• Saturday Aug 28th – Denver, CO
• Workshop will be held at:
• Arvada Center for Arts & Humanities
• 6901 Wadsworth Blvd Arvada, CO 80003

*****

On the free front – the August contest is underway on Flickr and the prize this month is a 50 sheet pack of Polar Metallic Paper from the folks at Red River Paper.  You all likely know how much I love this paper and this company – here’s your chance to find out why with your own pack of paper to push out some super prints for clients, family, friends, or even your own walls!  Submit your own image to the Flickr thread (the theme is Metal).

*****

Last but not least, the eBook has been flying off the virtual shelf, and the response there has been overwhelming too.  Read the reviews, and get your own copy from the eBooks page here!  It’s still a super deal at only $4.99 for the digital download – it includes 49 Photo Tips, explained in detail and with accompanying images to demonstrate the effect when appropriate!  Add this one to your virtual library today!  (An iPad version is due out shortly – working on the ISBN now…)

*****

That’s it for Friday!  Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you here on Monday with the Super Exciting News that I can’t share yet!  Are you ready for some excitement though?  Stop back in to find out!

To the readers who have been there with me since the beginning, I’d like to say thanks for all your patience as I’ve walked through several fires of growing pains.  I’ve come to the realization that the more you write, the greater the chance you have to sound like either a fool, or a pure and simple $%^&.   Hopefully I’ve minimized both of these occurrences enough to warrant another 700 posts!

There’s a couple things coming up on the horizon that are quite exciting, and a few fire irons already nice and hot (see contest #1 and contest #2 going on right now)!  The biggest change is coming at the end of the month when CB gets a pretty serious face lift.  Other upcoming things of interest include  a podcast with none other than Martin Bailey on Monday, the 3rd Annual World Wide Photowalk in July, and the 2nd release of the 49 Photo Tips download!  (The first is still available here…)  All this is accompanied by the regular news, reviews, and photography experiences/insights that I share with you here daily.  So, you’d think that with all that, there’s be nothing else of a “big news” item to announce at this time.  After all, it’s just Friday, right?

Well, not to disappoint, but there is some news to share with you today on post #700!  This is not only news, it’s pretty big news!  In fact, it’s not just pretty big news – it’s super huge!  Are you sitting down?  Are you ready for this? (Cue “Jock Jams“…for those of you that did not experience the early 90′s, the link may be a #lame one…)

Actually, I’d better not just quite yet.  But, I can let you know that Anaheim, Salt Lake City, Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland all have something in common (they make a nice circle…don’t ya think? )…

More tk…happy friday and have a great weekend all!  Get out and shoot ya some!

• First up, the finalists of the $500 giveaway have been determined.  These six finalists are being considered to win a pretty impressive package of stuff including a Thinktank Photo Multimedia Bag System and a complete set of the Topaz Labs Photoshop Bundle.  View the finalists gallery here.

• Next up, a recommendation:  Even if you aren’t a subscriber to the Rangefinder Magazine (although you should be), you can read the current issue online here, (it’s a PDF download) which includes in the most recent issue an interview of none other than David Hobby, founder and author of the world-famous Strobist blog.

• From Scott over at one of my favorite daily reads (Weekly Photo TIps), there is a new PBS series starting this week on National Parks.  I am definitely setting the DVR for this series!

• As a longtime fan of DIY-projects, this one on making a tripod for your P&S (or iPhone) out of a paperclip was just too cool to leave out of the list.

• And finally, for those that just insist on getting a photo fix regularly, visit former contest winner John Dunne’s blog, My Chi to see a great dilemma as he is torn between a color and a black and white version of a sunrise scene on the Promenade (psst….I like the black and white version!)…

Well, that’s it for today, be sure to stop back tomorrow for another dose of inspiration as we hit the midway point of the week (a.k.a. hump day)!  Happy shooting and we’ll see you then…

Initial thoughts?  It’s pretty sweet – love the App Store, the WiFi, email access, twitter access, youtube, and so much more!  A few downsides though – no built in camera, and no microphone – I know it’s not for phone, but recording audio snippets would be ideal.  There are apps you can download but need a mic and with just the audio jack, not sure I am gonna be able to do one of the things I had been dying to do after getting this.  There may still be a way so Googling and researching to see.  In the meantime, we shall wait and see!  Look for a more detailed review of this in upcoming weeks!  Until then, just a couple reminders for everyone:

The Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk is this Saturday in cities all over the world.  There are still openings and it’s free to join.  You could win prizes too, so check for a city near you at www.worldwidephotowalk.com to see.  You can still join the fun if the group leader is okay with it, but if you are not registered, then you can’t contribute images or be eligible to win!

The OnOne Software Plugin Suite 4.5 Giveaway is going on for the entire month of July, but time is starting to tick against you as we are halfway through the month.  This is a $500 retail value and some lucky winner will walk away with this package for free!  Details and rules for participation are at the Flickr thread. If you own the software already, tell a friend as it’s an NFR copy.  If not, then chime in as the deadline will be here before you know it!

1. First off, don’t forgot the OnOne Software Plugin Suite contest that is going on all month.  Share your images over in the Flickr thread (with a theme of “Numbers”) to be eligible.
2. Second, the winer of the Fotoquote Pro discount is contributing commenter Fred from the comments posted in June.  Fred won the discount code for a copy of Fotoquote Pro – congrats to Fred.
3. Third, the next contest is also going to be an exciting one because the folks at Wacom have generously offered to let me give away the Bamboo Fun I reviewed a couple weeks ago.  That will be going live next month though, so definitely something to look forward to there!

Last but not least, if there are products you would like to see reviewed, given away as prizes in photo contests and such, just share your product ideas with me here in the comments or via email (you all know it by now – jason AT canonblogger DOT com).

