JawDoc

His image of the Tilt-a-Whirl (or whatever you call it) really stood out for me in terms of the sense of motion and speed, so congrats to you sir.  If you could be so kind as to drop me an email, I will forward your name and info over to the folks at Camera Bits who are ready for delivery of your installation code for Photo Mechanic!  One final nod of thanks to them as well, for their generous contribution for the June Giveaway!

And now, for the July Giveaway, our next prize is yet another doozy!  The good folks over at Thinktank Photo have generously sent some of their latest product line to me for review, and now up for grabs is none other than their already well-received Streetwalker Pro bag.  This holds an astounding amount of gear for its size, allows for a tripod, and much more.  I’ve not had a chance to kick its tires yet (so to speak), but you know a review is going to come up soon for this month, so keep an eye and ear open!

It retails for $159 US, and this one is a beauty!

Again, because the prize will be shipped from my location rather than Thinktank, the shipping requirementsare built into this months guidelines:

1.  All images must be between 600-800 px on the longest dimension.

2.  Each person can submit up to two images

3.  The theme is STREET, fitting for a Streetwalker Pro

4.  Contest Deadline is:  July 31st at midnight Mountain Time (GMT -7).  Add or subtract for your own time zone as needed.

5.  US Residents only…sorry international folks.

6. The photo must be included in this Flickr thread.

7. The Flickr photo must be downloadable – we share the winning photo via announcement here on the blog and in newsletters – so I need to get it to do that!

8. Have fun! Remember photography is supposed to be fun so keep that in mind as you approach the May giveaway.

9. Reminder Guidelines and Rules of Engagement links are here for easy reference.

Special thanks to not only Camera Bits and Think Tank photo, but to all the sponsors – and for readers out there, if you would like to see a product reviewed and/or offered up for a giveaway, feel free to drop suggestions in the comments – that’s where vendors look!

The link to enter the contest is here – good luck to all!

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:

Lakes Photo

Congrats and send me an email with your contact information so I can get your Hoodman Loupe out to you!

*****

So, with the June contest now set to begin, I’d like to welcome a new sponsor to the lineup – the folks over at Camera Bits, makers of the reknowned Photo Mechanic!  After I talked with Kevin Mullins on the last podcast, decided I had to check it out.  What a cool piece of software – it loads full res versions of photos stunningly fast!  I can totally see why wedding and event photographers would use something like this to help expedite their work flow.  I used it to sift through about 500 photos from a recent shoot, and what would have taken me about 20 minutes in Lightroom took about 5 minutes with Photo Mechanic!  That’s a 75% time savings!

So, if you take that percentage out to the thousands of photos that are often associated with event photographers, that can translate to a huge reduction in post production!  It’s tempting for sure, and with the software valued at $150 retail, certainly well worth the investment!  You can get a fully licensed version of the software for free just by submitting your own image to the Flickr Contest thread here!  Good luck to everyone and thanks to the folks at Photo Mechanic for their generous contribution!

Congratulations to you – and by virtue of this post, simply email me a short note with your contact information and I’ll get you in touch with the right folks at Red River Paper. Thanks to them for their sponsorship, and to everyone who entered. All the images were really deserving this month, so finding one that stood out was really really difficult. I would suggest to everyone who entered (and those on the sidelines) to still take a moment to consider getting yourselves a pack of this paper, as any of these would look really great on the Polar Pearl Metallic paper.  Here’s a link to the specific page from Red River for those interested. 

And with November closed out, I am sure everyone is wondering what is in store for December.  Must be a humdinger, right?  Yes, I promise you it is, because I am throwing the doors wide open on this month.  The prize is quite simply, the bragging rights for the month.  Photography for the sake of photography is important enough too, and without having to worry about restrictions or any guidelines, anyone is welcome to share a picture anywhere this month.  Whether it’s a link in any of the blog post comments, in the group Flickr Pool, or the December thread, as long as you let me see an image – you are eligible for the bragging rights!  (You know there is likely some prize at the end too, but this go around, it’s a surprise!)

To make it official though, there are three criteria:

That’s it – the theme is wide open, the sizes are wide open, and you can show it to me anywhere…be it Flickr, the blog in a comment, or in the group pool (please no emails though – part of the idea is to let you showcase your own best work not only to me, but to everyone)!  Good luck, and here’s to lots of entries!  Enjoy the ride, and take as many pictures as you can, because you can only submit your best one from December!  The winner will be announced in 2011!

