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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Bill M. Carroll

Congrats again to Bill – if you could drop me an email, I’ll coordinate to get your info over to the right folks at NAPP to process everything going forward! You are sure to enjoy countless resources, tips, tricks, tutorials, and other content NAPP provides to all its members!  Everyone, if you could take a moment out of your day to congratulate Bill for his awesome shot (and a great expression on the kid too!) that won the contest!

*****

Don’t forget, the October Contest is now also underway, so gear up those cameras to capture the idea of “stacks” somehow!  The winner this go around will become the proud owner of a Lensbaby Composer!

Is it me, or is there always a lot of “versus” discussion going on in the field of photography?  For a while there it was film versus digital.  After that, I recall a lot of discussions surrounding raw versus jpg image capturing.  Then, we moved on to Canon vs Nikon (or any other vendor).  Next up, it was “normal” versus HDR post processing.  More recently, we’ve seen discussions centered around still versus video too.  Technical versus creative, Apple versus Microsoft, Aperture versus Lightroom versus Photoshop versus iPhoto versus…..take your pick!

I have been equally guilty of fanning the flames of versus discussions.  Just recently I wrote a post about lighting versus compositional elements of a photograph (and another one is coming out soon in the PhotographyBB magazine that expands on that idea!).  So, this is more an observation than a critique, because when it comes down to it, discussion is a good thing, right?

But the larger question is whether discussion is the main thrust of it all.  When you think about it, the field of photography really isn’t “about” discussion – that’s the field of debate.  Photography is more about capturing images, whether intended for sale, personal expression, a business model, or anything else – what we really need to be doing is taking pictures!

***

There’s an old saying from my college days:  “Those that can’t, teach.  Those that can’t teach, teach college.”  It’s a tongue in cheek perspective on pursuing a post graduate degree, and not one that is necessarily without a modicum of truth to it (I had some really bad college professors at times).  But the upshot of all this is “Those that can, do!“

So, if you think you can, then by all means get out and try!  It starts with actually getting out and taking pictures instead of sitting here reading this blog.  So, what are you waiting for?  Have a great weekend, and get out to do some shooting!  See you back here on Monday! (maybe!   )

While both the light and the composition are essential elements to a photograph, often times you will “see” one before the other.  So the question became one of “Do you see the light?”  versus “Do you see the composition?”  Take for example the photo I’ve shared in the past of Bull Island at Sunrise:

When I first saw this scene, it was not a sunrise – it was more around 11am – noonish.  It was my previous trip to Bull island, and my first thought was “This scene would be gorgeous at sunrise!”  To me, for that moment, the composition was totally the first and only thing that popped into my mind – I simply had to find the time to get back for the right light.  As you can tell from the above shot, I did!

By contrast, sometimes you are in a location and the light just speaks to you…something about it inspires you to capture the moment.  After the moment of inspiration then, the way to compose starts to creep into your minds eye.  Here, a great example from my own portfolio archives is some beams of light that caught my eye in a parking garage:

The lines of light that shot through the grid-style wall of the garage really caught my eye here, and I spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out the best way to capture the moment.  Clearly, I was shooting on a tripod, but I wasn’t sure if I should look at it from this side, the other end, or from the front.  Either end would have given a left-to-right (horiztonal eye movement) perspective, whereas shooting from on the side would have been a vertical sort of shot, with the lines drawing the eye in.  Ultimately, I shot it as my own eyes first saw it: left to right.  The point though, is that I saw the light first, then had to think about the composition…

For me, the best way to express the whole idea of looking at images from a perspective of lighting and composition, it’s probably better to not use the term “versus” because neither one weighs more for me – I consider both equally.  Does one sometimes catch my eye first?  Of course – but I always draw the other element into the image whenever possible.  For me it’s more of a scale – with lighting on one end and composition on the other:

Sometimes something on the left end of the spectrum catches my eye, then my brain pulls me to the right to bring the two together.  Other times something on the right end catches my eye, then the opposite happens, my mind starts thinking about the left.

As you can see, it’s not as simple as one would think to really definitely answer this – but I will say this:  It helps to explore which you may lean toward more.  Some people just see the lighting element of imagery plain as day, while for other the composition just falls naturally into place.  Knowing which way you lean though, can help you to work on the other element.  The question really to ask then is:  which comes first in your eye? (Hint: Sound off in the comments! )  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here Friday for some honest to goodness ground-breaking news!

Posing Your Subect

• The S Curve
• Naked Shoulder
• Full Back
• Knee In/out
• Step Up
• Balance
• Pelvic Roll
• V’s in Composition and Framing

It’s a great and informative discussion, so be sure to catch it from either your iTunes Feed, or direct download here!  You can also visit Kerry at his various online outlets here:

• Camera Dojo
• Kerry Garrison Photography
• Kerry on Twitter
• Kerry on Facebook

Setting Goals

While I answered yes to many of the questions, I did have to admit that I had not devoted as much time to the learning side of things.  After spending time on writing blog posts, taking pictures, going on shoots, recording podcasts, talking to vendors, and the whole schmear, I had only attended 1 workshop!  While the workshop was a phenomenal one (David Ziser’s Captured By The Light tour), it’s just one aspect of photography.

