Saturday, October 31, 2009

FREE Pumpkin Carving Action


FREE Pumpkin Carving Action
Contributed By: Dave Seeram
This one is for all of you folks who just love to celebrate the spooky Halloween Holiday! Grab your digital paintbrushes and use this handy action to light up your digital pumpkins. Join in the annual PhotographyBB digital pumpkin carving contest in our forums.

How to Capture Motion Blur in Photography

How to Capture Motion Blur in Photography

"Capturing movement in images is something that many photographers only think to do when they are photographing sports or other fast moving subjects. While there is an obvious opportunity in sports photography to emphasize the movement of participants – almost every type of photography can benefit from the emphasis of movement in a shot – even when the movement is very small, slow and/or subtle. "

Read the rest of the article, with eight good tips and photos here at the Digital Photography School: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Canon Introduces A New iPhone App

Canon Introduces A New iPhone App

New, Free Canon iPhone App Makes it Easy to Print Photos

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., October 14, 2009 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging, announced its free Easy Photo-Print App, which is now available on the App store. The Canon Easy Photo-Print App enables wireless photo printing from your iPhone or iPod touch to a compatible Canon PIXMA printer via a wireless network with a few simple taps.

The new Canon Easy-PhotoPrint (iEPP) app is an ideal solution for consumers looking to print and share their photos. Canon challenges users to get creative by allowing them to choose from a variety of sizes and paper types. The Canon Easy-PhotoPrint for the iPhone app allows users to print photos as large as 8 1/2 x 11 on six different types of paper. Now a family outing to the beach or a picture from a birthday party can be printed from almost anywhere to be shared with friends and family. Additionally, this new application allows consumers to print up to 20 copies at one time to a compatible Canon PIXMA printer, PIXMA MP990, MP640 and MP560 Wireless Photo All-in-One (AIO) Printers for easy creation of photos.

"Canon continues to make the printing experience as seamless and easy as possible with the addition of new technologies such as the Canon Easy-Photo Print Application," said Yuichi Ishizuka, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. "This new technology enables users to print multiple images at one time while selecting varying sizes and paper types, making it easier than ever for consumers to print the images they want from their revolutionary iPhone or iPod touch."

The Canon Easy-PhotoPrint App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

Canon PIXMA Wireless Photo All-In-One PrintersCanon has once again taken quality and ease to a whole new level with the MP990, MP640, and MP560, the latest addition's to the PIXMA line of Wireless Photo All-In-One Printers. These stylish printers, with built-in Wi-Fi1 capabilities provide users with many different options to accommodate printing needs. With the ability to print, copy, scan and now the use of the new Easy-PhotoPrint for iPhone application, users can be confident that all tasks, from printing photo albums of a family reunion or scanning in pictures from the past, can be accomplished quickly and easily with superior quality.

Photoshop Tips From The Pros

Photoshop Tips From The Pros
Some of the best in nature photography share 11 techniques that will turn a good photograph into an award-winner
By Tim Grey
http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/how-to/photoshop-and-other-software/photoshop-tips-from-the-pros.html

Some of these tips I already use in my post=prcoessing but some were new. For example I never really thought about this one but it makes sense #6 Moose Peterson
"Darken When You Want To Lighten. To make an area in a photograph appear brighter, consider making the region around that area darker instead. Most photographers go to the area they want to appear brighter and simply brighten it. This tends to break down pixels and can cause highlights to be taken to full paper white, which reduces overall image quality. By darkening associated areas, you still visually brighten the area you want to emphasize while protecting the pixels in your image."

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Frameworks "1st Annual Juried Photography Show".

Thank you Jim for passing this along!

Frameworks in Newtown is sponsoring a photography exhibit of "Your Town" Dec. 4 - Dec. 24. Frameworks has termed it its "1st Annual Juried Photography Show".

Submit photos of "Your Town" (can be any in Connecticut) before Nov. 21. The photos are to be no smaller than 5 x 7 and no larger than 12 x 16. Black and white or color, your choice of papers. Do not mount them; Frameworks will do the mounting at no charge. You may submit two entries, the first at a cost of $3, the second, $2. The exhibit will be juried and prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

If your entry sells, Frameworks will take a 30% commission. Any photos not sold are to be picked up 1/8-9/2010. There will be an opening reception on Friday, 12/4 between 6 and 9 p.m.

More information is available 203 270-1887. Also visit www.koenigframeworks.com.

Annual Owl Prowl

Dear Friends, Well, it's that time of year again! Please plan to join us this Friday, October 30th from 7-9PM for our Annual Owl Prowl.

The Wind Over Wings Annual OWL Prowl
is
Friday, October 30th anytime from 7PM-9 PM

Guaranteed sightings of four different owls
Children invited to wear Halloween costumes
Bring Flashlights!
Donation: (cash or check) Adults $7 Children $5

Directions to - Wind Over Wings
Coming on 95N or 95S, take Exit 64 (Horse Hill Road, Route 145).
Coming from New Haven, take a right at end of exit ramp (left if coming from Old Saybrook). At the red blinking light, take a right. Go 1.5 miles, and take a right into the driveway of Shoreline Gardens (big white farmhouse; Owl Prowl sign on lawn).

Looking forward to a fun evening,
Wind Over Wings

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

"Layers and masks" program Candlewood Camera Club

We gave our "Layers and masks" program to Candlewood Camera Club last night.

If you have not been over to Tom Peterson's Candlewood Blog you certainly should, it is one of the best New England camera club Blogs around! I follow it via RSS (and wish that they would also include an email subscription option so that the new posts would go right to my mailbox as I do not always get to look at my RSS feeder as often as I'd like. For example I missed this great example of before and after -- photoshopping done 114 years ago! http://candlewoodcamera.blogspot.com/2009/10/club-mantra-only-what-can-be-done-in.html

You can see this previous blog entry to learn more about this program.
http://lifethrulisaslens.blogspot.com/2008/07/nhcc-members-lisa-tom-cuchara-present.html

“White Reveals, Black Conceals: Masking Your Way to a Better Photograph”by Lisa and Tom CucharaIntroductionMasking is extremely simple; this one mantra “white reveals, black conceals” will work for almost all of your Photoshop editing. From exposure to contrast, dodging & burning, blurring the background, selective coloring, selective focus (even creating a Lensbaby effect in Photoshop), etc. “Non-destructive” editing in Photoshop is a critical component to the digital darkroom; this includes the use of layers and masks to enhance your images. Adjustment layers and filters can be applied to an entire image, but sometimes you just want to tweak part of an image, which is where masks come in. The advantage of using layer masks is that you can refine both the effect and the area being changed at any point, even after you save and re-open an image. White reveals, black conceals and shades of gray provide a variety of opacities -- this one simple concept is essential for anyone using the digital darkroom to enhance their images!

Layers, Adjustment layers, Masks – these are simpler then they sound. You may have even used masks and didn’t know it. If you have ever selected part of an image and then performed Levels (or any other adjustment) you actually created a mask without even attempting to do so. Adjustment layers are superior to working on the “background layer” which is often equated to the “negative”. Adjustment layers are more powerful because you can go back and change then at any time – masks too! They are not “permanent” in the sense that you can change them or even delete them at any time.

What are layers?
Layers allow you to work on parts of your photo without affecting other areas. Think of layers as a stack of transparencies, where each sheet is a different layer and the layers can appear in different orders with varying opacities. Plus using layers means that you can edit or adjust each sheet individually. You can edit a particular feature of your photograph (saturation, levels, etc.) using Adjustment layers. All of these are examples of non-destructive editing.

Here are also some of my favorite Photoshops shortcuts, there are MANY shortcuts.
Ctrl Z = UNDO (a VERY good shortcut to learn)
Ctrl Alt Z = multiple UNDO (even better)
Ctrl 0 (zero) --> maximize the photo
Ctrl J --> Create a new duplicate layer
The "[" left square-bracket key will decrease brush size
The "]" right square-bracket key will increase brush size
Shift and [ or ] will soften/harden the brush edges.
B --> selects the Brush tool (this is what you will paint with)
D --> sets the color palette back to Black and White
X --> switches between Black and White
te a new layer
C --> Crop tool
S --> Clone tool
V --> move tool

Another one of my favorites. First, create a new empty layer (Ctrl Shift N) on the top layer. Then select that new layer and use this command (Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E); we use this for editing that can’t be done non-destructively (USM, filters, etc). We actually have an action that does this for us in one step because we use it so often.