The last little nugget for today is that a special discount is going to be announced in the December newsletter, so if you haven’t signed up yet (it’s free), don’t forget to get subscribed to it before Friday!  Here’s a link to make it nice and easy for y’all! Sign Up for the Newsletter  Happy shooting all, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

So, without further ado – I am happy to announce the winner of the October giveaway – it goes to a first time contributor to the LDP Contest series…I give you:

Study!

Digital Cole

The creative energy from the double exposure in this is just awesome, and since I often feel like that when reading about new things, it’s a totally understandable emotion that the image brings to the viewing experience.  Hats off to Cole for the win!  Please take a moment to stop by their Flickr stream, and congratulate them there!  It was a tough decision and well deserved!  If you could get in touch with me to get some contact information, I’ll get things forwarded to the NAPP staff for processing!  Speaking of, thanks go out to the folks at NAPP for sponsoring the contest series!

And now, with October closed – a new contest begins for November.  Get your cameras ready because this month is a doozy!  The theme is “POP!“  Since I always try to tie the theme to the sponsor – here’s the connection – the winner gets a package of the exquisite Polar Metalic Paper from the folks at Red River Paper.  If you’re into the print, and like the look of photos just jumping off your paper, then this is the paper to use.  It’s especially good for HDR prints, but works equally well with all styles.  The drama this paper brings to an image is just amazing – you’ve got to try it to really understand it.  And, now you can – just submit a POP-themed photo to the Flickr thread. The contest starts today, and standard guidelines apply, with one exception – you can submit TWO photos!  Only one will win, but now you have two chances!

Contest Overview and Rules of Engagement are always good resources to begin with…good luck to all and HAPPY SHOOTING!

September Winner - Cameron Gardner

The sense of movement and tack sharp quality really made it stand out – I think this could even be submitted for stock (where shots have to be absolutely flawless…)!  Congratulations to Cameron – please email me your contact information so I can ship the RS7 out to you!  Special thanks to the folks at Black Rapid for their sponsorship of the contest series, and to everyone for the participation!

October Begins

A special month begins here because as most know by know – this place is all about learning, whether it’s sharing tips and tricks, composition techniques, and everything in between.  One of the most invaluable resources I have used in my own learning has been that of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals – or NAPP!  These folks offer great training, tutorials, and the forums are a special group of people.  I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned about photography from these folks.  Why am I talking about NAPP so much though? Because the winner of the October contest will be able to take advantage of a year of membership with NAPP!!!  That’s right, a one-year membership with NAPP is up for grabs.  Given the nature of the organization – the theme for the month is appropriately picked as:

STUDY

To get all the details and information on the October theme, submission guidelines and all that stuff, head over to the contest thread on Flickr and enter your best shot!  Entries are being accepted today! Good luck, and here’s to a month of happy shooting!

Simplicity in composition (there is really no place to go but dead center, and your eyes move all around there to see the legs kicked back, the vehicle lowering away (almost a perfect K, which is a compositional approach) is really well done.  It’s also tack sharp and the color appears to be spot on with the brilliant blue of the sky.  Finally, the implied speed and action of the activity  kept true to form for the challenge, so congratulations are in order for Matt Beaty!  Check out this image and the rest of his work over on his Flickr stream and website! Let’s also not forget that the folks at Lexar were kind enough to share these cards with us to help continue the contest series, so thanks to them.  Thanks also to the rest of the entrants – it really was a crowded field this month.  Next month I suspect it’s going to get even more crowded though…

*****

Speaking of next month, with the June contest now closed, it’s time to gear up for the July contest, which starts immediately!  As you may recall from the last podcast, I had the good fortune of talking with Senior Product Manager Tom Hogarty about the release of Adobe Lightroom 3 on the last podcast, and in the course of the show, was happy to announce that July will be the month where we are giving away a free copy of Lightroom 3!  Valued at $299 retail, this is going to be one for the ages (again)!

Many thanks to Adobe for contributing to the continued success of the giveaway series.  All the details for the giveaway are now live on Flickr, so stop in there to submit your best image!  Don’t forget to read the Contest Guidelines and the Rules of Engagement before submitting.  With how cool and sleek and slick Lightroom has become (and with the news being what it has been in current events lately), the theme for this month is:  SLICK!  Interpret as openly as you like (just keep it family friendly), and good luck to everyone!

