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.

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)…

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!)

The bare flash

The results are not atypical of what one would expect.  We can see quite a bit more diffusion over a flash fired with no shoot through at all.  The light is cast much wider across the umbrella, and a certain amount of diffusion can be noted.  However, we can also see a hot spot of light in the top half of our umbrella.  Bad?  Not necessarily, considering either shooting with no umbrella, or worse – using the flash on camera!   But can we make it even better?  Let’s try!

Flash+Reflector

An interesting result!  We see the light now is carried through more of the umbrella bu looking at the center point as our frame of reference.  See the light expanding a little further down past that center point?  Cool!  But also, look what happened at the top – the reflector took light from the top and bounced it down to the bottom as we clearly have a shadow line going across there.  Hmmm, not sure I like that, so let’s try another improvement!

Flash+Diffuser

Now we’re talking!  Look at that light!  It’s clean and even throughout the umbrella!  No lines from a reflector, and nowhere near as much spill over the edges of the umbrella itself.  This is some nicely diffused light!  But wait – can we take it even further?  Let’s try one last thing, just to see what happens!

Flash+Diffuser+Reflector

Uh oh, we over-thought it!  The light is still pretty evenly diffused and spread across the umbrella, except for that one rectangle area across the top where apparently the reflector blocked the light from getting to – thus creating a shadow.  For me, it looks like #3 was the best choice of flash controls.  Here – take a look at all four side-by-side-by-side:

Flash Comparisons

I’ve circled the areas that caught my eye in terms of the quality of light – what I like and what I dislike about each – with labels under each setup.  As noted above – my preference is for #3.  The lesson learned here?

Use the built in diffuser when using a shoot through umbrella for a nice even light source!

As in all things though, it’s not a “my way or the highway” mentality – all thoughts and opinions are welcome!  So, which one(s) did you like best? #1? #2? #3? #4?  Sound off with your own thoughts in the comments or via email – feedback and discussion is always encouraged!

*****

Contest Reminder:  Only a few days left to enter the Image Wizards contest.  No fuss, no muss, just enter your image in the Flickr thread for a chance to win a 16×20″ print from them (as judged by yours truly!).

Be sure to stop back in tomorrow for the fourth installment of how to get the most out of a single light setup!

In yesterday’s post, I showed how light can spill over an improperly mounted umbrella. I got a few emails noting that light does seem to still spill over the top of even a properly mounted one.  While that’s right, there’s a couple things to keep in mind.  First off, the flash is mounted to a trigger, not to the light stand directly.  This does raise the flash a tad (about an inch), and while that may not sound like much, it can increase the spill.  Now there are some triggers that are extremely low profile or that can rotate to lower the height of the flash by angling it forward, but there are downsides here too.  If you think about the idea of moving the head of the flash closer to the umbrella, you are essentially decreasing the amount of fill that your shoot thru will get.  The light will be more concentrated, (a.k.a. hotter) the closer it gets to the umbrella.  Conversely, the further away from the umbrella, the more diffused it will be.  Take a look:

Now, again, the terms “wrong” and “right” are subjective, because you may want a hotter light from your shoot thru.  The only thing I would say to that though, is that if you want a hotter light – why use the umbrella in the first place?  A shoot thru is designed to reduce the “hot” factor of the light and make it more even and diffused.  You can best accomplish this by positioning the light as far back on the umbrella as possible.  How far?  I usually leave about a quarter of an inch to an inch just so I can grab the umbrella if needed from the back side.  You can position yours where ever you like – just remember the “hot factor”!

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Part 3!  I bet this is one a lot of you will likely say “Now, that is cool!”  In the meantime, keep sharing your own ideas, tips and tricks for getting the most out of your lighting gear!

*****

P.S.  A couple admin notes – the monthly giveaway is almost done (with a 16×20″ print from the folks at ImageWizards at stake), so get your shots in on the Flickr thread before Friday!  Next week is review week on the blog too, with books, gadgets, lenses, even a camera, and of course, the annual Holiday Gift Guide!

Tip #1.  Positioning the Umbrella

You’ll notice on a standard light stand that the umbrella will have to be inserted at an angle…you can either angle it upward or downward.  I see so many folks that are totally confused by this and I’ve got a great mnemonic to help you remember the right way:  I call it “Up For Luck!”  Take a look at the following side-by-side shots:

See how there is so much more light missing the umbrella from my strobe in the first shot? It’s falling out of the top and not really being controlled all that much.   Compare that to the second shot, where the umbrella is nicely filled out with light…a great softening effect for sure!  This is just one of five tips I am going to share with you this week on lighting your shoots from an off-camera flash with nothing more than a single light stand and shoot through umbrella!  Ready for more?  Got your own ideas and tips/tricks to share?  Sound off in the comments, or tune back in tomorrow for another tip to help soften and diffuse things even more!