Download our notes here.

DON’T BE TRAPPED BY A MIND-SET…

I have seen this prejudice rear its ugly head too many times.

This was copied from Art Morris Birds as Art http://www.birdsasart.com/bn301.htm

DON’T BE TRAPPED BY A MIND-SET…

You need a long telephoto lens to make great images of bird, right? Lots of folks believe that.

After all, I could not have created this tight head portrait of a juvenile Osprey with a short lens:

Osprey, close-up of juvenile, Indian Lake Estates, FL
Image Copyright 2009: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 320. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/11 set manually. Rig supported by the BLUBB (Big Lens Ultimate BeanBag). Bird photography at ILE is usually fair to lousy, but in early spring there are nesting Sandhill Cranes and in late spring there usually a few young Ospreys around. 2009 was a phenomenally productive year for this species. It took some careful driving to get my SUV into the perfect position…. If you wish to make sharp images from your vehicle, nothing else comes close to the BLUBB: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=12

So to repeat: you need a long telephoto lens to create great images of bird, right?

Well, my final answer is no, you do not need a long lens to create great images of birds.

Shorter lenses are often the best tools for capturing birds in flight and in action, and even wide angles can be ideal for creating bird-scapes, small in the frame photographs that include an avian subject or subjects along with lots of beautiful habitat, dramatic lighting, or both.

Of the 30 images that are currently slated for my next gallery exhibit at the Bok Tower here in Lake Wales in early 2010, 8 were made with lenses with focal lengths of 400mm or less, and only two of those were made with a 400mm focal length. Both “Blizzard in Blue” (created with my old “toy lens”, the 400mm f/5.6L, at Bosque) and “Gannets in Love” (captured with the tripod-mounted 400mm f/4 IS DO lens at Bonaventure) have garnered major contest awards.

Here are some perfect examples of great images created with even shorter lenses:

Osprey, nest, and Cypress Trees, Lake Blue Cypress, FL
Image Copyright 2009: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 24-105mm IS L zoom with the full frame EOS-1Ds MII handheld at 100mm. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/1600 at f/2.8.

Bald Eagle in flight over mountains and bay, Homer, AK
Image Copyright 2009: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS zoom with the full frame EOS-1Ds MII handheld at 120mm. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1000 at f/6.3 set manually.

Snow Geese and dramatic clouds, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM
Image Copyright 2008: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 28-300mm IS L zoom lens with the EOS-1D MIII handheld at 50mm. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1000 at f/8.

None of the three images immediately above could have been created had I been standing behind a long tripod-mounted telephoto lens. Learn to see creatively, to recognize potential short lens situations, and to use the shorter focal length lenses effectively to create great images.

Learn lots more on this topic by purchasing and studying a copy of “The Art of Bird Photography II” (916 pages on CD only): https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32. And remember, good photographers create good images with whatever camera and lens they have in their hands.

I have copied the text here, but you have to go to the article to see the photos http://www.birdsasart.com/bn301.htm

Live Owl Presentation

Live Owl Presentation
Saturday, October 31, 2009
12:45 pm & 1:45 pm Yale Peabody Museum Auditorium

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Wildlife Photographer of the Year - 2009 Winners Announced

Wildlife Photographer of the Year - 2009 Winners Announced
2009 competition winners announced!

The winners of the coveted titles of Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year were unveiled last night at an awards dinner at the Natural History Museum in London. To find out who won and to see all the awarded images visit our online gallery. You can also read comments from the competition judges and tell us what you think of the pictures.

The winning photographs will be displayed at the Natural History Museum in London from 23 October to 11 April 2010. This year the exhibition is being shown in the Museum's iconic Waterhouse Gallery, with the images in a larger format, allowing you to be truly awed by the power of nature. An audio guide, featuring some of the awarded photographers and competition judges, is also available within the exhibition, price £2. Find out opening hours and book tickets online.

On tour
After its debut at the Natural History Museum, the exhibition tours the globe, inspiring thousands to see the world with new eyes. The new 2009 exhibition can be seen at a venue near you from December. A full list can be found on our website.
WildPhotos

We are proud to be a Principal Sponsor of WildPhotos 2009, which takes place on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October at the Royal Geographical Society in London. Don't miss this unique opportunity to view and discuss the work of the winners of this year's Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. There will be some tickets available on the door. Please arrive at 8.30am to secure your ticket.

Merchandise
The November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine (on sale 22 October) contains a free portfolio magazine featuring this year's winning images, along with the stories behind them.

You can also buy fantastic gifts that capture the drama of the award-winning images in our online shop. Customise your own print with a choice of frames and canvas or art paper or choose from a selection of calendars, postcards, jigsaws and the spectacular Wildlife Photographer of the Year portfolio book.

Official Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year gifts are produced exclusively for the Natural History Museum. Buy gifts online now Meet some of the award winners from this year's prestigious competition, and find out about their experiences and techniques at a series of Nature Live events. Find out more.

2010 Competition

The next Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition launches in January 2010. We will be looking for photographs that are not only technically flawless, but creative, innovative and surprising, and taken in wild and free conditions that faithfully represent nature. Details of how to enter will be available on our website and can also be found in the February issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine (on sale 21 January). www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto

Monday, October 26, 2009

Tony Sweet Photography 2010 Workshop Schedule

Tony Sweet Photography 2010 Workshop Schedule with instructors Tony Sweet & Susan Milestone Please e-mail Susan susan@tonysweet.com to sign up for the workshop.

March 28 to April 1 - Charleston, SC $1050, limit 10
This is a wonderful historic city with numerous photo venues. We'll be spending our time photographing Magnolia Plantation, where explosions of colorful flowers, huge oak trees draped with moss, and bald cyprus swamps signal the beginning of spring time. Historic Charleston architecture and the famous White Point Park (The Batterie) full of azalea, along the waterfront.

April 7 to 11 - Digital Edge Elite Software/HDR - Charleston, SC $1650, limit 5
Join Tony in Charleston, SC for this exclusive shooting & software workshop. We will be out photographing every day, but will reserve ample class time to work on images using NikSoftware plug-ins, Alien Skin, Topaz, Helicon Focus, and Photomatix HDR software. There will be ample individual help with raw processing and workflow. Discussions will be conducted at each location on how to "shoot for the software" and pre-visualizeing the final results, which may not be readily apparent when viewing a scene.

May 2 to 6 - Badlands, SD $1050, limit 10
This place is like shooting on the moon, Incredible, colorful, graphic , easily accessible, and wide open to interpretation from stitched pans to HDR. There are many outstanding venues for first and last light. The Sheep Mountain area is particularly graphic at sunset, (be aware Sheep Mountain is very remote and there are no bathrooms for 40 miles) The terrain goes from full frame sand stone teepees to soft rolling hills populated by cottonwood trees. Buffalo may be seen in the area, as are prairie dog towns! As with all of our workshops, there is ample field instruction and daily critiques. We'll touch on the various software that we use on images supplied for the critique sessions and they'll be software and compositional presentations.

September 12 to 16 - Great Smoky Mountains, TN $1050, limit 10
This is a great time to be in the Smokies. Although it’s not quite fall, the greens are very full and slightly over grown, creating a sense of wildness not apparent when the park is more “manicured.” There can be ample fog, gentle rain, and flowing streams, dewy spiderwebs, and some wildflowers are still with us. The skies can be quite dramatic and the changeable weather lends the Smokies to ever changing scenic possibilities. Since sunset opportunities are limited, we’ll spend at least one evening in the class discussing and illustrating workflow and software used to punch up and/ or transform your images.

