Category: Flickr

Covering the Photo Beat

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In the latest release of the LDP podcast, a shorter show this week as I prep for some other ventures, but there’s still enough material to really sink your teeth into.  To start things off, Leica released two new cameras in a synchronized announcement including a full frame ranger finder camera for $6995 and a crop factor camera with 12 MP for just under $2K which will release around the holidays.  More info on both cameras here

The other big photo news of the week comes to us courtesy of Apple, with the latest updates to iPods not only by adding features, but also by decreasing cost.  Find out how this all relates to photography (very cool ways) on the podcast today!  You can get Apple-specific details on their main page.

Second up on the show, the contest news which regular readers mostly know about except for the October announcement of two new sponsors!  Find out who the new sponsors are and what will be the giveaway for October in this episode.

Finally, I also let you know about the latest project to be looking for from CB and LDP – a monthly newsletter, and let you know how to become a featured artist in a monthly newsletter.  Details in the podcast so be sure to tune in and catch all the details today!

We cover the usual spate of listener Questions and Answers, so here’s the links to help answer the issues in this weeks show:

I’d also like to give some special cross-promo props to Kerry Garrison of Camera Dojo last week to talk about the Canon 7D!  It was a lot of fun, and I would encourage anyone looking to add photography-related podcasts to their listening libraries to visit Camera Dojo and pick that up today!  (Also, while you are there, don’t forget to say hey in his community too as he’s got a lot of great resources available.  His website is linked here.)

That’s enough news and excitement for one day, so make sure to stop back in tomorrow for more photography news and info as we head into the tail end of summer weekend photography fun.  Happy shooting all!  Don’t forget to visit the Podcast site here and Digg it!  (Or download through iTunes) and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

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Contests and Giveaway News

Jason3 Comments

Lots to cover today, so rather than banter, let’s get to the news about all the contest stuff going on:

The Comment Contest

Talk about a huge success – had enough feedback and ideas in this one post to really get some great creative ideas in play for the coming months for the blog – after the re-design!  Some lucky winner will be announced tomorrow (I am writing this on Sunday, while comments are still being accepted, so a winner cannot be announced right now.)

Win a Wacom Giveaway

The Learning Digital Photography giveaway thread over on Flickr has seen quite an uptick in submissions in the last week.  As the deadline approached, more people started getting their “fun” themed shots in, and there’s a lot of creative and fun photos in there.  It’s going to be tough to decide this one for sure.  Have you got your image submissions in yet?  If not, today is the last day to enter, and like the lottery, you can’t win if you don’t play!  You have until midnight tonight (Mountain Time), so it’s now or never!

The September Giveaway – Think in Color!

Announced briefly and teased on post #500, September’s contest is a pretty big one.  Two significant items are up for grabs this month.  First up, the winner of this contest will receive a Think Tank Multimedia Bag System (5 bags total).  For more information on this latest bag system to hit the shelves from ThinkTank Photo, you can read the review I did here, or visit their website for the specifics here.  The retail value of this set of bags is easily $350!

Second, Topaz Labs has offered up their plugin suite of actions for Photoshop to the winner of the September giveaway.  You may recall my review of the Topaz Labs Adjustment plugin here on the blog, and more of the Topaz plugins will be reviewed here during September, so stay tuned to see all the cool stuff this set can do.  The retail value of this software set is valued at $150 for the Adjustment, Denoise, Simplify, Detail, Clean and DeJPEG plugins.

So, let’s see – $350 in bags, and $150 in software = $500 in giveaway items for the September run.  That’s a lotta loot!  This means the setup will be a little more competitive than last months.  Here’s a rundown of the guidelines:

  1. Longest side of the image should be between 600-800pixels.  This makes for consistency in galleries, and also for equal view-ability in the judging phase.
  2. One photo per person, submitted through the Flickr thread, which will be created tonight at midnight.
  3. Photos must be taken within 30 days of the contest start date.  So, if you have something you took just last month, that is acceptable, but earlier archives will not be accepted.
  4. All images must be work-safe/family-friendly.
  5. This go around, the theme is:  Think in Colors (for ThinkTank and the color Topaz).  Incorporate the theme of the giveaway somehow into your photos.
  6. Since we’re talking Photoshop and plugins, it makes sense to also note that image editing is permitted, so go ahead and punish those pixels!
  7. Image submissions will be accepted starting September 1st, and will continue through Sat. Sept. 26th.