It’s the latest from the Craft and Vision series, and after reading through this latest release, I was thoroughly impressed.  Andrew takes us way past the Rule of Thirds – so far that ROT is hardly in his rear view!  He addresses not necessarily new, but definitely innovative ways to think about composition including using aspect ratio and balance to make for better compositions.  Aptly titled, Beyond Thids, this is definitely one worth getting.  At the regular price of $5 in the C&V store, it’s a no-brainer, but at their discounted price, it’s a steal (yet again)!  So, stop over to their online bookstore today and get yourself a copy!  In fact, Andrew’s other eBooks in there “Andes: The Print and the Process”, and “The Evocative Image” are also figurative page turners! (I’d call them an Ipad flicker…since you can’t help but keep flicking your fingers to read “just one more page”.)

You can get the latest release at 20% off for a limited time only, using the promo code BT4 (or if you want to get 5 or more books, use BT20).  Just stop in at their website for quick browse, and you’ll see why David DuChemin and company are called Craft and Vision!

If you ask ten different photographers to identify the difference between a photograph, a picture, and an image – you’ll likely get ten different answers.  The truth of the matter is that there is no hard and fast answer to define the distinction between these terms.  With that in mind though, here’s a proposed explanation of what the differences are as I see them:

What is an image?

An image (to me) simply refers to a file on a computer somewhere.  It’s ones and zeros in the truest sense of the word.  Whether or not someone is actually viewing it is up for grabs.  There is no purpose or intent to the file yet because you’re not even sure if it was meant to be seen or if it is even seen at all.  Further, how someone sees it (even if it is on display from a web server somewhere) is a function of their own setup, lighting conditions, monitor calibration, etc.  To me, when I refer to images, I am talking about things in the strictest sense – simply the storage file that represents the picture or photo that I hope to produce at some point.  To me, an image is a file.

What is a picture?

A picture encompasses the elements of an image – it still has the characteristics of being stored somewhere, but it also (to me) means that an attempt has been made to share it with others, and that there is purpose or intent to it.  Whether that purpose or intent is to capture a moment in time (say from a journalistic perspective), document  a a trip (I was here on whatever date), or even just some candids from a night out with family and friends, pictures are frozen moments in time.  They have all the characteristics of an image, but also add a layer of meaning, and purpose or intent to them.  To me a picture is documentation.

What is a Photograph?

Building further, a photograph encompasses all that we would expect to include in our craft.  A photograph is an image, a picture, and yet also includes something more.  A photograph to me connotes something artistic.  The photo usually means that we’ve gone beyond the simple act of pressing the shutter to capture a moment in time.  The lighting, subject, or angle of view brings an emotional element to the table that is otherwise not present. To me, a photograph is art.

*****

This does not place any importance or relevance of one semantic over another.  Instead, I am defining the terms by means of their respective purpose: storage, capture, and expression being the key elements of each.  This is, of course, not set in stone either.  What about you?  Are there distinctions between images, pictures and photos?  How would you define or classify these terms?  Does it even matter to make such distinctions?  Sound off in the comments!

First of all, let me say that it’s an honor to be a guest blogger for  Jason  – when he asked me to write a guest blog post, it was a no brainer – I’d do it! Then it sunk in that I’m going to be writing a post that actual people will be reading, as opposed to my usual audience – research scientists. I guess this means I better make it interesting. Well, here goes …

I’m not a professional photographer, far from that – I’m a professional student. To be more specific, I’m a PhD student/researcher studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. In the most general sense, I focus on enhancing the performance of aerodynamic bodies (airplanes, cars, submarines) by modifying the way that the flow (air or water) moves around the specific body.

When I started conducting experiments five years ago, I knew that in order to efficiently control any flow, it was first in my best interest to understand the natural flow around the aerodynamic body of interest. This is when I decided that the lab needed a digital camera. After a couple of months of reading books and internet articles, I started getting the hang of what it took to digitally capture what my eyes were seeing.

Below are some images that I have taken since I started my journey into photography over the past three years. Some of them were taken for my own research, while others were taken to benefit the research of my colleagues.

This was one of my first successful images that I took with a dSLR. It’s a three second exposure capturing the phenomena of flow separation over an airfoil at a high angle of attack. Using a fog machine I was able to inject micron sized particles into the flow. Then, to illuminate the particles, I created a light sheet passing a laser beam through a spherical and then a cylindrical lens. To me, the beauty of this photo is that it captures a phenomenon we all experience daily – but never get to see.

A colleague of mine asked me if it was possible to take an image of the alignment of six laser beams intersecting at a single location in space. Once aligned, they moved the set-up into a wind tunnel and used it to measure the velocity behind an aircraft landing gear. To capture this image, I used a flashlight during a three second exposure to illuminate the laser sources while keeping the contrast between the lasers and the background.

Using a mixture of highly viscous motor oil and fluorescent dye, I highlighted some of the flow features around a submerged sphere. I captured images at 15 second intervals and created a time lapse movie of the event. This image alone shows some of the complications that arise when trying to control a three-dimensional flow. I hope to also use this flow visualization technique to understand flow around the tips of wings (where highly three dimensional effects are prominent) in an effort to make wing-tip designs more efficient.