I know, it’s a lame way to self-promote things, but the lucky listeners and readers also ultimately benefit from these types of giveaways, so please let me know what types of things you would like to see in future giveaways.  (Still working on a few ideas myself, but hearing from readers and listeners is the best way to generate content you like, so let’s hear from the audience!)

Happy shooting out there, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.  I should have the next podcast up and ready for your weekend listening enjoyment too!

BAMBOO FUN!

So, here’s a little teaser video for those that are interested:

This might be fodder for an upcoming contest or giveaway, but only time will tell, so keep your fingers crossed.   In the meantime, here’s the rest of the Friday news:

• Get a good laugh at What the Duck (here’s my favorite)
  
• 

• Check out Jason Moore’s blog – he draws something positive from my negative too (thanks Jason!)
• Rob Weiher keeps capturing unique and fun imagery in his 365 Project
• A neat nugget about Flash card speeds that I didn’t know about

Okay all, that’s it – been a crazy busy week, and I am tired, but also geared up for the weekend.  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here next week for hopefully a little more of an uplifting series of content!

Grab the Feed

• The last day to enter your photos for the Lightroom giveaway is super close – so get your shots in the Flickr thread here pretty soon!
• Adobe updated the ACR to 5.4 (still in beta), and is downloadable here
• Canon announced some firmware updates and break/fix news on some of its SLR lines.  Tune into the podcast for details.
• My Pick of the Week:  Photoshop Insider
• Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk
• Chuck Conder’s Flickr Thread (listen to find out why…)
• Wireless USB Dongle from Engadget

Seriously folks, don’t miss out on your chance for a free copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom!  Get your photos in today!  A $30o retail value and free from the folks over at Adobe – in this economy we could all use a little help and Adobe is being very generous here.

Well, that’s about all for this week.  Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you back here on Monday – as we head out for the weekend, don’t forget to have fun out there.  With that in mind, here’s my favorite WTD from this past week – so fitting for my job in IT!

Happy Shooting!

ETA:  Thanks to reader Don for reminding me about the link to the PhotographyBB magazine article.  You can download the full magazine here

Grab the feed

• The Podcast (with the specific details of the contest)
• Flickr Group (where to post your entries)

In some other maintenance notes, the podcast has gotten a few more reviews at iTunes and Diggs over at Personal Life Media – thanks to those that have shared their thoughts and feedback, your support means a lot and every little bit helps. Here’s the links for those that would like to add to the support:

• Review on iTunes
• Digg the Podcast at Personal Life Media

Last but not least, it became official the other day that I will be in attendance at the Lightroom workshop here in Denver coming up on May 20th Being led by none other than Scott Kelby, of NAPP fame, I’ll be getting even more up to speed on how to use Lightroom as the primary means for my photography work flow. I’ll likely have a few posts worth of material to share with the readership shortly thereafter. (Who knows – I might be able to snag a pic or two out of it too!

So, that’s it for today – sorry for the lateness of the post.  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Well, this week I am calling Kevin out, because he definitely is worthy of your traffic.  Kevin Mullins is an outstanding photographer, based out of Malmesbury Wiltshire (that’s in England, across the pond, or the UK for the geographically challenged…)  He’s had reviews done by friend-of-the-blog, Jason Moore, and most recently has launched a photography website for his wedding photography.  So, first off, welcome Kevin, and thanks for agreeing to come on the Thursday Thoughts Series.

Thanks’ very much for inviting me on here Jason.  It’s a great privilege.

Q:  I don’t know why people keep saying that, but thanks I guess.  It’s just fun to be learning from everyone thus far that’s been willing to contribute, yourself included.  But anyway, I digress…starting things off, I’d like to talk a little about your Wedding Photography – as you stated on your blog, wedding photography is your passion, and that is evidenced by the work you have put in thus far.  With so many areas to choose from, why did wedding photography stand out for you as a career path?  Well, it kind of “just happened”. 

A:  I have been taking photographs for a long time but around two years ago I knew that I wanted to make a career from photography.  I’ve often looked at wedding photos and thought “I could do that”, or, more often “If I was taking that shot, I would do it like this…”.  The interest continued to grow and I started forming my own style of shots in my head.  Contemporary artists such as Crash Taylor and Jeff Ascough really inspire me and I am in awe of the way they deal with light and composition in a wedding shoot.  Having your own style is key, and whilst those guys inspire, its building my own style that is really important to me.  I really want to give the bride (and groom) some photographic memories that they will cherish and will become a family focus point for years to come, but don’t just look like all the other photographs out there.

Q:  You have a definite journalistic flair in how you create your images, specifically as evidenced by the series from Andrew and Katherine’s photos, as well as those from Marie’s wedding (I love that shot of her under the arched trees).  You’ve mentioned Cartier-Bresson, Crash Taylor and Jeff Ascough as inspirational sources.  Any particular insights you’ve gained from these folks?

A:  Cartier-Bresson’s imagery is just astounding.  His use of geometry and shape in photography is out-of-this-world.  I have read his biography recently and to get an insight into his thought process is intriguing to say the least.  The “modern masters”, such as Crash and Jeff are the people I look to now for inspiration and technique. Both of them run very informative blogs with great great images that people like me can look at, disseminate, and learn from.  They are somewhat different in styles themselves so I look to Jeff’s work more for the documentary and natural-light experiences, and Crash for his awesome signature portrait shots of the bride and groom.  There are so many talented photographers out there and the internet opens up such a huge avenue for learning from them.

Q:   So, how have you adapted techniques from these resources to come up with your own “look”?  Or, better yet, do you have any particular images that you feel uniquely define your approach and/or style?

