Author: Ralph Lee Hopkins

Publisher: Lark Photography Books (Sterling Publishing)

Review by Conrad J. Obregon

Sometimes a book is perfectly fine for its purpose and is worth reading but doesn’t stand out above others in a crowded field. This is the case with Digital Masters: Nature Photography: Documenting the Wild World (A Lark Photography Book).

The author begins the book with an encouragement to photographers to find their passion in nature photography and then goes on to explain the gear that is appropriate for nature photographers. Next is a workflow chapter that discusses some of the basic camera settings that a nature photographer should use and the workflow to follow from the field to archiving which emphasizes backing up one’s images. The author then discusses the nature of light, the elements of composition and the importance of capturing the moment. There are then chapters on landscape, wildlife and macro photography. The book is profusely illustrated with the author’s excellent photographs and the organization is clear and logical.

The book is aimed at photographers who already understand the fundamentals of exposure and focusing, but have never given much consideration to nature photography. For the most part, the ideas presented are at the most general level without much specific advice. I often find something to disagree with in technical photography books. That wasn’t the case here, but I also couldn’t find anything to sink my teeth into. There is little technical information about capturing images, unless one considers the explanation of such things as the basic rules of composition technical. There are no details about post-processing. In fact an experienced nature photographer is unlikely to find anything new here. On the other hand, the competent camera user may find the book an excellent way to ease into nature photography. It’s too bad that the author didn’t provide a bibliography of books that the photographer could read to follow up on the broad themes which he introduced.

In summary, here’s a good book for someone just getting into nature photography to read to whet his or her appetite. He will still have to do a lot more learning to figure out all the tricks of the trade. Experienced nature photographers will have heard all of it before.

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This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC

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Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved

It was so fast. I can’t believe it’s already over but Photoshop World Las Vegas 2010 is over. It was a great show. I learned as much as I taught and made some new friends. I was also excited to get to meet many of the Photofocus audience. That was really cool.

As for Photoshop World proper, I’ll simply say that Scott Kelby and his organization know what they are doing. If you saw the behind the scenes work that goes into pulling this thing off you’d be thinking you didn’t get charged enough for your all access pass.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved

In a down economy, some people just couldn’t afford to sign up for the conference sessions. They could still get in to PSW simply by obtaining a free Expo-only pass. Now normally, this would mean being limited to listening to vendors trying to sell their stuff. But at PSW there’s as much training available ON the Expo floor as in many of the conference sessions.

Now don’t get me wrong – if you are planning to come to PSW next year, save up for the conference pass. You get the Photoshop World workbook which is full of notes from each instructor. The classrooms were full of eager learners for this and other reasons. The faculty is the best in the world bar none. But plan on coming either way. Even if all you do is hit the Expo floor, you’ll learn something.

One of the coolest things on the show floor was the Westcott live studio. Actually, Westcott had FIVE studios. They had one in their booth on the Expo floor and then they had four more in the back of the show floor. Each booth was full of Westcott Spiderlite TD5s and all the trimmings, i.e., softboxes, stands, etc.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved

The studios were staffed by incredible professional models who were made up by a world-class makeup artist. It was almost TOO popular and you had to be patient to get a shot. I made all three of the images in this post while shooting over, under or in between several dozen photographers. But I think the images tell the story and the story is it was worth it.

I think Photoshop World is probably one of the healthier trade shows in the photo business. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t been to attend. It’s become as much about photography as it has Photoshop and if you want to learn more about photography, you will at PSW.

Thanks to Scott Kelby and company for inviting me to be a small part of the show.

I was privileged to sit on a panel of advisors for one of the lens manufacturers last year. I was allowed to give my input to a design team that was working out the lens of the future. I doubt I’ll live long enough to see most of these recommendations come to life, but I decided that I’d share my general ideas here in a post.

1. Lighter weight please. My first request is that the manufacturers continue to seek out and find lighter-weight materials. Composites can be stronger than steel. While the glass is always going to be the heaviest component, the rest of the lens needs to be lighter still to make it easier to carry and use. Heck, I don’t need lots of vibration reduction if you can make my five pound lens weigh a pound less.

2. New technologies please. Canon developed a technology called Diffractive Optics. It’s used in their EF 400 F/4 lens. It works well and makes the lens much smaller and lighter than it would be otherwise. But what happened? There’s been no additional DO lenses from Canon. And what about other optical technologies? I am afraid that the lens makers use the old tech because it’s safe, cheap and easy. Time to take chances. Let’s see what we can do to change the rules. We don’t need to do things the same way we always did.

3. Lens with built-in filters please. Why not simply build in both neutral density and polarizers right into the lens? This would allow the flip of a button to deploy the filter. If we can build drop in filter holders for big lenses, then there’s no reason in my mind why we can’t build the two most often needed filters (ND and Pol) right into the lens itself.

4. Better video integration please. DLSRs that shoot video (hybrids) aren’t going away. This is a growing trend. So why not make lenses that are better suited to video? Why not incorporate the follow focus gears? Carl Zeiss has in fact already done this on their CP.2 lenses and we need to see more of this on the traditional low-cost camera brand lenses.

5. Bring back the aperture ring please. Yes I know, many of you reading this have never even seen an aperture ring. But in the old days, turning that ring set the aperture and the field marks on the glass made it easy to set the hyperfocal distance of the lens via focusing around the aperture marks. I miss that. I really do.

These are just five of the dozens of points I made on the panel. I know some of these will make it to market. Some will not. Some will be here very soon. Some will come a long time from now. But it’s fun to speculate.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Westcott had more going on at the show floor than ever before. They set up four cool studios for attendees to use free of charge and staffed them with props and models. They even hired a kick-butt makeup person to prep the models. This was my favorite model-she worked as hard as anyone at the show!

I’m honored and privileged to be a part of this year’s Photoshop World. I went last year and helped out with blogging the keynote and leading a Tweetup. This year I am part of the conference speaking with Rod Harlan on how photographers can use Twitter.

So far, it’s the usual success. The folks at Kelby Media Group are simply first-rate and first-class in every way. The presenters here are the best in the business. It appears that attendance is up slightly this year from last. That’s a big deal considering the down economy.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Scott Kelby hosted a meet and greet dinner for the speakers at Maggiano's Little Italy. It's an outstanding place to eat and the photography and Photoshop horsepower in that room was amazing.

The programs are well-organized and run. There are tons of volunteers available to make both the attendees and the speakers comfortable. The Mandalay Bay has done a good job accommodating the conference.

But as it is with most of these things, the real value in attending any such conference is the time you get to spend networking and reconnecting with old friends while meeting new ones.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved - My pal Clay Blackmore was absolutely on fire in the Westcott both - working with a model and teaching like crazy. It was a special day since Clay's mentor the great Monte Zucker would have been 81 today had he survived his battle with cancer. It was very special to be with Clay today.