October 3 to 7 - Fall Photo Tour - White Mountains, NH $1050, limit 10
The White Mountains in NH is one of the best fall venues in the country, featuring brilliant reds and golds, colorful flowing streams, overlooks, birch forests, and numerous macro opportunities. This is a tour where class instructions will be plentiful, but field instruction will be minimal. We will be visiting our favorite locations, some very specific and generally not well known. The color window is very short and we'll be shooting along with the class, but will always be available for field help when needed.

October 13 to 17 - Acadia, ME $1050, limit 10
Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine has the most rugged coastlines on the east coast, but very accessible: pink granite, cliffs, ponds, lakes, fall color, and overlooks. As with all of our workshops, there is ample field instruction and daily critiques. We'll touch on the various software that we use on images supplied for the critique sessions and they'll be software and compositional presentations.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

lighthouse photography workshops

thank you Rich for passing this along

My name is Pete Lerro and I am running a number of lighthouse photography workshops next year. These trips are for the sole purpose of photographic lighthouses; mainly from sunset to sunrise. My group will have special access into parks and areas normally closed off to the public during nighttime hours. The group will also have critiques during the trips in order to see how other people shoot as well as improve their photography. All levels of skill are welcome.
http://www.lerroproductions.com/lighthouseworkshop.html
Regards, Pete Lerro

Lighthouses were made to illuminate the night skys for mariners. Then why not photograph them in their natural enviroment?Join us in our unique adventures and learn how to photograph lighthouses witha professional photographer. Get special access and be at the right placeat the right time.All workshops are a learning experience from start to finish. Not only will you get on site training, you will also be cretiqued as well as learnpost production tips.
All skill levels are welcome!!!!

Photographing lighthouses is not only a passion, but the benchmark of my photography carreer. Ever since a trip to the outer banks a decade ago, I have traveled across the country photographing lighthouses.One thing I believe that sets me apart is my emphasis on nighttime lighthouse photography. People photograph animals and people in their natural habitats, then why not lighthouses in theirs. After all, thier primary role was to shine a light in the night sky.
As a working photographer, I have covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, IRL as well as weddings, model and swimsuit calendars, nature and wildlife, and railroads. I have freelanced for Comcast Sports Net, Contrast Photography, F8 Images, Life Touch and a number of publications.

The Right Filters For Fall Color

An excellent four page article on the use of filters in the Fall -- lots of good information! I just love my Moose warming polarizer and use it for the overwhleming majority of my photographs.

"The polarizer is effective in many situations, but if you’re unsure when to use a polarizer, hold it up and look through it with your eye instead of screwing it onto the lens. This is a quick way to see if the polarizer is having any effect."

"In addition to deepening blue skies, the most understated reason for using the polarizer is to reduce glare and reflections. This is important because once glare is present in an image, no amount of postprocessing can undo the damage. That glare reduces the color saturation in images, giving them a flat, washed-out appearance. The polarizer alters this by blocking out the polarized light, enhancing color saturation."

The Right Filters For Fall Color Text And Photography By Kevin McNeal

When shooting in autumn, the polarizer, neutral-density and grad ND filters are indispensable for achieving stunning imagery

Read the article here:

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/gear/accessories/the-right-filters-for-fall-color.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OPeNewsSept1_101309

At the end of the article there is also a bit about "Recommended Filters"

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Digital Slide Shows

Jery Monkman recently wrote an article about Digital Slide Shows
http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/community/blogs/in-the-zone/digital-slide-shows.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OPeNewsSept1_101309

"A lot of photo editing software now comes with slide show capabilities built in. Lightroom and iPhoto both have easy to use slideshow features with attractive fade transitions. However, they are very limited in their ability compared to the program I now use, Pro Show Producer (Photodex software www.photodex.com.) There is also a less expensive version called Pro Show Gold. For example, in Lightroom you set the slide duration and fade time, which is applied to every image in the slideshow. In Pro Show, you can vary the slide duration and fade time for each individual image – varying the timing of transitions is important to keep your audience from being lulled to sleep. Pro Show also has dozens of choices for transitions, while Lightroom only has one – a standard fade."

Read the rest here
http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/community/blogs/in-the-zone/digital-slide-shows.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OPeNewsSept1_101309

RAW and Jpeg – what's the difference?

From digital diversity

http://adamwignall.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/from-raw-to-jpeg-an-indepth-look/

This is going to be a fairly long one so I would make sure you have some supplies ready. Maybe a snack on stand by and your favourite method of getting your caffeine fix at the ready.

I want to cover several key areas:

  • RAW and Jpeg – whats the difference?
  • An introduction to Adobe Camera RAW (ACR)
  • Processing your images from RAW to final Jpeg

This should leave you understanding what a RAW file is and what advantages and disadvantages it gives you. The processing tutorial will also be more advanced than my previous article on basic photo processing.

About Digital Diversity Me and my images
"I have been a graphic designer using Photoshop since 2002 and started my interest in photography in early 2009. If you have any questions regarding my images or would be interested in purchasing prints or the rights to use them, please contact me via digidiversity@gmail.com This site is intended as both a way to find tutorials on photo manipulation / editing and a diary of my journey to learning more about photography.
The software I use is both Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS. For the purpose of the tutorials you can download the large versions of the subject image. Just click the image to be taken to the large version. Please join the digital diversity group on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/groups/digitaldiversity/ Here you can post your images you have created using the tutorials or based on articles from this site. Or you can post your own tutorials, leave suggestions and ask questions on the message board.

Lightroom 3 (beta) is here

Lightroom 3 (beta) is here
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom3/

Welcome to the Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 3 public beta. We’re excited about the new features and advancements in the new Lightroom 3 beta and we hope you will be too. Included on this page is information about Lightroom, details about the new beta release of Lightroom 3, and access to Lightroom 3 beta software.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software is a digital darkroom and efficient assistant designed for serious amateur and professional photographers. With Lightroom, you can organize, enhance, and showcase your images all from one fast and nimble application that’s available on Macintosh and Windows® platforms.

Manage your growing photo collection in a visual library that makes it quick and easy to organize, find, and select your images.

Get the absolute best from every shot—whether raw, JPEG, or TIFF—using state-of-the-art nondestructive editing tools.

And when you're ready, showcase your images with the impact they deserve using customizable print layouts, powerful slideshows, web gallery creation tools, and connection to online photo sharing sites (may require third-party plug-ins).

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta

Lightroom 3 beta builds on the vision of the very first Lightroom beta. From day 1, Lightroom was designed for photographers and by photographers to help them focus on what they love—the art and craft of photography. Lightroom provides photographers with an elegant and efficient way to work with their growing digital image collections, bring out the best in their images, and make an impact from raw capture to creative output, all while maintaining the highest possible quality each step of the way.

We're offering a public beta of the next release of Lightroom to give you a chance to preview some of the new features and enhancements in the upcoming version. It's an opportunity for you to evaluate a select portion of the new features planned for Lightroom 3, to help the team discover and address issues if any, and to send feedback that the Lightroom team can use to make Lightroom 3 an even better digital darkroom and more efficient assistant for you.

Download and Discuss
Get the Lightroom 3 beta
Discuss the Lightroom 3 beta in the forums
Visit the NAPP Lightroom 3 beta Resource Center

For the development of this latest release, we’ve focused on what we believe are the fundamental priorities of our customers: performance and image quality. Lightroom has been rebuilt from its core to provide a performance architecture that meets the needs of photographers today and into the future. The raw processing engine has also received an overhaul in order to ensure that you’re maximizing the potential in your images in terms of sharpening and noise reduction. And, a number of other new areas have also had new features added and enhanced. Like any beta, Lightroom 3 beta is unfinished, which means some of the features we have planned are not in this release, and some of the features in the beta are not yet complete.