Sometimes my colleagues ask me to take images that will be used in conference presentations. For these, I usually have a little more leeway and can clean the image up in post – something that I cannot do with any image that will be published in a journal paper. In a nutshell, their research objective is to create low cost micro sensors to measure shear stress, something that can’t be directly measured at the time. To show the size of the sensor, I decided to place one sensor next to the tip of a pencil and another one on top of a popular snack around the lab.

Using photography in the lab setting has allowed me to get comfortable with a camera. In the last few years my passion for photography has spread from a work-related necessity to a hobby I do in my spare time. Many thanks to Jason for letting me share with you a slightly different perspective on photography.

*****

Editor Note: 

One thing I always keep saying to myself is that Canon Blogger really needs more guest writers.  There are so many knowledgeable people out there that likely can run circles around me mentally, from whom I could learn a thing or two.  To that end, when I can learn, everyone can, so I am hopefully going to make this a more common practice.  To that end, if you are interested in writing any guest posts here on the blog, I am happy to entertain the idea, provided that you can:

If you can do that (or know someone who can – please feel free to contact me and we can get the ball rolling.  As for the guest post today, I’d like to thank Miguel for sharing his insights, experiences and photography here on the blog – I was riveted!  Please do stop by his own website for more of the same at:  www.miguelpalaviccini.com  He is now a good friend, having met originally through the Monthly Contest Series!  His was the winning image a few months back and in exchanging information, I learned that he was using photography and photographs during his studies!  Being a devotee of education, I was intrigued.  One thing led to another and here we are today, so please be sure you offer thanks to him both here and on his website!

If you take one photo a day, it will take you 10,000 days to become fluent with photography, or 27 years!  One good photo a day means it will take you twenty seven years to become fluent in the field of photography.  Look at how that extrapolates out:

I don’t know about you, but the last time I took sixteen good photos in one day was…well, um, never really!  I could go into a long soliloquy about learning the craft encompassing more than just taking good photos.  And it’s true.  You learn when you take bade photos, because you’ve eliminated a process that doesn’t work.  You also learn from reading articles, books, attending seminars and workshops.  Learning a craft is much more than just one photo, but the math still holds true.  So, even if you spend four hours a day learning about photography, it will be a long time before you are fluent (at least 6 years anyway, right?).

The caveat now is that learning a trade or craft is more than just study and reading – it’s also doing.  So, in all of this, let’s say it breaks down to about 25-25-50 in percentages.  I say this primarily because you learn so much more from doing than studying and reading.  In the field of photography, this means taking pictures.  You have to take pictures (both good and bad) to become a good photographer.  Now comes the stickler – the question that I was asked and is the title of this post:  which photos count?

When learning, and studying your craft, does the crappy iPhone photo count?  The stupid cheesy grin shot you did with your “bff” at the beach?  My answer (surprise surprise) starts with “It depends…”  That’s the first part…the second part is:

What did you learn from that photo?

If the answer is – “I learned that on camera flash works with a portrait and the sun setting behind you”, then yes, it counts!  If the photo is “Well, I learned that on camera flash in a studio shot of a digital telephone doesn’t work too well because of excessive specular highlights”, then hell yeah, it counts!  The converse also holds though too.  If you take a snapshot during your vacation with yourself and your s.o (significant other) at Plymouth Rock, and it never sees the light of day past your refrigerator, then no, it does not count!  If you learn or gain nothing from a photo you took, it doesn’t count.  Here’s some shots from my history that I’ve learned from – can you tell which ones I shot at the beginning of my foray into the most recent?  (Don’t cheat and look at the meta data…which ones are first, middle, and last chronologically?)

This exercise also illustrates that you should never be afraid to also look at the shots you were taking one year ago, or two, or three or five, then compare them to your most recent work.  Do you see an improvement?  Has the gap narrowed between what you “saw” and what the image produced?  If the answer is yes, then who cares whether the photos in between count or not.  As long as you are striving to become better and to speak more fluently.  While trees do matter, it’s helpful to remember they are part of a forest.  Keep expanding the forest with the photos that count – the ones you learn from!

*****

Also, don’t forget the Louisville edition of the Worldwide Photowalk happens tomorrow – there’s still room for a couple more people, so if you wanna join us for walking, talking, shooting, and a beverage afterward – it’s free to join!  Register here by midnight tonight!

Over the course of the last several days, a conversation has been happening in the NAPP forums regarding the “photography bubble”.  I am calling it this because just like the tech boom, the housing bubble, and other historical events, the photography industry seems to be having something of an adjustment in recent weeks and months.  Have you noticed it too?

It’s happening in many communities, workshops, seminars, and other such events where participation has dropped considerably.  From what I understand of things, communities everywhere are seeing marked drops in the active member rolls.  Many colleagues who teach workshops and seminars have also noticed a drop-off in attendance and interest.  The economy is certainly having an impact on the disposable income of many enthusiast photographers.  But it’s not just that…

Even the Worldwide Photo Walk, which only two years ago drew crowds that maxed out four different locales around Denver (at 50 participants per walk) is now barely cresting the 100 member count among only three active ones.  The downtown Denver one is maxed out for 16th Street Mall, but the Louisville one and the Boulder one still have several openings.  Know what the requirements for these are?  Nothing!  They’re free!