So,  2011 will hopefully be a year of learning.  I know it seems odd that the host of the Learning Digital Photography podcast and author of Canon Blogger is endeavoring to learn more, but that brings up a very good point that bears mentioning – we never stop learning! I had a colleague say something to me recently after we had several discussions about various aspects of the craft.  His words went something like “I could learn a lot from you about licensing and copyright.”  It reminded me that no matter who we are, or where we think we are in our craft, there is always going to be someone out there that knows more than us about something.  Whether it’s licensing, printing, composition, or any other topic – there is always more to learn.  And you can learn from anywhere!

With that in mind, one of my priorities in 2011 is to attend more workshops and seminars  From my perspective, when you stop learning, you’ve stagnated, and creativity begins to subside.  What a great opportunity to move forward with in 2011!  And it all came from a little introspection, and looking at my goals for 2010..it gave me motivation, desire, and a resolution for 2011!

As always, let’s turn the question out for the reading/listening audience.  What were your goals for 2010?  Did you reach your goals?  Are you happy with what you’ve done? What about 2011?  Any photography goals for the year?  Share your thoughts, views, visions and dreams in the comments or via email.  Don’t forget to keep on shooting!  We’ll see you back here again tomorrow for more photography goodness!

• I must either want it or already own it!

• It must cost $50 or less

For the first 20 items, you can visit these links for parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 – but if you want the full kit n kaboodle next time, make sure you sign up for the newsletter – these folks got the whole schmear at once for free in a handy-dandy PDF file.  There’s lots of reasons to sign up, including that I will always respect your privacy, and you can unsubscrbe if you ever feel like I am spamming you.  I promise though, the news is good, there’s lots of photos from me and LDP/CB members, and discounts to other products as well.  So, don’t delay, subscribe today!

Okay, now without further ado, the final 5 of the 25 Item Gift Guide for 2010!

1.  Energizer Ultimate Batteries – I had recommended the Sanyo Eneloops last go around because they held their charge much better, and could go through more recharges.  However, my most recent issue of consumer reports indicates that the Energizers have caught up and surpassed them.  Apparently cheaper and packing an equal oomphf ranked it higher, so it goes double for me as I find Consumer Reports to be one of the most reputable publications available.  And for the bargain basement price of $6 on Amazon, it’s worth testing these in the flash units!

Energizer Ultimate Batteries

2.  Webcam – Now that I have a widescreen 24″ LCD on my desktop computer, I find I want to spend more time at it than my laptop.  And for those of us who bought monitors for their viewing and not a built in rinky-dink camera, the add-on of an independent webcam cam make video chats and messaging much easier with friends and loved ones.  I personally like the Logitech line, and they have several for under $50.  Unless you are looking for a webcam that scans your face and tracks with it, there’s really no need to invest more money.  They come as cheap as $20, but I’d trust the C310 HD Webcam.  It’s got a built in microphone too, so no frogging around with headphones and other wired products to talk – it’s that easy!  Plus, right now the regular price of $46 is almost knocked in half with holiday savings – down to $26+ shipping.

Logitech Webcam

3.   F-Stop Watch - Okay, I know this has a high geek factor, but it really is a watch, and the design isn’t that outlandish.  The best part though – is that the f-stops are positioned in their relative clock positions…all the way from f1.4 up to f11!  How cool is that?  For the photog in your life – it’ll be a great gift, and at only $36, well under the price threshold.  Consider it on your final online push…I just told Tracy about it with an “Teee!  Look at this!”

4.  Justin Clamp - I’ve been looking at these for years, and when I get more serious about off-camera lighting using wireless triggers, a Justin Clamp will come in very handy in situations where a light stand just cant reach, or is too awkward.  A one time charge from B&H for $46, and you don’t have to buy it beer or pizza afterward!  Mine’s officially on the list!  Get yourself one too if you use lights!

Justin Clamp

5. Zipshot Tripod - I am not normally one to take risks on gear, and know that you need to spend decent money if you need reliable gear, but here I am making an exception.  This cool little tripod is called the Zipshot, and looks to be made out of the same lightweight rods that camping tents are constructed from – with tension strings that makes it self assemble faster than anything I’ve ever seen.  The speedy setup, combined with its compact and lightweight specs make this something to consider if you are out and about in an active capacity and on the go.  It won’t hold more than a 3LB SLR, so with the 50D weighing in at about a pound and a half, you could probably throw up to say an 28-135mm lens on here and watch it stay in place to capture longer exposures.  I don’t think I’d put anything bigger on it, but for something quick and easy, this compact and durable device fits the ticket at right under the $50 mark.

Zipshot Tripod

There they are, all 25 gift guide ideas in their glory.  Thanks go out to many readers who pointed me to the “best of” lists around the web and other outlets and resources from which these few were pulled.  Happy shooting, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow with the latest and greatest from LDP!  Yup, the annual holiday show! (Well, not really, an annual event, but likely the last of the year, so stop in for a fireside chat with me and my special guest as we talk about the “Finding Your Creative Vision”.

1.  SnagIt! – If you ever needed a screen capture utility with professional features, including adding callouts, banners, text, and other things, this is the place to go.  It retails for $50 so just fits in the guidelines of being under $50 and on my wish list!  Made by the folks over at Tech Smith, it beats the pants off the native print screen functionality of Windows and Command-Shift-F4 on Mac.

Snag It!

2.  A star filter – I’ve always been a fan of starbursts in imagery, and there’s no time like the holidays to add that effect to all your lights.  If you can’t afford the stopping power of F-16, try one of these filters from Hoya (link from B&H Photo for the 77mm variety, so check to see if they have your filter size in stock…in all likelihood, they do!)

