Tag: tips

The Un-review Software

Jason10 Comments

This week I am going to talk about the lack of software in the weekly software review.  That’s right – the lack of it! You may be sitting there wondering which software item I am going to talk about, promote, or diss in some way shape or form, but instead of that, I actually want to talk about the general trending of software, hardware, and system resources.  Why?  Because we demand a lot from our computers these days.  Think about it – we want our computers to do many things from surfing the internet, to designing graphics, office functions, building websites, and yes, processing ever-increasing image file sizes.  At what point do we say we are asking enough of our computers?

Lately my main desktop computer had been getting slower and slower and slower, and it seemed no matter what I did whether it was beefing up the RAM, adding a faster hard drive, processor, or the like, and even re-installing the OS every 6 months – it was just getting pathetic.  At one point, I clocked abut 5 minutes for Firefox to start – on a fresh boot!  The culprit?  I am asking my computer to do too much.  I finally said enough is enough – and am re-purposing the computers in the house.  We have a grand total of five computers and each has a unique function:  from Office to web, to image processing, and podcasting.  And that’s just it – each computer has a task.  Yet I have not been disciplined about asking the computer to only perform its assigned task.  I revert to the one desktop and the one laptop.  The end result:  the systems s……l……o……w…… d……o……w……n…….

With a grand total of 78 programs at last count, it’s no wonder my cmputer was screaming “Mercy!”.  So, enough is enough.  I vowed to make each computer perform only one set of tasks, as explained above.  The end result:  removing about 50 applications from the main computer.  It took the better part of an evening (4 or 5 hours) but at the end, the computer is now screamingly fast again – and Firefox loads in seconds, not minutes.  The reason – purposing your computer for a specific software function.

So, instead of looking at adding new software all the time to your computers, you may want to take a look at the computer itself – is it doing the job you want, or are you asking too much?  Think about purposing your resources more efficiently.  Do you really need that HP 3600 printer driver on there from 4 years ago?  What about that trial version of Elements you downloaded a few months ago?  And the 4 instances of Tweetdeck you have there?  Really?  Clean out your software and watch your computer performance increase a notch or two as a result.  It’s just like us humans – we can get more done when we’re asked to do less all the time!  We’re faster, more productive, and yes, more focused on the task at hand.

So, check that installed software list and try cleaning things out from time to time – your computer will thank you!

Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Impact Lightstand – Hardware Review

Jason2 Comments

This week’s hardware review is the Sigma Lightstand.  Specifically, the Impact 8 foot Air Cushion Lightstand.  While you may think that this is something that wouldn’t garner much discussion – I actually have found this to be a very handy tool.  “Tool?”, you ask.  Yes, a tool.  Sure, it’s primary function is to hold lights, but look at the variety even there – I’ve used it for small flashes (like my 550 EX II), studio strobes from Smith Victor, and water bags.

Lest you do a double take, that’s right, I used it along with a makeshift boom (arm that extends out to the side) to hold a water bag for a photo project.  The point is, light stands, like tripods, can function in a wide variety of capacities.   While I tend to shy away from making generalizations because I know my own gear experiences are unique, for me the biggest difference between a light stand and a tripod is weight and stability – light stands seem much lighter and aren’t as stable.  I am sure there are some high end light stands that provide excellent stability and can weigh a decent amount, but this one that I use is pretty light:

lightstand

I’ve linked the photo to the item at B&H (Item #IMLS8AQ  ) for those that want all the detailed specs, but here’s my two cents.

Pros:

  • Weight – these things are super light, and very easy to move around.  I could literally pick one of these up with one finger.
  • Extension – this basic model extends up to eight feet tall and compresses down into a shade under 3 feet.
  • Cost – very inexpensive, running a mere $35 from B&H Photo – small price to pay for an assistant
  • Size – this collapses down so small, I can fit my tripod, my monopod, umbrella, and this all in an over-the-shoulder bag!  Compactness is a plus, especially when travelling!
  • Functionality – aside from the obvious funtion of holding lights of various sizes, with a small clamp, you could hold pretty much anything from lights to grey cards to reflectors, to booms with water bags.  Heck, you can even jury-rig something from your garage or storage shed to make this guy hold pretty much anything for you.  So much for the photo assistant, eh?

