The Digital Photo Guy

New Life for Old Photos

I’ve never been a fan of BW digital photos, mainly because I suck at it. Lately, I’ve been reviewing old photos to see if I could breath life into them through BW conversion. Here’s a photo from PSRM (Pacific Southwest Railway Museum) that I’ve never really liked but, in BW, it looks like it might have merit. This is titled Knuckle Bump. Let me know what you think.

I converted the original Canon CR2 to BW in Lightroom 3 then used Topaz Adjust to add a little “pop” by bumping the sharpening and tonal range. As usual, it loses a bit when resized and compressed for web use but I like the details and smooth transition from gray to black.

Photoshop Elements $3 Webinar

On Wednesday, May 4, I’ll present a new $3 Webinar Series. This time, I’ll cover Basic Workflow in Photoshop Elements. A basic workflow is something every serious digital photographer should know. This is the process of turning good photos into great photos. In a basic workflow, the photo is cropped to focus the viewer’s eye, levels and color balance are corrected to add “POP” and sharpening is applied to create intensity.

To participate, please register at the Photography Webinars and Photoshoots Meetup Group site.

AOL (Almost On-Line) Problems

AOL regularly goes on a tear and kicks back my e-mails as SPAM. There’s not a lot I can do about it but you have to wonder how many other false positives are undelivered by AOL. Those still using this antiquated system might consider getting a Yahoo! or Gmail account. Just sayin!

Gloria Hopkins Composition Webinar Video Available

Click THIS link to register to view the video recording. Registration is $19.95. If you bought Gloria’s book, Natural Design, after April 20, 2011, send me an e-mail with your name, e-mail address and date of purchase. You will receive a $5 (25%) discount code.

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum - April 30

On Saturday, 4/30 from 9AM to around noon, I’ll be at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, CA to photograph big, old, rusty, broken railroad engines, cars and equipment. Here’s more info.

HDR Tools, Tips and Techniques Webinar, May 7

On Saturday, May 7 from 9AM until noon, learn about the latest in HDR from a National Geographic photographer. Click HERE to register. For more details, click HERE.

Bighorn Sheep Scouting Trip, May 20

On Friday, May 20, I’ll be in the Palm Springs/Morongo Valley area to search for a herd of wild bighorn sheep. I only recently heard about this herd so I can’t guarantee I’ll find anything. I don’t know of any accommodations or services nearby, I’ll be in my RV. To join me, click HERE to send me an e-mail.

Palomar College Summer Classes Posted

Digital SLR for New dSLR Owners, June 14 & 15
Photoshop Elements for Digital Photographers, July 12 & 14
Hands-On Photoshoot at Kit Carson Park, August 6

Photoshop Elements in Six Weeks, May 11

Learn Photoshop Elements in six weeks, just one hour each Wednesday.

Eastern Sierras, October 2011

In either the second or third week of October 2011, I’ll be in the Eastern Sierras to photograph Mono Lake and Ancient Bristlecone Pines National Forest. If it snows, I may change the schedule to include Bodie, a magical place in the snow. If you’d like to join me, reserve the middle weeks of October. I’ll be in my RV so if I can tell you about campgrounds and BLM land where you can car/tent camp. If you need a hotel, you’ll have to make your own plans. To join me, click HERE to send me an e-mail.

$2 Webinar Series

If 20 or more people express interest, I’ll schedule a $2 webinar on just about any dSLR photography-related subject. The first two covered Buying a dSLR and dSLR Exposure Basics. Post your requests/comments here and we’ll see which subjects have legs.

Sharpening Photos in Photoshop Elements

On the San Diego Photography Meetup Group, I commented that a photo was a bit soft and could benefit from sharpening. The photographer replied she didn’t know much about sharpening. That got me to thinking that sharpening is something most experienced digital photographers do automatically without a lot of thought but it could be baffling to many newbies. I’ve embedded a Video Monday Morning Tip that explains basics of sharpening.