I aim to develop my own style of wedding photography and the new 5D MK II helps me do that to some extent.  I’m using purely natural light (the high ISO capability of the modern cameras lends to this type of photography.) and I try and use my 85mm lens as much as possible.  This lens is so sharp and the style I am trying to achieve uses a lot of depth of field.  This lens is f1.2 at its widest point and so it really helps in that respect.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Q:  As a fellow member of NAPP, how much have you developed your style from the support content and materials in sites like NAPP and other photography communities?

A:  To be honest, whilst I am a member if NAPP, I don’t use their forums as much as I should.  It is a great resource though, and the magazine and techniques online are very useful – especially when new versions of Adobe software come to the market.  I do use Kelby Online Training and I think that is a great resource.  I try and put aside an afternoon a week to “train myself” – although this isn’t always practical as I also run my own web development firm.  I find the POTN (Photography on the net) forum useful when researching gear and also for keeping an eye on other peoples work.  I also find the SWPP forum in the UK extremely useful as there are a lot of very knowledgeable people there too.  I really find most of my inspiration from trawling the net and finding great wedding photography.

Q:  I already know the answer to this, but I would imagine the readers may want to know – what kind of gear do you shoot with?

A:  I was lucky enough to get a Canon EOS 5D MkII back in December last year.  It arrived on the 2nd December just in time for a big family birthday celebration which was great as I got a chance to practice with it.  I have a number of Canon and Sigma lenses too but my favorite lens of them all is the 85mm f/1.2.  It is simply magical.  I also have a 100mm macro, 16-35mm, 24-105mm and 70-200mm which hopefully covers all my bases.  I haven’t really looked at the HD video on Mk II yet, but I am beginning to see some “fusion” wedding photography out there which is a mix of video and stills and this is something I would like to look at in more depth as the technology progresses.  That said, stills will always be my No1. priority.

Q:  Since your style journalistic in nature you obviously will take a large number of photos during any event, whether pre-wedding or the actual wedding day.  What kinds of numbers do you typically return from an event with?  How do you handle your post processing? (Computer/software/etc.?)

A:    I actually did a wedding shoot recently and I took in excess of 1500 shots, of which I will probably sift down to 250-300.  I would expect the Bride and Groom to select anything between 50 and 150 for their package.  I do all my first phase processing in Lightroom now.  It’s such a good tool for cataloguing and doing bulk adjustments.  Anything more detailed such as spot removal I will still do in Photoshop.  I would love to see Adobe integrate Lightroom and Photoshop to truly marry the non-destructive workflow experience.  I am off to a two day seminar with Jeff Ascough at the end of the month and hopefully I will gain an insight into his post-processing workflow as I know he uses Photoshop heavily to create his stylized shots.

Q:  Could you also explain a little more about the idea behind the “pre-wedding” shoot you discuss on your website?

Pre-wedding shoots are quite common here (I’m not sure about in the U.S).  Typically you spend an afternoon or so with the bridge and groom a couple of months before the wedding taking some natural portraiture shots of them.  The idea, really, is to get to know the couple more.  The last thing anybody wants on the big day is for any uncomfortable scenes between the photographer and the bride and groom.  The pre-wedding shoot gives us a chance to get to know each other more and also to go through some ideas of poses and how to work in front of the camera.  It gives me a chance to identify what types of shots I can encourage them to do on the day, and what will be the limits.  Some couples are outgoing and excitable in front of a camera and some simply want to get the process out of the way so it is important to gain that knowledge well before the big day.  If we can, I intend to do the pre-wedding shoots at the venue of the wedding.  That way, we can all scout the area together and look for great places and light at the venue and, essentially, rehearse for the big day!  The pre-wedding shoot is part of the wedding package, but if the bride and groom want to buy any prints or a frame or even a mini-album after, then even better!

Q:  Oh, and since we talked about photo gear and computer/software preferences, I would be remiss if I didn’t ask this:  Chocolate, Vanilla or Strawberry?

A:  Chocolate every time.  My wife bought our nieces some Easter Eggs and they lasted less than 24 hours in our house.  We ate them and will have to buy the kids more now!

Q:  We all know you’re a regular contributor to Canon Blogger – what about other online resources?  Are there any that you find particularly useful that you’d like to share with the blogosphere?

A:  I”ve mentioned a few in the article already, but I think some of the sites that are great are:

• Crash Taylor Interviews
• POTN
• Kelby Training
• Damien Lovegrove’s blog is an excellent resource both business and photographically

I have quite a few blogs in my reader (such as Canon Blogger, Michael Palmer, Jen Rinaldi etc), that I like to visit each day.  I comment when I think it’s appropriate and appreciate it when people comment on my blog too.  All of these blogs are part of the fabric of my learning and I’m always on the lookout for other blogs that inspire and keep me focused.

Q:  Last but not least – any final thoughts you’d like to share on the state of the industry, thoughts on the future of photography, or other “words of wisdom”?

A:  Well, I rely on others to give me wisdom, but if I had to look to the future I would say that we will be seeing a lot more video and still fusion work going on over the next five years or so.  The latest Canon announcement (the EOS 500D) will bring HD video to the consumer level DSLRs which infers that it is here to stay.  Oh, and I definitely recommend moving out of London to the countryside!  It has a great effect on your well being 

Excellent advice, thanks Kevin! That about wraps things up here so don’t forget to stop over at Kevin’s blog.to see and enjoy his particular vision and style of work.  In the meantime, tomorrow might be another “no-blog” day because I am doing a little bit of travelling – depends on how soon I can get home.  So, happy shooting all, and if I don’t get home in time for another post, have a great weekend!

