The Digital Photo Guy

I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed this week due to so many tasks and projects so I’m taking the easy way out. I have a series of links from disparate sources that should keep you occupied until I get a chance to write some new material later this week (as if I’m really going to have time to write during Photoshop World).

Photoshop Elements 8 for PC and Mac Announced

The biggest thing this week has been the release of Photoshop Elements version 8 (PSE8) for PC and Mac. The PC version is shipping and the Mac version will be available late-October. Rob Sheppard, editor of Outdoor Photographer magazine, has written a book about PSE8 and will share his findings with us during the webinar on November 14 from 9AM until 1PM. Learn Photoshop Elements in just 4 hours for only $49.95 (early bird special good until Wed, Oct 30).

One of the new features incorporates Content Aware Scaling (CAS), a Photoshop CS4 (PSCS4) technology, into an easy-to-use tool for PSE8. CAS in PSCS4 is a very powerful tool that lets you tell PSCS4 to scale (resize) a photo but not change some objects in the photo.

It’s easier to demonstrate than talk about it so here’s a photo from the first and only time I photographed a polo match. The first photo is the original and the second has been squished (that’s a technical term) with PSCS4 Content Aware Scaling. Notice how the ball, which I didn’t tell CAS to preserve, is deformed in the second photo. Without CAS, the players and horses would have suffered the same fate.

If I had tried to use something like the Transform Tool, the horses and riders would have become distorted like a house of mirrors. With CAS, only the non-selected (unprotected) areas of the photo are squished while the rest is kept intact.

While CAS is a powerful tool, it’s a bit more involved than most amateurs will want to futz (another technical term) with. In PSE8, the Recompose Tool is touted as a way to turn landscape photos into portrait orientation in a few short clicks. It’s really CAS with a fancy interface so the user doesn’t have to futz.

Coronado Speed Festival

Pam Davis of San Diego got the Press Passes for the Coronado Speed Festival and has now posted some photos on her blog. Not only is Pam a great photog but she also writes a fun blog. Please check out her blog and leave a comment. Bloggers like comments.

Some Fun Stuff

A friend sent me this link. It’s a riot, especially if you’re a cat person. Dog people will wonder what the fuss is all about but cat people will understand.

Photoshop World

I’ll be in Las Vegas for PSW from 9/30-10/3. On 10/4, I’ll be at Bugorama, a huge VW show in Las Vegas. That should be a target rich environment. Remember, I’ll be giving away a PSW Symposium Proceedings (1000 pages of PS tips) during Rob’s Photoshop Elements webinar.

Bristlecones Around Bishop, CA

From Oct 4th through the 11th, I’ll be in the Eastern Sierras around Bishop, CA to photograph landscapes and the legendary bristlecone pines made famous by Galen Rowell.

DoF Calculator Instructions

Recently, I offered free DoF Calculators to anyone who wanted one. Some viewers couldn’t figure out how to use them so here’s a video tutorial.

If you want to make your own DoF Calculator, follow this link. Or, simply watch this site for future DoF Calculator give-aways.

Photoshop Elements 8 Released (& Rob Sheppard has the book)

Adobe has announced the release of Photoshop Elements 8 and you’re in the right place for a full explanation of all the new features. Rob Sheppard, editor of Outdoor Photographer magazine will present a 4-hour PSE webinar on November 14 that includes new features & benefits of PSE8 for Digital Photographers as explained in his new book.

As you can see, this isn’t some quick & dirty review of PSE8. This is a full scale Photoshop Elements class in just 4 hours. You will learn how to use PSE including the new features in PSE8. This class is geared toward digital SLR owners who want to turn good photos into great photos without the expense and steep learning curve of Photoshop CS4.

What the heck is an Emergency Freebie?

How about a set of media passes to the Coronado Speed Week at North Island Naval Air Station this coming weekend, Sept 26 and 27? I was approved for the passes several weeks ago but a conflict forces me to cancel. I checked with the event and I can pass them on to someone else. My only requirement is that you have to send me 3-5 photos for this site.

The first person who sends me an e-mail with their mailing address and a promise not to waste the passes will get them. Because of the short notice, you will NOT be able to participate in the Media Day events because you’re not cleared and, if they catch you on NI, you will be shot and NO questions will be asked later. LOL

The packet comprises a Media Pass that gets you into the event (except VIP area), Photo Pass (gets you up close and personal with the cars on the track) and a Vehicle Pass (gets you a primo parking space).

By accepting these passes, you accept full responsibility for any injury, death or loss arising during travel to this event, during this event or travel from this event. If a car flies off the track and squashes you like a bug, I am not responsible. If you get sucked into the intake of a jet fighter, I am not responsible. If you get beat up by a 300 lbs, beer-bellied red-neck, I am not responsible. If your brand new Canon 1D Mk III is run over by a Hummer, I am not responsible. Even if your lawyer tells you I am responsible, I am not responsible.

For photos from last year’s event, go to my Photo Galleries, click Things then 2008 Coronado Speed Festival.