All you need is a camera.  It can be a camera from your phone!  It can be a film camera!  A pen camera, or even a pinhole camera would be enough to go out and take photos with.  Yet the attendance has dropped more than 50% from a mere two years ago.  Probably the biggest indicator for me is the amount of Meetup activity.  Leaders and managers for photo walks are not as active, and walks are getting fewer people.

So that means attendance at free sessions has even waned to less than 50% of where it was even two years ago.What happened?  Now a lot has changed between now and two years ago.  Economic times are harder…I get that big time!  But a larger trend is occurring in photography, and I think we should be standing up to take notice.  Why?

I suspect a certain degree of market saturation has happened, believe it or not.  Many people have hung out shingles.  There’s been so many workshops, seminars, and conferences held – everyone believing that there is an infinite desire to learn from anyone wiling to teach, lead, or share.  While the capacity to learn is endless, the capacity of the market to sustain an infinite amount of instruction is likely not sustainable.

The market has peaked!  Just like the tech bubble of the 80′s, the housing bubble of the 90′s, and even (as a friend put it in the forums) the CB radio bubble of the 70′s, the bubble has burst.  People are starting to hang up their hats, cameras, and photo gear.  Many have said “enough is enough”, and simply just don’t have the time, energy, or interest to sustain their habits, creative endeavors, and SOHO businesses in photography.  The market waxes and wanes, and the time to wane has come to pass…

It’s kind of sad to one degree, because it’s never easy to sustain a creative vision or energy in a shrinking market.  Monetizing that vision is even more difficult because the almighty dollar has been stretched to capacity – and as a result, I suspect that as the dust starts to settle in the coming weeks and months, many will have stopped their craft.  As I said, a sad thing, but lest we all be concerned that our own craft will die, or go silent, it’s times like these that we must muster the energy, motivation, and vigor to continue on.  Not necessarily unimpeded, but at least try to continue…it’s those that continue through the best and the worst of times that will be more successful in the long run!

***

What kind of indicators have you seen that the market for photography, and photo education has seen a peak?  Has your own interest or ability to participate waned in recent weeks and months?  What trends have you seen in your own market and demographic with regard to the photo community?

Self-study may even get you to a point where you can cut through the water relatively easily, but imagine how much easier it would be if when you first started learning to swim, you had a coach.  Someone there to stand at the pool, shouting out encouragement and instructions:  “Reach out with your hands!  Kick your legs!  Good job!  Keep going!”

Coaching always makes learning anything easier, whether it’s swimming, science or photography!  One of the things I’ve noticed as progressing on my own learning curve is that much of what I gathered would have likely been learned moer quickly if someone had been there to say “Hey, the Rule of Thirds works nicely with landscapes…put the sun in one of those cross-sections!”  or other axioms common to learning the nuts and bolts.

This raised a question in my mind, and is actually one of the fundamental reasons why I started this blog – to share experiences as I learned them to help others hopefully reach those levels of understanding sooner.  When someone asked me once how long I had been mentoring other photographers is when it dawned on me that I actually had become something of what I had needed!  Talk about a sense of fulfillment!

These thoughts and experiences were recently shared with my good friend Kerry Garrison of Camera Dojo, and as we talked about the whole concept of mentoring, decided this would be a great podcast topic!  So, enjoy the latest episode of the LDP Podcast (#63):  Choosing a Mentor:

Show notes:  What to Look for in a Mentor

We go into all of this in much greater detail in the show, as to why each trait is important, and we even throw in a few bonus considerations for you too, so be sure to catch the show!  Thanks again to Kerry for participating – it was a great discussion and sure to be one that will draw a lot of attention!  Be sure to stop over to Kerry’s blog to find out the latest activities there too at Camera Dojo.

Food for thought:  As you listen to the show, consider the following talking points…have you ever had a mentor?  Been a mentor?  Wanted a mentor?  Had one that worked or did not?  Think about what did and didn’t work, and why.  What would you want to see in a potential mentor?  As is always the case, we share our own ideas, but would love to hear from others on what their own experiences are, so please let us know in the comments and/or via email, social media, etc.

Happy shooting!

*****

A couple short reminders for this week:

1.  We are in the last week of the Monthly Contest Series for September.  This month you can win a year of membership to NAPP (existing members can extend for an additional 12 months!)!  It’s free, just share your best image in the Flickr thread here.

2.  The Worldwide Photo Walk is coming up this weekend, so if you’ve not registered in your nearest city yet, be sure to check out where the closest place is.  It’s a lot of fun, and is totally free too, so get out and shoot with fellow photogs, socialize, and network!  Oh yeah, and a ton of books are being given away – something from the Kelby arsenal of education will go to one lucky photographer in each city!  (If you live in the Denver Colorado area, there’s still room in the Louisville walk too where you can walk around with yours truly!)

