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!

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!

Normally, new eBook announcements are done when it is first released so that people can take advantage of the discounted savings offers, but given my travel over the last seven days (Oklahoma City, Denver, Houston, Denver, and next up Springfield MO), I just didn’t have the time to get the material out.  Nevertheless, the value of this particular series (this is volume 2) goes well beyond even the normal retail rate of $5, so felt it worthy of mentioning even now.  Piet puts a lot of content into his books, and I think this one broke the record with 77 pages of content!

For those of you that are either interested in becoming more adept with off-camera flash or taking your existing knowledge base to the next level and getting shots that really will knock your socks off, this book (actually, I recommend the bundled compilation), this is an excellent reference.  Having it on my iPad makes for really easy access, and I can quickly thumb through it to get right to the bullet or nugget that I need.

Check one out today (each thumbnail view links you to the purchase page on the Craft and Vision site), and you’ll be taking great shots in no time at all!

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!

In being playful with your work, it’s often even more helpful to put down the tripods, and SLR’s.  Put down the lenses and filters. Put down the soft boxes and fill flashes.  Being playful means letting go of the “rules” of photography.  I’m reading David DuChemin’s book, The Inspired Eye (available now on his website – use EYE3Free for 20% off through Sat.), and in it, he speaks to this idea that that inspiration can come from play.

Some ideas from David include taking a day and try taking pictures whenever the mood hits.  Even if you are shooting through wet glass, or in a moving car.  Take a picture with your focus ring taped down.  The softness from the out of focus shot can force you to look at something more generic like the lines and energy of a scene.  It really is inspired capture that David is going for here, and that can definitely come from play.

One of my favorite images from my own library is a niece – I was literally playing.  I wasn’t expecting anything great, or show-stopper quality.  Just goofing around.  I was laughing and being silly, and so was she.  I took the camera to ridiculous angles, knowing it wouldn’t work (or so I thought).  Just goes to show you the power of play in photography:

The upshot?  Take time to play – only good things can come from it!

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!

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!

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?

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

Step two was to set up the lighting, the tripod, and the “wood art” in a scene where i could adjust the aperture and keep everything else constant.  With my own little studio set here in the house, that was accomplished easily enough.  I set the focal point on the nearest nail, and dialed in the exposure I wanted.  Then, I switched to manual focus so as to not bump or have the camera try to shift it for me and dialed through the various f-stops.

Step three – simple post production:  camera calibration, white balance, and lens correction.  I also applied a 75 value to the sharpening slider from the detail panel, but did so universally.  So, with everything but aperture constant, here’s the results:

So, at this point you should have enlarged the photos above, and scrolled through the entire gallery so you can see exactly what is sharp at f2.8 all the way through f16.  By the time you get to the end, so much has changed and often gradually, it’s hard to see the difference.  But if you look at the f2.8 and f16 shots side-by-side – they are worlds apart compositionally speaking.  Now I grant you, nails hammered into a 2×4 piece of lumber 2″ apart is not the most artistic piece ever shot, but it hopefully illustrates what can happen to a photo simply by changing the aperture and keeping everything else constant!

WHere do you think creatively adjusting your depth of field would work?  Try to think outside the box here too.  A few ideas for starters:

• A flower from close up…
• A portrait shot, with background blurred
• Macro photography – bugs and insects, computer chips and parts

There’s a whole world out there with plenty of opportunities to create gorgeous photos with only your creativity to limit you.  Where do you want to go today?

Over the weekend I had the distinct pleasure of joining my colleague and good friend Kerry Garrison (who you probably know from Camera Dojo) out “in the wild” as we traveled to the Breezy Point Resort north of Brainerd MN (about three hours west and north if the twin cities) and spoke at their Northern Lights conference.  Through the coordination of our sponsor, Nations Photo Lab, and the conference hosts, MNNPA, we had a wonderful time.  Not only did the coordinators treat us like Rock Stars (we did give some autographs though), the attendees were quite engaging too.