Hoya Star Filter

3.  USB Charging Outlet – I think it’s safe to say that the USB cable has pretty much become ubiquitous.  Whether you have an iPhone, a Droid, a bluetooth earpiece, or any one of a countless bunch of USB devices that need charging almost daily, an outlet like this makes your life a LOT easier!  No more actual outlets lost to a charger when you need a lamp, a monitor, or some other device to plug into the real outlet.  Just a bit of DIY know-how to swap out an existing outlet is all you need!  (Don’t forget to cut off the power first.)  I want like 5 of these, but each is only $20, so it makes the list!

USB outlet

4.  Captured! – Probably one of the most esteemed wildlife photographers out there, Moose Peterson has quietly built a reputation for his legendary captures of both nature and wildlife.  I can’t remember the last time he published a book, but this one is definitely on my wish list this Christmas.   Reading about photography is always a good thing – reading from the masters, even better!

Moose Peterson's Captured!

5.  Wireless Lapel Microphone Kit – Finally, for those of us with video on our DSLR’s (and it’s a growing crowd), consider your audio when you record.  A simple wireless lapel microphone system will deliver the goods better and more professionally.  Invest right from the get-go and save yourself tons of aggravations down the road.  Here’s a simple system from Radio Shack right on the money at $49.99! – Although I should note that the unit comes with a jack that is 1/4″, and a reducer is needed to go down to the 1/8ths needed for SLR plugs… (you are tethered to a wall because it needs AC power, so don’t think you’ll get the portability of, say a hotshoe mounted microphone set, but that’s for the very dedicated crowd as it’s way above the $50 max for these lists)

Wireless Microphone Kit

There ya have it, the five for today!  That means there are only five more items to go in the last list, which should be out next week!  Get your own thoughts in before the list is done, and let me know what you think of things so far!  Sound off in the comments and via email!

The way I understand the digital photography landscape (no pun intended), is that there are three phases in which you can (and should) sharpen your images:

1. Capture Sharpening – This type of sharpening is done on initial import from your camera to your image editor.  Whether that is through ACR in Photoshop, in Lightroom (which has ACR built in), or any other application.  This initial one is of utmost importance because of the inherent softening of images during the demosaic process when interpreting raw sensor data.  As I understand it, the settings used here are relative to the camera you are using, but not so much the specific image.


ACR Sharpening

2. Creative Sharpening – After import, this would be the time when selective and subjective interpretations are done on images.  Whether you choose to apply USM (unsharp mask) in Photoshop, a High Pass overlay layer, or some other means, these types of effects are always done to taste, and very much open to interpretation.


Creative Sharpening using High Pass Filter

3. Output Sharpening – Last, but not least, output sharpening is when you apply sharpening effects specific to your output device.  These settings are dependent on the output device, such as a printer, the web (screen), as well as the size and resolution of the output image (smaller size requires less sharpening than larger files).  Even within output sharpening there are settings specific to the printer you are using, and to the paper you are using,

Again though, these are just my impressions on whether sharpening is needed in a digital age or not. I know someone is going to ask, so should probably state here that an entirely different set of criteria should be used when talking about film sharpening techniques…but I digress!   Back on topic, there’s actually a couple really good resources (from my biased perspective of course) that discuss sharpening in much greater detail than I did here.  First off, a book called “Real World Sharpening” by Bruce Fraser and Jeff Shewe is one I would highly recommend.  For those with an online reading preference, here’s another good article on the subject, also by Bruce Fraser.

Am I off base?  What are your thoughts on sharpening?  Is it needed in a digital world?  When and how do you sharpen your images (if at all)?  Sound off in the newest poll (also in the sidebar):

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

1.  A New Card Reader: With faster and higher sized cards coming out all the time, believe it or not, that card reader from 3 years ago (or older) might not work anymore.  The newest format – SDXC – Secure Digital Extended Capacity – takes things to the stratospheric level, with card memories reaching the theoretical limit of 2TB of data!  Obviously, developed with the photo/video – ographer in mind, these cards re-designed the way media is read, and a newer card reader is needed to see all the bits and bytes.  They’re not terribly expensive, usually around $15-$30, but the one I got was the Delkin Reader came from B&H for $20.

Card Reader

2.  Daylight Balanced Light Bulbs: For the color correction perfectionist, truly accurate color balance only comes from working in a controlled environment.  One of those elements is the light bulb.  The ideal recommendation for a color-controlled work flow starts with a colorimeter, but ends with the ambient light.  Consider the bulbs you use in your lamps and ask yourself – are these the right light levels?  According to many resources, daylight balanced light bulbs give the best neutral light to work from.  A number of vendors claim their products meet the daylight balance gauge but look for ones with a Kelvin of 5000-5500, so be sure you get bulbs that are in this range.  The ones I like are from Tabletop Studios – ranging from $10-$40 depending on size and wattage.  (I got the 14 watt spiral tops for $10…)

Daylight Balanced Light Bulbs

3.  Gaffers Tape: This is one thing that photographers hate to buy, but love to have.  It’s just not sexy to own, or fun to have around, but when you want to somehow strap a light to a corner, a tree, or any one of a number of both conceivable and inconceivable uses, gaffers tape is your best friend.  It’s kind of silly not to buy it, but it’s just not got the pop.  Get your photographer a 30′ roll of it for only $15 at B&H though, and they will be thanking you over and over again!  From B&H

Gaffers Tape

4.  Gift Cards: Out of Ideas? – Let them do the shopping with a gift card.  It may not have the creative spin of gaffers tape or a battery caddy (from Part 1), but if you truly have no idea what someone wants or needs, let them decide and get a gift card.  Most major vendors from Amazon to Best Buy have them.  For me – I like the B&H Gift Card, with values ranging from $25 – $1000.

