Category: web links

HDR, Web links, and a podcast!

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fissure2

So, this last weekend I went on the photo meetup group outing for the month of February into Eldorado State Park, south of Boulder, and had many an opportunity to capture some landscape and macro work. Some great views were had and I only hope that they all come out as well as this one did. While hiking up a trail of slippery snow and ice (it was cold out Saturday morning), I saw this fissure that was pretty intense looking because it was only partially lit. I thought about it for a second and decided to bracket some exposures to see if it would turn out with some HDR massaging. Not only did it turn out better than I would have thought, I was also very pleased with how Photomatix did with this. I would highly recommend this software to anyone interested in HDR work. Not only is it more intuitive than Photoshop, the results were much more gratifying! You can buy Photomatix for PS, Lightroom and for either Windows or a Mac over at www.HDRsoft.com.

Some other web links I learned about recently also include www.fotoblur.com and www.usefilm.com Both are much more cognizant and respective of photography copyright than other social and photo networking sites like Flickr and Facebook (we all know about the Facebook Terms of Service fiasco, right?). One thing I like about both Fotoblur and Flickr is that you are limited in how many images you can upload daily. This requires you to be more careful about what you publish, and as a result, you are more thoughtful and objective of what work is worth posting and sharing online.

Last but not least, the podcast that I had intended to put out last week was delayed for a few days as I put the finishing touches up on a home improvement project. (We finished out one of the basement rooms – expect to see some photos on that makeover forthcoming!) The good news is that not only is the basement room on the verge of completion, but that the podcast is up for this week. Naturally, the title of the podcast will match the blog post title, as the show notes follow closely to todays content. Stop on over to Personal Life Media for the show, or pick it up in iTunes! (Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the review section of iTunes too…the more the merrier!)

Until tomorrow, when I’ll have some more HDR shots to share, keep on shooting – hope all your shots are good ones!

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Another Magazine Article!

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photobbmag

Well, I completely lost track of the week and did not get the weekly podcast recorded in time for publication today.  So, while I could have gone with the alliterative “Forgetful Friday” blog title, I figured that would have been a little too on the nose.  So, instead, I’ll share the exciting news that the latest issue of PhotographyBB magazine has been published.  Dave Seeram, editor-in-chief, announced it a few days ago on the website, so do stop over and download the latest article now. Make sure you take a peek at the article Photography Food for Thought (pgs 19-22), it was the contribution of yours truly to this months issue!  Of course the rest of the magazine is a worthwhile read too.  I particularly enjoyed Dave’s article on Photoshop Retouching.  He’s got a unique balance of technical expertise and translating that skill to the written word. Thanks go out to Dave and the entire publishing crew over at PhotographyBB for another opportunity to share an article with a wider audience than is here at CB!

That’s it for this week.  Happy shooting, have a great weekend, and we’ll see you back here Monday with the belated podcast!

A Dose of Inspiration

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For those that are keeping up via feed reader, you may have noticed some Flickr additions over the weekend.  As the “What’s This?” arc came to completion, I thought it might be fun to compile all the images into their own dedicated set on Flickr for everyone to enjoy.  As it turned out, I had not been keeping up with cross-posting images there as much as I had thought, so it took several visits back and forth between the site files and Flickr to get everything together.  The Flickr images show up as their own feed posts, so there were a few extra feeds over the last few days.  It’s rather fun to see the collected images all in one place, and it also brings a project to completion.  See the complete 22 week collection here:  What’s This?  Flickr Gallery

Seeing projects come to completion can be a motivating force and can drive inspiration, so I’ve also brought myself current with the latest photography magazines.  Most especially relevant for today was the latest issue of Rangefinder magazine.  The web version can be found at www.rangefindermag.com and is enjoyable to be sure, but the print version really shows so much better.  Get your copy off newstands  – this issue is well worth it!  Artists such as Dixie Dixon and Jay Stock give a great dose of inspiration and demonstrate that anyone can be successful if you have the passion and inspiration, no matter if you are new to photography or have been around the block a few times.  Also in this issue is an excellent article on creating your own fine art photography books.  The price tag is high, but the end results seem pretty amazing!

From the blog front:

  • I also would like to take a moment to thank Crash Taylor again for his Thursday Thoughts interview last week.  Some great imagery in there also serve as excellent sources of inspiration, so be sure to stop over at his site and see the latest developments he has to offer.  Thanks Crash!
  • For those of you that have not downloaded the podcast yet, be sure to take some time to give it a listen – you can win the new Streetwalker backpack from Think Tank Photo!  I did my review on the show, and am giving the back to some lucky listener.  Find out how by listening to the show.  It’s a $140 value and you can have it for free!  How’s that for a dose of inspiration?

