tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89606731642301680412024-02-07T15:22:36.769-07:00All Photo BuzzWelcome to All Photo Buzz! Learn how to manage and run your own photography business. Teaching emerging professional photographers the in's and out's of photography business, photoshop skills, techniques, camera settings, stock photography, and many other skills to make it in today's constantly changing market. Thank you for visiting!Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-51242655861097556702011-05-16T09:28:00.000-06:002011-05-16T09:28:04.698-06:00A few thoughts....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>Sitting at the home-office (AKA..Living Room, Man Cave, Lair of Doom....) working right now and had a few quick thoughts I felt like posting. Few means 3 in case you didn't know!</b><br />
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<b>#1:</b>Working from home as a photographer can be both a blessing and a curse.... if you find yourself working too much...curse. Slacking and playing video games.... curse. Balancing life perfectly? Blessing. Most people fall into the curse genre...<br />
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<b>#2:</b>You can never have too many images. Shoot every opportunity you get, and don't pass up on a chance shoot just because you're doubtful of the outcome. The more images you shoot, the higher the chance of landing great images. It's simple math. Even a monkey could land a great shot if he fired enough! Not that you are monkeys... just more food for thought...<br />
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<b>#3: </b>No matter how badly you wish for it, that random unexpected million dollar check is not going to show up in the mail (my fingers are still crossed!) You actually will have to spend time marketing your work, or at least landing an agent to do that part for you. With the right marketing approach, even photographer's that aren't very good can make a living. Be a great photographer, and make a living with great marketing!<br />
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That's it for now... more thoughts to come.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5726904740/" title="_CNW9368.jpg by ConnorWalberg, on Flickr"><img alt="_CNW9368.jpg" height="332" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5166/5726904740_82929ee771.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
</div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-36906362150555924402011-04-14T09:00:00.000-06:002011-04-14T09:00:20.701-06:00Action Photo School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The rumors are true, if there were any rumors... dang.... should have started some rumors first!! I've started a website with action photographer extraordinaire, <a href="http://www.photovenom.com/">Daniel Milchev</a>. The website is called Action Photo School and is located here: <a href="http://www.actionphotoschool.com/">www.actionphotoschool.com</a> It embodies everything action (skate, surf, ski, board, bike, etc..) and includes ton's of techniques for capturing, editing, and marketing action images. It's even got a forum at <a href="http://www.actionphotoschool.com/forum/">www.actionphotoschool.com/forum/</a> for you to discuss action photography technique with me, Daniel, and everyone else who is joining! There's a TON of articles already on the site to keep you entertained.<br />
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We can't wait to hear feedback from everyone regarding the site and are very excited about this, thanks for following All Photo Buzz, which WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST, but with less frequent posts (though more frequent than the last 2 months...) and we hope you will follow <a href="http://www.actionphotoschool.com/">Action Photo School</a> too! If you like it, please click the like link on specific articles that you enjoy, or on the homepage. We have a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Action-Photo-School/162982060412779">facebook page</a> too that you'll find in the top bar, along with our<a href="http://twitter.com/aphotoschool/"> twitter</a>. Enjoy!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5613475180/" title="041111-0081-Edit.jpg by ConnorWalberg, on Flickr"><img alt="041111-0081-Edit.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5613475180_0a8b7a300c.jpg" width="500" /></a></div></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-26674160361440048502011-02-07T08:35:00.000-07:002011-02-07T08:35:43.081-07:00Grade "A" Skiing or/ Gray Day Skiing?! How about both!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>I've been shooting a lot of "gray bird" powder shots the last two days, and have realized a few things that are quite helpful. First off, it can be pretty tough to bring the camera out on a gray day! Especially when there's 18" of new snow overnight. Secondly, there are few techniques that really work on gray days, that you must rely on. More on that below.</b><br />
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</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5425367066/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="020611-0075.jpg by ConnorWalberg, on Flickr"><img alt="020611-0075.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5425367066_bffa46d40e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div></div><div><b></b><br />
<b><a name='more'></a></b></div><div>I've headed out to get great powder shots the last two days in a row due to the INSANE amount of snow we've received here in Vail. I wasn't looking for cliffs, though those do shoot fairly well on gray days. The shot's I went for were more along the line of "classic" powder images. The skier is chest deep with one arm forward. (I know, I know, it's been done before!) But that's ok, because almost everything has been done before and people have a tendency to forget what they've seen!</div><div><br />
</div><div>The first tip is that you must always over-expose on a gray day or your images will be, you guessed it, gray! Gray is not appealing and our minds think of gray looking snow on a gray day as white. It's crazy what our minds will trick us into believing. To make a picture reflect this we need to over-expose. On a really gray day 1.7-2 stops is needed. Switch to your wide lens and up that number to 2.3-2.7 stops. Wide lenses will expose more for the sky and will darken the image even more.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Now that we have the exposure nailed, what are some techniques that will work? Find objects that give the scene definition. Trees, rocks, or logs will add a lot to a shot. Shoot in the trees and your gray day shots will be 1000 times better than on a wide open run. Try and build these elements into your images to make them far more exciting.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Don't shoot from behind on a gray day with a lot of new snow. Behind shots rarely work unless the lighting is killer. Focus more on capturing the athlete's expressions to bring emotion to the images. This means shooting from the front-side area, or head-on. Maybe to the side directly if you feel risky!</div><div><br />
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</div><div>So how do you manage focus on powder shots? Well, if your shooting in the trees it can be tough with the trees affecting your auto-focus every time the athlete passes one. Set your camera focus lag (controls how long it takes to re-focus on a new object) to a longer delay, and shoot on auto with the minimal point selection to make it run quicker. It should keep track and the trees won't affect your focus now. Don't set the focus point to the middle... or all your shots will be way too centered and look amateur-ish. Set it off to a side or to the top or bottom. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5424767515/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="020611-0225.jpg by ConnorWalberg, on Flickr"><img alt="020611-0225.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5057/5424767515_4c7f3875d1.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
</div><div>Gray day photos can be fun, and are a great time to practice your techniques for when the sun hits after the storm. Just because gray shots don't typically sell as well doesn't mean it's not worth your while. And, if you get bored shooting on a gray day, it's because you aren't trying hard enough to be creative. Have fun when you shoot and your images will shine!</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Go get some "Gray Bird"!</div><br />
*******EXCITING NEWS!!!!!*****<br />
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</div><div>Fellow action photographer Daniel Milchev and I are starting a brand new website DEDICATED to action photographers! It's called Action Photo School, and will be up and running within a month or two. We can't wait to share all of our knowledge on action photography with you, and think that this site will be a HUGE help and great place for the action community to discuss/learn action photography! Can't wait to see you there! </div><div><br />
</div><div>For now, you can follow our tips/techniques on twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/APhotoSchool">@APhotoSchool</a>, and share/discuss your images in our Flickr group here:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/actionphotoschool/"> Action Photo School Flickr</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>We will announce the launch date soon via twitter and flickr!</div><div><br />
</div></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-82952598211856116092011-01-24T13:00:00.001-07:002011-01-24T13:01:07.760-07:00Call for entries, win $10,000<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Do you have a lot of great action and lifestyle images in your portfolio? Why not enter the Whistler Pro Photo Showdown. I'm putting together my submittal all week. They are looking for a 3-minute quicktime video slideshow, no special effects, just slides and music. And if you compete in it you'll be competing with me! It only costs the price of shipping a DVD to Canada!<br />
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</div><div>Here's a link to the competition along with all the rules and where to send your slideshow: <a href="http://www.wssf.com/event/olympus-pro-photographer-showdown">http://www.wssf.com/event/olympus-pro-photographer-showdown</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Good luck and I hope to see you in the Finals (and me too!)</div><div><br />
</div></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-83721717890587152082011-01-19T12:14:00.002-07:002011-01-19T21:35:16.639-07:00Don't Give Up!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">[ If your looking for more photographic inspiration, or action photography tips, follow my twitter account</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/APhotoSchool">@APhotoSchool </a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> ] </span><br />
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Becoming a professional photographer is not as easy as you may think. It seems like all you would have to do to make money would be producing great images. This is far from the truth. As I've said before, and I quote myself, "The most talented photographer in the world may remain largely unnoticed and never make a sale, while a sub-par photographer may be known for his work and make a great deal of sales." It's the way it works and it doesn't seem quite fair, but it is!<br />
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Most photographers are the artsy type of person with no business background, and no real interest in learning business. They can produce great images but are only barely scraping by month to month on small paychecks, and maybe working additional jobs. Sound like you? Don't let this be you! If you have skill (and even if you don't) you should be able to make sales. 90% of a sale is you approaching the client and sharing your winning personality. Your work should seal the deal but if the client really likes you, they may hire you without hardly seeing your imagery. <br />
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We live in a business world. Photography may be your business, but it won't necessarily bring you business. Get out there and network to make sales. Meet new people, step out of your comfort zone, and you will be greatly rewarded with a profitable photography career. Don't sit around hoping that the fancy new website you built is going to land you jobs. It almost definitely won't. It sucks but it's true.<br />
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So are you stuck in a rut with your photography and contemplating selling your gear and sitting behind a desk for the rest of your life? DON'T! You'll always look back at what you were doing and dream of what could have been. Don't be that washed out high-school football star reliving the "Glory Days" every night to your friends who are doing nothing with their lives.<br />