B&H Gift Card

5.  Zip Ties!: Cables are a necessary component for photographers.  Whether it’s the mini-USB, the micro-to-USB, the iPhone-USB, or any other connector (also think PC-sync cables), nothing keeps things organized better than cable ties.  My super “on-the-cheap” method is left over twist-ties, but you can class it up easily with a couple packs of these much more professional-looking Velcro-ties.  At $6 for a pack of 100 ties from Amazon, you can’t go wrong!

Cable Velcro Zip Ties

In case you’re wondering, there is a Part 1 and a Part 2 with ten other ideas for the photographer you know, so if nothing here strikes your fancy, be sure to check those out for other options.  In the meantime, enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving here in the States, and for the international readers, have a Happy Thursday!  We’ll see you back here likely on Monday.  Don’t forget Friday is the National Family Photo Day (as declared by Nations Photo Lab), so you can take and print pictures of all your family, while getting a chance to win lots of fun free stuff from them!

1.  Wireless Trigger System:  Pocket Wizards, Radio Poppers and Cybersyncs are great if you’ve got the moolah, but for those on a budget, there should be some happy medium to get reasonably reliable triggers.  I had tried the Cactus triggers myself, and they were a good point of entry, but really just were too unreliable.  My buddy Kerry Garrison from Camera Dojo has researched the heck out of this and knows his stuff on lighting.  He’s put together a great kit that includes everything you need from transmitters to receivers, and PC Sync cables too, all for the budget-friendly $50 rate!  Check out his demo video here and get your photographer a set of these.  I can’t wait to get my own set!

Wireless triggers from Camera Dojo

2.  Lexar Memory:  Everyone could use an additional memory card, and with prices dropping rapidly, the 8GB UDMA CF cards are now within the budget-conscious range, so pick up a spare (or two) of these as we never have enough in our bags…this one is linked from B&H but pick your own vendor of preference as the deals are across the internet.

Lexar CF Cards

3.  Black Rapid RS7 – Okay, so it’s 8 bucks over the limit, but for the portability and easing of camera holding during extended sessions, the Black rapid RS 7 is a godsend.  If you don’t have one – get one, plain and simple.  Visit here to buy one today!

Black Rapid RS-7

4.  Online Training – a month or two from either Kelby Training or Lynda.com is just the ticket to help the photographer in your life help themselves.  Whether it’s a refresher on Photoshop, boning up on Indesign, or even learning how to set up a WordPress blog or website, these are great resources for online training.  Monthly rates are $25 on average, and with the holidays approaching, you could easily find discount codes or bonus offers for signing up, so consider this valuable option.  It’s all part of the mentality of helping people advance in their craft through education!

Online Training

5.  Light Stand – I have been procrastinating getting a second light stand for some time now and there is just no excuse.  The primary is an Impact stand I got from B&H and it has served me well, so I just need to add this to my own wish list, and encourage you to add one to yours (if you don’t already have enough that is…but then again, do we ever have enough lightstands – it’s a VAL you don’t have to feed or take out for beers after a shoot!)!.  Here’s my own preferred one:  10′ Impact Lightstand (Tracy, are you reading this?) I should probably note here that I am linking to the 10′ tall heavy duty one – well worth the extra investment in my opinion, but for the super budget-conscious, these can get as cheap as $20 for a light duty 6′ one!

Impact Light Stand (6' to 10')

Okay, so consider it 5.5 suggestions today.  I’m sure you have your own ideas too, so feel free to throw your own suggestions in the mix.  Remember, with two down and three to go, keep the ideas coming as I do have some room open for a few more!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

A.  I either own it or want it!  If I don’t own it, how can I say it’d be a great gift?  Only if it’s something I want!

B.  Let’s be realistic, the current economic trials are hitting us all hard – and throwing $100+ ideas on a gift guide is too rich for the blood of many photog-types in the trenches, so it’s gotta be cost-effective (nothing over $50)

To keep this manageable, it’s been parted out into five posts – each with 5 items.  These are in no particular order, with no favoritism or affiliation to the actual products or vendors.  So, without further ado:

1.  Ditty Bag – My brother had some of these on our canoe trip earlier this year, and they proved invaluable in keeping my gear dry.  $27 for a three-pack of dry ditty bags is a steal!  From REI:

REI Ditty Bags

2.  The Photo Mug – What can I say?  I want one of these muchly.  With my own expenditures being withheld to ones that are needed versus wanting, and not splurge items, I just have to hope someone in my family sees this:

Photojojo Lens Coffee Mug

3.  The Battery Caddy – I know, this was in last years showcase, but that should tell you how much I love this.  Mine was won in a photo contest online about three years ago and it has never left my camera bag.  Brilliant idea, and worth its weight in gold!  More options available than the AA clip shown here.

Battery Caddy

4.  Flickr is probably one of the most recognizable photo sharing sites.  With a pro account ads are banished and you are not limited in your daily uploads nearly as much.  Only $25 gives the gift for a year!

Give the Gift of Flickr

5.  Pocket Rocket from Think Tank.  A sponsor of the Lightroom workshop, Think Tank gave us a bunch of these to include for each participant.  I had to have one myself too, so out went the $17 – totally worth it!

Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket

Number 6-10 will be out soon, but I still have room on the list for some late additions, so if you’ve got some ideas, feel free to share (sharing is a good thing) either here in the comments or with me via e-mail.  Happy shooting and we’ll see you tomorrow (or possibly Friday)!

If you’ve not heard of David DuChemin by now you need to check out his blog:  Pixelated Image.  Truly a fountain of inspiration.  He also is the genius being a relatively new publication outlet called Craft and Vision (check it out for a more extensive list) of short eBooks and articles on so many different topical areas of photography (many of which he has written himself.  These are all only $5 a piece and I’ve enjoyed every single one I’ve read.  One of the latest publications to come out of there is titled “Close to Home” by Stuart Sipahigil.  It’s no different from the rest in that the writing and photography in this particular issue is quite stunning, and for the incredibly low price of $5 – this is one you simply have to read!

Close to Home

Yellow and Blue

Iydillic Scene

Orange, Red, and Blue

Yellow, Green, and Blue

Colors Colliding

Going Low

As you can see, the subtle HDR processing really added something to the photos.  Is it good?  Is it bad?  As in most things artistic, there is something of a judgment call involved.  Perhaps an important side note here in learning more about composition is to realize that something came out of an otherwise normal exercise (taking the dog for a walk), and in looking all around yourself, images are available everywhere.  Where should you look for your next photo?  Right there!  You just have to know to look for it!

Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Kevin Mullins

by Kevin Mullins

Firstly, I’d like to thanks Jason, not only for offering me a “spot” here today, but also generally, for this great blog and the Learning Digital Photography podcast – they are both great resources and Jason, I applaud you for keeping them both going so strong.

I’m a Welsh wedding photographer based in North Wiltshire, England.  My style is documentary with a splash of bridal portraiture thrown in for good measure.  My perfect wedding day is 90% documentary photography, and 10% fashion/fine art bridal photography.

My influences are the likes of Jeff Ascough, David Murray & Crash Taylor in the UK, Jerry Ghionis and Yervant in Australia and the likes of Joe Buisink in the United States.  An eclectic and very different mix of absolutely brilliant wedding photographers that I would love to bring my images anywhere near the quality of there output.

I read a lot of wedding photography blog posts and spend a large amount of my time visiting the sites of these photographers who influence me the most – I end up deconstructing a lot of the images by looking at the Exif data if its available.  I always find myself wondering what their gear bag looks like on a standard wedding day.

So, when Jason told me to go for it on this post, I thought, well, why not open my gear bag up and give a small review/overview of what’s in my camera bag.  I know that gear does not “maketh the photo”, and the great photographers out there would make awesome photographs with an iPhone.  Obviously there are fantastic wedding photographers out there who don’t use anywhere near as much equipment as me, and you can, definitely, shoot a wedding with a lot less gear – but this, simply, is my selection – just don’t tell my wife about the 85mm though

I’ve included a shot from recent weddings for each of the lenses.

Canon 5D Mk II – a simply wonderful camera.  I’ve had one of them now since early December last year and they really are a joy to use.  The low light capabilities are just stunning and I’ll have no problem shooting at an ISO of 3200 or above  in the reception if need be.  I’m a big fan of the full frame sensor and the large mega pixel count as I like  to print some of my images out at 5 foot ratios for clients.  Conversely, the file size is an issue and, though storage is cheap these days, I find myself re-analysing my storage workflow all too often.

Canon 35mm f/1.4 L – definitely my favourite lens for the bridal preparation and dance floor shots.  I use it for any formal group shots that the couple want also.  It’s also a great portrait lens – you need to get relatively close, but the image quality is just stunning.  Its fast, meaning I can shoot out at 1.4 on those dark dance floors and still get the shutter speeds I need (well, most of the time!).

35mm f/1.4 ISO 500 1/30 Sec Av Mode

Canon 85 mm f/1.2 L – my portrait lens.  I don’t always take this to weddings as its heavy, expensive and actually really slow at AF.  It is, though, the perfect lens for studio or static portrait shots.  In manual focus, it a lens that is probably un-paralleled, but for me, on a wedding shoot, manual focus is just not always an option.

Kevin Mullins Photography

85mm f/1.6 ISO 3200 1/80th Sec Av Mode

Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS L – A lot of wedding photographers love this lens, and a lot of wedding photographers hate this lens.  Its big, its white, its heavy and, with the lens hood on, it makes you look like the Paparazzi.  However, I love this lens for some of the portrait shooting and also for the speeches.  It gives you the option to stay away from the action for the most part but still get the quality shots that the clients require.  I try not to frighten small children with it though and I once had a pigeon land on it while I was lining up a shot.

Kevin Mullins Photography

75mm f/2.8 ISO  800 1/60th Sec Av Mode

Sigma 105 f/2.8 Macro – This lens is actually a very able portrait lens, but its macro capabilities are stunning.  I use this for close ups of the rings and any other details that require finer details.

Kevin Mullins Photography

105mm f/2.8 ISO 100 1/125th Sec Av Mode

Canon 16-35 f/2.8 L II  – A marvellous wide angle lens.  I don’t use it so much because of the superior quality of the 35mm prime.  However, when I need those really wide angles then the lens is perfect.  At 16-19mm range you can get some superb wide angles .