The other cool thing about the Thinktank/Topaz Labs giveaway is that the folks at Topaz Labs have offered to the winner that their photo be displayed on Topaz Labs website (along with photo credit given, naturally).  This is, of course, totally optional, but definitely a cool feather to have in ones’ cap.  The caveat here is that the submitting photographer would have to be at least 18 years old.

Phew – that is a lot of contest news!  In one sidenote about the blog, a little administrative note that the B&H Photo affiliate link is back, so if you are thinking of purchasing some gear through B&H, if you use the link above, though your price stays the same, B&H will send a few cents back this way to help offset the expense of hosting.  (It literally is just a few cents per purchase, so go ahead and spend a fortune!) 🙂  So much for a hardware review today…I’ll be back tomorrow with the last post for August, and the announcement of the Comment Contest winner!  In the meantime, happy shooting!

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Post # 499: Audioboo Addition!

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As promised, as we gear up for magical #500 tomorrow – more content has been added to the blog.  This is not something that can be gotten from the feed though, so for you feed readers out there, stop over the the blog and check out the new widget in the side panel that has links to… AudioBoo!

audioboo

So, what is Audioboo?  AudioBoo is a unique way for people with iPhones and iPod Touches to share their short audio recordings – courtesy of the folks at Audioboo.fm  It’s kind of a cool concept, because the recordings (called “boos”) are typically short – 2-5 minutes in length, and if you visit the site, you can see there is quite a bit of content there.  If you’d like to pick up my audio feed from that directly, you can grab the RSS for that by following this link:  http://audioboo.fm/profile/CBJason.

The whole premise behind this is that I can deliver audio tips and tricks, thoughts and ideas relating to photography to you whenever a good idea strikes!  It should be a fun experiment and I can promise that there will be some personal stuff to give a little more variety too (like my favorite brew at a local microbrewery!)  Fair warning – as football season rapidly approaches, you may here more Broncos talk too!  I’ll try to stay on point with photography ideas though, so either pick up the feed there, or (preferrably) visit the blog regularly for content updates.  This is definitely in a beta stage and may grow or fade away depending on interest, time, and other factors.

In other news, I’ve had a number of people as about photos taken from the star tracking station I built and recorded onto YouTube.  Unfortunately, the astrophotography gods have not been kind thus far as the night sky has had a lot of cloudiness.  Hopefully this weekend will be more favorable – but I am planning on packing it into the bottom of my checked back on my upcoming trip.

Speaking of which, thanks to everyone who gave their thoughts on what the last book should be for the trip.  I’ll likely be making my book purchases through Amazon this weekend (unless the library comes through for me again! 🙂 ), and I’ll have an announcement on Monday of who wins the B&H gift card, so be sure to stay tuned for that!

Given the title of this post – you should at least have an idea of what’s coming tomorrow – but it’s a two-fold announcement, and because it’s just so cool, I am going to be announcing something big for the September Giveaway too!  And how’s that for a great segue to let you know that there is little time left in the August Giveaway – where you can Win a Wacom!  (Click the link for the Flickr thread and details.)

Well, that’s enough for today – happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow for the big one!

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Post #498: A few shots from the Photo Walk

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You’d think these would be shots from the Scott Kelby Photo Walk, but that’s only half right.  Ever since the first photo walk last year in Golden, CO…several of us kept the concept cooking with regular meet-ups (through www.meetup.com, a great place to organize get-togethers for any type of group, not just photography).  Anyway, this meetup group has been getting together on a regular basis (monthly to semi-monthly depending on season)…and we had our August photo walk back at historic Golden CO (in honor of last years Scott Kelby photowalk that was held there).

