Hey gang—the huge success of last week’s MPIX.com deal really paid off, and we’ve been in contact with a number of companies who are willing to give you guys a “This Weekend Only” special discount. This week, the fine folks over at OnOne Software are offering readers of my blog $200 off their new “Plug-In Suite 5″ which includes the most recent versions of their award-winning Photoshop Plug-ins: Genuine Fractals for resizing Mask Pro for removing unwanted backgrounds PhotoTune for color correction FocalPoint for selective focus PhotoTools and…
Selected by sdecker
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Photoshop Insider Blog By Scott Kelby
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Special “This Weekend Only” Deal on OnOne Software’s Photoshop Plug-in Suite 5
19 Nov 2009 | 10:38 pm -
Thursday News Stuff
18 Nov 2009 | 10:41 pmHowdy folks. First a quick thanks to photographer Bruce DeBoer for his inspiring Guest Blog post yesterday here on the blog. Very cool stuff! Now, onto the news! Nikon releases FREE “Learn & Explore” iPhone App This one slipped by me, but luckily John “The Snake” Barrett dropped me a line to let me know that Nikon has released a FREE iPhone App called “Learn & Explore,” which not only has tips for using your Nikon camera, but it also has access to back issues of “Nikon World Magazine” (John let me know that the issue I’m in is… -
Breaking News: My New Photoshop Elements 8 Book is in Bookstores!
18 Nov 2009 | 10:32 pmJust a quick heads up; My Photoshop Elements 8 book for Digital Photographers (which I co-authored with Matt Kloskowski), is now in bookstores (just in time for the holidays). Anyway, you can pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Borders, or wherever really great books that come out just in time to make a perfect Holiday gift are sold. -
It’s “Guest Blog Wednesday” featuring Bruce DeBoer!
18 Nov 2009 | 4:51 amLooking at photography is one of my favorite pass-times. It’s awesome how the great photographers can make me actually feel the moment of capture. I enjoy the greatness of their talent. What a trap. As if photography wasn’t full time enough, lately I’ve been charging head down in an ancillary effort to learn what drives people to create. Research, writing, listening and conducting interviews across all disciplines while dissecting my own work. Most photographers I know can recall nearly every click of the shutter, and those book-worthy gems capture more than just a replica of the… -
Catch our “Adobe Creative Suite Unleashed” Tour This Friday in San Diego
17 Nov 2009 | 6:18 pmIf you’re in the San Diego area, Dave Cross and RC Concepcion, are coming to San Diego this Friday with our Adobe CS4 Creative Suite Unleashed Tour, and then onto Boston on December 1st. If you haven’t had a chance to catch this special Adobe-sponsored tour, you don’t want to miss it, as they cover everything from Illustrator to InDesign, from Photoshop to Flash, and how it all works together. This special tour is only $49 (or just $39 for NAPP members), and you can get all the details, or sign up, right here. Hope we’ll see you San Diego on Friday, or in Boston in…
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Digital Photography School
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This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (15-21 Nov ‘09)
21 Nov 2009 | 8:04 amIn case you hadn’t heard, one of our forum admins is a new dad! Congrats Sime, Mum and Baby. Weekly Assignment Things got noisy for this week’s assignment which was Sound / Noise. We had a real variety of shots, but what made us pick the ones we did was most often because of the way that it really showed off sounds and the impact of those sounds. Our winner this week was rt80639’s “Colour of Sound” this was an excellent example of how the sound from speakers can be used creatively. While you might not be able to “hear” the sound in this one, it… -
PORTRAITS: Weekend Photography Challenge
20 Nov 2009 | 5:37 pmImage by JOHN CORVERA This weekend your photographic challenge is to take and share a portrait. Early next week we’ll be launching our first ever e-book here at DPS – ‘The Essential Guide to Portrait Photography’ and in anticipation of the launch and to get a little practice in – I thought it’d be fun to set the challenge to take a portrait over the weekend. If you’ve not participated in our weekend challenges before – they’re pretty simple. You can see the last three weekends results in our Kitchens, Pets and Environment challenges. The… -
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 – Review
20 Nov 2009 | 12:07 pmI sometimes hear from people who’ve newly acquired a digital SLR, saying they find it a hassle to continually change lenses when shooting a wide variety of subjects. Frankly, it goes with ‘SLR-territory’ (digital and film) and is the price you pay to enjoy the improved image of an interchangeable lens, reflex camera. In reality, unless you’re very demanding and continually shoot magazine quality pictures, most times you’re better off with a fixed lens digicam with an extended zoom range … like this one. Panasonic has not indulged in a longish zoom camera before, unlike Canon,… -
High Key Studio – What I Use and Why
20 Nov 2009 | 6:01 amIf you follow my posts, you’ll know that I have a studio. At the moment, I mostly do high-key sessions with children. High-key is something that many photographers try to imitate and sometimes fail miserably simply because of a lack of understanding about light (and I only know this because I am one of those people!) Out of necessity, my photographic evolution has been a fast one and I laugh to think that only a few short months ago, I was in torrents of frustration and tears because I just couldn’t manage to take photos like the ones I was seeing from amazing studios such as… -
10 Rules for Editing Digital Images
19 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pmDuring the week one of our readers – wedding photographer Martin Whitton – shot me a list of his ‘10 rules for editing digital images’. I thought I’d share them today as a discussion starter for readers. Martin comments that ‘these ideas may seem a little elementary, but sticking to the basics keeps our editing focused, maintains consistency from image to image and keeps our clients happy’. Tone of space (a room, for example) should be balanced and neutral, with no overall bias; Blacks (like tuxes) should be black; Whites (like wedding gowns) should…
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Photofocus
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Mini Review – Litepanels LP MicroPro LED Light
21 Nov 2009 | 2:18 amI have talked about Litepanels before. They make high-quality, battery-powered, portable LED lights that are perfect for compact cameras, camcorders and video cameras. Now, Litepanels is selling the Lightpanels MicroPro. This is a larger version of their popular Litepanels Micro which may be valuable to DSLR/VSLR shooters who work reasonably close to their subjects. The MicroPro offers a soft, broad, continuous light source that can be used in a variety of situations. The MicroPro runs off six batteries and in my tests, turning the LEDs off when not in use, I can go for a full day before… -
Stop Wasting Time
20 Nov 2009 | 9:58 am(Photo is Copyright Nicole S. Young – All Rights Reserved) Post by Nicole Young – Follow Nicole on Twitter I think that everyone reading this blog post, photographer or not, would agree with me when I say that their time is precious. I want to spend my time doing the things I enjoy, and I try my best to use my work time as efficiently as possible. So, how can you be more “efficient” with your photography? Here are a few techniques that I try to follow when using my camera and editing images: - Be deliberate. When you are creating a photograph take inventory of… -
Emerging Photographer of the Year Finalist – Chitra Aiyer
20 Nov 2009 | 3:24 amCopyright Chitra Aiyer - Used With Permission Hopefully you’re aware of our Emerging Photographer of the Year Award – to recap, over the next year, we’re going to identify 24 photographers who have outstanding work and offer them the exposure that they can get through our Photofocus website. Then, we’re going to select one to give a special award to. (The exact prize package is still taking shape but here’s what we have so far:) 1. Copy Aperture $199 2. Copy Nik Complete Collection $299 3. Think Tank Rotation 360 Backpack $279 4. $500 cash from Bourne Media Group… -
Primer for Still to Video Shooters Part 4
19 Nov 2009 | 2:38 pmEDITOR’S NOTE: Guest Post by Ron Dawson To see Part 1 in this series, go to : http://photofocus.com/2009/11/16/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-1/ To see Part 2 in this series, go to : http://photofocus.com/2009/11/17/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-2/ To see Part 2 in this series, go to: http://photofocus.com/2009/11/18/primer-for-still-to-video-shooters-part-3/ Editing Your Project Now that you have your footage “in the can,” it’s time to do the editing. I won’t go into any details regarding editing systems. There are too many. Unless you’re a… -
Five Inexpensive Gifts Every Serious Photographer Will Love
19 Nov 2009 | 2:53 amPhoto Coutesy Rich Legg With less than six weeks to go until Christmas, (insert your holiday of choice here if you don’t celebrate Christmas) it’s time to start with the proverbial holiday gift buying guides here at Photofocus. With the recession in mind, we’re going to start small. This list is all inexpensive gifts. We guarantee you there’s something here for every budget. 1. Chase Jarvis’ crazy popular “BEST CAMERA” is a must-give gift this holiday season. At only $2.99 it’s more fun than many more expensive gifts. It’s an iPhone photo…
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Beyond Megapixels
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Temporary Post Used For Theme Detection (967f5b62-fdae-4540-9975-9f12b3424dee – 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7)
20 Nov 2009 | 1:54 pmThis is a temporary post that was not deleted. Please delete this manually. (b3f87dee-7fbe-4844-a136-d32514d920b8 – 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7) Related posts:Post Processing: How much is too much?100 STEPS TO IYP – Post ProcessingPost Card Winners -
Portfolio Tips
20 Nov 2009 | 8:19 amThe possession of a portfolio is an integral part of selling your photographs – whether you are selling your own prints, or selling your skills as a photographer. Creating a collection of the work that you are the most proud of establishes your skills in a visual way that will draw potential clients and customers. Start by determining which of your shots you consider to be the best. If you are specializing in a specific kind of photography (portraits, weddings, landscapes, flowers, etc.), choose a selection of photos of that type, but choose a variety of compositions – black and… -
Inspiring Emotion – Technical or Talent?
