Category: Digital Photography

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It’s All About The Light!

As a photographer I certainly value having a set of GREAT DSLR bodies and a wide range of lenses to choose from. However, the question always comes up, "do I have to have a top of the line camera to get a great shot?" Any photographer will tell you NO! It's about having an "eye", a great subject and GREAT LIGHTING! So after seeing a video over at the FStoppers site, I wanted to put this theory to the test. Here's my video shot using the Westscott Spiderlite TD5s and the end results may surprise you! Although I start off the shoot with my Nikon D700 and 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII lens, I finish it with my iPhone 4.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpQePVqpbmI

 

See more about Westcott's lighting products by joining me on the Top Pro Tour.

 

G-Design iPhone 4 Tripod Holder

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Adobe Updates Photoshop Express for iPad, iPhone, Android and features my photos!

Adobe just released an update Photoshop Express (formally called Photoshop.com Mobile) App for all iOS devices! Besides being a great App, I'm stoked to have my photos featured on the Adobe tab 🙂

What's New In Version 1.3

• Initial support for iPad
• New name: Adobe® Photoshop® Express
• Updated UI
• Bug fixes and performance improvements

Features specific to iPad:

• Support for portrait and landscape orientations
• Redesigned Online, Edit, and Upload workflows
• Ability to work on multiple photos in sequence from within a single workflow
• Redesigned Organizer view with simplified album sharing
• Updated icons and visuals that make it easier to navigate and use the Editor
• Ability to upload to Photoshop.com and Facebook simultaneously

one small bug: Although everything seems to be working great on the iPad, I did run into one bug while launching the app in landscape mode with the Adobe tab chosen on the iPad. So if you have a crash just launch it in portrait mode first. If you switch to any other tab, say the Edit tab for example, you should then be able to launch the App in Landscape mode just fine. I've already reported the bug and it appears to be related to other Apps (in my case ePrint) trying to hi-jack the sample images. 

UPDATE: The 1.3.1 update is now available that fixes the iPad landscape launch crash and other bugs.

 

You can get Photoshop Express for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as a FREE download here from the Adobe

This update is also available for Droid owners too!

 

I recorded this video to walk you though some of the features AND I've got a tip for using the iPad Camera Connection Kit:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvnNfJIwSug

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Join Me on the Westcott Top Pro Tour

Westcott just announced their Top Pro Tour! This is your chance to join me and my fellow Westcott Top Pro Photographers as we teach our favorite lighting setup and various digital photography workflows around the country. My tour stop will be in Michigan on October 7th and while that's still a couple of months off, I didn't want you to miss the other cities that may be closer to you. The tour officially kicks off on September 12th and runs through November 17th.

 

This is your chance to see, touch and learn various lighting setups from some of the nation's best photographers.

You can find out more details here.

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Yes You Can Use JPGs in Adobe Camera RAW!

One of the questions I get all the time is "how do I open up a JPG file in Camera RAW?" Unfortunately it's not as straight forward as I'd like it to be. Simply double clicking the JPG will open it up in Photoshop as a JPG. However, if  you want to take advantage of Adobe Camera RAW's ease of use and non-destructive workflow, I'll show you how you can in this episode of the Adobe Creative Suite Video Podcast:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYvbh-Wxz_k

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How Would You Change the Nikon SB-900?

As a Nikon shooter, when people ask me why I use Nikon over the other brands I tell them that I really am not into the religious war between the various camera brands out there. I bought a Nikon D70 (upgrading from an Olympus EN-20) back in the day because at the time the specs met my needs and of course once you start investing in lenses you're pretty much locked in. So honestly I don't really care what you use. I don't! If you're a Canon shooter and you're happy with your gear, more power to you. That's great! Go out and take great pictures because that's what it's all about anyway. Once I get past the story about how I started, I then tell them that now that I am a Nikon shooter there are a couple of things that definitely keep me with Nikon over the other brands (besides the lens investment). One is the integrated GPS support in the Nikon DSLRs.

Although I wish the GPS chips themselves were built-in to ALL CAMERAS, I do appreciate the fact that I can buy the GPS module of my choice and just plug it in. The Nikon DSLRs will automatically record the Geo location information into the metadata of the images (both RAW and JPG) and there's even a menu for it right on the camera.

The other thing that I LOVE is the built-in support for wirelessly controlling the Nikon Speedlights.