• News Links –
  • Ansel Adams Video
  • Getty ventures into China for Asian collections
  • Yahoo adds YouTube and iTunes Integration
• Artist Statement Resources
  • Photo on Blogs
  • Art Business
  • Writing the Artist Statement

Another news item I forgot to mention in the podcast is an upcoming web seminar series for photographers, free, from Adobe.  Here’s the dates:

• Photoshop: April 23rd
• Lightroom: April 9th and May 7th
• Both: May 14th

Link for more info and to register is here

Make sure you stop in and grab the podcast from the good folks over at Personal Life Media, and visit our show sponsor Lensbaby if you are thinking about the Lensbaby Composer.  Diggs from PLM and reviews from iTunes are encouraged, welcomed, and appreciated!  Happy shooting all and we’ll see you back here tomorrow! 

Don’t forget, you can email me from the show link with any questions, comments, feedback or thoughts, as well as share comments here, and reviews on iTunes.  For those without iTunes or Zune, I can provide an mp3 version of the show on request.

Here’s the rest of the show notes:

Here’s the links from news items I talked about:

• Pinhole Camera Day
• Mamiya 33 MP DL33 News
• TipSquirrel
• Wordle
• Terry Reinert
• Christian Science Monitor Article on starting a photography business
• Get the free 0.6 X Wide Angle with Macro conversion lens when you buy a Lensbaby Composer

Listener Questions

• How do you fix the Canon 99 Error?
• What does the term “sync speed” mean?
• What does kerning refer to in typography?

Listen in to the podcast over at Personal Life Media for the answers and full details on all the show segments.  In the meantime, what does your shutter sound like?   It doesn’t even have to be a Canon camera, listen to your camera whether it’s Canon Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Pentax, Panasonic, Leica, Hasselblad, etc! Find out why in the podcast up now over at Personal Life Media!  Thanks for stopping by the blog, and for all your kind words during the flu bug bout.  Enjoy the podcast, then go out and do y’all some shootin’!  See you back here tomorrow!

The “Name Your Dream Assignment” is in full swing – you can describe your ideal dream photo assignment and with enough votes (it’s entirely a popularity contest) you could win $50,ooo toward actually getting it done!  I did an entry just for the heck of it as well.  If you would like to enter the contest (or vote on my entry, stop over here:  Win a Dream Assignment You’ll probably notice a graphic for it in the sidebar too…

Also, a reminder that the Twitter/Blogging poll I set up a few days back is a month-long poll here, so if you’ve not stopped in to vote and share your thoughts, feel free to do so.  Quick link to the poll is here You can also follow my updates on Twitter here

For those of you that read the comments like I do, you’ll notice that Terry Reinert had some extensive and interesting insights on the bracketing posts I did a short time ago.  He’s got some excellent work over on his own site, so I would highly encourage you to visit.  Here’s the link:  http://www.tkrphoto.com

Kind of a busy day so I’ll leave you with those web links.  If anyone has some useful resources or sites that you’d like to share – feel free to email me or post in the comments section – consider today a web link day and most any post to the comments will be allowed unless it’s blatant spam.  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

So, this last weekend I went on the photo meetup group outing for the month of February into Eldorado State Park, south of Boulder, and had many an opportunity to capture some landscape and macro work. Some great views were had and I only hope that they all come out as well as this one did. While hiking up a trail of slippery snow and ice (it was cold out Saturday morning), I saw this fissure that was pretty intense looking because it was only partially lit. I thought about it for a second and decided to bracket some exposures to see if it would turn out with some HDR massaging. Not only did it turn out better than I would have thought, I was also very pleased with how Photomatix did with this. I would highly recommend this software to anyone interested in HDR work. Not only is it more intuitive than Photoshop, the results were much more gratifying! You can buy Photomatix for PS, Lightroom and for either Windows or a Mac over at www.HDRsoft.com.

Some other web links I learned about recently also include www.fotoblur.com and www.usefilm.com Both are much more cognizant and respective of photography copyright than other social and photo networking sites like Flickr and Facebook (we all know about the Facebook Terms of Service fiasco, right?). One thing I like about both Fotoblur and Flickr is that you are limited in how many images you can upload daily. This requires you to be more careful about what you publish, and as a result, you are more thoughtful and objective of what work is worth posting and sharing online.

Last but not least, the podcast that I had intended to put out last week was delayed for a few days as I put the finishing touches up on a home improvement project. (We finished out one of the basement rooms – expect to see some photos on that makeover forthcoming!) The good news is that not only is the basement room on the verge of completion, but that the podcast is up for this week. Naturally, the title of the podcast will match the blog post title, as the show notes follow closely to todays content. Stop on over to Personal Life Media for the show, or pick it up in iTunes! (Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the review section of iTunes too…the more the merrier!)

Until tomorrow, when I’ll have some more HDR shots to share, keep on shooting – hope all your shots are good ones!

As you may have noticed if you’re picking up the feed, I am also uploading all the “What’s This” images to the Canon Blogger Flickr Pool.  As that content arc has ended, I thought it might be fun and of interest to see the entire gallery of photos that have gone up on that subject over a period of roughly 23 weeks.  (Almost half a year of images there to rack your brain on!)

As we head into the weekend, be sure to take your camera with you -never know when a photo opportunity will present itself, so as the Boy Scouts always said:  “Be Prepared!”  Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here Monday morning!

[podcast]http://www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/CBPodcast64.mp3[/podcast]

Q:  Everyone always wants to know some of the basics, so let’s get a few things out of the way at once here…How long have you been a photographer?

A:  Professionally 4 years.

Q:  Canon, Nikon, Sonly, Olympus, Pentax or some other brand?