Feel free to share your images too – remember, at the end of the month, I will be doing a montage of all the images submitted to the “Flat” theme thread over at the Canon Blogger Flickr presence to feature here on the blog, so get in while you can to win fame and fortune!  (Well, maybe not, but it’s always fun to see your images online, right?)

The Show Must Go On…

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While the folks at Personal Life Media continue to work behind the scenes at getting the show re-branded, I’ve been encouraged to keep producing podcasts so, this week, the podcast returns.  I have a couple fun segments including a more detailed back story from The Boneyard Beach post earlier this week, the Think Tank Photo Review, and some blog/podcast housekeeping including the inside scoop on how you can win the Streetwalker bag I reviewed!   Be sure to get this week’s episode so you know what to do.   The bag is valued at $140!!!

As you may have noticed if you’re picking up the feed, I am also uploading all the “What’s This” images to the Canon Blogger Flickr Pool.  As that content arc has ended, I thought it might be fun and of interest to see the entire gallery of photos that have gone up on that subject over a period of roughly 23 weeks.  (Almost half a year of images there to rack your brain on!)

As we head into the weekend, be sure to take your camera with you -never know when a photo opportunity will present itself, so as the Boy Scouts always said:  “Be Prepared!”  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here Monday morning!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Thursday Thoughts with… Crash Taylor

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Welcome back, and a happy Thursday to everyone.  My apologies for the apparent “no blog” post yesterday.  Just when you think all is going well, work goes and serves up a crashed server that sidetracks you completely all day.  Needless to say, it looks like it’s still not back up this morning, but the blog must roll on!  So, today, we’re gonna stick to our regular schedule of the Thursday Thoughts series.  This week, I have the honor of sharing and enjoying the company of the blog with Crash Taylor.  An excellent photographer, and interviewer himself, this is kind of turning the tables, as the interviewer is now being interviewed!  SO, without further ado, here is Crash Taylor!

Q:  Everyone always wants to know some of the basics, so let’s get a few things out of the way at once here…How long have you been a photographer?

A:  Professionally 4 years.

Q:  Canon, Nikon, Sonly, Olympus, Pentax or some other brand?

A:  Canon 5D Mark II’s all the way baby!   It’s the ultimate wedding camera.

Q:  Mac, PC, or Linux?

A:  Mac’s rule!

Q:  Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?

A:  Vanilla of course.

Q:  Moving into a little more granularity, photographers often enjoy hearing helpful and constructive critiques of their work, as we are aware of how much we can grow from it.  However, we’ve also all had the “nice shot” and “cool” comments when we’ve shared our work.  With that pretext set, what was the singular most useful critique or comment you’ve ever had on work you’ve shared publicly?

A:  My wife is my biggest fan and holds nothing back when critiquing my work. Her favorite phrases are I LOVE IT or I HATE IT.

Q:  Normally, I’d ask next who said it, but that’d be kind of redundant now.  So, let’s skip ahead to the next question.  If someone was asking you for an honest critique of their work, what 3 factors would you look at most (excluding friendships or family relatives, we’re talking professional or fellow photographer-types here)?

A:  LIGHT, COMPOSITION and EMOTION to me are the key elements to creating a stunning still image.

Q:  Got any war stories from field shoots or outings that you can or would be willing to share?

A:  Not yet. I’m sure I will have some by the end of my career though. Ask me then.

Q:  If you had to choose between the gear or the software as the only way to create, which would it be and why?

A:  I definitely need both to create my signature style images.

Q:  If you had to pick three pictures out of your entire portfolio to represent your approach to photography, or your artistic vision, which ones would you pick?

Crash Taylor Gallery

Crash Taylor Gallery

Crash Taylor Gallery

Q:  Any final thoughts you’d like to share about the state of photography or any catch phrases that you keep in mind when shooting?
A:

  1. Move it from the middle, move in close, watch the light, aim for impact and then capture the moment.
  2. Life without passion and photography is unforgivable.

Thanks so much to Crash for taking the time to sit down and participate in the Thursday Thoughts series.  Like his outlook?  Then check out his site – it’s a must see, and can be found on the web here. Got anyone you would like to hear from on the Thursday Thoughts series?  Feel free to share ideas, comments, suggestions in the comments.  Until tomorrow then, happy shooting.

When it rains, it pours!

