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The Winners!

The PCPhoto Your Best Shot Photo Contest ran in late 2007, and it took the Your Best Shot section of our website to a whole new level!

We invited readers to submit their coolest shots and, after sifting through almost 3,000 submissions, we finally chose one Grand Prize winner and two First Place Winners. The People's Choice winner was chosen by the votes of readers from around the world.

And while the contest is over, you still can hit us with your best shot. Submit your best photo to our online gallery and you only can earn a few bragging rights, but inspire your fellow photographers.

Thanks for participating in this contest. Congratulations to all!

Grand Prize Winner: Xiang Gao
First Place Winner: David Easley	First Place Winner: Ellie Rogalski	People's Choice Winner: P.T. Sullivan

Honorable Mentions

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eNewsletter (Working)

Buyers Guide 2008: Digital SLRs
Whether you're a beginner graduating from a compact or a professional looking to expand your digital repertoire, there's a D-SLR to match your experience. more...

Point And Shoot Like A Pro
Program your camera with these staple exposure modes to give your photos that professional touch, with a mere roll of a button. more...

Effective Flash
Take advantage of flash photography to give mediocre settings that pop of brilliance they lack and create dynamic photos. Don't let this valuable tool go to waste. more...

Photographing Festivals
Learn the importance of camera settings and lens choice to take command and be prepared to capture unforgettable moments of action and excitement. more...

PCPhoto's Your Best Shot Photo Contest
Here's your chance to win a Canon EOS 40D or Nikon D300 D-SLR camera or $1,500 in cash! Enter the Your Best Shot Photo Contest and show us if you have an eye for the best. Entries must be received by February 15, 2008. more...

Get Weekly Inspiration!
PCPhoto Tip Of The Week is here-click here to check it out!

Digital Photo Academy
If you got or gave a new digital camera this past holiday season, the perfect follow up is a gift certificate to Digital Photo Academy, available year round. To learn more, click here, and sign up online for live classes that are offered for Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced shooters.

Introducing Q&A: Talk to us!

Our new Tip of the Week section is growing fast, and here's your chance to get more into the action!

Question: What's one tip you want to share with the editors at PCPhoto? Submit your tip by December 31, 2007, for a chance to win Tamron AF18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) lens-and we may include your submission as a future Tip of the Week!*

Send your replies to pc_feedback@wernerpublishing.com

Tamron's new high-power zoom lens is a photographer's dream come true. While conventional 35mm film cameras required two lenses to cover 28-388mm, Tamron's new zoom is 13.9x, the world's most powerful zoom, delivering enormous photographic freedom in a single compact lens.

The Magical Adventures Photo Contest
The contest has ended, but the People's Choice Awards has just begun. Hurry! Cast your vote for one photo in each of these categories:

Nature/Landscapes, Culture/People and Wildlife. Voting period ends January 14, 2008. more...

CalibrateNow.net
One of the greatest advantages of digital photography is how it provides us complete control over our images. However, that can also result in one of its greatest challenges: matching what we see on the monitor to whats produced in the final print. Learn the ins and outs of color calibration in a special Web community created for readers of PCPhoto. more...

Exclusive Tips From Our Editors
Today's Tips: Flash Diffusers moreâ¦

Enter Our January/February 2008 WIN THIS! Sweepstakes for a chance to win one of the following prizes: Maha PowerEx Imedion batteries; scanning services at ScanCafe; Color Efex Pro 3.0 from Nik Software; and Corel's upgraded Paint Shop Pro Photo X2! Click here to enter!

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Learn more about digital photography and share your thoughts in the PCPhoto online forums. more...