Some of the new features included for you to play with in the Lightroom 3 beta are:
Brand new performance architecture, building for the future of growing image libraries
State-of-the-art noise reduction to help you perfect your high ISO shots
Watermarking tool that helps you customize and protect your images with ease
Portable sharable slideshows with audio—designed to give you more flexibility and impact on how you choose to share your images, you can now save and export your slideshows as videos and include audio

Flexible customizable print package creation so your print package layouts are all your own
Film grain simulation tool for enhancing your images to look as gritty as you want
New import handling designed to make importing streamlined and easy
More flexible online publishing options so you can post your images online to certain online photo sharing sites directly from inside Lightroom 3 beta (may require third-party plug-ins)*

For more details on the new functionality in the Lightroom 3 beta:
Watch 3 short videos about what’s new in the beta
Read the blog post from the Lightroom team to learn about the vision behind the features included in the beta.
Find helpful resources on the new NAPP Lightroom 3 beta Resource Center.
Read the release notes (PDF) for detailed information.
Download now and send us your feedback!

Anyone Can Try Out the New Lightroom 3 Beta
The Lightroom 3 beta program is available to the public, so that means anyone with an Internet connection can download it and start putting it to the test. You do not need to own (or have tried) a previous version of Lightroom. The version of Lightroom 3 beta software available for download is offered in English only. You can download the beta and use it until the product expires. The current Lightroom 3 public beta will expire on April 30, 2010.

Please note that the software available in this public beta is not a final release. The product quality and the features are still being developed and completed. Like any beta release, usage of this product carries more risk than using a shipping product. We’ve tested the product thoroughly and do not anticipate serious issues but for critical work, you should rely on the shipping version. If you do not currently use Lightroom and you’d prefer to use Lightroom 2, visit the Lightroom 2 page on Adobe.com for information about Lightroom 2 and links to where you can try and/or purchase it.

Scott Kelby has blogged about LR3
http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/7004

They even have a “Lightroom 3 Beta Power Session” full training class -- the Lightroom 3 Learning Center (here’s the link),

Terry’s Tech Blog also has a video on Lightroom 3 Beta Here’s the link.

Pat Brundage photographic display at the Oliver Wolcott Library in Litchfield

I will be having a photographic display at the Oliver Wolcott Library in Litchfield for the month of November. Artist's reception will be Thursday, November 5 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. All are welcome.

Would love to see a large turnout!

Thanks in advance. Pat Brundage

BorrowLenses.com

Ever want to try out a lens before you buy it?
need to use a particular lens just a couple of times a year?
Going on a special trip and need a big or special lens?

I have rented from Borrowlenses.com and they are very good. They make it simple to rent.

Get ready for fall savings with our coupons for discounts on photography gear rentals and lighting rentals. Valid 10/23/09 -12/31/09

Use Coupon code FALL5 at checkout to save 5% on rentals of Cameras, Lenses, Bags and accessories. Valid 10/23/09 -12/31/09 Terms and conditions may apply.

Save 5% on all photography lighting rentals. Use coupon code LIGHTING5 at checkout. Valid 10/23/09 -12/31/09 Terms and conditions may apply.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Adobe Shortcut App for Creative Suite

Can’t remember your shortcuts? No worries. Introducing the Adobe Shortcut App, an amazing new tool from Adobe that lets you find and gather the shortcuts you need on your desktop. So they’re right where you need them, when you need them, allowing you to create your masterpieces with ease. http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/marketplace/index.cfm?event=marketplace.offering&marketplaceid=1&offeringid=15241

Also a PDF with shortcuts
http://studenteditions.adobe.com/adobeShortcutApp/pdf/B2S_APP_PDF_PS_PC_S.pdf

photo blind grant program - NANPA

The NANPA foundation announces its renewed photo blind grant program.
Grants are now available to construct or update a photography blind in a wildlife refuge near you. The NANPA Foundation has redesigned its Photo Blind Program as a grant program that will provide up to $1,500 to construct, remodel, or repair a photography blind in a wildlife refuge or preserve. http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Enanpafoundation%2Eorg%2Fblinds%2Ephp&urlhash=7bed&_t=disc_detail_link

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

SAVE $20 ON AN ONLINE PHOTO CLASS

Greetings Apogee Reader and welcome to the October issue of the Apogee Photo Newsletter.
Fall is in full swing and we're hoping you had the opportunity to capture the incredible colors of the season. Be sure to check out Jim Austin's article on how you can have fun enhancing those photos using Photoshop. Visit Fall: Photoshop Tips for Leaves

Classes start November 2nd...ARE YOU A CAMERA CLUB MEMBER? ~ SAVE $20 ON AN ONLINE PHOTO CLASS ~ Offer valid between now & November 2nd for classes starting November 2nd or when you sign up for an Open Class starting between now & November 2nd.
~ Classes Start SOON, so Get Signed Up Today ~
DOES PHOTOGRAPHY EXCITE YOU? ARE YOU READY TO MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC SKILLS?
Our accomplished & knowledgeable photo instructors will help you achieve your goals. They will inspire you to reach new creative heights.
LIMITED CLASS SIZES - QUALITY CRITIQUES
Course Listings: whether you are a beginner or advanced, there is a course to meet your needs. Photography's Fun When You Know the Basics with Noella Ballenger. Let's Kick It Up a Notch: Beyond the Basics with Noella Ballenger. Elements of Design with Noella Ballenger. Getting Intimate:The World of Close-Up Photography with Noella Ballenger. NOW 6 Photoshop Classes & Flickr Marketing Class with Jim Austin (OPEN CLASSES: start any time). Travel Photography with Mike Goldstein(OPEN CLASSES: start any time). Flash Photography with Mike Goldstein (OPEN CLASSES: start any time).Wildlife Basics and Beyond with Andy Long. Working with Natural Light with Andy Long. People & Portraits: Inside, Outside & All Around the Town with Lindsay Adler.
To learn more about each class and to register yourself or a loved one for the upcoming classes, just go to the Apogee Photo Online Campus.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Halloween Photography Tips

Halloween Photography Tips by Darren Rowse

Besides how to best photograph Jack-o-Lanterns he talks about basic photographic tips only applying them to this particular subject matter: Find Points of Interest, Rule of Thirds, Filling Your Frame, Give Subjects Space to Look into, Find Fresh Angles, Shooting in Low Light, Candid Photography, Diffuse Your Flash, etc.

Read the article and see the photos here: http://digital-photography-school.com/halloween-photography-tips

There is also a link so some really fun and sophisticated pumpkin carving
http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32461

Explore Your Parks: Download the National Park Owner's Guide

Explore Your Parks: Download the National Park Owner's Guide
The National Park Foundation's Owner's Guide is designed to make your national park experience better than ever. Full of advice about what to see and do including maps of every state and links to each national park's website, the Owner's Guide offers an insider's view of the special places we love and the opportunity to experience them to their fullest. Download an Owner's Guide for free, and explore your parks as you never have before.

THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA'S BEST IDEA

THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA'S BEST IDEA

"This 12-hour history…is a strong candidate for the most beautiful program ever to air on American television. It's the Burns effort that most closely rivals The Civil War, his masterpiece." Hal Boedeker, The Orlando SentinelOn Sunday night, millions of Americans tuned in to PBS and fell in love again with their national parks. The National Park Foundation is proud to be a core partner and funder of Ken Burns' THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA. If you enjoyed episodes one and two, stay tuned all week for new episodes every night.

If you missed the first episodes, you can watch them now on www.pbs.org/nationalparks

After you’ve watched the latest episode, visit www.nationalparks.org/bestidea to enter our Best Idea Trivia Contest where you can test your knowledge of the parks and win great prizes too. A new trivia question and a new chance to win will be posted just before each of the six episodes.

Monday, October 19, 2009

National Park Foundation: Top Ten Parks for Fall Foliage '09

Press Release

National Park Foundation: Top Ten Parks for Fall Foliage '09

Olympus Gives Tips on Taking Stunning Photos as Share the Experience Photo Contest Continues

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Park Foundation released today the 2009 list of the most photogenic parks for fall foliage. The announcement is made in partnership with Olympus, the proud sponsor of the Share the Experience photo contest, which is seeking this year's best photo of the 391 national parks. The grand prize winning photo will be featured on next year's Federal Recreation Lands Pass and will receive an Olympus E-3 Digital Camera.

