May 2008 Archives

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The April 2008 Photo Assignment was "Angular," and we have a sharp selection of images to show you -- 25 photos submitted by Digital Story members who demonstrate their ability to find the angles in the world around them.

To produce the gallery, the pictures were first loaded into Aperture. I then added the accompanying stories to the IPTC caption field and combined it with the EXIF data from the photograph. The final step was to create a web gallery in Aperture and upload it to the Digial Story server. You can view this month's photo assignment here.

The June 2008 assignment is "Motion." Start working on your contribution now. Details can be found on the Submissions page. Because of our new gallery format, you can now submit photo assignment pictures up to 600 pixels in the widest direction. Please follow the instructions carefully for labeling the subject line of the email for your submission. It's easy to lose these in the pile of mail if not labeled correctly. For example, the subject line for next month's assignment should be: "Photo Assignment: June 2008." Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. And feel free to add any IPTC data you wish (These fields in particular: Caption, Credit, Copyright, Byline), I use that for the caption info.

Good luck with your June assignment, and congratulations to all of the fine contributors for April. It's an excellent collection of images.

Photo by Maria Camillo


Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

  • 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
  • Metadata listings for every photo in the book
  • Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
  • Photo management software guide.
  • Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
  • Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

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Apple recent posted Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update that includes the new Canon Digital Rebel (and others listed to the left). This is news because Apple has responded much faster this time around than with the Canon 40D and Nikon D3 and D300.

If you're a Leopard user, you can also get the new Raw profiles via the Mac OS X 10.5.3 update. You can read about the Leopard update on this Knowledgebase document If you're not ready for all of that, but want the profiles, then just go with the Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update. Both are available via the Software Update menu on your Mac.

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For quite sometime, the Epson R2400 inkjet printer has been the standard for photo enthusiasts, especially those who enjoyed B&W output. Even though it produced great images, the R2400 did have its shortcomings. Its nozzle management system sometimes didn't manage very well resulting in clogged jets at worse, or lots of ink flushed to clear them at best. Plus, having to swap cartridges for matt and glossy surfaces was a pain, resulting in more flushed ink.

Epson has addressed many of these issues with the release of the R2880, as reviewed by the smart folks over at Printerville, who write:

"In the short time we’ve had our R2880, what has impressed us most though is its ink efficiency. The printer’s ink cartridges are the same capacity (between 13 ml and 15 ml, depending upon the source) and price ($13.99) as those of the R2400, which works out to between $0.82 and $1.08 per ml, better than HP’s Photosmart Pro B9180 and B8850 and Epson’s R1900 (but still considerably higher than the Stylus Pro 3800). After two complete ink changes and some careful comparison with our in-house R2400, the advancements Epson has made in the R2880 were readily apparent. Unlike the R2400, ink life was fairly consistent across all of the colors, and even with extremely low ink levels, we didn’t have to replace cartridges when swapping between photo and matte black inks."

I know this printer will continue to be put through its paces. But out of the gate, it's looking like a winner in the sub-$1,000 derby.


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Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances, including my Beginning Workflow with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom on June 22-28, 2008 in Sante Fe, New Mexico.


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Choosing the right metering pattern for the subject at hand can improve your exposures dramatically. In this podcast I explain some basic tips for using your camera's built-in light meter.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Pool of Light is this month's photo assignment (that's right, we're revisiting the Dec. 2006 assignment). I think this is one of the most striking effects you can capture in photography. Your subject is illuminated and the light falls off all around it. You can assist with this effect using the "vignette tool" if you photo application has one. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is May 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Metering Patterns." You can download the podcast here (26 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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Sponsor Notes...

Lowepro Bags for Photographers On the Go -- Lowepro gear for every type of camera rig, every type of photographer.

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

Aperture as a Layout Program

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Many photographers don't realize that there's a powerful layout program within Aperture. You can use these tools to design custom posters, postcards, fliers, menus, title graphics for slideshows, and, oh yes, books. That's right, Apple has cleverly labeled this layout program as a book-making tool.

The big change came with Aperture 2 and its Custom layout option that you'll find in the Book Type popup menu when you're first setting up your book project. Choose it, and you can design any size page you want. I created a postcard layout that I keep handy for churning out keepsakes while on the go.

