Digital Dilemmas

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The Work of Chema Madoz at haha.nu
2007-07-05 17:57:00
haha.nu which bills itself as a lifestyle blogzine has a wonderful page of images by Photographer / Artist Chem a Madoz. There are around sixty incredibly beautiful black and white images to view on the page, mostly quirky and thought provoking images of mundane objects. It is an amazing example of what a great mind can do with the average 'found' object. The artists book "Chema Madoz", 80 page hardcover from Publisher Assouline '1999' is available at Amazon.com. I noticed that there are several used available at very reasonable cost.Check it out
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My New Software Has Arrived!
2007-07-04 17:24:00
I finally got around to picking up the mail at my old address. The new software from Alien Skin had been waiting patiently for me on the porch. Thank goodness no one else found it before I did. I have not had time to install the new Plug-Ins, but have gone over the documentation ( Pamphlet ) included with each disk. The good folks at Alien Skin were smart enough to include some of the clearest and best written install and usage instructions I've seen in quite a while. Each Plug-In is Mac and PC compatible and runs on Adobe Photoshop CS or later.The Plug-Ins I will be testing are : Blow-up ( for upressing ), Exposure ( The final version. I have been using the Beta for more than a year ) and Snap Art. Check back with me in a day or so and I will post my impressions of each, along with a sample of some final art.Time to cook some hot dogs on the grill and enjoy the day. Happy 4Th of July to All!
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Editing......Part 5
2007-07-02 18:33:00
Continued from the 'Editing The Raw Files...Part 4' post on June 19Th :12) Don't get too carried away with color corrections at this point. There will be plenty of opportunities to tweak the final image in Photoshop. The goal is to get all your Raw Files taken in the same setup to have a consistent density and color balance. This is also the best time to apply the basic level of sharpening to the images.NOTE: Most digital cameras will de-focus ( blur) the Raw Output slightly to combat Moire Patterns which plague images captured digitally. It is recommended and expected that there will be a basic level of re-sharpening applied in the Raw Processing Software. The old debate about sharpening or not sharpening the Raw file before conversion has been settled. The majority of professional camera manufacturers explicitly recommend a minimal re-sharpening on the Raw File before conversion. Canon digital cameras will definitely produce a softer Raw Image than the same file produced by a N...

More Canon Secrets?
2007-07-02 05:28:00
For those of you who e-mailed me about the technical drawing featured in the June 28Th Post "Technology You Haven't Seen!" ; there is still no definitive answers from Dr. P at Space Command Headquarters. The executives at Canon USA won't acknowledge any proprietary research on Special Focus Invisibility, which is rumored to be the technology behind the New Canon EOS 1D Mark III. Any of my readers capable of interpreting the data featured in last weeks post will have there photograph posted and excerpts from their research included in a special article on this site!Good Luck to all!
More About: Secrets , Anon

How Many Photographers Does It Take?
2007-06-30 15:01:00
Every Photographer should know this one. I believe the joke goes something like this; "So... how many Photographers does it take to screw in a light bulb?" I know you are all holding your breath waiting for the answer. OK, isn't it obvious .......... the answer is..... one, that's right, just one........ and 40 other Photographers to stand behind that guy and say...... "I coulda done that!". Well, that joke has been around for quite a while and I'm sure that it wasn't created just for Photographers. I am certain that it applies to painters, sculptors, designers, software engineers and just about anyone who sees themselves as an artist of some kind. It's a common feeling to look at someone else's work ( art, design, photographs etc...) and imagine how you might have done it better. The envy you feel when confronted with another artist's exceptional talent and creativity is a powerful motivator; time to step up your game and show the world what you are capable of ! Ther...
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Technology You Haven't Seen!
2007-06-28 16:48:00
Could this be the cause of the focus problems with Canon Camera's new EOS 1D Mark III? You be the judge! I know what this is............do you?What do you think...
More About: Technology , Ology , Haven