However, soon after launch, I realized that the “solid understanding” was not necessarily present, so figured a bit more background would be helpful.  For those of you who already purchased the kit, an upcoming supplemental will be released to you free of charge.  For those of you who would like to get the primer separately though, that will also be made available to give you the primer you need to understand all these nuances.  For now though, I thought it might be helpful to give a bit of an introduction to the concepts here on the blog.  It’s a confusing issue for sure, and one that does warrant a bit of discussion.

Copyright Protection

Copyright protection refers to the rights of an artist to control the distribution of works they create.  Whether you are a painter, a writer, a sculptor, or a photographer, you have the right to control distribution of your own work.  Registering your work with the federal copyright office entitles you not only to the protection of copyright, but also to legal remedies for damages in the event someone tries to use your work without your permission.  The supplemental will cover the process for registering your work with the Federal Copyright Office and answer some of the more common questions there.

Model Release

A model release means a person is signing over the right to produce the image they have been captured in to the photographer.  A photographer may own the copyright to a photograph, but a person also has the right to control their own likeness.  If you do not want a photographer to produce your image in any commercial setting, simply do not sign the model release.  If you are a model, you probably want your image to be used to gain notariety.  So, to do that, you need to release the right to produce images of you to the photographer.

There are always circumstances that can raise questions though.  For instance, does an attendee at a wedding inherently give the photographer the right to use their image?  It was only the bride and groom that hired the photographer, not the attendees!  What about someone who is out on the street taking portraits for $5 a pop?  If you buy the photo, does that grant the photographer the right to use your image?  Not necessarily!  The supplemental answers these types of questions too.

Licensing Your Photos

Probably one of the biggest misconceptions I see around the field of photography, is that clients (and some photographers) see the product as what they are selling, not the service.  The truth of the matter is that as a photographer, it’s more common to get compensation for the service than the photos themselves.  Obtaining a photo, or using a photo afterwards is what’s referred to as licensing.

So, the question naturally comes up from wedding and event photographers – does this mean a couple needs to also pay for the photo album?  The answer is – (as always) “It depends!”  If your pricing structure includes a CD to re-print then no.  If your pricing includes a photo album, then yes!  What about Facebook and Twitter, along with a host of other social media sharing sites?  Are those included?  How does this differ from corporate or studio sessions for head shots or architectural and fine art prints?  These are all great questions and the answers to these and many others will all be included  in the forthcoming supplemental.

Hopefully this has helped answer some of the basic ones that people have had regarding the Legal Kit forms.  The last question you may have at this point is what is included in the DIY Legal Kit itself.  Here’s what you get in the Basic Legal Kit:

The thing that’s super cool about these forms in the basic kit is that they are designed so you can add your own logo, company graphic and other design styles to the forms to suit your personal preferences.  They are in standard Word format so you can easily modify them as needed for your locality if desired, rather than the more difficult PDF format that is more common with other Legal Kits of forms.

These all were created by a licensed and practicing attorney here in Colorado, with the intent to make them as applicable as possible in most municipalities.  If you do have concerns though, feel free to consult with an attorney in your own area.  As an aside, it’s always cheaper to review existing forms and documents than to have them create ones from scratch for you!

*****

So, if you haven’t gotten the Legal Kit yet, feel free to pick up a copy now.  Normal pricing is only $30, but if you use discount code DIY20, you can save an additional 20% through the end of September!  If you’d rather wait for the supplemental to come out and get it all together, that’s an option too, but fair warning – the set will be more than the offering right now!  So, consider this a pre-order opportunity!

Last but not least – if you have specific questions you would like to see addressed in the primer, here’s your chance!  My attorney and I are meeting only a few more times to iron out all the Q&A that will be provided, so ask now to make sure your voice is heard in the final release when it comes out in October!  Until then, keep on shootin’!

In keeping with the iBooks shelving design for it’s presentation, the layout fits nicely with the iPad style of reading, so they get top marks in my book just for keeping some semblance of consistency.  With gorgeous photography, insightful articles, and one of the most professionally-designed layouts I’ve yet to encounter, this really does set the bar extremely high for iPad publishers.  The best part about this magazine – it’s free!  There is value-added content if you wish to purchase it for the frugally receptive price of only $1.99, and I have a feeling this will become part of my newly designed digital approach to reading.

Truth be told, I’ve wanted to go to an exclusively digital method of photography reading for a while now, but the market is only recently becoming large enough to make authors and publishers receptive to digital publication.  For the longest time, the only digital magazine I enjoyed was that of Photography BB, having become such a fan that I volunteered to write for it. With a decidedly educational approach to the craft of photography, it is right up my alley.  The feature article has always taken us to some port of call from around the world, and the contributing author has given their own stylized narrative of their journey there.

TRVL Magazine differs in that there are no articles about social media, nothing about Lightroom, or anything about how to get creative or compose your images better.  Instead, each issue attempts to highlight a particular city or region of the world.  It’s wonderfully written, and the accompanying photographs are (as mentioned above), are always compelling.  I am now into my fourth issue of the digital magazine (can I call it an e-zine yet? Has that term become commonplace enough?)