Cons

  • Weight – yep, while a pro, it’s also a con – because they are so light, the can get easily bumped out of position or knocked over.  While using it with the boom/water bag for a weekend project, I bumped it ever so slightly with my foot and everything got knocked out of position.  Not by much, but when your DOF is a mere quarter of an inch and you are zoomed in tight on a water drop, one little bump requires re-setting everything from scratch again!
  • Workmanship – I was rather disappointed when I was going to pull out one of the extensions one day when the whole top pulled off the bottom legs.  It seems the nuts that are used to anchor legs and extensions into position weren’t tightened down all the way and as a result, a firm yank can pull it off the assembly.  Then, when I went to tighten it back down – the plastic collar that the screw/net combo fits through cracked on me.  *Sigh* Ah well – it still works, and I just have to make a mental note not to pull on the extension too roughly as the top will pop off.  But, what do you expect for $35?

Bottom line – I’d recommend this for people needed an extra set of hands from time to time.  If you are into off camera lighting (and after Wednesday, you should be!), then a light stand is a must – and this is a great entry level one that will fit your needs indefinitely, because even if you upgrade, an extra set of hands is just a few seconds away.

That’s it for today – make sure you stop in tomorrow for the next installment of software reviews!  Happy shooting and see you then!

A video short on HDR and bracketing

Jason4 Comments

One of the more popular posts here on the blog has been two that consisted of explanations on how to bracket multiple exposures in camera in order to capture a wider range of exposure values than is typically permitted in a single frame.  Typically, these various exposures are then seamed together in some editor like Photoshop, Photomatix or other that is available to produce an effect called HDR – high dynamic range.  You can get some impressive results with various techniques that appeal to different subjective perspectives.

Here at the blog though, rather than take sides on such post processing methods, it’s more fun to show people how to do things, and then let you all take your own liberties either with the approach or with your processing afterward, or both to get results that appeal to you!  With that in mind, the feedback I’ve received from the previous discussions included a large number of people that asked for visuals of the process (I guess they are all visual learners).

Well, rather than take several dozens of images showing all the various settings and then explaining how I got toeach, a video seemed a more appropriate approach.  So, here’s the video short for those of you that requested visual aids.  It’s not the most professional but you should be able to get the gist.

This would also be a good time to remind everyone that we are in the dwindling days of the Adobe Lightroom contest.  You can win your own free copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, courtesy of the folks at Adobe, simply by entering images you’ve taken in May over at the LDP Flickr thread.  Limit two images per person, but there’s still room for many more entries (no limit on the number of PEOPLE that can participate!)  just join the group for free and post your images.  Good luck to all and may the best photo win!  (Final results will be posted in June – I’l send my top ten picks back to Tom Hogarty for final judging when he’ll pick the winner!)

That’s it for today – I should have the podcast up tomorrow, but as always, no promises as my schedule has been fluctuating at work lately.  Happy shooting, and I will be back with more news, information, insights, tips and tricks tomorrow, whether in written or audio form.  Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Grab the Feed

And from the Bag of Tricks…

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Wow – it’s been a crazy couple of weeks:

  • Interview of Tom Hogarty over at Adobe, to the generous donation of a copy of Photoshop Lightroom for a contest (only two days left!)
  • A 3 minute clip on The Tech Guy Radio Talk show with Leo Laporte
  • Invitation to go on a photo shoot with Scott Kelby, followed up by dinner with the crew
  • Front row seat at Lightroom Seminar
  • A very kind and thoughtful mention on Scott’s blog only yesterday
  • And now…

Well, I don’t want to jinx it, so I am going to have to leave one of my tricks still in the bag until things get firmed up.  Suffice to say, if it comes to pass (and I am still not holding my breath)… this will be a very cool thing for the readers of the blog, listeners of the podcast, feeders of the…well, all of it!