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Becoming a professional photographer is a commitment. It takes time and a lot of work to be known and build your steady client base. It may take a few years, but stick with it. And whatever you do, don't waste all your time dreaming of who you could be, it's a waste of who you are. Be proud of yourself for sticking with it and enjoy these slow days even if they are a bit of a struggle. When you find your niche and start turning a profit, you won't have a moment to sit down again!<br />
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Now get out and market yourself. Your not going to be famous sitting on your couch eating potato chips. (Theres a time and place for that.... not mid-workday!)Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-44272721386439833732011-01-13T10:56:00.001-07:002011-01-19T10:36:38.493-07:00AlienBees VagaBond Mini In House!Just received the brand new <a href="http://www.alienbees.com/vmini.html">AlienBees Vagabond Mini Lithium Power Pack</a>. WOW!! For a few years now I've been lugging around the beast (Vagabond II) which weighs in at a whopping 18.6 lbs. The new mini is just 3.5lbs! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.alienbees.com/images/vmini/vmini_side_1210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://www.alienbees.com/images/vmini/vmini_side_1210.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></span></div>My back say's, "thank you", my chiropractor say's "NOOO!!" The crazy thing? This power pack shoots almost as many shots per charge as the huge Vagabond II, and is about 1/4 of the size and weighs about 75% less. I'll have a more in depth review coming soon, but I can tell you now that this is a HUGE change for the better for me. Now I won't have an excuse to leave my Bee's at home. Also, it makes NO SOUND when it charges. For users of the older II, the annoying whine is gone with this. It also generally does not make a sound when shooting until it's been fired a lot or if it's hot outside. SWEET! And no, alienbees has not paid me for this, I only blog about what I truly believe in.<br />
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BTW... It's backordered, and if history repeats itself, will probably be backordered for several months. I'd still say to get on the order list on the off chance that they were more prepared for this unit than the Einstein flash heads......Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-70657636880333001522011-01-06T21:09:00.000-07:002011-01-06T21:09:19.130-07:00Frostbite, gray skies, and photographyThe other day was one of those days where I questioned my choice to become a skiing photographer. Why couldn't I have chosen to shoot in a studio? Or maybe work as a skateboarding and mountain biking photographer year round? Days like this are part of my love/hate relationship as a skiing photographer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5331649393/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="123110-0151-Edit.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="123110-0151-Edit.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5048/5331649393_bf1f3bd7c2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
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It was a miserably cold day. One run, warming hut, one run, warming hut.... The endless cycle of trying to find warmth and then the determination to head out and ski regardless of the freezing -40 degree wind chill.<br />
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The kicker of it all? My dog had chewed my <a href="http://www.swanyamerica.com/prod.php?p=SWATS-20&k=134469">Swany Toaster</a> gloves so i was stuck with regular old mittens. The toasters have a zip open side, and a warm liner that fits all fingers individually inside. When its time to shoot, simply unzip the side and pop your fingers out. This helps keep your hands warm all day as you click away! This was not the case for me.... I had to remove my mittens and sit in place for several minutes at a time waiting on the athletes and as i adjusted my settings. My fingers would quickly turn white and lose all feeling. Frost bite is serious and fortunately for me I restored color to my fingers quickly each time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5332262022/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="123110-0123-Edit.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="123110-0123-Edit.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5041/5332262022_20066c97f0.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
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Get the <a href="http://www.swanyamerica.com/prod.php?p=SWATS-20&k=134469">Swany gloves</a> and be a happier photographer. And no, Swany does not pay me or give me free gloves or anything for this mention. It's just how I feel, honesty is my policy. Over dress to stay warm because its easy to peel off layers and not easy to get warm when you don't have any to put on.<br />
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The day was all about straight pow shots, and when it's this gray, you need to use terrain features to separate all the drab grayness. Try putting trees in the frame, and show your athletes face. Faces can bring a lot to a shot and are very important when the scenery is drab and not detailed. Shoot overexposed! At least one full stop to make the true white of the brightest parts of the snow show through. Amateur photographers images usually turn out quite gray. Overexpose and the results will be much greater. <br />
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Gray days are not the best for skiing photographers, but are still worth your time. Skiing wouldn't exist if it never snowed, and hardcore skiers can appreciate images no matter how gray they are.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5332261708/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="123110-0054-Edit.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="123110-0054-Edit.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/5332261708_788984be53.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
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So why do I shoot skiing even when its freezing cold and gray outside? When I'm out there I am living life to the fullest! Its all about the friendship with the skiers I'm with, and being miserably cold together. Also, the excitement we all get when we do finally get that great pow shot. Its a labor of love, even when I'm miserable and about to lose a finger. It's tough to explain, but maybe when your passionate about something, it doesn't need to make sense. Or maybe I'm just rambling on like a maniac! However you read into it, I love what I do and am very lucky to be able to do it everyday.<br />
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Have fun shooting what you shoot and if you love what you do, you'll never have to work a day in your life.Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-15194641071319606852010-12-30T21:02:00.001-07:002010-12-30T21:04:10.568-07:00Win FREE LumiQuest Product on Twitter!Here's a cool (and easy...no skill required) competition to win some free gear. I've copied the rules and info. from the LumiQuest website for you to sign up if your on Twitter and like free stuff. Should be a no-brainer!<br />
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<h1 align="center" class="informational" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 40px; padding-right: 40px; padding-top: 10px;">LumiQuest and Action Photo School<br />
are giving away a FREE LumiQuest <a href="http://www.lumiquest.com/products/LTp.html">SoftBox LTp</a> and <a href="http://www.lumiquest.com/products/Ultrastrap.html">UltraStrap</a> on Twitter!</h1><h2 align="center" class="informational" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 40px; padding-right: 40px; padding-top: 10px;">Just follow these three simple steps for automatic entry.</h2><div align="left" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. Follow </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/LumiQuest" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">@LumiQuest</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> on Twitter.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2. Follow </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/APhotoSchool" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">@APhotoSchool</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> on Twitter.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3. Re-tweet this message on your Twitter account:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Win a free LumiQuest SoftBox LTp and UltraStrap! For automatic entry, follow @APhotoSchool and @Lumiquest and re-tweet this message!"</div><div align="left" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<br />
</div><div align="left" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's it! Make sure you complete all three steps and you are automatically entered to win. One winner will be randomly selected on January 31st and notified within three days, we will then request their mailing address to ship the SoftBox LTp and UltraStrap.</div><div align="center" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Good Luck!</span></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-20853683171102845942010-12-27T16:08:00.000-07:002010-12-27T16:08:53.109-07:00Yet another Apple IPad photography post for the net.....I'm not going to bore you by repeating the specs of the IPad and how amazing it is in this post. Instead, I thought I'd offer a short and sweet list of why I already love the IPad I just got for Christmas, and how I see it being helpful to any photographer.<br />
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#1: It seems like it will be a great way to show a little portfolio to new/potential clients, and will always be current unlike my print portfolios.... which are easy to go WAYY too long without adding new and better images. Just make sure and keep your galleries concise with your 10-20 BEST EVER images.<br />
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#2: I downloaded a sweet task manager program called To Do. It was $1 and is replacing my planner and multiple task lists on my desktop. Gone are the day's of notes all over the place. I set my due date and time and every morning I will check it to see what MUST get done that day. Organization at it's finest, and it's easy to bring with me wherever I go.<br />
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#3: Tethered shooting! I have yet to try this as I don't have a cord, but can't wait to test it out. Should be a great option for on-location. ( I will post about this once I receive the cord.)<br />
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#4: There is model release software. This also works on the IPhone and the camera on the phone will take a picture for the release as well. Soo much better then carrying around a stack of model releases. The program is called EasyRelease and is accepted by Getty!<br />
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#5: E-mail management anytime, anywhere. Replying to e-mails on my phone is too much of a pain most of the time due to the small screen for typing. The IPad is easy to type on, and was very simple to setup with all my e-mail accounts. <br />
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#6: Movies and games. Ok, so this one is very indirect... But when your on planes traveling to shoots, the entertainment is awesome!<br />
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#7: Battery Life. It lasts for hours and hours, unlike most laptops (pc's especially...hmm hmm.)<br />
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Those are the features I see being most useful to photographers. As I find more I will update this list. Now go buy one. End sales pitch......Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-69712111754728815302010-12-22T10:53:00.000-07:002010-12-22T10:53:45.750-07:00Real Estate Shoot -- Main house, carriage house, hot tub: all in one shot!Real estate photography is all about showcasing all the features, the size, and quality of the property. To do it correctly takes serious technical work and a lot of trial and error. I was approached to shoot this 7000 sq. ft. home near Beaver Creek, CO last week and was thrilled with the opportunity. But when I arrived at the house, I immediately realized how hard it would be to capture it in a great way. The house sits in tight trees, and there are no real vantage points that are further than 45 feet away to shoot the house from. (One note: Next time I will bring a ladder which will help a lot with a more direct and higher angle)<br />
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Right away I put the widest lens I have on my camera, and looked for a good angle. The realtors wanted to see the whole back area including main house, carriage house, and hot tub. The catch? They wanted it all in ONE shot! <br />
