I had the great good fortune of being able to attend three workshops recently that came to my area. In many cases I'm working in some capacity during these workshops either showing Adobe products or answering questions as an Adobe rep. However, lately I've been attending more workshops when I have the time and opportunity even if the workshop is not something that I'm directly interested in. The reason I've become more open minded about attending these workshops is because I haven't attended a workshop yet that I didn't learn something that was extremely valuable or something that improved my workflow.
David Ziser's Digital Wakeup Seminar
David Ziser came to Southfield Michigan one evening with his Digital Wakeup Seminar. Now I've known David for a few years and I've always been extremely impressed with his work. David is a Wedding Photographer and probably one of the best in the world. I have no interest in wedding photography! Have I ever shot a wedding before? Yes, that's how I know I don't want to be a wedding photographer! So why attend David's seminar? Although I have zero interest in shooting weddings, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to know how. The other reason is that I do shoot portrait and fashion photography and many of the wedding portrait techniques that David teaches will directly help me in my photography. I learned several tips that I will be putting to use immediately. If you happen to be in a city or near a city that David is coming to, you should absolutely make the effort to attend!
Scott Kelby's Lightroom 2 Seminar
I know what you're thinking? "Don't you work for Adobe?" Yes, I do! As a matter of fact I not only work for Adobe, but I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom EVERY DAY! So why attend Scott's Lightroom seminar? Like any software, you learn to do things that you need to do. With practice you develop a workflow that works for you. However, with any app I've always said that no matter how well I know it or how often I use it, I usually ALWAYS learn at least one thing that I didn't know when I watch someone else present it. Scott uses things in Lightroom that I don't use regularly. So not only was it a refresher for me to see things that I don't use every day, but I picked up a couple of workflow tips to add to my own workflow. Scott is a very entertaining presenter, so in addition to the tips I also picked up a few new jokes that I will absolutely steal and use in my own presentations. 
Digital Landscape Workshop Series
Although I primarily do portrait and fashion photography, I also have an interest in beautiful landscape photography. This is the type of photography that I probably know the least about. So If I have the chance to spend some time learning from legendary photographers like Moose Peterson and Joe McNally, I'm going to jump at the chance. The Digital Landscape Workshop Series (DLWS) came to Traverse City Michigan this week. Although I have to work this week, I figured I could at least do the sunrise (before work) and sunset (after work) shoots with these guys. When I arrived Sunday afternoon Laurie Excell was giving an excellent presentation on the best camera settings with plenty of examples. I didn't really capture anything the first morning that got me excited (not the fault of the workshop by any means), but I did learn quite a few things that will help me going forward. I can tell that the problem was me, not the location because Moose is is showing his shots from this morning as I write this and with each shot it makes me feel like we were in two different location. This guy really has an eye! We'll see how the rest of the workshop pans out for shooting.
The Bottom Line
No matter what you may be into, chances are there is a "class/workshop for that." I've reached a point in my photography that I'm looking to take it to the next level. Sure I could just keep practicing and going by trial and error, but I choose to leap forward by spending time shooting with and learning from the people who's photography that I admire the most. I encourage you to get out there and learn everything you can about everything you can!
October 19th, 2009
3:57
Blu-ray! It’s now or never…
Well another holiday shopping season is upon us and once again people will be upgrading their home entertainment setups. The question is will they be getting Blu-ray players this year or not? Before I go on, let me just say that I like Blu-ray as a format and I was rooting for it to win the format war. However, little progress has been made since that war ended.
When we went to DVD…
When we made the transition to DVD from VHS there were several advantages. You go an improved picture that was noticeable. You got a smaller more convenient format that could be put into a laptop and other small devices. You no longer had to rewind and the picture quality didn’t suffer degradation over time. Once the players dropped below $100 (the magic number for most consumers), buying a DVD player was a no brainer.
October 16th, 2009
3:34
iPhone App of the Week – Understanding Photoshop-Quick Fixes
This week’s iPhone App of the Week is actually from my buddy Richard Harrington. I’ve known Rich for years and he’s an excellent instructor.
His Understanding Photoshop – Quick Fixes app aims to be a series of video tutorials on how to do common tasks in Photoshop right in your pocket. We’ve all been there when you want to do something and you’ve got the app open on your computer and you just can’t remember how to do it or you want to know the best technique to do something.
October 15th, 2009
3:31
Sony DR-BT101 Bluetooth Headphones – Video Review
Earlier this year when Apple announced that the iPhone 3.0 and iPod touch 3.0 OS updates would now finally support stereo bluetooth headphones I began the search for the best ones. Unfortunately there was no one claiming to have found the best ones. All of the reviews I’ve found for the various models varied widely in opinions. I guess when it comes to audio everyone’s tastes and tolerances are quite different. So I decided to bite the bullet and start my own research project for the best ones. I’m starting with the Sony DR-BT101 Bluetooth Headphones. The only reason I’m starting with these is because they were very reasonably priced compared to the others I saw. Enough with the words, see my video review here:
October 14th, 2009
3:42
Elinchrom Ranger Quadra S Pro Kit Review
When it comes to studio strobes I’ve pretty much standardized on Elinchrom gear. I like their lights, softboxes and Skyport Wireless System for controlling it all from the camera or your laptop. Of course the only problem with my 600RX Strobes is that they aren’t really meant to be used outside or in situations where you don’t have access to power. Sure I could get a big battery pack like this one that my buddy Scott Kelby likes, but I actually wanted to go in the other direction. I wanted to have a more portable lightweight setup. Don’t get me wrong, I use my speedlights too such as my SB800′s and SB900 (especially when I’m traveling by plane), but sometimes I want more.