A:  Canon 5D Mark II’s all the way baby!   It’s the ultimate wedding camera.

Q:  Mac, PC, or Linux?

A:  Mac’s rule!

Q:  Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?

A:  Vanilla of course.

Q:  Moving into a little more granularity, photographers often enjoy hearing helpful and constructive critiques of their work, as we are aware of how much we can grow from it.  However, we’ve also all had the “nice shot” and “cool” comments when we’ve shared our work.  With that pretext set, what was the singular most useful critique or comment you’ve ever had on work you’ve shared publicly?

A:  My wife is my biggest fan and holds nothing back when critiquing my work. Her favorite phrases are I LOVE IT or I HATE IT.

Q:  Normally, I’d ask next who said it, but that’d be kind of redundant now.  So, let’s skip ahead to the next question.  If someone was asking you for an honest critique of their work, what 3 factors would you look at most (excluding friendships or family relatives, we’re talking professional or fellow photographer-types here)?

A:  LIGHT, COMPOSITION and EMOTION to me are the key elements to creating a stunning still image.

Q:  Got any war stories from field shoots or outings that you can or would be willing to share?

A:  Not yet. I’m sure I will have some by the end of my career though. Ask me then.

Q:  If you had to choose between the gear or the software as the only way to create, which would it be and why?

A:  I definitely need both to create my signature style images.

Q:  If you had to pick three pictures out of your entire portfolio to represent your approach to photography, or your artistic vision, which ones would you pick?

Q:  Any final thoughts you’d like to share about the state of photography or any catch phrases that you keep in mind when shooting?
A:

1. Move it from the middle, move in close, watch the light, aim for impact and then capture the moment.
2. Life without passion and photography is unforgivable.

Thanks so much to Crash for taking the time to sit down and participate in the Thursday Thoughts series.  Like his outlook?  Then check out his site – it’s a must see, and can be found on the web here. Got anyone you would like to hear from on the Thursday Thoughts series?  Feel free to share ideas, comments, suggestions in the comments.  Until tomorrow then, happy shooting.

From the Canon Blogger news front:

• Canon Blogger has been picked up by Personal Life Media (the same folks that host Digital Photography Life and Camera Dojo).  This means future podcasts will be uploaded to their service, which will do a number of things for the podcast.  First and foremost, they will optimize the audio quality for the listening audience.  Second, they are also going to fix some podcast feed issues that I didn’t even know I had so that the show comes up better in your favorite feeds like iTunes and the like.  We’re also going to update the graphics to give the CB podcast a little bit of a sexier and professional look.  It’s quite exciting to see that there has been enough interest to warrant this kind of leap forward.  It does mean this week will be the second in succession with no show, but as we flesh out the details and get all the archived content uploaded, we can move forward with new shows!

• Due in part to the holiday schedule, and to the subsequent flurry of personal and professional activity, the What’s This series and the Thursday Thoughts Series took a brief hiatus this week.  Yesterday was just insane at work, so I didn’t even get a chance to post to the blog saying I wouldn’t have time to post, so Wednesday was both figuratively and literally a No Blog Wednesday!  I should be back to a regular and more predictable schedule with those next week.

• As you may recall from my last podcast of 2008, I announced that Think Tank had generously donated their new StreetWalker bag to CB for a review.  I have been putting it through its own paces over the last couple weeks and am now working on the finishing touches of my first official product review.  That should be coming out some time next week.

In the rest of the news:

• JPG Magazine has announced that it is closing its doors.  There are efforts to keep it afloat through donations and contributions, but while you still have some time, it’s gotten a short respite so people can download and archive the entire collection of work, thanks to good folks like Photojojo and others.  They also recently noted that they may have some offers to keep things running.

• Fellow blogger and photographer, Jason D. Moore made a bit of a splash the other day when he announced a new interview series he is doing that is leading off with an impressive list of folks including John Nack, (if you don’t know who John Nack is, welcome to the world photography and Photoshop – he’s the cheif  Product Manager for Adobe Photoshop !),  Larry Becker (of NAPP notariety), Jeff Revell, (Photowalk Pro) and several other notables.

• Photo-restoration as a craft gets a jolt!  Fellow NAPP members Mitz and Janine both have some excellent posts on what it takes to be effective with photo restoration work.  While I knew from my own amateur efforts that it’s not easy (and definitely a craft that takes time to develop), these two bring awareness to the next level with the thoughts they share on their blogs.  Definitely worth reading when you have time.  Mitz can be found here, and Janine can be found here.

Well, is that enough content for one blog post?  I hope so…sorry if things went on for a while.  More tk!  So, until tomorrow, happy shooting – hope all your shots are good ones!

First off, thanks go out to Rob Jones of Towner Jones Photography for another nod from his blog.

I’d also like to pay special thanks to Dave Cross of NAPP fame.  I saw a pretty big blip up on the blog from about a week or two ago and when recently looking at Google Analytics, saw he had given me a mention from his blog back on Dec. 1st.  Thanks so much Dave, and although it’s been said, it’s worth saying again – my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Lastly, shouts to fellow NAPP member Mitzs who also gave me some link love on her blog, Pursuing Photoshop!  Thanks for that!

