Monday Missive – October 10, 2016

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“I was not part of the plot. I was on the outside looking in. A mere spectator peeking through the insulating and protective window of a lens.” – Chuck Kimmerle, The Unapologetic Photographer Blog 7/7/15

“Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it.” — Frank Herbert, Dune

“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” — Imogen Cunningham

Links

– Black and white layer in Photoshop
– Three brief articles from George Lepp
The focus stacking one is helpful, but you might wish to skip the video and cart articles. He solved for me the focus or move focus-stacking question.
– How to approach wildlife
– Really, really good stories and life lessons of a photographer 6 minute video that I highly recommend.
– Adding color with Photo filters in PS
– Hi- and Low-key lighting for portraits
– Make your own golden hour light
– 21 tips for sharper photos
– Street photography with a twist

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Monday Missive – October 3, 2016

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“Photography can never grow up if it imitates some other medium. It has to walk alone; it has to be itself.” – Berenice Abbott

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” – Cecil Beaton

“Be yourself. I much prefer seeing something, even if it is clumsy, that doesn’t look like somebody else’s work.” – William Klein

Links

– Long exposures without filters This is really cool!
– Before and After Animated .gif
– 5 Really useful keyboard shortcuts for PS
– Advice from Sebatiao Salgado In my opinion Salgado is one the greatest photographers still actively shooting.
– Using printer color profiles
– Good review of the basics of depth of field
– Lighting
– Epson P600 (old 2880) vs P800 (old 3880): cost effectiveness
– Shooting Wide
– Lightroom Presets

Close-up of the edges of an orchid flower

Close-up of the edges of an orchid flower

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Plant stamen taken at Rawlings Conservatory.

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Monday Missive – September 26, 2016

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“I’m fond of implied narratives, oblique angles, and leaving a little room for the viewer to finish a picture.” – Keith Carter

“Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees.” – Paul Strand

“These things will destroy the human race: politics without principle, progress without compassion, wealth without work, learning without silence, religion without fearlessness and worship without awareness.” – Anthony de Mello

Links

– Minimize the size of your Photoshop working files without compromising editability Interesting comparison of PSD, PSB and TIF; helpful if you create large, multi-layered files.
– Telling people stories
– Photographing fall color
– Shoot the moon!
– Good tips for mobile photography With really excellent images to illustrate.
– Interesting BW from London
– Johansson makes incredible surreal composites
– Honoring Yellowstone
– Blooming Sunflowers and the Milky Way
– A photographer’s anxiety order shown through her self-portraits

Brooding one morning over tea, I looked down and saw an image.

Brooding one morning over tea, I looked down and saw an image. See the Paul Strand quote above

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Monday Missive – September 19, 2016

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see.” – Dorothea Lange

“Dare to declare who you are. It is not far from the shores of silence to the boundaries of speech. The path is not long, but the way is deep. You must not only walk there, you must be prepared to leap.” – Hildegard Von Bingen

“The notion of one photographer being better than another doesn’t interest me. You can’t win at art.” — David du Chemin

“My gift to you is that I am different.” – Duane Michals

Links

– Beyond IR: Go Full Spectrum
– Fog is cool
– How to make sky replacements look more realistic
– Composition Around the Edges
– Stay Inspired!
– Flowers
– Cleaning your lens and sensor
– The Art of Intuitive Photography A 43 minute video, but you can skip the first 13 minutes.
– Cool stories of photographers almost killing themselves

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Cicada. 200 mm micro with extension tubes, two flashes in white reflecting box.

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Monday Missive – September 12, 2016

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“It’s pretty simple, really. Be decent, friendly, curious and respectful. Works most of the time.” — Joe McNally interviewed by Tamara Lackey, Rangefinder, Feb. 2016, p. 24

“…photography is a craft that requires experimentation, risk and growth, and that getting better at photography is a journey that never ends.” – Chris Orwig, Photography Issue 5

“Photography can light up darkness and expose ignorance.” – Lewis Hine

 

Links
– Two-faced effect in Photoshop Not sure I would use this, but I thought it was cool. Clipping pixel layers was not something I had ever done.
– Using Content Aware Fill Phlearn is my favorite place for worthwhile, free Photoshop tutorial videos.
– Rules Don’t Apply Right on Ryan!
– Tips for Real Estate Photography
-Shallow depth of field in bright sun I never thought of this use for an ND filter.
– Tack sharp macro
– Using Apply Image to very accurately split tone
– Vertical panoramas
– How you know when you are a photographer
– Tips for newbies

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Monday Missive – September 5, 2016

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“There’s a world of difference between focusing a lens and focusing attention.” — John Paul Caponigro, in “The Power of Abstraction” on Craft and Vision.