The pre-conference sessions were set to start at 12, and our gig started at 5.  After a few of the logistical things were addressed that always come up with hosting conferences (they even had a live wedding going on one room next to us – what a great opportunity for a bride to get a wide range of photographers applying their trade), we got rolling.  A mere five minutes into our introduction, we paused to add even more tables and chairs to the room as more and more people started filing in.  For a regional conference to have a crowd this big during a pre-conference tech talk was quite surprising, but also very enjoyable.  So, what did we talk about?

The topic was none other than Lightroom 3!  We talked about how to navigate around, some of the benefits and tips and tricks of LR to soon realize that we are very fortunate to be in the position that we are.  It was humbling to realize that we really are on the cutting edge as so many people are using Lightroom 1, LR 2, or even earlier generations of Photoshop for their workflow.  Our discussion quickly was adapted to both demonstrate why and answer questions on what makes Lightroom 3 such a useful tool for both established and emerging photographers.

The questions raised were just wonderful ranging from very broad-ranging ones like “Why should wedding and portrait photographers care about upgrading their work flow?” to ones as detailed as “Can Lightroom manage PSD files?” and “How can I keyword photos during import?”  By the time our two hour segment was up we had barely covered the import process, a little bit on the adjustment brush, and the nuts and bolts of things like cropping, selective color, and black and white conversions.

Ours was the last segment for the day and we were then invited to the after party over in one of the adjoining houses.  Food snacks, drinks and such were all available and in abundance.  With the abundance of spirits, everyone was in great spirits themselves as we laughed and talked further with lots of people about photography stuff until the wee hours of the morning.  By 1am we were done though and needed to head back to our respective cities (myself to Denver and Kerry to Anaheim, CA).  So, during our road trip back to Minneapolis for the return flight, we decided to record this show for you.  Answers to all the questions above and more are here, as well as a few photo opp stops!  Thanks for taking the time to listen, hope you enjoy it and we’ll be back again soon with more photo goodness!

Catch up with Kerry:

• Blog
• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter

Follow me on:

• Facebook
• Twitter

Learn more about the Northern Lights Conference and MNPPA here:

• Northern Lights Photography Convention
• MNPPA

The Back Story

Colleagues, mentors, tutors, and others in the field can be a hugely helpful influence, and one sage such associate recently told me to shoot more and talk less.  The whole idea of “shut up and shoot” had come back to haunt me!  This is advice I give to others when they approach me – how dare he suggest that.  But then I considered…and in all honesty, the last month or so of photo production had not been as productive as I had wished.  I had excuses of the new job, sure…but the bottom line was that my colleague was right!  I needed to get out and shoot more! So I did just that.  In doing so, I got a few good decent photos together, including one for the desktop download series…

Then, another industry association (although I use that term lightly), is none other than Mr. David DuChemin.  You may recall he paid a visit to the podcast a while back, and occasionally we have had a few exchanges on Twitter, but it’s definitely a one-sided relationship where I learn from him and not vice-versa!   (There I go again with the self-deprecation – someone needs to shock me so I stop doing that!)  Anyway, he reminded me that the whole point of our craft is to share our vision and work with others.  It came through a Twitter exchange when I was giving a compliment to his work by also using my well-known tactic of self-deprecation.  It stuck with me so much, that I’d rather just share his exact words:

Sage Advice from David DuChemin

- and that is exactly what I had not been doing photographically.  Oh sure, test shots from lens reviews, a few sample photos here and there…but nothing really from the inner core that had apparently been needing some voice.  So, with that I decided to go ahead full force – not only with capturing more images, but completing the last of the Desktop Downloads for the year!

The 2010 Desktop Downloads

What’s that?  You don’t know about the Desktop Downloads?  Of course not, because I had been neglecting to share the information with everyone on the regular monthly basis that a new photo for inspiration and enjoyment had been uploaded.  For many months of the year, I was capturing photos and  content to share, and not sharing it!  The legwork behind it was lost in the business.  So, I owe the audience an apology and 12 downloads for the year!  No worries though – you know why?  Because I met my goal for the year!  In going back through each month for the image I had selected, I realized that this was also tied to a “project” I gave myself for 2010 – to shoot more often, and take on more projects.  The goal was one a month, and I did it!  With my personal success finally realized, it’s high time to share that success with everyone else.  For the monthly desktop image for December, you can get click the appropriate link and download for your own inspiration and enjoyment!