For those of you considering making the move to digital reading over traditional print reading, if the time hasn’t come for you yet, it’s nearly here.  With things like slideshows of photos and videos for added content (sorry Kelby Media, but apparently you were not the first after all…), this is already got its own space on my iPad.  The other nice thing about how TRVL does it, is that they leave video content as an online experience, to help keep content loaded locally to a bare minimum (it’s about 50MB per issue).

Tap the thumbnail in the lower left corner to activate the slideshow

Since it doesn’t open in iBooks, but rather in its own proprietary envelope, there’s no need to organize it into your pre-existing system.  This was another nice feature as my current collections are already segregated out into three categories.  The other thing to note is that I’ve also grouped my iPad icons in order to minimize the number of screens to slide through…and the TRVL Magazine has it’s own space in my reading group. For the inquisitive, here’s how I’ve got my iBooks collections organized and where the TRVL App fits in my chart:

If you’d like to add it to yours, then go to the App Download Store on your iPad (yes, it’s iPad only) and get it now! Although, I should give you fair warning, if you do download and read these publications, your travel bug will bite hard for everywhere they write about, ranging from the Arctic Circle, to Lisbon Portugal, and worldwide locales to pursue whale watching!  I don’t know when I’ll be able to do that, but if the lottery strikes, you’ll all be the first to know!

*****

As a postcript, don’t forget – today is day 2 of the three-day giveaway bonanza to win a Drobo from the folks at Data Robotics!  Read yesterday’s post for the full scoop!

1.  Pay for the cost of entry

2.  Pay for the cost of travel

3.  Pay for hotel accommodations

4.  Pay for the cost of food

It’s an expensive proposition, which I conservatively estimate at nearly $1000.  This does not mean it isn’t worth the money, because it most likely is, even if for networking purposes only (and I am sure there are educational opportunities galore)!  Let’s face it – if you want to be a “player” in the photography world, there is usually justification to attend PSw either in Orlando (Spring) or Las Vegas (Fall).

My problem is that I am something of a one-man-show.  And photography is very much a secondary stream of income, when it even does present opportunities.  My primary job has always been in IT.  I suspect it always will be.  So, to find the time off for a traditional working stiff is tough – I am often needed, and earn precious little vacation time every year.  So, unless a company that values both my IT and photography skills hires me (Adobe, are you listening? ), I will likely not be in a position to attend this event.

As is often the case, I know I am not alone.  So, here’s your chance to let your non-PSW light shine!  What are you doing this week?  For me, I am taking a little time off between jobs actually.  After accepting an offer at a new company (I am not holding my breath for Adobe), I have a week or so to spare from my calendar (but not my budget) to travel a little, and am visiting family in both AZ and NY.  Let’s face it, family should always come first, and here is no exception.  This last weekend I spent in AZ, and coming up later this week is a trip to NY.  Maybe I’ll get in a little fall foliage out east, but not sure as the fall seems to be late arriving all over this year.

So, there’s my plans, and why I won’t be there!  What’s your excuse?  Why are you not at PSW?  Sound off in the comments!  See ya back here tomorrow, and keep on shootin’!  I’ll be back again with the August contest winner and a new contest for September that will knock your socks off!

To that end, today’s podcast ventures a mere 10 miles away, where I caught up with fellow NAPP member, Michelle Hedstrom!  We actually met for a face to face and of course, the audio was recording…for podcast #62 – Grinding it Out!  We talked about everything from getting started in photography, to sports and concert photography, and what it takes to really succeed in this business.  In a nutshell – just grinding it out!  For all the details, check out the show!

Here’s some samples of her work she shared with me, and the show notes:

And, of course, her online footprint  - Ogre Photography, Examiner Articles, Twitter, Facebook

Thanks to Michelle for taking the time to sit down and talk with us at Canon Blogger.  We’ll see you back here again next time.  Until then, happy shooting!

That software is a plugin that Jeffrey Friedl makes called Metadata EXIF Viewer, which you can download for free from his website at the link provided.  It’s based on an EXIF tool Perl script from Phil Harvey, which he links to here.  It’s just like any other Lightroom plugin as far as installation goes – download the compressed file,decompress, and then copy the folder to where ever you save plugins for Lightroom and you’re set.

Then, after installation, highlight the image you want to get extended info for, and click on File, Plugin Manager Extras, and select the plugin:

Once a short CGI script runs (that’s the Perl program for you programming types), you’ll be presented with a laundry list of more info than you likely ever wanted to know about your photos.  All this, just from the header info!  Check it out:

Like I said, a veritable fountain of info…and this is just from one photo!  The question of course becomes one of “What do I do with all of this?”  Excellent question!  In the interests of full disclosure, more data isn’t always a good thing, and for many of the fields, there’s often no data reported.  Nevertheless, there are times (albeit not everyday occurences), where being able to access everything can be helpful.

