To my surprise I did!  The exchange was thoroughly shocking though – first he said that they never do such things, but by the third email he basically was reduced to a “no comment” status.  Kind of implies something in my mind, but what about yours?  Here’s the exchange:

What do you think?  Is that “no comment” then silence basically saying “we don’t want to talk about this?”  Are they burying their heads in the sand, hoping it will go away?  What about the other parties involved?  Jason Aldean?  KYGO?  It’s a pretty interesting ball of wax, and I am wondering what the eventual outcome will be?  Is the photographer just out of luck?  Should The Wolf be penalized?  Was removing the images enough of a response?

Anyway, the full story is here:

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2012/02/jason_aldean_photos_country_station_takes.php

It just goes to show that registering your work is crucially important, because without registration, he literally has no options.  The station was notified, the images removed, and he has no recourse anymore without the benefits of copyright registration.  Your work is copyrighted as soon as you take the picture, but it’s not registered until you have it submitted to the Copyright Office!  Register your work today!  (Oh, and if you are as outraged as I was, let the station know…bad PR may ultimately put them in a position where they are better off giving in to do the right thing!)

They (of course), have no email address but do have a mailing address and a phone number:

92.5 THE WOLF
KWOF-FM
720 S. Colorado Blvd.
Suite 1200 N
Denver, CO 80246

Business Office: (303) 832-5665

Call, or take the time to send them a letter registering your voice as an artist that does not appreciate their callous attitude toward image theft!  You can also tweet them your thoughts: @925TheWolf

Socializing is a good thing – we are social creatures, and this is even more true with photographers.  You need to be able to communicate and engage with others.  Even if you are a still life artist, or a landscape buff, eventually, the goal isn’t just to take the shot (or make the shot if you prefer), it’s also to share it with others, and you can’t do that without engaging others.

It’s sometimes seen as an obligation to “get together”.  Our grocery bill this week was certainly painful ($164 of ouch).  And we also had some things to do to get the house ready to entertain.  But, herein lies another benefit of company – getting you off your duff.  The office upstairs had been getting more and more cluttered with “projects” that I have been meaning to get to.  The problem is that projects started to pile on top of each other.  It had gotten to the point that I didn’t know where any project began and another ended.  So, the company forced me to clean!

I know, it’s not the best photographic image, as that was not the intent today – totally a throw away hand held, with very high noise, and probably off white balance, blurred, etc.  But the office is now in a much cleaner space!  I am finding new creative inspiration for things so much more easily now that the clutter is gone.  As the old saying goes, “a cluttered space is the sign of a cluttered mind.”  While the corollary is true about an empty desk, a happy medium exists there, and for some reason, after cleaning and organizing things up…the “projects” that I had in the hopper seem less important or meaningful now.

So, new ideas that are likely better ones are starting to form!  A long-awaited prequel to the DIY Legal kit is forthcoming very soon, as a few other nuggets (think books, contests, and more!)  For now, the suggestion of the week is to regularly clean, organize, and prioritize.  My rule for a lot was “if I’ve not touched it in 6 months, what are the odds I’ll do it ever?”.  If the numbers stacked against me doing it, the project got tossed!

What are your rules for cleaning, organization, and prioritization?  As photogs, we can always use suggestions from every corner, so sound off with your own tips and ideas!  Until next time…

Thanks to Joe for taking the time to talk too – here’s his info and the show notes:

And I thought I was a socialite online!  Joe really takes it to the next level!  And you can hear the passion and excitement in his voice too – he really just loves photography… and life!  It’s contagious too – I’ve got a few seeds ready to sow myself….(more on that later)!

Here’s the rest of the show notes:

• The ABC’s of posing
• Corrective posing
• Adorama learning center -  softboxes versus umbrellas
• Shoot the centerfold – seminars
• www.matthewstaver.com

Just a great chat overall, and the nuggets, tips, and insights you’ll pick up are invaluable.  The show should be in your iTunes feeds shortly (if not already), but if you’d like to give a listen inline, here’s the show:

Equally, I’ve worked my way up the heap in a predominantly Windows-world.  Beginning with Windows 3.1, 3.11 for workgroups, then on to 95, 98, the worst idea ever – Millenium, then on to XP, Vista (a.k.a. Windows 7 beta), and finally to Windows 7, I’ve become intimately familiar with the inner workings of each of these operating systems.  During that time I also became pretty familiar with Apple systems:   Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, and today’s Snow Leopard.

Last but not least, my phones started with the LG Flip Phone, before I migrated to a Blackberry, then an  HTC.  On the heels of that, I’ve also used the Samsung, Motorola Droid, Motorola Droid 2, and last but not least, the Motorola Droid X.  This past weekend, I finally caved…

I now am the owner of an Apple iPhone 4s.  The circle has been completed – working from home primarily on an Apple Macbook Pro, an iPad 2, and now an iPhone 4s – this Windows certified technology geek is now pretty much an Apple fanboy!  I gotta admit – it is pretty cool gear!  I do still work with Windows systems, primarily XP and 7 (along with the server equivalents), and am still pretty well-versed on the Android systems as well (I did a roll-out of over 250 phones on my last contract job including Windows Mobile, Android, Blackberry, and Apple devices.)

I’ve resisted the single-source ownership of computing devices for as long as I could – but the deal was just too good to pass up (psst…thanks Verizon for being out of the iPhone 4….the 4s is a great device at the discounted rate I got!)  Why did I switch?  Touch screen more than anything else.  Every smart phone I’ve had (primarily the Motorolas), the touch screen has lost sensitivity to the point where I have found it difficult to even unlock the phone or answer a call.  My upgrade window at Verizon kicked in Jan 1st.  I debated long and hard about it as the iPhone 4 was a $100 upgrade cost, and the iPhone 4s was a $200 upgrade.