I was very excited to see my pal Clay Blackmore teaching in the Westcott booth. He was demonstrating their continuous lighting products. If you get the chance to watch Clay teach – don’t miss it. Really. He’s one of the best in the world. I was also happy to see Nicole, Vanelli, Rich, Colleen, Scott, Victor, Matt, RC and a host of other pals at the show. Seeing old friends is simply my favorite part of the show.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Scott Kelby's shoes made him literally 10-feet tall!

The keynote was a blast. Kelby and company actually came out on stage dressed as Kiss and played LIVE. It was awesome. Adobe came and discussed CS5. Not much new but they did make it clear that they are going after the DSLR / video hybrid market pretty agressively. They are making it easier to use Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved - Yes this mall is cool because there is an Apple Store right next to the Tommy Bahama store - gotta love Las Vegas!

There was plenty of free education available on the show floor since many of the booths featured speakers. I also saw Nik Software demonstrating their HDR plugin. Peachpit Press had just about every photography book they’ve ever published at the show. And of course Kelby Media had a free place to view Kelby Training materials online.

The mood was upbeat. The audience and the faculty all seemed very happy to be there. I’ll write one more post after I give my talk on Twitter with Rod Harlan.

NOTE: All these photos were made with my Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Electronic View Finder.

Rembrandt Self-Portrait Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I see comments like these in the photo forums – mostly from the younger emerging photographers. “Oh I’ve seen that done to death.” “That’s such a cliche.” “That’s nothing new.”

These comments seem to indicate that a photograph which may contain elements they’ve seen before is valueless. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Let’s take portraiture for instance. The younger you are, the more likely you don’t light or pose a portrait the way that the masters do/did. Why?

a. You think that making a good photograph is about doing something NEW.
b. You haven’t really studied how the masters do/did it BECAUSE it’s not NEW.
c. Because you haven’t studied, you don’t know HOW to light and pose a portrait the way the masters do/did.

Yet, if you look at the traditional “Rembrandt” lighting scenario – this is a portrait approach hat has stood the test of time – hundreds of years to be more concise.

So while it may be cool to do something new in your opinion, in MY opinion, it shows respect, discipline, concern for craft and character to at least learn how the masters do/did it before you decide to break the rules. And lastly, I think refusal to learn how the masters work is a little bit lazy.

Now here’s where the lazy comes in. I have had assistants and interns who told me learning all that “old stuff” like the difference between broad and short lighting, butterfly or split lighting, etc., was “too much work.” Sort of like the excuse I gave in grade school when I complained to my mother “Oh Mom I don’t need to learn how to play all those musical instruments. Why do I have to practice so much?” I chuckle because in college I ended up minoring in musical performance. I now play several musical instruments quite proficiently. But back then, what I was really telling my mother years ago was that I was lazy. I was too lazy to put the work in. I just wanted to be a rock star. I didn’t actually want to learn any chords! My assistants and interns have sometimes been in the same situation. They just want to pick up a camera and be great. Good luck with that. I just want to look in the mirror and be young again, but so far, not happening!

My challenge to you is simple. Don’t be lazy. If you mistakenly think that being new is being cool – go right ahead. If that’s how you feel I probably can’t change your mind. But at least learn the standard (traditional, old call them what you will) ways first. Know (like the back of your hand) what rules you’re breaking before you break them. That shows respect, discipline, concern for craft and character.

And if you’re a regular reader here you probably know what’s coming next.

Being cool isn’t about being new, it’s about being YOU. Learn how the masters approach this and then put your own spin on it – use your own imagination. Develop your own story and your own voice. But know WHY you’re doing what you do and pay homage to the masters who came before you. Now THAT will be cool.

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Sponsored by PMA – It’s not too early to mark your calendar because this is big. For the first time in the USA, the PMA tradeshow and conference will be open to the general public – September 6-11, 2010 in Las Vegas. See you there – http://bit.ly/9yaL2I

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved

Pro HDR by eyeApps LLC is a cool little iPhone 3/4 app that lets you make HDR photos with your iPhone. With version 2, you can indeed create stunning full-resolution HDR images on your iPhone 4 or 3GS.

I tested the program on an iPhone 4. When you start the app, you are presented with a few simple choices.

1. Make an auto HDR photo

2. Make a manual HDR photo

3. Look at your library of stored HDR photos

You also have a choice to set some preferences via the settings tab or get help. That’s all there is to it. In practice, it’s just as simple.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved

Start the app, point your camera at a scene you’d like rendered in HDR and click AUTO or MANUAL HDR. I found the results in AUTO  so good, I haven’t messed with the MANUAL choice much.

Once you select AUTO HDR you just tap the screen once and the program does the rest. After the image is made, you can adjust it further by moving some sliders back and forth that let you control things like saturation, contrast, brightness and warmth.

I made the two images in this post using an iPhone 4 and Pro HDR for iPhone. I liked the results. They took just a minute to refine in Aperture and the photos provide a surprising amount of detail and richness of color given their origin. (If you want to see them a bit bigger they are on Flickr here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/applephoneshow/sets/72157624687460757/)

CONCLUSION

Pro HDR won’t eliminate the need for a DSLR and tripod for serious HDR shooters, but if you just want to have some fun with your iPhone, this app provides a bunch of it for $1.99.

Highly recommended!

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Sponsored by PMA – It’s not too early to mark your calendar because this is big. For the first time in the USA, the PMA tradeshow and conference will be open to the general public – September 6-11, 2010 in Las Vegas. See you there – http://bit.ly/9yaL2I

We all own a lens or two or five. Not everyone knows how modern camera lenses work. So I thought I’d write a short post going over some of the basics. Some newbies might find this interesting. Even though I am no newbie, I still enjoyed preparing this post.

Compared to the best lenses we had 30 years ago, the lenses of today are extremely high quality. The glass and parts are all precision made and extensively tested. Making matters more complicated, today – most lenses includes sophisticated electronics that do everything from aid in autofocus to vibration reduction. 30 years ago, a zoom lens that didn’t crap out on you at the long end was considered a great lens!

The basic parts of a lens are:

1. the mounts
2. the barrel
3. the focusing ring
4. the aperture
5. zoom ring (if applicable)

There are two mounts on most lenses. The front mount accommodates filters and lens caps. The rear mount attaches the lens to the camera.  It often also houses the electrical contacts that allow the camera’s computers to interface with the lens’ electronics.

The barrel acts as a housing for all the various parts that comprise the lens.

The focusing ring (not present on some less expensive or point and shoot cameras) allows the photographer to manually focus the lens. It also may drive the optics or work a servo motors that drives the lens elements.

The aperture moves in one-stop increments to allow more or less light into the lens. More sophisticated cameras offer fractional stops between aperture openings.

The zoom ring is found on zoom lenses and allows the photographer to change the focal length of the lens.

ACCESSORIES

Most lenses come with lens hoods and front and rear caps. In my opinion, you should always use your lens hood and use front and rear caps when the lens is not in use.

More expensive lenses come with carrying bags. If possible, it’s a best practice to leave your lens in the carry bag when not in use. This provides a maximum of protection.