19 Nov 2009 | 8:27 amEvery bit of the knowledge that I have about photography and post-processing is self-taught. I learned by reading, by watching, by doing, by trying, by failing, and by trying again. I’ve often wondered about how much my photography might be improved if I pursued a formal education in the subject. Would my photography actually be better, or would I just learn what I need to know faster than I would if I continued on the self-taught route? How much is innate talent, and how much is knowledge and education? Surely it’s a combination of both. How do you explain art? How do you define… -
On-Line Photography Collaborations
18 Nov 2009 | 6:00 amParticipate in one (or all!) of the following on-line photography collaborations, open to all! - Shutter Sisters hosts a Flickr pool where participants submit their favorite shots. One photo per day is selected to be featured on the daily click. They also sponsor The One Word Project, where participants submit their interpretation of the “word of the month”. Check out picture hope and one sweet shot as well – Shutter Sisters is all about sharing your great photographic creations! - Digital Photography Assignments are provided by the Digital Photography School. Post your… -
Share Your Photos
16 Nov 2009 | 8:01 amThis is one of my own photographs that I am the most proud of, at the moment: This is a picture of the Lower Falls at Yellowstone National Park, where my husband and I vacationed last summer. I feel that the photo is composed well, gives a nice perspective with the teeny, tiny people standing on the lookout point to the right, and it’s tack-sharp all the way through the size spectrum. So, I’m pretty proud of it! I would love for our readers here at Beyond Megapixels to share one photograph that you are currently the most proud of, and why you’re proud of it. Please submit…
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Joe McNally's Blog
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Heading East
16 Nov 2009 | 2:03 amYep, heading for Malaysia, courtesy of the efforts of Louis Pang, one of the premier wedding shooters in that country, and for that matter, all of Asia. Louis and I got to know each other when he took my lighting class at Santa Fe this past year, and the irrepressible Louis had ideas. When he gets ideas, actions follow. He went home, put together a plan, launched a website, and off we go. Or are going. First week in February, Drew and I will be in Kuala Lumpur, working with photogs from all over Malaysia and points east. Here’s the link. We’ll do a series of one day intensives,… -
Letter to a Young Photographer….
9 Nov 2009 | 5:43 amLectured last week at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. In the photojournalism department, the students all had that traditional mix of energy, enthusiasm, angst, and doubt so typical of that time in your life when you have just picked up a camera and are looking at it, wondering where it will lead you. The usual mix of questions are ever present: Who do I work for? Can I make a living? Will I ever be any good at this? Will my pictures have impact? Nowadays, that traditional line of questioning is accompanied by another significant set of queries. What is the future of… -
New York Frame of Mind…..
6 Nov 2009 | 6:57 amYankees won. Cool. I’ve been a Yankee fan before I even knew anything about NY. We lived in Cleveland when I was a kid, and my dad would only bring me to the ballpark when those damn Yankees were playing. He brought me down to the third base seats and Casey Stengel was standing in the coaches box. My dad yelled, “Hey Case!” Stengel was standing there, thumbs hooked in his belt, and gave me a wink and a quick wave. Been a Yankee fan ever since, though, like Yogi, I did have a hard time liking anybody in pinstripes back when The Boss was in full cry. Corny, right? But hey, it… -
This Just In…..
4 Nov 2009 | 6:44 amHot Shoe Diaries was the number one reader’s pick for the arts and photography category on Amazon for 2009. Pretty cool. I’ve gotten some wonderful feedback from folks who really enjoyed the book and I thank everyone for the kind words that have been sent my way. Very appreciative of the support, and thanks for letting Amazon know about it! It’s been an interesting week. There was the good news about the book, and then Lynn, my studio manager for 18 years, was going back and forth with a major multi-national who had a check for us, but had the wrong address listed. It… -
Mongo Make Pano……
29 Oct 2009 | 4:57 amIn New York City leading a National Geographic Expeditions Workshop. Doing alright so far. Haven’t lost anybody yet. Nice group of folks. Hope they’re not disappointed that I’m not, you know, Nick Nichols, or somebody like that who’s got a lot of great Indiana Jones type photo stories. “I stood there in front of the enraged water buffalo, with the only thing between me and his massive horns was my Nikon DS4000XL Red Sonja series camera with the 12 to 3000mm over under combo zoom with the bore sighted grenade launcher. I had one round left…” I make up…
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Jason D. Moore Photography | A Photoshop & Digital Photography Blog Community
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Points of View Photo Project: #18
20 Nov 2009 | 12:08 amWelcome to the 18th edition of the weekly Points of View Photo Project! Each week I post a source image that is the out-of-the-camera original and offer it up for anyone who would like to take a shot at processing it. This isn’t a contest, this isn’t about who is better, it’s simply a chance to [...] -
Photo Review: Jonathan Goforth’s Chain Whip
19 Nov 2009 | 12:07 amToday’s photo review image comes from Friend-of-the-Blog Jonathan Goforth. Regulars here will know Jonathan from his showing in my BIG Photo Contest over the summer and his regular contributions to the Points of View Photo Project (which will be posted tomorrow and there’s still time to send in your shots by 10pm (Eastern) tonight!). Jonathan has [...] -
So, They Think I Can Teach Photoshop!