After trading in my Droid X and an old iPod Touch, I had about $94 in credit due…so figured for $6, I could try it once.  A visit to the store and I was told that the iPhone 4 was out of stock – would I be interested in the 4s?  Well sure, but I had not intended to pay more than my original upgrade cost.  Well, Mr. Anderson, since you’ve been a faithful Verizon customer for so long, let’s see what we can do.  I walked out of the store with the 4s for $6!  Sort of a no-brainer…

Are you resisting the trend?  What are your platforms?  Am I joining your fold or have I betrayed the open sourced cause?

You see, traditional wisdom in saving for web is to follow three steps:

1.  Re-size your images to no larger than 600px on the longest side – this is to make them more presentable in traditional screen resolutions.  Keeping in mind though that as technology has advanced, screen resolutions have increased to include capacities such as 1600×900, I would suggest that if you want people to see your images large (as they are always best viewed), consider changing that to 1000px.

2.  The second step is to adjust the resolution on your images from their default of 240-300 ppi (straight out of camera) to a more web-friendly setting of 72ppi.  I would actually recommend that this practice continue, as it  still is able to retain the detail needed for monitors while reducing the possible risk of having others take images off your website and print them without your permission.

3.  Last but not least, and the point of the post today is that of color space.  Traditionally, the wisdom has said to convert images to sRGB (standard RGB) because most browsers are not color-aware.  Yet recent articles and tutorials I’ve read through several communities have suggested that you can tell shifts in color between sRGB and Adobe RGB.  The test was to output images to both color spaces, and view natively inside a browser (just drag and drop in your own browser without the need to go to any web page).  I did this, but could not tell a difference.  So, the conventional wisdom I am not sure has been entirely eschewed as of yet.  In the interests of gaining some thoughts and perspectives from a wider audience – I have two images that I’ve exported to both sRGB and Adobe RGB below.  I’m not revealing which is which, and would like people to take a look at these on their own monitors?  Which image looks better in each scenario?  Let me know what browser/OS combination you are using and sound off in the comments or in the included poll.  The results will be interesting to read – and I’ll likely follow up later with some more information on color spaces.

Check out the following results:

Scenario One – Hot Air Balloon Ride

Scenario Two:  Botanical Gardens

Can you see a difference?  Can you tell (without cheating on the filenames)?  What are your own thoughts on the sRGB versus Adobe RGB color spaces?  Do you save out to one or the other for web?  What browsers and experiences do you have with these various formats?  For me, the results are in the display, and since I want my images to be displayed with rich and full colors – coming as close as possible to what I remember with my camera eye – I’m starting to choose Adobe RGB for my output format of choice.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Image Wizards sent me an email announcing a huge sale they are having through the end of the month – BOGO and 40% off edge-to edge prints!  Use promo code NYBOGO40 to take advantage of this great offer!

The Battle at F-Stop Ridge got it’s second installment – great fun to watch – check it out here!

With all the furor over the SOPA and PIPA legislation pending in the House and Senate, there’s been a lot of dialog and heated discussion.  One resource that was particularly interesting and seemed to keep personal bias out of things I learned about is here.

A fun diversion is this site called Pinterest where it kind of combines the concept of Twitter and bookmarks.  It ties into Facebook and seems to be getting some draw.  I may have to sign up as photography is an interesting one to pin based on what I’ve seen so far.  Check it out here.

Photoshelter recently released a new handy guide called The Photographer’s Social Media Handbook.  Free, and it has some decent enough info in there – worth sharing your email address to get a copy…

GoPro sends me a “video of the week” in my email and they are all pretty amazing, but this one just dropped my jaw:  GoPro Video  (and yes, I have been asking for a review copy of one of these to report to y’all on how well it really works – no dice yet!)

I have the distinct honor of having Mr Joe Farace joining me on the next episode of Learning Digital Photography podcast.  We’re scheduled in the next few days or so, and the topic is Portraiture and Lighting, so if you’ve got any Q&A you’d like us to answer on the show – chime in with your own questions for answering and we’ll see if we have time to get to it!

So, there’s the 7 picks for this beta edition of what I am calling a “Weekend Edition”  (kind of like the Saturday Evening Post). Like the post?  Like the picks?  Got your own?  Lots of potential for feedback here, so feel free to share your own thoughts and such in the comments!  Happy Shooting!

Okay okay, I didn’t really fly the balloon – but I certainly rode in it, and while the experience of a balloon ride is always something worth doing – this was unique in that I was in the heart of the Rocky Mountains!  As it was in December, we had a decent amount of snow, so the Rockies were flush with powder!  It wasn’t so snowed in that we couldn’t navigate, as you’ll be able to see in a minute, but was merely the perfect amount to make for some amazing scenery!  This was done courtesy of the folks at Camelot Balloons.

The experience started early one Saturday morning when I trekked 45 minutes west of Vail to the launch site.  Some warm sips of coffee and a fascinating observation of what it takes to get one of these things off the ground was in and of itself an education and experience!  But then I got to ride in it too!  The pilot – named Merlin – was quite the experience as well – both before and during the flight he was a fountain of informatino – during which I learned he is the only man to cross the Continental Divide on one balloon flight twice!  Additionally, I learned that hot air balloons are registered aircraft with the FAA – they even get their own tail number!  Afterward, he waxed on with more, saying the Ballooner’s Prayer, and toasting with champagne while we nibbled on cheese, crackers and fruit!  (All very tasty too!)

