 Photo Tips – Shooting from a KayakJune 24th, 2011 by Jerry Monkman Sometime you want to take pictures without your feet on the ground. Here are some tips for keeping your gear safe while shooting from a kayak. In this video, New Hampshire based conservation photographer Jerry Monkman explains how to keep your camera gear safe while shooting from a kayak. Check out Jerry's fall Cape Cod workshop here: Eco Photography Zoom, Twirl and a PinchJune 23rd, 2011 by Denise Ippolito
To create the look above I started with an image of very small little flowers. I liked the mix of green and pinks but the base image felt weak to me. I decided to add a zoom blur in Photoshop combined with the twirl and pinch filter both found in Photoshop. I used a series of layer masks to keep the center flower in focus. Re-cropped my image placing the flower off center. To learn more about this technique and others , check out my current eBook “A Guide to Creative Filters and Effects” in the OPG Store. Check out Denise's website at www.deniseippolito.com
Photo Safari in Tanzania – Andy Biggs VideoJune 22nd, 2011 by Matt DennisonIf you’ve never been on a photo safari in Tanzania, you’ll get a taste of one by watching this video. Andy Biggs of Gura Gear fame shows us travel, accommodations, relaxation and wildlife in this video of a typical photo safari. You’ll want to go, or go back, after watching this video. Thanks Andy!
Kwik Camo Video OverviewJune 17th, 2011 by Matt Dennison15 Great Photography Gifts for Father’s DayJune 16th, 2011 by John Batdorff
Dad showing off his Black Rapid Sports Strap I’ve been scrambling for a Father’s day gift, so I put a call into Chris, my good friend and owner of Outdoor Photo Gear for some suggestions. I know shopping for dad can be tricky, so I put together a list combining of a few of my own ideas and those that Chris recommended. I hope they help… Under $20.00Hoodman LCD Protector– A great way to protect your LCD from scratches, dust, etc. I just replaced mine yesterday. Spudz Micro Fiber cleaning clothes– These are great to attach to your camera bag so that you have them at all time. PowerPax SlimLine 6 AAA Battery Caddy (Chris’s Pick)– Keep all those loose batteries under control with a battery caddy. This is a very inexpensive gift for the neat freak in your house. Lenspen- This is a handy tool for cleaning dust and smudges off your lens. Think Tank’s Pee Wee Pocket Rocket– This is a great way to organize your flash cards, and I like the clip on strap so that I can secure them to my bag. Scott Kelby’s Photo Recipes Live: Behind the Scenes: Your Guide to Today’s Most Popular Lighting Techniques. This is a great iPad app, but I will warn you, it’s a large file and will take a little bit of time to download, but for $9.99 it’s worth it. A Photographer’s WifeJune 14th, 2011 by Mike MoatsHere’s a great post that was on NaturePhotographers.net the other day, and thought you all would like reading it. Thanks Michele for this great insight as a photographer’s wife. Just in time for Father's Day! A Photographer’s Wife by Michelle Blanchard
Creative TexturingJune 10th, 2011 by Denise IppolitoEditor's note: Welcome Denise Ippolito to the blog! Denise is a freelance photographer, artist and writer living in NJ. With a background in the florist industry, Denise concentrates her photographic vision on soft, dreamy images of flowers. Denise has written several ebooks in the OPG store, including A Guide to Creative Filters and Effects and A Guide to Pleasing Blurs. She is also a moderator on Bird Photographers.Net. Check out Denise's website here, and watch for informative articles and soothing images from Denise on the blog!