17 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmThat’s right! I received official word that I was selected as one of the Honorable Mention winners in the NAPP So, You Think You Can Teach Photoshop?! contest! And I would I like to take this opportunity to thank the judges for this honor and opportunity. Though it would’ve been awesome to claim the top slot [...] -
November Photo Contest Reminder
17 Nov 2009 | 12:05 amThat’s right! We’re already over halfway through the month and the November Photo Contest only has a couple of weeks left! Regulars will know that there is usually no theme for my monthly photo contests but this month I thought it would be fun to see what you could do with your camera phones (thanks to [...] -
onOne PhotoFrame 4
16 Nov 2009 | 12:05 amAwhile back I received a copy of PhotoFrame 4 as part of the Plug-ins Suite from onOne Software. I hadn’t had time to use it all that much but playing around with textures as I did last week really inspired me to take it for a spin. Here is a shot I took over the summer [...]
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Pioneer Woman Photography - Ree Drummond
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What To Do at Night?
18 Nov 2009 | 7:13 amThis is a question I get often. What do I do when I have to shoot in the gym and what do I do at the football field at night? Last week I had the opportunity to shoot outside in the dark at a flag football game in the Windy City. Under the lights. With the L clickity clacking by every five minutes. And the wind that was blowing was a warm one. And Emma was there. It was a great night. I had the perfect opportunity to experiment and see what I felt would work best. Here’s what I discovered: Give your flash a try. (But read your manual first. I did not and I was pushing buttons in… -
Layer Mask Tutorial
17 Nov 2009 | 5:43 amBy Jodi Friedman of MCP Actions (Thank you, Jodi! This is an awesome tutorial. -PW) Do the words “adjustment layer” or “layer masks” scare you? If so this is a MUST Watch, Must Share, and Must Bookmark video tutorial. Here are some notes to help you along: - White Reveals (shows) - Black Conceals (hides) - Use a “airbrush soft round” to paint (change the hardness as you get close to subject if you can see halo or marks but never go to 100% hardness) - Make sure your layer mask is selected (has a box outlined around it) - Change the opacity of the brush as needed for more control… -
Reverse Photoshop Tutorial
16 Nov 2009 | 4:40 amThis is how I roll: I remember seeing something somewhere sometime somecentury about the problem I’m about to show you, but I’m too lazy, too tired, too busy, and too chubby to dig to the necessary depths to find out the answer and the solution. Will you help me? Can you help me? What is that? The curious white halo surrounding the silhouettes in my photo of an icy blue morning last week? Here’s a closer look. To be specific, my questions are: 1. What causes the halo? 2. How can I avoid the halo? 3. How can I remove the halo? 4. Why does my belly jiggle? 5. Why… -
The Open Road
13 Nov 2009 | 4:08 amI snapped this photo yesterday on my way to a remote set of pens, where Marlboro Man and crew would gather 200-plus pairs, sort off the bigger calves, and ship them to a new home. The sky was brilliant—orange and pink and bright—and a light rain the night before made the pavement glisten with the colors of the sky. I was late to the pens. I just had to stop and take this in. And afterward, I could have fiddled with the photo more, lightening the road and making it more visible. But I wanted to leave it close to how I saw it. Here’s a high-resolution download for you. Print,… -
Shutterfly Photo Book Winners
11 Nov 2009 | 8:58 pmWow. What a toughie! There were so many amazingly wonderful photo book submissions, I actually fainted. Three times! And when I woke up, it was two days after I was supposed to have announced the winners. You guys are killin’ me with your creativity! Thank you so much to Shutterfly for hosting such a wonderful giveaway—it was so great to see the different ways everyone pieced together their beautiful face photos with text. I’m blown away! THE WINNERS It was difficult to select one winner, as there were so many different creative approaches. But for the sake of…
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My Home Sweet Home
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Searching for Thankful at (in)courage Today
19 Nov 2009 | 8:51 am“Lately I’ve been on a mission to grow in thankfulness, to actively seek it in my life; the kind of thankfulness that helps give perspective on the rough days.” Please join me at (in)courage today for a peek at some of the things for which I’m thankful. -
Goodies from DaySpring and (in)courage
18 Nov 2009 | 7:40 amWe are the only ones in our circle of friends who never get around to making Christmas cards. My intentions are good, but the reality is that it just never happens. Never. This year, however, I am quite pleased to announce that not only will we have Christmas cards, they’re already made and ordered in mid-November! Studio DaySpring makes ordering your cards easy. You can create your own or start with their design templates, which is what I did. I’ve been given a coupon code to share with you for 15% off your purchase with coupon code: CHILDREN15. The best part? 6% of your sale… -
Harumika: Style Your Imagination
16 Nov 2009 | 11:31 amRarely has a review product entered our home that has created quite the buzz and anticipation of the Harumika, a dress designing kit containing a dress form, three pieces of fabric, fashion stickers, accessories, and a stylus design tool. My girls were so excited that they sketched fashions before we opened the box, adding another creative aspect to the toy. The dress form has an opening in the back, lined with a rubber insert that is cut in a wavy line down the middle. Fabric is wrapped around the doll to create outfits and tucked into the opening with the enclosed stylus tool. The rubbery… -
Notable NAPP Links November 15, 2009
15 Nov 2009 | 4:24 pm10 Ways to Relax Your Next Portrait Subject by Scott Bourne “One of the reasons I am a photographer is that I thought it would help insulate me from having to be in the picture. I am not alone. Lots of people don’t like to have their picture taken.” Scott is a talented photographer and just an all-around nice guy that I had the pleasure of meeting at Photoshop World. I totally get what he is saying here, and I love this great set of tips. Just? by David duChemin “Just an amateur? Amateur comes from the same word from which we get words like Amorous; it means to love. -
A Mother’s Hope
14 Nov 2009 | 11:26 am[This post was originally published at (in)courage.] I’d like to share with you the homeschooling tale of our 18-year-old son, the most difficult child I’ve ever taught. It’s a story of hope, the lessons that both my son and I learned along the way, and the rewards at the end of the journey. I think there’s a little bit of truth in it for all of us… Humility As a homeschooling mother of eight, lots of undeserved pats on the back come my way. “I don’t know how you do it,” is something I hear on a weekly, if not daily, basis. My 18-year-old son has always…
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Photocrati
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Q and A: What’s the difference between the new Sigma 10-20 mm f/3.5 lens and the original?