So, for the time being, here’s a few other photo tips to help you improve your composition when out shooting:

  1. Keep a quart sized resealableplastic  bag with you.  Fill with sand or dirt on location for a quick and dirty beanbag support for the camera.  Empty when done and toss it back in your bag!
  2. Got a monopod with you?  Attach your camera, set the timer and hold it out facing down (or up, to the right or left) for a new and interesting angle.
  3. Need a quick gauge on how much time until sundown?  Hold your hand out at arm length and count the number of fists between the horizon and the sun – each fist = 1 hour!
  4. Carry a small sample of sticky putty with you to immobilize objects for capture – great because you can use it over and over again and it won’t leave marks on gear or portrait subjects in tabletop environments.
  5. Wear cargo pants – that way you can walk with one lens on your camera, another in a leg pocket, and other accessories in the other side (media, spare batteries, business cards, etc) for easy on-the-go access to your two favorite lenses.  This works for lenses up to the 200mm range, depending on your height and the cargo pocket size), thus keeping your hands free to shoot and interact, while also not being saddled with a heavy backpack or slingback (you can now carry a Camelbak to keep hydrated!)

Got your own tips and tricks to help photographers on the go?  Share them in the comments or with me via email.  Remember, the Adobe Lightroom Contest Giveaway only has three days left including today, so get your photos in over at the Flickr group here!

Grab the feed here

Exporting Lightroom slideshows to the web

Jason3 Comments

After yesterday’s post to Youtube of my photo walk with Scott Kelby, and the fact that I mentioned that it was created first in Lightroom – I’ve gotten many emails asking me how I created it. The answer was quite simple – if you own a Mac.  Here’s how you can export Lightroom slideshows to the web is less than twenty steps:

  1. Create your slideshow as you normally do in Lightroom.
  2. Export the show to jpg files in a folder of your choosing.
  3. Close Lightrooom
  4. Open Garage Band
  5. Mix a track of audio music that will fit the theme of your slideshow
  6. Export that audio track to the folder with the pictures.
  7. Close Garage Band
  8. Open Photoshop CS3 (or your favorite pixel based image editor)
  9. Create an intro and closing image for your slideshow and save as jpgs to the folder
    *Hint* Make sure you keep the dimensions consistent with your previous images so you don’t get pixelation
  10. Close Photoshop
  11. Open iPhoto
  12. Import the photos from the folder you created earlier with the jpgs to a new album
  13. Create a slide show from said album
  14. Rehearse timings and check for image/audio quality
  15. Export to desktop (it will export as a Quicktime movie file by default)
  16. Take said movie file and upload to YouTube
  17. Add titles, descriptions as needed…
  18. Voila!

The key to this is iPhoto.  You don’t necessarily need Garage Band to make a legal audio track.  Many open sourced audio files are available for use, though a lot of that content is classical.  iPhoto has the built in ability to export slideshows as a movie than other applications like Lightroom, Powerpoint, Photoshop, and others.  Lightroom is also rather key too though as the backgrounds and text effects for the titles and everything were done in there.

On Windows, it’s a whole different story – you can do the Lightroom thing, but then you have to go out and buy a slideshow program to accomplish this for you.  While there are many options, and at varying levels of price entry, the ones that I’ve used that are good are Proshow Gold and Camtasia, from Photodex and Techsmith respectively.  The former prices out at $80 while the latter runs for a pricey $299 but allows you to also do screen captures, and lots of other stuff.  Either way, shelling out additional money to do something that is native on the Mac gives just another reason to consider the bundled functionality that Apple brings to the table with it’s computer lines.  (And this is coming from someone who has worked in Windows almost exclusively for the better part of ten years… as I tell people these days though, I work in Windows and play on my Mac!)