 The same Viola Image as above but with a different texture applied
In this mini-tutorial I will walk you through some creative texturing applications as well as multiple filtering applications to bring your textured images to life. Adding texture to an image can really change the look of it. Knowing how to blend an image with the right textures and learning some highlighting techniques can really improve your final product and that is what we will be discussing here. Most of the things you will need to create textured images can be found in Photoshop, however there is a cool program out there called Dirty Pictures by Totally Rad. It allows you to very easily change out the texture backgrounds by blending them automatically for you. This is by far the easiest way to apply the textures. But convenience comes with a price. The software is not free it costs $149.00. You do not need to buy this program to apply the textures- it just makes it easier. You don’t even need to buy the textures; they are available all over the web for free. All of the textures that I used here are from Shadowhouse Creations they offer lots of great free textures and tutorials. Choosing the Texture: When choosing a texture to use for an image there are some considerations to think about. First of all you never want your texture to completely over power your subject. For example, if you are applying a texture to a dainty flower you don’t want to choose a texture that will be too strong either with its color or its pattern. Heavily raised textured looks can be very nice for the right image but … Pixels Vs. PrintsJune 9th, 2011 by Bret Edge
Until last year I had never enjoyed the thrill of making my own photographic prints. When I needed a print, I’d send off a file (or slide) to whatever lab I was using at the time and they’d ship the print directly to me or my client. With only a few exceptions my image viewing experience consisted of staring at a photo on a computer monitor. Then, I bought an Epson Stylus Photo R2880 printer and everything changed. If that sounds like a dramatic statement – it is. It’s also quite true. I started making my own prints. Whenever I wanted. On whatever paper I wanted. It didn’t take long and I was addicted to the smell of fresh ink on photographic paper as a new print rolled off the printer, landing ever so gently in the catch tray. Is there a difference between viewing an image on a computer monitor and holding an actual print, that you made, in your hands? You’d better believe it. As an artist I like to have complete control over my work from start to finish. While it is true that you maintain a degree of control when you do all the post-processing on your photos before sending them off to a lab, you’re really not closing the loop. The ultimate control comes when you conclude the image making process by crafting your own print. Today’s inkjet printers are capable of producing professional quality archival prints that rival and, in my opinion, exceed those made using more traditional methods like Cibachromes. They’re sharper, more detailed, just as colorful and can be made using a diversity of papers. How to use Lights Out Mode in LightroomJune 8th, 2011 by John BatdorffI use the “Lights Out Mode” in Lightroom frequently as part of my final editing process, so here’s a quick tutorial on how I do that.
Learn more about John, view his images and check out his blog here. Hello everyone. John Batdorff here, and today I want to talk about a feature I really enjoy using at the end of my editing process, and that’s the Lights Out feature. When I’m done editing my image and I think I’m where I need to be, I’ll use the Lights Out feature to just view the image without all the distractions of the panels and lightroom. To activate the Lights Out feature, all you need to do is press the “L” key on your keyboard. When you do that, it will go to dim first. Now, I don’t use this that often, but some people like this feature to review their images and then make changes to their images, because you still can see your developmental panel and all of that. What I have my setting at is 70%, and I’ll show you how to change that in a second. But what I like to do is go to Lights Out, which you hit the “L” key again, and boom, all we have now is the image and I can review the image. This is where I think about what kind of adjustments I want to make, or if it’s done and ready to go. Just remember, hit “L” again to go back to full view. Some people will freak out, and they’ll be like, “Oh, I can’t get anywhere.” Well, you hit “L” again and that takes you right back to the beginning. So to change your Lights Out setting, all you need to do it go into Edit, Preferences, and right here where it says “Dim Level,” that’s the dim level that we talked about that first time that you hit the “L” key. The default is at 80. I use 70 because I think you can see the controls a little better, even though I don’t really use it that much. Let’s just take a look at this again, This is dim, this is at 70% dim. Like I said, you still have access to everything. Once again, … |
 |
|
So You Want To Be A Pro Nature Photographer
June 20th, 2011 by Mike MoatsI see many times people posting interest in taking their hobby of nature photographer to the pro level. Myself and I’m sure other pros have people that contact them asking for advice on what it takes to make a living in this field. My response is that from my experience it’s a seven day work week and can be tough on your family life. I work about forty weekends a year so any family birthdays, holidays, christenings, father and mothers days, sports, concerts, etc, are many times missed. This is much like the entertainment world, pro athletes, traveling salesman, or any other profession that requires you to be on the road many days a year.
Nature photography is one of the toughest fields of photography to make a living in. I’ve found that for me being diversified is the key to making it. Having multiple streams of income keeps the money flowing. Those streams all take a lot of time to keep them flowing.
Marketing is number one, nobody knows you’re alive and in business unless you tell them. Shameless self promotion is something you have to get used to and you need to be the type of person that doesn’t mind this type of marketing as some would consider this bragging about yourself, but it’s just getting the word out that you’re in business and having some success at what you’re doing.