20 Nov 2009 | 3:30 amQuestion Is there really a difference in performance and innovation between the new Sigma 10-20 mm f/3.5 and the original 10-20mm f/4 lens. The latter is much more affordable. Is the difference of several hundred dollars justified? R. P. Answer Yes, the newer model is more expensive (though only by $170), but do note that the maximum aperture is a constant f/3.5 at all focal lengths. The other Sigma 10-20mm zoom does not have a constant maximum aperture; it’s an f/4-5.6 lens. In other words, the widest aperture is quite similar at very short focal lengths, but with the older lens, it… -
The Tuesday Composition: Composing Images with Mists and Fog
17 Nov 2009 | 4:43 amIncoming Storm, East Fjords Most of the elements we deal with when talking about composition (at least in my own practice, your mileage may vary) are either pretty much opaque or transparent. A few elements, though, such as clouds, mists, smoke and time-lapsed waterfalls often fall between these two extremes. Today, we’ll talk about how translucent elements such as fog and mists can function in a composition. Translucent fogs and sprays are a great tool for establishing a sense of depth in an image. A cloud that shows a bit of the mountain behind seems to more clearly cue the eye that… -
Pentax K-x Digital SLR Review: Field Test Report
16 Nov 2009 | 9:30 amJack Neubart gets a taste of a sweet compact 12.4 MP CMOS APS-C DSLR with a suite of features. Pentax K-x body, white version. Photo courtesy of Pentax. I approach each new camera with a degree of skepticism. Unlike many out there, I’m not as easily swayed by all the media hype and promotional gobbledygook. I’m from Brooklyn and we need to see that something actually works. So when the Pentax K-x arrived, I looked at it, pleased that they sent me the “white” version, only because it reminded me of the Imperial Storm Troopers from Star Wars (would have been a great fit). I unpacked… -
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Review: Field Test Report
15 Nov 2009 | 2:06 pmWith its HD movie mode, articulating LCD and ultra high resolution viewfinder, the GH1 may be the most desirable Micro Four-Thirds camera The first manufacturer to develop a Micro Four Thirds camera, Panasonic now markets three distinct models. These include the original DMC-G1, the pocket-size DMC-GF1, and the DMC-GH1 which benefits from the best features of the other models. These 12 megapixel cameras are all smaller/slimmer than DSLRs because they’re not equipped with a reflex mirror or a pentaprism. They also accept smaller lenses but employ a much larger sensor than most digicams… -
Printed Portfolios
14 Nov 2009 | 3:52 pmEven in this world of online meetings, websites and blogs we need a printed portfolio book to show prospects. I’m in the process of re-doing my books so I’ve been researching this pretty heavily. My old (current) book. Moab Chinle 8x8 The format and styling of your book will depend greatly on who you’re marketing to as well as your own personal style. A wedding book is not going to be anything like a commercial book which won’t necessarily look like a pj book. In general here are a few nuggets of wisdom I’ve been able to scrounge in my research. 1. Size Between…
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Rick Sammon
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Canon 5D Mark II Digital Diaries: Final Post From Out West - Feel the Photograph
20 Nov 2009 | 4:17 amHey GangThank you all for following along this week on my blog. Great photographic opportunities out here. Made this image with my 5D Mark II and 17-40mm lens.When photographing, it's sometimes a good idea to think about what other photographers and artists would do in the same situation. Before I came out here, I was reading about Georgia O'Keeffe.From Wikipedia:She [Gerogia O'Keeffe] received widespread recognition for her technical contributions, as well as for challenging the boundaries of modern American artistic style. She is chiefly known for paintings of flowers, rocks, shells, animal… -
Canon 5D Mark II Digital Diaries: Monument Valley Post #2
19 Nov 2009 | 11:38 amHi AllWe got up early to catch the beautiful light here in Monument Valley. Left shot is natural light. Right shot is a painting-with-light shot: I painted the tree with the headlights from our guide's Jeep. Took several tries to get it right.I shot HDR, but it ruined the dramatic effect. Indeed, there is a time and place for HDR - and this wasn't one of them!By the way, it's freezing here: 30 degrees F this AM. Almost 50 now. Ahhhhhh.Mo' on HDR at my Photoshop World Orlando talk.Explore the Light,RickP.S. Hey, wherever you travel, make a book of your travels . . . as a fun memory for you and… -
Canon 5D Mark II Monument Valley Post #1
18 Nov 2009 | 5:08 pmHi All!Mr. HDR here! :-)Just a quick note from Monument Valley. There is a time and place for HDR. Here are two shots from today. Straight shots. No HDR.My point of this post: There is no substitute for great light and a GREAT subject.I took both of these pictures with my favorite landscape lens: Canon 17-40mm.Explore the light,RickP.S. Yup! More HDR images to come in my next book, HDR Secrets. Might be ready for Photoshop World in Orlando! Be there or be square! -
Canon 5D Mark II Slot Canyons Digital Diaries Post #2: HDR is NOT Photography?
17 Nov 2009 | 6:22 pmHere is an HDR image from today's shoot at Upper Antelope Canyon. It's a combo of six images - at, over and under the "best" exposure.I was photographing straight up. The contrast range was beyond that of any film.I could have opened up the shadows somewhat, but I was thinking about the expression: Light Illuminates, Shadows Define.Then I thought about all the folks who hate (I know that is a strong word) HDR. Well, here is another expression: To each his own.Me, I actually think that HDR photography is photography - because it helps use create an image that looks like the scene we see with… -
Canon 5D Mark II Slot Canyons Digital Diaries Post #1
17 Nov 2009 | 3:11 pmHi AllJust got back from shooting at Lower Antelope Canyon. Here is a favorite shot. HDR. Just a quick processing job. Will tweak when I get back home in a week.Shot at Upper Antelope Canyon this AM. Great fun, too.You gotta get here to shoot. Book a photo tour and come at this time of year. Fewer tourists ruining your shots.Horseshoe Bend is 10 minutes away. Monument Valley is about two hours away. Plan a great five-day trip. Don't forget your tripod.Explore the Light,Rick
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stuckincustoms.com
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The Forgotten (Yes you can do HDR Black and White!)
20 Nov 2009 | 11:26 pmTinychat Video Interview Yesterday, we did a little video interview with @Peachpit, the book publisher. It went pretty well, except for the Porn Spam. But…. that drifts away after a few minutes. Special thanks to Pat O’Brien who uploaded a recording here. Daily Photo – The Forgotten This was brought up in the chat session yesterday — Black and White HDRs! Yes, they are possible, and they are a lot of fun! I don’t do it that much because I am so in love with vibrant colors.. but sometimes, on a lark, I’ll do it. The one below, of a forgotten temple in… -
The Timeless Tomb — and the book launch parties announced
19 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmBook Parties Announced! More details to come soon, but save the dates and come RSVP on Facebook! I’ll be signing books, meeting you, and hanging out. I hope you can make it! Don’t worry about coming alone… you’ll make friends with the nice people there soon enough! New York City – Dec 14th – Secret Location in Manhattan to be announced – Visit Facebook Event Page and say “Attending” or “Maybe”! Austin – Dec 9th – The Driskill Hotel – includes Photowalk and $500 prize! – Visit Facebook Event Page and say… -
And then I hiked through the Autumn Trees to find the Glacier
18 Nov 2009 | 10:16 pmLive Video Chat Thursday Evening in the USA The video chat is tonight, Nov 19th! Come join us at tinychat.com/stuckincustoms. Everything begins officially at 7 PM CST (5 PM PST). I know we have people joining from ALL over the world. Sorry I don’t have local times for everyone, but I know people around here are smart enough to do the addition in their heads, I hope! I’ll start it out with a little announcement that should be fun for everyone! The Newsletter is Off We sent off the free Newsletter yesterday. I notice that one of the previous newsletters was opened by over 200% of… -
Trees and an Aircraft Carrier in the Fog
17 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmLive Video Chat Thursday Evening in the USA The video chat for the pre-release of the book will be up at tinychat.com/stuckincustoms. Actually, it’s up now, but I won’t be broadcasting video until the event starts at 7 PM CST on Nov 19th. Come back then and join in! Topaz Adjust and Noiseware It’s been a while since I mentioned these great products! I used both of them in the image below; the former was for sharpening and the latter was for noise reduction. I also used Noiseware on the Tokyo photo from yesterday. To find out more and get coupon codes, check out the Topaz… -
Zipping Through Tokyo, and a Live Video Chat with you on Thursday!