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After walking around and taking test shots, it quickly became obvious that there was only one angle to properly do this. Fortunately, the angle accomplished everything, and looked great! The angle is key in real estate, as one angle can make a room look small, or awkward, when another one will make it look spectacular and cause more interest in visiting the property.<br />
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This house is MASSIVE. The other issue? The house goes away from the camera somewhat like a hallway. My approach was to try and get the flashes in between the main and side house, and light up the house. I knew right away that if I had all my flashes near me, the light falloff would be way too much and the back of the house would be dark. A general rule of thumb is that if your flashes are all at full power (and the same kind), they should all be the same distance from the area they are meant to light. This way the distribution is very even.<br />
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I ended up using 6 flashes (excessive I know....). One AB-1600 was to the left of me and aimed up left to light that far side of the house. An Alienbees ringflash was held above my camera to light the immediate area. Another AB-1600 was 25 feet to my left and aimed to light up the main part of the house. Then I had a Nikon SB-900 just before the stairs past the hot tub aimed at the chimney on the right. An SB-800 was above the stairs before the next flight aimed to the right to light the back of the side house. Finally, one more SB-800 was on the ground above the next flight of stairs and aimed up towards the side of the main house to light the rest. WHEW.... Lots of light!<br />
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The flashes were all triggered with Pocket Wizards, with 2 of them in SU-4 mode since I have just 4 PW's. The advantage to having flashes further away from me was that they lit up the house in a three dimensional way. This helps accent the chimney, and keeps the house from appearing in 2D.<br />
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Unfortunately, the hot tub's LED lights were broken. Problems like this always occur so think quick on your feet! I did not have a flash light, so I put my SB-800's into repeat mode, and set the camera on a 2 second exposure. Then I held one as the realtor held another, and we triggered them as many times as we could in the 2 seconds. This captured the water and made it look soft and smooth, while lighting it up perfectly and accenting it's blue color. It also made the waterfall appear to sparkle, an effect I didn't know would happen!<br />
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I blended the hot tub into the final shot with Photoshop using Layers and am very happy with how that turned out overall. I should have checked my histogram as I was shooting because the final image was a bit underexposed. Sometimes at night the screen will make the image look brighter than it actually is. Check your histograms!!<br />
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My camera settings included about a 1/30th shutter to let some of the lights from the house show through, and keep the sky dark. The aperture was set to f/11 to keep sharpness through the house, and the ISO was at 400 to keep the flashes bright, and capture a bit more ambient. The final image is one of the best I've ever shot, and I'll be posting it on my personal site soon at <a href="http://www.cnwphoto.com/">www.cnwphoto.com</a>.<br />
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If you've had any real estate shoots you'd like to share, or have any questions, please ask them or share the stories in the comments below.Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-8130910054089331382010-12-13T13:27:00.000-07:002010-12-13T13:27:42.128-07:00Skiing Shoot Tips for Any Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5249334481/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="120810-0077.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="120810-0077.jpg" height="400" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5167/5249334481_f14702e829.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5249334309/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="120810-0063.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><br />
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A few days ago I headed out with my photo gear to shoot some side-country skiing (like backcountry but with easier lift access from a resort). We'd had over a foot of new snow the day before, and woke up to perfect bluebird skies. These are the days that skiing photographers live for!<br />
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Not everything was perfect though.... I had no plan of attack. No run that I knew would have good light, and no real set of features that I planned on shooting. That's the lesson I learned on this shoot, and have learned too many times before. PLAN YOUR SHOTS, SCOUT YOUR LINES, AND THINK AHEAD!!!! Sometimes you can get lucky winging it though, as was the case on this shoot. I got some good shots (no award winners, but definitely good quality images), and had a blast, which is very important!<br />
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There are a few pieces of advice that I would like to share with you that I should have (and did with some) kept in mind to make this shoot go smoother:<br />
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</div>-Plan ahead as much as possible, based on when features have good light on them at certain times of day. The days are short this time of year, and North or North-East exposures always have the best snow but the shortest amount of light.<br />
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-When shooting into the sun going for the starred effect, there can be NO clouds whatsoever over the sun or right next to it. This will ruin your starred effect.<br />
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-Listen to your athletes, communication is key and if they have something they think will look good, it probably will!<br />
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-Keep your safety and your athletes safety at the forefront of your mind. Avalanche danger is very real and likely in back or side-country. Take an avalanche class, practice with your beacon, carry a probe and shovel. Have your athletes do the same.<br />
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-For safety I also wear an Ava-Lung. These are important for a photographer because we are in places where we could likely be buried. Breath through it while you shoot in case the snow slides above you. It will let you breath for far longer under the snow while your athletes/friends can dig you out. Thankfully I've never had to use mine!<br />
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-On spotty weather days (i.e. clouds passing over the sun), set the camera in shutter-priority, there's no need for full manual.<br />
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-Over-expose by about 0.7, or the camera will try and meter the snow to a neutral gray instead of white.<br />
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-Work closely with athletes and pick a safe position to shoot from. They need to be aware of where you are at all times.<br />
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-Purchase a set of two-way radios to communicate with the athlete. If you are under a cliff they are on you won't be able to communicate without radios!<br />
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-Zip your pack while your shooting, even if you believe there is no chance snow will get in. The one time you forget, your gear is sure to get covered in snow. It's just the way things work.<br />
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-Get creative with your shots, don't just shoot action, capture everything!<br />
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Hopefully these tips are helpful, keep them in mind and make safety a priority. One great shot is not worth your life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5249333757/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="120810-0007.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="120810-0007.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5164/5249333757_445d9ff78d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-72178694612349909882010-12-05T19:52:00.002-07:002010-12-05T19:52:56.102-07:00Ski Season is HERE! 5 Great Posts On Skiing Photography +1 MUST-READ APB POST<ul><li><a href="http://allphotobuzz.blogspot.com/2010/02/dos-and-donts-of-skiing-photography.html">All Photo Buzz -- The Do's and Don'ts of Skiing Photography</a> : This article contains a lot of tips that I've learned from personal experience and covers a lot of subject matter that usually is left out.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.digital-photography-school.com/winter-sports-photography-tips-flash-compensation">Flash Compensation</a> : Posted this one mainly because the photo is great and was captured with on-camera flash by a well-known skiing photographer: Yves Garneau. The article is short but covers pop-up fill flash for a quick lifestyle photo.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.igluski.com/features/ski-photography-tips">Ski Photography Tips</a> : This article contains 10 helpful tips for people just learning to shoot skiing. The only one I would discard is to keep your camera warm. I keep mine in my pack and the batteries still last for several thousand shots, seems like a very out-dated suggestion with the new batteries.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://buzz.snow.com/tech/b/weblog/archive/2010/10/12/how-to-take-ski-action-pictures.aspx">Jack Affleck Interview</a> : A great article by famous Vail photographer, Jack Affleck. Almost every Vail ad photo you've seen in the last 10-20 years was taken by him. This is some solid advice!</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.ascartel.com/interviews/81-grant-gunderson-professional-ski-photographer">Grant Gunderson Interview</a> : This is an interview with photographer Grant Gunderson who is consistenly published in all the top ski magazines. He has some solid advice in there and it's a motivational read.</li>
</ul><ul><li><a href="http://chrisoconnell.com/">http://chrisoconnell.com/</a> : Probably the TOP ski photographer and most well known. Chris O' Connell's blog covers all his cool shots. There's a lot to see here so look around and prepare for motivation and inspiration to shoot more!</li>
</ul>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-74213057504991247312010-11-29T15:15:00.000-07:002010-11-29T15:15:22.452-07:00Nik Software HDR Efex Pro Reviewed<div class="MsoNormal">Over the past several years HDR photography went from a trendy editing style, all the way to a realistic look that allows images to showcase far more detail and dynamic range than ever before. Programs have been making this process easier all the time, and <a href="http://www.niksoftware.com/hdrefexpro/usa/entry.php">Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro</a> takes this process to a whole new level. I was immediately impressed with how quick and simple the program was to use. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Before HDR Efex Pro, I used PhotoMatix Pro which did a great job of rendering the HDR, but to make the image look good, I had to spend a lot of time in photoshop. Finally there is a solution that makes this workflow simpler, and more real looking than ever before!<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QNaMGaQiq0PRZgavdHUKLOQmyM-MrXlvqjX1OTFso6FOPOIk6Cn0OQ7J9giGnJNTsqYRqvNKmPnHw-zErTg2N_3C1HBrKS-rSswsERau2uD8-qsTgG7EsR7BS8xGSO3yZVSl20KZSuE/s1600/CNW090530-03226_HDR-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QNaMGaQiq0PRZgavdHUKLOQmyM-MrXlvqjX1OTFso6FOPOIk6Cn0OQ7J9giGnJNTsqYRqvNKmPnHw-zErTg2N_3C1HBrKS-rSswsERau2uD8-qsTgG7EsR7BS8xGSO3yZVSl20KZSuE/s400/CNW090530-03226_HDR-Edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(HDR Image from Moab, UT created from 7 exposures using Nik Software HDR Efex Pro. Click to Go Bigger)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaMFYdiAZMi-Hq0sc5gYXdgDAS7T5CRB-YpnRiqJFsX6VRGVQ5g8v5HuPDuOLP812K_T_UWycI6jRvAxeDCDam8upX3IrEBp-6M_Dt1S7RcemrpXTq9LEgeBAUjRIZD3vrBvqOenLKSo/s1600/CNW090530-03226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaMFYdiAZMi-Hq0sc5gYXdgDAS7T5CRB-YpnRiqJFsX6VRGVQ5g8v5HuPDuOLP812K_T_UWycI6jRvAxeDCDam8upX3IrEBp-6M_Dt1S7RcemrpXTq9LEgeBAUjRIZD3vrBvqOenLKSo/s320/CNW090530-03226.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> (Correct original exposure of scene combined with 6 other exposures to create HDR above. Click to Go Bigger.)</div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">For an explanation on dynamic range, please skip to the bottom of the article before reading the review.