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After my post on Monday, with the Best 8 of 2008, CB saw quite a bit of activity, first from some very generous links back from none other than Scott Kelby and Jeff Revell of Photoshop Insider and Photowalk Pro fame. Then, when I did the piece on Tuesday titled “Is Film Making a Resurgence?” based on several discussions and news events, that also saw a fair number of comments. All this came on the heels of a career switch that has me transitioning from the private to the government sector which means condensing about 6 months of work projects down into two weeks.  This means I missed making a few noteworthy photo-related announcements that are both specific to CB and to the photography community at large.   From a blog visibility perspective, that was totally the worst time to not even make a post for teh day, but there was nothing to be done about it.   I guess the old saying is true:  When it rains, it pours! So, here’s a few announcements and belated photo-related news events to share for the remainder of this week.

From the Canon Blogger news front:

  • Canon Blogger has been picked up by Personal Life Media (the same folks that host Digital Photography Life and Camera Dojo).  This means future podcasts will be uploaded to their service, which will do a number of things for the podcast.  First and foremost, they will optimize the audio quality for the listening audience.  Second, they are also going to fix some podcast feed issues that I didn’t even know I had so that the show comes up better in your favorite feeds like iTunes and the like.  We’re also going to update the graphics to give the CB podcast a little bit of a sexier and professional look.  It’s quite exciting to see that there has been enough interest to warrant this kind of leap forward.  It does mean this week will be the second in succession with no show, but as we flesh out the details and get all the archived content uploaded, we can move forward with new shows!
  • Due in part to the holiday schedule, and to the subsequent flurry of personal and professional activity, the What’s This series and the Thursday Thoughts Series took a brief hiatus this week.  Yesterday was just insane at work, so I didn’t even get a chance to post to the blog saying I wouldn’t have time to post, so Wednesday was both figuratively and literally a No Blog Wednesday!  I should be back to a regular and more predictable schedule with those next week.
  • As you may recall from my last podcast of 2008, I announced that Think Tank had generously donated their new StreetWalker bag to CB for a review.  I have been putting it through its own paces over the last couple weeks and am now working on the finishing touches of my first official product review.  That should be coming out some time next week.

In the rest of the news:

  • Fellow blogger and photographer, Jason D. Moore made a bit of a splash the other day when he announced a new interview series he is doing that is leading off with an impressive list of folks including John Nack, (if you don’t know who John Nack is, welcome to the world photography and Photoshop – he’s the cheif  Product Manager for Adobe Photoshop !),  Larry Becker (of NAPP notariety), Jeff Revell, (Photowalk Pro) and several other notables.
  • Photo-restoration as a craft gets a jolt!  Fellow NAPP members Mitz and Janine both have some excellent posts on what it takes to be effective with photo restoration work.  While I knew from my own amateur efforts that it’s not easy (and definitely a craft that takes time to develop), these two bring awareness to the next level with the thoughts they share on their blogs.  Definitely worth reading when you have time.  Mitz can be found here, and Janine can be found here.

Well, is that enough content for one blog post?  I hope so…sorry if things went on for a while.  More tk!  So, until tomorrow, happy shooting – hope all your shots are good ones!

New Years Resolutions…

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We all do it – set some sort of expectation of what we want/need/should do for the upcoming year.  Whether we admit it or not, everybody thinks at some point about doing something new, better, different, or whatever.  What usually happens is some lofty goal or achievement that receives attention for a month or so before petering out.

This year, CB is setting everyone up to succeed…in taking more photos!  Instead of a generic goal, I’ve come up with a way to not only achieve those ends, but also to reward those that do!  Every month, CB will host a new “assignment”.  You can upload your photos to the CB Flickr Group any time you like within that month.  At the end of the month, I will compile a montage of 10 or so images and give accolades here on the blog.  To get things started, I’ve set the themes for the first four months.  Feel free to chime in with your own ideas in that thread, or just start contributing pics!

As always, because Flickr is its own entity, I cannot help protect your images there, so make sure to keep your images at web-friendly resolutions and sizes to protect your copyright (Flickr strips out meta data).

Best 8 of 2008

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A new year has begun!  Happy New Year to my online friends and family!  Last year was a great year – it marked the first full year of blogging for me.  It showed me how challenging it is to generate new, useful, and meaningful content for readers on a regular basis.  Format changes, layout changes, content delivery changes, and a host of other things have kept the blog active for going on almost 18 months now.  So, what has kept things going?  A great deal of fellowship and other bloggers have shared their wisdom and experiences with me, both personally, professionally, and through their own regular posts.  To all of them, I would like to issue a collective “thank you.”  However, just as in anything, some are more instrumental in their value, and I would like to deliver special thanks to a few of them.  So, without further ado, here are the “Top 8 of 2008“!!!

