The Electric Artist also know as Gary Crilley is offering a free 176 page book online as a free download. You do have to submit your name and email address though. It looks like a pretty good book and has some useful tips as well. It is a ~30MB download so be sure you have time or a fast connection.
Northlight Images has a great article on how to use your LCD screen to check and fine tune your auto focus on your camera. Canon’s two most recent pro-level cameras the 1D and 1Ds Mark III cameras feature a AF microadjustment setting. You can use this microadjustment to fine tune exactly where your camera focuses the lenses to during auto focus. This has been a often talked about problem with the occasional gross offender being written about extensively along with samples to backup the claims. Previously the cameras and lenses had to be sent to the manufacturer for service to have the two adjusted. The ability to set this in camera alleviates the need to do this. Even if you don’t have the ability to make these adjustments you can test your camera and get an idea of if it is front or back focusing and approximate by how much. Armed with this you can decide if the problem is extreme enough to warrant a trip to the repair shop.
Gizmodo an online gadget guide site has done a comparison of the Canon’s EOS Digital Rebel XSi, Sony’s Alpha a350, Nikon’s D60 and Olympus’ E-420. These four cameras are the current entry level cameras that are battling it our for the consumer dollars. Each one has its pros and cons and depending on your needs as to which one will likely suit you best. In this case Gizmodo chose the Canon, then Sony, Nikon, and Olympus came in fourth. Thier big beef wit the Canon was the Live View which they deem to be “crippled”. In my opinion this is not a big feature for me and I would typically use it for still life or macro shots. Check out their review and photos here.
Adobe has announced their beta for the upcoming Lightroom 2.0. This new version features such improvements as:
I am pretty excited about the 64 bit support since I am always looking for every little bit of additional pep I can squeeze out of my processor. Also the support for multiple monitors is a welcome addition. I had come up with my own methods for using two monitors with Lightroom but it was clunky as best. The download is available here.
Professionalsnapshots.Com’s website is running a multi part series on workflow.
If you take a lot of images and/or don’t have a great deal of time to process then then a good workflow is essential. My greatest weakness is not doing a better first cut once I upload new images. Because of this I spend to much time in later steps continuing to plow through the images that are not worth keeping. In my experience after awhile you will recognize a good or great images right away and those are the ones to spend your time on. My two best time savers have been getting a fast card reader (Kingston FCR-HS215/1) and uploading all of the images to their directories and letting Lightroom generate the thumbnails overnight. This way the next day I can sort through the images with a fresh set of eyes and don’t have to wait for the thumbnails to generate. During Football season I generally sort through ~4,000 images and narrow that down to 500 to post to my web gallery. For me a good efficient Workflow is key.
Adobe has released a beta version of their new web based version of Photoshop! This is a slimmed down version of Photoshop but still very powerful and useful. You have to sign up for your free account that includes 2 GB of online storage. The interface for uploading your files is quite simple to navigate and use. Once the images are uploaded rotating and adding captions to them in the gallery viewer is quick and easy. The editing of a full sized image (10 MP JPEG) was slow for me. I realize this is a beta but still I was a little let down by the extremely slow response to edit a single image. Once you have done your editing you can share them with other users, email them, or use them in your Photobucket or Face Book gallery. I recommend you check it out and reserve your custom URL today.
A number of people have written presets for Adobe Lightroom. They range from fun to really cool depending on your personal tastes. I found a nice collection of free presets on Karin Knowland’s Photography site. Karen who has some great shots in her portfolio also has a collection of free presets here. I also found a site by Heather Green who has compiled a collection of different sites with various actions for Lightroom. Click here to see Heather Green’s collection.
Download them and start having some fun experimenting with different looks for your photographs.
Adobe released on March 14th an updates for Lightroom 1.4 and a new Camera Raw 4.4 update. Then several days later the Lightroom update was removed to “Allow time for additional investigation into several bugs that were discovered after the update was released.” Adobe via a post in in their Blog (http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/) recommends against installing the Camera RAW 4.4 update except for those in immediate need of the updated camera support. This is due to some problems with the EXIF Time stamp, DNG conversion errors, and problems with the Olympus JPEG conversions. I am sure both of these will be fixed shortly but for now you should hold off.
The Lightroom and Camera Raw updates is primarily for people that are using the newest cameras from Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Pentax, or Sony. Also the following was updated:
The updates will be available at Adobes Product Updates page.
Adorama Imaging Resource Center (AIRC) editor Mason Resnick is posting a new photo tip everyday until July 4th 2008 on their website. This is his second such article of this type. From September through December Mason posted his first 100 in 100 and no is on to part II. Every five days he tackles a new subject for five days with a new tip each day. So far he has done shooting in low light, sports/action photography, digital camera scene modes, shoot to sell - successful eBay photography, and make ultimate-quality digital prints. The page is located here and check out last years list here.