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First Looks by The Editors
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Blog

Another Historic Female Photojournalist by William Sawalich We just love a good human interest story, don’t we? Just yesterday I mentioned Vivian Maier’s "too-good-to-be-true" discovery, the unknown master finally getting her due for her phenomenal photographs. Ms. Maier’s story has definitely captured hearts and minds, and there’s another elderly woman with a great photographic story garnering well deserved, if belated, attention. The Today show recently interviewed Ruth Gruber who, at 100 years old is being recognized for her photographs of holocaust survivors as a young photojournalist in the 1940s. The piece was made in conjunction with a Showtime documentary of Ms. Gruber called Ahead of Time. Look for it on the cable network through the end of March and learn more about this interesting woman.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41886858#41886858
http://www.sho.com/site/movies/movie.do?seriesid=0&seasonid=0&episodeid=137686
Lightroom For JPEGs by William Sawalich I have an avid photographer friend with tons of experience who refuses to shoot RAW. I, on the other hand, swear by them. And since I started using Lightroom as my image management and RAW processing software, I've become an even bigger fan of RAW. Heck, Lightroom might be part of the reason I'm such a believer in shooting RAW. Well now, just recently I did the unthinkable—and something I can honestly say I had never done before: I accidentally shot JPEGs. (I'd let the friend in question use the camera, and voila, he switched it to JPEG and I didn't think to switch it back.) It was only in the Lightroom processing that I realized, hey, wait a minute, these are JPEGs! I panicked. But in fact since I'd done most of what I'd planned to do in camera, it will all work out in the end. I also discovered this: Lightroom is an excellent platform for not only organizing, browsing and managing JPEG files, and it's great for editing them too. Many of those same RAW adjustments can be easily made to JPEGs in Lightroom—just without the extremes of adjustability. It led me to this realization: Lightroom works great for JPEG files too. I'm now going to start advocating for those of you who insist on shooting JPEGs to consider switching to Lightroom for the bulk of your image management and editing workflow. Here's a great discussion of JPEG-specific Lightroom issues in the Adobe forums.

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4257780
Photos Of Wreckage With Happy Endings by William Sawalich Here's a fascinating collection of photographs that may at first glance appear to be a bit intense, but you don't have to feel bad about viewing any of them. They each depict "genuine miracles." Photographer Dietmar Eckell has traveled the world photographing the wreckage of downed airplanes in which all of the passengers survived. Eckell has many more images on his web site, along with other photographs outlining his fascination with images of abandoned places and things. He's currently in the midst of an Indiegogo campaign to print a book of the "miraculous wreckage" photographs, as well as the stories about the planes and those who walked away intact.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/04/happy-end-photos-of-miraculous-airplane-crashes-where-all-passengers-survived/
100 Photographers You Must Know by William Sawalich There's no quicker way to annoy people en masse than to compile a list of some number of the best of some thing. Whether that's the 100 best Rock 'n Roll albums of all time, or the ten best cars produced this year. Even so, these lists are always fun, fun, fun. And here's a list A Photo Editor pointed to from Professional Photographer, a UK publication, compiling the 100 most influential photographers of all time. Surely designed to incite a little bit of outrage and discussion, that's a good thing. This list is, more than anything, a teaching tool. I'm familiar with the work of most of the photographers on this list, but there are certainly several that cause my mental canvas to draw a blank. The point is, we should all print out this list—whether or not we agree with it—and learn the work of each of these photographers. Study it, in fact, in hopes that some of their genius will subtly rub off on our own aesthetics and into our pictures. If all great artists copy, you could certainly do worse than copying the best of the best. I know I'm going to make it a deliberate goal, starting with the work of #50 on this list, British fashion and documentary photographer Corinne Day, with whom I'm fairly unfamiliar.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2012/09/18/100-most-influential-photographers-of-all-time
http://www.corinneday.co.uk/
27 Reasons To Take Your Camera Out When It Snows by William Sawalich It can be really difficult to take your camera out when it's cold and snowy. Lenses can fog, fingers can freeze, even walking a few blocks can become a life-altering challenge. The benefits, of course, involve the opportunity to make great photos in a world blanketed by seamless, beautiful white snow. Lightstalking not long ago listed 27 great reasons to bring your camera out in the snow. Really, though, it was a collection of 27 great snow images; the reasons were simply implied. So I decided to think about a few actual reasons, and here are the ten I came up with.