I then reveal the Show Layout Options located in the "gear" popup menu. And finally, I switch to Edit Layout, which lets me do things such as add a photo border any size I want.

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For font control, just return to Edit Content mode (the button to the left of Edit Layout), highlight the text, then right-click (or CTRL-click) on it to reveal the Font option. And don't forget, you can adjust your image anytime you want by clicking on its thumbnail and pressing the "H" key to reveal the Adjustment HUD.

I recorded a good podcast with Joe Schorr, Apple Senior Product Manager, that talks about all of these techniques. It's a good listen.

Bottom line is this: not only is Aperture a powerful photo management application, it also provides you with robust options for output. Once you create your custom layout in Aperture, you can print, save to PDF, or generate a JPEG from your creation. That's downright awesome.

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...when you can't even afford the rebate amount.

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Just saw this on PhotographyBLOG this morning. I'll tell you though, that Hassey is a heck of a camera. If you want to know more about the offer, check out story.


Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

  • 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
  • Metadata listings for every photo in the book
  • Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
  • Photo management software guide.
  • Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
  • Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

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My friend Bruce Heavin stopped by the Lynda.com studio late this afternoon with a trunk full of Canon glass wanting to know if I would go shooting with him. Bruce cofounded Lynda.com, is a terrific artist, and hangs out in our virtual camera club. I was ready to go in about five minutes.

I decided to try the hefty Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM. It's not everyday that you get to go shooting in Santa Barbara with a $2,300 lens hanging over your shoulder. And what was just as fun, I was toting the Rebel XTi, so I had the crop factor that made the lens a virtual 450mm IS hunk of glass.

Even though it's a solid 3.7-pound zoom that dwarfed my XTi, it's a balanced lens and not that bad to carry around. Actually, its weight makes it easier to steady while shooting.

The focusing is smooth and fast. You can adjust the drag on the push/pull zoom to accommodate your personal taste. I loosened it up for easy zooming, and still didn't have a creep problem. Even though I was shooting into the sun often, I didn't have any flare problems while the lens hood was attached. And the IS is amazing. I was shooting handheld with shutter speeds around 1/180th with the zoom all the way out. The images are sharp with terrific contrast.

I left the 28-300 on my camera body all night, hoping that Bruce would mistake it for one of my lenses. But alas, I had to give it back. I really like this lens, and hope to mount it on the 5D someday.

You can see more images captured with the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM on my Flickr photostream.

Photo of the Santa Barbara Mission by Derrick Story.

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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In a recent podcast I asked the question, HDR: Do We Still Need It?. "Yes, we do," answers Landon Michaelson. He goes on to explain how he crafted his Wet Fields image. It's an outstanding example of pushing dynamic range creatively. He applies his own term to the process, Hybrid Exposure Compensation, and explains how he did it.

Capture

"I was standing in the mud on the edges of these expansive daffodil fields in the Skagit Valley of Washington State," said Landon. "I wanted to keep the scene more of how it felt to be standing here. The sky was bright, even though the sun was behind cloud banks and only peeked out later in the morning."

"I had circled around 3/4 of this field looking for a good lineup of the clouds, breaks in them, the fields and the placement of the horizon line. The reflections in the foreground caught my eye, as did the lines in this vantage point. I use a Sigma 10-20 4-5.6 EX lens for this shot, and crouched down to give just enough daffodils to go off into the distance, but not too few or too many (too high or too low)."

"I framed in the reflections and waited for the wind to die down a bit, then fired of 5 quick exposures, one stop apart,hand-held while braced in the crouch position (monopod and tripod get very muddy here)."

The sequence to the right shows the resized JPG files shot with the RAW files. EXIF: Nikon D300, Matrix Metering, Manual Exposure, f/11, 10mm, ISO 200, WB = cloudy, auto-bracketing (-2, -1, 0, +1, +2)

"I looked at the histogram for the five shots, liked what I saw for field capture of the data and moved on to the next composition."

Post Production

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"I use a variety of tools to merge my exposures, a term I coined as HEC (Hybrid Exposure Compensation), which is just a fancy way of saying the workflow is fairly organic; using what tools I have and what I need on an image by image basis to meet my creative goals for the shot. I don't label any of my exposure merges as HDR, because one method is never used the same way twice and no one tool does it for me."

