to thinking decades start with the year at “0.”

It's time to reset your camera's copyright notice

Regardless of whether or not today starts a new decade, it does start a new year. That means it's time to reset the copyright notice in your camera to reflect the new year. Make sure your 2020 images have the correct metadata information embedded in them.

Photographing on railroad tracks can mean your death!

Last month, a 17 year-old teenager from Oregon was having his high school senior portrait made. He and the photographer decided it would be a great idea to shoot it along railroad tracks. It wasn't a great idea. The young man was struck and killed in the midst of the session, while on the tracks, by a Union Pacific train in Troutdale.

A Union Pacific spokesperson said, “Our thoughts are with the teen’s family and friends. We plead with parents, students and photographers to not take photos on or near the tracks.”

Earlier this month, the Shiawassee, Michigan County Sheriff's Department reported that a photographer photographing the legendary Pere Marquette 1225 steam engine, known as the “North Pole Express,” featured in the animated film The Polar Express, was almost killed. In the words of the Sheriff's office, people “don't always use good judgment when watching or photographing her along the way.” A photographer had part of her coat literally ripped off her by the passing engine as she was photographing it. Fortunately, unlike the Oregon teenager, she's still alive and hopefully a lot wiser.

Making photographs while on train tracks and in train yards is very dangerous.