  1. The Online Photographer – Michael Johnston delivers a steady stream of photography-related content, including articles, news, reviews, and insights into such a wide and diverse range of subjects, it astounds me.  Thanks Michael for your regular pearls of wisdom!
  2. Photoshop Insider – Scott Kelby is perhaps one of the most prolific writers of our time on photography and Photoshop.  Suffice to say, he definitely has his finger on the pulse of the photography community.  If you want to know what’s going on, and what’s coming up soon – stop by Scott’s blog.
  3. Strobist – David Hobby’s blog/site has become the de facto resource for anything and everything relating to lighting for photography.  If you want to get schooled on lighting, Strobist is the place to go.  He has several resources including the Lighting 101, Lighting 102, and regular content that is both educational and inspirational.  If not in your bookmarks, add it today!
  4. This Week in Photography (a.k.a. TWIP) – Led by Scott Bourne, and contributing photographers Alex Lindsay, Steve Simon, Ron Brinkmann, and Fred Johnson, these professionals get together once a week in a podcast to deliver some of the best audio content on the web.  A little more than a year old, they’ve risen quickly to become the creme de la creme of audio podcasts.  The blog also has great tips and content delivered regularly by Scott.  Thanks to this entire crowd for raising the bar on audio podcasting!
  5. Digital Photography Life – Led by Scott Sherman and Michael Stein, this podcast started under another name by another sponsor, and their departure from the airwaves shortly was a source of great concern for me.  These guys are the normal guys, the enthusiasts of photography – just like me (only probably more knowledgable, insightful, and entertaining).  Their weekly podcasts are always a kick to listen to and make for perfect commute killers!  Thanks to Scott and Michael!
  6. Jason D. Moore – I would be remiss in not mentioning Jason’s influence not only on my blogging, but also on my photography.  Jason was generous enough not only to include me in his now famous “Weekly P&P” listings, but also  as a contributing member to the now well-known and respected Geographic Composition series.  Without his generosity and kind words of support I would not be where I am today either as a blogger or a photographer.  Thanks Jason!
  7. Photowalking Pro – Jeff Revell has become a household name for introducing the idea of photowalking to the masses.  From there he has springboarded to become a well-respected member of the photography community.  He has tutorials, reviews, and just tons of great content that are inspirational and meaningful for anyone of any background and ability.  He was generous enough to also donate time to being on the CB Interview series.  Thanks to Jeff for taking the time to participate, and to also serve as a source of inspiration!
  8. Michael Palmer Photography – Michael has shown me, both through his comments here, as well as through his contributions to the Geographic Composition Series and on his own blog, that when push comes to shove, in the end, it’s always about the photograph.  He has produced some amazing images that he has willingly shared in a variety of outlets including those mentioned, as well as on his won website.  Whenever I need a dose of pure inspiration, I look through his photography, as well as his comments here.  So, thanks to Mike for all your support and motivation through the past year!

These are just some of the resources and friendships I have developed that have had a meaningful impact on the quality of both my photography and blogging in 2008.    Thanks again to the whole gang!  It’s been a great ’08 – let’s make it a fine ’09!  (Yeah, that was cheesy, but it rhyhmed!)

In the meantime, keep on shooting and best regards to the entire community for a prosperous and bountiful new year!  Happy Shooting!

Money, Socializing, and Freebies!

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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!

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Thursday Thoughts with…Jeff Revell

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Recently, I had the honor of sitting down (well, emailing, but you get the idea) with none other than Jeff Revell.  As most of you probably know, Jeff is a pretty well-established photographer and recently has been enjoying some notariety for his blog on Photowalking, appropriately titled Photowalk Pro (definitely one for your feed aggregators).  He gave some great thoughts and insights on the state of digital photography.  Thanks in advance to Jeff for taking the time to participate in the Thursday Thoughts sereies here at CB!

Q:  Everyone always wants to know some of the basics, so let’s get a few things out of the way at once here…1. How long have you been a photographer?

A:  I have been into photography for over 25 years.  I first began taking an interest in high school and have been in love with photography ever since.  I think it had something to do with all that fixer I inhaled.

Q:  Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, or some other brand?

A:  I see you changed the question to include other camera brands.  I started off learning with a Pentax K1000, the king of old school photography classes.  From there I moved to a Minolta, a Canon, and finally Nikon for the past 20 years or so.  I have recently been working with some Canon models, specifically the 50D and I have to admit that the more I use it, the more I love it.