Since I am on the subject of photo walks, before the pics, it helps to say a few words about these gatherings.  They are probably one of the most enjoyable things about photography, because you get together with people that share the same passion you do for the craft.  You get to trade shots and techniques, talk shop, and gear, post processing – the works.  I have made some great friends from both photo walks, so kudos to Scott Kelby and the NAPP organization for hatching the idea for these types of get-togethers.  While the activity has always been around to a degree – the awareness and energy that they’ve brought to it are astounding!

Okay, enough fan-dom for the day – here’s my photo gallery shots I’ve worked on thus far.  Got a few regular shots and an HDR using the trial version of Photomatix (I still haven’t ponied up to buy this…I need to do that soon!):

_MG_7899
Large Sunflower

Farmhouse
Farmhouse
Para-sailing
Para-sailing
Wood Stove
Wood Stove

I know these are all pretty much snapshot material, but it’s part of what makes photo walks so much fun – just random pics, and socializing!  Unless of course you take your photowalking more serious…  On that note, share your thoughts on photo walks in the comments.  Do you find them useful?  If so, for what?  If not, share those thoughts as well.  Chime in, as comments are always appreciated!  (Oh yeah, can anyone tell which one is the HDR?  No peeking for the “photomatix” stamp!)

One final note – we are in the final days of the August contest over in the Flickr threads.  This month, the prize is a Wacom Bamboo Fun!  (I reviewed this last month on the blog, and you can check out the review here.)  The retail value of this is $100, and the submission count is a little lighter this go around, so your odds of winning are even better – for now!  Anyway, like the Lotto, if you don’t play, you can’t win – and this one is free!  So, share your “fun” themed shots today in the Flickr group – see the thread for more details here:  Bamboo Fun Giveaway

Okay, that’s all the photos, news, and contest info I have for this 498th post.  We’re closing in on magical #500 – only a couple days to go, so stay tuned as the posts will likely get more and more multimedia filled.  And, if you tune in to #500 – a great giveaway exclusive to that day will also be announced!  So, as we count down the days remaining, keep on shooting.  Until tomorrow, hope all your shots are great ones!

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Great Scott, Mat, and Contests, Oh My!

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Heh, cheesy headline, but they all seam together on this week’s episode of Learning Digital Photography!  Yup, the podcast is done, and for those that didn’t catch my Twitter tease, this week I had the distinct pleasure of talking with none other than Scott Bourne on the show!  If you don’t know who Scott Bourne is, then you’re living in a cave.

Scott is a regular contributor to Mac Break Weekly, This Week in Photography, and owner/operator of PhotoFocus.  You can find him there, via his Bourne Media Group online presence and a bazillion other places like Photoshop World, Aperture Nature Photography Workshops, Bosque Del Apache, and much much more.  I could link to it all but that would take an entire post of it’s own, so will point you to his main presence at Photofocus and Twitter:

http://www.photofocus.com

http://www.twitter.com/scottbourne

We had a great talk on this week’s show, covering his photo background from Motocross to Wedding work, and of course his Avian work as well.  We took a look at a little of the gear side, got some nuggets on branding and the business side, and even had a chance for a couple twitter questions.  Great stuff and all packed into a mere 30 minute interview!  Thanks again to Scott for taking the time to talk to me on the podcast!

Other content from the show includes a discussion on some of the things to consider on matting and framing (hence mats in the title), and an in-depth look at the finalists from the last LDP contest.  There’s also nuggets and links for other contests out on the web as well as what to look for in future LDP contests, so some teaser stuff there too.  All in all, a great (but long) show so grab it from your preferred source point, whether with the folks at PLM, or in iTunes!

Here’s the links, as promised from the show!

Mats and Framing

  1. American Frame
  2. Redimat
  3. Guide to Preservation Matting

Contests

  1. OnOne Top Ten Finalists
  2. Wacom Giveaway
  3. Bogen Imaging Macro Giveaway
  4. Music/Band Photography Contest

Gear: Ring Flash

  1. Canon Ring Flash
  2. RayFlash
  3. Metz Ring Flash

Technique: Causes of Blur

  1. Camera shake
  2. Subject Shake
  3. Sharpness/Depth of Field

So, there’s the link love for the show – it was a lof of fun this week, but the weekend is almost upon us.  This Saturday it’s another photoshoot with the Meetup Group and then some night photography as I prep for the next article of PhotographyBB Magazine! Make sure you get out and do some shooting too.  Have a good weekend everyone and we’ll see you back here on Monday!  Happy shooting!