Strobist Takes Leave...
2007-06-28 14:35:00
David, over at the Strobist Weblog is taking a 1 year leave of absence from his full time gig as a Staff Photographer for the Baltimore Sun. He will be devoting more resources to his very popular Weblog, with the added benefit of having more time to spend with his family. Plans for a lighting course on DVD and more travel projects and seminars are in the works.you can read more about it on his site
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After Capture Magazine Subscription Offer!
2007-06-27 04:59:00
I had an opportunity to check out a copy of the new AFTERCAPTURE magazine today. I read it cover to cover while I was waiting for a client to arrive at the studio. The publishers are offering some sort of free subscription, available for a limited time. I was extremely impressed by the printing, visuals and content. I would have to say that it might well be the most useful magazine ever published for Digital Photographers. No kidding!Check them out on their WEBZINE to get a feel for the content.
More About: Magazine , Capture , Subs , Offer

Software Review...
2007-06-27 03:18:00
The good folks at Alien Skin Software are shipping me two of their most popular Photoshop Plug- ins, 'Snap art' and 'BLOWUP'. I will be playing with both of them this weekend and hope to have a review of each plug- in posted early next week. The 'Snap art' plug- in gives your images the look of natural art media, such as oil paint or pen and ink and 'BLOWUP' is Alien Skin's answer to Genuine Fractals for image upressing. I have read good things about both and I'm looking forward to putting them through a few of my very unscientific and subjective tests. Don't expect a 10 page White Paper with charts and mathematical analysis. If your looking for that much detail you've come to the wrong place!coming soon...
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Alien Skin's 'Exposure' Plug-In
2007-06-25 14:19:00
In the Sunday June 3rd post I promised you I would write more about Alien Skin Software's 'Exposure ' Plug -in for Adobe Photoshop. So here it is...The folks at Alien Skin Software are local. So they actually came over and spent an afternoon with me in front of my computer listening to me gripe about Adobe Photoshop. In the middle of a book project, I was on month 6 of the editing, processing and manipulation of images to submit to my editor. Anything that would speed up or improve upon the process would be greatly appreciated. Their contribution to ending my misery was the new Adobe Photoshop Plug-in 'Exposure', designed to give your digital images a more traditional film-Like look complete with added grain and luminosity. After the initial testing, Jeff Butterworth; Owner, Founder and Head Braniac at Alien Skin, sent me newly updated versions of the software almost every day. Those nutty guys at AS implemented every change into the software that I asked for and usually within...
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EOS-1D Mark III ...Stud or Dud! ....Update
2007-06-25 13:35:00
Rob Galbraith has added an update to the article on the Canon EOS 1D Mark III and its autofocus performance problems. The update to the June 19th post deals with more of the readers questions. The article lists several methods for contacting Canon Technical Support and your local Canon Rep.Link Below:An analysis of EOS-1D Mark I II ... Update for June 21

My Camera's Better Than Yours !
2007-06-24 18:50:00
Now that I have today's first post out of the way and several cups of fine java circulating thru my veins, I can get to the important task of 'Learnin you folks up about this thar Digitle Kamra Witchery. Cause you know I has sertified degree in Think-Ology from the fedral Govm't.' With credentials like that, who can doubt me!Canon VS Nikon VS whatever you shoot with:Spend time on any Camera Forum and you will find the die-hards defending their particular imaging instrument against the slings and arrows of others who shoot with another brand or format. Photographers get emotionally involved with their camera choice and to hell with all the unbelievers. If you can't shoot with a _______ then you shouldn't be shooting at all. So , here I am to add to the fray and upset a few more people.I used to shoot with Nikon.....exclusively, FE, FM, F3, F4 and F5. The last one ( F5 ) I could never afford to own, but I shot with one on more than one occasion........SweeeeeeT! So I don't ...
More About: Sigma , Bett

Unicorn Burger Rocks!
2007-06-24 15:13:00
Special thanks to Kristen Stewart over at Unico rn Burger who has graciously allowed me to use one of her T-Shirt illustrations for my Coffee Posts. You know I love the visuals and she has got some great images over at her website www.unicornburger.com and her page at deviantArt. Buy lots of stuff and send me some to! Remember, I wear an XL in a cotton Tee!Maybe I can sweet-talk Kristen into drawing a new version with a Digital Camera in Coffee Man's hand? Did I mention how fantastically gorgeous Kristen is? You can check her out on her website too!
More About: Rocks , Urge