16 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmLive Video Chat on Thursday! This Thursday, November 19th, at 7 PM CST (5 PM PST), I’ll be hosting a live video chat here on the site! I’ll also be making a special announcement at the beginning of the chat. You don’t need anything special, just come to that page! You’ll see my live video mugshot along with Sara Jane Todd from Peachpit. There is a chat window where you all can ask questions, and Sara Jane will pull random ones and ask me… I’ll answer to the best of my ability! This is all QUITE experimental, so I hope you come along to join us! And please,…
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Planet Photoshop
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Viewing and Basking in your Image
20 Nov 2009 | 6:15 amWhen I’m done working with an image, I like to sit and admire it (hey, I spent six hours working on it, I should). To do that, I hit the Tab key, then hit the F key three times. This hides all of the panels and toolbars and lets you see the image by itself [...] -
OnOne Releases Plug-In Suite 5
19 Nov 2009 | 10:57 pmEarlier this week OnOne Software, Inc. released the new Plug-in Suite 5 for Adobe Photoshop. Designed to solve the most common problems facing photographers in the areas of color correction, enlarging, masking and professional photographic effects, the Plug-in Suite 5 combines full versions of six essential software tools in one affordable package: FocalPoint 2, PhotoTune [...] -
Rotating your images with Shortcuts
19 Nov 2009 | 6:15 amI spent some time playing around with the orientation of images. Instead of having to go to Image>Rotate Canvas>90° CW or 90° CCW, I set up actions for them. To do this, create a blank document. Once you have the document onscreen, create an action called 90 Degrees Clockwise and assign it a keyboard shortcut. [...] -
Adobe Creative Suite Tour Coming to San Diego
18 Nov 2009 | 7:13 amCalifornia is really in for quite a treat this Friday as Dave Cross and RC Concepcion will be bringing the all new Adobe Creative Suite Tour to San Diego this Friday, November 20. If you haven’t yet heard of the this new tour it’s a day long excursion into the Creative Suite. Join RC and [...] -
Using the Button Mode in Actions
18 Nov 2009 | 6:15 amThe best way to automate tasks in Photoshop is to create actions of common tasks. When you are working with multiple images, you don’t want to keep selecting an action and clicking on the Play Selection icon. Speed up your workflow by enabling Button mode. In the Actions panel flyout menu, you can select Button [...]
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Photoshop User TV
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PhotoshopUser TV Episode 209 (November 9, 2009)
10 Nov 2009 | 7:59 amThis video player requires Flash Player 10. If you are not able to watch the video, you may need to upgrade. Click here to install the latest version of Flash Player. SharePreseason Special The new set is nearly complete, but it is an exclusive set that only the most important members of the staff have access to right now. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Contest Winner No contest last week. Stay tuned for the return of new episodes and new contest questions. Photoshop User TV Episode 209 is now playing! Download Episode 209 [In order to… -
PhotoshopUser TV Episode 208 (November 2, 2009)
3 Nov 2009 | 11:35 amShareEditor's Pick New episodes are on the way but this week, the editors have picked some of their favorite tutorials from the past few months. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Contest Winner No contest last week. Stay tuned for the return of new episodes and new contest questions. Photoshop User TV Episode 208 is now playing! Download Episode 208 [In order to download this file directly to your computer, right-click (Control-click on Mac) on the Download link and choose the Save As option.] -
PhotoshopUser TV Episode 207 (October 19, 2009)
20 Oct 2009 | 9:12 amSharePhotoshop World The Photoshop Guys take a tour of the Expo Hall and talk with vendors at this year's Photoshop World conference in Las Vegas. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Photoshop plugins from onOnesoftware.com High quality prints available from artisticphotocanvas.com imagewizards.net offers prints on aluminum Get your lighting equipment from fjwestcott.com Visit Epson.com for your printing needs Get more plugins for Photoshop at niksoftware.com Build a quick and easy flash website for your photos using Showitfast.com… -
PhotoshopUser TV Episode 206 (October 12, 2009)
13 Oct 2009 | 1:05 pmShareCaptivating Episode The countdown to the new set is winding down. In the meantime, check out this interview with Adobe's Julieanne Kost. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Contest Winner No contest last week. Stay tuned for the return of new episodes and new contest questions. Photoshop User TV Episode 206 is now playing! Download Episode 206 [In order to download this file directly to your computer, right-click (Control-click on Mac) on the Download link and choose the Save As option.] -
PhotoshopUser TV Episode 205 (September 28, 2009)
29 Sep 2009 | 9:47 amShareThe Ad Hoc Episode It's Photoshop World week and the set is still being built, but R.C and Matt walk you through cleaning up a Twitter background anyway. Corey comes in a bit later and shows some cool spark effects commonly used on movie posters. This Week's Sponsors: On One Software | iStockphoto | Mpix Links Mentioned in the Show Planet Photoshop is Corey's home on the internet, so find more tutorials, blog and even some contests. Contest Winner No contest last week. Stay tuned for the return of new episodes and new contest questions. Photoshop User TV Episode 205 is now playing!
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Photoshop for Digital Photographers
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Creating the Apple Reflective Look
19 Nov 2009 | 1:25 amHere's a nice way to give your images a reflective look, similar to the one that was made popular by Apple. -
Adding A Touch of Color To Your Images
12 Nov 2009 | 3:57 amHere is a simple yet effective way to add a touch of color to your images. -
Fixing Wide Angle Lens Problems in Photoshop
5 Nov 2009 | 3:44 amMost wide angle lenses are subject to keystoning, vertical and horizontal alignment issues, and vignette problems. Watch this tutorial to see how to correct these problems in Photoshop. -
Soft Proofing Your Images
29 Oct 2009 | 4:08 amDo you want to get more accurate prints? Learn about soft proofing in Photoshop. -
Fixing The Cloudy Day Blues
22 Oct 2009 | 6:12 amWant to replace a cloudy sky in your image? Here's a real simple technique on how to replace the sky in an image.
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Darren Rowse
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problogger: New at ProBlogger: Why Nobody Cares About Your Blog http://bit.ly/7kiQ9j
21 Nov 2009 | 6:44 amproblogger: New at ProBlogger: Why Nobody Cares About Your Blog http://bit.ly/7kiQ9j -
problogger: READING: How to Release Your Web Marketing Potential - http://bit.ly/78rlp1 - nice one @chrisgarret
21 Nov 2009 | 3:30 amproblogger: READING: How to Release Your Web Marketing Potential - http://bit.ly/78rlp1 - nice one @chrisgarret -
problogger: Reading: 3 Great Light Blogging Tools Compared - http://is.gd/50iqE
21 Nov 2009 | 3:24 amproblogger: Reading: 3 Great Light Blogging Tools Compared - http://is.gd/50iqE -
problogger: @matthewdporter we try to keep it up :-)
21 Nov 2009 | 3:17 amproblogger: @matthewdporter we try to keep it up :-) -
problogger: @matthewdporter I hear you - was just responding to your suggestion which was based upon length :-) Taken on board though!
21 Nov 2009 | 3:15 amproblogger: @matthewdporter I hear you - was just responding to your suggestion which was based upon length :-) Taken on board though!