And now, for the POTD entries, I was able to contribute to Jason Moore’s ongoing Geographic Composition series which is featured on his blog today, so here’s that photo:

And last but not least, since I got the 10-22mm lens (finally, after a year or so of debating which wide angle to get) on Friday, I was playing with the zoom and looking at the angle of view when my dog came right up to the lens the other day.  Instinctively, I snapped the shutter.  The aperture was wide open and the shutter speed was way to slow so the image quality is horrible, but the image itself is just hysterical.  Her name is Maggie, but we call her Moo for short.  So, in honor of her, I am closing today’s post with her:

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

I was able to catch up with Jen Rinaldi recently and twisted her arm into taking a few minutes to share her thoughts on the CB Thursday Thoughts.  Jen really has some cool work and a super positive energy that is just infectious!  Make sure you visit her blog and website and share your thoughts with her.  In the meantime, here’s what Jen had to say:

Q:  Everyone always wants to know some of the basics, so let’s get a few things out of the way at once here…  1.    How long have you been a photographer?

A:  I’ve been “into” photography since I was 6 years old when my parents gave me this old brown boxy camera to use and then eventually I graduated to my very own 110 which I still own!  I’ve been “serious” about photography as a hobby since January of 2007 and turned it into a side business Oct/Nov of 2007

Q:  Old boxy brown camera eh?  What about now?  What are you shooting with… Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax or some other brand?

A:  Nikon!

Q:  Argh…a Nikonian in my midst again.  Maybe I can get lucky with computer affiliation?  Mac, PC, or Linux?

A:  I’m a PC girl all the way!

Q:  Yay!  (ALthough I do work cross-platform so that was a winher either way!  Off the beaten path now: Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?

A:  Ohhh, I like when they have all 3 together!  But if I had to choose today I’d go for Strawberry!

Q:  Hmmm…that does sound like a good combination.  I should try mixing flavors more often!  Anyway, back on topic… photographers often enjoy hearing helpful and constructive critiques of their work, as we are aware of how much we can grow from it.  However, we’ve also all had the “nice shot” and “cool” comments when we’ve shared our work.  With that backdrop set, what would you say was the singular most useful critique or comment you’ve ever had on work you’ve shared publicly?

A:  That’s a tough one as well.  I’ll answer it by saying that I can’t recall ONE specific critique but I won’t leave you with just that.  I was a moderator for a photography forum for over a year and sharing my work there is the one thing that tremendously improved my photography skills.   I learned anything from photography basics to advanced techniques all through this forum.  They honest feedback and criticism received is what helped me to learn.  On top of that formed some permanent bonds with many of the members who constantly help me by sharing new techniques, giving me feedback on my work, and answering my off the wall photography questions!

Q;   Well, my next question is normally “Who said it?”, but that doesn’t really apply now…or is it a specific group of people that helped?

A:  Most of the regulars on the forum because my critiquing audience and gave honest feedback on how to improve my work with each and every post to the site.

Q:  Cool!  I’ve done forum work too.  It can be challenging balancing forum administration and photography stuff though – especially when it comes to critiquing.  If someone was asking you for an honest critique of their work, what 3 factors would you look at most (excluding friendships or family relatives, we’re talking professional or fellow photographer-types here)?

A:  Uniqueness, composition, and post Processing

Q:  Got any war stories from field shoots or outings that you can or would be willing to share?

A:  Nothing I can think of…

Q:.  Ahh…well, give it time, you’ll have some eventually!  Well, moving right along, I’ve set the stage with others by noting the advances in software to the point where you can almost create stunning images without ever leaving the computer.  So, if you had to choose between the gear or the software as the only way to create, which would it be and why?

A:  Wow, now that is one is a tough one for me.  I love to be creative with the gear and the lenses but I think that coming from an art background (drawing, painting, graphic design) I tend to make my vision come to light through software after the shoot is over.  I try to start with the gear and shoot it just right and then add my personal touch afterwards with the software to make my artistic vision come light.

Q:  So, it sounds like you really do use both to achieve your visions.  Very cool!  If you had to pick three pictures out of your entire portfolio to represent your approach to photography, or your artistic vision, which ones would you pick?

A:  Jason, you’re making this VERY hard on me!    It’s so hard to pick 3 out of tens of thousands of images that you’ve poured you heart into. If I had to pick one genre of photography to shoot over and over again it would be HDR.  I have always held this photo as my top ranking HDR photo.  I took this photo on the day I attempted HDR photography for the first time and it still holds the number one ranking for me no matter how many more I shoot:

This is THE first HDR I ever shot on the same day as the photo above:

And because I’m a portrait photographer this one is a top favorite of mine (but it’s very hard to pick because I have one favorite photo from every portrait shoot I do!).  I love this one because he is one of my oldest friend’s son, you can’t beat those gorgeous blue eyes, I love the DOF, and how could anyone not love the little fish lips he’s making?

Q:  Wow!  These are amazing shots – and those baby blues just make your heart melt!  Wonderful shots here Jen!  Any final thoughts you’d like to share about the state of photography or any catch phrases that you keep in mind when shooting?

A:  Mike Palmer mentioned this in his interview, as well, and I’m going to elaborate on what he said by mentioning that if you’re breaking into the photography world and want to learn more  – join a forum! If you’re not into the forums then create your own Photography blog and get out there and join the blogging community we have going!  The forums changed my life photography-wise and I can hardly go a day without posting a writing a new blog post visiting my “blogging friend’s” blogs!  It’s everyone’s encouragement that keeps me going!

Great ideas here Jen – forums, blogging, and collaboration are the learning tools I enjoy most too!  Hey, thanks for taking the time to sit down and share your thoughts with the reading audience.  We’ll be back next week with a new edition of Thursday Thoughts and another photographer!  In the meantime, Happy Shooting!  Hope all your shots are good ones and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow!

Here’s the show notes:

• Cards as gifts
• Photo Contest Watcher
• Top 8 of ’08 Nominees thus far
  • The Online Photographer
  • Strobist
  • Photoshop Insider
  • Photowalk Pro
  • Jason D. Moore
  • Dave Cross Blog
  • Digital Photography Life

With so many blogs and podcasts out there, it’s tough though – some were in it last year, so I should give consideration to others, so who do I go with?  Let me know your favorites in the comments and the tallying shall begin.