Packing Lite With The Strobist!
2007-06-22 05:42:00
Approaching my early 40's has brought about a major change in the way I pack for assignments. I no longer feel the need to pack every light, every stand and light modifier I own. In fact I have learned to do more with less and improve upon the quality of the work at the same time. Send me out the door with a camera, a light bulb and one match and I will come back with good pics! With experience comes the confidence to 'make do' and utilize your surroundings and minimal gear to accomplish any assignment. Not every job will produce images worthy of 'Communication Arts', but that is also the case with most ( average ) assignments, even when you pack the entire studio! Knowing my desire to slim down the gear and give my aching back a rest from equipment overload, a friend of mine turned me onto the STROBIST weblog . It has become an invaluable resource for ideas on packing lite and working smarter, not harder! The link below will take you to his homepage and a wonderful article ab...
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EOS-1D Mark III... Stud or Dud!
2007-06-20 13:50:00
Canon Camera has produced some of the best Pro DSLR's ever! I wouldn't want to do my job without one. So why is auto focus on these cameras appear to be getting less reliable? You can follow the link below to an in depth article by Rob Galbraith to read more on the problems with the EOS 1D mark III and autofocus reliability.An analysis of EOS-1D Mark III autofocus performance
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Editing The Raw Files...Part 4
2007-06-20 04:08:00
Continuing from the 'Editing The Raw Files ' Part 3 post on Sunday June 17th :11) Once you have completed your 1st edit of the images ( still in Raw Format ) and tagged the keepers, it's time to save the tagged files to your next Desktop Folder. Example: ABCorp_RawEdits. You are now ready to open the images in your Processing Software and see them as they really are, before any adjustments in color or exposure. Once you get familiar with your Raw Processing Software you won't have to keep referring to the Histogram display to judge proper exposure. It goes without saying that to judge color and exposure, you will have to have a high end color monitor that is color corrected with the proper software and screen sensor. I recommend using a LCD monitor for the best color accuracy, with the added benefit of Color Profiles that stay accurate far longer than CRT monitor technology.Most Raw Conversion Software will allow you to click balance (color correct) your images by isolating an ...

Portrait Retouch Challenge...
2007-06-19 14:47:00
One of the Posters ( Mr. Eamon Hickey ) over at dpreview has posted a simple portrait shot of his girlfriend ( Simple head and shoulders ) and asked readers to try out their retouching skills on the image. Looks like a lot of fun! I may have to give it a whirl. Anyone interested can download the tiff Portrait image and work their mojo, then upload to the dpreview site and let others comment! I'm not sure how long the challenge will last, so you better check it out soon. Join the site ( free ) if you want to participate. You can follow the dpreview link above to the download page.UPDATE: Our first submission by Dr. Pimento
More About: Challenge , Ouch , Allen , TRAI

New KODAK Image Sensor...
2007-06-18 14:01:00
KODAK has designed a new image sensor technology that will help digital cameras see light in a similar fashion to the human eye. They have included a clear ( Panchromatic ) pixel to the sensor array with added sensitivity to low light levels. Software Algorithms process the extra data, effectively giving the sensor 2X - 4X times more sensitivity to light. You can follow the link above to the Kodak Website to read more.
More About: Light , Image , Pixel , Sens