1. Everything looks unique when blanketed with snow, and that's inherently interesting.
2. The aforementioned blanket of white is also really, really beautiful.
3. Shooting high key, where you shift everything toward overexposed, is much easier.
4. You get great fill from snow, making contrast easier to control.
5. Shooting after dusk is easier, because it's so much brighter.
6. It's quieter, which can actually make it very pleasurable to photograph in snow.
7. Silhouettes can be simpler because of the bright white background.
8. Graphic simplicity can be much easier in the snow.
9. Simple things look cuter—pets, people, homes—when surrounded by snow.
10. You can have hot chocolate when you get back, and you'll enjoy it much more than if you just had the hot chocolate without going out in the snow and taking great pictures.

Be sure to check out the great gallery of snowy images that inspired my list at lightstalking.com.

http://www.lightstalking.com/27-reasons-to-bring-your-camera-out-when-it-starts-snowing
35mm Photo Montages by William Sawalich When I was in college, a popular art class photo assignment was to create a photo montage. Of course, I'm ancient and that meant we were using film for these montages. My favorite approach, probably because it was the most fun, was to incorporate the format of the film itself to make these images. On a 36-exposure roll of 35mm, for example, you might do seven rows of five, or five rows of seven, or even six rows of six to create a framework montage that uses the very nature of the film roll to help contribute to the composition. Though I did make some neat work with this approach, it all pales in comparison to Thomas Kellner who takes this concept to the not-so-logical but oh-so-wonderful next step—massive montages. He creates strips of multiple rolls, say 24 frames across by 30 or more rolls in the vertical dimension. It's a great effect. Beautiful work, and definitely worth a look for appreciation as well as inspiration.

http://www.designboom.com/art/photo-montages-of-famous-landmark-by-thomas-kellner
50 Years Of Jerry Uelsmann by William Sawalich Think of this as a multipurpose post. On the one hand, if you're already aware of the mastery of black & white darkroom wizard Jerry Uelsmann and his ethereal, otherworldly photographic constructions, then this post can simply serve to make you aware of a new gallery show highlighting work from throughout his 50-year career at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, California. If you're anywhere near the Central Coast, make time in the next couple of months to visit his "Dances with Negatives" exhibition. The other purpose of this post is as an introduction for the unfortunate folks who aren't yet familiar with Mr. Uelsmann's fantastic photographs. So, for their information, Jerry Uelsmann is an amazing photographer you should definitely know about. Learn more about him at his web site, and at the Center for Photographic Arts web site as well.