Tune in tomorrow for a more detailed explanation as to just one of many possible uses!  Until then…take a minute to stop over at Jeffrey’s website and try the plugin.  (If you want to register it, you do need to make a donation of at least one penny, otherwise it’s free to use for 30 days.  I gave $2.00)

Got your own neat little add-ons, plugins, or tools that you use in your workflow too?  Feel free to sound off with your input in the comment section!  Until tomorrow, happy shooting!

The thing with sunsets and star trails is that they need conflicting environments to really work.  Sunsets work best with clouds to catch the colors of the sky as the sun drops behind the horizon.  Star trails, on the other hand, need clear skies to really work…otherwise you get these streaky clouds that can often just become a globulus mess.

So, when we went out to Jones Pass, I wasn’t sure which to wish for.  The group had about ten people and ironically, split about 50-50 between guys and gals.  The gals ended up staying at a lower elevation for some fields, fences, and the like for sunset, while the guys went further up.  Where we ended up the sunset was pretty cool, and after some decent shooting, headed back down to meet with the ladies for some beer  beverages, cheese, crackers, chips and salsa while waiting for the moon to rise.

Of course, the moon rising meant star trails were unlikely as well, so when we had clouds for both sunset and moonrise, it turned out to be a good thing all around.  While some left early due to the cloud cover, a few of us remained to see how things shook down, and it was good that we did.  The heavy clouds broke into small patches that the moon would peak through.  With the pine trees in the foreground, it made for some pretty interesting compositions.  These are tricky to expose correctly, so you really do need to just get out and experiment, as I found success (and failure) with a number of different settings.

Here’s a few of my keepers from the excursion:

The educational takeaway from this post was a good one too:  when a shoot takes you down an unexpected turn, the best thing isn’t necessarily to walk away and shoot another day, it could be to change your game plan.  Star trails clearly were not gonna happen, but that didn’t mean there weren’t opportunities for photos…we just changed our goal, and it worked!

Like the shots?  Share your thoughts?  Got your own plans for the end of summer heading into autumn?  Feel free to share plans and ideas there as well.  In the meantime, keep on shooting and we’ll see you back here next time!  Have a great week!

It’s somewhat dated in that the podcasts themselves were published back in 2009, but so much of what he did in that short series is timeless, even though the videos only encompass about 4 hours of air time.  David was also a guest on the podcast here a while back, so we’ve crossed paths a few times.  As you may or may not know, David also suffered some pretty painful injuries from a fall in Italy while teaching a class a while back.  He is in therapy and from my last understanding, almost fully walking again (doctors have given him permission to bear weight on his legs), so if you get a minute, stop over to his blog and give him some “get well” wishes if you haven’t already!

Anyway, todays’ post isn’t so much a back story on David, rather it’s on something David mentioned in his first podcast (you really should check out the entire series too, it had a limited scope, and that gave the arc of critiques he offered that much more meaning and impact – here’s the link again for those of you who missed it above: Within the Frame podcast series ).  What David mentioned almost in passing was this concept of “If Only”.  The thing of it is, we’ve all had these “if only” moments before – can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had this experience.

On one such occasion, I was driving down a road in south Denver, and a wizened lady with her possessions in a shopping cart was crossing the street.  beyond her, the street sloped downward and the mountains of Colorado were shooting up in the distance, in all their grandeur.  It was a moment that beautifully combined elements of several of the artisans I admire, including Cartier-Bressom, Moose Peterson, and of course, Ansel Adams.  It was such a “clickable” moment, but I ended up said to myself (wait for it, you know it’s coming):

If only I had my camera!

If I did have my camera, I would definitely have probably parked the car, halted traffic, and made several compositions to bring one into my permanent portfolio.  There have been others too.  What struck me though, is that we can spend our time cursing the timing, the light, our gear, what we could have, should have, or wanted to do to capture the image….or we can make a mental note of it to hopefully make the image again later!

In his podcast, David mentioned the phrase “In a perfect world” as well.  These two ideas convey rather nicely the entire reason for photography – because there is no perfect world.  The planets will never align themselves for you.  You have to align things yourself.  By recognizing the composition of the moment, the timing, the light, what’s present, what’s lacking, and how you can make the image better – you actually are making yourself better.  So, the teachable moment here is to not kick yourself for the timing of things or the “if only” moments…rather to make note of these elements, because that’s how you truly grow as a photographer – seeing what’s right (and wrong) to make your work and your vision stronger!

What kind of “if only” moments have you had in the past?  Did you make note of what could have made things better?  Did you remember?  Did you ever go back to re-create the image?  Share your own thoughts, moments, and comments below!

The meta data tells me this trip happened back in 2007, so it’s about 3 years overdue – but here’s some fun architecture shots from a trip to St. Augustine back then (and for @AmieDM17  – thanks for the blog post topic! – here’s your photo montage!)

And given the gallery portfolio from yesterday, I seem to be having something of a penchant for 1:1 aspect ratio crops lately.  The other interesting thing is that whenever I visit a city, the doors and windows seem to capture my attention in the architecture the most.