CHARACTERISTICS

After the basics come the important characteristics like focal length – which impacts angle of view, minimum focal distance, minimum and maximum aperture.

The “faster” a lens – the larger the aperture. Meaning a fast lens has a large aperture or a small f-stop number. Another important factor when choosing a lens is its minimum focal distance. Most photographers don’t have a great deal of experience with 600mm (and up) lenses and are surprised to find that these lenses often have minimum close focus distance of 20 feet or more.

The quality (and usually price) of a lens will often impact the lens flaws or lack thereof. And all lenses have flaws. 99.99999 percent of the flaws are untraceable by the human eye. But there are flaws we do see such as chromatic and spherical aberrations, coma and light falloff. The more expensive lenses are corrected for these problems. The less expensive lenses are not. But don’t worry. Even the consumer-level, kit lenses you can buy today are pretty good to great compared to the lenses we bought 30 years ago.

SPECIALTY LENSES

There are special lenses like macro lenses – which allow you to work very closely to your subject, or fish-eye lenses, which allow you to get a super wide field of view that will often be distorted in a circular manner. These specialty lenses offer unique characteristics and qualities which make them a must-have for some photographers, and a not important acquisition for others.

CONCLUSION

This is a very basic, and very quick rundown on camera lenses. Hopefully this post will spur you on to learn as much as you can on your own about lenses and how they impact your photography. In the end, buy the best lens you can afford. But don’t miss sleep over it. 98% of all lenses are better than 99% of all photographers anyway.

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This post sponsored by X-Rite Color and the ColorChecker Passport

Copyright Scott Bourne 2005 - All Rights Reserved

I get lots of Photoshop questions and because I don’t use Photoshop as often as I used to, I’m much less the Photoshop wiz that I once was. That said, I do occasionally get some Photoshop questions I can answer. Here are five.

1. Do you work with more than one monitor when you use Photoshop and if so, what are the advantages of doing so?

Yes I work with two monitors. I work with my MacBookPro 17″ monitor and my Apple 24″ LED Cinema Display. I find the advantage is that I can view the image on the large display while putting all my pallets and other tools on the laptop display. This avoids clutter and makes it easier to study the photography without distraction.

2. How many times can I install Photoshop on my own personal computers?

Adobe allows two Photoshop installations per serial number. If you buy a new computer, it’s important to deactivate your Photoshop program before you sell your old computer. That way, you can reactivate Photoshop on the new computer without a lot of drama. Adobe will help you out if you forget but it’s better to do it the right way. If you need more than two copies running at the same time you’ll need another copy of Photoshop.

3. What is the Targeted Adjustment Tool used for?

The TAT is used to make tonal and color corrections by dragging directly on a photo, rather than by using sliders in the image adjustment tabs. You can correct things like Hue, Saturation, Luminance, or Grayscale Mix. This works better for people who are more visual and doesn’t work as well for numbers people.

4. What advantage is there to running Photoshop in 64 bit mode? Why does everyone think that is so cool?

64-bit mode produces some dramatic speed improvements in cases where you are working on complex image solutions or working with large data sets. In other words, it matters to Photoshop users working with large images or applying lots of layers to an image. To everyone else, not so much.

5. I was looking at my Photoshop preferences and saw a selection related to “Scratch Disks.” What is a Scratch Disk?

A scratch disk is any drive or a partition with free space. Photoshop uses this like a RAM disk to store overflow data. By default, Photoshop uses the hard drive that the operating system is installed on as its scratch disk.

You can change this and furthermore, designate additional scratch disks to be used when the primary disk is full.

Always make sure your main scratch disk is your fastest drive. It should be a different drive than the one that holds your image files. It should have as much unfragmented space as possible.

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This post sponsored by X-Rite Color and the ColorChecker Passport

Copyright Scott Bourne 2009 - All Rights Reserved

It happens to everyone. If you have photographed for a long time you find yourself in the occasional rut. A simple way out of that is to start (and finish) a photo project. Here are five ideas to get you started. If these don’t work for you, try to come up with some of your own.

1. Collect Backdrops

You never know when a cool pattern or background could be used as a texture or a digital backdrop in a composite.

Shoot colors, textures, patterns. Look for old, new, and in between. Use your imagination. Closeup lenses make this easier. Build your collection and whether or not you ever use them in a composite, you’ll at least have benefitted from training your eye to find this level of detail.

2. Shoot Reflective Surfaces

Whether it’s water on natural objects such as rocks or something like sunshine reflecting off glass windows or doors, reflections offer all sorts of visual stimulation and are very attractive to most human brains.

Experiment with reflections in both color and monochrome.

3. Go Prop Shopping

No matter what you shoot, props can liven up your photography. Portrait shooters for instance can change the entire look of a shoot with the right props. Whether it be parasols or feathered caps, you can make a real statement with props and it all starts with prop shopping. Props can help illustrate concepts. Think of some concepts you want to illustrate and then go to thrift stores, antique stores and estate sales and look for cool props to help tell the story.

4. Time of Day

Make the same photo – at the same place at different times of day. Light changes minute-by-minute. So the same photo is not possible if taken one minute before or after the one it seeks to replicate.

Light moves and makes changes. Subjects look different in different light. The color spectrum changes as does the light. This can be inspiring to even the most bored photographer.

5. Juxtaposition

Mix objects that don’t normally go together. Photograph an elderly lady holding a skate board. Photograph a basketball team standing in a swimming pool. Try looking at things in an inside out manner.

When you work with objects in an unexpected manner, you shake up your viewers and your own imagination. It’s a great way to jump start your photographic vision.

These are merely idea starters. Use them to come up with your own ideas. Get busy and get out of the doldrums.

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This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC

Author: Niall Benvie

Publisher: Photographers’ Institute Press

Review by Conrad J. Obregon

It’s been almost ten years since Niall Benvie released a book. I’ve always thought of him as the thinking person’s outdoor photographer, more concerned with vision than technique. Now, at last, he has written a book for the digital age, Outdoor Photography Masterclass.

The book takes a strange form, as if it were a three-day long workshop. (Occasionally it seemed as if it might have been taken from a transcript of such a workshop.) Each of the chapters is on a different subject, often unrelated, from simple matters, like using the histogram to determine the right exposure, to esoteric subjects, like whether nature photography is art. There is no consistent development of a single theme other than the broad subject of outdoor photography. Many of the chapters, which may have been derived from articles, are more thought provoking about the nature of photography than they are about technique, although some, like the article on what Benvie calls the field studio (a method of shooting in the field with artificial backgrounds and lighting), are about technique in the service of vision.

The skill levels to which these subjects will appeal varies. The chapter on the development module in Lightroom is so elementary that it will at most simply be a refresher for those just getting into the software. The chapter entitled “How shall we critique outdoor photography” may be useful and thought provoking for the more advanced outdoor photographer.