Colorado Sunset

1280×1024 px

1024×768 px

To get the rest, simply hit the Downloads page and save for your own desktop wallpaper or screen saver as you prefer… As an aside, there are a couple months I had done the download as a calendar, thinking it would be more functional (May and June), but after toying with the idea for 2 months, decided it detracted too much from the image for my tastes (all due respect to Jeffrey Friedl and his PS plugin that helped produce those months though.).  Nevertheless, with the year far from over (most of December is left for us), I can officially say I met my goal for the year with 12 photo projects.  Already, I’ve shot nearly 20% more than I did last year, because of directed projects and diligence.  Have you met yours?  There’s still time, so get out there and shoot!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow…

Editor Note: (Who am I kidding, that’s still me…)  I know the Monthly Newsletter is still not out as promised and I expect that to be out tomorrow as well, so if you’d like to still sign up for that, there’s still time!

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.

Stanley Lake

Let’s take a quick run through some of the settings:

On starting the application, you will be presented with several tabs, Project Assistant, Source Images, Control Points, Exposure/HDR, Preview, and Create Panorama.  I only really used the 1st, 4th, and last tabs to process this image, but that’s primarily because PTGui was able to align everything for me.  If everything wasn’t decently aligned during capture, you’d likely have to add control points to the program to account for variations.  So, getting it right in camera does still count!

Tab 1 – Project Assistant

Step 1: Here’s where you import your images – the cool part is that PTGui can take raw files so you don’t need to lose any image quality by running through another program first…(look for a post on how to export to PTGui from Lightroom some time next week).

Project Assistant Tab

It’s pretty straightforward here – simply click the button to load images and your file browser will open…navigate to the folder your raw files are in and select the ones needed for the pano.  The program will likely detect your lens used from the exif data, but if your lens does not look correct, simply uncheck the “Automatic” box and enter the correct information (this was taken with the Sigma 8-15mm, so I changed mine – sorry no screen capture there).

EXIF Data Settings

The next part is the fun part – if you are bracketing your exposures correctly, PTGui will detect that and ask you an important question when you align the images in Step 2.

Step 2: Align Images – If you are not shooting HDR, this step is a lot simpler, but for those that enjoy HDR (even subtle HDR), this is of particular interest:

HDR Options

So, the deal here is that if you are shooting your bracketing handheld, you do not want to link to the original images.  I’m not sure what the distinction is, but according to PTGui instructions, that’s the best course of action.  Naturally, the converse holds true as well…if you are using a tripod, I guess it’s safe to link to the original images.  So, use the one best suited to your needs, and proceed with the alignment – PTGui will analyze and align everything for you (this is the stitching portion):

Aligning Images in PTGui

One the images are aligned, the Panorama Editor window will open – here it shows you how everything is overlaid to create the pano – use this as a reference point, and if things look good (they should, I’ve not experienced a scenario yet where I’ve had to deal with control points), you can close this editor:

Pano Editor

Tab 4:  Exposure/HDR Settings

Step 3: Now, move to the Exposure/HDR tab.  Here is where you’ll enter the tone mapping settings to define how the HDR image will look once flattened and saved so you can view it in a regular program.  You can choose from a True HDR option (which is the one I used) or Exposure Fusion.  Give both a whirl so you can see how things differ…as I said, I like the True HDR version myself, but your mileage may vary:

HDR/Fusion Tone Mapping

The options for adjusting your tone mapping has a basic and advanced tab.  I leave it on the basic tab and just tweak the slider settings for compression, brightness, radius, saturation and contrast to taste.

HDR Options

Click OK to go back to the main window, and move to the last tab in the program – Create Panorama.

Tab 6: Create Panorama

Name Your File: You’ll want to give it a descriptive name so you can find it easily because once this is done a final step will be needed to crop your image so it looks right.  Also, if you want to have access to the HDR reference file, make sure in the output options, you check off both tone mapped and HDR panorama.