Kevin Mullins Photography

16mm f/2.8 ISO 640 1/6th Sec Av Mode

http://www.kevinmullinsphotography.co.uk/

http://blog.kevinmullinsphotography.co.uk

Additionally, you can also create contextual appeal by the use of negative space too.  See something standing all by itsef, or away from other things?  That’s a picture possibility!  Conversely, something that is amidst other things could be a cue for creative expression.  What if you saw a plastic water bottle among some glass beer bottles?  That could be cool…or what if you had a computer mouse sitting in a mousetrap?  You can create subject and background contextual associations in your own environment too ya know.  Photographers that make good money do it all the time.  (Hint:  that’s called stock photography! )

Here’s a few examples to give you a springboard for creativity.  Find something you like?  Tell me below!  (I love to get feedback on photos just like everyone else…)  Got your own ideas?  Share those below too!  Sound off in the comments, and don’t forget to keep on shooting!  (That Flickr Contest thread is still alive and kicking you know – great chance to win $500 of gear, including a Thinktank bag System and a copy of the Topaz Labs PS Plugin Bundle!)

Trapped Bicycle

Hidden Planter

Hidden Planter

Alcohol Plumbing

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We all have aspirations of taking our work to “the next level”.  How we define our “levels” of success is largely a personal matter.  Here I am always happy to share my aspirations and goals with the larger community.  It is likely no secret that as a blogger, the written word is an enjoyable “tool” for me.  In writing both blog posts here, and articles for the PhotographyBB magazine (and special shout outs and thanks to Dave Seeram, editor-in-chief of said magazine), it has become pretty clear that writing for blogs and writing for magazines requires different approaches.  To that end, there is some content on the blog that has never been incorporated into any magazine.  Likewise, some magazine content has never seen the light of the blogosphere.  Well, that convergence begins today, courtesy of my good friend, Eizabeth Gast (a.k.a. “Firgs” of Design by Firgs).

In looking at her work online with her own blog, and her social presence as well, I thought she might enjoy reading an article I wrote for the magazine.  Well, she has helped with editing, and it now also has a great blog form to it as well.  Since she was so instrumental in its transition from magazine to blog, I offered it up to her for use if she liked – needless to say, I think she liked it enough because it’s on her blog today!  Thanks Firgs!  You are the best!  If you want to read more about the importance of how social networking can play into photography – stop over and read her blog.  Heck, stop over anyway and tell her thanks for me!

The Comment Contest Winner

In other news, the Comments Contest was a huge success!  With only one repeat and one tweeted link, the count totaled 15, matching the highest total ever received for a single post!  After taking out the repeat and the tweet, lucky #13 is the number I plugged in over at www.Random.org (another link I picked up from Firgs!).  Wit the Random Number Generator (drumroll please…) the winner in the Comments Contest is – believe it or not, lucky #13!  That winner is is andie! So, Andie, if you could drop me an email, you are the lucky winner of a $25 gift card to B&H Photo!

The “Win a Wacom” Giveaway

Submissions for this giveaway are now closed.  Over the next few days I will be going through all the entries and winnowing out the best of the best and choosing a winner!  Be sure to tune in as we move toward Friday!

The Super September Giveaway

Remember the Topaz Labs software I mentioned yesterday?  And the Thinktank Photo Multimedia Bag System? Yup, it’s now time and they are up for grabs in the latest and greatest giveaway over on the Flickr page.  A new thread has been created (yes, a little ahead of schedule), so feel free to start putting your work in there.  The direct link to that thread is here.  The theme is Think in Color, so I am sure a rainbow will appear in short order, with lots of creativity!

I was going to do a write-up of some more plugins from the Topaz Suite, but time and space just got away from me, so if you wanna see more about this great plugin set, be sure to stop back in tomorrow as I promise to have that review together for your reading enjoyment.  On that note, have a rockin’ day and happy shooting!

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What’s kind of exciting about that article, is that not only did Jason find it interesting enough to include with the collection of folks that have been featured thus far on his blog, but the good folks (Hi Dave!) over at Photography BB have released their latest free online magazine, and the article was included in there as well!  (I must be doing something right!  *grin*)  Be sure to download that magazine as well, because there really are some talented writers and photographers sharing their perspectives.  I’m also honored that Dave has included the CB Learning Digital Photography podcast in his list of favorite online media sources for photography (we’re #1 in the audio section – woOt!).

When it rains, ir really does pour!  However, because of the interview with Mr. Hogarty, the podcast is thus delayed again, because the two themes of Listener Questions and Answers and Questions with Adobe seamed together pretty well.  I may have it compiled early enough to post before the weekend, but don’t expect any miracles there.  More likely that will be published next week Tuesday under the software heading of the new schedule (since it’s about Lightroom – there’s also some great links you’ll want in the show notes).

For today though, I do have a little maintenance announcement as well: for those of you picking up the blog via Feedburner, you will likely be getting a double dose of images, because as promised, I am also uploading the images from yesterday’s post to share on Flickr, so you will likely see some repetition there.  It’s also a little exciting to share that the feedburner subscription hit an all time high not once but twice this week of 691 listeners/readers.  So, thanks to everyone that has signed up – it really means a lot that so many have found the CB resource useful!

