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!

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Thursday Thoughts with… Mike Palmer

Mike Palmer is the latest participant to agree and join me for a short question and answer session here on the blog.  Thanks go out to Mike and don’t forget to stop over at his blog and share your thoughts with him there as well.  He can be found at both his blog, and his professional portfolio

Now, on to the Q&A

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:  I have been enchanted with photography since the late 80’s.   I really enjoy the creative side of digital photography now more then the film days.  I love the post side almost as much as shooting.

Q:   Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Leica or some other brand (thanks to Andrew)?

A:  Nikon

Q:  Mac, PC, or Linux?

A:  I am a PC!

Q:  Chocolate or Vanilla?

A:  Dark Chocolate

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.  What was the singular most useful critique or comment you’ve ever had on work you’ve shared publicly?

A:  I am not sure that I have had a critique that stands out like that specifically.  A well phrased critique of a photo helps me when I am out shooting the next shot though.  You have to learn from what other see in your work.   Also I recommend The Photographers Eye by Michael Freeman – This book is amazing for self critique and composition discovery.

Q:  Sounds like a great resource.  (Edit note:  LInk to the book on Amazon has been added)  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:  What I see – What I like – What I do not like (if they really want to know my opinion)

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

A:  HAHA – To many from the old days of when I just shot anything to make some money for beer, but the one shoot that made me the most red faced with embarrassment was when I was hired for a modeling show for bigger women, the end of the show was lingerie and they had some fun with the young kid with the camera.  It was like photographing your mom in her underwear.

Q:  Yow!  Not sure I’d want to be in that position, no matter how much I was paid.  Sounds like a good joke was played on you though!  Anyway, moving right along…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 would go with a must have LENS – I do more with my Nikkor 24-70 2.8 then any other thing in photography – the bokeh at 2.8 is spectacular – I shoot portraits, food, etc…it is the constant on my camera.

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:  I dig how much more of a community that photographers “that blog” share now.  I have friends all over the place now.  I went to Maine last summer and Scott of Weekly Photo Tips had my family over to his house for a lobster bake – I have more photographer friends now then ever – so if you are on the fence about starting your own blog – DO IT!!  It will ramp up your creativity and you just might make a friend or two.

Great way to wrap things up here Mike!  A little Nike snippet that applies not only to blogging, but to photography as well:  Just Do It!  Hey, I’d like to thank Mike for taking the time to stop into the blog and participate in the weekly Thursday Thoughts!  As he says, just get out there and do it!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow to wrap up the week!

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

Geographic Composition Series

You all got to know Jason Moore from the most recent “Thursday Thoughts” session, and have also been referred to his Geographic Composition Series in the past from participation.  Well, the latest in the series, titled Autumn, has been released today, so CB is giving a rare double post today!  Here’s the shot I shared (which you’ve seen here before), but do stop over to see the other ones from notables like Michael Palmer, David Jones, Andy Smith, and Jeff Kuhns (of course Jason M. has a shot in there too).  Excellent series of photos and I am honored to be a part of it!

Autumn - Geographic Composition

The rest of the series can be found here

Cactus Confusion

Well, I finally got the Cactus gear that I ordered online at GadgetInfinity last week.  I had ordered their wireless trigger/receiver combo set and an extra receiver for the purpose of getting two lights to fire.  I excitedly opened all the packaging and unwrapped it all, then – stop, hold the phones, and check this out – I read the directions!

Yes, that’s right, an admitted geek read directions to make sure I utilize them right.  After reading about these kinds of things on David Hobby’s Strobist site and over on the Flickr Colorado Strobist site, I wanted to make sure I don’t accidentally fry either my precious 40D or the cheapo 550EX because of improper usage.

Well, after reading through the massive 1/4 page sheet of instructions, I was confused so I sorted back through the gear and here’s what I have:

Cactus Gear

Cactus Gear

Cactus Gear

So, I am not sure what the one cable is for on the right of the trigger (transmitter).  Is that supposed to plug into the transmitter, or the transceiver?  If you look at the back of the transceiver, there’s a funky little plug there that looks as if it is made to accept the one female end to that spare cable.  Meanwhile, the other end looks to be another RCA mini, and the side receptacle on the transmitter is built to take an RCA mini.  Not sure I understand why, as the trigger would normally be connected to the hot shoe of your flash.