"In this case I loaded the 5 NEF RAW files into Photomatix Pro 2.5.2 - great tool for helping remove the slight movement in the individual blooms due to the breeze. I output one TIFF file via the "Tone Compressor" tool and got the sky the way I wanted it and how I felt about seeing it. I output another via the Tone Compressor tool for the foreground and middleground. I then output a third TIFF with the "Details Enhancer" tool to give some localized contrast and balance to the shot, as needed in post."

"I loaded the foreground/middleground shot into Photoshop CS3 Extended. I then loaded the sky layer on top, and the details enhanced layer on top of that. I did a hard line transition with a layer mask between the sky and the daffodils at the horizon line. I then changed the details enhance layer mode to soft light and with a layer mask and a Wacom painted in and out areas of this adjustment layer that got the scene close to how I liked it."

"Next I added a Selective Color adjustment layer to help the colors not have other muddy colors in them (taking some yellow out of the cyans for instance). Soft light layer to put more contrast in the sky above. Hue/saturation adjustment layer to pull -9 out of saturation for the entire image. In this result, it was all about seeing the scene to completion with how I saw the scene, or felt about seeing the scene. Not meant as a documentation of standing there. Hard & soft edge GND filters could have been used too, but one more thing to worry about while crouching in the mud."

Final Thoughts

"In the end I am pleased with the outcome. There was a lot of dynamic range in that sky alone, so I was able to keep it under control with this approach. When I printed this image I chose to take a little bit of the contrast increase out of the shot. Once on paper I thought it was a little too surreal, but I personally like a touch of surreal in the real and a touch of real in the surreal. Just not too far."

Photos by Landon Michaelson.

More Tips from The Digital Photography Companion

"How I Did It" is a new feature of The Digital Story featured on The Digital Photography Companion mini site. These are techniques from virtual camera club members who have built upon information in The Digital Photography Companion, or have come up with new tips altogether.

We're building a living library of knowledge for everyone to use (and contribute to). If you have a "How I Did It" tip to share, just send it to me with the sample photo, and put "How I Did It" in the email subject.


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Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances, including my Beginning Workflow with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom on June 22-28, 2008 in Sante Fe, New Mexico.


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Can you really get that much more out of an HDR photo than a top-drawer Raw file? And on average, how much more image information can you really use? In this week's podcast, I discuss High Dynamic Range photography, then compare it to the powerful Raw processing tools we have in Aperture, Lightroom, and ACR.

I have a hunch that many people with disagree with my conclusions, such as this wildly popular Flickr HDR pool. It's not that I don't like HDR... I'm just wondering if I can get similar results with the careful use of Raw. Listen to this week's show and decide for yourself.

New Monthly Photo Assignment

Pool of Light is this month's photo assignment (that's right, we're revisiting the Dec. 2006 assignment). I think this is one of the most striking effects you can capture in photography. Your subject is illuminated and the light falls off all around it. You can assist with this effect using the "vignette tool" if you photo application has one. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is May 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "HDR: Do We Still Need It?." You can download the podcast here (21 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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Sponsor Notes...

Lowepro Bags for Photographers On the Go -- Lowepro gear for every type of camera rig, every type of photographer.

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

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So another theory bites the dust. For months I've thought that if high-end compact cameras only packed bigger sensors, we would get better high-ISO performance and be able to use these devices for existing light photography in dim environments. But our first test case has not proven this theory to be true.

DP Review just analyzed the new Sigma DP1 compact that uses an image sensor that's nearly the size of a Nikon APS-C sensor, which is many times bigger than the standard 1 1/8" chip found in most compacts. You can see the size comparison on the first page of the DP review. Yet, in their wrap-up of the DP1's features, they write:

"While the DP1 can produce some brilliant results in daylight, it is almost completely useless in any low light situations. At higher sensitivities you'll find large amounts of chroma noise in your images, and you start losing detail. Turning on the flash won't help you much either, it is very low power and takes ages to recycle. Chances are you would not be able to focus anyway. The AF gives up completely once you dim the lights and there is no AF help light on the DP1."

Ouch!

So, this big Foveon sensor is no better in low light than my tote-around point and shoot. Of course, there could be other contributing factors to this, such as the Foveon technology itself, the supporting electronics, or some other thing that I just don't get. But the bottom line is, our first test case for putting a big sensor in a small camera fails to improve low light performance.