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Exposure Denver Presentation

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Tomorrow I will be speaking at a local photo club’s monthly meeting – Exposure Denver.  It’s quite an honor and my first time presenting in any way so we’ll see how it goes.  I’m sure the photogs there will have tons of questions I have absolutely no clue on what the answers are, but I am going to try to talk a bit about work flow – from capture to print.

I’ll be sharing the process I use to import my photos from the camera to the computer and then my file management system, both for redundancy and output to various outlets including web galleries and to print.  Talking points will include:

* Card Readers
* File/Asset management
* Lightroom
* Web Galleries
* Blogging and sharing images online

Anyone in the area is welcome to stop by and meet the the group.  Exposure Denver can be found online at http://www.blog.exposuredenver.com

The meeting starts at 7pm at the Breckenridge Brewery located at: 471 Kalamath Street | Denver, CO 80204  Hope to see you there!

In contest news, the finalists for the OnOne Software giveaway should be announced in a few days – judging begins today.  The August contest kicks off today – with the prize at the end of the tunnel to be the Wacom Bamboo Fun (small)!  Thanks to the good folks at Wacom for donating this great tablet for a lucky reader.

As always, post your images to the Flickr thread, and make sure your image is sized between 800 and 600px on the longest side.  The theme:  FUN!

Here’s the link to the Flickr Thread:  Bamboo Fun Giveaway

That should be enough news for one day, so happy shooting all!  We’ll see you back here tomorrow!

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Galleries Addendum

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Yesterdays post on how to get into galleries generated some great questions and comments both via email and on the blog, so in the interests of keeping that interest and momentum going, here’s a few more tips on Getting Into Galleries, courtesy of Dave Warner from LensFlare 35 and Rich Charpentier (who I’ve interviewed here on the podcast).  Thanks guys for chiming in and offering your assistance!  Onto the 5 additional tips:

  1. Make sure the gallery shows photography – if gallery owners deal primarily with paintings, sculptures, metal work, and such, the odds of being accepted are much less.  This involves actually doing a little research into the gallery.  Perhaps a visit or two during different showings could help determine whether the venue is appropriate for your work.
  2. Make sure the gallery shows your type of work – if you are primarily a landscape artist and the gallery primarily shows urban gritty work, portraiture, or architectural types f work, then again, reconsider the venue.
  3. Contact the gallery – let them know you are interested in being considered, and give a few small samples via email.  Ask if you can schedule a time to visit with them.  Like Dave and Rich said, nothing can be a bigger turnoff than showing up unannounced and possibly interfering with a scheduled appointment or client sale.
  4. Be professional – treat a prospective gallery showing like a job interview.  Just like you wouldn’t want to show up with 4×6 photos in a binder album, also don’t show up on site wearing cut-off shorts or be un-groomed.  It’s not just your work that is being considered, it’s YOU.  If you are accepted into the gallery, in all likelihood, they will want you there for the opening day, so people can meet you, learn about you and interact with you.  If you don’t present yourself with your best foot forward, then clients and gallery owners will probably be less interested.  Once you are big and famous, sure, being unkempt can be part of your “flair” or quirks, but until then, you are just messy!
  5. Be prepared to be told no.  It’s tough to hear, but don’t take it personally if at all possible.  Running galleries is a business, and when it comes to running a business, it’s not personal – it’s just a business decision.  Consider also that gallery owners get many many requests from aspiring artists, and simply do not have room or space all the time.  In the most recent podcast, Matt Timmons mentioned this briefly.  Just because someone says no, doesn’t mean a lifetime of “no”.  It just means “No” today.  Ask again in a few months.  Sometimes people like to see persistence, especially if your craft is getting better.

So, there you go, two days of tips on getting into galleries!  Ten tips total, so go forth and good luck!