There are several more videos covering sharpening in the Video section as well as a PDF article in the Monday Morning Tips section. I hope you’ll take a moment to review these resources so you can make your photos the best they can be.

Most of my videos and articles are basic enough that the instructions work for either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

Rob Sheppard HDR Webinar

REGISTER today for Rob Sheppard’s HDR Tools, Tips and Techniques webinar on Saturday, May 7 at 9AM Pacific Time. Rob is editor of Outdoor Photographer magazine, a National Geographic contributer and author of over 30 photography books. Learn from the man who edited Galen Rowell’s articles. I’ve taken classes with Rob and my photography has improved in immeasurably due to his teaching skills.

2011 San Diego Fair Entries

Here are my entries for the 2011 San Diego Fair. It’s your turn to critique my work. Let me know if you see anything you would have done differently in either making the photo or post-processing it for competition. Entering a competition is a good way to validate your work and ensure you’re not “drinking the Kool Aid.” Just because your mother says you’re a good photographer doesn’t mean anyone else thinks so!

Composition Clarified in Three Hours

In just three short hours, Gloria Hopkins explained the ins and outs of composition in clear, concise, succinct terms that everyone understood. As a confident artist, Gloria used both her award winning photos as well “cutting room floor” dregs to demonstrate photographic composition. It’s a rare artist that allows others to see her failures as well as her winners. The entire webinar was recorded and will be made available for viewing in a few days. Stay tuned for details.

HDR Tools, Tips and Techniques Webinar – May 7

Rob Sheppard is on tap in two weeks to present his HDR Tools, Tips and Techniques webinar. Any photographer who hasn’t been sleeping under a rock knows that HDR (high dynamic range) is the hottest thing in photography. Many have seen works by early HDR pioneers like Ben Wilmore and Rick Sammon. Many have also been waiting for HDR to mature into “real” art that accurately reflects the grandeur of nature without the garish, cartoon-like effects of early HDR tools. 

If your idea of HDR is like the photo of the cars immediately to the left but you’d like to produce HDR like the sunrise in the Eastern Sierras (far left,) then this is the webinar for you.

Rob Sheppard has been working to develop a natural HDR style that complements rather than exaggerates nature’s beauty. Rob will tell us about his favorite tools as well as tools that failed to make the cut. Rob will demonstrate techniques for creating HDR photos that have the look and grace of an Ansel Adams without hauling a 65lbs view camera and glass plates into the wilderness. While demonstrating tips for optimizing these techniques, Rob will explain the process on your screen.

You’ll actually watch Rob develop an image on your monitor. Everything he does will immediately show up on your monitor. If you have a question, he can stop, backup, restart or otherwise redo the step to answer your question. Don’t miss this webinar. It’s not everyday that you can sit with a National Geographic photographer.

Palm Desert to Laguna Mountains

We visited the Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert this past Saturday and stopped in the Laguna Mountains on the way back to San Diego. The Living Desert is a gem of a zoo that has a large walk-in aviary for rehabilitated, non-releasable birds including black capped night herons, egrets, turkey vultures, roadrunners, green herons and several other species. I also enjoy the cactus gardens where, this time of year, many varieties of  cacti are beginning to bloom. Here are some photos from this weekend. Most of these were taken with a 70-200/4 plus a Canon EF 1.4TC. For the flowers and butterfly, I added a 12mm Kenko extension tube.

In the Lagunas, near Warner Springs, I hiked about a mile south on the Pacific Crest Trail to find these large blankets of tidy tips, aka LYJ (little yellow jobbies.) These were the only two photos of any consequence I was able to capture. The remaining 54 ended up on the cutting room floor. These were make with my new 2nd most favorite lens, the Sigma 10-20/3.5-5.6. I wish now I had popped for the 2.8 version.

Rob Sheppard HDR Webinar – Sat, May 7

Be sure to register for Rob Sheppard’s HDR Tools, Tips and Techniques webinar on May 7 from 9AM Pacific Time to Noon. Get the latest HDR scoop from a National Geographic writer/photographer.