That’s about it for this first Friday in May – have a great weekend everyone!  Happy Shooting and we’ll catch you back here on Monday for the latest in the hardware reviews.  I’ll leave you with one of my favorite selections from this past week in the What the Duck series:

This has been a topic I’ve wanted to address for some time now, because I think gender does have an impact on how we look at, and how we capture imagery.  We all know that men and women are different, so it should come as no surprise that we see the world differently.  Thus it also naturally would follow that we take pictures differently too.  So, can we really break down how men and women take pictures differently?
Probably, given a scenario, anyone could devise a set of criteria to measure how people see the world.  In fact, a recent article in Popular Photography (the one that inspired me to finally write this actually), suggests that men tend to think of images in technical terms (the geometry, the depth of field, the aperture, the shutter speed, the lighting, etc.) while women tend to look at images in terms of the impact and the meaning of the image.  I am very much oversimplifying things here, so would highly encourage you to read the article at Popular Photography, but it does give us an indication that not only do we view the world differently, but that the world reacts to us differently as well.

I found the latter statement to be profoundly interesting… the world reacts to men photographers versus women photographers differently.  It makes sense once it’s said, and you think about it.  But are we aware of how we are impacting the shot?  This is particularly a useful question to ask if we are taking portraits.  People respond to genders differently all the time – call it a gender bias.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing (though it can be if taken to an extreme), but it is something that we as photographers should try to get a sense of as we capture our images.  So, put your radar antenna up – and look at how people respond to you.  Are you getting the reaction or the expressions you want?  If not, it might be simply the gender bias factor coming into play.  Since there’s not much you can do about your own gender (at least not without a serious fiscal investment in some extensive medical procedures), about all we can do is be aware of it, and when possible mitigate the bias when we do encounter it.

For me that means talking to women and men, and working collaboratively when the situation permits.  Surely though, there are other ways to address role that sex plays too.  So, now that I’ve got your radar up – think about it, and consider these questions:

• Are people reacting the way I want them to, and if not, could my gender be a factor?
• How can I mitigate that?

Share your thoughts and answers in the comments!

As a hobbyist photographer for going on 4 years now, I would guess that I am similar to many other hobbyists – I enjoy learning more about the field, and at some point, there has always been an interest in “taking things to the next level.”  Today, my Thursday Thoughts revolve around that premise, and the age old adage that one should be careful what one wishes for.

Taking pictures for ones own pleasure and self expression is always gratifying, but when taking on photography as a profession, your own creative vision can very quickly become muffled, if not lost on the creative vision of others.  In the past month of working at my new position, I am already noticing that photography at work has become very much that – work.  What it has also done though, is what I was most fearful of – I am taking my camera gear out less and less for my own creative expression and enjoyment.  I guess the silver lining is the awareness came rather quickly.

Now, I am making sure I take some time regularly to get out and just take pictures for the sake of taking pictures – doing it for fun and my own learning and advancement.  So, for my Thursday Thoughts, I figured it might be useful to share my own mission with the rest of the listening audience:  whatever your goals or dreams are with photography, make sure you save some time for yourself and your own creative vision and self expression.  After all, isn’t that what drew you to photography in the first place?

Happy shooting!

Inspired Photography:

25 sources of inspiration

As we all endeavor to find new ways to express ourselves creatively, we can often find ourselves in search of inspiration to give purpose and definition to our expression.  Here are a number of sources that can inspire.  Some are traditional, while others are hopefully new venues to spark those creative juices.

1. Tour a museum
2. Look at others works.  The internet is rife with photo blogs, galleries, and imagery that can awe and inspire.
3. Listen to music – of all types!
4. The dictionary – open to any random page, find the 1^st noun (or verb, or adjective, whatever) and try to capture a picture that encompasses the essence of that word.
5. Take any object you see every day and turn it upside down, backwards or sideways.  Use it in that position for a day or two (unless it’s a drinking glass!)  Your brain will be forced to think differently.
6. Read!  Whether it’s a magazine, book, recipe, or anything, it doesn’t matter.  Go to the local bookstore and pick up something you’ve never read before and open to the first page that catches your eye.  Inspiration can often come from such places.
7. Pick a letter of the alphabet and try to find that in objects around you (buttons on the phone don’t count!).
8. Draw!  It doesn’t have to be structured with paints or anything – use a crayon, pen, pencil, whatever you have handy.  Just start doodling and a direction or theme will come to you eventually.
9. Close your eyes.  Count your breaths.  If you don’t fall asleep you will start to hear things you didn’t hear before, or sense things you were otherwise unaware of.  Pick any one of them and try to define it in one word.  Now take that word and express it with your camera!
10.  Donate some time to a worthy cause.  Pick a cause, whether it’s the United Way, March of Dimes, your church, or some other local venue.  Participating in such a way has its own rewards and often can be an excellent source of inspiration.  The Big Brother/Big Sister program is also a great one!
11.  Buy a compact (you can get these at a discount in places like dollar stores, yard sales, and flea markets.) and use that mirror to look at things.  Looking at the reflection of something can often open your mind to new possibilities. 
12. Take a walk in a new area.  Whether it’s a forest road, a new street, or whatever – new scenes can often inspire.
13. Visit a place you frequent during an unusual time.  (For example, if you get a coffee at Dunkin Doughnuts every morning – try stopping in at night.)
14. Change your desktop to a neutral gray – your eye will start wandering away from the bland to find color or something of interest elsewhere.
15. Plant something.  The act of planting gets you doing something to help the environment, and gets your hands doing something different. 
16. Join a photo club.
17. Sing the first line of the first song that comes to mind – out loud!  Take the third word and find a way to capture that word in camera.
18. Go to the hardware store and stroll the aisles looking at the products.  If something catches your eye, go with it.  If nothing does, buy a box of something, anything.  Whether it’s nails, screws, washers, grommets, o-rings, or whatever happens to be in the next closest aisle.  Take it home and dump the contents on a table.  Take a picture of it.  Now start arranging the objects.  Take a picture of that.  Keep re-arranging, and taking pictures.  Look down at the objects.  Look up at them (if you can).  Put them on their side, upside down or any which way works.  Try balancing one on top of another.  You’d be surprised where this takes you!
19. Open an old photo album and look through some of your past work.  Pick a number and say you’ll make it your next project to re-create that scene.
20. Spell the longest word you can think of.  Now try to find a way to capture the essence of that concept on film! (Anti-disestablishmentarianism doesn’t count!)
21. Dance to the next song you hear on the radio (or your iPod)!  What do your feet do?  Take a picture of your feet!
22. Make a trip to the local animal shelter.
23. Take a self-portrait.  It doesn’t have to be your face – try just your hands, feet, or knees.
24. Organize a photo-walk.  Put an ad on Craigslist or your local paper and make it open to all.  You’d be surprised the amount of people that show up who have ideas of their own to share that can really jump-start your creativity.
25. Go to a playground and play on the swings, merry-go-round, or see-saw.  Act goofy!  Changing your mindset and environment to that of a kid can open up creative avenues that have been closed for a while.