The 2009 list of the most photogenic parks for fall foliage with expected time frames for peak colors:

Acadia National Park, ME: Peak colors are expected now through October 15th.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH: Peak colors expected during the last two weeks of October.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, PA: Peak colors are expected the weekend of October 17th.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC/TN: Peak colors are expected during the last two weeks of October.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN: Peak colors are expected this weekend and for the next ten days.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, MN: Leaves are already turning; the peak is expected in the next ten days. Published on 10/08/2009

Mount Rainier National Park, WA: Peak colors are expected this weekend and for the next ten days. Published on 10/08/2009

New River Gorge National River, WV: Peak colors are expected during the third week of October, starting around the weekend of the 17th. Published on 10/08/2009

Saratoga National Historic Park, NY: Peak colors are expected this weekend and for the next ten days. Published on 10/08/2009

Valley Forge National Historical Park, PA: Peak colors are expected during the last two weeks of October.

To help amateur photographers make the most of the opportunities, Olympus offered the following tips to park-goers:

Sun hiding behind the clouds? Don't be disappointed. Colors can often appear more vibrant in an overcast day. This type of even lighting is also great for displaying details in the shadows.
Consider different perspectives for each photo. Look up toward the sky and down toward your feet. You'll be amazed by the number of interesting subjects available beyond eyelevel.
Look for the small details. The landscape vistas will be beautiful with fall colors but close-up photos of small objects such as a single leaf or cluster of fall berries can also make for a striking photo.Think about backlighting your subjects on a sunny day. Backlighting is when you intentionally place the main light source behind your subject. Pictures of colorful leaves can be very striking when photographed this way. Also, don't let the sun shine directly into your lens.
Bring a lens cleaning cloth. When capturing images outside, dust and moisture in the air can build up on the lens' glass surface. You'll want to keep it clean so that the light can pass through evenly.

Amateur photographers are invited to submit up to three photos to the Share the Experience contest through December 31, 2009. In addition, at the end of the submission period the public will be invited to vote for their favorite photo. Enter by visiting www.sharetheexperience.org or pick up a brochure and entry form while visiting a Federal Recreation Land this year. Great prizes include: Olympus digital cameras, trips to a federal recreation area, Federal Recreation Lands Passes and more!

Share the Experience is the official photo contest of America's national parks and federal recreation lands. Sponsored by Olympus and the National Park Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service, the Share the Experience Photo Contest showcases the more than 500 million acres of Federal Lands and draws entries from all across the United States.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation is an independent charitable organization chartered by Congress in 1967 to strengthen the connection between the American people and their 391 national parks. As the official national non-profit partner of America's National Parks, the Foundation raises private funds, makes strategic grants, creates innovative partnerships and increases public awareness about the need and opportunity for park philanthropy. In its 2008 fiscal year, the National Park Foundation distributed grants and program support of $27.3M.

ABOUT OLYMPUS IMAGING AMERICA INC.

Olympus Imaging America Inc. is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering award-winning products for consumer and professional markets. Olympus Imaging America Inc. works collaboratively with its customers and its ultimate parent company, Olympus Corporation, to develop breakthrough technologies with revolutionary product design and functionality that enhances people's lives every day. For more information, visit: www.getolympus.com

Godwit at Hammonasset

I received an email from Susan Naumann today (Thanks!) about a rare and photogenic Godwit at Hammonasset -- CT birds also had a bit about it in there, but I do not read the CT bird digest every day and would have missed it if not for Susan.

Thought you would like to know there is a godwit at Hammonasset. Loads of birders were there, today, all excited & taking pictures. Judging by the excitement, it may be a rare stop-over. We were told it has been there for three days. . . . in meadow, past the west beach parking lot, left of the road. Susan

10/19/09 - Madison, Hammonasset SP -- previously reported HUDSONIAN GODWIT present at 10 am in the rain pools west of West Beach parking lot. (This photogenic bird apparently enjoys the attention as it is completely surrounded by long lenses!)

Photoshop.com Mobile App

It's easy to use the Photoshop.com Mobile App on your iPhone. Simply drag your finger to crop, adjust color, apply effects—you name it.

Crop, rotate, change color with just a touch.
Give an extra glow with Soft Focus.
Get artsy with Sketch.
Apply one-touch effects like Warm Vintage and Vignette.
Try any edit—you can undo it.

Open a free Photoshop.com account to upload, store, and share all of your iPhone photos. Enjoy 1,000s of photos in your pocket by accessing your entire Photoshop.com photo library right from your iPhone. Right in the moment.

The Annual Hunt's Show.....October 30, 31, and November 1

The Annual Hunt's Show.....October 30, 31, and November 1

We have a great line of Free Seminars being offered during this weekend. More info will be coming your way soon. Advertisement will be in the Boston Globe and on the local Boston radio stations.

Better Beamer

Better Beamer http://ppsop.blogspot.com/2009/08/working-with-artificial-light-better.html

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Flickr Camera Club Critiques

Hi Lisa, Now that my Flickr account is no longer "dangling" I've been enjoying posting my pictures. I've noticed that zillions of groups are thriving but our's, apparently, is stagnant. Do you think it would help if you sent out a memo to remind all members to participate? Perhaps, people have simply forgotten that Camera Club Critiques on Flickr exists. Well, I just wanted to make the suggestion, and there it is :-) Susan B. Naumann

Thank you Susan!
Yes, I would like to try this again. We all love to show our photographs and everyone says that they would like to receive more feedback -- well here is your chance. We created this Flickr group in order to have a way to show and receive feedback on more of our images. We were off to a great start and then people started posting photos without commenting.

Click here to view/join: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1018989@N23/

We are going to try to post only TWO photos at a time and when you post the photos PLEASE make sure to comment on other photographs posted here. Please Comment of two photos for every one photo that you post. If we all do this we will have lots of feedback.

When you post your image please include the shooting information: What camera and lens did you use, tripod? what shutter speed? what f stop? anything different? high iso? laid down on your stomach? etc.

For EACH photo that you post please comment on TWO other photographs, that way we will generate comments. This group will only be as good as everyone's efforts here. Things that you can comment about: What was your first impression of the photograph. Is the composition pleasing? What parts do you like best? what could be done to improve the photo?

We are all looking forward to seeing your images. You can also view this Blog on the itnernet at http://lifethrulisaslens.blogspot.com/ and there is a Flick widget displaying the most recent photos added to our group.

Friday, October 16, 2009

19th Annual Keene Pumpkin Festival

The 19th Annual Keene Pumpkin Festival will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since 1992 they have set world records for the most carved pumpkins lit at one time.


Photos by Al Braden
While you're waiting to see what that many pumpkins lit at one time looks like, the entire family can spend the day downtown with special activities for the kids including a costume parade, a seed spitting and pie eating contests, live music on three stages, facepainting, craft booths, lots of food provided by area non-profits, and much more. End the evening with a spectacular fireworks display. http://www.pumpkinfestival.org/index.html

how alarm calls work in the bush

This came from Cardinal Photo http://www.cardinalphoto.com

and article in the NY Times: http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/leopard-behind-you/?th&emc=th

‘Leopard Behind You!’ I’d like to continue Predator Appreciation Month with reflections on one of the more intriguing effects that predators can have on their prey: the development of a vocabulary of alarm. (Or should that be “an alarming vocabulary”?) . This isn’t a complicated vocabulary, with thousands of words. Nonetheless, it’s clear that for many animals, alarm calls are more than simple squawks of fear. Vervet monkeys, for instance, use different sounds to warn of different types of predator. “Leopard!” is not the same as “snake!” or “eagle!” If you hide a loudspeaker in the bushes, and startle unsuspecting monkeys by playing recordings of “snake!” at them, they will look around at the ground. “Eagle!” makes them look up. “Leopard!” sends them scampering to the trees.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Fun with JibJab Sendables

If you have never used JibJab you are missing out on some fun...

They have fun everyday sendables and ones for special days: http://sendables.jibjab.com/

HALLOWEEN VIDEO CARDS and HALLOWEEN PHOTO CARDS
Enter our haunted house filled with scary and funny eCards that are frighteningly good!
Invest in a belt, because these profile pictures and photos will scare the pants off your friends and family!