The Elincrhom Ranger Quadra
I’ve been anxiously awaiting the Ranger Quadra kit. The Ranger series is Elinchrom’s battery operated lighting system. While the Ranger has always been cool, the Quadra kit raises the bar in portability! I was stunned by just how small this kit is. I bought the two head Pro S kit. They make two versions, the S and the A. The A is for, er um "speed" (don’t ask). Yep, the A kit is the faster of the two and would be better for fast moving stuff. Since I don’t shoot sports or fast moving objects, I went with the S Pro kit.
October 13th, 2009
3:24
Able Planet Noise Canceling Headphones – Video Review
It’s hard to be a frequent flyer and not own a pair of Noise Canceling headphones. Love them or hate them, the Bose Quiet Comfort 2′s seems to be the choice of most frequent travelers. So needless to say I was a little skeptical when the Able Planet Noise Canceling Headphones came across my desk for only $99. See what I liked about them and what I didn’t like about them in my video review:
October 12th, 2009
3:50
Nike+iPhone – (Nike+) Shoes = Flexibility
I’ve been a fan of the Nike+iPod kit since day one. Although I don’t consider myself to be a runner. I am a walker and therefore like to keep track of my walking goals and progress. When the Nike+iPod kit first came out it was a two piece kit sold by Apple and Nike. What you got in the box was a sensor that went into a special compartment in the sole of your Nike+ shoes and a receiver that attached to the dock connector on the iPod nano.
With this combination you got music while you ran or walked, voice prompts let you know your stats and distance to go and stats that would automatically get uploaded to your Nike+ account on the web each time you’d sync your iPod. It’s GREAT!
I’m an iPhone user though
When the iPhone came out two years ago I wasn’t really interested in carrying both an iPod and my iPhone. After all the iPhone has an iPod built-in. So I kinda got away from using my Nike+ kit. Sure I was still walking, but I just wasn’t keeping track anymore. Well when I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS, I was very happy to see that like the iPod touch (2nd gen), Apple had built-in support for the Nike+iPod integration. Now I could carry just the one device and I would no longer need the receiver attached to the dock connector. Cool! I still have my original Nike+ shoes and I started using them again. This is when I realized that I’m not always going to want to wear these shoes everywhere I go. I have nothing against Nike shoes (you should see my closet), but I just didn’t want to be limited to the one pair of shoes every time I wanted to walk and track my progress.
October 10th, 2009
10:45
Weekend Update
I thought I would share some late breaking updates with you that came out on Friday:
Adobe Releases the Photoshop.com Mobile App
This app makes it easy for you to do basic editing of your photos including standard cropping, apply effects (including the Sketch effect I used below) and upload to your galleries on Photoshop.com or send your photos via email. It also allows you to see all of your photos on your Photoshop.com account including the ability to run slideshows. When you’re editing the Exposure, Saturation or Tint, just drag your finger left or right across your photo to make the adjustment! Cool!
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Get the Photoshop.com App here from the App Store. It’s FREE 
Tweetie 2
Tweetie 2 is a complete rewrite of the popular Tweetie app and Tweetie was my app of choice for doing Twitter. So of course I was interested in upgrading to Tweetie 2. There’s a lot to like here with lots of new options including access to ALL of Twitter’s features and great multiple account support.
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Get Tweetie 2 here from the App Store for $2.99
Expect more complete reviews of these apps in the not to distant future via my iPhone App of the Week feature each Friday.
October 9th, 2009
3:38
iPhone App of the Week – Camera Genius
CameraGenius aims to give you more options for using your iPhone’s built-in camera. When you think about it the iPhone’s camera is OK, but limited in features. If you bought a stand alone point and shoot camera you would be able to do things like Zoom, set a timer, use image stabilization, etc.
More features for your iPhone camera
Camera Genius adds some pretty useful features to the iPhone’s built-in camera. The first one that caught my eye was Zoom. This digital zoom feature allows you to Zoom in on the shot you’re taking with an interactive on screen slider.
October 8th, 2009
3:23
NewerTech 3 in 1 Audio/Sync/Charging Cable + PowerJolt
A couple of weeks back I did a 3 part series on Travel Tips including some of my favorite gear to travel with. Of course I’m always on the look out for ways to travel with less and travel smarter. One of the tips involved traveling with both a car charger for your phone and an audio cable to take advantage of your rental car’s Audio In port. Now instead of carrying two different cables I’ve been able to consolidate down to one.
I will cover the technology, gadgets, events and cool toys that have affected me in some way. I will also give recommendations on the products that I have actually used.
October 20th, 2009
3:57