ETA Update:  Here’s the link to find your Google Profile page:  Your Google Profile

In other blog-related news, don’t forget to vote in the poll on the sidebar! Only a few weeks left there  I’ve also got a link to my twitter, to my Google profile page (you’ve got a Google profile page, right?), and more I am sure will be forthcoming. So twitter me, I’ll tweet ya back!

Last, but not least is this week’s “What’s This?  Last week was a skyscraper from the ground-up, so everyone was right on the money. Back to a tougher one this week…can you decipher this?

• Making Money in Photography
• The Value of Social Networks
• and some Free Web Resources that you may have missed

I also take the usual spate of reader/listener questions (great ones this go around, so thanks and shout outs to Marcus, Krista, and Nick! In the future, send me links to your websites so I can return the generosity on the podcast and here on the blog post. For now though – thanks! So, share your questions, comments, and feedback through the many opportunities here at the blog and via email.

A couple of show notes:

The 1st segment is a more detailed look from yesterdays post on “The Cost of Doing Business“, and talks about the details involved in creating a business plan.

The 2nd Segment looks at the value of social networking, so naturally here, I will suggest you stop by and say hi to me on The Twitter, LinkedIn, and through the various forums I participate in.

And last but not least, on the subject of freebies, my apologies for the two contest mentions from Popular Photography, but they have since closed (I hate it when they don’t indicate that at the source page!), sorry! Dave Cross blog can be found here though, and Scott Sherman/Michael Stein’s podcast can be found here. Anyway, thanks for stopping in, and as always, share your feedback, comments, and ideas either in the comments or via email.

That’s it for today, don’t forget to vote in the latest sidebar poll at the blog! Hope all your shots are good ones… happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

[podcast]http://www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/CBPodcast60.mp3[/podcast]

Recently, I had the honor of sitting down (well, emailing, but you get the idea) with none other than Jeff Revell.  As most of you probably know, Jeff is a pretty well-established photographer and recently has been enjoying some notariety for his blog on Photowalking, appropriately titled Photowalk Pro (definitely one for your feed aggregators).  He gave some great thoughts and insights on the state of digital photography.  Thanks in advance to Jeff for taking the time to participate in the Thursday Thoughts sereies here at CB!

Q:  Everyone always wants to know some of the basics, so let’s get a few things out of the way at once here…1. How long have you been a photographer?

A:  I have been into photography for over 25 years.  I first began taking an interest in high school and have been in love with photography ever since.  I think it had something to do with all that fixer I inhaled.

Q:  Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, or some other brand?

A:  I see you changed the question to include other camera brands.  I started off learning with a Pentax K1000, the king of old school photography classes.  From there I moved to a Minolta, a Canon, and finally Nikon for the past 20 years or so.  I have recently been working with some Canon models, specifically the 50D and I have to admit that the more I use it, the more I love it.

Q:  Heh, yeah, that’s thanks to Andy Smith of Virtual Realia.  To that end, let’s cover all the computer options:  Mac, PC, or Linux?

A:  I had been a PC user since the DOS days and then migrated to Windows from there.  I’m just a big techno-nerd at heart and love building my own systems.  I got a Mac notebook about 3 years ago and now it is my predominate platform – Not a fanboy but I do love my MacBook Pro.

Q:  Sounds a lot like the path I’ve been taking – although I do find myself bouncing back and forth between Mac and PC a lot these days.  Anyway, moving on:  Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?

A:  Definitely a chocolate person.

Q:  Excellent taste!  Moving into a little more granularity, photographers often enjoy hearing helpful and constructive critiques of their work, as we are aware of how much we can grow from it.  What was the singular most useful critique or comment you’ve ever had on work you’ve shared publicly?

A:  This one is easy.  The best advice I ever received about my work was to only show your best stuff. Everyone shoots lame shots; it’s part of the process of getting the image that you want.  The key is to not show all the ducks and simply show your swans.

Q:  Who said it?

A:  My buddy Scott Kelby

Q:  I think I’ve heard of him before!    Isn’t he into photography too or something like that?  Just kidding of course…  Anyway, back to the subject of critiquing work:  If someone was asking you for an honest critique of their work, what 3 factors would you look at most (excluding friendships or family relatives, we’re talking professional or fellow photographer-types here)?

A:  Wow, that’s a tough one.  I’m much harder on myself than I ever would be on someone else.  I think the first thing I look for in a shot is the composition.  How did the photographer use the elements in the image to convey their intent?  Second would be their processing.  Is it done with a scalpel or a chainsaw?  Finally, did they use sound technique when taking the image, things like proper aperture, shutter speed, lens selection, things along those lines.
All I can say is that I am so glad that I have never been asked to critique the work of others for fear of crushing their spirit and enthusiasm.

Q:  I guess that means I shouldn’t ask for a critique or anything on that vein then, eh?  How about war stories?  Got any from field shoots or outings that you can or would be willing to share?

A:  This one time, in band camp…  oops, wrong story.  I am recalling a trip I took to Arizona with my buddies Scott and Dave.  We covered some serious ground in just 3 day, traveling from Phoenix to Page, to Monument Valley, to the Grand Canyon, and back to Phoenix.  It was one of the best shooting trips I have ever taken, thanks in large part to having my friends along to share the experience.  One outing in Page took us on a 3-mile hike in the high desert to photograph the Wave.  This was in August mind you and it was HOT!  We climbed steep sandy hills and rocky outcrops along the way but it was so worth it once we finally reached our destination.  One of the shots that came from that hike ended up gracing Scott’s 7-Point System book.  If there is a moral in there somewhere, I think it would be that hard work and a lot of sweating can really pay off.