Photoshop World in Las Vegas

PSW is just around the corner so I’m making last minute preparations. The actual conference is Thu, Oct 1 thru Sat, Oct 3 but there’s a day of Pre-Conference Workshops on Wednesday and a NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) Meet & Greet on Wed night. If you plan to be at PSW, let me know and we can make plans to grab lunch.

On Sunday, after the conference, there’s a VW show, Bugorama at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway that I hope to walk around for a while. There should be lots of photo ops at that show.

Afterwards, I’ll be driving up to Bishop, CA to photograph bristlecone pines in the Eastern Sierras with Rob Sheppard.

Photoshop CS4 for Photographers with Ben Wilmore

On Monday, Oct 19, at the San Diego Convention Center, Kelby Training will be offering Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers with Ben Wilmore. I’ve never taken a class with Ben but he’s said to be an excellent instructor. Ben drives around the country in a converted bus RV to take photos and teach Photoshop. This class is a fast-paced, lecture in a room for 875 people so don’t expect a lot of hand-holding. Also, CS4 concepts don’t always translate to Photoshop Elements (PSE) and there won’t be any help for that.

Photoshop Elements Webinar with Rob Sheppard

There are still a few seats left for the November 14 Photoshop Elements webinar with Rob Sheppard, editor of Outdoor Photographer magazine and author of dozens of photography books. Rob is working on a book about the newest version of PSE so, if you’re thinking of upgrading, you’ll want to view this webinar before buying PSE.

Someone asked me to describe a webinar. A webinar is like watching TV where you can interact with the people on screen. If you’ve ever watched Jeopardy and shouted the answer at the screen, you’ve experienced half of a webinar. In a full webinar, Alex Trebeck looks at you and says, “Sh-h-h, no help for the webinar audience.”

Anyone who still thinks of PSE is the ugly duckling step-sister of Photoshop needs to take a look at the new PSE. For most digital photographers, scrappers and busy people, PSE will do 90% of what PS CS4 can do. What can’t be done in PSE can be done through low-cost “plug-ins”, handy little tools that plug-in to PSE and acts like an original feature of PSE.

Future Photoshoot Workshops

Planning has started for Desert Wildflowers at Joshua Tree National Park and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in the March-April 2010 timeframe. As always, each workshop will be limited to just 4 students so eveyone gets maximum assistance.

In November, I’ll be going to Salton Sea to photograph burrowing owls. This is a planning trip for future burrowing owl workshops so there won’t be instruction as such but past students are welcome to join me. Watch this site for details.

I’ll be going back to the Deer Park Winery in Escondido, CA for more scouting and planning in the next few weeks. Again, this isn’t a workshop as such but you’re welcome to join me and watch how I set up and devise lessons for my workshops.

Monday Morning Tip

Today’s MMT is a video of my workflow. Workflow is just a fancy way of saying how I do things. The video is about 15 minutes because I’m explaining each step but, in reality, I usually go through this in about 3-5 minutes after I download photos until the first image is done. After that, each image takes as little as 30-90 seconds.

During the Photoshop Elements portion of my Wild Animal Park Hands-On Photoshoot yesterday, one subject that seemed to intrigue the students was the ability to simply fix one RAW photo in Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) then drag & drop the same fixes to all the other photos taken under the same conditions. This is a real time-saver that I’ll address in a future video MMT.

Unlike regular MMTs that are behind a password and only available to registered readers, this MMT is open to all viewers.

As I reported previously, Deer Park Winery has reopened after a 2 years hiatus. I went by this past Sunday to see if anything had changed with the Automobile Museum. Thankfully, everything is exactly as it was when they closed after the founder passed away.

Because it was late in the day, I only had about an hour before closing. I never got out of the first area, just off the wine tasting room. Also, being in a hurry, I grabbed my camera but forgot the 17-40/4L. All I had for a wide angle was a 50/1.8, not exactly wide. Still, I was able to grab some cool photos using an off-camera flash with a Paul C. Buff CyberSync remote trigger.

This photo was taken with a 550EX inside the car. When I released the shutter, the flash fired, lighting up the inside of the car. I did this because I was cramped for space and didn’t have a wide angle lens with me. By doing this, I was able to capture a small, specific detail about the car and focus the viewer’s attention.

In this one, I simply bounced the flash off the white ceiling to diffuse the light as much as possible and soften the shadows. Again, because I didn’t have a wide angle, I selected a specific detail to focus the viewer’s attention. Two other things to notice in this photo are the weird pentagonal highlights and the square crop.

The pentagonal highlights are a result of less expensive lenses that only have 5 diaphragm blades. More expensive lenses have seven or more leaves which create smooth, round highlights. This also affects great bokeh, that smooth, creamy, out-of-focus BG that everyone desires. This is one of the advantages of a good lens versus a cheap lens.

The square crop is one of those things that I probably use too much as a crutch. When a photo just doesn’t look right, try a square crop. I’ve found that, for some reason, a square crop can breathe life into otherwise bland photos. No, it doesn’t always work but it’s worth a try.

These last two were just fun shots. The winery is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10AM until 5PM. It’s just $5 to enter the museum. I’ll be scheduling a photoshoot at the winery and museum soon where we can practice indoor flash photography. Keep an eye on this site for announcements.