I’d try to say more, but the photos really speak for themselves, so without further ado:

A couple people I’d also like to single out from this trip that were also just a pleasure to share the experience with.  First off, the gal running the photography side of the operation – Amy Boggs offers her photography skills so if you want to put your own camera away and just enjoy – she has a great selection of shots when all was said and done.  If anyone is interested in contacting her, let me know and I can share an email address.  She was totally cool with me taking my own shots, and even sent me a gratis copy of one she shot of me while I was doing my own thing:

A nice touch of black and white to offset the colorful day (plus you can almost not even tell it’s me – which I always like!   )

The other to thank is the couple I shared my ride with – Buzz and Laurie McDonald from Oregon!  They were in the area for Buzz who was on a business trip and they were just a joy to share the ride with.  Of course, we traded a few shots from while we were in the air, so to thank him appropriately, I guess I need to share the shot he took of me!

In my defense, I was thinking mountains+winter+extra altitude = freezing cold air, so I really didn’t care what I looked like!

It wasn’t the most cost effective use of funds, but sometimes, to check items off your bucket list – you just gotta pony up, and this is one where you’ll be glad you did!  Now, I gotta tackle the next item on my bucket list in 2012 – a kayaking trip in the UP/Boundary waters area.  Not sure I will find the time off work or the resources to get a guide and needed gear, but it’s on my bucket list for 2012!  Sometimes, it takes the onus of actually sharing such goals with others to make you really take the resolution seriously!  So, consider this a chance to share your own goals, bucket list items, or things you are shooting for in 2012 – sound off in the comments as I’d love to hear others goals for the year!

Whether tacit or not, Adobe seems to have listened to the concerns voiced by many in the creative community over their impending pricing and licensing policy changes.  As you may recall, I ran three posts late last year, first calling attention to the new policy.  Secondly, as discussed on Scott Kelby’s video podcast “The Grid“, called “Why Scott Kelby and Crew are Wrong“  Finally, I started running a poll to tally people’s thoughts on the policy shift.  Scott himself ran an entire post as an Open Letter to Adobe shortly thereafter, both addressing the issue squarely, as well as offering an alternative.  Apparently, Adobe was listening!

A news post came to my attention a few weeks ago, and while in the midst of the holiday fracas, I did not want to minimize both the significance and importance of this change. So, with the holidays behind us and a new year ahead, I’d like to give some kudos to Adobe for recognizing the painful effect their new policy would have on legacy customers.  They’ve made a change to their plans, allowing CS3 and Cs4 customers to upgrade at a reduced pricing schedule (very much in keeping with what Scott Kelby suggested), thus easing the cost of upgrading for them.  The full release is here:

Adobe Special Upgrade Announcement

For those not wishing to follow in-post links, here’s the full text of that announcement:

 With these great new releases coming in the first half of 2012, we want to make sure our customers have plenty of time to determine which offering is best for them. Therefore, we’re pleased to announce that we will offer special introductory upgrade pricing on Creative Suite 6 to customers who own CS3 or CS4. This offer will be available from the time CS6 is released until December 31, 2012. More details on this offer, as well as any introductory offers for existing customers to move to Creative Cloud membership, will be announced when CS6 and Creative Cloud are released later this year.

The only caveat here is that we still do not know when the CS6 suite will be released (well, some of us do…but as they say, those that don’t know guess, and those that do know – can’t say a word!).  All we can ascertain from this is that CS6 is coming in the first half of the year.  No surprise there, but if it is released closer to June, then that shortens the window for Cs3 and CS4 customers to take advantage of the reduced cost upgrade that Adobe is offering.  Still, better to not look a gift horse in the mouth.  Adobe has heard our concerns, and responded in what I think will be an appropriate manner.  While we don’t know the specifics of the pricing offer, we do know that they have heard us and are giving customers an opportunity to upgrade for a limited time.  So, start saving pennies now to make your eventual upgrade that much easier to swallow!

Of course, Cs5 or Cs5.5 customers will be able to upgrade at normal rates, so this announcement doesn’t really affect you – but it’s a welcome sign that companies and and do listen to their customer base!  So, thanks Adobe for listening!

Today is most definitely a day for that.  If you have some time, read through a few of these pieces and tributes…Martin Luther King Jr. should be a source of inspiration for all of us – all he ever wanted was a better world, a peaceful world, and for everyone to live in harmony with one another!

Back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow, but for today at least, let’s take a moment of pause and consider how one person has changed us – forever!  Consider this – even in the field of photography, imagine the impact if you devoted yourself to the craft with the passion, intensity, determination MLK had for social change…

When I go to a blog – I am going there for information and/or an education.  I am not going there to be “sold”.  I get enough email, snail mail, phone calls, and such promoting various products, outfits, and services that the last thing I want to do is go and seek it out. So, if blogs become promotional arms to other ends, there is nothing inherently wrong with that – but it’s not what I want to read in either my inbox or my free time.  Having given that side note, it’s time to reveal (in no particular order), my choices for The Top Ten Blogs for 2012:

1.  Flying With Fish – This blog came to my attention a few years ago when some travel tips for photographers was highlighted.  Since then, I’ve continued to follow it as I’ve been interested in travel generically.  The notes, news, and other pearls that are shared here really add value, understanding, and insight to an aspect of my business travel that would otherwise be severely lacking without this resource!

2.  Digital Photography School – What started as a blog has morphed into an amazing website and community of talented photographers and writers.  The inspiration comes from Darren Rowse, author of the also popular Problogger.com where I’ve picked up some tips and tricks that have been implemented here as well.  It’s an amazing repository of information and a fantastic community.  If you had to pick one resource on the web to go to with questions and get answers, this would be it.