Photoshop is a great tool and like all tools there is more than one way to get to the same effect or correction. This is one of the reasons I really enjoy reading online tutorials and tips and tricks. By seeing what works for other people you can find better and/or faster ways of doing what your already doing. I came across the the PSHero.Com website and really enjoyed some of their tutorials, tips, and tricks. Every time I read a magazine, book, or listen to a Podcast I come across something new and the PSHero.Com material is no exception. I like to always go back to the basics and the “Basic Image Adjustment 101” is a great place to start. I highly recommend you check this out an more. Please feel free to leave a comment with your favorite websites as well.
I am often asked for my advice on accessories by people who have just purchased a new DSLR. I am going to break this in to several parts so I can provide some detail and thoughts about each
Part Three – A fast lens
I am a big proponent of expanding your possibilities and trying something different. Most people (me included) when they purchase their DSLR typically get the “kit” lens with it. Today this lens is often an 18-55 mm lens with a variable aperture of f3.5 - f5.6. This works ok in really bright situations or higher ISO speeds. Once you move indoors you either have to use flash or max out the ISO. Depending on what you are doing this can be limiting and not always giving you the photo you were looking for.
I am often asked for my advice on accessories by people who have just purchased an new DSLR. I am going to break this in to several parts so I can provide some detail and thoughts about each
Part Two – A bulb type blower
One if the downsides of DSLR cameras is dust. It is all but impossible to avoid but can be easily minimized. Newer cameras now have “Anti-dust” features built-in but trust me you will still get dust inside the lens box. I reality you don’t actually get dust on your sensor but on the filter that covers it and protects it.
I am often asked for my advice on accessories by people who have just purchased an new DSLR. I am going to break this in to several parts so I can provide some detail and thoughts about each
Part One - A tripod
The more support/stability you can give your camera while acquiring the image is likely to give you better sharper images. If you don’t have a tripod you will likely be amazed how much better your photos will be with one.
I thought I had seen it all in the area of DIY (Do it yourself) for photography until I saw DIYPhotography.net. This site has some really interesting ides for photographic items such as creating a beauty dish from a turkey pan to stabilizing your camera while shooting with a washer, bolt, and some string. The site is provided bu Udi Tirosh and he has done a great job of collecting all of these tips, articles, and videos. If you are looking for some inspiration on the cheap check out the site at www.diyphotography.net
Tired of the same old gallery templates provided in Lightroom? There are a number of places on the web that have free downloads to change things up a bit. “Lightroom Galleries” not only has some neat gallery add-ons that you can download for free but tutorials, news, and a user forum as well. The latest addition is TTG Panic Gallery from the Turning Gate website. If you like their galleries you are encourage to donate.
The Image Space a website by Joe Barret has released a “Lightroom Tips eBook” as a free download. With 30+ tips that are also available on “The Image Space” Site. The book format makes it easy to access and all in one place. This site is a wealth of information and great images. Here is the download page.
Nikon recently announced two new VR (Vibration Reduction) lenses for it’s DX format DSLR cameras. The 18-55 mm and 18-200mm lenses are great fits for more of it’s entry level and prosumer users. Image stabilization is a very handy feature that allows you to shoot at a lower shutter speed than would normally be required to achieve a good blur free image. These lenses will allow the user to shot up to 3 stops slower than the traditional one over the focal length formula (1/200 th for a 200 mm). Nikon page for 18-55 and 18-200
I am a big fan of the Lowepro Slingshot bags. I own the 200 AW and 300 AW. The 200 AW is the mid-sized bag and is great for the 20D and a shorter lens attached. Last year when we prepared for our vacation in
Ed Pierce from Photovision is on tour again with his “Captivated By The Light” Seminar series. Every couple of years Ed does an around the country tour city by city with a new seminar series. I recently attended his Seminar and really enjoyed it. Each seminar also features a mini-trade show before and during the show. Ed is a very knowledgeable and accomplished photographer and presents some wonderful video clips from other photographers from around the country. The seminar it self runs about 4 hours and each attendee receives another 4 hours worth of videos with more on DVD. For me seminars like this are a smörgåsbord and you come to the table look at what’s being offered and take what you like. Ed defiantly offers a lot of variety and I certainly found a few things I liked. His road show runs through the end of May. Seminar home page.
Nikon announced their new entry D60 in advance of the PMA 2008 show. The DLSR offers a resolution of 10 megapixels, 3 FPS, Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED image processing concept, and a VR-NIKKOR lens in the standard kit. This appears to be an excellent to the Nikon line up and as is now the trend several key technologies are being pushed into the consumer cameras. By pushing the VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization technology in to the kit lens for this camera Nikon is upping the ante for entry level DSLRs. Nikon D60 product page.