You are all set, it will now warp and render the final files for you.  Warning:  This is a pretty resource intensive task as up until now we’ve been using thumbnail views to define our parameters – now it has to use the original files and both stitch and render the HDR reference file.  If you are using your computer for other tasks as well, things may slow down a lot!

Once the final output jpg is created, go into your favorite image editor and crop off the black areas to finalize the panorama image for either print or web.

PTGui panorama

So, there’s the process.  I know, there’s many other pano processing programs out there, and all have their pros and cons.  What struck me as the biggest advantage is the ability to process both panorama and HDR image stacking at the same time.  For those interested in learning more about PTGui – they have a free trial download, and the program itself is very cost effective considering what it can do for you and your work flow.  There’s a personal license for $109 US and a Pro license for $206.  I’d recommend the Pro version.  Check it out here:  PTGui

Got your own personal panorama software preferences?  Share your thoughts on the pros and cons in the comments area – would love to hear what others are using and what their work flow looks like.  Enjoy the post and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!  Happy Shooting!

So, when Scott Kelby’s blog went live a while ago, he was encouraging people to join the Kelby Training website with a video teaser compiled by his chief video guru, Jason Scrivner.  It’s a pretty funny video teaser, but did pique my interest enough to stop over and see how much time was involved in the new video.

The new video series is of David Ziser, a long-time wedding photographer, taking you through an entire wedding shoot from start to finish.  So, that would lead one to believe that it is a long video series.  It really isn’t though…only about 90 minutes total of video…and yet the content and tips/tricks/ideas that David gives are really unbelievable.  I found myself making mental notes of everything from camera position to lighting position to poses for various portraits, and much much more.

I normally don’t go ga-ga over anything because there’s always room for improvement in pretty much anything.  Training videos are especially low on my list of things to go ga-ga over, but I must give credit where credit is due.  This “training video” is probably one of the best I have ever seen!  First and foremost, the footage keeps you engaged (I found myself dancing with the guests at the wedding, laughing with David as he got people to smile while shouting “happy happy”). I was having fun!  At the same time, David’s delivery was bar none the most engaging I’ve ever seen in a video tutorial on photography.  The reason why I put this in a “training video” category (with quotes) is because I really did not feel like I was getting trained on anything – it’s like I was a fly on the wall, and David was talking to the fly!

So, the free advertising for today is not to become a NAPP member, because the goal here isn’t Photoshop training or networking.  Nope, it’s to head on over to kelby Training and sign up.  At least do a month – watch as much as you can in that month, because there’s lots of good stuff.  But if you must pick one – it’s this new one from David Ziser on wedding photography.  Kudos to the Kelby crew for their coverage of this – it really was phenomenal!

Go sign up today – this one alone is worth the cost of entry! (It also bears mentioning that I am not getting anything in return for this – not even an affiliate click – so go sign up for Kelby Training today…)

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

I tried to include as much info in the teaser as possible, but if anyone has questions on how I did all this, feel free to share your questions (or feedback if you prefer) in the comments or vial email!  Here’s a dry run of my daily commute home (if only the real time commute went that fast!):

Happy shooting!  If you have your own time lapse productions, feel free to link them in the comments too!  See you back here again tomorrow…

Well, when I recently twittered with excitement over the newly released calendar of some of my favorite images for 2010, someone asked me about the template I used to create those images.  I honestly answered that I didn’t really use a template as the website www.lulu.com just let me upload the images and they handled the rest.  On realizing that they were talking about the images on my Photography Website, I recalled that a template was used for those images.  I could have done a written post about this, but those take a lot of time to put together (lots of screen grabs, lots of writing, and lots of uploading), so I instead decided to put together a new video on how to create a template for your photos inside of Photoshop.  The video may take some time to load, so please be patient as this is a self-hosted video production!

Keep in mind – this is just one way – in Photoshop there are always many ways to reach similar results, and as the old adage says, there’s more than one way to skin a cat!  Anyway, this is for you @mitz!  Enjoy, happy shooting, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!  Oh, and lest we forget, there are very few days left in the January giveaway!  For your chance to win a free copy of Photomatix Pro from the folks at HDR Soft, get your Circle-themed photos in the Flickr Contest Thread by midnight on Friday (Mountain Time – GMT-7).

