The Digital Photo Guy

Make Fast Work of Portrait Processing

Several weeks ago, I attended a portrait workshop with Clay Blackmore, a protege of Monte Zucker. The class was good but, like many classes taught by pros, filled with too much info in too little time. I don’t know about you but I like to think about what I’m doing to fully assimilate new techniques and ideas.

After the class, I learned a useful tip from Michael Jordan (no, not that MJ!) a talented Phoenix-based photographer. He recommended Portrait Professional for quickly processing dozens or hundreds of photos after an event. OnOne Software, a workshop sponsor, was supposed to send us a free copy of a portrait plug-in but they flaked out so I decided to try Portrait Professional.

This first photo of Martha took about 30 minutes because I played around with all the different controls and settings.

This second photo of Jocelyn took 3 minutes. It’s not perfect but I left the overly exaggerated nose and chin sculpting to make it easier to see what the program does. Had I wanted to improve that, it would have taken another minute or two. Also notice how the program smoothed her skin.

If you’re just doing 2-3 portraits at a time, it’s probably no big deal but if you want to process dozens or, even, hundreds of portraits at a time, Portrait Pro can get you out from behind the computer.

Ceiling Fans

If you’re in the market for a ceiling fan, don’t bother buying from Minka Aire. I bought one with a defective remote reversing module that is supposed to reverse the fan direction. Instead of simply sending me a $5 electronic module, the company wants me to uninstall the fan from the ceiling and ship it back to them for replacement. Obviously, this is how they avoid warranty expenses because how many people are willing to remove a 30 pound fan or pay someone to do so. Companies that think they’re pulling a fast one with onerous warranty conditions obviously haven’t heard about social media. I hope everyone who thinks these tactics stink will send their opinion to Minka Group, based in Corona, CA. Surprisingly, the fan was purchased from FanDiego, where the salesman promised they would stand by me in case anything was wrong with the fan. So much for promises.

Burrowing Owls and Lavender Fields

On Saturday, May 12, I plan to be around Salton Sea to photograph burrowing owls. It’s a bit late in the season but I’m hoping there will be some fledglings still hanging around. Burrowing owls are active all day long but the best light will be early morning or late afternoon. During the middle of the day, their beaks cast heavy shadows. You should have a minimum 300mm lens. With that, you can get fairly close with a bit of patience.

On Saturday, May 19, I plan to be at the Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center, CA. The first time, I was unwillingly dragged out there by my wife but found myself oddly attracted to the farm. It’s an interesting place and I’m sure there are many photo ops that I haven’t yet explored. The lavenders will be in full bloom in May and June so, if you miss the 19th, you have until the end of June for the 2012 bloom.

In case you missed it, join the San Diego Photography Collective (no, you won’t be assimilated by the borg) at Deer Park Winery on June 10 for the Gathering on the Green, a mini-Concours de Elegance. Cuties for a Cause will be there to raise money for ArtHatch, a local not-for-profit that sponsors and supports youth in art. Mea culpa: the original announcement said the fund raiser is for an animal welfare group but that was last year’s cause.

San Diego Fair Photography Workshops

The fair opens Friday, June 8 and runs through Wednesday, July 4. It’s too late to enter the Ehibition of Photography contest but there are tons of workshops and some 1-day shootouts on tap. Follow this link for the latest info.

Landscape, Nature, Pin-Up and Portraits

In 2012, I plan to focus my efforts on landscape and nature photography with an eye toward entering more competitions and producing sellable fine art pieces. A secondary goal is to expand my pin-up and portrait portfolio. I want to create more images like these below.

On April 22 & 23, I’ll be at the Clay Blackmore portrait workshops in Tempe, AZ. Blackmore was trained by the legendary Monte Zucker. I was scheduled to take a class with Zucker in 2007 when we learned of his passing. I’m hoping Blackmore will be able to fill in what I missed. These are two separate classes with the 22nd being a seminar type session with 200 of your closest friends crammed into a hotel auditorium. I generally eschew such sessions but it was cheap when combined with the hands-on class on the 23rd. The cost of both classes was $249. Let me know if you plan to attend and we’ll try to meetup.

Although it’s a bit late, in early May I plan to visit the Salton Sea to look for burrowing owls, my favorite small birds. BO breeding season generally starts around late March to early April. After the chicks hatch, they hang around for 6 weeks before fledging so we may be able to catch some naive young chicks poking their heads out of the burrows.