www.photography.org
www.uelsmann.net
A Ban on D-SLR Bans by William Sawalich I’m instituting a ban on reporting about ridiculously improbably D-SLR bans. I hate to say "I told you so," especially because I didn’t. But when I first read about the ban of D-SLR cameras in Kuwait it seemed to crazy to be true. I suppose the best news usually is, but still—it just seemed like the kind of improbable story that spreads like wildfire before anyone’s ever considered whether or not its true. It was the talk of the town, er, the photo-blogosphere, all week. And now, finally, comes the truth: it ain’t real. Read all about it, especially the part where the Kuwait Times printed a retraction of the original story, at The Online Photographer.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2010/11/kuwait-times-issues-retraction.html
A Camera So Tasty You Can Eat It by William Sawalich The calendar's quickly turning to a whole new year, but if you act fast you can keep the holiday spirit alive for just a little longer with help from my favorite ridiculous photographic web site Photojojo and its recipe for gingerbread cameras. It's total photo geekery, I know, but I also know I'm not hip enough to deny how great these look. I can make no judgments regarding tastiness, but I guarantee these designs to be in perfectly good taste! Check out the blog post at http://content.photojojo.com/diy/gingerbread-cameras and then get to baking. Feel free to send the leftovers my way, too.
A Camera-On-Camera Rig That Shoots Photos And Videos Simultaneously by William Sawalich Photographers are being pressed, like so many employees at so many companies, to do more and more with less and less. Americans are actually incredibly productive with our working hours, which is part of the reason companies don't need to hire so many employees any more. For photographers, doing more these days often means shooting video as well. Commercial clients ask for it, and newspapers often expect it as well. With photo staffs being cut around the country, photographers who can deliver photos and video are able to enhance their job security too. The problem with shooting photos and video simultaneously is that it's nearly impossible to do these two things actually simultaneously. Normally the endeavor requires a decision at every given instance, to capture stills or video. The shooter is constantly reassessing and switching between the two. New York Times staff photographer Doug Mills devised an ingenious—albeit hefty—rig that allows him to actually shoot photos and videos simultaneously. Read all about it at the Lens blog, and watch the video of Mr. Mills in action.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/13/shooting-twice-at-once/
A close-to-home photo safari by William Sawalich Let’s face it: much as I’d love to try my long lenses photographing wildlife on an African safari, I’m much more likely to photograph exotic animals at the local zoo. And that’s okay, I say, because a beautiful photograph is a beautiful photograph no matter where it’s made. If you’re planning your own zoological photo safari, there are a few special precautions to take. True, you have a much lower chance of being trampled by a rhino at the zoo than on the open plain, but there are other problems. Things like enclosures and power lines and other manmade structures that sort of spoil the wild appearance of your wildlife images. To do a better job of eliminating these, use the longest lens you can and create the shallowest depth of field with a wide open aperture. To read more about the specific challenges of photographing at the zoo, check out this recent Lightstalking post. It may not offer advice on wildlife photography in general, but it does prepare you for the specific challenges of photographing at the zoo.

lightstalking.com
A Collection Of Early Kodak Award Winners by William Sawalich In what appear to be some of Kodak's most trying times, The New York Times Lens blog has given us a beautiful tribute to happier days around Rochester. This great gallery of images from the early 20th century is filled with award-winning snapshots from Kodak's formative years. These images were submitted to contests hosted by "Big Yellow" and they serve not only to showcase life from a different era, but just how amazing even a snapshot photograph—made with the most rudimentary films in rudimentary cameras—can be. And that is a testament to the real power of a photograph: it's not about the gear that made it, but the vision of the photographer along with the magic of the moment and the technique (which, of course, does include the equipment). If these folks can do it, we can do it.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/an-amateur-snapshot-of-kodaks-early-days/
A commercial that doubles as a really interesting video. by William Sawalich Ever since I interviewed adventure photographer Tyler Stableford for a DPP profile a few years ago I’ve been a big fan of his work. Not only does Tyler create great pictures, he’s a downright master of the business and digital sides of photography. He apparently likes Lightroom, as he was tasked with using it recently on assignment for Adobe’s new 3.0 version of the software. The resulting commercial can be found on YouTube, and while it’s a sponsored advertisement, it’s also a really interesting look into how he works in the field as well as the digital workflow of a phenomenal photographer. Check it out.

youtube.com
A cool camera tool by William Sawalich A great tip, from a great blog. Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools offers up a reader suggestion every day for a tool that is, well, really cool. Preference is given to tools that can be put to use for something other than their original intention—like using a rubber band as a photographic device. More specifically, you can use that rubber band to remove stuck filters from the front of your lens. It’s a great idea—one of those "why didn’t I think of that before" moments. Read all about it at Cool Tools, and stick around to check out all the other great tool ideas—like plastic banana keepers and custom igloo builders and bright lights just for your hands!