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://photo.tutsplus.com/tutorials/hdr/how-to-shoot-and-post-process-professional-hdr-photos-in-one-day/">Here's a great article from PhotoTut's+</a> that goes in depth for those just learning how to capture HDR images.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Using HDR Efex Pro<o:p></o:p></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">HDR images begin at capture. Typically you’ll want at least 3 exposures, 1 over-exposed, 1 under-exposed, and 1 correct exposure. This is where bracket mode in your camera comes in handy. It’s also best to shoot HDR’s on a tripod, but not fully mandatory since the program auto-aligns your images very well. The more images you bracket, the more dynamic range for your final image. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The other way to create an HDR, is to open one image multiple times in RAW, and save copies of it with it’s correct exposure, 1 over, and 1 stop under. Then merge them in HDR Efex Pro. It’s a faux HDR but the results can be incredible. No other HDR program that I’ve used can render faux HDR’s as well as HDR Efex Pro. Below is a video demonstrating the software, and how to render one image multiple times with <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/720705-REG/Adobe_65081059_Photoshop_Lightroom_3_Software.html/%20BI/7188/KBID/7713">Adobe Lightroom 3</a> and <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/732026-REG/Nik_Software_NIK_6100_HDR_Efex_Pro_Software.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">HDR Efex Pro</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="320" width="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vqqyQY7Ld5k?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vqqyQY7Ld5k?fs=1&hl=en_US&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="525" height="320"></embed></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwP9X5eC_9_icAYyMLpEzFxcKCakX2Fhy07NrixNcT9MPSy8E79A_uYdovxwvdiJB90TWDQ9x8jjDmSrwUq1i7mBWm9K71vgYMXFhASCEv-yZm3FjY5BwCOV46LS2nb0WsmZ_x_2F5M2Y/s1600/100214-04942_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwP9X5eC_9_icAYyMLpEzFxcKCakX2Fhy07NrixNcT9MPSy8E79A_uYdovxwvdiJB90TWDQ9x8jjDmSrwUq1i7mBWm9K71vgYMXFhASCEv-yZm3FjY5BwCOV46LS2nb0WsmZ_x_2F5M2Y/s640/100214-04942_HDR.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(HDR Image from video made from multiple copies of single exposure below, notice how much more detail is visible in snow while still retaining a realistic look. Click to go bigger)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWfDQZ7bj4QaHLxFTBgdzOHDVJ6u_CsiwuG9YebnOUXcsuaVSjkCRNHzsD1pQK_eJ3Re_MoUjiNWaEq-1WuoSEbiQpDnxM7mfSUGFeuLKlLu9hoFG9Z3hd3oNJCQmG501LEUXIDKUdec/s1600/100214-04942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWfDQZ7bj4QaHLxFTBgdzOHDVJ6u_CsiwuG9YebnOUXcsuaVSjkCRNHzsD1pQK_eJ3Re_MoUjiNWaEq-1WuoSEbiQpDnxM7mfSUGFeuLKlLu9hoFG9Z3hd3oNJCQmG501LEUXIDKUdec/s400/100214-04942.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> (Original Image. Click to Go Bigger.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are several different ways to run the program, but I’ve found Lightroom or Bridge to work best. In bridge, click “tools-nik software-Merge to HDR Efex Pro” in the top menu after selecting the images you want to merge. For Lightroom users, simply select all images you want merged, right click on one, and choose “export-Nik Software HDR Efex Pro. Aperture and Photoshop also incorporate HDR Efex Pro in their export options once installed. This way you can access and run the program through whichever editor/file manager you prefer.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It will take a minute or so for the images to be processed and the HDR Efex Interface to load the preview. With previous HDR Software, I had to spend time changing all kinds of settings (most of which were hard to understand or remember what the function of each setting was). And even with as much tweaking as possible, the image still looked pretty rough. The programs also ran fairly slow. This is not the case with HDR Efex Pro, which results in much faster processing times for photographers with a far simpler and more easily understandable adjustments.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkllKuFchx99sdrOjLz-P1PKNmHw_ktZmhC8I9Nuw3gXZwtRm6pLJvcXU8ZoUWVH9zCFQH7QnKxpExc8lBywpm52Zc7bIsRxpLcdBl5Bx1fqrfV0PK4bkqdRidRWTWR3_3SvYuGniauT8/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-11-28+at+3.11.53+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkllKuFchx99sdrOjLz-P1PKNmHw_ktZmhC8I9Nuw3gXZwtRm6pLJvcXU8ZoUWVH9zCFQH7QnKxpExc8lBywpm52Zc7bIsRxpLcdBl5Bx1fqrfV0PK4bkqdRidRWTWR3_3SvYuGniauT8/s400/Screen+shot+2010-11-28+at+3.11.53+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Click image to view HDR Efex Pro interface larger)</div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The interface is incredibly simple to understand right from the start. The left side displays all the different presets that will automatically change the way the image is rendered. There are plenty of cool presets in here, and just like lightroom you can create and save your own! This works great if you want to render a couple different angles of the same shot since you can run them all through the same preset. The presets load very fast and previews are displayed in the middle. There are also filters to help you find presets for the specific style of image your working on. I find that these can help narrow down the selection but for most images I rely on the most realistic settings.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once you’ve chosen a preset that looks good, navigate to the right panel and play with tone compression. Typically setting the slider to the left renders more realistic, while a shift to the right gives that artistic HDR style that is very popular right now.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Below that is your global adjustments, here you can modify basic settings as if you were processing a RAW image. This is where the magic happens since most programs don’t go this in depth. Global adjustments help make it so that the images won’t need any additional editing after <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/732026-REG/Nik_Software_NIK_6100_HDR_Efex_Pro_Software.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">HDR Efex Pro</a>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After you’ve set your global adjustments, you can modify the HDR method. This is basically the “style” of your image and the amount you want that “style” applied. It’s easy to create some really cool looks with these settings!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3MaylYNA4fQpiNIeGsKbb_XT9IPtI4O2JRxl0xhyCchFe1U2JKLfJb1yrK3tyoNzkBnHZe8PMKQAk19-UTiq36s6Rezwoko5HlXick8957m6rPZWczRzPgNlz_90E4V0cegUfAD-E6s/s1600/081610-0118_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3MaylYNA4fQpiNIeGsKbb_XT9IPtI4O2JRxl0xhyCchFe1U2JKLfJb1yrK3tyoNzkBnHZe8PMKQAk19-UTiq36s6Rezwoko5HlXick8957m6rPZWczRzPgNlz_90E4V0cegUfAD-E6s/s400/081610-0118_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(HDR created with 6 original exposures, black vignette and bright contrast curves added in HDR Efex Pro. Uses realistic strong preset. Click to Go Bigger.)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfNG-sdMjS28NArCAtL9te2bTBf22htxAfBQUNnsgIbx_mNDb2qpAVsM-HKSmKZ9vcNUPMq0d8P5A1AxWvMQvh5oCCAI0w7CifqlTR6C9Di8rdho6DD7j6oH6tdyNpPxPfWZfdhXmAX4/s1600/081610-0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfNG-sdMjS28NArCAtL9te2bTBf22htxAfBQUNnsgIbx_mNDb2qpAVsM-HKSmKZ9vcNUPMq0d8P5A1AxWvMQvh5oCCAI0w7CifqlTR6C9Di8rdho6DD7j6oH6tdyNpPxPfWZfdhXmAX4/s320/081610-0118.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Original median exposure combined with 5 other exposures to create HDR above this image. Click to Go Bigger.)</div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you’ve ever used any of Nik Software’s programs before (and I highly recommend you start if you have not), then the selective adjustments will be easy to understand. If you haven’t, simply click “add control point” and place the point on an area of your image that you would like to modify. The point will have sliders including one that adjusts the size of the area affected. Move the setting sliders and the specific area is instantly affected! It’s really simple, and when used correctly will look completely natural without any weird blend markings. You can add as many control points as you would like to an image. This kind of control makes it possible for any user to edit like a professional re-toucher with ease.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, you move on to finishing adjustments. Here you’ll find options for vignette, levels, and curves. Everything you could need to even out the toning and contrast of the image, plus vignettes to add some style and depth.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That’s it! No photoshop needed aside from selective sharpening. It seems like a lot of settings to work through at first (that's a good thing!), but if you work through them in this order it all makes sense quickly. If you create a really cool look, save it as a preset, and you can export and share the preset with other photographers, or apply it to your other images!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>My Final Opinions:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u><br />
</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">As an architectural and action sports photographer who often shoots several exposures to create one perfect image, I’ve been looking for a well-built solution to edit quickly and precisely. Programs in the past have done a good job, but with little control and a lot to be desired. Before, I would often find myself making my own blends in photoshop since the programs could not render images to my liking. This is not the case with HDR Efex Pro. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">HDR Efex Pro is the answer to all of my complaints about previous HDR software. It’s incredibly powerful, customizable, and easy to use. I highly recommend it for any photographer that’s interested in shooting HDR, learning how to shoot HDR’s, or hoping to achieve the HDR look by merging different exposures of a single image. It’s a tool that I find myself drawn to more and more and continue to discover new uses for. HDR Efex Pro has dramatically shortened my edit times and given me far more control with it’s selective editing. I’m now much more comfortable shooting HDR’s for clients because I know that I can render a usable version in a reliable manner.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is one of the most useful tools for any landscape and architectural photography that I have found. My only complaints are that the default realistic presets tend to look over-rendered, or under-rendered with no real median. However, this is a very minor issue since I was able to create my own to my specific specs.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Try it out for yourself with a free 15 day trial, and see if it’s right for what you do.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.niksoftware.com/hdrefexpro/usa/entry.php">http://www.niksoftware.com/hdrefexpro/usa/entry.php</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBpEdY8xn61M1CgIcQI5D487iTPkTe8WxukvQarJ1EkvCM7TIVta0CMUmgjYEH3RkEOYPR4WUIZRUvQoXGe6O205YrFxt2jgC4xJj_1jHHgOUOTHSCKeRx7Eqjev_4Aq8J189POqUvH4/s1600/082310-0005_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBpEdY8xn61M1CgIcQI5D487iTPkTe8WxukvQarJ1EkvCM7TIVta0CMUmgjYEH3RkEOYPR4WUIZRUvQoXGe6O205YrFxt2jgC4xJj_1jHHgOUOTHSCKeRx7Eqjev_4Aq8J189POqUvH4/s400/082310-0005_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(HDR image created from 3 original images. Notice detail in clouds and stone work, also trees are lighter while still retaining a natural real look. Click to Go Bigger.)</div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwZF8DP5x_xdVrn_cw6MfB5iKGaJcEEroE8zMwErzkaWwtcI21Wb6hnMEeUGnod9Vo6tDUkds0QBeFvKfYu6pAjgyaPt9JjAFgH-C_bVSyOIJ1FYfzK2tJIEntB4MmsvHJBz-gqtwObY/s1600/082310-0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwZF8DP5x_xdVrn_cw6MfB5iKGaJcEEroE8zMwErzkaWwtcI21Wb6hnMEeUGnod9Vo6tDUkds0QBeFvKfYu6pAjgyaPt9JjAFgH-C_bVSyOIJ1FYfzK2tJIEntB4MmsvHJBz-gqtwObY/s320/082310-0007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> (Original median exposure combined with 2 others to create above image. Lacks level of detail seen in final HDR. Click to Go Bigger.)</div><b><u><br />