Q:  Heh, yeah, that’s thanks to Andy Smith of Virtual Realia.  To that end, let’s cover all the computer options:  Mac, PC, or Linux?

A:  I had been a PC user since the DOS days and then migrated to Windows from there.  I’m just a big techno-nerd at heart and love building my own systems.  I got a Mac notebook about 3 years ago and now it is my predominate platform – Not a fanboy but I do love my MacBook Pro.

Q:  Sounds a lot like the path I’ve been taking – although I do find myself bouncing back and forth between Mac and PC a lot these days.  Anyway, moving on:  Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?

A:  Definitely a chocolate person.

Q:  Excellent taste!  Moving into a little more granularity, photographers often enjoy hearing helpful and constructive critiques of their work, as we are aware of how much we can grow from it.  What was the singular most useful critique or comment you’ve ever had on work you’ve shared publicly?

A:  This one is easy.  The best advice I ever received about my work was to only show your best stuff. Everyone shoots lame shots; it’s part of the process of getting the image that you want.  The key is to not show all the ducks and simply show your swans.

Q:  Who said it?

A:  My buddy Scott Kelby

Q:  I think I’ve heard of him before!  🙂  Isn’t he into photography too or something like that?  Just kidding of course…  Anyway, back to the subject of critiquing work:  If someone was asking you for an honest critique of their work, what 3 factors would you look at most (excluding friendships or family relatives, we’re talking professional or fellow photographer-types here)?

A:  Wow, that’s a tough one.  I’m much harder on myself than I ever would be on someone else.  I think the first thing I look for in a shot is the composition.  How did the photographer use the elements in the image to convey their intent?  Second would be their processing.  Is it done with a scalpel or a chainsaw?  Finally, did they use sound technique when taking the image, things like proper aperture, shutter speed, lens selection, things along those lines.
All I can say is that I am so glad that I have never been asked to critique the work of others for fear of crushing their spirit and enthusiasm.

Q:  I guess that means I shouldn’t ask for a critique or anything on that vein then, eh?  How about war stories?  Got any from field shoots or outings that you can or would be willing to share?

A:  This one time, in band camp…  oops, wrong story.  I am recalling a trip I took to Arizona with my buddies Scott and Dave.  We covered some serious ground in just 3 day, traveling from Phoenix to Page, to Monument Valley, to the Grand Canyon, and back to Phoenix.  It was one of the best shooting trips I have ever taken, thanks in large part to having my friends along to share the experience.  One outing in Page took us on a 3-mile hike in the high desert to photograph the Wave.  This was in August mind you and it was HOT!  We climbed steep sandy hills and rocky outcrops along the way but it was so worth it once we finally reached our destination.  One of the shots that came from that hike ended up gracing Scott’s 7-Point System book.  If there is a moral in there somewhere, I think it would be that hard work and a lot of sweating can really pay off.

Q:  Hey, I own that book!  Cool, I didn’t know that was your shot!  Guess I should read the credits more carefully, eh?  Sorry, I tend to ramble…  Moving right along, with Photoshop becoming so powerful as a way to even create amazing digital imagery, it could almost be said that the camera could eventually not even be a needed component to create imagery.   With that pre-text in mind, if you had to choose between the camera or the software as the only way to create, which would it be and why?

A:  Well, since I don’t have near the creative/artistic abilities like Fay Sirkis, Bert Monroy,  or Cory Barker, I would have to go with the camera.  Those folks have some seriously crazy skills and create beautiful images from a blank canvas using illustrative software.  I, on the other hand require a piece of glass and a shutter button to create.

Q:  Well, I don’t know about that – I’ve read some of your HDR tutorials, which indicate you are pretty skilled with Photoshop!  Anyway, do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share about the state of photography or any catch phrases that you keep in mind when shooting?

A:  I believe that we are living in renaissance period for photography.  Not since the invention of the process has so much changed so rapidly.  With the introduction of powerful software tools like Photoshop and the development of the digital camera, the average person has more creative tools at their disposal than ever before.  The only problem is that tools don’t make pictures, people do.  My advice for those that are just starting out is to not get caught up in all of the technical wizardry but rather learn the craft from the ground up.  Because even though there have been a multitude of advancements in the technical realm of photography, they aren’t worth squat unless you learn how to leverage them to your advantage.  Never stop learning.

Great advice and insights from Jeff Revell.  Please take a moment to stop over at his blog, Photowalk Pro, to check out everything he has to offer.  Thanks again Jeff for taking the time to participate in the Thursday Thoughts series here.  Until tomorrow all, Happy Shooting!  Hope all your shots are good ones!