Can't Get Enough Of Those Beans!
2007-06-18 06:42:00
Coffee quote of the day:"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."America's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln No such problem with the brew I'm drinkin. It's mighty tasty and good to the last drop! My part- time, unpaid editor sent me home with some ' Bean Martin' Whole Bean Java from 'Larry 's Beans ' in Downtown Raleigh. It's a smooth, bold blend of Javalicious Goodness! Just what I needed to get my posts rolling.
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Editing The Raw Files...Part 3
2007-06-18 04:49:00
Continuing from the 'Editing The Raw Files ' Part 2 post on Sunday June 3rd :10) Having backed up and organized your newly downloaded Raw Files, you are now ready for the fun part (sort of) of the editing process. Before you can start, you must have an editing software suitable for displaying 'Raw Format' images that is color accurate and renders the images quickly enough to get the job done in a short time. Adobe's 'Bridge Software' or 'Raw Converter' is a poor substitute for a real editing program. The images will certainly be color correct ( if the auto settings aren't engaged! ) but rendering each image quickly and at 'Full Screen' isn't what the program was designed for. While you are struggling to disengage auto this , that and the other, I am halfway through the editing process. In short. All that is needed in an good editing software is a fast rendering, somewhat color accurate display of the files, tagging options and filmstrip scroll through. Camera Bit's 'Ph...
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PinoBlogero.Com... A Great Site!
2007-06-17 14:55:00
I am a Photographer, not a Writer . So I must rely on others for the occasional push in the right direction with the design and utility of my Blog. Being a visual person, my priorities when designing this site are more focused on Color, Bling and Visuals. I have to edit , re-edit my writing to present my ideas in a relevant manner and not forget to run Spellcheck on every post. Somehow after 42 years I have forgotten how to spell and punctuate the simplest words. Writing daily has made this abundantly clear. I hope I am doing better this week than last! So, in my quest to do things the right way, I seek out others who have mastered their medium and try and learn from their example. This week I stumbled upon Karlo Lucidines Blog ' Pinoy Blogero.com' which is a wonderful How to for Blogging and Writing. He is also a Master Illustrator / Artist with a wonderful color rich style. His offer on his website to design customized feed Labels ( Illus. buttons for links ) is not one to pass u...
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Saying No to Pro Bono...
2007-06-15 15:31:00
At some point in your career as a Professional Photographer, you will be asked by some Art Director, PR Firm, Charity etc... to shoot Pro- Bono ( Freebie ) for their latest sad-sack cause. "Run for Glaucoma", "Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation", "Feed the Seals!", "Citizens for Carbon Offsets" or some such do-gooder cause. Let me help you with the proper response to such commonly occurring enquiries from the well meaning advertising braniacs who call you to get your free help on their latest project.Response 1) NoResponse 2) Have I got the guy for you! ( Give them another Photographer's name, preferably a close friend. This way he can call you up and curse you later.)Response 3) Are you ( Art Director, Charity Pimp ) being paid for your services? How about the Printing Company responsible for the Ad, Poster et cetera, are they being paid for their time?Response 4) Not this week, I'm still a little shaken up by Al Gore's Movie "An Inconvenient Truth" !The last one will sc...

Editing The Raw Files...Part 2
2007-06-04 04:35:00
Continuing from the 'Editing The Raw Files ' post on Monday, May 28th :9) With the DCIM folders safely backed up on multiple drives or disks ( DVD, CD etc...), its time to create the 'Editing Folders' that will be the back-bone of our 'Workflow'. To keep things organized, their must be a designated place for each edited or processed file that can be quickly accessed from your editing software and in the final stage from Adobe Photoshop. I find it easiest to create 1- 4 folders on my Computer's Desktop to hold the edited selects, before and after the software ( Conversion to Tiff ) processing. Each folder can be given a name that clearly explains what is inside. Example: ABCorp_RawEdits, ABCorp_Tif, ABCorp_WIP ( Work in progress ) and ABCorp _Final. The final folder is obviously the 8 or 16 bit PSD's or Tiff files after all color correction and manipulation. If you do anything freaky to them after that, create a new folder off the desktop for them and label it appropri...
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APS-C Snobbery!
2007-06-03 16:15:00
Some of you may be wondering why my focus seems to be exclusively on APS-C and Full frame Digital SLRs versus the medium format Hasselblads, Mamiyas and Large Format Digital Options that are currently available. The reasoning behind this is simple and partly selfish on my part. I believe that almost all my advice will easily translate to shooters who use large format capture devices or medium format digital cameras. Also, if your shooting with a Hasselblad H1, you probably have enough jack to pay someone to bring you up to speed on the whole digital thing! For the rest of us with meager budgets, the quality, clarity and file size offered by the new Canons and Nikon DSLRs is far beyond that which is needed to produce our work! Most of my images are reproduced at their largest as full page 'Magazine Covers' or the occasional 'Double Truck'. When a larger file size is required, upressing with 'Adobe Photoshop CS2' or 'Genuine Fractals' is an easy answer. 'Alien Skin Softwar...
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Editing The Raw Files
2007-05-28 17:06:00
Continuing from the 'Plan Ahead...Part Four' post on Sunday, May 27th:8) Now that you have the DCIM folders copied to your Desktop, its time to back up all the folders to another Hard-Drive. This will guarantee that you won't get in a rush and delete any important images or lose the job due to a Hard-Drive failure. The likelihood that both of your computer's Hard Drives would fail at the same time is very slim, but it is certainly within the realm of possibility. Also remember, because you copied the files over, you still have the entire job ( back-up # 3 ) safely stored on your Card Media! This will make it nearly impossible to screw up and delete important files. And with digital, you don't always know what files will be needed until after you do your first edit and process the selects. Better to be safe than sorry!To be continued...
More About: Editing , Files