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</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><u>Brief Explanation of Dynamic Range:</u></b> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Dynamic Range is the latitude with which an image shows detail. The more detail in the shadows and highlights, the higher the dynamic range and vice-versa. The human eye can see a range of nearly 24 f-stops of light (though there is some debate over this). Most DSLR’s fall into the range of 10-12 stops of light, with the best ones coming in at about 14 according to DXO Marks. This explains the loss of detail in shadows and highlights from what your eye can see. If you are sitting inside and look outside, your eyes can see all the detail outside, along with everything inside. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A picture from your camera will render the inside as completely dark, or the outside as blown-out depending on what you expose for. HDR stands for “High Dynamic Range” meaning that the image showcases far more dynamic range than a typical photo. This is accomplished by combining several exposures such as the outside and inside exposure to create one image with both areas perfectly exposed.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">No longer just a common trend or artistic editing style. HDR is quickly becoming a very important photography method for showcasing all the detail available on a particular subject.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-WgP0bfjZROBxtupIXlOMTQ-E4jkgQs36SqPO4eIpgpB6vJM50B70dIJ_80jTVlqncyQSrhjN0pCdct3ua5MdaIDuKQjbrEu7T4G-E-OzeTMZ6rWFTQKFO5CVj34xzQ_-xm3rGt77iQ/s1600/092410-0012_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-WgP0bfjZROBxtupIXlOMTQ-E4jkgQs36SqPO4eIpgpB6vJM50B70dIJ_80jTVlqncyQSrhjN0pCdct3ua5MdaIDuKQjbrEu7T4G-E-OzeTMZ6rWFTQKFO5CVj34xzQ_-xm3rGt77iQ/s400/092410-0012_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(HDR image created from 3 original exposures. Click to Go Bigger.)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUICHwfk2moh0S1CnGe60bFf0hXFz9b8ivaPtp909kYGVWtvpQ0e2KdYCg-mkwjlDOdTsiRQ8hUUPbjL1RU9QDqcl5Rhf1zwLA7UZF8sqom9vMa9OL4hhnTcm4Fcx0FZIRq2QNHCHk8Q/s1600/092410-0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUICHwfk2moh0S1CnGe60bFf0hXFz9b8ivaPtp909kYGVWtvpQ0e2KdYCg-mkwjlDOdTsiRQ8hUUPbjL1RU9QDqcl5Rhf1zwLA7UZF8sqom9vMa9OL4hhnTcm4Fcx0FZIRq2QNHCHk8Q/s320/092410-0012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> (Original median image combined with other two images to create image above. Click to Go Bigger.)</div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-91134042943894161442010-11-23T14:31:00.000-07:002010-11-23T14:31:28.306-07:00Marketing your photography is not as obscure as you may think....Professional photography is a business. It's also an art. Artistic people tend not to be businessmen and vice-versa. This is the fundamental downfall of most aspiring photographers, they simply are bad at marketing. Here's a truth that may very well change your life: The best photographer in the world, may make almost no sales. The worst photographer may make millions of sales. The difference is that the worst photographer was a great businessman.<br />
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It's tough to comprehend at first, but pure artistic talent may never get you anywhere as a professional. You must also view your photography as a business. If your anything like me, you've been viewing photography as an obscure, and tough-to-market business. This is not the truth.<br />
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So how do you find clients? Don't just sit in front of your computer hoping they will stumble over your name or website and call you up because your so good. It's not going to happen. You need to be going out and networking. Walking into businesses even if you think there is no chance they would ever need your work. You'll be surprised at how easy it is, and how many people actually are interested in hiring you for your time and talents. <br />
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How do music bands make it to the big time?? In Today's environment they set up a myspace page and put their music up, but this alone does not drive them to the top. They network. They go to any clubs or bars that they may be able to play at and introduce themselves. That's what we need to do as photographers. People drive business, so go to the people and land some business.<br />
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Hopefully I've put this all in a way that makes sense to you, because for me it was a revelation. Market hard, shoot well, and good luck!Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-49221842307061075992010-11-21T16:16:00.003-07:002010-11-21T16:17:37.141-07:00Cold and Warm Grit: free Lightroom 3 Presets<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There are literally thousands of different methods to edit images. One that seems to be very popular is a very gritty look. It has a lot of clarity and a very edgy look. Click below to download a preset for Lightroom 3 that will give your images this look. I've created 2 new presets that are both included in the file: One that makes the image look cold and gritty, and another that makes it look warm and gritty.</span><br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div><a href="http://www.cnwphoto.com/lr3/grit.zip" style="color: #004b91; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Click here to download the new APB-ColdGrit and APB-WarmGrit presets. </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<div>I'm turning every week into a time for giving here at APB. There will be free presets for the Lightroom 3 develop module posted and available for download each week. Some weeks there will be several, other's just one. If you have any ideas for a style you like, send me a link to a picture, or explain it to me in e-mail and I will do my best to create an accurate preset to render edits like it. Also, any suggestions are greatly appreciated for making the presets I release better. Contact me at info@cnwphoto.com.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Remember, these presets may not improve images depending on lighting and capture/subject settings. Though they will work great for most! Installation instructions are posted below the sample images.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVLL07PEvgz-y4TRZgbsOL3eWdwEdJcvXrTJOZhmZdBs2VzNWABHxWHetD88JCtxd2piinfFPQ70VFDHSGRNbToZ2J342QtehM-hmkKcTCbtHtKs-yUXURQlgqF_wqvYkKfpXXoKDlHQ/s1600/CNW090730-08382-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVLL07PEvgz-y4TRZgbsOL3eWdwEdJcvXrTJOZhmZdBs2VzNWABHxWHetD88JCtxd2piinfFPQ70VFDHSGRNbToZ2J342QtehM-hmkKcTCbtHtKs-yUXURQlgqF_wqvYkKfpXXoKDlHQ/s400/CNW090730-08382-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Original</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjn0QHcLSU6WgjIbC_Lr0KES_zYCJjUW7_JjG7hdc298exFUCuMbpRJtsEiloafKDIcve1OsKYLwp48prGStNgtQK4oA4w1d52RZSw9bZZItGMOdVlO2mX0585y4gCC7hdQzHUsQwDOo/s1600/CNW090730-08382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjn0QHcLSU6WgjIbC_Lr0KES_zYCJjUW7_JjG7hdc298exFUCuMbpRJtsEiloafKDIcve1OsKYLwp48prGStNgtQK4oA4w1d52RZSw9bZZItGMOdVlO2mX0585y4gCC7hdQzHUsQwDOo/s400/CNW090730-08382.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> WarmGrit</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCF_t_3Y6oKsNc9AsY1eWKOR02g8Hk3cr4hVTetpTVr9qiWvKcIpQ_4Dor8tXDwd0-AQ-bO14DqeMAc8tWAvIkbeecMKRTuwTeXckElbjcfm6msZyh1qjCfgJAl3SLooFkkz8Sm6rL6I/s1600/CNW090730-08382-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCF_t_3Y6oKsNc9AsY1eWKOR02g8Hk3cr4hVTetpTVr9qiWvKcIpQ_4Dor8tXDwd0-AQ-bO14DqeMAc8tWAvIkbeecMKRTuwTeXckElbjcfm6msZyh1qjCfgJAl3SLooFkkz8Sm6rL6I/s400/CNW090730-08382-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ColdGrit</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a few samples. This effect is intended to give your images a little more edge, lower the vibrance, and up the clarity and contrast. The overall look is very stylistic and unique.</span></div></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">To install the APB-Action*PoP* preset(s):</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1) Unzip the preset zip file on to your desktop (macs will automatically unzip)</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2) Go to the Develop module. NOTE: YOU MUST BE IN THE DEVELOP MODULE</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3) Go to the Presets panel on the left. Right click anywhere in it and choose “Import”.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4) Select the .lrtemplate files you unzipped in Step 1 and click Import.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5) Enjoy!!</span></span></span><br />
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</span> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-4754270193948538962010-11-17T13:35:00.001-07:002010-11-17T13:36:37.534-07:00Shoot for fun, not just money.For most photographers, the dream they begin with is to see their work published. Once that's happened it seems they lose sight of their dream and why they shoot. It's easy to shoot mainly for the money, especially when you need that money to pay rent. Today I'm here to tell you to try not to lose sight of your original goals and dreams. Remember your roots and think of how far you've already come! If your just starting your journey as a professional photographer, than chances are you have not lost sight yet.<br />
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</div><div>When I first began back in '05, photography was my passion and something I did everyday without really thinking about why I was shooting or if the shots would even be good. I took every opportunity I had to go out and take as many photos as possible. My camera was permanently attached to my right hand. At this time, I dreamed of one day seeing just one of my photos published in Powder magazine, or even in the local newspaper.</div><div><a name='more'></a></div><div><br />
This passion and drive has brought me to where I am today with many publications. It's because of this that I know how to work my camera, what makes for a good shot, and how to have fun shooting. Over the last year I became a bit more money driven. This is not necessarily a bad thing because I do need the money to continue shooting all the time. However, I sometimes find that I'm sitting at home trying to market and make money, when I should probably be outside shooting. This realization has led me to shoot much more in the last few weeks. Because of this I can honestly say that I'm happier, and feel like I'm making more progress as a photographer then ever. Money keeps me in business, but being in the field shooting is why I am a photographer. These are my roots.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Don't let yourself over-think an opportunity to go shoot. Just head out and do it. So what if the images aren't salable (they probably will end up being salable because your doing what you love). Who cares if the images just sit on your hard drive? It's about having fun. Photographer's have the best job in the world. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Even if you are in a dry spell and not making any money, try not to sit inside waiting on e-mails to bring more work. Get out and shoot with some friends. It will help you stabilize and calm down about the fact that the money is not coming in. Keep marketing, but shoot for fun as well. Allowing your camera to become your work, and not using it for enjoyment will lead to an unhappy career. Don't follow the 9-5er's out there who complain about their jobs. Love what you do, and do it every chance you get.</div><div><br />
</div><div>If you've ever had a time where you didn't shoot for fun simply because the photos might not be salable, please share your story below in the comments.</div><div><br />
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</div></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-84419201329059060212010-11-15T16:08:00.000-07:002010-11-15T16:08:53.679-07:00Shoot Journal: Studio Portrait SessionPhotography is fun. That's a very obvious statement for anyone reading this, but I couldn't help myself! It's easy to get caught up in a dry spell where you aren't shooting much for some reason or another, and your getting tired of sitting in front of a computer all day. The answer to a dry spell is to go shoot. Even if you don't feel you have anything worth shooting. Go shoot. <br />
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I realized the other day that due to the off-season (too much snow for any summer related sports, and not enough for winter sports) that I hadn't shot for over a week. That's a long time to be away from a camera. I was really missing it. So my answer? Call up a close friend (pro skier: Matt Luczkow) and shoot some portraits. <br />
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Matt is a great person to shoot with. He loves to spend as much time as possible experimenting with different flash setups and lighting, and rarely becomes bored. These are rare finds because a lot of people have no interest in photography and get bored easily if your spending time experimenting with flash settings. <br />
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The whole point of this shoot aside from capturing some great images was to practice some more lighting setups. Practice makes perfect and the more you practice, the more comfortable you will become when you've landed a client and the pressure is on.<br />