Finally, as we head into the weekend, there’s a couple fellow photographer/blogger types that are hosting contests and seminars in the upcoming weeks and months.  So, if you’re interested in improving your craft, there’s no better way than to either participate in a seminar and learn something new, or submit to a juried contest…and that’s just what Rob Jones of Towner Jones Photography is doing and Scott Eccleston, of Weekly Photo Tips!  Rob is hosting an impressive summer photo contest, and Scott is runing a Maine Photography Workshop that is sure to ignite the creative energies.  Act soon on Scott’s as registration is almost over!  Make sure you take these guys into consideration when planning out your summer activities!

That’s it for this week – I am off Monday for the holiday, so there may not be a blog post then.  Next week is the last week for the Lightroom giveaway contest though, so be sure you are getting your entries in to the Flickr page to win your own free copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom – a $300 value!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here on either Monday or Tuesday!

Photography Secret #1249871

Jason4 Comments

There are so many tricks and little tips to taking better photos – it often seems like millions, doesn’t it?  Well, it does to me.  I thought of one last night that thought the listening audience might enjoy.  This one is a toughie though (because it’s not that easy to do)…are you ready?  here goes:

Shoot for fun

Yep, that’s it.  I say it’s tough because we can often forget about the fun factor.  We get caught up in the gear, the software, rules of composition, ISO’s shutters, apertures, marketing, advertising, booking gigs, constantly on the go, and all that stuff.

Last night I went out shooting with a buddy in downtown Denver – he’s only in town for a couple days, so didn’t have a lot of time.  It was a last minute thing too, so not like I had time to do any major set up or preparation.  Instead, we walked the 16th street mall – I showed him a slice of life in downtown Denver.  We saw some street musicians and other performers, hit some of the tourist sites like the Performing Arts Center, Denver Post Building, etc., etc., etc.  This is all stuff I’d seen before (and taken shots of before).

The difference last night?  I was just out with a friend, shooting the breeze, talking about photography, laughing and joking around, then we grabbed a bite over at Maggiano’s, a great local Italian restaurant.  It wasn’t all about the photography though – we were just having fun.  Yet, we both got some photography in there too, because we’re both photography enthusiasts.  (Well, I am an enthusiast, he’s a professional – his career deals a lot with photography, so he knows a bit more about it and does a great deal more.)  We were just out having fun.  And we (or at least I) had a blast!

Plus, he gave me a few pointers, so that’s always a good thing – to learn a little while having fun.  But without the fun, the experience just isn’t the same.  So, if you want a little secret to taking great shots – make sure you are having fun!  If you’re having fun, you are more relaxed, and can go with the flow, letting creativity and inspiration come to you.  I know I had a lot of fun, and some creative moments came out of our outing last night.  So, to the rest of you – make sure you shoot for fun every once and a while – it can really help energize you!  I’ll try to get a gallery of shots together for posting later – but until then, just keep on shooting.  Thanks for stopping in and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

Say Cheese?

Jason4 Comments

Ever wonder why we’ve heard photographers say that when taking your picture?  Think about what happens when you do – your facial features open up, your mouth opens slightly, and you get a little upward curvature in the corners of your lips.  (Unless of course you concentrate on specifically not doing that.)  Whoever thought this up eons ago was well ahead of the curve, because knowing how to take good portraiture encompasses entire volumes of books on the subject.

Volumes exist on what lenses to use, how to light, depth of fieldand much much more, but perhaps the most valuable information on how to take great portraits comes not just from technical awareness, but from personal interactions, and how to get people to act natural yet emotive and to let that come through in your work.  While no blog post could entirely exhaust the subject, here are ten quick tips on taking better portraits:

  1. Establish a connection – portraiture is about connecting with someone through the image.  If you don’t connect with them through the camera, then there will be no connection in the print.  Make sure you connect with your subjects in some way.  Get to know about them, because that knowledge can transform your vision into really beautiful works of art.
  2. Relax the subject – Connecting with your subject means they feel comfortable around you – now the key is to get them to feel comfortable in front of the camera.  Many times this is much easier said than done, but when you do get them to relax, the poses will come more fluidly, and you’ll get better results.  One way I do this is to just start taking pictures of things around us as we talk and connect.  The whole idea of hearing the shutter can be scary to some people, so by hearing it almost to excess and know it’s not on them can mitigate the “scary” factor.
  3. Choose a background – if you are in a studio environment, this is fairly easy, but if you are on location, keep your eyes out for backgrounds that provide contrast to the subject.  Are they wearing light clothes?  Look for a dark background.  What about props to give a little more meaning.  Are they sports fans?  Have them hold a football, or stand by a basketball hoop.  Backgrounds can help give more definition to your subject.
  4. Have a purpose – try to think of reasons why you are taking the picture.  Is it to record an event, or is it for a model?  What about a head shot for a business executive?  If you think of why you are taking the picture in the first place, that can help give you ideas for how to compose it.  For the event, it’s about the moment, while the portrait it’s about just the person, so give some thought to how to enhance their best qualities and minimize flaws.
  5. Create separation – this is crucial to giving definition to your subject while minimizing distractions.  In the on-location areas, look out for things like power lines, nearby light sources and other objects that may detract from the subject.  Here it also helps to keep a wider aperture so that any distractions can be effectively blurred out of focus to minimize their impact.
  6. All about the angles – Some people have great profiles.  Striking features can be accented from certain angles and can give greater impact and meaning.  Shooting from below can suggest power and strength (for the business executive), while shooting from above can minimize a body style that is more robust.  Even profile shots can be stunning if done right (hint:  try shadows there).
  7. Lights, lights, lights – photography is all about painting with light, so portraiture is no exception.  Whether it be modifying existing light with reflectors, diffusers and shoot throughs, or creating your own light with strobes and flashes positioned off to the side or from above, lighting can create a wide variety of moods and bring images to life, especially in portraiture!
  8. Watch the eyes – for any subject, whether human or animals, we like to have the eyes in focus.  It’s just the nature of people to look at the eyes in a subject, so make sure the eyes of yours are tack sharp.  Seeing a persons eyes have often been said to be a mirror to their soul.  You can get playful eyes, soulful eyes, sad eyes, sparkling eyes, weepy eyes, tear-stained eyes, angry eyes, hungry eyes, passionate eyes… (you get the eye-dea!)
  9. Clean that skin tone – this means make sure that you are keeping the tones in check.  If the skin is too orange or too blue, add or remove some flash or ambient light.  Here the key is in white balancing your images.  Take along a grey card (even something as small as a 3×5 card can work) and you can set your white balance off that – your skin tones will be spot on if you do – and save you tons of post processing time.
  10. Less is not always more – let’s all just admit it, it’s a digital world.  Those pictures are really just data packets and with data being as cheap as it is, we can afford to take more shots.  This can help with blinkers, and if you want to try several poses or wardrobe changes, or lighting changes, or location changes, or group changes (think weddings). or weather changes (think sunlight versus rain, versus cloudy), or….I think the gist is clear again here.

So, there’s ten nuggets.  I tried to be brief yet have some detail, but you can never have enough time or space to really cover something with so much to talk about in a short blog post.  With that in mind, what about your thoughts on portraiture?  Add to the pool!  Got any ideas, DIY tricks or nuggets that work for you?  Share them in the comments or via email.

Before signing out for the day, I’d like to give some special thanks to a few people.  First to Derrick Story for the helpful link from his blog post today about the tethered shooting write-up.  It’s always nice to get what I like to call “a nod from the Gods”, but not only did he write a post about my write-up, he also submitted it to the Imaging Insider, who subsequently included the write up on their site.    Second up, I’d also like to throw some NAPP-Love back to Karen from “Pursuing Photoshop” (a.k.a. Mitzs in the blogosphere, also a member of NAPP) for her link back to the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom contest currently running here on the blog – thanks Mitzs!