It is quick and easy to sign up for a Jibjab account:
Click on the 'Join' button in the upper right corner of the JibJab site
If you have a Facebook account, you can login to JibJab by clicking on "Connect with Facebook"
To create a new JibJab account, click on 'Click here to create a JibJab account'.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Topaz ReMask

Topaz ReMask
Free trial available!
Lightning-fast and painless image masking and extraction. Easily extract highly intricate image details. Requires only marginal user input
The just-released Topaz ReMask plug-in supercharges masking and extraction in Photoshop by applying new extraction technology to this common task. Get lightning-fast masks and painlessly preserve difficult details like hair and fur, all while staying completely in Photoshop.
The new Topaz ReMask offers several distinct advantages over older masking solutions:

- Speed! Topaz ReMask is much faster at extracting even complex subjects than any other method currently available. This is partly because there's only a small amount of required user input, but mostly because its technology is so adept at creating masks automatically.

Just exactly how fast is Topaz ReMask at masking? Take a look:
http://www.topazlabs.com/remask/howfast.php

- Accuracy! The hardest subjects for masking tools are those with complex backgrounds, faint edges, and fine detail like fur or hair. The unique algorithm that Topaz ReMask uses specialize in extracting "difficult" subjects without spending all day doing it.- Workflow! Topaz ReMask flawlessly integrates into a Photoshop workflow because it doesn't make a trip to an external app

- there isn't even a new user interface to learn! It works immediately on the layer mask directly within Photoshop. This reduces the learning curve and saves processing time, which is part of what makes it so fast and simple to use.

(An important thing to note is that this version of Topaz ReMask only works in Adobe Photoshop because it makes use of Photoshop-specific layer masks. See the website for more information.)

Topaz ReMask will retail for $69.99 or as part of the Topaz Photoshop bundle. As we often do, we're attaching a substantial discount to the introductory price for newsletter subscribers: enter the coupon code easyremask to buy it for $29.99! This code will expire October 31, 2009.

Find more details, watch some videos, and download a free trial here:
http://www.topazlabs.com/remask

We hope you enjoy efficiently masking your photos with Topaz ReMask. We'd love to hear what you think of the software, so please reply to this email with any questions, suggestions, or feedback!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Nobel prize to CCD sensot inventors

Press Release

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2009 with one half toCharles K. KaoStandard Telecommunication Laboratories, Harlow, UK, and Chinese University of Hong Kong “for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication”

and the other half jointly to

Willard S. Boyle and George E. SmithBell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, USA
“for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor” The masters of light

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded for two scientific achievements that have helped to shape the foundations of today’s networked societies. They have created many practical innovations for everyday life and provided new tools for scientific exploration.

Digital images constitute the second part of the award. In 1969 Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith invented the first successful imaging technology using a digital sensor, a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device). The CCD technology makes use of the photoelectric effect, as theorized by Albert Einstein and for which he was awarded the 1921 year’s Nobel Prize. By this effect, light is transformed into electric signals. The challenge when designing an image sensor was to gather and read out the signals in a large number of image points, pixels, in a short time.
The CCD is the digital camera’s electronic eye. It revolutionized photography, as light could now be captured electronically instead of on film. The digital form facilitates the processing and distribution of these images. CCD technology is also used in many medical applications, e.g. imaging the inside of the human body, both for diagnostics and for microsurgery.
Digital photography has become an irreplaceable tool in many fields of research. The CCD has provided new possibilities to visualize the previously unseen. It has given us crystal clear images of distant places in our universe as well as the depths of the oceans.

Kathy Conway Exhibition at HUNGRY EYE GALLERY

Kathy Conway's Exhibition at the Hungry Eye Gallery
Photographs
San Francisco
Landscapes
Bayscapes




October 15 - November 15, 2009


HUNGRY EYE GALLERY 838 Whalley Ave Entrance on West Rock Ave New Haven, CT 06515


203-494-9905

Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 12-5, Sunday 11-2 and by appointment

Monday, October 12, 2009

Stephen Wilke's Ellis Island Presentation

Please find attached the flyer about Stephen Wilke's Ellis Island Presentation.

Please forward to all that you may feel would be interested. We need 100 people to attend for Canon to sponsor.

The Milford Camera Club presents
Ellis Island: Ghosts of FreedomA Multi-Media Presentation
by photographer Stephen Wilkes, award-winning "Canon Explorer of LIght"

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 7:30 PM
at The Milford Fine Arts Council 40 Railroad Avenue South Milford, CT 06660

Over a five-year period, New York photographer Stephen Wilkes explored and photographed the rooms and hospital complex of Ellis Island. In stark contrast to the duotone photographs that typically define the memory of the immigrant experience, Stephen Wilkes's images offer a startlingly new and at times disturbing vision of the so-called golden gateway to America.“Stephen Wilkes's photographs of the 'dark side' of Ellis Island are extraordinary – very strong, very moving. I have no doubt that the “Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom” will be a major event.” - David McCullough (Author)

This event is sponsored by: Canon, USA, The Milford Camera Club, Kane Computer, LLC, Fairfield, CT

For more information:
www.milfordcameraclub.org
www.stephenwilkes.com
www.ellisislandghosts.com

Admission is Free and Open to the Public

Sunday, October 11, 2009

architecture photographer Julius Shulman

The documentary "Visual Acoustics," directed by Eric Bricker, looks back at the life of the architecture photographer Julius Shulman. Following are photographs taken by Mr. Shulman over his career. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/10/09/movies/1009-acoustic_index.html

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/movies/09visual.html

Adding a Neutral Density Gradient Filter

From the digital-photography-school. We all have seen great photos using density gradient filters, some of us even have these wonderful filters in our camera bags. I know that we have several awesome Singh Ray filters in our bag, but often I am lazy and don't pull them out. It is too cold and I am afraid that I will drop it, it is too early and I am tired, etc. I do believe in getting right in the camera, but sometimes there just is not enough time or the right conditions. So I need to start using these digital neutral density filters more because they are great! Lisa

Adding a Neutral Density Gradient Filter

In this post Laura Charon from Beyond Megapixels shares a process for adding a Neutral Density Gradient Filter to an image using Photoshop.

"A key piece of equipment in a photographer’s gear is a neutral density gradient filter. This is a filter that affixes to the camera’s lens. One half of the filter is darkened and one half is light or clear. The purpose is to reduce the brightness difference between the top of the photo and the bottom. It’s typically used in landscape photography where the sky’s brightness needs to be compensated. Even if you don’t own a physical filter, it’s easy to adjust your photos in Photoshop CS3 (the technique is common to other versions of Photoshop as well) to achieve the same effect."

Read the rest of this informative article here: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalPhotographySchool/~3/GJ-9Bgs8Z4Y/photoshop-cs3-adding-a-neutral-density-gradient-filter

http://digital-photography-school.com/

Adobe unveils Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone, iPod touch

Adobe unveils Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone, iPod touch By Charles Starrett
Senior Editor, iLounge Published: Friday, October 9, 2009 News Category: iPhone Applications

Adobe has released its new Photoshop.com Mobile application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The new application allows users to edit and share photos directly from their device, integrating with Adobe’s Photoshop.com online service to store the original photo online, as well as edited versions; users may also save edited photos

Helicopter Aerial Photography Yalesville, CT

Helicopter Aerial Photography Seeing the World from Above

AirOcean Aviation invites you to expand your photographic repertoire and choice of scenery by taking flight and getting a bird’s eye view of your subject. Our pilots have extensive experience working with photographers and videographers. AirOcean Aviation has collaborated on many aerial projects including TV commercials, power boat races, vehicle track testing, and videography during other sporting and special events. We provide aerial wildlife surveying, tracking and tagging programs to the CT Department of Environmental Protection as well as aerial services to commercial and residential real-estate developers. I

f you have never considered working with a helicopter this might be a great opportunity - some of the most impressive shots can only be taken from the air. New England is world renowned for its fall foliage, and Connecticut forests are at their most beautiful mid-September through late October. Take advantage of our autumn specials and get more photo opportunities for less money. We will take you on a scenic flight over our favorite areas or create a customized flight plan based on your special interests. We look forward to working with you.