3.  DIY Photography – Having done a few DIY things in my own day, including a gridded snoot, a 10-stop filter, and most famously a star tracker (which was even featured on their site!), DIY resource sites are like flames for this moth.  If you have a hankering for DIY stuff, and love to learn about anything and everything, then this is the perfect site to segue with your photography interests!  Absolutely love it!

4.  Photopreneur – Anyone who’s ever picked up a camera has wondered – “Can I sell my images?”  It doesn’t matter if you’ve sold images or not, the thought of whether you have what it takes is always something you wonder.  For those who are ever interested in blending a career with photography, this is one site to keep in your favorites.

5.  The Lightroom Queen – Victoria Bampton came to my attention after Adobe released Lightroom 2, and I realized that Lightroom was the future of photography post production.  Victoria saw this much sooner and became an expert pretty much before anyone else did, and has kept herself at the forefront of the developments in the product line.  I keep wondering when I can get her on the podcast, and perhaps this will nudge things along a little more!

6.  1001 Noisy Cameras – If you want to know the latest developments and releases in the industry, this has become pretty much the go-to resource for pretty much everyone in the industry.  Whether you have a penchant for Canon (me), Nikons, or any other vendor, and irrespective of DSLR, P&S, or these new 3rd gen cameras, 1001 Noisy cameras has the latest and greatest on all the camera news one could ever hope to soak in.  An endless resource for the gear hound in all of us!  (In the interests of full disclosure, they’ve also been generous when I’ve done gear reviews in giving some link love to me, so thanks to them for that! )

7.  Strobist – Now the only resource around for those interested in the details of off-camera lighting, it almost goes without saying that Strobist by David Hobby should be in your bookmark list.  Some days are more interesting than others, but there is always something worth learning (or re-learning if you want a refresh on anything).  Make sure you check out the Lighting 101 series – a beginner’s guide to off-camera lighting.  I can’t believe I had the opportunity to work with this guy a while back and had to decline because of a work conflict – was so bummed about that!

8.  Light Stalking – An impressive repository of writers and articles that covers everything from technique, to gear maintenance, and everything in between.  Some of the articles are a bit shorter than I would like to see, but there’s almost always good content, and it’s in my emailed list of sites that I permit into my mailbox.  Not only do I learn things from here myself, but it’s also a source of inspiration for article ideas and expanded content!

9.  F-Stoppers – What a talented set of photographers, videographers, writers, and project artists!  These guys will totally blow you away with the projects they put out over at F-Stoppers.  I am inspired and impressed with their footage, results, and behind-the-scenes perspectives that they all share every time they press the “Post” button!  If you haven’t stopped over to them yet, do so and add them to your inbox now!

10.  A Photo Editor – Coming from the perspective of a magazine editor, this is the place to go for photographer profiles, industry news, and great insights on the industry as a whole.  With so many resources out there, this has become a pretty authoritative outlet, and information resource so make sure you add it to your own list of sites to visit regularly.  I do and am sure you will come to rely on Rob’s content too!

*****

So, there you have it – 10 blogs and websites to make sure you take some time to visit for 2012.  Now, as I alluded to at the beginning of this post, some noticeable blogs are absent that used to be perennially listed.  Specifically, Scott Kelby’s “Photoshop Insider” and Joe McNally’s blog.  This is not to say that these are not worth visiting.  It’s just that the content there I am finding less interesting and useful.

The former is not what it used to be – a good resource for Photoshop and photography tips.  Instead, it has become a pulpit for delivering promotional content to the Kelby landscape of products and services.  I am not criticizing this at all – after all, the services and products that come from Kelby Training and NAPP have served me well for years, but Scott Kelby’s blog is no longer something I learn from – it’s where I go to get news about NAPP.

As for McNally’s blog – that too has become more of a promotional venue.  I enjoy his writings and images that he shares, but don’t really feel that I am learning much from that outlet.  My visits there are now completely for entertainment.  I do watch the Kelby Training schedule to see if and when he will be hitting Denver so that I might be able to attend a workshop, but the blog is just not a good learning resource.

• Maps Module *yawn* Other software does this already
• Books Module *yawn* Should have been there in a 3.x update imho
• Shadow/Highlights tools to add fake dynamic range for the HDR crowd (surprise surprise) – nice enough, but not enough to entice to buy
• Video file support *shrug* How much would one use LR for video anyway?
• Soft proofing *meh* I don’t print out of LR much anymore as my vendor takes care of prints for me….
• Adjustment brush additions *meh* While the additions are welcome, again, hardly incentive to pony up for this…
• Email photos direct from Lightroom *Huh?*  I know, this is surprising that it took this long to incorporate something this simple into the 4th generation of a product line

Will I buy the update?  Probably yes, because I am already “current”, and the price of not updating is more expensive long term ($99 versus $300)…  Also, in the interest of keeping current tutorials and such here on the blog for the readership is also present, so, that kind of colors my decision-making process.  For what they are releasing though – and the plethora of already existing outlets to do these additional tasks, I am not sure the regular photographer types will be justified in the upgrade pricing of $99-$120 (especially considering the economy right now…)

What about everyone else?  Worth the upgrade or not?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Thanks so much to all the participants for your wonderful images of Cheer!  It really did bring a smile to my face going through all the images and selecting a winner!  As always, the decision was quite difficult, but ultimately, the nod goes to Pan Shovel for the annual holiday giveaway.  As you all may recall, the prizes this year were donated by the good folks of Craft & Vision (David DuChemin), Thinktank Photo, and Photojojo for the books, bags and lenscap holder respectively.  So if you get a moment to check out their respective product lines, you can say thanks to them in your own way too!

