It’s no secret that prices for things tend to adjust based on the season. For instance, gas grills are cheaper in the winter, as are fans, air conditioners, and pool chlorine. Conversely, sweaters, warm clothing, and snow shovels can be had for bargain basement prices in the summer. But where do digital cameras and other technology items fit into the picture? My line of thinking is that such items are less susceptible to seasonal trends. But, apparently, there are trends that can be deciphered for pretty much anything – camera gear included.
The most recent issue of Consumer Reports suggests that pricing trends for digital cameras tends to be the best during March and April, then again in September and October. This kind of makes sense after I thought about it because that’s typically when the vendor rebate programs are rolled out, and you can apply discounts to existing models that are probably already marked down as new products are pending release. Vendors have to clear out old inventory sooner or later, and the rebate programs are a way to do that.
So, does that mean the Powershot G11 you just got for your spouse, sibling or parent was a bad buy? Not necessarily…but if you are looking to add gear to your own inventory, you may want to consider holding off until the months Consumer Reports suggests to see the biggest savings. Want to see what the seasonal trends are for other items? I’d highly recommend getting your own subscription to CR, but for those interested in seeing what they suggest for 2010, here’s a summary from my own issue:
Editor Note: Episode #53 of the podcast is ready for your holiday listening enjoyment! This should have gone out last week, so my apologies. System problems with the post production delayed the publication, but better late than never is my motto! Anyway, enjoy!
Many notable photographers have spoken and alluded to this idea of shooting photography with passion. The idea is to approach photography with your creative voice, and a vision of what it is you want to accomplish. So, what do you do when the voice is silent, or the vision is blinded? Re-igniting the passion for photography is something we all face, and while we can all agree that shooting with passion is always a good thing, the question really is how to achieve that intangible in your work. Tune in to the latest podcast here with Andie Smith as we broach the subject head on.
We also tackle some really engaging listener questions, so be sure to listen in – yours may be answered!
As we rush to get our last minute gifts purchased for the holidays, here is the final set in the five part series of gift ideas for the photographer. I kept the criteria simple:
After some serious burning of the night oil, I’ve got the last Newsletter of the year ready for release – if you want to get it, the push goes out at 10:30am eastern time. This means subscribers will also get a sneak peak of the final 5 items on the 25 for $50 gift guide list for 2010. That final list will be released here on the blog tomorrow with full photos and write-ups of each, so if you miss the newsletter, be sure to stop in on Wed. for that.
The final podcast for 2010 is recorded and in the gates, ready to be run on Thursday too, so this is going to be a week with lots of multimedia and distributions for everyone to download and enjoy as we head into the holiday season. On that note, I’ll be enjoying the rest of this week off (so no blog post on Friday), and hopefully get the rest of my own family and friends shopping completed in short order. What is it – ten shopping days left? If you’ve not started yet, time’s a wastin!
And, oh yeah, one last item to note…Lightroom has had it’s latest update to 3.3, and Camera Raw (for CS5 users) to 6.5! You can grab the downloads here for Lightroom, and on the Raw Converter the downloads are Windows and Mac specific.
So, on that note, I am going to let the powers of scheduled posts and media distribution do their work while I catch up on a few Z’s and other things! I will check in periodically for comments, questions, and other feedback items, but for the rest of the week, this baby’s on auto-pilot! Happy shooting, and we’ll see you next week…..unless of course anyone has any questionszzzzzzzzzzzzzzz?
Did you meet your goals in 2010 photographically speaking? It’s an interesting question, especially for me because as I started to move in toward the holidays, with a new job ramping up, had felt as though work in the photography arena had stagnated for me to a degree. It really was not the case actually – and the back story here is what is important. None of us are an island – we all need help to both keep ourselves motivated, and to keep the fires and energies burning. Sometimes we recharge from a break other times it’s from a good kick in the…well, you get the idea!
The Back Story
Colleagues, mentors, tutors, and others in the field can be a hugely helpful influence, and one sage such associate recently told me to shoot more and talk less. The whole idea of “shut up and shoot” had come back to haunt me! This is advice I give to others when they approach me – how dare he suggest that. But then I considered…and in all honesty, the last month or so of photo production had not been as productive as I had wished. I had excuses of the new job, sure…but the bottom line was that my colleague was right! I needed to get out and shoot more! So I did just that. In doing so, I got a few good decent photos together, including one for the desktop download series…
Then, another industry association (although I use that term lightly), is none other than Mr. David DuChemin. You may recall he paid a visit to the podcast a while back, and occasionally we have had a few exchanges on Twitter, but it’s definitely a one-sided relationship where I learn from him and not vice-versa! 🙂 (There I go again with the self-deprecation – someone needs to shock me so I stop doing that!) Anyway, he reminded me that the whole point of our craft is to share our vision and work with others. It came through a Twitter exchange when I was giving a compliment to his work by also using my well-known tactic of self-deprecation. It stuck with me so much, that I’d rather just share his exact words:
Sage Advice from David DuChemin
– and that is exactly what I had not been doing photographically. Oh sure, test shots from lens reviews, a few sample photos here and there…but nothing really from the inner core that had apparently been needing some voice. So, with that I decided to go ahead full force – not only with capturing more images, but completing the last of the Desktop Downloads for the year!