Finally, it looks as though in order to get these triggers to work with a Canon 550EX, I would need an adaptor cable of sorts that would change an RCA mini to a female version of that three-prong set on the 550.  Any ideas from those out in the blogosphere?

Lest I forget you, dear readers, here’s a brief bout of humor courtesy of What the Duck:

HAPPY HALOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

Don’t get too hyped up on sugar – you’ll get camera shake!  Happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here on Monday!  Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help me sort out this wireless trigger confusion! 🙂

New Podcast is Up!

That’s right, for two successive weeks now since our move, I’ve been able to find the time to record an audio podcast.  Todays show had everything to do with the absolutely horrendous performance by the Broncos last night on MNF – their season turned to the toilet rather quickly.  What ever happened to the fundamentals?

Oh, sorry, this is a photo blog, not a football one! 🙂

Okay, here’s the latest and greatest from CB. First and foremost, CB Episode #55 went up today. I took about twenty minutes to talk about off-camera lighting. I looked at the radio transmitters available, infrared transmitters and a number of different companies that deliver products. Pricing from various websites was also reported. As prices may change, and sales may happen, those are approximate according to the date of publication. So, if you have questions about off-camera flash, this may be a good starting point. I look at everything from PocketWizards to Cybersyncs, Skyports and more. It’s about a 20 minute listen, but chock full of information, so download it and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments – I’d really like to hear what people think of the “new format”.

Other news from CB – the header is updated! I’ve got new header shots rolling out every day this week, so make sure you visit the blog and look at the new images (this is for all you RSS readers out there). For the regular visitors, you may also notice that I finally took some time to sit down and add some of the common links above the header, so now you have quick access to The Online Photography Test (more questions and ideas are needed for the “Expert exam”, not linked like yet), the Colors and Textures Gallery, and my own website of personal photography work.  Finally, I also added a link to the  CB Flickr group (I’d love to see some more members sharing photos and ideas). Pretty cool stuff that I am happy to finally have in place. Thanks go out to Erik Bernskiold of Bernskiold Media for taking some time to jog my memory on the particulars of HTML editing – it’d been a while.

As promised, here are the links from the show (a.k.a. show notes):

As I said in the show, I’m migrating from the ST-E2 from Canon to the Cactus transmitters. If you’d like to hear a follow-up episode on my experiences when I am done, let me know and I’ll try to get that “in the can” too.

Well, that was just a ton of information for a Tuesday, so I’ll leave things at that, and let everyone come back tomorrow rejuvenated for the Wednesday “What’s This?” Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

P.S.  Don’t forget the poll on the sidebar or the Photrade contest – both are ending soon so get your votes in today!

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New Blog on the Block!

For anyone who has been into photography for any amount of time more than 6 months, you probably already know about Scott Sherman and Michael Stein, hosts of the popular podcast, titled “The Digital Photography Show.”  It has been a mainstay listening choice of mine for over the last year and my commutes would not be the same without it.

Well, as it turns out, it seems I may have to adjust to a commute without hearing their friendly voices for a while.  Their popular show has been temporarily taken off the air by the folks over at The Podcast Network.  The TPN staff is searching for a replacement host (or set of hosts), and in all likelihood, they will find someone to fill in for the show.  However, none will enjoy the popularity that Scott and Michael had.  Their friendly and dynamic exchanges made for a great listen every time.

Scott and Michael had interviews, contests, and a lot of other resources and outlets for their listeners and even stay in touch with them (I’ve gotten a few emails from Scott myself over the past 12-18 months…).  I certainly hope they continue to stay i touch, but for the time being they are off the air.

However, you can stay abreat of all the news and developments over on Scott’s personal blog until they re-launch with a new name/identity.  So, to do that, stop over to Scott’s Photo Blog and tag it in your readers.  Thanks to bot of them for the wonderful job the did, and know that no matter where you both land, know that there will be many of us that find you to pick up right where we left off!

Photo Galleries Galore

I’ve been playing around with the SImpleviewer Flash concept a little lately.  In looking at how others are implementing it on their blogs, I was thinking that CB could use a dedicated photo gallery to share and exhibit some photos.

