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Video Review: Manfrotto Justin Clamp

justinclampthumb

Don’t ask me why it’s called a Justin Clamp.  I guess some guy named Justin came up with the idea, but regardless, it’s a pretty cool idea!  “What is a Justin Clamp?”, you ask?  So glad you did, because I’ve got a video that I uploaded the other day to help show, explain, and walk…

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Handling Noise Edits in Lightroom 4

Handling Noise

Hello to those of you still tuning in for the photo tips tricks and updates from here on the blog.  It’s been a while, and I promise, some kick-butt stuff is coming up (hint -hint – eBooks!), but because of all my attention there, the post schedule has suffered accordingly.  And, I know I’ve covered…

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Photography Lighting Consistency: Always Buy In Sets

CFL Variation

Sooner or later, your photography is going to involve lights.  Whether you are talking about speedlights, strobes, or even generic work lights, all of these can be used with varying degrees of control and accuracy.  The problem that comes into play when dealing with multiple styles of lights is that of white balance. Your speedlights…

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We have the Tech Table Winner!

techtable

As you may recall, last month, we announced a comment contest for December where a lucky participant had a chance to win a Tech Table from Savage Paper. To enter in the giveaway, all you had to do was make a comment in the post to be entered.  Now that December has gone into the…

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2012 in Review

Stats

Something different, yet appropriate for the blog this year, as we close into the final hours of 2012 – a look back on the year.  It was a crazy busy year for me with a new training position, which I love, but which kept me traveling extensively throughout the U.S.  Thanks to the folks over…

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Got New Gear?

Holding an SLR

So, the presents have been opened, the lunch has been gobbled down, and the kids over-stimulation has sent them into a frenzy of running around outside.  Now what?  Well, if you’re here, it’s likely because you got some new gear for Christmas.  So, first off, congratulations on the new gear – I am sure that…

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Does Santa Really Exist?

Does Santa Really Exist?

My dad has always been very fastidious around the Yuletide .  Pine needles from the tree are to be swept up daily.  We heated our home with a wood stove, so wood had to be chopped, split, kindling prepared, etc.  We needed to take care to remove all splinters, wood shavings, ashes, etc. regularly. It…

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Enter the Holiday Giveaway!

Savage Paper

As we get closer to the Christmas holiday, I am feeling generous again, which means it’s time for a holiday giveaway!  It’s not going to last long – from today through the end of the year, but this post will act as the conduit for a comment contest/giveaway.  Thanks to the generous folks over at…

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3 Elements of Buying a Tripod

Sunpak Tripod

More often than not, blur in photos is a result of movement in the camera.  This means that you are likely shooting with your shutter speed set to open and close more slowly than you can hold it in place to freeze the image in place.  So, it may make sense to think that all…

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To Burst or Not to Burst…

To Burst or Not to Burst…

As we’ve seen so many improvements in technology, with higher and higher resolution images, decreasing costs of storage, and faster  burst rates with every new generation of gear, I know a lot of photographers tend to move toward the attitude of “it’s just digital, so why not just shoot in burst rate?”  To some this…

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Top Three Lightroom Customizations

Watermarks

As Lightroom has matured from a fledgling application for those willing to try something new, to being the most preferred application for photographers in image management and editing (see the poll I ran here), customizing your interface is something that I don’t see a lot of photographers doing.  Some call it vanity, others call it…

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Pet Photography 101

Photographing Pets by Lara Blair

Photographers tend to photograph that which is closest to them more often than anything else.  For me, that means photographing my dog.  My dog is such a good dog too.  She sits when I ask her to sit, stays when I tell her to stay, shake, and all the rest.  But I’ve not had the…

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The Iconic Photographers

Joe Rosenthal

On the heels of what is likely my most popular post for the year (not bad for a holiday week, eh?), I thought it would be appropriate to round out the week by taking some time to acknowledge some of the photographers that made these amazing photographs. The Flag Raising at Iwo Jima was taken…

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The Ten Most Iconic Photographs of All Time!

The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17

I am being absolutely arbitrary and subjective here.  These are my thoughts on the history of photography.  Some of these photos were even taken before I was born.  Nevertheless, in my own studies, and in always looking for inspiration, I’ve either seen or stumbled across some of the most iconic photographs of all time.  Some…

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