Benvie is a bit of an iconoclast, suggesting, for example, that in the age of fast, low noise ISO’s there is less need for tripods. He also appears to be almost distant from some technical aspects of post processing as when he states that the contact sheet facility once found in Photoshop is no longer available (it’s available for Photoshop CS5 as a downloadable optional plug-in) or when he fails to make the distinction between input and output sharpening, so brilliantly articulated in Lightroom.

Although the book is nicely illustrated, many of the screen shots of Photoshop and Lightroom screens are so small as to be almost useless, and often the accompanying description is too cursory.

Yet despite my criticism’s, for the outdoor photographer who has gone beyond the fundamentals, many of the articles will prove provocative enough to make the reader reexamine the way he or she is working and perhaps even try some changes in their photographic process.
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This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC

A shadowbox frame featuring a hinged inkjet print by photographer James Nicholls. In this case, the edges of the print have been carefully torn to create a deckled edge, and it floats inside the frame, which gives it a very interesting look and feel. Photo (c) Andrew Darlow

Post by Andrew Darlow – Follow Andrew on Twitter

In Part I of this two-part series, I covered some framing tips related to standardizing frame sizes and/or styles. For this article, I will offer three more tips that can save time and money without sacrificing quality.

1. Purchase or create a shadowbox with spacers instead of mats.

One of my favorite types of framing (especially for prints over 16×20 inches) is the shadowbox. Though usually used for framing items like medals and sports jerseys, I consider a shadowbox to be any frame with a space between the backing board and the glass or acrylic. Spacers are placed along the inside edges of the frame and are generally made from matboard, foam board, or plastic. A print can then be mounted to or just placed up against the backing of the frame to create a very clean and simple presentation. This is also a good option when the artwork is so large that it exceeds the size of commercially available mats.

I really like the look and feel of the particular approach shown in the photo above because of the way in which the print appears to float on the backing board inside the frame. Pre-made shadowboxes are sold in many sizes, and they can also be created from traditional frames, as long as the frame depth is wide enough. One company who sells high-quality and relatively inexpensive spacers is FrameTek Inc.

To investigate this technique further, and to learn some of the ways to properly mount a print like this (including an explanation of a technique called the “pedestal float” in which the art sits on a piece of acid-free foam or other material), search for the term “float mounting” in a search engine.

2. Have custom mats cut for non-standard frame sizes. There are times when you may come across a fantastic frame that is not a standard size. In those cases, I recommend having a mat (or double mat) custom cut so that a standard size print (for example, an 11×14-inch print) will fit inside the mat. Apart from saving money compared with many custom framing choices, you can also have the print offset a bit so that it is not placed dead-center in the mat. That can give the overall print and frame a more “custom” look and feel. The frames at one very popular store, IKEA, often fall into this non-standard size category. Scott Bourne also mentioned this tip (with a Swedish accent!) on a recent Photofocus podcast.

You can order acid-free pre-cut or custom-cut mats from local frame shops or online. Quantity orders will almost always result in significant discounts. My preference for most of my photo and inkjet prints is to use a single 8-ply rag mat (either bright white or natural white, which is slightly more yellow in tone). Having just two mat options also helps to ensure that I have mats in stock, and it allows me to buy in bulk.

3. Use heavier mats and allow space around your prints.

One of the main reasons I use 8-ply mats (about twice the thickness of a typical 4-ply mat) is because they help keep my prints flatter in a frame when placed under a mat. Another tip that can be used in conjunction with heavier mats is to allow a few inches of white space around your prints. The extra white area allows the print to sit more securely behind the mat compared with a print that’s framed with very little extra space around it. For example, you could make a print with a printed area of 11×14 inches, but with an overall size of 13×19 inches. That print can then be taped securely along the print’s top edge and affixed to a 16 x 20-inch (or other size) mat.

4. Use heavy papers to avoid the need for mounting. Printing on heavier papers (over 250 gsm) helps reduce the chances of a print “buckling” over time under a mat or in a frame that has spacers. Buckling looks like waves in a print, and can occur over time in a framed print, especially when hanging in an environment with considerable changes in temperatures and/or humidity. By not having to mount prints, that’s one less cost to incur, and you will avoid the chances of damage to your prints during the mounting process. Also, collectors and art conservators generally prefer to purchase artwork that is “reversible,” or able to be returned to its original unmounted state. If you do choose to have your work mounted, it makes sense to consider a process that’s reversible.

Speaking of conservation, always consider the materials that are used when framing any work because they can have a significant effect on the longevity of your prints. This includes the paper upon which your work is printed, the inks that are used (if applicable), and all framing materials. The most common framing materials are mats, backing boards and acrylic or glass.

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This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC

You may remember that a while ago I was touting a cool product called Magic Bullet Photo Looks from Red Giant Software. ($199) It’s an amazing program that works with Photoshop, including CS5 and in standalone mode. I wish the program worked with Aperture, but it’s so good that it causes me to use Photoshop more than I normally would.

One of the strengths of Magic Bullet Looks is that it is extensible. The company just released Simon Walker’s Weddings & Events for all the Looks product line. ($69) If you shoot weddings, you’ll want to take a long look at this product.

Everyone works differently. Some people like actions. Some people like filters. Some people like to work from scratch and others from presets. If you like presets, you’ll like this new add-on to the looks catalog. There are 30 presets – which you can customize. They are all well labeled and some of them are fantastic. All are good. It’s the best of both worlds. You get the simplicity of presets with the custom capabilities of filters/actions.

The whole package works in 64-bit mode and can save you a bunch of time if you want to provide clients with highly-stylized images that don’t take a lot of time and Photoshop knowledge.

As an interesting side note – I was in San Francisco shooting along side Simon when he made some of the images used in the promo piece for this product. It was at the 2009 Reframe Conference in San Francisco. We were shooting the same model. I was shooting both video and stills with this model (the beautiful girl in the vintage dress at the beginning of this video) and I can really appreciate what the Magic Bullet product did for his shots. We were working in pretty horrid light at times and looking at the results you’d never know it.

Highly recommended.

NOTE: This was cross – posted at GoingPro2010.com

Do you actually read the Terms of Service Agreements and EULAs that you sign or click “OK” on? I bet you don’t – but you should. Especially if you are a photographer who worries about people taking your images and profiting by them without your permission or without sharing those profits with you.

By posting images to some of the “sharing” sites —– you’re sharing all right —– you’re sharing a free license that allows most of these sites to profit from your work in return for hosting the images. That’s a pretty bad deal in my opinion, considering the fact that you can also build a blog for free that would allow you to avoid giving up control.

Sites like Facebook for instance are particularly tricky. I got quite a response when I posted the following Tweet two days ago…

“You realize you’re granting worldwide, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free license to Facebook by posting images there?”

I was merely trying to make people aware of FB’s general approach. I am not saying that they do anything evil with your photos. I am saying they COULD if they want to, and that alone makes me run for the hills. To some people, i.e., those who have zero commercial aspirations and who couldn’t care less if someone else profits from their photos, this is no big deal. To those folks I say great. You need not worry about this. If you’re in the category of photographers who just shoots for fun, doesn’t plan to sell your images, doesn’t care if someone else does, doesn’t care if you get left out of the loop when it comes time to get a check, then you should ignore this post. It’s not relevant to you. There’s no problem posting your images anywhere and everywhere.

