The Digital Photo Guy

Which Fair Entries Were Accepted?

Friday, April 22 was the deadline for 2011 San Diego Fair entries. I was swamped so I rushed around at the last possible moment to submit my entries (below.) Yesterday, I received e-mails notifying me that only one entry had been accepted. Believing that, in my rush, I hadn’t been careful in selecting or preparing my photos, I shrugged it off as another life lesson.

This morning, I received a new set of e-mails advising me to disregard the previous e-mails and that three of my entries had been accepted. Worse, a former student who had e-mailed to tell me four of his five entries had been accepted, now faced the prospect that only one had made the cut.

Now, at 2PM, I’ve received another e-mail telling to disregard all previous e-mails. The fair implemented a new system this year using a program called FairJudge. Suffice it to say, it doesn’t engender confidence in the San Diego Fair, judges or the program. I’ll follow up with more in my next post.

I’m Gonna Be a Grandpa (Sorta)

A hummingbird has built a nest in a ficus tree on our front patio. She’s very protective and will buzz me if I get too nosy. Today, she laid the first egg. I’ve read that a second should follow in a day or two. I tried to take a photo but it was a bit tricky standing on a 2 foot step ladder with one foot on the window sill. I had visions of another trip to ER so I didn’t push my luck.

When the second egg appears, I’ll use my wife’s Canon G11 with the swivel LCD to take a photo and start keeping a record of the hummer’s progress. I’m already missing the Nikon D3100 I just sold. It had a cool swivel LCD and would have been perfect for making photos peering down into the nest. I may have to give serious consideration to selling my 40D and buying a new Canon T3i. Stay tuned for more details and photos.

More BW Candidates

Over the weekend, I was at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, CA on my annual trip to see what has changed out there. Usually, the answer is – “Nothing ever changes in Campo.” This time, there were big changes that surprised me. The museum has been cleaning up the depot area (visitors center) and, in general, spiffing up. This is good for the museum but detracted from the gritty, ”boneyard” look of the past.

Nevertheless, I had several photos in mind for a BW conversion so I pressed on in my quest. The photo above was something I had seen last year and thought about for a year before trying it again. Even then, the original was far from perfect. It wasn’t even acceptable SOOC (straight out of camera.)

The initial BW conversion was done with a Lightroom preset (Blue-Hi Contrast.) I was never a fan of presets in the early days of the digital darkroom but I’m now liking the subtlety of the newer presets.

The lower left corner under the square beam was blown out white. I cloned part of the upper right corner and and patched it over the blown area. It came out fairly well if I say so myself. Let me know what you think.

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.

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!