So, for now anyway, looks like I'll stick with my Canon G9. Maybe Sigma will go back to the drawing board and improve performance with the DP2.


Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

  • 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
  • Metadata listings for every photo in the book
  • Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
  • Photo management software guide.
  • Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
  • Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.


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Digital gear needs protection from excessive heat when working in summer weather. For these conditions, you may want to use a thermal bag to keep your gear from overheating. I like this eBags Crew Cooler because it has a second compartment on top where you can put your cool items, yet keep them separate from your gear in the insulated bottom compartment.

There are plenty of zippered pockets for accessories, dual handles, shoulder strap, and lots of storage (15 x 8.5 x 10.5 inches), yet the Crew Cooler only weighs 2 pounds.

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The eBag isn't cheap ($39.99 on Amazon), but if you want a professional insulated bag that's also good for food storage, then it's worth the investment.

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Two books that show you how to take better pictures, then process them with ease. Good photography starts with good capture. The Digital Photography Companion gives you creative tips and technical advice for taking top-notch digital photos in a wide range of conditions. In other words, this book will help you make your pictures look better than everyone else's.

Get it Right at Capture

The Digital Photography Companion Buy The Digital Photography Companion on Amazon

The Digital Photography Companion shows you how to:

  • Choose the right camera (DSLRs, compact cameras, or hybrids) and learn all of the typical features they offer, such as face detection, image stabilizers, diopter adjustment, focus assist light, RAM buffer, and more.
  • An A-Z guide of digital camera controls explains everything from Aperture Value (Av) Mode and Autoexposure to White Balance, the Zoom/Magnify Control, and everything in between
  • Advice for a variety of photographic adventures, such as capturing existing light portraits, creating powerful landscape images, and shooting fireworks, underwater portraits, infrared photos, and more, along with lighting and filter tricks.
  • Complete advice for sharing your photos, converting from color to balck & white and more, plus an overview of photo management applications, from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to Apple iPhoto.
  • Printing doesn't have to be a painful experience. Learn various options, including direct printing without a computer, ordering out, and selecting the right inkjet printer for home (and what to do with it once you get it there.)
  • You also get an appendix with Quick Reference Tables, as well as other useful tables scattered throughout the book.

Take Control of Your Pictures on the Computer

The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers Buy The Digital Photography Companion on Amazon

But don't let your creativity end when you click the shutter. Become just as masterful on the computer as you are with the camera. The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers is your complete workflow guide from uploading the images to the computer, to sharing them with the world.

Many photographers, even the pros, feel overwhelmed by all the options that Photoshop provides. Fortunately, The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers spotlights only the critical tools you'll need most often in one compact reference. Professional photographer and bestselling author Derrick Story teaches you how to quickly and efficiently organize and edit your photos without compromising the originals.

The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers lays out an easy to follow workflow that starts with uploading your images to the computer, organizing them, and marking your best shots. From there, you'll see how to quickly:

  • Make basic adjustments such as cropping, color balance, and tonal adjustments
  • Use advanced tools for black & white conversion, spot removal, batch processing, and more
  • Refine your images using adjustment layers, masking, and smart objects
  • Learn specific recipes for retouching portraits, swapping colors,

Two Books, One Complete Course in Photography

By having The Digital Photography Companion and The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers at your fingertips, you have a complete course in photography at your disposal.

Post a mini review below, and Derrick Story will send you a signed author plate for each book you own to make them official signed copies.

Post a Mini Review

Let us know what you think about either of these books. Post a mini review right here.

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"This is my brother and his girlfriend," writes Robert Gaddy. "With camera in hand, during a lull in conversation, I quickly raised it and took this grab shot just as they began to give me their look of disapproval. My wife said it reminded her of the American Gothic painting."

Robert captured this classic shot with a Canon 30D, ISO 800 in Aperture Priority mode (f-2.8 @ 1/25th sec). His focal length was a relatively close 31mm. Flash was off.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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Dominique James has posted an interesting piece on Viveza's U-Point technology. I'm also a big fan of the work going on over at Nik Software. This latest plug-in for Aperture -- which is also available for Photoshop CS3 -- makes localized editing a snap.

