That specific kind of blue

This is my favorite piece of art, The Blue Room by Picasso.

For me, it captures that wonderful point in time each evening where the remains of the day are barely clinging to the the textures and shapes of our surroundings.  This is the moment in time that seems the most filled with . . . → Read More: That specific kind of blue

On accepting a challenge and opening doors.

I admire the Florida-based photographer called Christa Watson, she has a fantastic eye and her people pictures express a certain truth that has always seemed to elude me. Her recent blog post encourages photographers to kick out the crutch of editing by trying to capture a great scene with only the camera. It seemed . . . → Read More: On accepting a challenge and opening doors.

Tutorial: Creating a *fake* tilt shift photograph with Photoshop

Ok, so it’s not true tilt shift photography. But, with the right photograph and a deft touch with Photoshop, you will be able to create a great photo with the same effect. The idea is make a true to life scene look as if it were done as a miniature model. View the slideshow . . . → Read More: Tutorial: Creating a *fake* tilt shift photograph with Photoshop

HDR Tutorial – Part 2 of 2. Workflow and Editing

This is the final part of the HDR tutorial, covering the processing and data management aspects of creating an HDR image.  The process is better understood when presented in a way that follows a standard workflow, so I have created a few screencasts that will follow my regular process.

Screencast 1: Generating an . . . → Read More: HDR Tutorial – Part 2 of 2. Workflow and Editing

Canyon Road, Santa Fe Textures and colors

Santa Fe is unlike any other place on earth.  Anyone that has spent more than a few minutes walking the winding roads of this old city understands the indescribable life and power the town possesses.  I took an afternoon recently to explore the Palace Road and Canyon Road areas of the city.  Palace Road . . . → Read More: Canyon Road, Santa Fe Textures and colors

Photography Quick Tips: Five ways to immediately improve your photos

Here are a few things you can do to make expressing yourself with photos easier.: Must you stand so close? It doesn’t matter if you are taking a photo of a person or a landscape, it is important that you get as close to the subject as you can. Our brain interprets distance and . . . → Read More: Photography Quick Tips: Five ways to immediately improve your photos

Photography Quick Tips: The rule of thirds

Composition and exposure are the two major elements in creating a pleasing photo. Getting a good exposure is a technical skill. After all, there are only so many combinations of shutter and aperture that you can use on a specific shot. Composition is a different matter entirely. Composition cannot be defined, there are no . . . → Read More: Photography Quick Tips: The rule of thirds

Photography Tips – No more blow outs. Seeing through windows.

 

Bedroom no flash

Bedroom with Flash

There are many situations when a photographer needs to convey interior AND exterior details in the same image. Since exposure values are so different between inside and outside, it is impossible to show detail in both areas in one shot. You have to choose whether . . . → Read More: Photography Tips – No more blow outs. Seeing through windows.

Aperture 2 Tutorials #1 – Importing and Organizing Photos

Aperture 2 can be a daunting program without any guidance. The following video is the first tutorial in a series designed to make using Aperture 2 easier to use. This video covers workflow from beginning to end, importing photos and getting organized. Excerpt from the video:

  1. Create a folder called “dump folder” on your desktop. This is a permanent folder, you will use it to temporarily hold all new pictures until they are uploaded into an Aperture 2 Library.
  2. Create a folder with a name you would like to have for the project. We will call this folder “House Plant Photos.”
  3. Set Image Capture to import into the “dump folder.” Download Images.
  4. Drag the images from the “dump folder” into the project folder.
  5. Watch the video below to learn the rest!

. . . → Read More: Aperture 2 Tutorials #1 – Importing and Organizing Photos