The Digital Photo Guy

SCORE!

Yesterday, I scored BIG TIME for my readers and webinar students. I went to many of the booths in the Expo and shook them down for prizes for Rob Sheppard’s webinar on Nov 14. At Nik Software, I got a promise of 15% off coupons. I still have to make arrangements with Nik after PSW so it’s not yet active. Then, I got a SUPER deal from the guys who market Topaz Labs software. They will extend the show price of $129 for the entire Topaz Suite ($339 value) to all my students. I also got a coupon good for a free copy (not trial) of any of their programs to give away during the webinar. It takes a lot to impress me with software but I can honestly say the Topaz stuff blew my socks off. It did things that my engineering, technical mind said couldn’t be done. I’ll have a complte writeup on some of their modules over the next few weeks.

Finally, under the heading of “It Don’t Get No Gooder’n This”, I scored a FREE (as in gratis, zero, zip, nada, nothing, no cost) Black Rapid camera strap. You, in the back, STOP yawning! You think camera straps are boring? Well, citizen, take a look at their site. Photos can’t do justice to how easy it is to carry AND deploy your camera using a Black Rapid system. I will give a FREE Black Rapid RS-4 to one lucky winner at Rob’s webinar.

The prize list keeps getting longer and the $49.95 Early Bird Special days keep getting shorter. Remember, the Early Bird Special pricing for Rob’s webinar ends sometime tomorrow, Sunday or Monday depending on when I have time to update the website.

Classes on tap for today include Location Lighting with Joe McNally, The Eyes are the Windows to the Soul with Fay Sirkis, ABCs of Digital Portraiture with Helene Glassman, Seeing the Light with Jack Reznicki, Light, Gesture and Color with Jay Maisel, One light for Real People with Jack Reznicki. Talk about an All-Star line-up. There are other classes in the Expo area but I’ll be busy shaking down more vendors. I’ll also be snagging PSW Workbooks (800 pages of Photoshop tips) and anything else that isn’t nailed down.

Photoshop World 2009, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV – Thursday, Oct 1, 2009

I’m posting this from my RV (named Arbey) in the south parking lot of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas waiting for the first classes to start at 10:45AM. John Loiacono, SVP/GM, Adobe Creative Solutions Business Unit gave a keynote starting at 9AM but I was still drinking coffee. Besides, I’ve heard approximately 2 bazillion keynotes in my life and they all sound exactly the same – “Shish, boom, bam! Rah, rah, ree, kick’em in the knee! Rah, rah, rass, kick’em in the other knee!”

The classes I’ve selected today are Fixing Common Image Problems with Dave Cross, Mastering the New Adjustments and Masks Panel with Ben Willmore, Retouching Faces Step-by-Step and Digital Photographer’s Notebook with Kevin Ames, Lighting, Lenses, & Composition with David Ziser and Creative Lighting for the Digital Photographer with John Williamston. As you can see, these are some of the top pros in the field today so I’m anxious to get started.

Photoshop Elements webinar – What’s Included

Rob sent me an e-mail that gives a hint of what’s included in the webinar on Nov 14. First and foremost, many new PS (Photoshop) and PSE (Photoshop Elements) users don’t realize that PS was never intended to be a photography tool. PS was, and still is, designed for graphic artists. PSE was completely made over with PSE3 to be a photographer’s tool. Even the dark interface that some users complain about is meant to complement photos. PSE, combined with a few popular plug-ins (add-ons, like a 3rd party stereo system for your car) can do as much as PS but at a much lower cost and learning curve.

Rob has more points that I’ll elaborate over the next few days. In the meantime, because I don’t have time to change the pricing, the Early Bird Special price of $49.95 will be extended until this weekend. After that, the price goes to $59.95. Also, Early Birds get a choice of 3 different Early Bird gifts. If all that’s not enough to entice you, I’ll snag an extra copy of the Photoshop World Workbook as a drawing prize for the webinar. Click here to register now. We accept MasterCard, VISA, American Express and PayPal, all secured through PayPal at no cost to you.

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.

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.

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Learn Photoshop Elements in 4 Hours… Win Cool Prizes!

Just added a copy of 1-2-3 of Digital Imaging to the pile of goodies. Some lucky student will receive this for being among the first 20 to register if their number is drawn.

We’re also giving away a copy of the 1000 page Photoshop World workbook. PSW is in October so the information doesn’t get any fresher unless you shell out $1000 to attend PSW in person. Remember, you have be among the first 20 students to register to be entered into the drawing for these prizes.

If that’s not enough, the first 20 registrants have a choice of 3 terrific gifts to choose from just for being smart enough to be on the leading edge of webinars. When you register, you’ll receive an e-mail with a list of gifts to choose from so register now!

Click HERE to read how you can learn Photoshop Elements in just 4 hours from Rob Sheppard, editor of Outdoor Photographer magazine. Don’t let the magazine title scare you, the class covers all aspects of PSE, not just outdoor or nature photography. Most of what this class covers also applies to Photoshop CSx. Best of all, you get 60 days of e-mail support in case you have problems applying what Rob’s tricks, tips and shortcuts.

Freebie! Depth of Field Calculator

Normally, I don’t write about freebies until I have them in hand but this one is gonna take some effort on my part (I have to make them) so I’m asking first before I waste time on something no one wants.

How many people want a free (except for SASE) Depth of Field Calculator? If you don’t know what a DoF calculator is, go here. If you don’t know why you’d want a DoF calculator, you don’t need it. If you have difficulty using a ruler, you won’t be able to use this. If you don’t know what depth of field is or why it’s important, you need to take my dSLR class. If you want one, leave a comment here. That way, I’ll know how much time and effort I’m facing.

Monday Morning Tip

Today’s MMT covers the last lens most amateurs usually want, a macro. A macro is any lens that allows you to make photos that are 100% of actual size. In other words, if an object is 22.2mm across, a macro will fill the entire sensor of a Canon Digital Rebel from side-to-side with the object. There’s an image in the MMT that illustrates this concept. As always, all MMTs are in the MMT archives on the Tips & News page.

For those who have read all 3 MMTs dealing with lenses for new dSLR owners and amateur photographers, here’s a great article that basically says the same thing I said except in fewer words. See if your Canon lens kit matches what he writes.

Something Truly Amazing and Humbling

Most photographers have heard of Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii but, if you’re like me, you just thought he was a mad Russian scientist. It turns out Prokudin-Gorskii was really a photographer in his own right and produced hundreds of color photos long before any of us ever thought of color photography. The Smithsonian bought his collection and has been restoring the glass negatives. Here’s a small sample of his work. The man was truly an artist, a visionary and a scientist, well ahead of his time.