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It's a lot of fun to step away from the uncontrolled environment of extreme sports photography, and head into a controlled studio. Makes for far less variables and is more comfortable. It also allows you time to setup and control every single source of light.<br />
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Don't have space for a studio setup you say? Well... neither do I.... kind of... I moved my couch, chair and coffee table, and hung my $<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/378258-REG/Backdrop_Alley_BAM24WHT.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">89 white muslin backdrop</a> (switched to a black one later) over the drapes in my window. Re-arrange your house a bit and I'm sure you will find a way to fit in a makeshift studio for the day. <br />
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If you don't have something to hang a backdrop from, here is a <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/688517-REG/Backdrop_Alley_STDKT_10BW_STDKT_10BW_Studio_Stand_with.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">sweet kit for $194</a> that has a stand, and white/black backdrops. Sure, more space would be spectacular, but I at least had enough to setup all my flashes and soft-boxes. <br />
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There were a few different setups that I tried, and I will explain each one below the picture that was created using that particular setup. Lighting can be tough and takes a lot of experimentation. Challenge yourself to come up with several different setups in a shoot. It's too easy to just shoot one that consistently works and always yield similar results. Diversify.<br />
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For the image above (cigar image). I set up a B1600 at full power on a backlight stand aimed at the backdrop. This is to fully white-out the backdrop and add a little wrap around glow as well. Notice the highlights that help define the sides of the face. This flash was in SU-4 mode which means it automatically pops when any other flash in the room goes off. I used this for all setups so that I would only have to radio or cord trigger one flash.<br />
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I placed a B1600 at 1/16 power to the top and right with my 30"x40" softbox, as you can see in his eyes. Below that on the right was my ringlight set at 1/4 power. The ring light gives that great round dimple in the bottom of his eyes. The ring light was triggered with my PW's. Placing the lights to one side added more dimension to his face, and the softbox helped wrap the light around to evenly illuminate. The flashes were both about 5-6 feet away from him and he stood about 6 feet in front of the background.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5165850046/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="111110-0127-Edit2.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="111110-0127-Edit2.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/5165850046_13963be528.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For this image I chose to shoot with a modified clam shell look. A clam shell is when your main light sources are in front of the model with one above camera and one below. For this image I had one B1600 above the camera and slightly right of the model giving the hat some depth. I then had my ringlight low and centered and shot through it. This puts the ring lights catch light in Matt's eyes perfectly centered. I still had the backlight set to full power since this was taken on the white backdrop. Power settings were the same for the other flashes as in the previous image.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5167398362/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="111110-0225_HDR.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="111110-0225_HDR.jpg" height="333" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/5167398362_b5c918f7a8.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Matt's eyes are the key focus in this image. To accent them I again shot through the ringlight as evidenced by the catchlights. You'll also notice a slight box to the left of both eyes which is my softbox mounted on my B1600 to the left to add a bit more depth. On the right of the image you'll notice a highlight. This was meant to accent the hat and the side of his face. This is provided by a B1600 set to 1/2 power in a 60" shoot-thru umbrella. It's positioned far right and back so that it doesn't contaminate the side of his nose with extra light. Alway's watch out for that because it can ruin an image. There is no backlight aimed at the backdrop since I wanted pure black.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5166798865/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="111110-0158-Edit.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="111110-0158-Edit.jpg" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/5166798865_af422c57bc.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For this final image I wanted a simple and soft look. I used the same settings as the previous shot but moved my umbrella flash a bit farther forward to wrap around the face more. I also shot through the ringlight and was about 5 feet farther away making for a smaller catchlight. This is a great and simple setup and works well as a go-to when all else is failing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All images were shot at f/16, 1/250th, and ISO 100. This provided solid focus on all details. Shooting studio work is great because you can really nail your focus. These images at 100% reveal great and extremely sharp detail in the eyes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you have some great images that you captured just for fun, please share them on flickr in the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/allphotobuzz/">All Photo Buzz Group</a> and give us a link in the comments below.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><b>Here's a list of gear that I used for these images:</b><br />
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<b>-</b><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/655574-REG/Nikon_25466_D3S_Digital_SLR_Camera.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">Nikon D3S</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/424744-USA/Nikon_2160_105mm_f_2_8G_ED_IF_AF_S.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/247091-USA/Nikon_2137_Normal_AF_Nikkor_50mm.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">Nikon 50mm f/1.8</a> (very affordable!)<br />
-<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/688517-REG/Backdrop_Alley_STDKT_10BW_STDKT_10BW_Studio_Stand_with.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">Backdrops</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/441353-REG/PocketWizard_801_125_Plus_II_Transceiver_Radio.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">PocketWizard Radios</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/423631-REG/Impact_UBBW60.html/BI/7188/KBID/7713">60" umbrella</a> (highly recommended and only $30!)<br />
-<a href="http://www.alienbees.com/">AlienBees B1600's</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.alienbees.com/">AlienBees lighting stands</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.alienbees.com/">AlienBees softbox</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.alienbees.com/">AlienBees BR-400 Ring Light</a>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-39182187707192558952010-11-10T09:49:00.003-07:002010-11-10T09:51:41.866-07:0010 Tips That Will Take Your Skateboard Photography to the Next Level!#1 – Go to a local skate-park with the intentions of shooting. While your there don’t just shoot random people, scope out some of the best skaters and ask them if they are interested in shooting. Be sure and tell them you’re a great photographer and will e-mail them copies of the shots. Ask them what their best tricks are and have them demonstrate. These are usually what you want to be shooting!<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5163996805/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="091111-02568.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="091111-02568.jpg" height="332" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1364/5163996805_c13333274b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">#2 – Get creative with your angles. Get low or bring a ladder and go high, shoot through bushes on the side, climb a tree next to the skate park, stage other people in the shot. Anything that makes the shot more exciting! <br />
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#3 – Go wide and go zoomed. Most skate shots are taken with fisheyes and ultra wide-angles. Many are also taken with a zoom. The vast majority of published skate shots are taken from opposite ends of the spectrum.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5163996437/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="091111-02481.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="091111-02481.jpg" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5163996437_38b5e4b077.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">#4 – Shoot with flashes. Strobes make a huge difference and will make your shots look more professional. Often times, tricks look best when shot from below the athlete. Fill flash can light up the athlete and will show their expression. Expression is key.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/4113369055/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="09082500138-Edit by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="09082500138-Edit" height="500" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2714/4113369055_835e0f301e.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">#5 – Skaters in general have very short attention spans. I’m not saying this to be mean, it’s just what I’ve experienced. Set up the lights and compose the shot with a few test shots to make sure everything is right. That way, the athlete won’t have to do a tough trick multiple times, and will be stoked when you nail the shot first try.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">#6 – If your camera has a fast burst, use it for cool sequences. This is a type of shot I often forget but one that when done correctly get’s published.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">#7 – Always be on the lookout for the little details. Skaters have unique style making for great photos. Try and capture them when they are not skating as well. Environmental lifestyles make for incredible images. Watch for every detail. Sometimes it looks cool to get just the board flipping and the athlete’s feet.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5164602906/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="091111-02742.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="091111-02742.jpg" height="500" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5164602906_341b3387b6.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">#8 - If a shot isn’t working and you can’t seem to make it look good no matter what you try, ask the athlete if there is another feature he can trick on/off. Some features won’t shoot well and are not worth wasting your time on.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">#9 – Go pick up a copy of TransWorld Skate, Concrete Wave, Thrasher, or Skateboarder magazine. Reading through these and looking at the photos they run will show you what tricks are considered the gnarliest and the most likely to get published.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5163998127/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="091112-02901-Edit.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="091112-02901-Edit.jpg" height="332" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1381/5163998127_bcb94a14fd.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">#10 – Once you feel your getting the hang of it, ask the athlete if they know any cool street spots. If they don’t skate street, ask them if they have any friends that do and would be down to shoot. Unique street locations are a thousand times more likely to get published in magazines. Park is just too easy to shoot.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5163997219/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="091112-02330.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="091112-02330.jpg" height="332" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/5163997219_1eb907331b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-29650708184289776882010-11-08T10:27:00.000-07:002010-11-08T10:27:46.772-07:00Video Tutorial: Remove logos from your images.Video is easiest to watch in full screen mode, click the bottom right corner button to enlarge!<br />