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/004690.php
A double-shot of surf culture by William Sawalich Surf photography's always cool, but even cooler when it documents a bit of history and lost culture—as this collection of photography by surf legend LeRoy Grannis does. His photographs document the 1960s and 70s surf photography era of southern California. A neat collection both for the glimpse of a time gone by, and for the interesting surf and beach photography. Add to that an equally interesting historical Southern California surfer-esque series and you've got a double-shot of great surf-inspired images. These photos document the dawn of skateboarding, when a drought in Southern California in 1975 inspired young surfers to figure out a great use for dried up backyard swimming pools. That's how a whole new sport, and skate culture, was born. I'm struck by just how timeless so many of these images are.

http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/the-photography-of-leroy-grannis-legendary-liver-chronicler-of-california-surf-culture/
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/11/30/hugh-holland-locals-only
A DSLR Allergy Warning by William Sawalich Here's a new one: an allergy warning about a camera. It seems that a chemical reaction can occur in the rubber handgrips of the Canon EOS 650D (the Rebel T4i) which turns the grips visibly white. That whiteness, it seems, is a chemical known as Zinc bis—which everybody knows can cause allergic reactions. (You knew that, right?) If you find that you have an affected model—which you can check via Canon's web site—well, frankly, you should wash your hands after touching the camera. It seems this only affects a tiny batch of cameras made for just two weeks this spring, but if you find yourself in possession of an affected model—which you test by entering your serial number at the second link below—follow instructions on the site as Canon will be happy to remedy the situation.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/07/10/canon-warns-of-allergen-in-650d-T4i-grip
http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/serial/eosdigital1/x6i-650d-t4i.html
A Few Great Tripod Accessories by William Sawalich I love my tripod, and I feel like it's fairly tricked out: it's got legs and a geared head I love… and that's about it. I never give much thought to tripod accessories, or I never did until I read this great post by Photo Naturalist Steve Berardi. He suggests three simple—and yes, amazing—accessories for tripods. The first one is an L-shaped bracket that keeps your camera centered over the legs even when positioned in the vertical axis. He had me with this one; I hate the way my camera dangles there over the side of my tripod whenever I go vertical. Not only do I hate it, it tends to mess me up when I've worked to center myself precisely for a composition. I won't give away the other two accessories, so you'll have to go read about them for yourself. Trust me when I say that your tripod CAN be tricked out, and it's probably a great way to improve your tripod efficiency too.

