Can cards be cool Christmas candy?

Yup, I talk about 3 different types of cards that make for cool holiday gifts this year for the photographer you know. That, along with online photo contests, the nomination announcement for the Top 8 of 2008 blogs/podcasts are now open, and of course, listener questions. I do have to apologize for the audio quality as I had to record it on the fly using the MBP in my car! Not too shabby after putting it all together, but not the greatest either. Continue reading “Can cards be cool Christmas candy?”

Money, Socializing, and Freebies!

Hey all, welcome to the Tuesday blog post for CB – today the latest in the Canon Blogger Digital Podcast Series is up for your mobile listening pleasure. It turns out I can ramble on for quite a bit as I take a look at three distinct topics:

  • Making Money in Photography
  • The Value of Social Networks
  • and some Free Web Resources that you may have missed

I also take the usual spate of reader/listener questions (great ones this go around, so thanks and shout outs to Marcus, Krista, and Nick! In the future, send me links to your websites so I can return the generosity on the podcast and here on the blog post. For now though – thanks! So, share your questions, comments, and feedback through the many opportunities here at the blog and via email.

A couple of show notes:

The 1st segment is a more detailed look from yesterdays post on “The Cost of Doing Business“, and talks about the details involved in creating a business plan.

The 2nd Segment looks at the value of social networking, so naturally here, I will suggest you stop by and say hi to me on The Twitter, LinkedIn, and through the various forums I participate in.

And last but not least, on the subject of freebies, my apologies for the two contest mentions from Popular Photography, but they have since closed (I hate it when they don’t indicate that at the source page!), sorry! Dave Cross blog can be found here though, and Scott Sherman/Michael Stein’s podcast can be found here. Anyway, thanks for stopping in, and as always, share your feedback, comments, and ideas either in the comments or via email.

That’s it for today, don’t forget to vote in the latest sidebar poll at the blog! Hope all your shots are good ones… happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

The creative versus the communicative process

The latest podcast episode has been published and in this week’s episode I talk about a new podcast to hit the airwaves – Digital Photography Life, hosted by none other than Scott Sherman and Michael Stein.  If these names sound familiar it’s because I have talked about them and their podcast before when they used to host The Digital Photography Life.  Tune in to the podcast here to listen to the details  Their show notes are posted on Scott’s blog, which can be found here, and of course, their press release announcing the show, can be read here.

The podcast also raises an interesting question about the disconnect between creative thinking versus communicative thinking and looks at the disconnect that often occurs between these two mindsets.  I’ve not heard anyone talk about this specifically before, so would be interested especially in reader thoughts on this particular subject!

Last but not least, I also look at some of the more exciting things that were a part of Photoshop User Magazine’s latest issue (December 2008) including the Gonzo Gear Guide from Scott Kelby, and the 100 Greatest Photoshop tips!  Of course the show, as always, is rounded out with a few Q&A, and a Road Tip for you.  So, download the latest to your iPod, MP3 player or listen on your commutes…

In the meantime, Happy Shooting, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

[display_podcast]

What do Photo walks and software cycles have in common?

Tune in to this week’s episode of the Canon Blogger Podcast Series, Episode #58, from either the blog or your feed readers today!  I also tackle a few listener questions, and offer up a photo road tip for the listening audience.  So, pick up the feed today, or stop in to the blog to not only download the show, but also to see the other content that isn’t in the daily feeds (things like the Online Photography Test, Colors and Textures Galleries, polls and more!

As I tinker a little with the audio quality of the show and try to make things more seamless and enjoyable, you’ll notice I am pushing the show out in segments, with some music to break things up in little snips between the subject material.  If you like it, chime in via the comments section of the blog.  If you don’t like it, well…chime in via the comments section of the blog.  If you are ambivalent, well…chime in via the comments in the blog.

Hmmm…seems like someone would like to hear what the listening audience thinks of the changes in the format for the audio podcast.  And it also seems that the feedback can easily be done via:  the comments section of the blog!

If you’ve listened to the show and are still yearning for more, please stop by fellow podcasters Scott Sherman and Michael Stein’s new podcast series:  Digital Photography Life.  Formerly, these guys hosted the Digital Photography Show on another network and they’ve since moved on.  Their first show on the new network mis up and ready for your listening pleasure, so do stop over and give it a listen – great to have them back on the air!  Their podcast can be found here:  Digital Photography Life

Nitty Gritty Details

The weekly podcast that usually goes up on Tuesdays was supplanted yesterday by the Election Day message. Returning to photography topics today, the weekly podcast has been posted and is ready for your listening enjoyment. I’ll have some notes related to the podcast to include at the end of today’s post.

In the interests of keeping the “What’s This?” on schedule, we are now in week 18. Last week’s was in fact, the stained glass that a reader correctly identified rather quickly. So, I am hopefully going to make things a little more intriguing for you this week. Let’s see the first to identify this image:

What's This? - Week 18

Podcast Notes:

  1. Gadget Infinity is the site to get the Cactus Triggers from – be careful to order for the correct lights
  2. There are some great patterns inside CS3 (not available in CS4 anymore), just go to the following folder to find them: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Patterns\PostScript Patterns
  3. Q&A – Recording Software, Crop Factors, and photo terminology

Wrap-up: Contests, Road Tip, & Polls

Happy shooting all, watch those apertures, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

[display_podcast]

Don’t fear the forums!

Forums

Today, I take a somewhat introductory look at the prevalence of photography forums across the internet. With communities cropping up for every nuance and interest, one literally has dozens, if not hundreds upon thousands to choose from. Everything from lighting, to portraiture, landscape, architecture, and even food photography has a community of avid participants. What to make of it all? Which ones are good and which are not as beneficial as others? I’ve referenced a few communities here from time to time, including ones that I still participate in on a regular and on-going basis.