“The paradox of the flawless record

If your work has never been criticized, it’s unlikely you have any work.
Creating work is the point, though, which means that in order to do something that matters, you’re going to be criticized.
If your goal is to be universally liked and respected and understood, then, it must mean your goal is to not do something that matters.
Which requires hiding.
Hiding, of course, isn’t the point.
Hence the paradox. You don’t want to be criticized and you do want to matter.
The solution: Create work that gets criticized. AND, have the discernment to tell the difference between useful criticism (rare and precious) and the stuff worth ignoring (everything else).”
— Seth Godin, Sept. 4, 2016

Links

– Creating shadows for photoshop composites
– Long Exposure Photography
– Night Photography
– Adjusting contrast without changing saturation
– Personal Photography Projects
– Capturing emotions and moments
– 19 tips
– Adding background texture
– Trees
– Mushrooms

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Visited the Liberty Ship John W Brown off of Keith Ave in south Baltimore. Played with my 14 mm lens

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Monday Missive – August 29, 2016

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“The best plans evolve.” – John Paul Caponigro

“There’s no correlation between creativity and equipment ownership.” — Hugh MacLeod

“Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colors; let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow.” — Kahlil Gibran
 

Links
– Layer masks in Photoshop Really good video on layer masks.
– Removing people from you image Healing brushes, clone stamp, patch tool and content aware fill.
– Photographing motion, part 1
– Photographing motion, part 2
– New upcoming National Geographic series New episodes of wild_life With Bertie Gregory will launch every Wednesday through October on NatGeo Wild’s Youtube Page and at www.nationalgeographic.com.
– Multiple videos from the B & H Optic Conference earlier this summer
– Night Photography week on Creative Live September 12 – 16 First show at noon local time and repeat at about 7 are free.
– Good tips and pics on Night Photography
– More night photography
– Split toning

MushroomsSF1_D8E_3348-3355

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Monday Missive – August 22, 2016

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“Mysteries lie all around us, even in the most familiar things, waiting only to be perceived.” – Wynn Bullock

“Experience has shown that the more fascinating the subject, the less observant the photographer.” – Andreas Feininger

“When finding the right angle for a shot…’Move your ass.’” – Jay Maisel
Links

– Long lenses for scenic photography Contrary to common knowledge, I usually use long lenses for scenic photography. If I have a wide scene I am more likely to create a panorama than use a wide angle.
– Adjusting skin tones in LR and ACR
– New River Gorge National River, WV Another WV location to consider in the spring.
– Gorgeous time lapse and video of Grand Teton
– The art of posing and interpreting body language
– 96 years old and still learning
– Undeveloped film from the WWII era – Film Rescue This was an interesting story.
– A route to hit 47 National Parks Cool!
– Interview with Jennifer King Jennifer spoke at the club last year.
– Processing a fall landscape Matt K is an excellent instructor

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Monday Missive – August 15, 2016

Posted on August 14, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“Art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color.” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“It happens a lot. The first frame is the winner.” — Gregory Heisler

“I wish my artwork could persuade millions of people to join a global conversation about sustainability.” – Edward Burtynsky

Links

– Three filters you should have in your kit
– Night Photography
– Optimizing photos in LR This video is almost an hour and half, but has a lot of good stuff. It is equally about what to do and how. Tim goes through everything in the LR Develop module, most of which is also available in Camera Raw in PS. Will definitely help some in competitions.
– David DuChemin’s new blog Looks good. He is a thoughtful photographer who communicates well.
– Great travel checklist both for before you and enroll and before you leave
– Do you know about your diopter?
– Black and White Conversions Introduces some adjustments I hadn’t heard of before including equalize and selective color.
– Shooting Shooting Stars
– Choosing a Tripod

Dance to the Music. At the Sowebo Festival 2016

Dance to the Music. At the Sowebo Festival 2016

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Monday Missive — August 8, 2016

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“Cicadas buzzing in stillness…listen! Drilling in the summer sun…” — Basho

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“An expert is someone who has succeeded in making decisions and judgments simpler through knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore.” — Edward de Bono

Links

– Free Adobe Phone Ap for vector images
– Avoiding Boring Mountain Pictures
– Different approach to composition: Visual Rhetoric Interesting stuff although many new concepts and terms presented.
– Is photography story-telling?
– Ultra-wide angle lenses
– Monochrome Therapy
– Your images could be illegally available for sale on Amazon
– Better Autofocus
– A brief but interesting history of photoshop

In-camera spin, using a lens with a foot attached to a tripod, so the spin is even and centered.