Q:  Hey, I own that book!  Cool, I didn’t know that was your shot!  Guess I should read the credits more carefully, eh?  Sorry, I tend to ramble…  Moving right along, with Photoshop becoming so powerful as a way to even create amazing digital imagery, it could almost be said that the camera could eventually not even be a needed component to create imagery.   With that pre-text in mind, if you had to choose between the camera or the software as the only way to create, which would it be and why?

A:  Well, since I don’t have near the creative/artistic abilities like Fay Sirkis, Bert Monroy,  or Cory Barker, I would have to go with the camera.  Those folks have some seriously crazy skills and create beautiful images from a blank canvas using illustrative software.  I, on the other hand require a piece of glass and a shutter button to create.

Q:  Well, I don’t know about that – I’ve read some of your HDR tutorials, which indicate you are pretty skilled with Photoshop!  Anyway, do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share about the state of photography or any catch phrases that you keep in mind when shooting?

A:  I believe that we are living in renaissance period for photography.  Not since the invention of the process has so much changed so rapidly.  With the introduction of powerful software tools like Photoshop and the development of the digital camera, the average person has more creative tools at their disposal than ever before.  The only problem is that tools don’t make pictures, people do.  My advice for those that are just starting out is to not get caught up in all of the technical wizardry but rather learn the craft from the ground up.  Because even though there have been a multitude of advancements in the technical realm of photography, they aren’t worth squat unless you learn how to leverage them to your advantage.  Never stop learning.

Great advice and insights from Jeff Revell.  Please take a moment to stop over at his blog, Photowalk Pro, to check out everything he has to offer.  Thanks again Jeff for taking the time to participate in the Thursday Thoughts series here.  Until tomorrow all, Happy Shooting!  Hope all your shots are good ones!

Also as a reminder, today is the last day to participate in the contest poll – we’re sitting right at 19 votes thus far, so do stop in to the blog and share your thoughts by participating – it’d be super cool to see that vote tally get up over the 30 mark!

We got our first wave of snow overnight last night, and the dusting was just enough to remind me of how beautiful the winter months can be.  Once we’re completely settled in and I am back out shooting more often, I have a feeling the blog will be a venue for much of this photography.  So, there’s a prediction of things to come.

I’ll leave this Friday on that note, along with your weekly episode of What the Duck:

Enjoy the weekend, Happy Shooting, and we’ll see you back here Monday morning!

As I tinker a little with the audio quality of the show and try to make things more seamless and enjoyable, you’ll notice I am pushing the show out in segments, with some music to break things up in little snips between the subject material.  If you like it, chime in via the comments section of the blog.  If you don’t like it, well…chime in via the comments section of the blog.  If you are ambivalent, well…chime in via the comments in the blog.

Hmmm…seems like someone would like to hear what the listening audience thinks of the changes in the format for the audio podcast.  And it also seems that the feedback can easily be done via:  the comments section of the blog!

If you’ve listened to the show and are still yearning for more, please stop by fellow podcasters Scott Sherman and Michael Stein’s new podcast series:  Digital Photography Life.  Formerly, these guys hosted the Digital Photography Show on another network and they’ve since moved on.  Their first show on the new network mis up and ready for your listening pleasure, so do stop over and give it a listen – great to have them back on the air!  Their podcast can be found here:  Digital Photography Life

[podcast]http://www.canonblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/CBPodcast58.mp3[/podcast]

Oh, sorry, this is a photo blog, not a football one!

Okay, here’s the latest and greatest from CB. First and foremost, CB Episode #55 went up today. I took about twenty minutes to talk about off-camera lighting. I looked at the radio transmitters available, infrared transmitters and a number of different companies that deliver products. Pricing from various websites was also reported. As prices may change, and sales may happen, those are approximate according to the date of publication. So, if you have questions about off-camera flash, this may be a good starting point. I look at everything from PocketWizards to Cybersyncs, Skyports and more. It’s about a 20 minute listen, but chock full of information, so download it and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments – I’d really like to hear what people think of the “new format”.

Other news from CB – the header is updated! I’ve got new header shots rolling out every day this week, so make sure you visit the blog and look at the new images (this is for all you RSS readers out there). For the regular visitors, you may also notice that I finally took some time to sit down and add some of the common links above the header, so now you have quick access to The Online Photography Test (more questions and ideas are needed for the “Expert exam”, not linked like yet), the Colors and Textures Gallery, and my own website of personal photography work.  Finally, I also added a link to the  CB Flickr group (I’d love to see some more members sharing photos and ideas). Pretty cool stuff that I am happy to finally have in place. Thanks go out to Erik Bernskiold of Bernskiold Media for taking some time to jog my memory on the particulars of HTML editing – it’d been a while.

As promised, here are the links from the show (a.k.a. show notes):

• Pocket Wizards (B&H) $380
• Elinchrom Skyports (B&H) $180
• Alienbees Cybersyncs (Alienbees) $130
• Cactus Triggers (Gadget Infinity) $25-$50
• Nikon (B&H)
• Canon (B&H)

As I said in the show, I’m migrating from the ST-E2 from Canon to the Cactus transmitters. If you’d like to hear a follow-up episode on my experiences when I am done, let me know and I’ll try to get that “in the can” too.

Well, that was just a ton of information for a Tuesday, so I’ll leave things at that, and let everyone come back tomorrow rejuvenated for the Wednesday “What’s This?” Happy shooting and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!

P.S.  Don’t forget the poll on the sidebar or the Photrade contest – both are ending soon so get your votes in today!

display_podcast]