Well, as a temporary release, I’ve put a few together using the Auto-viewer format.  It has naturally been customized a little, but is up and viewable right now!  Check out the images I’ve included here:  CB Photo Galleries They are mostly images of colors and textures thus far with a few other test images thrown in to determine sizing.  Hopefully I’ll get all the full versions from “What’s This?” incorporated soon too.  Feedback, comments, and suggestions on this are not only welcome, but encouraged.  Ideally I will be setting up a dedicated website for this material at some point too (provided there’s enough interest).  So, what do you think?  Don’t quit my day job?  Good idea?  Yawner?  Sound off in the comments!  Here’s a few sneak previews of what’s in the gallery right now:

CB Photo Gallery

CB Photo Gallery

CB Photo Gallery

CB Photo Gallery

In other news, I got word from Michael Johnston over at The Online Photographer that his final post on “Must Have Photography Books” has been published.  Like an oracle, when he suggests a book, it quickly sells out, so be sure to stop over to his blog to see what photography goodness is available.  It can be read here.

Last but not least, there’s only a few more days to participate in the “SLR features” poll – I think it’s set to expire this Friday, so be sure to jump in and share your thoughts on what the most important features are.

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

Friday Frenzy

Just a quick wrap up here for the week as the day is getting late, and I’ve got miles to go before I sleep.  Um…yeah, okay, that came from a poem somewhere but I forget who wrote it or the title, so no credit line on that.

As we all know by now (unless you are in a cave somewhere in the Congo), Canon has released the 5D Mark II and the specs were posted here a few days ago.  Forums and the blogosphere have poked and prodded at just about everything they can until the camera itself comes to stores in October.  So, for the time being we will likely see just more pontificating.  As for the content here at CB, I am probably gonna draw back a little and let others wax on about it.

In more current events, Adobe released the Camera Raw update for all your product needs.  It’s now at version 4.5, and is available for Mac and Windows download free here:  Camera Raw 4.5

What the Duck had a great week from the comedic standpoint, and I really can’t pick a favorite, so just go there and read through them all!  Great stuff!

Nominations are now open for the Podcast Awards for 2008.  They close at the end of the month, so be sure to stop in and let them know who you think is deserving of the awards for this year.  I’ve also got a link to them on the sidebar with a suggestion for CB (hint hint:  Education).  There’s 22 different categories so be sure you’ve got the URL’s for all your favorites handy to plug in the appropriate content areas.  Others that I would recommend for nominations include:

The list goes on and on, but there’s only one tech category and most of the blogs I visit fit that area.  Although there is a People’s Choice category too.  As for CB, I’ll stick with the educational theme.  So, if you think I’ve helped with education in photography and photoshop at all, then add a kudo in there.  Who knows – maybe I’ll actually make the top ten in that category! 🙂 (I doubt it though…but it never hurts to self promote, so there it is!)

Also, I’ve got a new poll up on the sidebar.  After posting the features about the 5D Mark II, I thought it might be interesting to see what features people would like to see in their camera gear.  You can pick any three, so let’s Rock the Vote (so to speak), and get those opinions in.  I wanna hear from YOU!

Finally, I thought I’d share a shot I did kind of by accident.  I was trying to do some night photography with HDR in mind.  Nothing came out all that well so I just started trying all sorts of things.  Came up with this:

3 of Me
3 of Me

Do you like it?  Too much?  Not enough?  Is it too processed?  I’m kind of biased, so rather than reveal my own thoughts on this, I’ll leave it to the readership to decide if this works at all.  Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Okay,  so much for a quickie!  I’ll just leave it at that, and wish you all an excellent weekend filled with productive and creative results.  Happy Shooting!

Monday Mindbender

I was catching up on some recent photo magazines and the August issue of Shutterbug had a pretty cool picture. The theme was “Letters”, and people were taking pictures of various letters of the alphabet. Erica Ellis had a very interesting capture, shown below:

Alphabet Setup

The challenge here was to see how many letters of the alphabet you could find in the image. It took me about ten minutes, but I was successfully able to decipher the outline of all 26 letters of the alphabet. How many did you get? Share your results in the comments (or over at the Flickr site. FOr those that give up, I put together a PDF of all the letters below. Try it yourself though as this is just one interpretation of things. have fun, and enjoy the “Monday Mindbender”! It’s a great way to stimulate the creative juices to get you thinking outside the box!

See you all back here tomorrow for the Tuesday Tutorial (I’d better start working on one, eh? 🙂 )