But if you hope to go pro some day. . . or you are a pro. . . or if you just feel like it’s not fair that someone else should be able to financially profit from your hard work, pay attention. Start reading the fine print. At least you then know what you’re getting yourself into.

People responded to that tweet with everything from outrage to fanboyism. But the important responses were questions like: “Where should we put our images?”

The safest answer is: Post photos on your own website or blog. Then you set your own Terms of Service. My TOS is simple – I never steal from myself!

If you use your own site, you never have to worry about a third party’s privacy or intellectual property policy changing.

Here is a link to Facebook’s TOS. Paragraph two contains the language above. It also contains the following sentence regarding your photos:

“…you understand that we may use them without any obligation to compensate you for them (just as you have no obligation to offer them).”

I have no problem with this. I simply don’t post anything to Facebook. They are free to engage in any business model they like and as photographers, we are free to post there or not. This post isn’t intended to talk you out of using Facebook. It’s intended to let you know what you are agreeing to in case you are like 99% of the folks who don’t read the fine print.

Some of the responses I saw on Twitter incorrectly assumed that this is simply going to be the case no matter where you post your photos. They assume you’ll have to give up a license for others to profit from your work no matter what. That’s not true. I haven’t read every single TOS out there. But I have read the Pictage TOS, SmugMug TOS and the PhotoShelter TOS and I am very comfortable posting my images on those sites. They don’t have provisions in their TOS (as of the date of this writing) that cause you to license the images in such a potentially aggressive manner.

I am not a licensed attorney and you should certainly consult with one before making any legal decisions. I can’t tell you what every single photo sharing/hosting site’s TOS might say – nor can I tell you which nuances such as linking or posting make a difference. I did consult my attorney before writing this post and came to the conclusion that as a working professional, I shouldn’t post images on Facebook. (I deleted my FB account last month but had never posted any photos there anyway.) My conclusion was that it was okay to post on Pictage, SmugMug and/or PhotoShelter. You have to decide for yourself how you want to handle this. But at least do one thing – read the Terms of Service before you click to accept. Sometimes the thing you’re getting in return for posting is worth it and sometimes it’s not. Only you can make that decision. My goal here is to make sure you are informed. I have no dog in this hunt. Whatever you decide is right for you is fine by me. I just want to make sure that you go into it with your eyes open. Good luck to us all!

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This post sponsored by X-Rite Color and the ColorChecker Passport

Canon introduced us to the much-anticipated 60D this week. Of course all we have is a news release. I have no opinion about how this camera performs, since I have never used it. That won’t stop many Internet reviewers and commenters by the way – they will have already passed complete judgment on the camera even though they’ve never seen it, touched it, used it or can find anyone who has :)

But on paper, the 60D has some interesting features. When I posted the link to the Canon press announcement, I received many Tweets from Twitter users asking if it’s a 7D replacement.

1. It is NOT a 7D replacement. It’s a low to mid-range camera coming in at a price below that of the 7D.

2. It has an articulating LCD display. This is a cool feature and I’d like to see it on other Canon cameras in the future.

3. The frame rate is a competent 5.3 FPS – not as fast as the 7D but very close.

4. Better audio control for video than the 7D.

5. Faster shutter sync than the 7D (250/th of a second.)

6. Same battery as the 7D and 5DMKII – a brilliant move since it makes shooters more likely to pick the 60D as a backup body.

7. New 8-way joystick controller.

8. Only program or auto mode available when shooting video. This is a real disappointment to video shooters.

9. Not a 100% viewfinder like the 7D.

10. No lens AF micro adjustment.

The 60D looks to be a very competent camera, but in my opinion, on paper at least, those who look at it as a possible 7D replacement are missing the point. Canon isn’t about to introduce a $1099 (body-only) camera that would favorably compare and compete with its hot-selling and more expensive 7D.

When the camera becomes available, Photofocus will obtain a body for testing purposes and post a review.

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This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC

Copyright Joe Farace

Guest Post & Photo by Joe Farace – Follow Joe on Twitter

The best way to improve your photography is practice. Shoot each week so you get to the point where you don’t have to think about how to operate your camera…You just use it to create images. If you’ve discovered that when working in the shade, you need some plus exposure compensation, make a note of it. Don’t worry about producing masterpieces each time you got out. Use your camera as a sketchpad to explore possibilities and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Sometimes these “sketches” will be successful, sometimes not, but learn from your analysis of the images. As Yoda say “There is no try, just do.”

1. Look for indoor locations where the best light is found.

While it seems obvious, many photographs are made in locations where the photographer or their subject decides to make it. This works great for an interesting outdoor locations (my next suggestion) but for indoor portraits place your subject where the light is best. Use with wide-open apertures to soften and blur the background and focus attention on your subject. In my home, my favorite place to shoot portraits is the kitchen. The walls are painted a soft white and a bay window provides North light that can be modulated by opening and closing mini-blinds in each window section. You may have a similar location in your home, and never thought a kitchen or other unlikely location would be a great place to make a portrait or two. Think about it now.

2. Search for interesting locations.

Not long ago, there was an on-line discussion asking what inspires people to create new images. For me, new things inspire me. It can be a new camera, new lens, or just a new place to make images. While traveling around the state, I make notes about locations that look like they would be a fun place to make photographs. Even better are those locations that will serve as a location for a portrait session. Recently I went to a state park that has a large lake looking for a beach-like location for swimsuit photographs only to find water levels at an all time high and the beach under water. I brought a point-and-shoot camera and while walking around the lake’s edge saw some spots that would produce interesting photographs.

3. Keep your lighting tools simple

I prefer to work with as few light control devices as possible because the less time you spend fiddling with equipment, the more time you can spend putting your subject at ease. These days almost all my people photography is done with natural light using only a single reflector. I mostly use one of Westcott 30″ Double Sided Illuminator reflectors that collapses to the size of a large pizza. There are various fabric combinations available but I use the Sunlight and White combination, although I confess to using the Sunlight side more indoors because it kicks more light back onto the subject. Outdoors, the white side provides a balanced fill. When used with Westcott’s Illuminator Arms, you can attach the reflector to a lightstand but if an assistant is available I prefer to have them hold it. It’s much easier to talk to an assistant and get them to move the reflector than walking back to the light stand to make an adjustment. Reflectors can
also be where you find them. When testing a digital SLR for Shutterbug magazine I handed the camera to photojournalist Barry Staver to photograph me using the light coming through the window at the diner where we were having breakfast. To add light into my eyes, Barry grabbed a menu and placed it on the table in front of me just out of camera range. It worked!