http://photonaturalist.net/3-great-tripod-accessories
A Filmless Kodak by William Sawalich It's hard to imagine a time when film and paper icon Kodak will stop making photographic film and paper altogether. While I think many of us assumed it would slow to a trickle years before the official "end" of such production (well, at least I assumed that), it turns out it's going to be a lot more like the flipping of a switch that stops the flow of film and paper out of Rochester. Last week Kodak announced plans to sell off its film and photo paper businesses, which would mean the company will focus primarily on its industrial businesses (i.e. government contracts) and consumer inkjet technologies. A bigger question, perhaps, is who on earth might buy this type of business? Sure there's still demand, but it's clearly a shrinking proposition. How could a competitor purchase a business for what it's valued at today if it's clearly understood that it will be worth significantly less with every passing day? It will be interesting to see if Kodak can find a buyer, and who that buyer might be. A former competitor in the film and paper markets, perhaps? Or maybe a digital imaging company looking for an entree into this particular (shrinking) photographic niche? Either way, as long as some one picks up the torch to carry on, I'll be happy. Though it's still tough to see Kodak transformed into a shell of its once dominant self.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/08/kodak-to-sell-film-and-paper-business.html
A Gallery Of Great Bodies by William Sawalich ESPN The Magazine is giving Sports Illustrated a run for its money. Here they've published a great gallery of nudes that is sure to rival any swimsuit issue for eye-popping attention. I should point out that in the grand scheme of things these pictures are totally tame—although I know I should qualify that with the disclaimer that if nudity of any sort will get you in trouble then this gallery is definitely not safe for work. The point, though, is that it's a stunning gallery of photographs of athletes made for ESPN's annual "Bodies We Want" feature. These awesome images were made by a variety of photographers and include a number of athletes who are sure to inspire equal amounts of envy and lust.
http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/7030506/bodies-want-2011#1
Photo by Alan Clarke
A Glimpse At Nat Geo's Frontrunner Contest Photos by William Sawalich Every year, National Geographic hosts a photography contest. Well the submissions for this year's contest are now in, and while we wait for the votes to be tabulated the fine folks at National Geographic have shared a selection of their favorite entries. One of the most fun and interesting accompaniments to these tremendous photographs is the captions, unfiltered and unvarnished and provided by the photographers themselves. These amazing photographs deserve to be seen, even if they don't end up winning the contest in the end.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/11/spectacular-entries-to-the-2012-national-geographic-photography-contest
A Good Guy Wins by William Sawalich Every so often a good guy wins. It appears that has happened in the case of photographer Mike Mitchell and his decades-old run-in with the fab four. When Mitchell was just 18 years old the Beatles arrived in the United States. The young photographer was assigned to cover their visit and subsequent performance in Washington DC, which he did nobly. He then forgot about the pictures for nearly half a century. He recently re-discovered them, made prints, and decided to put them up for auction. To say the Christie's auction went off without a hitch is a gross understatement. Read all about Mike's endearing story, and the story of these great pictures of the Beatles, at the Online Photographer blog.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2011/07/mike-mitchell-and-the-beatles.html
A Good Place To Start by William Sawalich Know any beginning photographers? Anybody looking for a little insight into the use of a brand new D-SLR? Both of these groups could benefit from a peek at this post from Digital Photography School. "A 15-minute lesson for the photography beginner" offers a few choice answers to a few common newbie questions. Should I use Auto mode? When should I try the other settings? How fast of a shutter speed should I use to stop motion? What about if I want to enhance it? A quick perusal of this introductory post by Peter West Carey is a great place to start figuring out how to use a new camera, or how to get better with one you've had for a good long time.
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/a-15-minute-lesson-for-the-photography-beginner
Photo by Peter West Carey
A Great Video About Sibling Photojournalists by William Sawalich Yet another reason to love YouTube. It's like the library of congress for quirky videos. Do you remember a great news item from 15 years ago? Check YouTube and, sure enough, it probably lives there. The 15-year-old piece in this case is a great interview and exploration of the work of twin brother photographers Peter and David Turnley. These world-class photojournalists can teach all of us a thing or two about documentary photography, and image gathering in general. It's interesting enough that twin brothers both became prize-winning photographers; even more so when you consider just how competitive they are. The nice thing about the 60 minutes story is that it isn’t just a mere glimpse, but a real in-depth exploration; this piece, called Double Exposure, comes in at nearly 14 minutes long. It's intense but worthwhile. Thanks to Michael Johnston at The Online Photographer for linking to this interesting video.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2011/02/double-exposure.html
A guide for pricing photography by William Sawalich With more and more amateur photographers dipping their toes in the waters of paid photography, there's a lot of discussion these days about exactly what to charge for assignments. The conventional wisdom seems to be that newbies aren't sure of what to charge, and so they underbid established photographers quite significantly, which has a triple effect: the newbie is paid less than a fair value for the work, the established photographer loses income altogether, and the market value of photography in total goes down. This is not good for photographers at all, new or old, period. Now there's a new web site called Shakodo that aims to help new photographers determine what to charge for their work. It's not a price guide per se, but rather a venue where photographers can share ideas, facts and figures on pricing all kinds of photography. If you're considering charging for a photo shoot, even if it's just a one-time thing, have a look at Shakodo and see if it helps put more money in your pocket.

http://www.shakodo.com
A Hacking Story Serves As A Reminder About Backing Up Important Files by William Sawalich Last week a hacker made news outside of the blogosphere when Wired writer Mat Honan was the unfortunate victim of a cyber attack that exploited weaknesses in Amazon and Apple security systems in order to gain access to, and eventually eliminate, all of the data (including photographs) on Honan's iPhone, iPad and laptop. It's an interesting story for anyone who relies on technology to manage personal data, but even more interesting for those of us with tons of invaluable images in our care. Interestingly, it turns out this article includes mention of Peter Krogh's DPBestflow 3-2-1 backup strategy, advocating three backups comprised of two different formats and one off site. That's a strategy I've been espousing for years, one that most people think seems like it would be just too much trouble. I've long advocated for keeping a backup of everything not only off-site but in the cloud, and it's good to get a little bit of validation in this instance. Just a shame Honan had to lose irreplaceable photographs in the process. Read the story for its general interest appeal, or to give yourself a potentially necessary kick in the pants to get your backups in order. Either way it's quite worthwhile.