In-camera spin, using a lens with a foot attached to a tripod, so the spin is even and centered. f/22, 0.5 sec.

Using spin blur (Filter>Spin Gallery>Spin Blur) and moving the center of the spin off to the lower left.

Using spin blur (Filter>Spin Gallery>Spin Blur) and moving the center of the spin off to the lower left. f/16, 1/6 sec.

Which do you like better and why? Comments are welcome.

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Monday Missive – August 1, 2016

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Rich

Quotes
“It takes more than being right to earn attention and action.” — Seth Godin, July 29, 2016

“What is revealed to me lies beyond any ideas I had for the pictures.” – Sean Kernan

“I think you learn about pictures in yourself … being true to things that you personally respond to and this is the only way you find your original voice, by following your own instinct.” – Edward Burtynsky

Links

– Using a big telephoto lens and extension tubes for macro
– Best lenses for wildlife photography
– Photographing Men
– Dealing with bad weather
– Glacier National Park: Everyman’s Alaska
– Selective Focus Very good macro approach.
– Filming a Beautiful Planet from Space Not the kind of photography any of us are likely to encounter, but interesting nevertheless. Did not know about sensor damage from particles in space.

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Leaves and Lichen, Ft. McClary, Kittery, Maine

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Monday Missive – July 25, 2016

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“Any good photograph is a successful synthesis of technique and art.” – Andreas Feininger

“Never say you’re going back – SHOOT IT NOW!” – Jay Maisel

“Pictures you have taken have an influence on those that you are going to make.” – John Sexton

Links

– National Wildlife Refuges are Great Places for Photography
– National Parks are Good Too!
– Improve Your Compositions
– Better Wildlife Shots
– Abstract Photography
– Stuff to see in South Dakota
– Best and Worst in Photoshop
– Street Photography Ethics and Respect

FernThroughAGunPort_D75_1560

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Monday Missive — July 18, 2016

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“I think good dreaming is what leads to good photographs.” – Wayne Miller

“Photograph the world as it is. Nothing’s more interesting than reality.” – Mary Ellen Mark

“You just do what you love, and then a style happens later on.” – David LaChapelle

Links

– Portrait Tips
– Light Painting
– Fixes for common camera failures
– Photo Critique
– Polarizing Filters
– Disruptions in Photography Interesting perspective.
– Fake Photo Contests
– Going on the road with Andrew and Ellen Slayton
– UK law on street photography and photographers’ rights Also a link to American rights.

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Monday Missive – July 11, 2016

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“If you don’t prioritize yourself, you constantly start falling lower and lower on your list.” — Michelle Obama

“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist.” – Schumann

“…photography is a craft that requires experimentation, risk and growth, and that getting better at photography is a journey that never ends.” – Chris Orwig, Photography Issue 5

Links

– Using the Pen Tool Video The pen tool can be a really exceptional tool for making precise selections.
– Preparing Your Portfolio for Review
– What Art Directors Look For

Floats_D75_1654

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Monday Missive — July 4, 2016

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Rich

Quotes

“Doubt is corrosive.
Someone faced with doubt rarely brings her best self to the table. Doubt undermines confidence, it casts aspersions, it assumes untruths. …
There’s plenty of room for doubt later, isn’t there?” — Seth Godin, June 28, 2016

‘A friend, commenting on a new building, “I’m not sure if I hate it or love it! I want to hate it but I think I love it…”
Without that tension, all you’ve done is what’s been done before.’ — Seth Godin, July 1, 2016

“It’s very easy to do the things that are obviously manipulated, but to do things that are subtle, that might or might not be manipulated, can get much more interesting.” – Olivia Parker

Links

– Great hour video on using NIK HDR Pro Really good video by Tim Grey. Also covers HDR in LR and PS, noise control and general HDR concepts.
– Cameras for a Cause
– Using Sea Stacks to Demonstrate Balance in an Image In my opinion, balance is a much more useful and flexible approach than the rule of thirds, which really is just one way to achieve balance.
– Print is Part of the Story: Amy Toensing a NG People and culture Photographer
– Getting Rid of Unwanted Flare
– Renting Lenses Can Help You Get the Shot and Diversify Your Portfolio
– Avoid Over-Processing
– Fireworks Tips
– 30 Iphone apps That You Should Try
– Include the “Hand of Man” in Your Landscapes

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