Since I always tend toward the educational side of things, here’s my educational take on this archival portfolio:

Point #1 – Always be open to publishing archives!

Sorting through old shots can bring new inspiration and re-invigorate you.  It did for me as an extra post came about as a result!  It also reminded me of a fabulous trip I took with my wife three years ago.

Point #2 – Listen to your inner voice! 

For me, I’ve always been drawn to the windows and doors in a city.  It’s as if the windows are the eyes of the city’s soul – that’s where all the stories are told for me.  What about you?  What from a city tells its story to you?  Is it the people, the cultures, the architecture, or something else.  We all have a vision that draws us…do you know your voice?

For those of you who might not know who Dave is – he’s one of the original “Photoshop Guys”, and has been teaching Photoshop classes since version 2!  He is currently the Senior Developer, Education and Curriculum for NAPP, a Certified Photoshop Instructor through Cs4, and  Certified Technical Trainer.  With several books under his belt, and a 2009 inductee to the Photoshop Hall of Fame, he is certainly no stranger to the world of Photoshop!

Here’s the nuts and bolts of our discussion, but to get the full schmear, grab the podcast either from here or in iTunes!

Talking Points:  Shooting with Photoshop in Mind

• What’s the point of Photoshop:  Fixing photos or creating visions?
• Compositing Photos in Photoshop
• Story boarding, green screens, extracting – options galore
• How do you get there from here?
• Fine Art versus Business
• Learning Workshops versus Seminars
• Watching versus Doing
• HDR:  Art form or a Solution?
• Links
  • Dave Cross Workshops
  • Dave Cross Blog
  • Dave Cross on Twitter
  • Dave Cross on Facebook

It was so fun talking to Dave about such a wide variety of subjects and we really hit on quite a bit for only 40 minutes of talk time!  Do check out his web resources there as I think the smaller sized workshop setting he has set up in Tampa will become the trend-setter of things to come.

*****

As a final reminder for the podcast and website a couple things wrap up this week:  The month long Flickr contest series, so do get your photos in for a chance to win Photo Mechanic!  Also ending this weekend is the promotional deal on the Deeper Vision eBook from David DuChemin – 20% off through July 2nd w/ promo code DEEP4.  Have a happy 4th of July, and we’ll see you next month!

As most of you already know, I am a huge fan of esoteric topical content that challenges both the writer and the reader in new directions.  While I like to think that I’ve done my fair share of challenging people to think beyond their immediate “vision” with their cameras and compositions, there are always those who just leave me in the dust, and Mr. David DuChemin is no exception.  I find that he is always a brilliant source of inspiration, so when I read his blog, I find myself hanging on almost every word!  When new releases come out from Craft & Vision, the first thing I do is check the author.  There’s been some good stuff there too, even from people I would consider colleagues, and perhaps friends.  But when David puts out a new eBook, it’s become part and parcel for me to just not even look at the title – I click and buy!  That’s how confidant I am that he will deliver quality both in photography and vision from his insights.

After his mishap in Italy, David certainly has had some time to go introspective, and while the mishap was not good, his latest insights are among the best I’ve read from him.  No joke.  I’m not just blowing sunshine, this is really quality work, that makes me re-think even my entire foundation.  His latest eBook “A Deeper Frame” brings new insights on composition to me.  I’d never thought about bringing together depth of field, with depth of color, and depth of tone.  The included photos for his book are so jaw-dropping and perfect counter points to the text, I am just blown away that these are going for a mere $5!

The photography, the content, hell, even the layout is just superb!  Take a look:

As you can see – just stunning.  Even for the $5, it’s no surprise that these are the hottest items available today!  I’ve found inspiration aplenty in literally every book of his (and my entire library is now filled with them on my iPad!).  I keep encouraging him to write more because what he gives back in these is just stunning!  To really cap things off, he’s also offering discounts! Save 20% through the 2nd, if you use a discount code (DEEP4) in your checkout box.  Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today!

Click here to visit Craft And Vision.

Thanks to David for all you’ve done for the photography community, both through your classes and these eBooks.  I know to you they may not seem like much, but to so many of us, they are sheer inspiration!  For everyone else, if you get an eBook, do also take the time to pick up the RSS feed for his blog – another brilliant source of inspiration (and that one is free!).

It’s no picnic to dive into color spaces, and color work flow management, but having an understanding past the “it looks nice in the camera” phase is important if you want people to take you seriously.  Thankfully, it’s really not as difficult as first glances would seem, and if you want to gain a measure of control – stop over to the Live Learning Lab webinar tonight!  Hosted by myself and Kerry Garrison (of Camera Dojo), in partnership with Nations Photo Lab, we’ll be tackling the fundamentals of color management, which spaces to work in, and what profiles and calibrations, and all that jazz is about.

So, whether it’s pucks and monitors, prints and photo labs, colors and tones, we’ve got you covered.  It’s a free broadcast, and starts tonight at 7pm Mountain time (6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern), so stop in for a fun and lively discussion, where we’ll also take live questions from the audience!  Here’s the link to enjoy the show: