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Archive for April, 2010

31 March, 2010 – Arca Cube, Take 2

30 Apr

If you’re a serious landscape photographer better lock up your Visa card before reading our latest review. It is titled Arca Cube – Take 2.

In my experience everyone that reads about the Cube says "Oh, ya, nice, but too expensive". Then when they see and handle one they say, "Why didn’t you tell me about this before? Damn; I have to have one."

You’ve been warned.

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If you’ve been looking for a 56MP medium format back that will fit almost any camera system, and which has the ability to rotate the sensor internally, have a look at the just-announced Leaf Aptus II 10-R.

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The winner of this week’s Lightroom 3 contest draw is Larry Rezka, Ontario, Canada. Congratulations Larry.

Maybe next week it’ll be you.

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"Video Journal 19, one of the best. Interesting and relevant topics, knowledgeable engaging guests, and a host that gently guides the conversation through terrain I want to explore. And more, it’s beautifully shot in a clean, no tricks style that keeps the conversation in focus. Well done all! This one is worth twice the price".

– paul b. kramarchyk

 


The Luminous Landscape – What’s New

 
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Posted in News

 

Speedlight Photography: Dramatic Beauty Lighting

30 Apr

SmokingStrobes.com Here’s a way to achieve a beauty light with some drama in speedlight photography. You place a shoot through umbrella right above your model. It works wonders – even in small and narrow sets like a group of three models in a regular hotel room. Speedlight photography is ideal for on location gigs like these. This Beauty Lighting tutorial illustrates this fact. Check it out and have fun with your own speedlight photography.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

 

9 Steps to Start (or Jumpstart) Your Photography Business

30 Apr

If you’re an advanced enthusiast serious about making it as a pro, here are nine practical steps you can take to start the transition. These steps will help you break inertia, make your first sales, and establish a solid foundation on which to build.

1. Find your niche and start shooting in it.

Most enthusiasts shoot what they want, where there at, without any overarching logic. They produce a haphazard collection of different images. Then they try to sell the resulting images. Shoot first and then find a market. Pros do just the opposite: they know their market, and then shoot for it. They specialize, get to know buyers in their niches, and shoot deliberately and strategically to deepen their portfolio in their chosen areas. Starting tomorrow, spend some time figuring out where you want to specialize, and from now on spend your precious shooting time in those areas. Unless you live in Kansas and are determined to have your niche be Central American travel photography, it’s not that hard to build a solid portfolio. Just give yourself a highly targeted list of assignments. Do some at-home product shoots, or portrait or engagement sessions with family or friends. Assign yourself to cover at least 10 mammal species at the local zoo, or spend some time at some local wild areas. Take it seriously – learn about the animals or natural areas you’re covering. As long as your niche is something close to home, you can build a portfolio relatively quickly.

2. Develop your website.

In the digital age, you must have a website and it must be a good one. A website is your online portfolio and your most effective marketing tool. A well-designed site gives you credibility and provide a point of interaction with clients and buyers. Like a storefront, it is a place to which you can direct people, and a way for others to stumble into you while searching the web. Indeed, many people today find photographers today by doing Google searches. If you don’t have a website, you won’t even be found or considered. Beyond that, web sites provide a platform for selling prints and stock photos directly, and for offering blogs, reviews, and other important content that adds value for your potential clients. Over the next week, either develop your site yourself, or find someone to develop it for you. Read my best photography website template series for reviews of photography website templates you can use to create great sites fast.

3. Develop a list of buyers in your target market.

Once you know your niche and start developing your site, you need to begin defining your target market. Who are you shooting for? If you are selling to magazines or publishers, go to the book store and buy copies of your target magazines, and find the names of publishers in your field. Register at Photosource International, and pay for a list of buyer contacts in your niche. Go through Photographer’s Market, and list those buyers in your field. If you want to do commercial assignments, make a list of local companies in the industries in which you specialize. If you are going to do weddings, figure out what the best mediums are in your region for advertising to engaged couples. Over the next two weeks, consolidate your list of potential clients, with contact information, in one place.

4. Send out three submissions.

From your list of potential clients, choose the top three—those that are the most attractive to you but also the most likely buyers. Focus on those that offer the best fit with your work in terms of content, style, and quality. Send high quality submissions to these three buyers (I’ll post on how to do a high quality submission shortly). If you do this right, there’s a good chance you will make your first sale. If not, you will have taken the first step to building a relationship with what will be an important client for you in the future.

5. Sign up for photo buyer requests.

In addition to initiating contact with your target buyers, you should also sign up to receive image requests from photo buyers. First, when you contact Photosource International to obtain contact information for buyers in your niche, you should sign up to receive their weekly and daily buyer requests. You will need to apply and be approved to receive the daily list, with more competitive and higher paying clients. You should also go to Photographer’s Direct, and apply to receive their photo buyer requests. As with the daily list at Photosource International, you will need to submit an online link to your portfolio to be accepted.

6. Join a Stock Agency.

You know your niche and your market, have a growing portfolio, and have started marketing directly to buyers. Now it’s time to reach out and put your images on file with a stock agency. If you are really new, or don’t have a deep and coherent portfolio of images, then you can go right now to Alamy, and start the process of signing up with them. As long as your images meet minimum standards of size and quality, Alamy will provide you with a marketplace. You will learn how the stock universe works, and when your portfolio is deeper, you can take the next step. If you already have a strong image library, you may be ready to go immediately to a more specialized and competitive agency. Choose a smaller agency that closely matches your photography in content, style, and quality. I cannot overemphasize that last point – you’ll make your life much easier, get accepted, and make sales by choosing a smaller specialized agency that sells the kind of images you make. Do some online research, peruse the Photographer’s Market, and make a list of five agencies that are attractive and match your style. Find their submission guidelines, and follow them closely. For more ideas, see How to Choose a Stock Agency.

7. Start advertising for assignments.

You’ve started marketing directly to buyers, and started the process of putting your images with a stock agency. The next step is to start looking for paid assignments. If you are just starting, then start with family and friends. Let them know what you are doing, and that you are available to start shooting wedding or other important events. (Note: If you have not done weddings before, you should read and prepare thoroughly before doing one. It’s an important event, and you need to provide high quality images. See my list of recommended Wedding Photography books in the side bar.) You may want to do the first 1-2 events at low rates, or even free. Your friends are giving the opportunity to get started, and you are giving them the gift of your valuable photography time. Use the resulting images as a basis for your initial wedding / event portfolio. If you are more are more experienced, then you can develop a wedding website, and start advertising at local shops or online usin Google Adwords (see article on Google Adwords).

8. Get a local shop to display your images.

You’ve started marketing directly to photo buyers, starting working with a stock agency, and started looking for assignments. Now you can take advantage of one more avenue to sell your photos: selling prints. Start paying attention, and you’ll notice that many local shops, coffee houses, and cafes display artwork, often from local artists. (Even if your local shops don’t, talk to the owners and they might be willing to start.) Using an online print lab or your local lab, print large mounted prints of your 10 favorite images, take them with you, and ask shop owners if you can display your images.

9. Order some great photography books and learn more.

Even if you manage to read every article on my site, you will only be getting the tip of the iceberg in terms of the information available to help you make it as a photographer. Because there are so many books on the topic, and because I believe strongly in continual learning, I’ve compiled a list of what I consider to be the best books in different areas. If you are serious about making as a photographer, order some now and read them over the next month. They will provide the foundational knowledge you need to start thinking like a professional photographer. As a starting point, you can see a list of recommended books to the right in my sidebar.

Any other thoughts for very immediate actions steps you’d recommend?

DSLRBLOG – Photography Business Blog

 
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Posted in Uncategorized

 

Glamour color pop fx: Photoshop

30 Apr

Single color pops can make a fashion shot jump to life. See how its done with Photoshop CS4
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Quick tutorial showcasing my retouching skills in Adobe Photoshop. I recommend you watch the vids in HD for best results. Any suggestions or questions feel free to contact me by email: gsdesignz@rocketmail.com

 

How 2012 Should Have Ended

30 Apr

This is how we think the “End” should end. We hope you find it less disastrous than that disaster of a disaster film. Check out our website for cool extras: www.howitshouldhaveended.com How It Should Have Ended Comedy Series 2012 Sci Fi Action Animation Animated
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Grab your cloaking device and get some tips on proper Predator protection. Check out our website for cool extras: www.howitshouldhaveended.com How It Should Have Ended Comedy Series Star Trek Sci Fi Action Animation Animated Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

lynda.com Tutorial | Photoshop CS5 One-on-One: Advanced—The single-shot sharpeners

30 Apr

Watch the course at www.lynda.com Photoshop is one of theworld’s most powerful image editors, and it can be daunting to try to use skillfully. Photoshop CS5 One-on-One: Advanced, the second part of the popular and comprehensive series, updated for CS5, follows internationally renowned Photoshop guru Deke McClelland as he dives into the workings of Photoshop. He explores such digital-age wonders as the Levels and Curves commands, edge-detection filters, advanced compositing techniques, vector-based text, the Liquify filter, and Camera Raw. Deke also teaches tried-and-true methods for sharpening details, smoothing over wrinkles and imperfections, and enhancing colors without harming the original image.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Watch the course at www.lynda.com Photoshop is one of theworld’s most powerful image editors, and it can be daunting to try to use skillfully. Photoshop CS5 One-on-One: Advanced, the second part of the popular and comprehensive series, updated for CS5, follows internationally renowned Photoshop guru Deke McClelland as he dives into the workings of Photoshop. He explores such digital-age wonders as the Levels and Curves commands, edge-detection filters, advanced compositing techniques, vector-based text, the Liquify filter, and Camera Raw. Deke also teaches tried-and-true methods for sharpening details, smoothing over wrinkles and imperfections, and enhancing colors without harming the original image.

 
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Posted in Retouching in Photoshop

 

Snakehead Yardang, White Sands National Monument

30 Apr

In 2004 I stumbled upon an incredibly interesting area of White Sands National Monument while hiking out into the 360 square miles park, an area I can only describe as an ancient dune field. When I first discovered this area I photographed one of the many yardangs I found in this isolated area (see photo #2 in My Top 5 Favorite Photographs and Accompanying Stories), but upon my return in April of 2010 the formation I originally photographed had been eroded into oblivion and was gone forever. I have to admit I was really bummed the formation was no longer present, but that disappointment soon transformed into an adrenaline fueled high as I discovered yardang after yardang the farther I hiked out.

Snakehead Yardang, White Sands National Monument

Snakehead Yardang, White Sands National Monument

One of the more fascinating yardangs I found and photographed was one that resembled a snakehead emerging from a 60 foot dune. I took care to photograph various compositions of this fragile sand formation and cherished the fact that no one would ever see this formation in the exact same way. As I discovered while visiting the area of my last yardang photo these formations  are here one day and gone another. The winds of the Tularosa Basin simultaneously shapes and destroys the landscape providing a unique experience with every visit. It is for this reason that every visit to White Sands National Monument is as exciting as the first.

Photo Details:
Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 II, 16mm, 1/200 sec, f/16, ISO 200

Technorati Tags: Photography, Fine Art, New Mexico, White Sands National Monument, Landscape, Nature

Copyright Jim M. Goldstein, All Rights Reserved

Snakehead Yardang, White Sands National Monument


JMG-Galleries – Jim M. Goldstein Photography

 
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Posted in Equipment

 

Change The Eye Color With Photoshop CS3 Very Easy

30 Apr

Please rate and leave some comments
Video Rating: 3 / 5

 

St. Albert Transit 1991 New Flyer D60 #802

30 Apr

St. Albert Transit #802 on St. Albert Trail working a Route 204 from the University of Alberta in Edmonton to Village Transit Centre in St. Albert. Video recorded on a portion of northbound St. Albert Trail. The bus is powered by a Detroit Diesel 6V92TA engine with a 4 speed automatic Allison HTB748 transmission. 802 is one of among 3 buses of this type and year in the fleet.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

 
 

Esc – An animation by Justin Henton

30 Apr

The other video seemed to have loading problems www.youtube.com Inside a 3D program a mouse cursor creates a 3-dimensional character that comes to life after an unknown error in the program and gets into a journey across the computer desktop Esc is my student film completed in 8 months at Emily Carr Institute www.jchenton.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5