For the month of October, the theme of the contest series has been STUDY…and people have been submitting their images to the Flickr thread in hopes of winning a years’ subscription to the well-respected National Association of Photoshop Professionals. I’ve spoken highly of them before and their educational approach to not only Photoshop, but much of the Adobe family of products, as well as to graphic and web design, oh yeah….and photography… is literally unparalleled. With over 70,000 members worldwide, it’s an impressive organization and I have learned a lot from my own participation in NAPP events, seminars, and their community forums. Winning a year membership to NAPP is like giving a fisherman (or woman) the keys to a lake full of fish, and time needed to learn to use the nets. NAPP membership can literally change your life! Continue reading “Welcome to NAPP!”
Tag: NAPP
September Winner – October Begins
Another month of fantastic entries in the monthly contest series has ended and as always, the quality of entries just keeps getting better and better. When I saw the folder of images to review and judge, I think Tracy actually heard me utter “How am I supposed to pick a winner from these?” So, after much deliberation (I even enlisted the help of some photographer-friends to help me narrow it down), the winner has been decided. I am pleased to announce that Cameron Gardner is the September winner! Continue reading “September Winner – October Begins”
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Scott Kelby!
You’ve surely learned by now that my Q&A with Dave Cross on Monday, and the subsequent discussion with Matt Kloskowski on Tuesday, had to mean that another one was coming, right? For those of you living under a rock for the past ten years, those two are but 2/3rds of the Photoshop Guys crew. The guy that started it all, Scott Kelby, has taken the time to sit down and chew the fat with us here, so to wrap up this series, I’d like to present, the Founder of NAPP, the CEO of Kelby Media, and Photoshop Guy – Mr. Scott Kelby! Continue reading “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Scott Kelby!”
Reviews, Interviews and Vista Views
The latest episode of the Learning Digital Photography podcast is now live and for those of you picking this up in your feeds, make sure you stop over to iTunes or the via PLM to download the show. This week, I go into a little more depth on how I conduct reviews of hardware and software as there have been quite a few listener questions about that particular subject matter. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to share their thoughts and feedback!
In the second segment, an interview with fellow photog and NAPP member, Erik Bernskiold where we talk about not only what we like about NAPP, but about how we are gearing up for the summer fun of photography, with tips, tricks and suggestions from Erik on everything from Floral Photography to Landscapes. We also get a little insight into Eriks’ blogging and web design background as he’s become quite the expert on the subject matter! Not too bad for someone who’s not even out of school yet! For more details on Erik, follow these show note links:
Many thanks to Erik for taking the time out of his schedule to sit down and talk with me on the show. It was a lot of fun! For the remainder of the show, I throw out some additional tips on landscape photography, and tackle a few listener questions. Lots to listen to, so be sure to tune in, either from the download over at PLM or via iTunes.
A final little asterisk on the show: I mistakenly recorded the intro as episode #25, when it’s episode #24. Also given that I forgot to add the theme music to the entire compliation – it might as well be called the “blunder” show…but rather than spend time on a few minor nits trying to fix it, I’d rather just get the show and respective notes out to y’all for your listening enjoyment. So, on that note, happy shooting, enjoy the show, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
Photo walks, news, and a visit from Scott Kelby
So, as many of you know, Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), Kelby Media Group, Kelby Training Live, and leader of the pack of Photoshop guys over at Photoshop User TV, was in Denver yesterday on his Adobe Photoshop Lightroom tour. He led a seminar yesterday that, despite several technical difficulties, was pretty rockin’ when it comes to establishing a work flow in Lightroom.
Scott is also known for his annual worldwide photo walks that he started last year. This year response has just been enormous to the walks, with several cities (including Denver) filling up within the first 24 hours. Well, on his blog this last Monday, he wrote a Q&A post describing the photo walks, what they are, how they work, and all that stuff. One question he snuck in though was that he would be in Denver and did anyone know of any good places to shoot in the downtown area.
Since I work downtown, (pretty close to the Convention Center I might add), I have a fairly good understanding of where things are, and what’s fun to shoot. So, I posted a comment on his blog of where he could go and what might be fun. To my astonishment, he actually wrote me back via email, asing if I’d be interested in going on a photo shoot with him to kinda show him around! Not give him a few locations, not recommend a restaurant – he invited me on a photo shoot! With him! My jaw about hit the floor, but I did respond that it’d be my pleasure to show him around the area. He sent me some info on where he’d be staying and to come on over after work on Tuesday! My jaw hit the floor again. But, regaining my composure, on Tuesday after work, I walked over to his hotel to meet him. Knocked on the door and sure enough – Mr K. himself! The maker of the Kelby Kool-Ade!