My annual Eastern Sierras photo trip is tentatively scheduled for the week of October 8-14. That’s the week after the Lone Pine Film Festival so I may be there the previous weekend to check out what’s new at the festival. The festival offers guided photo tours to various movie sets around Alabama Hills so that may be a good way to see several new sites in one swell foop.

In late November/early December, I plan to scout the area around Willcox, AZ for wintering sandhill cranes. I had heard there were sandhills in the area but recently learned there can be as many as 20 to 30 thousand. That’s more than Bosque del Apache, my favorite sandhill crane reserve. The major difference may be accessibility. At Bosque, areas like the Railroad Pond and Flight Deck make it easy to practically be on top of the birds before their morning flyout. I hope to discover the best places for crane photography.

There will be other photo shoots during the year so stay tuned if none of these float your boat.

Stop Copying, Start Doing

For years, I’ve subscribed to several magazines because the articles often gave me ideas for new lessons or techniques in my classes. With my recent decision to no longer teach classes, I haven’t renewed my subscriptions to most. The only one I still read is Outdoor Photographer because I find inspiration in the photographs.

Today, I received my last issue of a well known magazine put out by a company that stages several annual orgies of Photoshop excess. Basically, these are large parties for geeks who wouldn’t normally be allowed out of their cubicles. I also received a copy of a magazine that covers Photoshop Elements. That subscription expires at the end of this year and I won’t be renewing.

The cover of one rag breathlessly proclaimed, “Unlock the secrets of…” I rolled my eyes and recalled something I had learned years ago, “The secret to good photography is that there are no secrets!” Scanning the rest of the cover, I realized the whole magazine was geared toward people who were simply trying to gloss over bad photography with visual eye-candy.

Turning my attention to the Photoshop oriented rag, I flipped through the pages to see what might be of interest. First, I was struck by the number of ads and ad-like articles for products, each promising to make me a PS maven if only I sent them a few dollars. Next, there were the graphics design articles of no interest to me. Third, beginner articles that bored me to tears. And, finally, a few photography articles that promised to show me how to achieve a particular look or effect. Why would I want to constantly copy others’ look or effect?

Reports of My Demise Are Greatly Exaggerated

I haven’t posted much over the past two months because I’ve been dealing with the excruciating pain of gout. With no history of gout in my family, the doctors have chalked it up to, “Stuff happens!” In any case, I finally broke down and saw a rheumatologist. I actually met with two to get a second opinion. The pain and swelling are now under control and the doctor plans to put me on a long-term drug after the current attack.

I think the word, “drug” has always made me wary of medication. I remember all too vividly the effects of illegal drugs on friends in Turkey and Vietnam. I swore I never wanted to be so out of control that I didn’t know when I was endangering myself or those around me. Fortunately, in our home, I can do whatever I want so long as my wife lets me. In this case, she “let me” see a rheumatologist before she strangled me. Therefore, rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated.

Save an Extra 50 Bucks

I twisted George Jardine’s arm into offering an extra $50 discount on his San Diego Lightroom 3 weekend intensive workshop. This is two full days of LR3 training that will help you step up to the next level.

All the photos you see on this site have been edited in LR. Without George’s videos, I would still be putzing along. Now, I get back from a shoot with several hundred to a thousand files and blow through them in no time so I’m ready for my next shoot. If you’re a serious photographer who prefers to spend time behind the camera instead of in front of the monitor, this workshop is for you!

George Jardine will pump you so full of LR tips, tricks, techniques and concepts that you’ll think your head will explode. If you think a $49 class in a conference hall filled with 300 of your best friends is good training, you’re in for a shock. Get the discount code from George and get ready for some serious LR training!

How Much Is Too Much Editing?

Most photo contest only allow minimum editing including cropping, adjusting levels and sharpening. Cloning and healing are generally not allowed and removing an entire element is definitely verboten.

The San Diego Natural History Museum Best of Nature Photography Show is different in that it’s more of a fund raiser for the museum so pretty much anything goes. With that in mind, I decided to try the following.

The first image is the original and the second is the edited version. Most contests would never allow the edited version but I felt the single landing eagle was more impactful. What do you think? Is this too much editing? Does it change the essence of the photo?

This was made at Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM with a Canon 40D and a 300/2.8 and 2x TC on a Gitzo 3530LS with a Wimberly Sidekick. Exposure was 1/160, f/25, ISO 1600, 0EV. It’s titled The Eagle Has Landed.

This photo will be used in the Wacom tablet webinar this Wednesday, 10/26 from 7 to 7:30PM.