As if two piece of contest news is not enough – we have about 6 days left in the comment contest where 3 lucky people will get a free copy of “Taking Stock” by Rob Sylvan (NAPP Helpdesk, iStock Reviewer and Author).  If you’ve not submitted a comment, this is a free book just waiting for 3 random peoples names to be drawn from a hat (or online number generator as the case may be), so share your own comment soon before time runs out!  (One comment per person.)

I was going to share a final announcement but am completely drained from all the buzz here…so get out and shoot, comment and have some fun – more exciting news tomorrow!  (Hint:  It’s about workshops!)

[podcast format="audio"]http://www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/cbtip49.mp3[/podcast]
[podcast format="video"]http://www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/vids/learning.mp4[/podcast]

Winter Wonderland

The theme for the contest was “Winter” and though it was a little early for this, Yvonne took her creativity to new levels by doing some rather unique post processing on an image and it worked!  It looks like she converted this to black and white or added an infrared filter of some kind.  Not sure what exactly she did, but it sure gave me shivers when I looked at it, so, congratulations to Yvonne for your creative vision, and for winning the November giveaway.  If you see this before I get a chance to find you, send me an email to claim your prizes.  I’ll be sending Yvonne a $25 gift card to B&H Photo, a DVD for the Best of Photoshop User TV, Season 11, and a book from Matthew Bamberg.  Be sure to stop by Yvonne’s photo stream on Flickr, and her website for more wonderful photos and to congratulate her.

Thanks to the folks at NAPP for the DVD, to Matthew Bamberg for contributing a copy of his book, and for everyone who participated.  I know it was challenging as many people noted that it wasn’t very “wintery” in their area yet. Hopefully though, Yvonne’s creativity showed us that you can create wonderful winter-like scenes any time of year – you just need to post process a little.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the December giveaway this Friday, while recovering from your turkey-induced tryptophan slumbers!  Believe it or not, tomorrow is not going to ne a no-blog day – something special is scheduled for your reading enjoyment.  Regardless, have a Happy Thanksgiving, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!  Don’t forget those cameras, and keep on shooting!

Here today, I am happy to announce that the winner for the OnOne Software Plugin Suite Giveaway has been decided.  So, without further ado, please give it up for Pete Petersheim!  Pete submitted the following image to the LDP contest thread, which got the ultimate nod:

Pete Petersheim's Winning Image

Click the picture to go to his Flickr thread, wish him congratulations on a job well done.  Note there are two images in his Flickr thread, a cropped version (which was entered) and the full-size one.  I think that regardless of which he had entered, it would have won the day.  The colors, composition and impressive post-processing, as well as his unique flair for something unique is just superb.  Congrats Pete!  Send me a Flickr mail message, DM me on Twitter, or email me here and I’ll get you the contact info for the folks at OnOne to get the software prize out to you in short order!

To all the entrants – thanks so much for participating – we all learn so much from one another it really is amazing to see the artistic talents that inspire in new and exciting ways!  For a full look on the entrants and the finalists, there are web galleries here:

All OnOne Entries

The Top Ten

I’d also like to take a moment and thank the folks at OnOne software for their highly generous contribution – since the winner has been announced, it’s probably appropriate to note that there is also a very generous discount being offered on the entire suite right now through Thursday, August 13th!  Save $150 off the bundle, which is an amazing savings.  So, for those who are still interested, the time is still there to save a lot of money on the package – just tell them you heard about it here at Canon Blogger/Learning Digital Photography!

With the July contest completed now, it’s probably a good time to turn our focus to the August contest – you can win a Wacom Bamboo Fun valued at $100!  I reviewed this tablet a while ago here, so if you’d like some feedback that’s a good starting point.   But, don’t forget to enter your images – you can pull from archives this go around, and submit up to three images in the Flickr Thread!  More details are also available on Flickr!

That’s it for today, so congrats to Pete!  Thanks to Wacom!  And  Happy Shooting!  (We’ll see you back here again tomorrow!)

Grab the Feed

There’s a link off the Canon home page that quietly announces this.  The linked page is here:

Canon Rebate Announcement

You can follow the link to confirm, but here is the text of the announcement:

November 17, 2008.

