Posts made in February, 2010
Marengo Cave Images
What a rewarding, interesting, fun, and sometimes frustrating field trip! About 25 Bloomington Photography Club members made the two-hour trip Saturday afternoon to English and Marengo Cave. We spent two hours there as guests, having the cave completely to ourselves. The conditions were difficult: little to no light, restricted areas to shoot from, and some cold and dampness. Never fear … BPC members took it all in stride and came home with some great lessons on cave and low-light photography.
I have posted the images I thought weren’t too bad for a first attempt at this kind of shooting. Go to photo collections on the home page and click on marengo cave to see them. Feedback always is welcome, but remember … be kind to small animals.
Read MoreHow Did You Do That?
Image by Brett Harkness for illustration only
How did you do that? Why did you do that? What equipment did you use to do that?
I have written before about the advice you will get from some great photographers and teachers: look at others’ works, study how they composed their image, and see what elements went into the shot (or were left out of the shot). And do this to think about how you can make your own photos better.
So, along comes this site by Crash Taylor (no, I never heard of him before now, either). Follow the link to a series of images in which he posts some photos and has the photographer who took the shot explain the equipment used, camera settings, the motivation, and a brief overview of how the image was processed [link]. It is a very handy, interesting look behind the scenes of some fine images. What is especially nice is that a lot of the images look like ones you have taken or tried to take on your own, I’m sure.
And also today comes along a post that fits right into what we are discussing: how to de-construct an image. That is, how do you begin taking apart an image to figure out what that photo is about? The short essay, complete with images, is from Luminous Landscape [link]. Once you know what the image is about, what elements belong or don’t belong, your own photos can be made stronger (or at least that is our goal).
Check out both these sites. Their images can make yours (and mine) better in the future.
Read MoreEnter to Win Scott Kelby Books
PhotoInduced, a website with information about a lot of things photographic, is giving away a boxed set of Scott Kelby’s digital photo books. The books are full of tips, tricks, and how-to’s for whatever kind of scene or situation you find yourself in with camera-in-hand. I own all three books and use them as reference books and periodic refreshers before field trips. You do have to sign up for a newsletter, but you can sign up today and always unsubscribe later if you don’t like what you see. Follow the link to take a chance on winning this boxed set of reference books, but make sure you sign up before this evening is over.
Read MoreThe Photoshop Guys … and More
In my Blogroll (on the right side of this page) there is a link to Kelby TV, a site giving you access to several Scott Kelby productions that are well worth checking on a regular basis. The news today is that one of the programs included at that site,Photoshop User TV, is on hiatus until the first week in April. You still can catch up on any episodes you have missed to date, but the Photoshop Guys (Scott, Matt, and Dave) are on a month’s vacation. Remember to look for them in April.
Another site worth checking on periodically is that of noted wedding photographer, David Ziser. The site is Digital Protalk [link], one devoted to wedding tips, portraits and lighting techniques. David has a new book out, one that is being very well received for its beautiful images and valuable instruction. The title is Captured by the Light, and it is available now. Amazon has it for $34.64 [link], and it is available also at all the other usual places.
Finally, the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) has wrapped up its annual show. For complete information organized by manufacturer check out both Imaging Resource [link] and dp review [link]. There are a few interesting items, but the hurting economy seems to have limited any real blockbuster announcements so far in 2010. Later this fall (September 21-26) there is a trade show in Germany, Photkina, that may produce some more interesting news … especially from Nikon.
Read More2010 PMA In Progress
The 2010 PMA (Photo Marketing Association) trade show is in progress. This annual show delivers a good look at the latest in photo products of all kinds from manufacturers large and small. If you have been contemplating a purchase this year or just are interested in the latest and greatest .. this is the place to be for a couple of days.
Imaging Resource has a nice daily roundup of products and announcements, along with some video clips that demonstrate what is on display. Follow the link and check back regularly with their reporters for a nice summary of the 2010 show.
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