Speaking of luck, best of luck to everyone who has been submitting their “Numbers” themed photo contest running right now over in the Flickr forums.  I took a quick glance this morning, and there are just shy of 50 entries.  Amazing given that only one entry is allowed per person!  And there’s still time – you have until midnight tonight to get your picture in.  The winner will walk away with a free copy of the OnOne software Plugin Suite (valued at over $500 retail)!  If you are thinking of getting in the game, now’s the do-or-die moment.  Like they say in lotteries – you can’t win if you don’t play!  Here’s the link to get in the game:  Numbers Contest

Have a great weekend everyone – Happy shooting and we’l see you back here next week for the latest and greatest in photography news, nuggets, interviews, reviews, and all that goes into Canon Blogger.  We’re closing in on some pretty fun dates, including the 500th post, the 2 year anniversary of CB, 1000 Twitter followers, and much more, so be sure to pick up the feed.  I know I had mentioned the next contest on the podcast as well, so be sure to stop back in Monday for the news on what the theme is, and to pick up the tag on Flickr for the thread.

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Show Notes for Episode #28

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No cheeky title today, just a straight up informational one because the podcast was a super long one with all the news, interview time, and listener Q&A so I’ll stick to the meat and potatoes.

  1. On the Photo News Beat
    1. Canon Announces Hybrid IS technology
    2. Stock Exchange joins Getty Images
    3. Think Tank Photo Announces a New Bag System
    4. OnOne Software expecting to release a Remote Capture update soon
  2. LDP/CB Notes
    1. The OnOne Software Plugin Suite Ends Friday – last chance to get your best image in the Numbers Contest
    2. The August Prize is announced:  A Bamboo Fun, courtesy from the folks at Wacom
    3. Exposure Denver Photo Club
  3. Interview With Matt Timmons – MTM Studios
  4. Listener Q&A
    1. The Sony A100 DO Range Optimizer – Bog Segrell from NJ
    2. Martini Memory Lighting Setup? – Alistair M from New Zealand
    3. Where do you get the EOS Digital Capture from Canon? – George Maskaly from Nevada

Here’s links, as promised for the show notes to for those coming over from either PLM or iTunes.  Please let me know if I missed any (it’s getting late here)…

A last little bit of blog news – closing in on 2 yrs, 500 posts, and 1000 feeds – I don’t know how this ever happened, but there’s definitely going to be some prizes coming soon in celebration and to say thanks to all the loyal, faithful readers and listeners!  I teased the date a few days ago on Twitter so if you’re not on Twitter, get there for extra added value too! Happy Shooting All, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

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Martini Memory

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Have you ever had some crazy idea for a photo and then realized it might not be as difficult to pull off as you thought?  Something just off the wall, not really something that would ever grow into anything other than “just for fun of it”?  No project, no marketing, no commercialization, no selling, no limited prints, nothing like that at all…

In case you couldn’t tell, I had one of those moments a while back, and finally decided to pull the trigger trip the shutter!  Here’s the small version of my Martini Memory!  There are, of course, a few versions, of it, but this one was probably the one that first jumped off the screen at me.

memory_martini
Martini Memory

It’s certainly not going to win any awards, but sure was fun to put it together and just see how it came out!  This is the kind of creativity that makes photography so awesome!  So, what about your own zany crazy ideas?  Anyone else have any they’d like to share?  Feel free to link your own images in the comments.  Who knows… this could turn into a contest if there’s enough participation.  Wanna win something?  Share your ideas!  Spread the word – because we all learn best from a community of sharing!

Speaking of sharing, winning, and contests, don’t forget the OnOne Software Plugin Suite 4.5 giveaway.  There are officially 7 days left to enter, so if you’ve been laying in wait to get those images in for consideration, now is the time to start posting them.  I’ll be collating the 10-12 best ones off the Flickr thread to post into a dedicated gallery here on the blog, then passing things over to the folks at OnOne for their thoughts on a winner.  If you want to be considered, time’s a-wasting!  Link to the contest thread on Flickr is here:  Numbers Contest

Happy Friday and Happy Shooting all – this is the last weekend to get a shot for contributing to the contest, so get out there and good luck to everyone!

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