As my interests wax and wane into different specifics, I find myself moving from one community to another in search of what I am looking for and I suspect others do the same. What are we looking for? Well, that can vary depending on where we’ve been and where we want to go. So, to kind of help clear the air on all the vagaries of photo forums online, I cobbled together my weekly podcast to talk about three basic types that I see all over the internet.

Do you participate in forums? What kinds of information do you look for when you visit these forums? What types of forums are they? If you had to classify them according to the 3 main types referred to in the podcast, where would your community fall? Here’s a chance to promote your own communities in new and interesting ways, by sharing your thoughts in the comments. Let me know and I’ll share the best of these in next Tuesday’s podcast. In the meantime, Happy Shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow.

P.S.  Don’t forget to vote for my photo over at the TWIP contest on Photrade here – only 2 days left!

[display_podcast]

Monday Morning Quarterback

After a rather exciting weekend photographically I thought today might be a fun way to share my experiences with the readership in the form of an audio podcast!  That’s right, I am going to try and get established again with a weekly podcast you can listen to.  Today, I talk about my experiences with the Colorado Strobist group over on Flickr.  Also, I hit on the subject of learning on your own versus in a community.  It’s kind of an interesting mix of two related schools of thought, and hopefully will get me back on the band wagon for audio podcasts on a regular basis.  You’ll recognize the theme music, and that should stay consistent, but it will likely stay in audio format for the forseeable future.

For a few of my shots from the outing, stop over at the Flickr pool and look at the contributions from CB_Jason.  It’s always fun to get feedback, and I do listen to what everyone has to say.  I thought the lighting was good, but my post processing left a little to be desired (in retrospect).  Comes from having not the best monitor to work with in my 5 year old Dell 19″!

Anyway, give a listen, it’s much more portable now, and I only ramble on for about 5 minutes or so.  Let me know what you think and if there are any subjects you would like to see discussed in future episodes!  Happy shooting, and I’ll have another new topic for your reading pleasure back here again tomorrow!

Updating Your Firmware

A few days ago I shared the story of how an IS lens on my beloved 40D was producing some odd noises and the resulting diagnosis was to update my firmware. Rather than do so immediately (as is usually the case for me), I decided to hold off and share it as a video tutorial of sorts on what the process is like. I share a few tips on things to do before hand and what to look for. Then, you see in real time, unrehearsed and unscripted, my firmware update.

As the video shows, it’s a pretty painless process as long as you follow instructions. Unfortunately, because I had to use Quicktime to record it, there is no flash version available. Podpress has not been updated to co-exist with WordPress, so I am continuing to have to post videos and multimedia via link rather than by an available feeder, so apologies there as well.

But anyway, enough falderal, here’s the video:

[display_podcast]

I should have some more pics, a Wednesday “What’s This?” and fun stuff again tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping in, and until then, happy shooting and watch those apertures!

Tuesday Tech Talk: Canon ST-E2

This week, the Tuesday Tip is more of a Tech Talk. I got an email from someone inquiring about the Canon ST-E2 asking about how to use it, and what it is compatible with. Taking a cue from this, I decided to make it a video tip from the MacbookPro,and set things up to give a basic primer on what the ST-E2 looks like, how it mounts to your camera, and how it triggers off-camera flashes electronically. Hopefully this will help demonstrate the purpose of the ST-E2 in a better light (bad pun, sorry)! Because it was recorded from the Mac this go around, there will not be a Flash-based version of the Tip this week.Sorry in advance for any that might prefer the Flash version.

One note on the video content: I said in the video that the ST-E2 supports the entire Speedlight flash family.While that is true, I did get the nomenclature wrong.As it turns out, the 400 series Speedlights are the 420 EX and the 430 EX, with the 500 series ones numbering at 550 EX and 580 EX.The ST-E2 will work with them all, albeit with some limitations on the earlier versions.For detailed specs, there is good information at Canon and the product sheet maintained by BH Photo.Those direct links are provided here for anyone who is interested.

So, that is the tip for this Tuesday: an ST-E2 Tech Talk.If anyone would like to see more gear in action, or has a question about how to use gear, feel free to email me or post in the comments section.Happy shooting, watch those apertures, and we will see you tomorrow!

Canon Product Sheet for the ST-E2

B and H Photo Product Sheet for the ST-E2

PlayPlay

Pics, Trips, and Tips

What's This? - Week3

Welcome to week 3 of the “What’s This?” series! Last week I had a close-up shot with some great guesses including carpet, a towel, and a toothbrush – but the answer, as it turns out, is a candle wick!

What's This? - Week 2

I had cropped out a portion of it, to give kind of a different twist! Thanks to all for participating! So, as we move into week3, here is another everyday object that I’ve zoomed in on, and taken a cropped portion to share. Can you guess what this is?

In other news, it seems I will be somewhat busy over the next few weeks with several trips on the horizon. Late June, a friend is getting married, and that will require a trip to NC. Then, shortly after that, I will be traveling (driving) to New York for the 4th of July festivities. Very shortly after I get back, I will likely be accompanying my wife out to Colorado as we transition to that area from SC. She’ll move on ahead to start her job, while I stay behind to close up shop and sell the house. Oh yeah, did I mention? We’re moving to Colorado!!!

So, for the last tidbit of news, I did actually knock out the tip for the week as previously mentioned: displacement maps! I read about this technique in my most recent issue of NAPP and had a few images that I thought it may work for, so thought to give it a whirl! Pretty neat effect, so feel free to try it out yourself!

CB Episode #44: Displacement Maps