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<object height="320" width="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KMqgJi7btIQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KMqgJi7btIQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="525" height="320"></embed></object>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-91956113570632417542010-11-05T11:44:00.001-06:002010-11-05T11:46:17.762-06:00Guest Feature: Bret Edge's Five Steps to Better Adventure Photography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>By: Bret Edge </i></span><a href="http://www.bretedge.com/"><span style="color: #000ce9;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>www.bretedge.com</i></span></span></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My interest in landscape photography evolved as a natural extension of my love for the outdoors. I hike and backpack to gain access to high alpine lakes surrounded by jagged mountain peaks and deep desert canyons carved by raging rivers. Why not use the time in between sunrise and sunset to expand your photographic horizons by shooting adventure images?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/glacier-highline-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/glacier-highline-view.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hiker Gazing at Mountains</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The words “adventure photography” conjure up images of daring climbers clinging precariously to granite cliffs and river rafters navigating huge rapids. But such high adrenaline pursuits aren’t the only outdoor sports that make for dynamic adventure photos. Day hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and even car camping can offer opportunities for interesting photography all day long. With a little practice and a little knowledge you’ll soon be making photos on par with those in Backpacker, Outside and the now deceased Adventure magazine (RIP). Here are some tips to get you started:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Spouses Make Great Models</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Spouses work for free, they’re usually with us while out exploring, they don’t complain a whole lot and they won’t give you flak about signing a model release. Just remember: even if you’re married to a professional model your better half will need a little direction during the shoot. Be patient with them and explain exactly what you need them to do for you, i.e. turn left 1/4 turn and gaze lovingly at that big mountain. Okay, maybe just gaze at that big mountain.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/mo-descent-talus-hz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/mo-descent-talus-hz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Storm Cloud Forces Hiker Retreat</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Adventure Couture</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Since we’re on the topic of models, let’s talk about what they should wear. A photo of a hiker wearing jeans and a cotton flannel shirt isn’t going to make it into Backpacker magazine no matter how dramatic the scenery. Your model should wear clothing and gear appropriate for the activity and environment. Additionally, your model should know how to properly use any gear in the photo. I once received an image request from an outdoor magazine for a “hiker fording a waist deep creek using trekking poles and wearing a pack with the hipbelt and sternum strap unfastened.” Why? Because it’s the proper technique when fording a creek.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here’s the part your model spouse will really like - they’ll probably get some new outdoor clothing out of the gig. Choose colors that will contrast with the environment. For example, a hiker in the mountains wearing a bright red top will stand out dramatically from a background of green trees. That same red top won’t contrast as strongly against the red rock of Canyon Country. Maybe a green or blue top would work better. Think camoflauge, in reverse.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/mo-in-rain1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/mo-in-rain1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Get Low. Get High.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Just as in landscape photography, you can use unusual camera angles to create dynamic images. Lay down on your belly or climb up above your subject. Shoot from in front, behind and to the side of your subject. One angle may work better than another. The more you experiment the more creative your images are likely to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/gsmnp-hiker-rest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/gsmnp-hiker-rest1.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Get Low and Go Wide</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Go Wide. Go Long.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Altering your perspective isn’t the only path to creative adventure photography. Get down low with a wide angle lens and shoot close to your subject’s feet. Use a telephoto lens to compress the distance between a hiker perched on a rock outcrop and the snow capped mountain behind them. There is no “right” technique. Each situation calls for a different approach. As you experiment in the field you will discover what works and what doesn’t. Chances are you’re shooting digitally. Carry lots of memory and don’t forget that it doesn’t cost you a penny to push the shutter button.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/randy-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/randy-view.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Go Long for Compression</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It isn’t always easy to convey motion in a still image. Using a slow-ish shutter speed and panning the camera with your moving subject works great for trail running, kayaking and mountain biking. Your subject remains reasonably sharp while the background blurs into streaks that imply fast movement. Or, set your camera to motor drive and fire off several images in a row and you might just capture your subject in transition with both feet (or both tires!) off the ground. A human hovering in mid-air is pretty much a dead giveaway that they’re not standing still.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/da-mo-jump1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/da-mo-jump1.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mid-Air Motion</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Show The Whole Story</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The adventure begins long before you step foot on the trail. Photos of friends setting up a tent, chilling around a campfire and performing seemingly mundane tasks like cramming gear into every available inch of the SUV are all part of the story. Find a fun way to depict the action. If your spouse or friends are willing to look a little silly, use a wide angle lens and photograph a tight composition of their puffy cheeks filled with air while blowing up an air mattress.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/levi-gps-vt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/levi-gps-vt.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tell the Whole Story</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Location is a big part of your story. Show it off in your photos. Include a prominent, well known peak in the background with your subject hiking in the foreground or show a hiker standing in awe on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Found a killer campsite near an alpine lake? Scout out a composition that shows your tent surrounded by wildflowers next to that jewel colored lake and your friends who bailed on the trip will cry tears of regret.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">While this primer is by no means everything you need to know about adventure photography it does give you a few things to consider on your next adventure. Don’t waste mid-day. Get out there and burn through some memory!</span><span style="color: #454545;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/mo-hm-lakes-hike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://blog.bretedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/mo-hm-lakes-hike.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #454545;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Show Off the Landscape</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author/Photographer</span></span></b><span style="color: #454545;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinm4b0khkFHyaTpplTCTE30aYK90kp3AMEbogjLQFfuT2agRTUeBCzs4ePHFw7YT8LL7PoOdXeH0d5Kga_UXGOccLQT9h3WIkW5NiNut3PXVZQOgUaLT7zCzQXaJfS_JeyIFKZgj2FH6c/s1600/bret+canyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinm4b0khkFHyaTpplTCTE30aYK90kp3AMEbogjLQFfuT2agRTUeBCzs4ePHFw7YT8LL7PoOdXeH0d5Kga_UXGOccLQT9h3WIkW5NiNut3PXVZQOgUaLT7zCzQXaJfS_JeyIFKZgj2FH6c/s200/bret+canyon.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">"Bret Edge is a nature and adventure photographer in Moab, Utah. His interest in photography evolved as an extension of his life long passion for the outdoors. He is an avid hiker, backpacker, mountain biker and canyoneer. A visit in 1999 to an exhibit featuring photographs by Ansel Adams, Jack Dykinga and David Muench stoked Bret's creative fire such that he immediately purchased his first SLR camera, a Canon Rebel. In the years since, he has traveled extensively throughout the American West creating a diverse portfolio of dynamic images. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Bret's work has appeared in magazines, calendars, travel guides and advertising campaigns. His clients include Backpacker magazine, Popular Photography, the Utah Office of Tourism, Charles Schwab & Co. and Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">While Bret enjoys seeing his work in print, he receives the most satisfaction by helping others realize their potential as photographers. He accomplishes this by leading several group workshops each year and guiding photographers on private photo excursions. For information about his workshops and guided excursions, visit </span><a href="http://www.moabphotoworkshops.com/"><u><span style="color: #000ce9; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">www.moabphotoworkshops.com</span></span></u></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">. To view a collection of Bret's images, visit </span><a href="http://www.bretedge.com/"><u><span style="color: #000ce9; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">www.bretedge.com</span></span></u></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Bret lives in Moab with his wife, Melissa, their son Jackson, and two All-Terrain Pugs named Bierstadt and Petunia."</span><span style="color: #454545;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Check out more great articles from Bret Edge at </span><a href="http://blog.bretedge.com/"><u><span style="color: #000ce9; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">his blog here.</span></span></u></a></i><span style="color: #454545; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-51596316343230115212010-11-03T12:48:00.000-06:002010-11-03T12:48:27.518-06:00More accurate and sensible focusing for your Nikon or CanonRecently, my friend Daniel Milchev (<a href="http://www.photovenom.com/">www.photovenom.com</a>) separated the focus away from his shutter button and instead using the back AF-ON button. The idea is very simple and I've finally adopted this smart method. With the focus no longer a part of the shutter button, it's much easier to pre-focus for action images. It also becomes simpler to run continuous focus when shooting action coming towards you.<br />
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Why does it work? When it comes to pre-focus, I find that I'm often setting my focus on a certain point that is about the same distance the athlete will be away from me. The problem is that occasionally no focus points cover that location so I have to recompose the image after setting my focus. With the back AF button, I can simply lock in my focus and recompose the image. No more switching to manual focus or holding down the shutter half way to lock in the point. Instead, press the AF button on the location you want focus, release the button, recompose, and shoot away.<br />
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With this setting you have the ability to CHOOSE when you want to focus. The camera won't try to re-focus every single time you hit the shutter button. This makes things much simpler so that you will no longer have to switch to manual focus or press AF-Lock to maintain focus on the point. It even works better than the AF-lock button since you no longer have to hold the button to ensure it maintains focus.<br />
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Another benefit is the ability to override your AF focus with manual. Say your continuous AF is completely off all the sudden, you can simply twist the barrel and fine tune it manually. This way, when you go to press the shutter, the AF feature won't override your adjustments.<br />