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Virtual Photography Studio
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How To Find A Portrait Location Anywhere
20 Nov 2009 | 6:37 amOne of the most difficult things for some photographers is finding great locations to shoot a portrait. When you are photographing one person, or even a couple, the world is your backdrop – you just have to look a little. On a recent outing, I was looking for a new business portrait to use for a few new things we’ve been working on. So we thought it would be fun to show you how any location can become an amazing backdrop for you. We started just a couple of miles from our home in a strip center mall on a Sunday so the walking traffic was at a minimum. Here’s the location we settled on:… -
How To Find A Photo Assistant For Your Next Wedding or Event
18 Nov 2009 | 8:18 amDo you photograph your weddings and/or special events as a lone photographer? How much more could you do with an assistant? As wedding photographers, Andrew and I offered our clients two packages: one photographer or two. But even if they chose one photographer, or if we photographed together, it was still nice to have an assistant along that could handle, well, more of the assistant type work. An assistant typically: Tracks your equipment, making sure you don’t leave anything behind. Sets up tripods and light stands. Has cameras and lenses ready when shooting begins. Organizes groups of… -
3 Lessons I Learned Building My Wedding Photography Business Past the $100,000 Level
17 Nov 2009 | 7:34 amA few years back I started doing research for a book I was writing on photography. And I was shocked to learn that in the photography industry, the top 10 percent of all photographers earned in excess of $53,900 per year. That meant 90 percent of all photographers where earning less than this. I knew then something had to change, and my entire VirtualPhotographyStudio concept was born. Inevitably when I teach or am around a group of photographers, someone always asks about my lessons learned. “What do you wish you knew as a start up that would have helped you jump to the Six Figure… -
Face Off With A Deadly Predator
17 Nov 2009 | 2:19 amSometimes it’s amazing looking into another world. In the chilly waters of Antarctica with camera in hand, Paul Nicklen, a photographer for National Geographic, describes his encounter with one of the largest Leopard Seals he’s ever seen. This story really makes you wonder how all animal life is really connected. And it also makes you wish you could experience even a fraction of this on assignment, camera in hand. Related posts:Facebook Does An About FaceConforming Can Be A Painful Thing3 Deadly Creatures That May Have Surfaced In Your Photography Business -
Why An Ezine Is An Important Part Of Building Your Photography Studio
16 Nov 2009 | 11:10 amHow often do you make contact with your prospects and customers? If you simply have a website, and expect people to visit when they are ready, you’re missing a ton of opportunity. Marketing statistics show that less than 1 percent of all people that visit your website will make a decision to connect with you at that point. The other 99+ percent drift away and eventually forget all about you. To turn those odds around, an ezine (electronic newsletter or magazine) may be your answer. Most people have access to email. And even if they aren’t ready to talk with you about your services, they…
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ProBlogger Blog Tips
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Why Nobody Cares About Your Blog
21 Nov 2009 | 5:40 amA Guest Post by David Risley Except yours, of course. ;) However, there are a lot of bloggers who feel this way. You write. You write some more. You don’t feel as if you’re getting the traction that you want. What’s going on? There is plenty to be said about issues like proper market selection, search engine optimization and other tactical things, but let’s go deeper. In fact, let’s go deeper than most bloggers really think about when it comes to their blogging. Are You Talking At Or Talking To Your Readers? If I walked into a crowded mall, went into the food… -
Speech Recognition for Bloggers – The Ultimate Guide
20 Nov 2009 | 5:45 amSpeech recognition technology has come a long way in the last few years – in this in depth, informative and inspiring video which Jon Morrow (Associate Editor of Copyblogger and Co-founder of Partnering Profits) shares his first hand insights into speech recognition for bloggers. Jon does all of his blogging via speech recognition so he seemed like the logical guy to ask to cover the topic – in the video (I’m glad he agreed). In the video Jon makes recommendations of software, hardware (the hardware is key) and even demonstrates how he uses them in his everyday blogging. The… -
Review This Blog – Man vs Debt
19 Nov 2009 | 5:46 amLast month here on ProBlogger we ran a community review on a reader’s blog. I posted a link to a blog with some comments from the blogger and then opened it up for readers of ProBlogger to review it. The response from the post was great. 120+ comments were left including some great advice. I also had a lot of emails from readers saying that they learned a lot by reading the suggestions of others – many wanted to see these reviews done regularly. As a result I’m going to try to do these reviews on a monthly basis – today we have another one. As a little bonus to… -
Warning: Watching This Video May Lead to Work! [But It'll Also Improve Your Blog]
18 Nov 2009 | 5:55 amWhat’s your blogging Vice? Most bloggers that I know have at least one – whether it be compulsively checking blog stats, constantly tweaking template designs, obsessing over plugins and widgets, spending hour after hour ‘networking’ on Twitter, becoming preoccupied with SEO and… even allowing ourselves to become consumed by learning about blogging…. and not doing much of it. The reality is that as bloggers there are many tasks that compete for our attention. Many of them are important and can bring a lot of life to our blogs but most of them can also become… -
13 Ways I Get Back into Blogging after a Vacation
17 Nov 2009 | 5:49 amYesterday was my first day back at blogging after a 10 day vacation with my family and on Twitter I commented that I was finding it a little hard to get my brain back into blogging mode. @Mikeachim responded by suggesting I write a post on the daily rituals that I use to get my mind into gear. I thought I’d take his suggestion and jot down a few notes – both as a way of getting my head back into blogging but also because looking at the tweets I received this morning it’s a problem many bloggers face. As my head is a little scattered today (as I readjust) I’m going to…
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Smashing Magazine
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The Big Showcase Of Online T-Shirt Stores
20 Nov 2009 | 5:22 amT-shirts, as you’ll surely agree, play a big part in the design world. Sometimes, we designers don’t get the kinds of projects we want, and so we are left to apply our creativity in some other way, many of us opting to submit graphics in t-shirt competitions or printing them ourselves and selling them through shopping cart systems such as BigCartel. In this post, we bring you a showcase of online t-shirt store Web designs, all of which serves as a great source of inspiration for Web designers, graphic designers and even illustrators.You may be interested in the… -
The Death of The Boring Blog Post?