If you're not a huge fan of channels and masks in Photoshop, take a peek at what Nik is up to. It might change the way you work. Oh, and one other thing. If you buy Viveza for Photoshop, the registration number works for the Aperture plug-in too, and the other way around. It's like getting a 2 for 1.

Screenshot created by Dominique James.


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Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances, including my Beginning Workflow with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom on June 22-28, 2008 in Sante Fe, New Mexico.


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The New York Times has published an excellent photo gallery of the earthquake aftermath in China. If you haven't followed the coverage, there are some powerful photographs here.

Image in screenshot by Color China Photo, via Associated Press.

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Eye-Fi Explore looks like a typical SD Card, but it's actually a 2GB storage and wireless device that can add geographic location labels to your images. In other words, maybe we finally have an easy way to geotag our images.

I haven't tested this yet, so I'm not sure how it works. But I am interested. If anyone has additional info, please post a comment.

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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Keywording has become the photography equivalent of being told to eat your vegetables. But really, who cares about keywording? And more importantly, why should you care about it?

Personally, I have given up on the notion of becoming a thorough keyworder. I'm not going to cozy-up with a Coke Zero and keyword a thousand images for the evening. Just not going to do it. But thanks to some innovative tools in Aperture and Lightroom, I can add basic keywords on import, and believe me, that really helps.

In this episode, I talk about different approaches to keywording and some of the benefits from having descriptive terms attached to your images. It's an honest look at this noble, but tedious endeavor.

New Monthly Photo Assignment

Pool of Light is this month's photo assignment (that's right, we're revisiting the Dec. 2006 assignment). I think this is one of the most striking effects you can capture in photography. Your subject is illuminated and the light falls off all around it. You can assist with this effect using the "vignette tool" if you photo application has one. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is May 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Who Cares About Keywords." You can download the podcast here (30 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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Sponsor Notes...

Lowepro Bags for Photographers On the Go -- Lowepro gear for every type of camera rig, every type of photographer.

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

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Ring flashes can produce great lighting for portraits, either by themselves or part of a multi-lighting scheme. Expo Imaging recently released the Ray Flash: The Ring Flash Adapter that "creates a three-dimensional shadow-wrapped look around the subject. Because ring flash light originates from a circle around the lens, it produces a virtually shadowless look on the front of your subject, while producing a soft even shadow around the edges."

To put this new device through its paces, Strobist recently published a full review of the Ray Flash. The bottom line?

"...if you are mobile -- and especially if you like the TTL thing -- you have to give the Ray Flash strong consideration. And this design clearly took a lot of time and effort to produce. Not to mention a some very expensive mold design."
"For the people for whom it makes economic sense, the cost will be returned many times."
"I suspect that the Ray Flash will be a hit with the hipster wedding shooter crowd. It takes up almost no room in the bag, then you just slip it on when you wanna do the funky bride shot. You can do it at each wedding -- it's always new to them, right? This thing could make some cool reception pix, too, if you are into that kind of thing."

If you can afford the $300 price tag, Ray Flash is available directly from Expo Imaging

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Adobe just released an update to Photoshop Express that includes integration with Flickr and "Save As" functionality. Plus, there's a new embedable player that allows users to post their Photoshop Express slideshows to sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and personal blogs.

You may have caught wind of this update earlier in the week when some sites reported about it. But Adobe had to pull it back on May 7 because they discovered a bug. By Friday, May 9, they had everything cleaned up and ready for users.


Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

  • 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
  • Metadata listings for every photo in the book
  • Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
  • Photo management software guide.
  • Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
  • Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

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"Museum Green" - Grab Shot 147

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"Saw your post about making the most of scene modes," said Eric Marin, "and had to send some shots from my trip to the Museum of Modern Art in New York."

"As you'd guess, I had my compact Fuji in "museum" mode, and I was pretty happy with these results. This first shot is a ceiling view of a light installation by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson. A large ring in the middle of the room gradually changed colors, and I caught a glimpse of the green end of the cycle."

Eric recorded this beautiful shot at 1/200th @ f-2.8 using the Museum Scene Mode on his FinePix F20. The ISO was set to 200.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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According to a report on the Stock Artists Alliance web site, "Orphan Works is back. Last month, the U.S. Congress held Hearings, making clear that the wheels were again in motion. Last week, it became official when new versions of the Orphan Works Act of 2008 were introduced by both the House and Senate."