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It will take me a little time to really get used to it. But After getting adjusted to it, Daniel had become so used to it that he forgot for a second how to focus the test cameras at the New York photo show with the shutter button. I would not recommend changing this before a major shoot. Change the settings when you have time to go shoot with some friends or just around the neighborhood for fun.<br />
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Once you've switched you probably won't go back. Below are instructions to change the settings on a Nikon, and further down is an explanation for Canon users.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Separate Your Focus & Shutter (Nikon Users):</span></span></strong></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Instructions provided by </span></span><a href="http://simplyknotphotography.com/blog/2010/02/back-button-focus-for-nikon/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Simply Knot Photography</span></span></a></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Step 1: Go into your custom settings menu</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Step 2: Select A (autofocus)</span></div></div><div style="line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Step 3: Select A5 (AF Activation)</span></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Step 4: Choose AF-ON only</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Instructions for Canon Users:</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">table provided by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2286">www.usa.canon.com</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>EOS Model</strong></span></td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Custom Function for Back-Button AF</strong></span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS Rebel XS:</td><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">C.Fn 9</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS Rebel XSi:</td><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">C.Fn 10</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS Rebel XT:</td><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">C.Fn 04</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS Rebel XTi:</td><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">C.Fn 04</td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS 20D:</td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">C.Fn 04</td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS 30D:</td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">C.Fn 04</td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS 40D:</td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">C.Fn IV-1</td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS 50D:</td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">C.Fn IV-1</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS 5D:</td><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">C.Fn 04</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS 5D Mark II:</td><td bgcolor="#cccccc" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">C.Fn IV-1</td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS-1D Mark II (N):</td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">C.Fn 04</td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS-1Ds Mark II:</td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">C.Fn 04</td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS-1D Mark III:</td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">C.Fn IV-1</td></tr>
<tr><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: right;">EOS-1Ds Mark III:</td><td style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">C.Fn IV-1</td></tr>
</tbody></table></b></span></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-77752387350413210992010-11-01T16:39:00.000-06:002010-11-01T16:39:12.781-06:00It's all in the location and style.Here's a quick thought to get the creativity flowing. What separates a technically good image from a great image? Content. This consists of the location, the model, and clothing/make-up. It really doesn't have anything to do with camera settings.<br />
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Camera settings do make a difference, but the content of the picture is key. Taking pictures of ordinary things, no matter how great the camera settings and lighting, will still be ordinary pictures. It's important to try and make the content as different as possible. Location plays part of this in a HUGE way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/4596696761/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="100422-08105 by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="100422-08105" height="332" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/4596696761_8aa7afda75.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
Shoot a skateboarder on a normal street performing a very simple trick and spend time making sure the angle, color, lighting, and composition are all great. The picture looks technically sound and is a quality image. Now take that same shot in an incredible and stunning location (i.e. mountaintop road, grungy alley, etc.) and you've created an extraordinary image. What changed? Not your camera settings. The content!<br />
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I firmly believe that about 98% of the population (not formally trained in photography) will look at a picture based purely on it's content. Of course it's important for the exposure to be right, but the amazing content brings the image to the next level.<br />
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Location scouting is key in all types of photography except for studio/backdrop work. Spend some time looking around (we will call this field research...) and find unique and different locations to shoot at. Your portfolio will improve dramatically.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/5137812188/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="090909-00577-Edit.jpg by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="090909-00577-Edit.jpg" height="332" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/5137812188_724aafe583.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />
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Camera tutorials and books tend to leave this point out. Content is key for great and jaw-dropping images. Look at your favorite photographer's portfolio and you'll almost certainly notice that the locations are extraordinary.<br />
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The other factor in this equation (and this applies to studio photographers as well) is the way your model looks and the clothing they are wearing. Ordinary looking models are less exciting. Find models that are truly individuals and have them wear strange or unique outfits. <br />
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In photography, great lighting and angles will impress other photographers, but not the general public. Don't waste your talent shooting lackluster subjects in less than impressive locations. Take this advice to heart and boost that portfolio. I'm going location scouting tonight and will bring my camera with me to have reference images for future shoot locales. <br />
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If you have some great images that really showcase this point, please post them in the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/allphotobuzz/">APB Flickr Group</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/allphotobuzz/4330712675/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="CNW090529-02457-Edit by www.allphotobuzz.com, on Flickr"><img alt="CNW090529-02457-Edit" height="332" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4330712675_dacdfa6b47.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-86483461869735271842010-10-28T09:09:00.000-06:002010-10-28T09:09:00.573-06:00Quick tip for the dayToday is a day and it's just like any other day. Except...... Today you are going to make a positive difference or at least try to make a positive difference in your photography career.<br />
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I'm talking marketing here, and marketing in it's simplest form: E-mail. Send a company or person that you are interested in working with a nice and personal e-mail. That's it. Don't let your fear of rejection run your life. If you want a photo published in Pop Photo magazine, go ahead and contact them about it. If you want a new client, reach out to one and let them know who you are and why your so good at what you do.<br />
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The main thing your doing here is opening a line of communication. It's the first step to any great working relationship. Take the step and never look back. Commit and jump-start your future today.<br />
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Why today? Because you know that if you put it off until tomorrow it's just not going to happen. Don't let fear or laziness run your life.Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-5249070682567937652010-10-27T09:00:00.003-06:002010-10-27T09:00:00.320-06:00Get outta that Funk! GO SHOOT!!!As aspiring professional photographers it's very easy to get into the photographer's funk. I just coined that term but feel free to borrow it and spread it around. Photographer's funk is when you aren't out shooting enough cause your always finding excuses not too. I've been there before and am sure it will happen again. Next time I will get outta that funk quick!<br />
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It's really disappointing when it happens and kind of depressing. Whether your not shooting cause the weather is bad, or your spending all your time in front of the computer hoping to land more jobs. The funk happens, and when it sets in it's tough to break. It's kind of like writer's block. <br />
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Photographer's are SMART people, some of the smartest in fact. We are tech savvy, artistic, and intelligent. Sometimes, we are thinking too much, and let that thinking block us from shooting. So here's a phrase you need to block out of your mind "I can't shoot today because...." There is always an excuse. Quit making it.<br />
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Just go out and shoot some images.<br />
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That's it. Shoot now, shoot tomorrow, shoot everyday. <br />
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Call your friends up and get them to come with as models, make it fun and don't worry about what to do with the images when your done.<br />
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I can guarantee right now that your career will fall out of it's depressing downward run.Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960673164230168041.post-1741064688840876432010-10-25T09:00:00.000-06:002010-10-25T09:00:09.332-06:00Nikon Rumors - Nikonrumors.comIf your anything like me, than announcements of new gear and even rumors of new gear are mind-blowing and extremely exciting. <a href="http://Nikonrumors.com/">Nikonrumors.com</a> has provided me with some rumors to be incredibly excited about! They are constantly posting updates on anything and everything Nikon. If you love Nikon, then this is a site you'll want to add to your list. I won't forget about the Canon users either (though this post is all about Nikon). If your a Canon user, be sure to check out <a href="http://canonrumors.com/">canonrumors.com</a>.<br />
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Then new Nikon D4 (When it's released) is speculated to be 16 megapixels (finally we get some more pixels....) and shoot full HD video with a continuous photo drive of 11 images per second. These are some outstanding numbers. I'm also going to speculate that autofocus will work continuously through HD video shooting like the D3100.<br />
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After that, the D4X should be released, only it will shoot 34MP. HUGE IMAGES with what I'm sure will be OUTSTANDING QUALITY!<br />
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And finally, the D700 will be replaced by the brand new D800. It will shoot full HD as well and run at 24MP, SWEET!!<br />
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All this is great and exciting, but I'm sure it will come with a steep price tag. I would like to remind all of you that gear does not make you a better photographer (it can help with quality) and that you should be proud of and happy with what you already have. Don't let the excitement of new gear overpower the excitement of capturing a great image. New tools are sweet but they are useless unless you know how to use them to create something great!Connor Walberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001680024428324193noreply@blogger.com0