Got another way to inspire or encourage creativity?  Sound off in the comments…meanwhile, happy shooting, watch those apertures, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

On to new news, I was thinking about subjects over the course of the weekend that could serve as useful material for fellow photographers and aspiring photographers that has not seen much coverage lately (no sense in repeating everything that everyone else has already said 10 different ways, right?).  I got to thinking about everything that makes for capturing great images, and one aspect that contributes (or detracts from) that I’ve not seen much attention on lately is that of bokeh.  So, in the spirit of putting out new and original (as well as useful) content, I did a bit of research over the weekend, and have put together an article on The Beauty of Bokeh. Any who would like to read this initial version are welcome to download the PDF file attached to this post.

In closing for Monday, I’d like to leave it to the readers out there:  what are your thoughts on the quality and nature of bokeh?  Do you clean up your bokeh or do you like the effect it has on images?  What types of bokeh appeal to you and what do you find not as appealing?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

I did take some time to do some cleanup work of the weekend on the photo gallery side of things for my website and the project side of things for the blog too though. The lucky readers (lucky possibly being a subjective term in this case) will get a sneak preview of my latest gallery addition as I ran out of time and do not have a link on the site to this yet (or the thumbnail for that matter).

On the blog maintenance, I’ve changed the notice for comments – apparently the spam flag was set a little too severely as people were making comments and it was taking up to a month in some cases before those got discovered and re-tagged. So, your comments should become visible much more quickly now. With that in mind, I thought I’d also share the latest photo gallery that I am putting up on my website with those of you who are tuning in, so now you can comment more easily! Last but not least, I had mentioned an article that was forthcoming both in the video tutorial last week, and in another one of the posts. Well, after going through several re-writes and different takes on it, I’ve decided not to publish that, as it’s just to dense of a topic for a short listen or read. If anyone is interested in it though, the subject is creative development.

I looked at an essay that came out in the most recent issue of Shutterbug Magazine, where Jack Hollingsworth looks at how photographers develop their in the essay The Ladder: In Defense of Imitation . He defines 3 stages or phases of development: imaginative, adaptive, and innovative. While both interesting and logical, it raises more questions than it answers. I found myself in similar shoes when trying to address just a few of those questions ir raised in my mind – more questions, practically all of which were subjective in nature. So, the article will likely not see the light of day here at CB. If anyone is interested in a heavy read, let me know via email and I’ll be happy to forward a copy of that article to whomever requests it directly.

That said, the blog was not a good place for it, so I discarded the idea for CB and went with the photo montage. A sneak peak was done a few weeks ago, and it’s now complete. Visit my photo site for the full gallery here

Hope everyone’s weekends were good ones. Here’s to a new week – happy shooting, and watch that ISO!

In photography, the idea of keeping your scenes simple is one that I know about, but all too often, forget to consider during composition. I typically will see something and move to take the picture without taking into account the surroundings. Then later on the computer, I see stray objects or shadows I didn’t see in camera, or more correctly, didn’t think to take note of in camera. So, I hit the delete key and try again some other time. Invariably though, the best shots I get are the ones where either by intent or dumb luck turn out to be the ones with the simplest composition. A dewdrop, a sunset, a boat, a leaf, a smiling face, whatever you like…they all have worked for me due in no small part (in my opinion anyway) to the absence of other elements in the scene. There are no barnacles or trash cans in the sunset shot, the boat and its reflection are the entire shot, and the smile is super close so everything else was thrown way out of focus. The images work due in no small part to the simple composition. The age old adage reveals itself again: Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. (KISS).

While the KISS idea is nothing new to photography, I am finding more and more that the same concept can also be applied to blog entries. Some of my most popular blog posts and video tutorials are simple ones. Short videos that are no longer than 2-3 minutes seem to be more popular, and post subjects that are easily read either in bullet points or numbered lists (Top 7 of ’07, Top Ten Landscape Tips, Top Five Lighting Rules, etc., etc., etc….you get the idea).

Just my random Thursday thoughts for the week – kind of photo related, but also tangential. Although I would suspect that this new-found knowledge may manifest itself in future postings, so…for those who stop in to get lengthy reads, enjoy them while they last – they could be gone tomorrow! *gasp*