The downside after all this excitement is that the January giveaway does not have a sponsor (same as last year), so this means the prize will be the ability to choose the theme for the February contest giveaway.  Think of January as a practicing month to take your own shots of whatever you find appealing.  No themes to restrict your creativity, but the rest of the standard rules apply:

1.  One photo per person

2.  Must be work-safe/family-friendly

3. Posted to the Flickr thread

4.  Largest side must be no more than 800px or less than 600px (this is only so that the winning image can be displayed well…)

5.  Taken within the last 60 days (preferably during the contest window)

6.  Images must be done by Feb 3rd (Friday).

7.  Theme is open (no theme)

8.  And most importantly, have fun!

Congrats again to Pan Shovel, and good luck to everyone in the coming months for the 2012 giveaways – keep the great shots and creativity churning!

1.  I was traveling…a lot…over the past few weeks.  When I say a lot, that’s no joke.  From Denver to Tucson, back to Denver, then out again to Indianapolis, then up to Grand Rapids, then over to Toledo, down to Dayton, across to Springfield, back to Indianapolis, before returning to Denver again…..phew!  Suffice to say, the travel bug has been busy in my bonnet.  Add to that another trip back to Ohio coming up very shortly, and it’s safe to say, I’ve not added to the blog’s postings for a while.

2.  As a result, the blog has been depleted of “in the can” posts.  You see, running a blog that publishes five posts a week takes a certain amount of time to get together all the material needed to really put good content together (and you all deserve nothing but the best!).  Well, over the last three weeks, that good material has been completely published, and I am behind the 8-ball to start the new year!

No worries, though…I have several posts planned (I just need to sit down and get the words together) for the rest of this week, and moving forward.  Here’s just a hint of what’s to come:

December Bonanza Winner! -  I am sure you are all anxiously awaiting the announcement of the winner for the December giveaway.  It’s coming tomorrow…

Top Ten Blogs for 2012 – It’s become something of a tradition here on Canon Blogger to point you to some good folks that put out really good content, and I would be remiss not to get this out soon (expect it Friday or Monday).

Photo Lessons – An idea that had it’s genesis over the holidays, I am going to try (think New Years Resolutions kind of try) to put together a post every month that teaches something completely new on the blog – something that I have never covered or even hinted at before.  A few nuggets are already in their “research” phase and I suspect the first will come out next week.  With easily 4 or 5 more planned, I am halfway into completing that annual task already!

Podcasts! – I know, December was empty (think empty can again), but some good ones are planned very soon, including a photo magazine editor, a well-regarded photographer and writer from a very popular photo magazine, and much more.

There’s also other stuff coming up I hope, but as things are not yet firmed up, don’t want to even tease it lest the exciting news not come to pass, so hang with me all – more to come, I promise!  In the mean time, I hope everyone’s holidays were as enjoyable as mine were – the trips were all with family and loved ones in mind, so hoping you all took a break too and spent time with your own loved ones.  Happy New Year, and here’s to a great 2012!  What’s in your hopper for 2012?

I hope everyone’s Christmas season was merry, and that you maintain the sense of cheer and family as we head into New Year’s weekend!

I say that because before you know it – the season will be over.  For some of us, that can’t happen soon enough! The Holiday season always seems to bring out a frenetic mentality.  People resort to pepper spray to buy items they want to give as gifts.  We whirl through traffic, trying to get to the grocery store for that one last item needed to complete a meal, or that specialty store forone last stocking stuffer.  Screaming for parking spaces, scrambling for gifts, and rushing about in almost a panic – it can certainly be stressful, can’t it?

A mantra I hear quite a bit lately is “Just tell me when the holidays are over!”.  It’s kind of sad too…the holiday season, more than anything else, should be a time of joy and merriment.  After all, you are spending time with the ones who you supposedly care about the most:  family, friends, and loved ones.  Sooner than you know, the  season will be over and it will be back to the daily grind, your work routines, and ever so shortly after that, the mentality will change to “When can I get a vacation form the daily grind?”

You have that vacation from the grind – right now!  Enjoy it while you can, because before you know it – it will be over.

Never fear though, I’ve rebounded, and as promised, here’s the skinny on the prints from Image Wizards.  First off, they aren’t kidding when they ship these prints.  I opted for the lower cost corrugated cardboard, but it was still packed in like a tank. After taking it out and selecting an appropriate place for display, I hung it for a while to make sure it worked in my selected location.  Not only does it work – it works beautifully!

As you can see, the ambient light catches it perfectly, and really draws the eye in.  For this particular print I chose the aluminum brushed satin finish, which is kind of like a matted version so it wouldn’t be too glossy as the print is of the stamens in a flower.  Something like a skyline might call for a more glossy sheen, but that’s really a matter of personal taste.

The aluminum composition really makes it stand out unlike any other print you’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen a few, from other sponsors like Nations Photo Lab, and contributor Backlitbox).  As we photographers are always seeking to find a niche market, the folks at Image Wizards have found a perfect market themselves for a very unique product.  Not only is it a high quality print, but it’s built to last for all ages.  The mounting (I chose the frame to edge, or boxed mount, option) and hanging mechanisms are equally impressive too.  A double row of framing and a sturdy wire hanger mounted securely by screws make sure that once you hang it, there’s nothing to worry about as you know it’s not going anywhere.

