Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Misc. Photos
My eldest daughter sent me a Power Point slideshow full of great photos today. I've posted a few here. Not sure where they came from so I can't include a referring link...
Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009
The Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009, the 32nd edition of the biennial event, drew more than 51,000 photographs from 18,000 entrants from 153 countries and regions. Nikon chose as the contest’s theme their brand statement, “At the heart of the image,” to serve as an invitation for photographers to highlight emotional content. Entries were requested in two categories: My Planet and Free Subject. In addition, a NIKKOR 75th Anniversay award and several Emerging Talent awards were presented. Ten international judges selected 54 prizewinners, who were awarded Nikon gear...
Saturday, January 23, 2010
PhotoTools 2.5: Wow!
I just finished upgrading to PhotoTools 2.5. I was impressed with 1.0, and used it all the time. 2.5 turns a "must have" Photoshop plugin into a "can't-live-without it" one. It's full of dazzling filters, effects, and presets (which can be easily stacked on top of one another) along with powerful editing tools that are well-designed and easy to use. The entire program is, in fact, a work of art. The PhotoTools home page is located here. A bunch of very helpful PhotoTools video tutorials is located here. OnOne, the company that produces PhotoTools, also has a bunch of other great software products, and more video tutorials to go along with them. Another one of my favorites is FocalPoint. I haven't upgraded that one yet, but plan to. If you're serious about photography, and are looking for ways to speed up your work flow and, at the same time, increase the quality of your finished images, the onOne suite of programs is worth checking out. They also offer a 30-day free trial period...
Before & After Photoshop, Viveza, PhotoTools
Here's an example of a before and after photo I recently tweaked using Photoshop CS4, Viveza 2, PhotoTools 1.0. I love Photoshop and the amazing plugins that put it in overdrive...
Friday, January 22, 2010
Woman Recounts Life After Death
Here's another post that has nothing, directly, to do with photography, but has everything to do with living a good, clean, conscious, loving life.
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Saturday, January 16, 2010
Super Cool Password Protection Program: 1Password
Friday, January 15, 2010
New Season Of D-Town TV
Scott has a tip on using neutral density filters to shoot with fast lenses during the day. Matt heads to Ybor City to share multiple new tips on shooting HDR. Joe McNally drops by with a tip on getting usable light from an on-camera flash.Plus tips on shooting sports and landscapes.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Stop Bank Abuse: Move Your Money
Does having an well-developed sense of social justice come along with being a photographer, or pursuing other artistic professions? I don't know. I do know most of the photographers I know have a strong interest in people, social issues, and doing their part to improve the world. So here's something we can all do to move power away from mindless, soulless corporate interests and put it back in the hands of the little guy and our local communities.
For more information, go here.
For more information, go here.
Nikon Now On Twitter
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Want to stay up with the latest news from Nikon? Want to have a way to reach Nikon, directly, with your praise, concerns, feedback? You can now follow Nikon on Twitter!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Fastest State Trooper Alive
This has nothing to do with photography (except that photographers tend to have a good sense of humor). I have also not been able to verify whether or not it is true. A friend emailed it to me and I laughed so hard I wanted to share it with you. Click on the article to view a larger, more readable version.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Scott Kelby's Redesigned Portfolio
Scott Kelby posted a link to a new portfolio that RC Concepcion created for him. I like it! Kelby's blog post can be found here.
Valuable Tip: Remove Your Batteries
For fear of batteries leaking, I'm good about removing batteries from devices that I store for long periods of time. I haven't bothered, however, to remove them from devices that I use regularly or irregularly -- and this recently caught up with me. I have two Nikon SB800 flashes. I use one as my primary flash and the other as a backup. When I went to check the batteries in my backup flash, they had leaked, badly! Since a replacement flash costs in the neighborhood of $500.00, this could have been a major problem. Thankfully, I was able to clean up the mess and get the flash working again. But from now on, I remove batteries from everything I'm not using, especially my most critical (and expensive) cameras and accessories. A word to the wise.
Download YouTube Videos To Your Computer
Want to download YouTube videos to your computer, iPod, or PlayStation Portable, here's what I use: TubeSock.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Viveza 2
I first reported on Viveza in March of 2009. Viveza 2 arrived a couple months ago and I finally got around to upgrading. The creators of Viveza have added a lot of cool features to an already "must-have" plugin. Scott Kelby, Editor of Photoshop User Magazine describes Viveza 2 as "a time-saver and 'game changer' for anyone who makes a living at photography. Mind-blowingly easy and incredibly accurate!" I concur. You can find out more by going here.