For the next 2 hours, we walked around the downtown area – talking shop, and all that stuff. I was silent for about the first 30 minutes, afraid I would say something utterly stupid to embarrass myself, but as I walked and we talked, found that he’s just a regular guy (despite his amazing base of knowledge, and…well, the fact that he’s Scott Kelby!) After a few hours of shooting, I then enjoyed an amazing dinner with him and his crew – names like Bert, Ben, Moose, Matt, Corey, etc., etc., were bandied about in the regular conversation. Needless to say, I kept quiet for most of it, trying to keep my jaw off the floor. I know, I know – they are all people too, but every time someone’s name was mentioned, I just kept thinking to myself, “Yup, I read their blog too!” Oh, and then for the next day’s seminar – he reserved a front row seat for me! It was an incredible day, and I just wanted to take a day here on the blog to give a nod to Scott for being so open and friendly, and just – so, well….cool!
My shots from the day were pretty much lousy as I totally wasn’t paying attention to my technique or anything – just trying not to look like an idiot. Nevertheless, in honor of his visit to Denver, and in hopes of his return:
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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A few of the Creative Suite 4 Features!
Before the release of CS4 in Adobe’s announcement this morning, I happened to see a post in the NAPP member forums of someone thanking the Photoshop Guys for their top ten of the new features for the latest edition of Photoshop Creative Suite 4!
So, for those who want the early bird news, here’s a hint of what Adobe will be talking about later this morning:
- Better scrolling with less jaggies as you zoom in and out of images.
- The Adjusment Panel – Adobe has added a dedicated panel for your layers adjustments
- On-screen image adjustments – you can now control hue/saturation, Curves and Black and White adjustments directly on your image
- Camera Raw saw some significant upgrades because now you can apparently do post-crop vignettes, apply gradient filters, and yes, that’s right, also the very-Lightroom like adjustment brush!
- Addition of the vibrance slider to CS4 – this previously was in LR and camera raw, but not as a layer adjustment in CS3 – they’ve ported that element over to the inside of CS4! Yay!
- Tools improvements for the eyedropper, dodging, burning, the brush engine is more responsive, and the clone and heal now allow for vanishing points
- Customizable GUI – that’s right, you can now customize your own panels in CS4! The Configurator 1.0 feature (flash-based) allows you to create and use your own customized panels! Truly amazing.
Kudos to the NAPP staff for taking the time to put all this together – 17 video tutorials in all – (and this is just proof positive that membership has its privileges…because by learning from those on the cutting edge means you are getting cutting edge technology too! I am not sure if it’s publicly viewable, or if it’s a members-only thing, so will refrain from providing the links to the CS4 features they talk about, but I must admit, this does have me more buzzed about the announcement than I was before. Make sure you stop in to Adobe to watch it as I am sure there will be much excitement across the blogosphere about this!
Anyway, back to the regular blogging – I’ve got some announcements of my own to share, but they kinda pale in comparison…
P&P Blogroll
As Jason Moore gets settled down in his new digs as the new Web Graphics Designer for Southern Tier Athletics/Worldwide Sports Supply (congrats dude!), we’re filling in again to provide you with the latest and greatest weekly activity for Photoshop and Photography folks (a.k.a. his famous Weekly P&P). Michael was out and about a lot this week, so it’s just me and Andy filling in. Thanks Andy for taking Michaels portion as well. Anyway, here is my portion of it (filling in the middle with I through P).
Indograhams – Again, another fabulous Friday skyline from Scotty. He also went photowalking on Saturday too!
Invisible Green – Marcus shares a shot from this past weekend with his family, very cute!
Jason D. Moore – If you don’t know this site, then why are you even reading my blog? Jason is pretty much the standard news outlet for Photography and Photoshop activities. If you’re not reading his blogroll regularly, you are missing out!
Jen Rinaldi – More clouds from jen on her weekend, and some other cool street photography. Great vision and captures as always!
Jenny Arnez – Another great site for street-style photography (and also for beach shots this weekend again – are all Jens at the beach this weekend?) ☺
Joel L – I missed this one last go-around, so am making up for it here. Fair warning, some of the shots and imagery are not for the faint of heart or typical types of photography. His most recent post is okay, but venture back to July 21st, and you’ll get a taste of third world countries and cultures that are definitely not anything like Western hemisphere living. Don’t get me wrong, some of the shots are just amazing in the composition, lighting, and in the story they tell, so I would encourage those who have open minds to visit the blog. It also bears mentioning that some of the imagery is not safe for work (NSFW).