The caveat to all this is that for a unique, high end print made on aluminum, the cost of entry is not cheap.  The 16×20″ print you see above runs about $200!  You can get estimates done for any custom size you like on their upload page (and yes, the upload process is pretty slick too – upload directly via your web browser)!  You do get what you pay for though, so if you really want to impress your own clients with some eye-popping prints, Image Wizards definitely has a unique look for you!  Check them out when you get a chance!

And for those of you wondering why you didn’t know about the contest last month – another one is underway now…only a little time left before the window closes on the December giveaway, so if you want to try for a chance to win a bunch of photography books, gear and such, stop by the Flickr thread and share your image there soon!

That wasn’t really what I wanted though, so I decided to table the project as the holidays were rapidly approaching.  Then earlier tonight, while tucking away some Christmas presents in a place I know Tracy will never go, some video cables zip-tied neatly into a shoe tupperware fell out into my office.  I looked curiously at this one called the Diamond Multimedia VC500.

It had been purchased a while back to help convert some old VHS tapes to digital (circa 1998 and 1999), then put away indefinitely…until tonight.  I then went searching for the video cable to one of my EOS cameras…after all, I am a pack rat!  And sure enough, after ten minutes, found it and started kicking the tires.  With my rudimentary video editing skills, I was able to cobble this together:

This should work pretty much anywhere too…whether you are viewing on a computer, laptop, iPad, or phone…the vid has been made as cross-source supported as possible, so let me know if you can’t see it!  It’s, of course, a very cheesy first attempt, but suggests that there may be more of a library to come in explaining SLR settings to help demystify things!

Not much other news here – a few more projects in the final steps of review to put out this week, including the AluminArte from Image Wizards, another eBook, and a couple other nuggets as we inch closer to the holidays!  (Are you ready yet?)  Stay tuned, and if you have suggestions on how to clean up that video noise at the bottom of this test video, I am all ears!

Last but not least, the Holiday Giveaway Bonanza is getting pretty hefty, and ready for your entries – get a photo in for a chance to win an amazing package of prizes!  Submit your photo today!

For the official contest rules, visit the blog post from near the beginning of December here, and to submit your images to the Flickr thread, visit this link here (or via the quick link on the top right of the homepage!  Again, good luck to all, and may the best photo win!

Readability:  In my last book review, I indicated that there are some photography books out there written by people who really can’t write that well (no offense to Moose Peterson).  Granted, it’s a difficult task to master, because you have to be informative, but you also need to be able to communicate effectively.  A strong grasp of both written and verbal communication skills is important, and the ability to transition speaking skills to the written word is extremely difficult to master.  If you don’t believe me – look at some of the more popular blogs out there.  Nearly always, there is proof-reading, editing, and revisioning done to ensure everything is done correctly.  Meanwhile, other blogs and published content languish on the outskirts simply because of bad grammar, ineffective communication skills or (at worst) bad spelling!  Nicole is one of the few people I would trust to ensure all the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted.  It flowed so well and seamlessly, that I can honestly say this is the first book I’ve ever reviewed that has not included at least some skimming of content.  I almost don’t want to pay this one forward, but in the interests of keeping some consistency, the book goes back on the giveaway rack!  4.0

Length:  At 270 pages, this is just about the perfect length for being both concise, and yet detailed at the same time.  You get a chance to really sink your teeth into it (pun intended) without being overwhelmed.  It’s also an easy read – that is to say I never found myself going back to try and let something sink in from a comprehension perspective.  I was able to get things the first time – and as I get older, that’s always a good thing!  So, kudos to Nicole(sy) for keeping the length about perfect.  There were enough examples, photos, and explanations to keep me both engaged and not bore me with being overly simplistic.  She did leave me wanting a little more, but I guess that’s the mark of a good book, right?  Nearly spot on here Nicole!  4.5

Writing Style:  As mentioned above, the content was quite well balanced.  There was some discussion of technical details, while also addressing things like post-production as well as  insider tips and tricks (i.e. how to quickly char a chicken, add grill marks, and even making a picnic table!).  Her use of both before and after pictures really were also helpful so that the full effect of prepping food properly could be seen.  That was quite an eye-opening experience to see that kind of attention to detail.  !  She even threw in some content that discussed compositional approaches, including angles, colors, lines and curves, while also giving her personal insights into other nuances like depth of field, use of the Rule of Thirds, and more!  I felt like I was having a conversation with her (albeit one-sided), which made it that much easier to digest!  4.5

Photography:  This is a tough one, because the shots of her end results were very tantilizing, but I found the setup shots more helpful here (the final ones just made me hungry).  The problem with that is the setup shots aren’t that “inspiring”, but rather informative and educational.  Much like a photo of a computer motherboard showing the hand inserting the RAM chips.  It was well-lit, clear and useful, but these would probably not be considered part of any portfolio.  3.5

Educational Value:  With some books, the read is an educational one (David DuChemin), while others are entertaining (i.e. Tom Clancy), and another genre I consider is that of reference material (think the O’Reiley series).  This book is an interesting blend of all three of these genres, because it was both educational and would serve as a great reference piece.  The entertainment factor wasn’t really there like some others have attempted to crowbar into their books (a la Kelby), but I didn’t really miss it.  Cheesy jokes are okay once and a while, but sometimes you just want to get into the meat and potatoes (again, pun intended).