The 2010 Desktop Downloads
What’s that? You don’t know about the Desktop Downloads? Of course not, because I had been neglecting to share the information with everyone on the regular monthly basis that a new photo for inspiration and enjoyment had been uploaded. For many months of the year, I was capturing photos and content to share, and not sharing it! The legwork behind it was lost in the business. So, I owe the audience an apology and 12 downloads for the year! No worries though – you know why? Because I met my goal for the year! In going back through each month for the image I had selected, I realized that this was also tied to a “project” I gave myself for 2010 – to shoot more often, and take on more projects. The goal was one a month, and I did it! With my personal success finally realized, it’s high time to share that success with everyone else. For the monthly desktop image for December, you can get click the appropriate link and download for your own inspiration and enjoyment!
To get the rest, simply hit the Downloads page and save for your own desktop wallpaper or screen saver as you prefer… As an aside, there are a couple months I had done the download as a calendar, thinking it would be more functional (May and June), but after toying with the idea for 2 months, decided it detracted too much from the image for my tastes (all due respect to Jeffrey Friedl and his PS plugin that helped produce those months though.). Nevertheless, with the year far from over (most of December is left for us), I can officially say I met my goal for the year with 12 photo projects. Already, I’ve shot nearly 20% more than I did last year, because of directed projects and diligence. Have you met yours? There’s still time, so get out there and shoot! Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow…
Editor Note: (Who am I kidding, that’s still me…) I know the Monthly Newsletter is still not out as promised and I expect that to be out tomorrow as well, so if you’d like to still sign up for that, there’s still time!
We’ve come a long way, with Part One, Two and Three giving fifteen of my best items I keep in my gear bag and for all around technical purposes. The list continues today with Part 4 – and only one more to come before all 25 are done! So, without further ado: Continue reading “25 Gift Ideas for 2010: Part 4”→
From the title, you likely correctly guessed that with the end of November comes the end of a monthly contest cycle. The prize for November is a pack of the fabulous Polar Pearl Metallic Paper from the generous folks over at Red River Paper! Continue reading “And the November Winner is…”→
I was having a conversation recently with a fellow photographer and the discussion turned to taking the sharpest possible photos with your camera, and what was needed for it. Inevitably, post production came into play, and being very much a purist, he claimed that he does no sharpening in post production. It struck me that this sounded odd to run no sharpening algorithms in a digital world, as my understanding was quite different. I tried to make the case orally, but was hard-pressed to really make a convincing argument for it without supporting documentation. Given my penchant for writing, the resolution was my advice to “read the blog in a few days…there will be a post on sharpening”! So, for Paul (and for others who may be interested, here’s my take on whether or not to sharpen your images, and when!
The way I understand the digital photography landscape (no pun intended), is that there are three phases in which you can (and should) sharpen your images:
Capture Sharpening – This type of sharpening is done on initial import from your camera to your image editor. Whether that is through ACR in Photoshop, in Lightroom (which has ACR built in), or any other application. This initial one is of utmost importance because of the inherent softening of images during the demosaic process when interpreting raw sensor data. As I understand it, the settings used here are relative to the camera you are using, but not so much the specific image.
ACR Sharpening
Creative Sharpening – After import, this would be the time when selective and subjective interpretations are done on images. Whether you choose to apply USM (unsharp mask) in Photoshop, a High Pass overlay layer, or some other means, these types of effects are always done to taste, and very much open to interpretation.
Creative Sharpening using High Pass Filter
Output Sharpening – Last, but not least, output sharpening is when you apply sharpening effects specific to your output device. These settings are dependent on the output device, such as a printer, the web (screen), as well as the size and resolution of the output image (smaller size requires less sharpening than larger files). Even within output sharpening there are settings specific to the printer you are using, and to the paper you are using,
Again though, these are just my impressions on whether sharpening is needed in a digital age or not. I know someone is going to ask, so should probably state here that an entirely different set of criteria should be used when talking about film sharpening techniques…but I digress! 🙂 Back on topic, there’s actually a couple really good resources (from my biased perspective of course) that discuss sharpening in much greater detail than I did here. First off, a book called “Real World Sharpening” by Bruce Fraser and Jeff Shewe is one I would highly recommend. For those with an online reading preference, here’s another good article on the subject, also by Bruce Fraser.
Am I off base? What are your thoughts on sharpening? Is it needed in a digital world? When and how do you sharpen your images (if at all)? Sound off in the newest poll (also in the sidebar):
I’ve talked about bokeh before, so the concept shouldn’t be new for long-time readers of the blog. In fact, you may remember I’ve broached this subject several times, here, here, and here. Continue reading “The nature of bokeh”→
The tryptophan hasn’t quite kicked in yet, and your afternoon football game needs a break. Stretch those legs and surf along to one of these fine buys – Black Friday or any day! Continue reading “25 Gift Ideas for 2010 – Part 3”→