If you have a Nikon DSLR that has the Commander mode/feature built-in, then the pop-up flash can be configured to send out a pulse (instead of/or in conjunction with a flash) to not only fire the Nikon Speedlight remotely, but also control the power output directly from the back of the camera. You can even control different groups of Nikon speedlights turning the power up and down as needed. This way you can put the lights on stands or anywhere you want around your subject.  If your Nikon DSLR doesn't have the built-in Commander, you can buy an external one and put it in your hotshoe.  I use both these features all the time and would miss them dearly if I were to switch brands. I started with an SB-600 Speedlight. Then I bought an SB-800 and then an SB-900. I have and use all three when needed. The other night I was having dinner with some fellow Nikon shooters and we got on the subject of the SB-900. We all agreed that in many ways the SB-900 was actually a step backwards from the SB-800. So the question becomes…

 

How would you change the Nikon SB-900?

Yes, I know you would drop the price to $99 🙂 So let's move on to the features. We all agreed that the one new feature that is VERY NICE is the simple selector switch to switch the light from being a Flash to a Remote Flash. So simple and so long overdue. On the previous models you'd have to dig through the menus to make these simple choices. Beyond that it was hard to come up with things we liked better. The SB 900 is bigger than the 800, but yet doesn't put out any more power. It just makes it harder to fit it into your existing cases. Also Nikon still only puts the sensor eye on ONE SIDE of the speedlight. While you can swivel it around, it would GREAT to have this sensor on BOTH sides or make it RF based instead of requiring line of sight. We can assume that Nikon is probably working on the their next Speedlight and here's what I'd want:

  • Either give me a sensor on both sides or make it RF based
  • Make it smaller or give it more power. Pick one!
  • Give me the option of buying an accessory that allows me to plug it into the wall! If I'm using it inside and power is available why should I have to use AA batteries.?
  • Lower the price a bit. It's hard to justify buying more than one of these when you can get strobes for the same price!

 

How would you change the SB 900?

You can get the SB-900 here from B&H for $459.95 (List price $570)

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What a Difference a Flag Can Make

The other day I was in the studio taking some portrait shots and for some reason I was getting lens flare left and right. I thought to myself I've done this lighting setup more times than I can count and I just don't remember ever having this many lens flare problems before. Then it dawned on me that I hadn't setup any flags.

I typically have a second light off to the side behind the subject as a wrap around light or hair light and normally I have a homemade flag (it's just a big piece of black cardboard) separating that second light from me. In other words the light is lighting the subject, but not directly shining back into the lens. Once it hit me what the problem was I just moved the light until the problem went away. I was being lazy and just didn't feel like digging out my flag and setting it up. This is definitely the wrong way to do it. I should have put the light where I wanted it and then flagged it. I think that part of the problem was that my makeshift flag is big and a pain to get to stand up on its own. I realized at that moment it's time to invest in some "real" flags. I have nothing against do-it-yourself-solutions. However, when the solution becomes too much of  a pain that you sacrifice the setup you want as a result,it's time to come up with something better. So I took the advice of my buddies over at D-Town TV and ordered the Matthews 24×36 flags.

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Photographers, Do You Care About Video?

There's lots of buzz out there about DSLR video. The benefits of lens selection and a more film like feel to HD video shot with these cameras can't be denied. However, from what I can see the people that are most interested in this new power are typically people that were already doing video. In other words they are videographers who see this as a way of getting better video. Now don't get me wrong, I know that there are some photographers out there that are certainly excited about the possibilities of adding video to their digital story telling. However, I'm just not seeing a landslide (yet) of "traditional" photographers getting into it. I have some theories on why this is and I think it has more to do with the post processing than anything else. Photographers already know how to capture a good image. It's probably not a stretch to say with practice they could capture a good video too. With that said, is there time for both? If you're shooting  a wedding for example, chances are you're going to concentrate on one of the other. You don't have time to capture both great stills AND great video as the bride is walking down the isle. So this means having someone else that can be on hand to capture the video. Let's call that person the "videographer." 🙂

Moving off that situation for a moment, let's say that it's something that's not as time critical as a wedding where you don't have the ability to do it over. Let's say that you are capturing portraits of the couple before the big day and you also have time to capture some video clips of them interacting with each other. Great! Now you've got both good video and good stills. What next?

 

What do you want or need in a video editing tool?

