Magic Lights...

I have to admit I have turned out to be a bit of a blog Junkie. Have been using the Google reader to combine all the blogs I subscribe to into on little readers digest online version. I have my reader set up to only load the newest entry to a subscription blog.

One of the blogs a frequently read is the Strobist. In some incestual way all these blogs are linked together. I first started to read Scott Kelby’s blog Photoshop Insider. I have read most of his books and I am a huge fan of his Business Plan and work ethic, not to mention I enjoy his writing style and photography.

Next is Matt Kloskowski. Matt has the very popular Adobe Lightroom Killer Tips blog that I read. Also, Matt works for NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals). Now Scott Kelby is the editor and publisher of Photoshop User and Layers magazines, president and co-founder NAPP and author of many books, and co-author with Matt on a few books. So Scott is Matt’s boss.

Then there is Joe McNally’s blog. I am a new reader to his blog. He has been a photographer for over 30 years and his expertise and experience is educational. He has recently released a book called “The Moment it Clicks…”. Ever since I read this book I have become a fan of his work and a subscriber to his blog.

Joe is a regular contributor to NAPP’s Photoshop User magazine. He also has on-line classes on the new Kelby Training web site. Do you see where I am going with this?

This leads us to David Hobby. Yea that’s right his last name is Hobby. What a great name. Months ago I stumbled across his blog (Strobist) and found it interesting and fascinating. David is a master of off camera lighting. Either he uses a flash or strobe or studio lighting, but his focus is getting the light away from the camera. He is also a big fan of D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) projects. I am currently working on a D.I.Y. project that I read about on his blog, that he got from another blog.

Back to the incestual part of this post. I read Joe McNally’s blog about his trip to Dubai to teach photography techniques. Also on the trip were Scott Kelby and David Hobby. David went into the desert one evening to help with a photo shot. I say this because he assisted in setting up the Nikon SB-800 Light Tree for off camera lighting.

I imagine it will only be a matter of time before Scott Kelby will Assimilate David Hobby into the NAPP Collective. If it hasn't happen already.

David on his blog this morning has added a link to another blog. This blog talks about the use of rope lighting to show action. Here is a picture and the link to the blog. It is well worth a read. I have some new ideas now.

Picture Pirates part Deux…

The saga continues with the blatant robbery of copyrighted photographs on the internet. I dug a little deeper and discovered that an on-line canvas and print company Only-Dreemin in the U.K. had been selling some of her work from their website and also on eBaY. As Rebekka explains “a friend was searching Ebay a came a across an on-line store offering to sell some of my photographs.” She continues to explain the pains and aches of the legal process of trying to protect her copyrighted artwork.

She obtained legal counsel. Cease and desist along with recompense letters were drawn up and sent to the offending company. The company Only-Dreenim did respond by removing the photographs from their website. However no monies had be paid to Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir for the photographs that had already been sold.

Only-Dreemin had explained that they paid a lot of money to the company that sold them the rights to the photographs. They continue to explain that they have tried to contact the company or individual, and discovered that they are no longer in business.

Since flickr’s site has allowed the offenders to download copyrighted work, I think flickr should also be held accountable for recompensing the photographer for the loss of property and legal fee’s that she has incurred.

mIsSiNg LiNk:
ePHOTOzine
Thomas Hawk

Express yourself...

Looking for a way to edit you photos, but you don’t want to spend a fortune on Photoshop? Well adobe has an online solution. In March Adobe released Photoshop Express. In its current state Photoshop Express is in Beta.

If you are looking for a full featured photo editing program like Photoshop CS you are going to be a little disappointed. Come on, did you really think Adobe was going to give the milk away for free, nope you are going to have to buy the cow. However Photoshop Express is a slick program all web based and has some cool features i.e. Slideshows.

Photoshop Express enables you to:
Download and Discuss

• Try the Photoshop Express beta now
• Discuss Photoshop Express in the forums
• Adobe Photoshop Express
• Online learning center



• Upload and store up to 2GB of photos. Fix photos with options including Crop & Rotate, Auto Correct, Exposure, Sharpen, Touchup, and Red-Eye Removal.
• Make your photos stand out with effects and enhancements including Pop Color, Hue, Black & White, Tint, Sketch, Distort, and Soft Focus.
• Show off your photos in My Gallery, where you can create customized displays and let visitors play and interact with them.
• Upload your photos on Photoshop Express to your blog or Facebook page.
  

You can now link Photoshop Express with your flickr, picassa, facebook and photobucket accounts. Check it out and download it for free. Adobe Photoshop Express.

My Gallery

Back to Yosemite...