19 Nov 2009 | 6:34 amLet’s face it: the classic blog post is boring. Barring the text and images, each one generally has the exact same layout. We see little originality from one post to the next. Of course, consistency and branding are extremely important to consider when designing a website or blog, but what about individuality? Does a blog post about kittens deserve the same layout as one about CSS hacks?Too Easy?Because installing a WordPress theme is so easy, anyone can have a blog up and running in minutes. While this is great, and we now have a wealth of blogs on countless topics, perhaps… -
Designing CSS Buttons: Techniques and Resources
18 Nov 2009 | 7:23 amButtons, whatever their purpose, are important design elements. They could be the end point of a Web form or a call to action. Designers have many reasons to style buttons, including to make them more attractive and to enhance usability. One of the most important reasons, though, is that standard buttons can easily be missed by users because they often look similar to elements in their operating system. Here, we present you several techniques and tutorials to help you learn how to style buttons using CSS. We’ll also address usability.Links vs. buttonsBefore we explain how… -
Designing Social Interfaces: Overview and Practical Techniques
17 Nov 2009 | 8:20 amThe standard approach to interface design is to craft a channel that allows you to easily and efficiently control hardware or software; it’s all about the interaction between people and computers. But today, the two entities on each side of the user interface are changing: it’s no longer about people interacting with computers, but rather about people interacting with people through computers.This is the nature of the social Web. Social news websites, message boards, social networks, online stores and blogs all have some sort of user interaction going on, whether… -
Brushing Up On Photoshop’s Brush Tool
16 Nov 2009 | 9:54 amWhen laid by a learned hand, brush strokes can convey a sense of energy, tactility and humanness. These qualities speak to your audience’s subconscious, whispering ideas that words alone can’t convey. In the digital realm, a website with beautiful brushwork is a welcome break from the stark precision of most corporate websites.Mastering the digital brush is by no means easy. It carries the same difficulties as the sable brush hidden at the bottom of your art bin. In fact, the difficulty is multiplied by the disconnect between the hand and monitor. Developing Photoshop…
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Layers Magazine
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Using Layers Comps in InDesign
20 Nov 2009 | 7:25 amUse CS4 integration to move this postcard design from Photoshop to InDesign. This video requires Adobe Flash Player. -
Create Perspective Using Simple 2D Art with Illustrator CS4
19 Nov 2009 | 12:55 pmLike most things in design, you can make quite an impact by modifying how people perceive things. In this tutorial, we’re going to create a 3D effect using simple 2D art, demonstrating how effective a little perspective can be. 1 [CREATE NEW RGB DOCUMENT] Choose File>New, select Basic RGB from the New Document Profile pop-up menu, and click OK. Open the Symbols panel (Window>Symbols), then click the flyout menu and choose Open Symbol Library>Grime Vector Pack. 2 [DRAG SYMBOL ONTO ARTBOARD] Next, click-and-drag Grime Vector Pack 09 from the Grime Vector Pack panel onto the artboard. Go up to… -
Thursday News Notes
19 Nov 2009 | 9:32 amHey everyone! I am in the middle of a flight to San Diego to teach the Creative Suite Unleashed tour with Dave Cross tomorrow (Make sure you come if youre in the area!)- 35,000 feet up in the air at that. While i’m up here, I figured it’d be a good idea to let you guys know of a couple of things that I think would really interest you: Humble Arts Foundation Open Humble Arts Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that works to advance the careers of emerging fine art photographers by way of exhibition and publishing opportunities, limited-edition print sales, twice–annual… -
Layers TV: Episode 112
19 Nov 2009 | 6:56 amCorey experiments with a new 3D plug-in for Photoshop called 3D Invigorator. RC talks about the different collaboration tools available at Acrobat.com. You can download each episode by subscribing to the podcast on iTunes. Thank you so much to iStockphoto for providing us with images to use for the show. Be sure to visit them for all of your image needs: iStockphoto Have an idea for the show? Click on the Contact Us link below and send us an email. Be sure to select Layers TV from the drop down. We’d love to hear from you! Contact Us View past episodes of Layers TV Corey experiments… -
Create a Basic Animating Accordion Panel in Flash
18 Nov 2009 | 12:54 pm[If you’d like to download the files used in this tutorial to practice these techniques, visit www.layersmagazine.com and navigate to the Magazine section. All files are for personal use only.] Learning the Accordion One of the most useful user interface constructs is the accordion panel. It allows you to stack various sections of your site and then expand and contract the sections when they’re clicked on. In this tutorial, we’ll create a basic animating accordion panel that can be used as the basis for a full Flash website. 1 [EXAMINE THE FILES] Open the accordion folder (from the…
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Canon Blogger: Home of the Learning Digital Photography Podcast
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Ten for 25!
20 Nov 2009 | 2:00 amIn keeping with the impending Giftmas (yes, I am spelling that right, and thanks to Yankeefoxtrot on Twitter for the name), and hopefully in time for your holiday shopping, I have assembled a cornucopia of items to share with you either as the photographer, or as the one with a photographer in the family. The best thing about this list though – all the items are $25 or less. After all, the economy is tight – we all know it and everyone is cutting back, but there’s no reason to feel denied simply because photography is known as an expensive hobby! This way,… -
DALPUG
18 Nov 2009 | 11:12 amDenver Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop Users Group No, this isn’t spam, the blog has not been hacked, and I am not speaking in tongues here. DALPUG refers to the Denver Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop Users Group. Started relatively recently by a guy I know named Brian Reyman, it’s a great local resource for photographers to not only learn from one another, but also to network and get an opportunity to see some of the latest developments in the industry. I had a chance to attend the meeting last night, and the mini-workshop that Brian ran on plugins included quick looks at… -
Software Review: Apple iPhoto
17 Nov 2009 | 2:00 amAs much as we glow and sing the praises of Photoshop and Lightroom, native photo editors that are included in Operating Systems are often overlooked as alternatives for photo editing and management. This is primarily because… well, let’s face it, because they are not very good at photo editing…or management. But think about what we are comparing them to…comparing Windows Picture and Fax viewer to Photoshop Lightroom? Is that really fair? What about comparing Photoshop Creative Suite 4 to iPhoto? Is that a good apples to apples comparison? If you think… -
Hardware Review: Western Digital Passport Drive
16 Nov 2009 | 2:00 amFor those of you on Twitter (and following me), you know that over the weekend, my iPhoto library on the Mac was either corrupted, or somehow compromised in its integrity, because when I went to add in a few snapshots to it for sharing with the Twitter-verse, it crashed on me. Believe it or not, I was not worried, because I had a back-up copy of all my snapshots on my Western Digital Hard Drive. I blogged about this puppy before, in showing you how to add a second drive to your laptop in 10 easy steps. Western Digital Passport Drive Well, not only is the second hard drive a great way to… -
Freaky Friday Follow-up
14 Nov 2009 | 3:22 pmAfter a freaky Friday yesterday filled with podcast-associated technical difficulties including broken URL’s, missing media, and quieter than normal audio, the idea of writing a blog post for the day completely slipped my mind. So, the awaited hardware review for the week got pushed back a little, as well as the announcement of the winner of the Scott Kelby Digital Photography book, volume 3! The former is a little to late to push out on a Saturday, but the latter is accomplished easily enough, so I turned to my trusty Random Number Generator website (which I learned about from…
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DIYPhotography.net -DIY Photography and Studio Lighting
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Strawberry Splash - Thoughts About High Speed Photography
20 Nov 2009 | 2:40 pmGotta love strawberries. And gotta love strawberries in cream even more. Maybe this is why my taste buds had me coming to this picture again and again. Then again, it might be the technical details of the shot that drew my attention. Getting a nice splash is hard enough but getting strawberry on spoon splash is nearly impossible. Read on for some musings, thoughts and tips. read more -
Light Painting - Creating The Orb
18 Nov 2009 | 1:54 amThe following article is a guest post by Dana Maltby a.k.a. Twin Cities Brightest a.k.a { tcb } an addict to Light Painting. In the last Light painting installation we saw the huge variety of tools and toys I use for creating Light Painting Art. One of the things that came strong in the comments was the need to bind those tools to the actual process of taking the image. Well, now I am going to do just this. So let's talk about the hottest and most natural object to paint with light, the orb. Also known as a sphere. The good news is that orbs can be made with light quite easily. read more -