4. Metering the light.

Nowadays all cameras have built-in meters and some even have spot meters but I still occasionally use a hand-held meter when photographing people. My current meter is a Gossen Luna Star F2. It’s small and light and takes incident readings that I prefer when making portraits. The meter also measures reflected light as well as making corded or non-corded flash readings. While working with a portrait subject, I like to measure the light on both sides of a person’s face to determine the lighting ratio. There are all kinds of rules of thumb telling you what the ideal ratio is but Renaissance painters used a technique called chiaroscuro that featured ratios that would make some photographer’s hair stand on end but created art that has transcended the centuries. The “right” ratio will vary depending on the shape of the subject’s face and the look that you want to produce for the final image.

5. Watch the background.

It’s so easy to become so enthralled by the person that you’re photographing that you forget about the background where you’ve placed them. I believe that if you watch the background, the foreground will take care of itself.  Nowhere is this more true that in making available light portraits. Busy, ugly backgrounds can be thrown out of focus by using longer lenses and wide
apertures but it’s not uncommon to have to physically clean up an outdoor site before you can make a portrait. While you can always digitally remove beer cans and fast food wrappers, taking the time to clean up the trash before you make an outdoor portrait leaves it clean for everybody else too.

6. Talk to your subject.

I’ll never forget the advice one of my mentors gave me many years ago. When I asked him what was the worst thing I could do when photographing people, I expected him to give me some tip on avoiding technical problems but his answer surprised me. “If you don’t talk to the people-relate to them as human beings-you’re never going make a good picture.” More than 30 years later, I’ve never forgotten that advice and would like to pass it on to you. Using a hand-held meter provides you with an opportunity to interact with your subject. While talking a meter reading you can make the time to talk to your subject and reassure them that they look great. Photographing people combines elements of psychology as much camera technology and how you personally interact with your subject will have more to do with the success of your session than the camera or lens that you use.

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This post sponsored by X-Rite Color and the ColorChecker Passport

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Photofocus Episode 49

Host: Scott Bourne (www.scottbourne.com or www.twitter.com/scottbourne) & special guest Joe Farace (http://www.joefarace.com/)

Show notes by Bruce Clarke (www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke)

Welcome to Episode Number 49 of Photofocus with Scott Bourne and special guest Joe Farace. Photofocus is the show devoted to your questions about anything photography related including gear, technique, locations, etc. Your questions will shape the direction of this show so be sure to send your questions to photofocus@me.com. We will try to answer as many as we can but we get a lot of questions so we’ll try to take a collection of questions that represent a particular topic and present them together.

This week we kick things off with a question about photographing golfers:

Question One – Tips for Photographing Golfers

Any tips on perspectives, settings, gear choices or anything else to avoid getting some ugly boring images when photographing golfers? Nick Portland, Oregon

Joe: There are three scenarios that I can think of. Photographing foursomes. Make sure you use flash to fill in the shadows on the faces because all of them will be wearing hats. Think about what size prints they are giving away to the golfers and that will drive your framing. The second scenario will be beauty shots of golfers on the golf course. The third one would be shooting from the gallery with a 70-200mm lens with IS.

Scott: Shoot wide open if you want to make the crowd go away and use a very long lens to compress the distance for a more dramatic shot.

Question Two – Lens Calibration and Sharing Lenses

My question is about lens calibration. I shoot with a Canon 5D (original) and have the following lenses: 24-70 L, 35 L, 85 1.8, 50 1.4. My primary lenses are the 24-70 and the 35. I have a close friend/fellow photographer who I sometimes lend these 2 lenses to. I’m struggling overall with decreased sharpness and/or completely soft images (ie. no focal point whatsoever) and I’ve noticed that the 2 L lenses used to be very reliable and are less and less so. I’m going through all the variables to try to fix this sharpness/focusing problem (sending all gear into Canon next week). But one question I’ve wondered about is whether sharing lenses can do anything to throw off the calibration of a lens. Do you know if this is possible or I am just being paranoid? Annie

Scott: I’m not a technician but here is my take. If you calibrate the lens for your camera and then lend it out and it comes back calibrated differently, then my thought is that maybe they calibrated the lens to work with their camera. I think it’s something that is driven by the body more so than the lens so I would doubt that. We will update the show notes if we find out any differently.

Joe: The only advice would be to not lend out your lenses in general.

Question Three – Options for Online Photo Sharing

I have finally decided to share some of my photos online for friends and others photographers. but what’s the best way to go? Should I use say a Flickr type service or host my own web site through a template type service. What are pros and cons? Mike G from Vancouver BC

Joe: Put your toes in the water and do it gradually. Try out Flickr and see how it goes. It’s free. Then you can move up to a blog like WordPress to talk about your photos and then move onto creating your own web site

Scott: Flickr is a good option to start with but the cons are that they are somewhat restrictive when it comes to commercial opportunities and they are sometimes passive aggressive when it comes to allowing certain photos or taking down accounts. You do have to live by their rules. A better way to go is to get a free WordPress.com blog and then use that to display your photographs. I try to keep them small which reduces the likelihood that someone will steal them. I would also recommend using a watermark on the image.

Sponsor – Scan Cafe

We’d like to thank our sponsor Scan Cafe for making this show possible. They have a new service and can do a turnaround in a little as 8 business days. They have now scanned more than 38 million images and it’s all done by hand. If you have slides and negatives that you’ve been meaning to scan – Scan Cafe is the answer for you. They hand scan your images, perform color corrections, remove scratches, etc. They can also do B&W negatives. Fees start at around $0.29 and they have complete tracking so you always know where your scans are. Head on over to www.scancafe.com and if you are a new customer you’ll get 20% off your first order by using the code ‘focus‘. Ask for the hi-res upgrade if you’re a serious photographer and looking for the very best quality scans.

Question Four – Tips for Shooting Children with Drool

I have a 1 year old and am of course interested in capturing every moment I can of her. Depending on what she is doing, I may not have a chance to have the ideal lighting situation to capture “the moment”. Given that, I typically have my D90 ready to go with my SB900. More often than not, the shots I’m getting have some sort of baby drool element to them. My question is, is there a way to eliminate/lessen the brightness of the baby drool (I’m assuming caused by the flash)? Kevin Santa Cruz, CA

Joe: If you get any kind of liquid with reflections, you can check out Lumiquest.com for a variety of devices to soften the light. The Stofen diffuser is another thing you can try.

Scott: I’m going to recommend my friends at Expo Imaging and their new product the Rogue flash bender. Also, try getting closer to the baby as the closer you get, the less you’ll see that specularity show up. The other thing you can do is to put a piece of white cardboard behind you and then turn the SB900 around and bounce the flash into the white cardboard.

Question Five – Advice on Print Finishes

I want your opinion on print finishes (glossy/matte/lustre/etc). I’ve always preferred the look of matte finish on my prints; however, I’m wondering if a glossy finish might “pop” more for a print that is going to be framed behind glass? What do you prefer? Perhaps one type of finish is better for a certain application such as matte finish on wallet prints for high school seniors? Rick Koetter

Scott: I think you are on the right track. It’s all about the subject matter and personal taste.