Call us at 203-294-8800 or email us at info@airocean.com, if you have more questions or would like to make a booking.

Phone: 203-294-8800
Fax: 203-294-8804
Email: info@airocean.com

Address: AirOcean Aviation, LLC120 Church Street Yalesville, CT 06492

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Nikon reduce price of Nikon D5000 DSLR

Important Notice!
Effective Sunday, October 11th, Nikon will reduce the price of the Nikon D5000 DSLR

A remarkable blend of simplicity and highly advanced D-SLR capabilities, the compact and powerful D5000 offers breathtaking 12.3-megapixel image quality, along with a flexible, Vari-angle, Live View monitor for fresh picture-taking perspectives.

New Prices are:
Nikon D5000 body only- $649.99

Nikon D5000 w/18-55mm f3.5- 5.6 G VR - $759.99

Nikon D5000 w/18-55mm f3.5-5.6 G VR & 55-200mm f4.5-5.6 G ED AF-S DX VR - $989.99

Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6 G ED AF-S DX Zoom - $199.99*

Nikon 55-200mm f4.5-5.6 G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Lens - $249.99 *

Nikon 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G ED IF AF-S DX VR Zoom Lens - $589.99 *

*$100 Instant Rebate if Purchased with D5000, D90, D3000 or D300S - Valid until 10/31/09
Ken Nadle
Berger Bros. Camera
Ken@Berger-Bros.com

Eastern State Penitentiary Photo Contest

Those of you who went to Steve Traudt's wonderful HDR course at NECCC he talked about the trip that he and Barbara took to the Eastern State Penitentiary. Barbara's winning photo of Al Capone's cell was taken there. I have been trying to convince Brabara and Hazel to lead a CAP trip down there this coming Spring so that we can have fun with a terrific HDR photo op.

Here is the Eastern State Penitentiary Members' Photo Contest



The 2009 Members' Photo Contest took place on Saturday, October 3. Members of Eastern State Penitentiary were invited to submit one photo for each of the two judging categories: best color photo as well as best black and white photo. Serving as judge was Tom Berault, Professor of Art at Prince George's Community College. Congratulations to Trish Leeb for placing first in the color category and Adam Cohen for placing first in the black and white category. The winning photos are at left. This year, Eastern State added awards for second place, third place, and honorable mentions. Congratulations to Adam Cohen (2nd place, B&W), Laura Shindollar (3rd place, B&W), Nathan Horton (2nd place, Color), William Allman (3rd place, Color) and Brian Betteridge (Honorable Mention, Color).

Mosapics



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Go to Mosapics and check out how in just a few easy steps you can create stunning photo mosaics. Once you are happy with your new masterpiece you can order Prints, Gallery Wraps, Standouts and Puzzles directly from Mosapics. Mpix applauds Mosapics for their creativity and we appreciate being their print fulfillment partner.

As an added incentive, Mosapics is offering Mpix customers a 15% discount now through September 30, 2009. Simply use promo code launch092 during Mosapic's checkout process. Note: Mosapics is a print fulfillment partner of Mpix. This product or promotion is not available through Mpix.com. Learn moreView samples

Friday, October 9, 2009

"Birds in flight" Workshop

We are working on a workshop project that will take place November 21st, 2009 in Central Massachusetts. My name is Raymond Barlow, and I will come east from the Niagara Falls, Canada area to host this program.

This workshop will involve a "birds in flight" training program, and a Photoshop seminar, along with a 3 hour presentation of birds in flight, directed by a falconer, Brian Bradley. We will be set up on a quiet country property, all natural surroundings, and the birds will fly in a very controlled situation.

Gary Prestash is our local co-ordinator, and he is helping us put together this opportunity for you to have a fun day with your camera equipment.Please have a look at the following websites, and let me know if you have any questions... ray@raymondbarlow.com

The main webpage with all the info is here. "click here"Also, the rest of my websites for more information are below.

Thanks for your interest!!


Nature Images Online Magazine

Raymond Barlow Blog

Raymond Barlow Homepage

Raymond J Barlow 13 Sandra Crescent Grimsby Ontario Canada L3M 4Y8 Cell # 905 520 8853

FREE Hunt's Photo Walk and contest (plus other events)

Hello Camera Club Friends:

Included is information on an exciting event this weekend. Please pass this along to all the camera club members. The registration has limited capacity.

FREE Hunt's Photo Walk and contest still on for this Saturday October 10th in Cambridge, MA but highlights have changed: See Below

You may have noticed our invitation for a FREE photo walk last night. A number of people have signed up but we've been hearing from a number of you that it may be too much of a trek to go from the Cambridge Hunt's location to the Downtown Boston Hunt's location, so instead we're going to keep it in the area of the Cambridge store, beginning at 9:00 AM in front of the Hunts Cambridge store on 99 St. Auburn and pick the highlights of the area! The Photo Walk will continue till noon.+

The walk will still begin at the Cambridge store location at 9am and Steve Dunwell, author of a number of Boston photography coffee table books, will guide you through Harvard Square, Harvard Yard, the nearby river & bridge, and the Peabody Museum!! Remember 3 people will walk away with Gift Certificates, one for $50 and two for $25 and the winner of the $50 Gift Certificate will also be honored with their winning photo featured in Outdoor Photographer Magazine. © Steve Dunwell

To register call 877-372-2231 to speak with the Digital Photo Academy student liaison or go to
digitalphotoacademy.com, click on Boston and scroll down to October 10th to register!

Other events coming up are:

The Annual Hunt's Show.....October 30, 31, and November 1
We have a great line of Free Seminars being offered during this weekend. More info will be coming your way soon. Advertisement will be in the Boston Globe and on the local Boston radio stations.

November 14th Charter Oak Camera Club is having an all day seminar from 9:00AM-4:00PM being held at East Hartford Community Cultural Center. David Middleton is the key speaker. Browse the web at charteroakphoto.com. Hunt's will be presenting its latest gear.

Regards, Gary Farber

David Ziser's seminar WED night -- wow!

David Ziser's Digital WakeUp Call Tour 2009 was Wednesday night in Farmington and wow did we get our money's worth! He talked a thousand miles an hour, had an amazing amount of energy, had a corny sense of humor and gave tip after tip.

As he stated we learned...
--32 ways to use your on and off-camera flashes for creative and dramatic effects.
--10 of the best camera settings and lens choices for creating striking images on every job.
--7 ways to use the new DSLR video capabilities to transform your product offerings.
--10 "Magic Bullet" techniques to make your digital workflow nearly effortless, highly efficient, and fun with today's top software from Adobe Lightroom, NIK, and LumaPix: FotoFusion.
--20 new product and marketing ideas targeted to today's customers which will add substantially to your bottom line.

We bought two zumbrellas and the LumiPix software. Cannot wait to use them!

Some of the tips were interesting in light of things that we already do in our NATURE photography but never thought to apply to our portrait photography. Such as "zooming the flash", which we do every time we use the better beamer. Well, try this for portraits too. For example, you have a 17-85 or 24-105 lens on your camera and want to take a photo at the reception. The flash automatically goes to 17 or 24 mm if you zoom your lens out. But then what happens is the people's heads or other distractions beween you and the wedding couple are BLOWN OUT. Just zoom to 50 or 80mm and your photons travel a much narrower field and only your couple are illuminated. Wow!

Another tip was the Brinkmann xenon flashlight. We bought ours a few years ago after attending the Mark Bowie workshop in North Haven. We were re-motivated to use it after hearing mark present up at NECCC this past July. But we never thought of bringing one to a wedding!?!

PROGRAM BONUSES included: Tour Handbook including: program notes, photography, marketing and more 2 Hour DVD with extended program content $100 Rebate from American Color Imaging for all new accounts 1 year membership to WPPI and Rangefinder magazine, a $99 value FREE 3 month membership to DigitalProTalkPlus.com, a $45 value FREE 3 month subscription to PPA Magazine, a $15 value FREE PPA Indemnification (no-fault) insurance for all new PPA menbers, a $50 value Over $4,000 in door prizes awarded each evening And a chance to win 1 of 4 Grand Prizes worth over $6,000 (hope I win that!)