Photography: Real Fire Rocks / Photoshop Fire Sucks
16 Nov 2009 | 11:21 amHow did I manage not to burn the house down?? Well, first, my wife was not at home, LOL... and second, with the remote trigger in one hand, and an extinguisher in the other... just in case!! ;O)) This is what Filipe Batista had to say when I wondered how he took that shot. The extinguisher bit is enough to hint that no Photoshop was used to create the fire and as they say it the magic industry. Don't worry, that fire is harmless. Unless you touch it. Filipe was kind enough to share the secretes behind this fire spectacle with DIYP readers: read more -
Some Great Stuff From Around The Web
12 Nov 2009 | 2:43 pmThere are some great things going on around the web lately, and I really wanted to share them around. Either because they are really cool, or because (please ignore violin in background) I think they make this place a bit better, or just because they are lots of fun. read more -
Light Painting - Tools Of The Trade
10 Nov 2009 | 11:24 amThe following article is a guest post by Dana Maltby a.k.a. Twin Cities Brightest a.k.a { tcb } an addict to Light Painting. Now that you know the basics of light painting let's move on to creating the effects you want. If you have a certain idea about a lighting effect you want, chances are you can make it happen. Some ideas are cheap and inexpensive while others can be costly and time consuming. Every project is a great learning experience, and the results seen in the photos later on will keep you on your toes and inspired constantly. In the following post I will present the tools of the…
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Chase Jarvis
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Shooting Lights
20 Nov 2009 | 8:35 amNot Shooting Lights as in photographing with strobes, but as in a new SFEAD track from The Blakes.If you hang around these parts online, you know all there is to know about my Songs For Eating and Drinking project with my buddy Hebb. No frills, world class music, good vibes. Stills, video, audio. Here's another exclusive performance from one of those evenings this summer. Take a break from pressing your face against your camera and enjoy.If you like this vibe, you'll find 4 new tracks over at the SFEAD site, as well as an archive of one-of-a-kind performances by musicians from Pearl Jam, the… -
Chase Jarvis SHORTS: Ground Control
18 Nov 2009 | 10:20 amCreating a strong emotional connection with the viewer is without a doubt the most important criterion in a successful image. Nothing will ever supplant that. Beyond that, however, there's a whole bunch of second tier, more "mechanical" techniques that we creatives can cook up to elevate our images and create visual interest. One such technique is compositional in nature: creating cool angles and unique perspectives. It's what makes P.O.V. shots cool, it's the mojo in those classic 360 degree shots from The Matrix and the super-cool car commercials, and it's what make those slick overhead… -
Purists Beware
16 Nov 2009 | 8:40 amI just recently overheard a self-described "purist" photographer ranting on about how we're all cheaters and that the photographic masters before us lacked our current luxury--even desire--to "customize" (read: manipulate/photoshop) images. It was "...all about the the composition, a beautiful subject, and a properly exposed picture". I call horse-pucky. Above: Avedon's instructions to his printer.--[Via Monoscope.]Get my every move: Follow Chase Jarvis on TwitterGet exclusive content: Become a Fan on Facebook -
$100,000 in 140 Seconds
10 Nov 2009 | 8:10 amI can't help but think that somebody forgot to dot an i or cross a t somewhere, because yours truly has just been asked to give away $100,000 of somebody else's money. Yep you read that correctly. 100. LARGE. That somebody is Nikon, and I'm not alone in this endeavor. I've got some accomplices: Rainn Wilson (from 'The Office') and Justine Ezarik (iJustine). The three of us have been charged with choosing one winner in the Nikon Festival: a short form video contest that was the impetus for my creating the short film above - check it out! Love your feedback... But I'm not entered in the contest… -
My "Trade Secrets"
9 Nov 2009 | 10:53 amI love it when people--especially members of this community--take ideas and run with them. This one is no exception... A couple months ago, I was approached by blog reader and founder of a company called Trade Secret Cards, Zeke Kamm. He had a business proposition: He'd come to Seattle, pick my brain about various different pictures in my portfolio and then he'd put together a pack of 22 glossy, high-end cards that illustrate "how to" re-create each picture. Soup to nuts. Diagrams, equipment used, what I was thinking, etc. He sells 'em and gives us cut. We agreed to his proposal and for about…
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Smash & Peas
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5 Gig Photography Tips
12 Nov 2009 | 1:06 amMost people at gigs take point and shoot cameras that usually have presets for taking pics in low light situations. And although these settings can get you a half decent shot, you’ll be able to achieve so much more if you know what you’re doing and don’t mind the risk of taking your SLR along. ISO One of the most challenging things about gig photography is the light levels. It can be a bit hit and miss if you’ve got flashing lights going on, but a good place to start is to setup your camera for a low light situation and work from there. One of the first things… -
Australia Photography Locations Guide Follow up
6 Nov 2009 | 2:36 amA few weeks ago we went over some stunning locations to photograph in Australia. From that article we received a few good tips from readers. We’ll share them with you here, so you’ve got the low down on the not so well known local spots. Heres some suggestions that we received from Derek Bryne. Fingal Head Derek had a few great suggestions including Fingal Head (northern New South Wales). This looks to be a fantastic location, with a stunning rock formation of basalt columns, which look to rival the Giants Causeway in Ireland, combined with some nice looking beaches this place… -
How To Create 3D Images
29 Oct 2009 | 9:41 amWe’ve all been to the movies at some stage and possibly even seen a 3D movie where you had to wear those silly blue and red glasses to get the effect. Well what happens to those glasses when the movies’ over? Most people either throw them in the bin or stash them somewhere deep in the wardrobe, never to be seen again. But there is a another use; 3D images. Heres how. To create the 3D effect you must have two images to start with (one for the left eye and one for the right). Then we must make sure only the right eye sees the right image and the left eye only sees the left image. We… -
10 Stunning Photography Locations Downunder
19 Oct 2009 | 7:18 amLocation, Location, Location is all you hear when talking about Real Estate, and it applies to some extent to photography as well. Its true that skill is required to capture a stunning image, but having a stunning location to start with certainly helps! And there’s definitely no shortage of said locations in Australia, from snow-white sandy beaches and red deserts to lush tropical rain forests and immense waterfalls, the land of the ‘roos certainly provides more scenery than any photographer can poke a camera at. The Great Ocean Road Starting from Melbourne and snaking its way… -
Photography Locations Series
12 Oct 2009 | 6:13 amStuck in a rut with your photography? Want to find some new and exciting locations to spice things up a bit? In the coming months we’ll be showcasing some stunning locations from around the globe that are just perfect for photography. They’ll be brought to you country by country so you can get a good idea of what each country has to offer in terms of great locations to shoot, and each location will have a short description so you can decide if its your cup of tea. If you think you know of a certain special location, then let us know where and why, and we’ll look at compiling…
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dave cross online
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Not your typical photo shoot
20 Nov 2009 | 4:53 amThanks to an inside connection from NAPP member Stephen Zeller, today RC and I had a chance to tour an active Navy Destroyer. I had this crazy idea of doing a 40s pinup-style photo shoot on the ship and they said yes!So here's a couple of sample images, straight from the camera.....We were experimenting with off-camera flash..... -
OnOne Suite is now available
19 Nov 2009 | 5:18 amAs reported earlier on my blog, the Plug-in Suite 5 for Adobe Photoshop from OnOne Software is now availabe. This new suite includes content from NAPP.Visit OnOne for all the details -
Matt on the set
18 Nov 2009 | 12:26 pm -
Filming on the new set today
18 Nov 2009 | 11:19 am -
Bits 'n pieces
17 Nov 2009 | 4:26 amThe class schedule for Photoshop World in Orlando is now live. There are plenty of updated and new courses, many familiar instructors and at least one new face: Zack Arias. Get all the details here. The conference is March 24–26, 2010 with an Early Bird registration deadline of February 26th.--------------I heard about this from Mike McHugh and had fun looking through the photos: it's a collection of wonderful hand-painted signs . Check it out.--------------I'll be speaking at a very cool event for up-and-coming wedding photographers. It's the Portfolio + Workshop II at the fabulous…