A score of 4.2 on a scale of 5.0 is substantially impressive…making this almost a “must read” on my barometer.  If you’re at all interested in becoming a food photographer, that of course raises the bar another notch or two again, so consider that in your decision-making process.  Special thanks to Nicole for contributing the book, and if you’d like to own your own copy of this book, check out the December Giveaway Bonanza where you can get that plus a bunch of other cool photo books and gear.  More stuff is coming on that in short order here too, so be sure to share your images in Flickr!  If you can’t wait for this book to be given away, then I would also recommend picking up a copy from your own favorite retailer, whether it be B&N, Amazon, or from the publisher direct (Peachpit)!  It’s really one of the better books out there.  Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow for a few more book reviews…

Until then, happy shooting (and reading)…

The 2011  Frugal Gift Guide for Photographers

1.  Lens Cap Keeper – courtesy of the folks over at Photojojo, this handy lenscap keeper gets added to your camera strap and makes for a clever way to handle two lens caps (one size on each side…with varying sizes available).  It’s only $18, so definitely cheap enough to consider adding to your camera bag.  Fair warning – if you use the Rapid Strap from Black Rapid, it’s not going to fit.

2.  Camera Bag Flashlight – while most wouldn’t think twice to get a basic flashlight from the local Target, Wal-Mart or whatever your shopping preferences call for, consider getting one with a red light instead of the harsh white LED ones.  The red filter introduces less light pollution for your shots and those of others who may be around you.  I recommend the one linked here for night and astro-photography.

3.  A Spare Battery – Always a good thing to have is some spare batteries.  As we head into the colder temperatures of the year, you’ll be surprised at how quickly that juice will just drain away.  The crop sensor battery for the Canon SLR line is linked here (20D – 50D), but B&H carries most batteries for $50 or less. (The LP-E6 for newer models is a smidge over $50…)

4.  Gaffer Tape – Take your pick of size, width, color, to any degree you want – most are well under $50 and can be used for emergency repairs, marking a trail, and a myriad of other uses – it just makes sense to have a roll in your bag.  I would definitely recommend a colored one though as it’s easier t find in your bag or if used in trail marking.

5.  Gray Card Set – If you really want to get your colors spot on, a Gray card is an awesome budget-friendly option to ensure you know where your absolute white, black and 50% gray points are in any image.  These three cards are great for on-location work as they can snap off your neck strap easily to throw into a scene for a quick shot setup.  At only $10, a great accessory for any camera bag.

6.  Expo Imaging Lighting Gels – A great way to color the light of a scene to your particular tastes, and they are re-usable for all your lighting needs, these have got to be the most cool things I’ve seen with lights in ages.  At only $30, you can’t go wrong!

Those are my best picks of the year for 2011!  Have you got your own just perfectly cool photo accessory?  What really struck a chord for your camera gear bag under $50?  Sound off in the comments as more gift giving ideas are always a good thing!

One of the latest lenses that they folks at Sigma have been gracious enough to let me borrow for an extended period of time is their 30mm f1.4 lens.  You read that right – f1.4!  Much like the “nifty fifty” because after the crop sensor is factored in, it’s really close the an equivalent of a 50mm on a full frame sensor (30*1.6 = 48)!

I’ll take the usual tack and look at Focal Length, F-Stop Range, Noise, Size/Weight, Build, and Cost, and Image Quality separately. So, let’s get started!

Focal Length

At 30mm fixed, this is another lens where zooming is not an option so you have to zoom with your feet!  This means walking around to get either closer to or far enough away from your subject to get the composition you need.  This could be construed as a disadvantage for those that prefer to dial their lens rather than shuffle their feet, but since I need all the exercise I can get, I am going to call this a positive!  Another positive is due to its relative focal length (48mm) after crop sensor size is factored in.    The rationale here is that it’s a pretty close approximation to what the human eye sees naturally.  So, it’s very much a WYSIWYG approach to composition (what you see is what you get)!

One of the advantages of this is that because it’s a fixed focal length, optical quality is pretty tack sharp all the way through, and even through various f-stop levels.  Overall, the focal length is definitely a positive – even for those used to zooming or adjustable focal length lenses.  It’s quite a treat to get into shooting with a lens like this!

F-Stop Range

The bane of a photographer’s existence is having a scene present itself to you where the light is fading, and you have no tripod or way to stabilize your gear.  The counter to this has been to invest in what’s becoming commonly known as “fast glass”.  The idea is that you can capture a scene at a wider f-stop ratio to let in more light in a shorter amount of time.  The downside to shooting wide open like this is that your depth of field will suffer unless you are focused to infinity. This does limit creative possibilities if you are hand-holding, but the advantage is that you can shoot in lower light.

At f1.4, this lens is designed to let in an amazing amount of light when shot wide open.  I was able to take some decently sharp pictures in near darkness with nothing but sidewalk lights and an indoor light around my house.  Another shot I was able to get included an underpass that was in near darkness and I could make out details in the underpass (see sample shots further on…)  This feature alone (in my opinion) makes a lens worth considering if the budget is there.

Noise

As is the case with most modern lenses, the noise that comes from running the auto focus is becoming much more tolerable.  Older lenses have had noisier motors (like my Sigma 70mm Macro – very loud when focusing).  Because this is a newer lens, and also due to its prime lens design, the lens is very quiet when it does focus in (the focusing ring never has far to go…)  Another pro for the 30mm!

Size/Weight

The Sigma 30mm has the size of a kit lens. It’s very compact which makes for easy inclusion in a camera bag.  When you have multiple lenses and need to decide whether a lens goes with you or stays home, this is one to take with you simply because it takes up such a small amount of space.  As for the weight of the camera, it’s surprisingly well-balanced on the Canon 40D, providing for a nice fit and comfortable shooting environment.