Oh yeah, and finally, don’t forget the Photoshop Lightroom contest I announced in last week’s podcast – it’s running over in a thread on Flickr, and the images are starting to come in.  Some really nice ones so far, but there’s plenty of time left in May to enter!  Good luck to everyone!  Well, enough content for one day, so happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

How do you like to sound?

Jason1 Comment

In preparation for the next podcast, due in no small part to a technical difficulty with Garage Band, I’ve set up a dedicated computer and recording space (call it my dedicated recording studio) and the audio quality is off the charts better than anything I’ve done before.  Ironically, the new topic for this weeks podcast is also about sound – the sound of shutters and how they can impact the feel of the camera, and how they can effect a moment is significant enough to warrant consideration.  Make sure you tune in for this one from the good folks over at Personal Life Media to get all the news, info, and latest from Learning Digital Photography!

Here’s the rest of the show notes:

Here’s the links from news items I talked about:

Listener Questions

  • How do you fix the Canon 99 Error?
  • What does the term “sync speed” mean?
  • What does kerning refer to in typography?

Listen in to the podcast over at Personal Life Media for the answers and full details on all the show segments.  In the meantime, what does your shutter sound like?   It doesn’t even have to be a Canon camera, listen to your camera whether it’s Canon Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Pentax, Panasonic, Leica, Hasselblad, etc! Find out why in the podcast up now over at Personal Life Media!  Thanks for stopping by the blog, and for all your kind words during the flu bug bout.  Enjoy the podcast, then go out and do y’all some shootin’!  See you back here tomorrow!

Wanna Get Lucky?

Jason2 Comments

How many times have you seen a picture where it just made you say “WOW!  I wish I could capture something like that!”  And, you ask the person, “How’d you get that shot?”  Typically you’ll get an answer like “Just got lucky I guess.”  Well, I am not sure I buy into that.  Does luck really factor into taking good pictures?  Perhaps on rare occasions it does, because as the old saying goes, “Even a blind squirrel can find a nut occasionally”

But consistently taking good pictures requires more than luck.  It requires certain key elements that anyone can incorporate to increase their “keeper ratio”.  Today, I’ll look at 5 ways to increase your keepers.  So, here’s 5 ways to get lucky!

  1. Plan ahead.  Just the mere act of planning for a shot can help.  If you know you’re going to be in the mountains, take a wide angle lens with you.  If you know you’re going to be at a party, take that nifty fifty.  Wildlife?  Take a zoom!  Remember, prior planning not only prevents poor performance, but it also can help you take better pictures.
  2. Learn the technical stuff.  Know the technical stuff.  Memorize it.   There are certain fundamentals you just have to know, and by taking that sundry stuff and migrating it to a point where it’s in the back of your head and you don’t even have to think about it, then they can become tools.  If you understand apertures inside and out, then you can really use depth of field to create better pictures.  The same goes for planes of view, angles of view, composition rules, and all that other stuff.
  3. Take lots of pictures.  As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect.  So, stop reading forums, blogs, magazines, books, and all that stuff from time to time (except for my blog of course!), and get out there and practice, practice, practice!
  4. Look at the pictures of others.  Not only is appreciation of others work inspiring in its own right, but you can also train your eye to see what makes some images just “work”.
  5. Dedicate some time each day to do something related to photography.  It can be any of the above, from taking pictures, to editing pictures, looking at the works of others, studying your manual (learning about apertures, shutters, etc.), or any other photography-related ideas.  You can only improve your skills by repeated use.  Since I’ve referenced other idioms, another one could apply here:  If you don’t use it, you lose it.  Just like musicians who practice every day to get better, if you don’t practice your craft regularly, you won’t get better.

So, there you have it, 5 ways to improve your luck.  And this is just from my own perspective.  As is always the case when it comes to opinions, there are probably many more out there.  Got your own ideas about ways to “get lucky”?  Share them in the comments section or via email.  In the meantime, Happy Shooting – hope everyone can “get lucky”!

The creative versus the communicative process

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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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