P.S.  For those that like my videos and want to see the archives, check out the Learning Resource Page from the sidebar for more materials.  And as an additional side note, this is post #600.  No fuss, no muss, no fanfare, but yet somehow I landed back on video tutorials – which is kind of how it all started!  Somehow, ,ind of poetic, eh?

Speaking of which, the gang from the group was so cool – everyone was so welcoming!  They asked me to come in and share some tips and insights on Lightroom, which I was quite flattered but honored to do. If you want to learn more about Exposure Denver, follow the link to their blog where they have news of upcoming events, activities and more.  These folks take it to the next level with regular galleries, themes, critiques, reviews, and yes, you can sell prints at the shows!  A lot of thought, time and preparations go into the group and everyone contributes!  It was quite an energizing and motivating dynamic and has me very excited in ways that I have not even explored yet photographically and creatively.  My head is literally bursting with possibilities.  And why is this?

Because I was thrust into a teaching role, on a subject I am (or was) admittedly not an expert in!  I have no idea how it all started anymore, but this further confirms what I’ve known from prior experience in another field – the best way to learn about something is to try and teach it to someone else.  It forces you to get up to speed, get current, and learn more than you did before.  This happens in three ways:

You do research to prepare your class note, talking points and handouts.  I learned so much just from pulling all these resources together.

Others in the class will know things you don’t.  Without fail, this always happens.  There is no way you can expect to know more than everyone else on a subject you are teaching unless you have 20 years of age and experience over the audience.  But I was not in front of kindgarteners this evening – these were peers (and several were even a few steps ahead of me).  We each brought value to the table and while some probably learned a lot from me – others schooled me!  (But in a good way!)

So, if you want to really get your fingernails dirty, dig into something and know it better than you ever did before:  try teaching it!  I did and learned more than I ever have before about Lightrooom.

Recently I was participating in a thread in one of the photo communities that I enjoy, and the subject of the cost of doing business came up.  I decided to take a serious look into the costs associated with being an event or wedding photographer.  Turns out, the costs associated that I could determine made me appreciate even more the fact that I am a hobbyist/enthusiast and not a pro – I couldn’t survive on this salary and with that kind of workload!

Anyway, I thought I’d share the results of my calculations here, and hear what others have to say.  Am I too high in my estimation?  Too low?  Did I miss any expenses?  Are some unrealistic?  (I don’t know how much health insurance is if you are not part of an employer plan…)

I categorized the costs into various groupings to include:

• Hourly Commitment
• Gear Investment
• Educational Investment
• Advertising Investment
• Miscellaneous Expenses

Is there anything else?  See the attached Excel spreadsheet and plug your own numbers in!  (I made columns C, D and E formulas so everything should adjust out for you…)  In the meantime, Happy Shooting, and I hope all your shots are good ones!

Cost of Doing Business

Today, I take a somewhat introductory look at the prevalence of photography forums across the internet. With communities cropping up for every nuance and interest, one literally has dozens, if not hundreds upon thousands to choose from. Everything from lighting, to portraiture, landscape, architecture, and even food photography has a community of avid participants. What to make of it all? Which ones are good and which are not as beneficial as others? I’ve referenced a few communities here from time to time, including ones that I still participate in on a regular and on-going basis.

As my interests wax and wane into different specifics, I find myself moving from one community to another in search of what I am looking for and I suspect others do the same. What are we looking for? Well, that can vary depending on where we’ve been and where we want to go. So, to kind of help clear the air on all the vagaries of photo forums online, I cobbled together my weekly podcast to talk about three basic types that I see all over the internet.

Do you participate in forums? What kinds of information do you look for when you visit these forums? What types of forums are they? If you had to classify them according to the 3 main types referred to in the podcast, where would your community fall? Here’s a chance to promote your own communities in new and interesting ways, by sharing your thoughts in the comments. Let me know and I’ll share the best of these in next Tuesday’s podcast. In the meantime, Happy Shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow.

P.S.  Don’t forget to vote for my photo over at the TWIP contest on Photrade here – only 2 days left!