Build

The signature brushed dark metal of the Sigma line is present here and I’ve always been a fan of how these lenses are built and how they feel in your hands.  Exuding professionalism, and a solid graphite brushed metal coating make this a definite pro.

Cost

At B&H, the build cost is the same for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and all other mounts at $489.  You may be able to save a couple bucks here and there by shopping for sales and discounted or used equipment sites, but based off the retail price, the ballpark is around $500 for this lens.  While $500 is a substantial dent to most wallets, I would have to say that this is worth the money.  I’ve had this lens on loan from Sigma for the last 2 months, and it’s not left my camera through several photo walks, two assignments, and of course all of the testing.

Image Quality

Now for the fun part: the image testing!  Now in the interests of full disclosure, I cannot share some of the images here on the blog because of client releases and such (although I will say that I was comfortable with photo delivery to clients using this lens, so that should be an indication of image quality).  Here’s some shots from when I was shooting in other various conditions:

So, there you have it – various examples of the lens shooting under normal, close up, and low light conditions.  In most I’ve just done simple post production work for sharpening, so there are straight out of camera (sooc).  In the low light shots, I did include some noise reduction to handle the grain, and you can see it cleaned up fairly nicely.  Overall, a great lens – thanks to the folks at Sigma for the extended use for testing.  I’ll be sad to see it go!

Dream Lake by Tom Crossman

Thanks to everybody for some really fantastic images – it was extremely tough this time as there were a lot of just amazing shots!  Thanks also to the sponsor for the contest in November, the good folks over at Image Wizards!  The lucky winner will be able to get a print of their choice assembled by the folks at Image Wizards – up to a 16×20″ print!  (Tom, if you could kick me an email with your contact info, I’ll get things coordinated with Image Wizards!  Congrats again!

With November closed and in the books,  the new contest is now underway, and we have a new contest thread  open for entries too for December – the last one of 2011!  The prize list is a literal cornucopia of goodies!  Check it out:

 And of course, a holiday bonanza giveaway wouldn’t be the same without the particulars for entry, so here goes:

*Important*  I will cover up to $20 in shipping costs.  If the winner is international, there may be a small additional cost of shipping required to get the books to you.  If the winner is unable or unwilling to cover the additional costs of shipping, an alternate may be selected at the discretion of the judging panel (me).

So, get out your cameras and get on shootin – as we have just a smidge under a month to get the last winner in for 2011!  Thanks for stopping in and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

So, how are we going to round things out this week?  By turning things around!  Yep, the tip is to use the shoot through umbrella as it’s own reflector!  Take a look at the results.  I took a picture of the world (okay, it was a globe in our spare bedroom) from the flash in two different setups:

While it’s always better to shoot with your flash off-camera, this is probably the best lesson in showing that just because your flash is off-camera doesn’t make it good light!  Yes, it’s better than on camera lighting, but look at that harsh specular highlight, and how…well, boring the photo on the left looks.  Then consider the photo on the right – the hottest part of the light is nowhere near as specular (bordering on not even becoming a specular highlight…), and the diffused, reflected light gives some nice character and a sense of depth lacking in the first.

Here’s the lighting setup for each shot:

So, as you can see (hopefully), this demonstrates that turning things around (not just your camera) can have a surprisingly good effect from time to time.  It really becomes subjective at this point, and some may prefer one style over another, but that’s part of what makes the craft so enticing – you are limited by nothing more than your vision!

Thanks for tuning in to this unique week-long series on off-camera lighting – I hope you enjoyed reading these tips as much as I enjoyed writing them!

On that note – I’d like to ask you for more ideas on some themes and topics in this vein.  This really seems to have resonated based on the traffic, email, and feedback I have gotten thus far, but I do want to keep content moving in directions you are interested in, so feel free to chime in the comments with ideas, thoughts, and feedback not only on existing content, but asl on ideas thoughts and feedback for new content down the road!

Have a great weekend (don’t forget, today is the last day to get your entries in for the November Flickr contest) and be sure to stop back next week for the year-end wrap up on a bunch of product reviews – and you know what that means!

Quite a bit already, and we’re almost done, so I’d like t round things out with a little bit of stabilizing.  You see, while light stands are great for moving your flash off-camera, they’re not the most stable things around.  Certainly not like a tripod for your camera!  Why is that?  The answer is in the physics – a light stand is typically a single pole that is extended into the air, whereas a tripod is three poles that converge at a point (your ball head or camera mount).  Whereas the former has each other to lean on and stabilize things, your light stand doesn’t have this benefit.  But, you can minimize the wiggle!  Here’s how…

Most light stands will have a three-legged base which collapses down to help with portability and to compact the size.  I’ve seen people take light stands out, and the first thing they extend all the way are those three legs.  Don’t!  When you take the three legs to their maximum height, yes, you are getting more height, but you are losing leverage and stability!  Don’t!  Instead, do this:

See how in the first example the legs are high, narrow and only have three points touching the floor – this invites a top-heavy rig, which is always more likely to topple over.  If you sacrifice those 3″ at the bottom, look what you can gain!  A wider stand base = more stability, a lower light stand = additional stability, and then the addition of the center point for even more stability!  The one on the left is how it’s supposed to be done.

For an added corollary, you can also bring sand or water bags to your shoot and fill them when you get there…then place the bags inside that little “pocket” that is formed for even more of a weighted base that will further reduce toppling risks!  (Consider it a Light Stand Tip 4A!)

Tomorrow we wrap up the week of lighting do’s and don’ts when using light stands and shoot-throughs!  I hope you’ve enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed writing them (it’s always fun to do a series like this, because it has a beginning, middle and end – which makes for nice writing projects!)