Today we are heading back to Yosemite for the weekend. It's spring time in Yosemite Valley so the snow pack is melting and the waterfalls should be flowing at full throttle.

Also Glacier Point Road is open for the summer. I am sure with the heat wave we are having in Northern California, Tioga Pass Road may open this weekend too.

I will post some new images next week. Here is a panoramic image I took in Feb. However I used the sketch feature in Adobe Photoshop Express BETA. The BETA version is available online for free.

Cleanse your Sensor...

I have always been very careful when it comes to my (DSLR) camera. Especially when I remove my lenses from the camera body, I am careful to avoid any dusk or foreign particles from entering into the camera or the lens. Unfortunately you can't control everything and you will eventually get dust and other foreign matter into the camera.

The past few month I noticed minor dusk particles on my images. In post processing it was easy to fix minor blemishes. However, I was concerned my time in post processing was increasing in proportion to the amount of spots and other debris that was showing up in my images. I know that I would clean my lenses well before every use. I would also blow out the inside of the camera to reduce the amount of lose foreign particles.

My frustration was increasing until I realized that my "Sensor" could be the issues. Actually upon further investigation it isn't the CMOS or CCD sensor that get fouled up, it is more likely then not the "low pass filter" that rests just a fraction of a millimeter above the sensor chip itself.

Recently I was at a day baseball game at the Oakland A's stadium.

We got their early and had a little time to kill before the first pitch. I decided to clean my gear (lenses, camera). My lenses were immaculate. Not a speck of dust or spots on any of the outer glass elements. I took my time blowing out and debris from inside the camera. I was good to go.

Here is the reference image I took of my sensor, disgusting, yuck and phewy.

From the 2.5 in. LCD screen you can never see anything that small. Until you load the images on your computer that are blow up. My pictures that I shot against a light background showed everything, even stuff I didn't know was there. I was so bummed out when I saw this, because I just knew it was now on my sensor.

I knew this would require a servicing. Because in my camera manual it states That Only Authorized Nikon-service technician should perform this procedure.

After further investigation I found out this is not as difficult as I was led to believe. I spoke to DSLR camera tech at Keeble & Shuchat and I could pay them $50.00 to service the camera and one lens. Or I could spend $20.00 and do it myself. I figured for the first service I would rather pay $50.00 and have it done right, and next time I will do it myself for preventive maintenance.

Below is a little article about how to check for dust on your sensor. Here is the link for the entire website on proper care and feed of your DSLR.

How To Create A Test Image
To Check For Dust

To make a test image, you can use about any lens you want but an non-wide angle lens works better then a wide angle just because of the normal falloff found in most wide angle lenses. You want as much of an even exposure as possible from corner to center. The second consideration is minimum aperture opening; we suggest a lens that will stop down to f/22 or greater. We have found that a great subject to shoot for the test, is your monitor. Seeing that you already have to use a computer to view your test, there is no need to go elsewhere to make the test. You already have a willing and qualified subject right in front of you, why not use it. Prepare your monitor for shooting the test:

• Create a new image in Photoshop
• Fill it with white (most any solid color will do, but we prefer a lighter one)
• Zoom in until it fills your screen

Set the camera to the following:

• Mode - Aperture Priority
• Setting - Aperture to minimum f/22-f/45
• Lens - Manual Focus set to closest focus setting (if shooting the blue sky, then infinity)
• Features - Turn "OFF" all special function like "sharpening"
• Take Picture - shoot camera facing your monitor. Depending how bright your monitor is, your exposure may be a couple seconds. During this exposure, move your camera back and fourth being careful to not to point the lens outside of your white box. Moving the camera during the exposure insures that you are not taking a picture of dirt on your monitor. This should be done within a matter of an inch or two from your monitor.
• Photoshop - Take the image into Photoshop and do a ++ for "auto level" You can lighten or darken if needed.
• Inspect Image - You can now see where you do or do not have dust. Remember that what you are looking at is an image that is flipped 180° (top to bottom) from when you're looking straight in on your sensor. What shows on the bottom of the image will be towards the top of the camera and visa versa...

Ansel...

At the top of my Gmail was a news link that linked to The New York Times. The Times had a little snippet on Ansel Adams. On the left side of the article they have an interactive feature that is very informative. I hope you enjoy it like I did.

Journeys Yosemite National Park
What Adams Saw Through His Lens
By LOUISE STORY
Published: April 27, 2008
Many know Yosemite’s sights by name, but more know them by sight alone, as captured through the lens of the legendary American photographer Ansel Adams. mIsSiNg LiNk:





Ansel Adams at Point Lobos, California, 1979.
©David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
Adams, Ansel