If you're not familiar with the Orphan Works issue, it essentially means that if your copyright information gets stripped out of the metadata of your photo, and someone wants to use that image, they may be able to do so if it is determined to be an orphan work. SAA is looking to protect the rights of photographers by making sure this legislation isn't too loose. They have a nice piece on the issues surrounding this legislation.

This is something for all photographers to be aware of, not just stock shooters. Once your images are in the wild, you want to be sure you're given credit for the pictures you take. And if there is money at stake, you need to be part of that conversation. Learning about the Orphan Works legislation is important for all of us.

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Typical Scene Modes

I'm replaying this show from Dec. 2006 (originally podcast 61), because I'm noticing in my workshops that many people are still not taking advantage of the handy scene modes they have on their cameras.

Scene modes serve as a shortcut for a combination of camera settings tailored for a specific shooting situation, such as a night portrait where you want to retain some of the background information. When you go to a scene mode, your camera sets the shutter speed, aperture, white balance, drive mode, and sometimes even adjusts exposure compensation or metering pattern.

The trick is to learn which scene modes are useful for you, then know how to switch to them quickly when you encounter the appropriate lighting situation. In this podcast, I cover the most common scene modes available, and talk a bit about what's going on behind the "scenes" when you use them.

New Monthly Photo Assignment!

Pool of Light is this month's photo assignment (that's right, we're revisiting the Dec. 2006 assignment too). I think this is one of the most striking effects you can capture in photography. Your subject is illuminated and the light falls off all around it. You can assist with this effect using the "vignette tool" if you photo application has one. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is May 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Scene Modes." You can download the podcast here (29 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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Sponsor Notes...

Lowepro Bags for Photographers On the Go -- Lowepro gear for every type of camera rig, every type of photographer.

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

Welcome Aboard Red River Paper

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Digital Story readers have a terrific new sponsor supporting our virtual camera club -- Red River Paper. And they've created a special landing page for TDS members where they'll offer promotions on their excellent inkjet photo stock.

One of the things I like about Red River is that they sell directly to photographers, and they have an excellent customer service attitude. Plus the prices are fantastic! And they are one of the leaders in creating photo papers that are made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled content. This is a winning combination for TDS members.

Be sure to check out the Photo Paper Sample Kit for $7.99 with free shipping. Great to have you aboard Red River.

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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David over at Strobist might be able to light circles around me, but one thing we share in common is our passion for the Canon PowerShot G9. David wrote in the article, New Canon Powershot G9 Makes My G7 Feel Like Unloved Stepchild, "I don't write about specific cameras very often on this site, but this one bears a closer look. The G9 is of particular interest because of it's flash-friendly features, among other things."

One of those "flash-friendly features" is that you can sync a Canon G9 up to 1/2500th. This is very handy for high speed flash situations when you want to control motion. You can read all about it in his post, How To: Sync a Canon G9 at 1/2500th of a Sec. It's pretty fun stuff.

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"Wagon Wheels" - Grab Shot 146

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"I took this while on a photo outing with the Denver Photographic Society," writes Mark Castleman. "I found the pattern of the old wheels stuck in the ground interesting, and the texture lent itself to something more artistic. I converted the image to B&W in Apple's Aperture and used the red filter to bring out the texture more while increasing the contrast some."

Mark used his Pentax K10D in aperture priority mode, 1/30 @ f/5.6, with the ISO set to 100. His lens focal length was 55mm.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

Event Calendar

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.


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Here's a fun interview to listen to. A few weeks ago, while I was working in Orlando at Photoshop World, I had a chance to visit with photographer and fine art printing expert John Paul Caponigro. One of John Paul's passions is the Epson Print Academy, and he gives us an inside peek in the Academy from color management to fine art workflow.

Speaking of color management, I love one of JP's comments about it: "Yes it is rocket science, but you don't need to be a scientist to drive a rocket." He believes that color management can be comprehensible and brings this belief to his teaching.

Finally, I just had to ask JP about his favorite printing surfaces. Usually I ask photographers about their camera equipment. But since John Paul is equally well known for his fine art printing, I thought we'd go that direction instead.

You can download the MP3 file here.

Photo by Colleen Wheeler.


Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

  • 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
  • Metadata listings for every photo in the book
  • Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
  • Photo management software guide.
  • Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
  • Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

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