Plan Ahead...Part 4
2007-05-27 17:00:00
Continuing from the 'Plan Ahead ...Part 3' post on Thursday, May 24Th:7) After your very successful assignment is finished and in the bag so to speak, it's time to get those stunning images backed up and on your Hard-Drive. If you use a Portable Digital Storage Device to back up CF/SD cards on location, the images should now be on at least one, if not both media. I like to copy the complete folder, labeled DCIM in Canon Cameras, with all images directly from the original source ( The Card ) to my main Hard-Drive. I use my computer's built in card reader ( which is slow as hell! ) to copy the images from my CF cards to the Desktop (Pc).This gives me time to make more coffee. If you are not a Coffee Drinker, a High Speed USB 2.0 Card Reader will do the job much faster. My Workflow is pretty straightforward, so I know I'm not going to be at the computer too long. Whatever transfer device you end up using, do not copy the images directly from your camera! Remove the media (C...

A Little Guilty Humor...
2007-05-27 05:42:00
So here it is............ as best as I can remember, or at least as it was told to me by one of my Photographer buddies, a Little Story about a Pain- in- the- Ass- Art Director who got a little too involved in the shoot!So this Art Director/Buyer, a notorious, low budget, line- item- please, Estimate Slayer comes to a friends studio to oversee a tabletop setup for a company Ad. She wants every angle under the sun shot of this set, just in case! The large format Polaroids are flying and the camera stand is going higher and higher to get yet another angle.......... "Could we shoot one here too? " "How about here?" "No....... that's not it........much higher! ". So, at some point, this not-too-petite gal decides that she's going to take matters into her own hands and position the camera herself. She climbs the 12 ft ladder to get a better look at the set from camera position and gets the bright idea to lean out and try to see the image on the Ground Glass. A millisecond later she was...
More About: Humor , Guilt , Humo , Guilty

My Editor Says.....
2007-05-26 19:09:00
My part time-unpaid editor says that I can't punctuate a sentence for Sh_T! He might be right. I guess it's a good thing I don't make a living as a proofreader.more bad punctuation to come...
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Coffee, Coffee, More Coffee...
2007-05-25 16:04:00
My Java Addiction started 2 years ago. I sat for endless hours preparing images, hundreds of images, for an upcoming book project. The only thing that could motivate me to manually remove Chromatic Aberration from every image (350 total) was a double sized , double strength 'Cup of Joe' ! Not ordinary off the shelf grind, but whole bean fancy- boy imported fare! Only the best and strongest brew would draw me back to the computer to complete the job. With the help of the Devil's Bean, I developed a nifty technique for removing the Red, Green and Purple fringe that plagues Digital images shot with wide angle lenses. It ain't quick, but it's effective and doesn't harm the rest of the image like a lot of the Chromatic A. removal tools that come with some imaging software. I will be posting more on this in the 'Plan Ahead' series at a future date. Right now I need to go grind some beans...
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Plan Ahead....Part 3
2007-05-25 05:17:00
Continuing from the 'Plan Ahead ...Part 2 ' post on Thursday, May 17:6) Now that you slackers have the right juice to run your 'Photo Creation Optical Illusion Facilitators', ( Cameras for the humor impaired ! ) you can move onto the nitty gritty of on the job workflow etiquette. I think it's time to ditch the fancy nylon CF/SD card wallets with the nifty see thru mesh and start separating unused formatted cards from the very important card that contains the job that you are currently shooting! You know what I mean. Stop the flip the card -one-way-or-the-other game! Shot.......not shot...........uhhhh......shot? You know you're just gonna load it in the camera to check anyway! Better to place the full cards in a completely separate area of your camera bag. That way you don't have to guess or confuse the hell out of your assistant as he races to get you a clean card for that 'once in a lifetime' photo of the 'Executive at his desk'. As we discussed before, those cards will...
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