John Nack – Very well-known and regarded, he shares a link to a site titled “Dear Adobe”. Not often will you find a company spokesperson who willingly will point you to another site that is nothing but rants and vents about their own company (just goes to show you how cool a place Adobe is). Read this blog – it’s on many peoples’ “must read” lists – including mine!
Laughing Lion Design – In case the P&P isn’t enough for you, Jennifer has a list of PODCASTS to listen to. I listen to several of these myself. Great resource here.
Lightroom Killer Tips – Matt comes over the top again with another series of knockout posts showing us techniques about Lightroom. Over and over again, he and the rest of the NAPP crew just constantly keep me amazed!
Michael Palmer – The third portion of Jason Moore’s fill-in P&P crew was waylaid from his travels, but he nevertheless shared some great floral/insect shots from his trip. Thanks for sharing Michael, your posts are always a pleasure to read.
Black and White Photography – Some more IR to be sure, but the ones that are back to the “traditional” blac and white theme of the blog are great! And the fact that he used theterm flautist was sufficiently impressive! (My sister was a flautist in college – kept playing until she had kids…)
OSBP – One Shot Beyond Photography is always a great source for inspiration. What a great vision, and the compositions of the shots are always unique, whether the subject is food or models…she really knows what she’s doing!
Photographic Design – Another blogger who will have shots to share from the NAPP photowalk. Be sure to stop in and give feedbck – it’s what we all thrive on!
Photography of J Brian Haferkamp – A long-awaited update, he shares shots from Millenium Park in Chicago! Gorgeous city, and great captures Brian!
PhotoKY – Always thoughtful and intriguing posts, Ken outdoes himself this week. Another MUST READ!
Photoshop Insider – With all the hubbub surrounding the worldwide photowalk this last Saturday, make it a point to read Scott’s post from last Wednesday. If you ever take a seminar, workshop, college class, or any other form of instruction…try not to be the guy/gal he is describing!
PhotowalkPro – Jeff talks about what he knows best…photowalking! The master of planning, coordination, and implementation at it was full of information this past week. So much so that he got some interview time at two podcasts. Read the whole week if you’re not up to speed on what photo walks are all about!
Well, that just about does it for my portion of the P&P blogr oll for this week. Don’t forget to stop over at Andy’s blog (Visual Realia) for the lions share of it.
As a house-keeping sort of note, I am going to have to put the weekly tutorials on hold here at CB for a while as I had been using my Windows box for this purpose, and it is now on it’s final legs with 3 thermal shutdowns in the past 24 hours, and one instance of not finding the boot drive. Thankfully, the images and podcast materials are all on a secondary, as well as on a USB drive. Now, if only I could find a good Mac replacement for Camtasia, I’d be set! Any advice, suggestions or feedback would be welcome!
So, it’s likely back to audio podcasts (or videos of me) from the Mac for now. Tomorrow will likely be a no-blog day though as I will have a very busy day (unless I can get it done in advance). So, look for shots from the photowalk on Wed. as well as a new tutorial! Until then, happy shooting and keep watching those apertures!
Calendar Templates, Part II
This week I wrap up the tutorial started last week on creating a Calendar Template using Photoshop. One of the things I found most useful was performing the screen captures of each month prior to beginning the place functions inside Photoshop. As you can see in the tutorial, the results came out really nicely.
This whole project started from wanting to make a single-page calendar and in looking at the design offerings on Mpix, thought “Hey! I could make that!” The second half of the genesis came courtesy of Matt Kloskowski over fro the Photoshop Guys where he did a tutorial a while back on making a desktop calendar for a single month. So…I put the two ideas together and this is the end result of that effort. I figured it may also have some interest for other photographers in making calendars incorporating either their own prints or those of their clients. Clearly, this is a “down and dirty” version, but if anyone is interested, I do have a pretty high resolution sized template that I would be willing to share on request.
In other news, I’d like to give some shout outs to Brian over at Professional Snapshots, who just last Friday celebrated the birth of his new daughter Isabelle! Congrats to Brian, even though this means he has pretty much lost the ability to sleep through a night for at least the next 18-24 months! Yeah, this may be your fourth, but I’ve heard the stories from siblings and neighbors! Enjoy!
Also, don’t forget to stop over at Jason D. Moore’s weekly summary of all things photography! I always head there to make sure I’m not missing anything interesting.
Last, but not least, the tutorial links: Flash first and QT second…
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