Joe: I think it all comes down to personal preference but you are right in that certain subjects and types of photos look better on matte or glossy paper. I’ve recently done some metallic prints and prints on canvas and I like those too. For my car photography I want the shiniest, glossy prints I can get.

Question Six – Cleaning up Noisy Images

As a part time wedding photographer using the income to fund my love of all things Nikon and big glass I was confronted with a BIG problem recently. The wedding I was booked for was in the crypt of a 16th century church and it was very very dark. No flash allowed so had to rely on Nikon D700 ISO 6400 fully open and slow shutter speed. Managed to get grainy images which I would like to clean up -what route would you recommend – Photoshop or a bespoke software package plus any other options you can think of. Your suggestions would be much appreciated as always. Keep up the great work. Coventry Bob in the UK

Joe: There are a few great programs out there including Imagenomic Noiseware Professional and Nik Dfine. There is also Noise Ninja.

Scott: Noise out of the box on a D700 is pretty good so often it comes down to proper exposure. Often times those shooting at high ISOs, often under expose and that’s where they often get their butts kicked. Photoshop CS5 also has pretty good noise control so you might want to check that out.

Sponsor – Xrite Color Checker

Be sure to check out our latest sponsor – the Xrite Color Checker which is a great device for color correcting in your workflow.

Question Seven – Recommendations for Watermarking Software

I’m an amateur wanting to go professional in the near future so I am looking for photo protection and was wondering what watermark software you recommend. I noticed on your photofocus blog your copyright is not even on some of the photos but under it. I just wanted some advice on this from you, I really appreciate everything on your site, most informative! V. Bergstrom

Scott: I just use the watermark feature in Aperture but I make sure to size my images at 500 pixels on the longest edge at 72 PPI so even if someone does steal them, they won’t be able to do much with them. You can also check out Image Rights.

Joe: I don’t worry about it too much and generally don’t watermark my images. I just keep my file size small when I post them online.

Question Eight – Tips for Sharp Dance Photos

I recently started to do ballroom/latin dance and dance competition photography for a local dance studio, and I want to continue to improve it. I’m finding that the dance floor isn’t always consistently nor well lit. Combine that with relative fast movement of dance, I’m finding the photos aren’t as crisp as I would like them to be. Is there a way to improve the photos without buying an expensive fast lens? Sam, Toronto ON

Joe: One thing he doesn’t mention is whether he is allowed to use flash. You could do a lot of creative things with flash. However if you freeze them too much they will look like they are standing still.

Scott: Photography will always be about compromise. In low light, you’re either going to have to use a flash or get a fast lens. Multiple flashes could also be used to create some dramatic images. Look into renting lenses or flashes as an option to having to buy photos.

Question Nine – Suggestions for Video Rigs

I am now starting to explore the possibilities of the Canon 7D with video, and I am looking for solutions to move the camera around recording video, while keeping it stable enough to avoid the “jerky jerkies”. I am sure you know of stabilizers that are out there, is there one that won’t break the bank? Shane

Joe: One that I like that won’t break the bank is the Habbycam SD Camera Brace.

Scott: I use the stuff from Zacuto and Red Rock Micro but their stuff is a bit more expensive but well worth it. Another less expensive option is the Opteka X Grip. Manfrotto also makes the 585 Moto Steady which is under a $100.

Question Ten – Tips for Wildlife Shooting

When capturing wildlife outside in their natural environments – what deodorant do you use? Do you go “au natural” ; as wildlife would be able to smell any of the heavy perfumed deodorants or “aud de colognes” I know you would try and keep down wind – but I’ve always wanted to ask a professional photographer this :-) as I only shoot with a 300m lens – any advantage on getting closer would help. Phil

Scott: Most of the time, it doesn’t matter what you do. They’ll smell you before you know they are even there. If you are photographing baby animals, they are attracted to sweet smells and might be attracted to you which means mom might not be too far behind so I normally go au naturale and avoid any fragrances.

Question Eleven – Suggestions for Neck & Hand Straps

For example, what type of neck and hand straps do you personally use and find most effective, etc. Wesley W. Tokyo, Japan

Joe: I really like the Lowepro neck strap although I’m not sure if they still make it even more.

Scott: My favorite neck strap is the Kata Reflex E.

Sponsor – White House Custom Color

Photofocus is sponsored by White House Custom Color. I’ve actually sold my printer and they do all of my printing now. Visit http://www.whcc.com/landing/ScottBourne/Blog/ for your five free 8 x 10 prints. They have a great new photo box now which is a great way to package your prints. You can also follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/whccpro

Question Twelve – Tips for Photographing Hummingbirds

hat is the best way to photograph hummingbirds? I have a Nikon D80 with an 18-105mm (f/3.5-5.6G) VR lens and a Nikon 35mm 1.8G lens. Should I try to figure what depth of field I want, set my manual focus, set my camera on aperture priority and shoot anything that comes into that range? Should I use continuous focus and try to follow the birds and get the shots when they are hovering? Should I set my camera up on a tripod and use a remove shutter release to try to get the pictures? Stewart King Pompey, NY (Near Syracuse)

Scott: Hummingbirds love bright colors and in particular red. I would set out red bird feeder and and perch nearby. Also try to get a simple background behind the feeder. You are also going to need several flashes to really freeze them.

Question Thirteen – GPS in DSLRs

I notice that Nikon has a point and shoot camera, the P6000, which has built-in GPS. In your opinion, will Nikon and Cannon include GPS in their DSLRs in the near future. It would be a great feature for landscape photographers. Larry Arrington

Joe: I think they’ll eventually all have it. If they included it I wouldn’t mind it but it’s not a make it or break it feature for me.

Scott: I think it was all the rage last year but I think this year it’s all about having HDR built-in. I think they’ll keep the GPS as a separate unit like they do on the Nikon side so they can keep it as a new revenue stream.

Question Fourteen – Best Lens for Photographing Motor Sports

I am attending the annual September race at the new Hampshire Motor Speedway, and I wanted to rent a telephoto lens for the occasion, but wasn’t sure what would be the best lens for the job. My seats are about 8 rows up from the track, so I am pretty close, but I also have pre-race pit passes. So with that information, what do you think the best lens would be? Ken Jancef

Joe: If you’re eight rows back, you’re not as close as you think. If you’re going into the pits, you’ll want a nice wide lens like a 16-35. I would recommend two cameras – one with a wide lens and one longer lens. For a longer lens, I like the 100-400mm lens and then you can throw a 1.4 tele-extender in your pocket.

Scott: I would recommend an 800mm lens but if you don’t have press credentials then you won’t have anywhere to park that lens where it won’t bother anyone. If you have the Canon, you could also look at the Canon 400mm f4. I like to work super wide in the pits with a fisheye lens. I also like the 85mm 1.4 for tight portraits of the drivers in their cars.