Friday, January 8, 2010
My Wedding Website
If you haven't visited my wedding website recently, you might want to swing by and take a look. I've added a few new images to my home page to spice things up...
Data Rescue 3
In the past I have used Disk Warrior and TechTool Pro to attempt to resurrect hard drives gone bad. Recently, I heard about Data Rescue 3. I haven't purchased this software yet, but plan to. If you have any experience with it, let me know what you think. It is available for both Macs and PCs. Product Description:
"Data Rescue 3 is the best digital data recovery software on the market for recovering files from a problem hard drive or that have been previously deleted. Data Rescue 3 is for computer data recovery and works when other tools fail. Data Rescue 3 is also completely safe to use since it does not attempt any risky repairs to the drive it's scanning. Data Rescue 3 is the safest, most powerful software for data recovery. Data Rescue 3 is the same software used by many data recovery services! Data Rescue 3 has saved our customers from having to use a data recovery service, which can cost thousands.
"You will need to save your recovered files to either an internal or external hard drive (USB or FireWire), removable media device (such as a Zip or MO) or a networked drive.
"Q: Why is Data Rescue 3 different than other products on the market?
"A: Focusing on data recovery, instead of hard drive repair, Data Rescue 3 will work in more cases, recover more effectively, and deliver your files in better condition than other utilities you may have tried in the past. Data Rescue 3 analyzes your entire hard drive looking for your data, then it meticulously re-assembles your files and stores them to a different location."
AppZapper for Mac Users
I came across this little jewel last night, downloaded it, took it for a spin, and was so impressed I bought it and started "zapping" (getting rid of) lots of old, unused programs and their corresponding (and often very difficult to find) files. Extremely easy to use and did exactly what it promised without mucking anything up. It's also beautifully designed and inexpensive: $12.95. All Mac users should have this: AppZapper for Mac Users.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3
Product Description:"Scott Kelby, author of The Digital Photography Book, volume 1 (the world’s best-selling digital photography book of all time), is back with a follow-up to his volume 2 smash best seller, with an entirely new book that picks up right where he left off. It’s even more of that 'Ah ha -- so that’s how they do it,' straight-to-the-point, skip-the-techno-jargon stuff you can really use today to make your shots even better.
"This book truly has a brilliant premise, and here’s how Scott describes it: 'If you and I were out on a shoot and you asked me, ‘Hey Scott, I want the light for this portrait to look really soft and flattering. How far back should I put this softbox?’ I wouldn’t give you a lecture about lighting ratios, or flash modifiers. In real life, I’d just turn to you and say, ‘Move it in as close to your subject as you possibly can, without it actually showing up in the shot.’ Well, that’s what this book is all about: you and I out shooting where I answer questions, give you advice, and share the secrets I’ve learned, just like I would with a friend -- without all the technical explanations and techie photo speak.'
"Each page covers a single concept on how to make your photography better. Every time you turn the page, you’ll learn another pro setting, tool, or trick to transform your work from snapshots into gallery prints. If you’re tired of taking shots that look 'okay,' and if you’re tired of looking in photography magazines and thinking, 'Why don’t my shots look like that?' then this is the book for you.
"This isn’t a book of theory -- full of confusing jargon and detailed concepts. This is a book on which button to push, which setting to use, and when to use it. With nearly 200 more of the most closely guarded photographic 'tricks of the trade,' this book gets you shooting dramatically better-looking, sharper, more colorful, more professional-looking photos every time."
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
Terry White's Best of 2009 Top 10 Gadgets
EXCERPT:"Happy New Year! It's that time once again to take a quick look at my favorite gadgets of last year. The gadgets I've chosen were the ones that I used the most and that had the most positive impact on my day-to-day life. These gadgets were either introduced in 2009 or had significant updates in 2009. These are the gadgets that I would recommend to a friend without hesitation. So let's get to it…"
Check out Terry White's Best of 2009: Top 10 Gadget Picks
Scott Kelby's “Best of 2009” Picks
EXCERPT:"It’s important to note right up front that I didn’t say 'Best photography gear' or 'Best Photoshop stuff' (though both of those are represented). Instead, this is just my favorite 'bestest' stuff from 2009, (including things like songs, movies, travel stuff, food, etc.) presented in no particular order. Hope it starts off your New Year right! (By the way; make sure you read my disclaimers at the end of the list)."
Check out Scott Kelby's “Best of 2009” Picks.
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