Dear Valued Customer,

This is an official message from Canon U.S.A., Inc.

The third-party rebate processing company that was responsible for processing rebate claims and issuing mail-in rebate checks for Canon-brand printer and video products (along with many other products from a number of other companies) filed a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy petition on Friday, November 14. The funds provided to them by Canon U.S.A., Inc. (and other companies) apparently are no longer available to satisfy the rebate checks such company issued on behalf of Canon and other companies. Regrettably, as a result, you should not cash the rebate check you recently received for such products, as it may bounce. We apologize for any inconvenience, delay or confusion this may cause. We are doing everything in our power to promptly rectify the situation.

Accordingly, we request that you take the following actions:

• If you are holding or receive a rebate check for printer or video products which is dated on or before November 14, 2008, please do not cash the check, as it may bounce. Please look for updated postings on the Canon U.S.A. website on or about November 21, 2008 for further instruction on how to exchange your check for a new check that you will be able to cash.
• If you have not yet mailed in your rebate claim materials, please hold such materials until you receive further instruction. We are making new processing arrangements, with a new mail-in address. Please look for updated postings on the Canon U.S.A. website on or about November 21, 2008 for further instruction on where to mail your rebate claim material and how to exchange your check for a new check that you will be able to cash.

Check our website later this week for further instructions and contact information for any questions you may have. Again, please do not cash any rebate checks for printer or video products which are dated on or before November 14, 2008, as they may bounce.

We are committed to ensuring that you receive your rebate as soon as possible and that you will continue to have full confidence in Canon U.S.A., Inc.

We apologize again for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Canon U.S.A., Inc.

So… for those who read the blog, hold off on any purchases as it looks like the rebate may not clear!

We now return you to your regular blogging…

Here’s the nuts and bolts of all the specs:

• HD Video @ 1920×1080 and 30 fps
• SD Video @ 640×480 and 30 fps
• video capture up to 4 GB or 29min, 59 sec
• Video recorded in .MOV format
• Input terminal for microphones
• HDMI output
• 3 Live View Modes
• Peripheral Illumination Correction
• Two Small raw formats
• Silent shooting in Live View
• Integrated Cleaning System
• 21.1 MP
• ISO from 50-25,600 (not a typo!)
• 3.9 fps
• UDMA card compliant
• 15 point auto-focus
• 3″ LCD (920,000 dot resolution VGA)
• 150,000 shutter count cycle
• Price: $2699!!!!!

I guess the only thing that surprises me is the frames per second for still captures.  Yeah okay, it’s capturing 21.1 megapixels and at a full frame, but it is also able to capture 30 fps in HD video!  Why is the still frame rate so slow comparatively speaking (at 3.9 fps)?

That being said, the video features are astonishing, as is the low price point!  I would expect the older Canon 5D’s to drop into the $1000 range shortly…start checking the auction sites!  For the full story that gives all the hype and glamour of Canon news announcements, check out the press release here with all the above shots also in high resolution:

Canon Announces 5D Mark II

Anyone else want to salivate over it with me?  What are your thoughts on this new release?  Will this answer the gauntlet of the D3 that Nikon threw down a short while ago?  I would tentatively say yes – but only time will tell!

Video clips:

http://www.canon-ci.co.kr/product/smov/pop01.html

http://www.canon-ci.co.kr/product/smov/pop02.html

http://www.canon-ci.co.kr/product/smov/pop03.html

http://www.canon-ci.co.kr/product/smov/pop04.html

My name is Jason Anderson and I am an IT professional working in the (currently) very hot and humid state of South Carolina.  With Charleston as the largest recognizable community nearby, you could call me a “Lowcountry Resident.”  Since the IT industry is not prone to a lot of creative expression, I have endeavored to find creative venues to express myself, and to find others like me that share a passion for both logic, and…well, passion!

This web log is the conclusion of the realization that I needed a venue to express and share personal thoughts, ideas, and experiences with the online community.  Most often, this will be photographic in nature.  However, I may occasionally wax philosophic, plug sites I find interesting, and sometimes simply offer viewers and readers the mumblings and ramblings of an IT pro as I weave my way through a decidedly creative and sometimes less-than-logical world of artistic expression!