Question Fifteen – Sharpening Tips

My goal is to do as much in Aperture as possible and only round trip to CS5 when absolutely necessary. I have learned to do sharpening but would like to ask you for any sharpening tips that you might have. Specifically what is the best way to determine when and how much sharpening is needed? Edge sharpening versus sharpening?

Scott: In aperture, you want to use Edge sharpening. We never use the regular sharpening because it sucks. I always sharpen for output. I will also use the high pass method for sharpening or Nik Software Sharpener Pro.

Joe: I try to get the photos as sharp as possible but when I need extra sharpness I use Photo Kit Capture sharpener.

Wrap Up

We want themes and questions from you. Be sure to visit the blog at PhotoFocus.com for articles, how-to’s, videos and more. Email us at photofocus@me.com follow us on Twitter. Don’t just take pictures – make pictures.

Scott Bourne is at www.scottbourne.com or www.twitter.com/scottbourne

Joe Farace is at www.joefarace.com or www.joefaraceblogs.com or www.twitter.com/joefarace

Show notes by Bruce Clarke www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke

X-Rite Photofocus Contest

Enter to win a Canon 5DMarkII with 24-105L IS USM Lens, ColorMunki & ColorChecker Passport!

How to enter:

- Follow Scott Bourne on Twitter
- Follow X-Rite Photo on Twitter
(If you are already following no need to unfollow and refollow)
- Tweet the following message:

Enter to win a Canon 5D Mk II kit & more from @XRitePhoto & Scott Bourne. Pls RT. Info at: http://bit.ly/9yXecH

Total value for all 3 prizes = more than $3250

The Prizes:

Grand Prize (1 winner):

- Canon 5DMarkII w/kit lens
- X-Rite ColorMunki
- X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

Official Rules: All general Bourne Media Group/Photofocus contest rules apply. In addition:

No purchase necessary to enter or win.

1. You must be 18 years or older to enter.
2. You must be following Scott Bourne (http://www.twitter.com/scottbourne)
and X-Rite Photo on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/xritephoto)
3. You must send out the above tweet EXACTLY as it appears – ­ failure to do so will disqualify you. ­Do NOT put @ sign in front of scottbourne anywhere in the Tweet.
4. The prize will be awarded on October 15, 2010 by Scott Bourne via Twitter
and on Photofocus.com
5. If you live outside the US you are responsible for any taxes, custom duties and shipping in the event you win. We will only ship the prize to a US address. Foreign winners must be able to retrieve the prize from a US address to be eligible to win.

Scott Bourne will keep a record of each tweet in a database and then a random number generator picks the winner. Due to the volume of requests we receive, we cannot and will not answer ANY questions about the contest on Twitter or via e-mail. The information you need is all right here.

As always, if you are not a fan of my contests, please don’t participate. For the tens of thousands of you who do enjoy the contests, I’ll continue to try to find new contests and new prizes that will make it fun and interesting to be a part of the Photofocus family. Thanks for your support.

FYI: If you’d like more info on the X-Rite products check out these links:

- X-Rite ColorMunki http://bit.ly/cms1u5
- X-Rite ColorChecker Passport http://bit.ly/cd5pCl

Guest Post and photo by Nicole Young – Follow Nicole on Twitter

Panning is one of my favorite techniques to use when photographing fast-moving subjects. Basically what you are doing when you make a panning shot is you are following the subject and moving your lens along with them while pressing the shutter. Here are some tips for creating great panning shots:

1. Slow shutter-speed is the key. Using a slower-than-normal shutter speed will help you to effectively add motion-blur to the background. It’s usually a good idea to shoot in shutter-priority mode when creating panning photos.

2. The speed of the subject determines shutter-speed. Most of the time you won’t know exactly what your shutter speed should be in order to get a desirable image, and one factor you need to consider is how fast your subject is moving. To create a good amount of movement in the background and still keep the subject sharp a fast-moving subject will need a faster shutter-speed than a slow-moving subject.

3. Use a flash. Another useful tip is that if you have a flash or some sort of strobing light-source available then use it! It will help freeze your subject and allow you to use an even slower shutter-speed than without one. In the image in this post I wasn’t able to use a flash so I had to do my best to keep my camera steady and moving with the skater.

4. Follow-through to get the shot. Just like with kicking a ball or swinging a golf club you need to make sure that you follow the subject the entire way through the shot, and only stop once you are sure that your shutter is closed. This will help you get smooth lines in your background.

5. Use manual focus. If you know the spot that your subject will be passing by then pre-focus your lens. If you rely on auto-focus then your camera might not catch focus quickly enough, which means you would miss the shot altogether.

Panning requires a lot of trial-and-error, which I think is why I like it so much. You never quite know what you’re going to get and oftentimes you can be surprised when you review your shots. :)

Photo Copyright Rich Legg - via iStockPhoto

You want to shoot stock? Then you better be creative, prepared and a very hard worker. That’s just the beginning. There’s a whole bunch that goes into shooting stock. You have to understand concepts and how they appeal to photo buyers. Once you have that all figured out, you need a great big bunch of wonderful people to make it all work.

This post is a little case study. It gives you just a little flavor of what you need to make a stock photo shoot a success.

First you need a good photographer. Rich Legg is a very good photographer in Salt Lake City, UT. He makes a living shooting stock. In March of 2010, Rich marked a milestone in licensing his 100,000th image on iStockphoto. He is ranked in the top 100 worldwide of the thousands of contributing photographers with the agency. If you want to do the same, you’d move your career ahead by a mile simply by looking at the images found at his blog, Leggnet.com.

Next, you need a whole lot of friends. And Rich is fortunate enough to have many. The Salt Lake City, UT photographic community is one of the warmest, friendliest and most enthusiastic groups I’ve ever seen. I’ve spoken to camera clubs, PPA chapters, SMUGS, PUGS, you name it – all over the world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more engaged, friendly, passionate group than the one I met at Pictureline when I spoke there. This group of talented folks offers a tremendous talent pool to draw from. (I’ve written about the Salt Lake photo community before here on Photofocus.)

When Rich needs models, props, locations, technicians, second shooters or whatever, he’s got them. He’s got a tremendous camera store to support him in Pictureline. He’s got a great friend in Nicole Young (an occasional contributor here at Photofocus.) All of these things matter. While much is made of photography being a solitary pursuit, that’s not true for most stock shooters.

The last thing I’ll mention on this list (and certainly not the last thing you’ll need to master) is leadership skills. Watch this amazing video and you’ll see that Rich is a natural born leader. He’s someone people are eager to follow. He’s a great guy with a big vision and he’s able to sell that vision to others in a way that causes them to buy into his big idea. This yields a very successful formula. Rich’s pictures prove it.

Shooting stock is very different today than it was 15 years ago. Regardless of what anyone thinks about microstock, it’s here to stay. Photographers like Rich have learned to make it work for them. Stock photography will continue to morph and change over the next decade, with or without iStockPhoto. But no matter how much the industry changes, the traits I’ve outlined here will be important.

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This post sponsored by X-Rite Color and the ColorChecker Passport