Here's where I think a large part of the problem lies. Many of the photographers I know, don't like to do image retouching and spend a lot of time on the computer working with photos. They'd rather be out shooting. So now we bring video into the mix and most of the "traditional" video editing tools are just as complex if not more so than Photoshop. Sure there are some easier programs out there like iMovie, Adobe Premiere Elements and the basic editing in Aperture, but in many cases even those apps can be daunting to a person who has never edited video before (and probably doesn't want to). So let's step back for a moment and ask the question, "if someone were to build the perfect video editing tool for a PHOTOGRAPHER, what would it have in it?" I have some ideas, but I want to make sure that I didn't miss anything, so please chime in if I did:

  • Of course it should be as easy to use as possible!
  • It should support the vast majority of video file formats coming out of DSLR cameras today, NATIVELY – No transcoding
  • We need transitions (duh!)
  • We need the ability to incorporate stills
  • We need the OPTION to zoom/pan those stills with human controls ala Ken Burns
  • We need to easily add music
  • We need to be able to EASILY add titles anywhere we want for as long as we want them to be
  • We need the ability to easily output various formats for sharing
  • I'm assuming we need to easily be able to burn a DVD/Blu-ray for people that want it on a disc
  • We need to lose the video vocabulary: I should never see things like CODECs, H.264, 16:9, 4:3, Rendering, etc. in the app. Change the terminology to be simple and plain english. ie. Export for YouTube, Save for HDTV, etc. Remember, these aren't video editors and this App isn't for video editors. They already have lots of Apps.

 

Those are the ideas off the top of my head for what I would see in a dedicated simple video editing App for photographers. Now let's say this App existed and was reasonably priced. As a photographer would you do video? Do you care or do you feel that video work should be done by people that do video? Or tell me why you're just not interested in doing video if I've missed your reasons.

 

This will make the shooting part easier

It's called the Zacuto Z-Finder Jr. It goes over the back of your LCD so that you can really have a much better idea of when something is in focus or not. You can get the Zacuto Z-Finder Jr. here from B&H.

Or go with the PRO model if you really want a great one (thanks Bruce):

The Zacuto Z-Finder Pro goes for $375.25 at B&H here.

 

P.S. My buddy Jason Levine has recorded some videos on DSLR Video Editing. Check them out here.

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So You Think You Can Be A Photoshop Evangelist?

As Adobe's Worldwide Creative Suite Design Evangelist, a lot of people walk up to me at trade shows or send me emails saying "I would love to have your job!" Well here's your chance to show Adobe and the world how great you are:

 

Calling all Photoshop gurus…

we are hosting a contest to find The Next Photoshop Evangelist and it could be YOU! To enter, you’ll need to submit a video showing us your Photoshop skills. The Grand Prize Winner will Win a trip to Photoshop World in Spring 2011 to demonstrate their video tutorial LIVE! 

Now it's up to YOU! Find out the rules and more info on submitting your video here.

Here's a tip: having the coolest technique in the world doesn't mean much if you aren't good at explaining it to others. So while I'm sure that there are people out there that can do amazing work in Photoshop, to be an evangelist also means getting people excited and making them believe that they can do it too!

So let's see if you can impress me, because I am one of the judges 🙂

 

 

Continue reading “So You Think You Can Be A Photoshop Evangelist?”

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Another Successful Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk

Although we got rained out on Saturday, we didn't let that stop us and those that could make it on Sunday (plan B) came out for a great time. This year we walked the Detroit Zoo for a change of scenery. In 2008 and 2009 we did Downtown Detroit and since not a lot has changed in 2 years, I wanted to try a different locale. The Zoo is one of those places that you can go every day and get something different because not only do you have the change in seasons, but you also have the "animal activity" factor. Depending on when you go and the mood of the animals you'll either catch some great shots of them interacting with each other or sleeping 🙂 It will be great to see what everyone submits, here are a few of mine for kicks:

 

 

 

 

 

Continue reading “Another Successful Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk”

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Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk is TOMORROW!

 

Although my walk is completely full with a waiting list, there are still plenty of walks you can sign up for around the world. Just head over to photowalk.com and who knows, you may capture the winning shot tomorrow.

If you're going on a photowalk tomorrow don't forget:

  • your camera (I know, but I had to say it)
  • extra charged batteries
  • extra memory cards
  • water
  • more water
  • umbrella
  • the lens you think you might want, but don't want to carry, but will be mad that you didn't bring
  • a tripod if you really want a super sharp shot, unless you just don't want to carry it (I hear ya).
  • comfortable shoes
  • lens cloth
  • GPS (I'm a geotagging freak, ignore me)
  • take the stuff out of your bag that you know you won't need (it's heavy enough as it is).
  • a good attitude
  • your best smile
  • a backup point and shoot camera just in case your pride and joy has technical difficulties

 

Have fun!

 

P.S. Things come up! 

If you can't make it, that's fine. We understand. No hard feelings. If you can't make it though there is someone else dying to have your spot. So please login to the site and click the Leave this Walk link above the map to free up your slot for the next person on the waiting list! It's the right thing to do!