Hey and I won a one year subscription to the DWF forum -- very cool!

There were other members from the New Haven Camera Club, Oxford Camera Club and CT-PPA at this seminar Wednesday last night.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

BIRDS IN FLIGHT WORKSHOP PLANNED FOR NEW ENGLAND PHOTOGRAPHERS

Love photographing birds (or just tired of loosing to bird photographs) -- check out this unique opportunity!

BIRDS IN FLIGHT WORKSHOP PLANNED FOR NEW ENGLAND PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ray Barlow is a wildlife photographer who lives in Ontario, Canada, and Ray has pretty much gone full-time pro animal/bird photographer. Additionally, Ray runs some really great raptor/bird photography workshops, but they have always been in Canada.

Ray has agreed to put on a workshop for folks in New England IF sufficient interest is shown. If folks click on the highlighted website below, it will take them directly to the information on the workshop we are planning, but in a nutshell, it will be held in central Massachusetts (exact location to be given to fully paid participants in plenty of time to plan their trips to the location) on Saturday, November 21, 2009, with a rain date of Sunday, November 22. There is a limit to the number of participants for this program, set at 14.

There will be several raptors flying that day - they are listed in the workshop writeup - and some time will also be given for some perching shots too. The workshop will also include some time spent on camera and lens setup prior to starting the shoot; techniques for focusing and following flying birds, etc, and a couple of hours of photoshop techniques on processing your images will be given, probably at the end of the day, but all the information potential attendees might want or need including the fee and how to pay it can be found in the website below.

They will have an extensive educational program for this BIF (birds in flight) shoot., including a 2 hour Photo-shop program designed to help you learn how to work with Raw files, and also cloning will be a big part of that seminar. When the raptors fly, they have their jessies / leather straps connected to their legs. With a few minutes in photo shop, we remove them to have the image look like a natural flight shot.

They will also work on some perched set ups, we can gather some mossy branches, fence posts etc, and perch the birds with some nice back grounds. Creating these environments and photographing our models in a static set-up is a lot of fun, producing some really cool images.

This program starts at 9 am on November 21st, and finish around 4 pm. Exact times for the flights, photo-shop etc. will depend on the weather, and we will likely make a game-time decision on that.

The falconer is a fellow named Brian Bradley. Brian has been doing falconry, and flight demonstrations for many years. He is proficient at controlling his birds, and creating an optimal scene for photographers.

If someone has a question, they MUST contact Ray himself via his email address or by telephone since only he has the full knowledge of all the aspects that he has planned for that day. His email address is: http://ca.mc1100.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=raymondjbarlow@yahoo.ca and if folks want to talk to Ray, his phone number is listed on the home page for his website, which is http://www.rayswildlife.com/ . Also, if a person want a phone call, they can email him their telephone number and a good time for him to call them, and he will be happy to call them on his dime so it won't cost a potential attendee anything for the call.

Obviously, Ray needs to attract enough people to the workshop to pay for the birds and their trainer; his own expenses for traveling down from Canada, etc, so if you are at all interested, please sign up or at least contact Ray for more information as soon as possible so we know whether to continue to promote the workshop or to (hopefully not!) cancel it. Folks also might poke around his website to see images taken from some of his other workshops; to read some good info on wildlife photograpy; and to learn more about the art of wildlife photography itself.

This is the direct link to the workshop info page here.

Nature Images Online Magazine

Raymond Barlow Blog

Raymond Barlow Homepage

Raymond J Barlow 13 Sandra Crescent Grimsby Ontario Canada L3M 4Y8

Cell # 905 520 8853

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Camera Club fund raiser STEVE WRONKER's FUNNY BUSINESS

Castle Craig Camera Cub

Mark your calendars everyone… October 9, 2009.
We are having a comedy night fundraiser. The goal is to raise money to buy a digital projector for our monthly competitions.

The night’s entertainment is: Steve Wronker’s Funny Business… a comedy hypnosis show.
www.swfb.net

The show will be held at Turner Hall 800 Old Colony Road in Meriden.

Doors open at 6:30 PM, show starts at 7:30PM. There is a cash bar but everyone may bring their own snacks or hors d'oeuvres. People attending must be over 21 because of the liquor sales.

Tickets are $15 each or a table of 10 for $135

A couple of quick notes about the hypnosis show:
This is not a night club act. It is rated PG even though we are all adults. He does not do blue material. Steve will ask for volunteers the night of the show. Anyone interested can visit his web site to learn a lot more about the show… www.swfb.net
Any questions or concerns about the show please call Steve at 860-561-8910

STEVE WRONKER's FUNNY BUSINESS
Comedy Hypnosis Shows
1-860-561-8910
www.SWFB.net
"Still laughing after 22 years!”

Exposure/Fill Flash Seminar

Exhibit and seminar will take place at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Center
ADDRESS: 375 Sanctuary Road West Naples, FL 34120 GPS: 26.375425, -81.602832
1 FULL HOUR SEMINAR DATE AND TIME: November 7th, 2009 at 1PM
Photography exhibit will be on display from November 1st - December 31st, 2009


SEMINAR TOPICS:
Slide Show Introduction:
Enjoy a set of images displayed in a digital projector to get things started.

How Can Manual Mode Change Your Photography:
Learn how photographing in Manual Mode can change your Photography forever!
This easy to understand topic is designed for everyone to finally step into the "pros" territory by understanding light and how to successfully apply it to your photography. This will change your life!

Learn How to Read and Understand Your Histogram:
I will be teaching how I read my histogram for every situation. No more "blinking whites" nor underexposed images. Understanding and how to read your histogram is a key factor not only for your images but for your entire digital workflow.

Fill Flash - The Easy Way:
Don't be afraid to use your flash!! Learn how I successfully use fill flash to enhance my images when need it. From hardware to manual settings, this topic will help you understand WHEN and HOW to use fill flash - The easy way!

Hands on Equipment:
Experience up-close and personal the equipment I use and how I SET MY CAMERA to work for me. I will be showing why carbon fiber tripods can work for you at a very affordable price! Feel free to bring your camera.

Questions & Answers: This is your chance to get every single question answered. Bring your list! And all for $35 per person!!

SEMINAR PRICE & REGISTRATION: $35 per person - CASH ONLY
Contact me directly to reserve your seat

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The best camera is the one you have with you

The best camera is the one you have with you! http://www.amazon.com/Best-Camera-One-Thats-You/dp/0321684788?ie=UTF8&tag=joemcnpho-20



Taken directly from Amazon


A beacon of creativity with boundless energy, Chase Jarvis is well known as a visionary photographer, director, and social artist. In The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You, Chase reimagines, examines, and redefines the intersection of art and popular culture through images shot with his iPhone. The pictures in the book, all taken with Chase’s iPhone, make up a visual notebook—a photographic journal—from the past year of his life. The book is full of visually-rich iPhone photos and peppered with inspiring anecdotes. Two megapixels at a time, these images have been gathered and bound into a book that represents a stake in the ground. With it, Chase underscores the idea that an image can come from any camera, even a mobile phone. As Chase writes, “Inherently, we all know that an image isn’t measured by its resolution, dynamic range, or anything technical. It’s measured by the simple—sometimes profound, other times absurd or humorous or whimsical—effect that it can have upon us. If you can see it, it can move you.” This book is geared to inspire everyone, regardless of their level of photography knowledge, that you can capture moments and share them with our friends, families, loved ones, or the world at the press of a button.





About the Author


Chase Jarvis is well known as a visionary photographer, director, and social artist. He is widely recognized for re-imagining, examining, and redefining the intersection of art and popular culture through still and moving pictures. While commercial work for brands like Nike, Pepsi, Volvo, Reebok, Apple, and Red Bull have earned him recognition from the International Photography Awards, The Advertising Photographers of America, Prix de la Photographie Paris, and numerous other industry buzz centers, his recent push into personal work and fine art has rapidly gained the attention of curators and art critics, mainstream audiences, and celebrity circles worldwide. The online hub for Jarvis and his work is at http://www.chasejarvis.com