http://news.doddleme.com/news-room/a-serious-hack-affects-amazon-and-apple-why-you-should-be-concerned
A History Of Photographic Firsts by William Sawalich Here's a fun little post from BuzzFeed. It's a collection of historical photographs that represent photographic firsts. For instance, Niepce's famous "first photograph ever" is included, as is a personal favorite of mine—Louis Daguerre's street view of Boulevard du Temple in Paris, which accounts for the first photograph of a person. (Interestingly, the person was visible because he stood still long enough while getting his boots polished to register on the film.) Also included are a bunch of other images I'd never seen before, but which remain interesting nonetheless—like the first night view of wildlife and the first image of a tornado. It's a fun collection, well worth a look.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/firsts-in-the-field-of-photography
A Holster for your Camera by William Sawalich
File this under, “why didn’t I think of that.” Turns out I would have scoffed at something like the Spider Camera Holster a few years ago as overkill, or just another piece of photo gear to satisfy the photo geek. Who really has a problem with regular straps and supports? But then I shot events for a couple of years with my typical camera-carrying approach, which was to put my wrist through the camera strap in a particular way, locking it around my elbow so that the camera was in my hand and ready to go without being hung around my neck. The problem is, after shooting this way for several years I’ve developed a significant issue: tendonitis. More specifically, tennis elbow – or in my case, photography elbow. And it hurts. I don't mean it's a little sore, I mean knee buckling pain if I reach for a cup of coffee the wrong way. The point is, the repetitive injury from lifting my camera to my eye hundreds of thousands of times is a serious problem. I now have to wear an elbow brace if I'm going to be shooting an event or other situation in which I'll be shooting candid shots for hours and days at a time. It may not be super cool, but it's a lot better than constant excruciating pain. If a device like this can aid other photographers who have neck, back or shoulder problems from the way they carry their cameras, I say, “Don’t be shy.” Use this support before it’s too late. Maybe this is next for me because now I sling two SLRs around my neck when I shoot events. I look a little bit like a geeky tourist, but I'm a lot more comfortable. And I cry less after photo shoots. Check out this SLR Lounge review of the camera holster and see if it’s for you.
slrlounge.com

spiderholster.com
A Kickstarter Success Story by William Sawalich I love the idea behind the web site Kickstarter, especially as it relates to creatives. You get an idea, you need to raise funds to make that idea a reality, you start a Kickstarter project and folks all over the world can contribute to projects they believe in—or the ones that offer the best schwag in exchange for a monetary pledge. While I've seen interesting Kickstarter projects for photo books, travel magazines, gallery prints and even independent films, none of them have seen the success of this project by an inventor of an interesting piece of camera gear. It's the Capture Camera Clip system, which is designed to let you securely hold your camera on your belt, without worrying about camera straps and too much fuss. The device sure sparked the interest of lots of other photographers, because as of this writing almost 5,200 of them have contributed a whopping $370,000—a significant success when you consider that the inventor, Peter Dering, was looking to raise just $10,000 in order to complete an initial production run of the product. Check out his Kickstarter page, consider contributing, and look for this neat device as soon as it's released.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/97103764/capture-camera-clip-system
A Kinder, Gentler Approach To HDR by William Sawalich Start talking about HDR image-making and you're bound to get some passionate responses. Those who love it really love it, for its bright colors and extreme detail. Those who hate it, hate it for its bright colors and extreme detail. One thing tends to hold true, though, and that's when you're talking about most HDR images you're talking about bright colors and extreme detail. But HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It's not an acronym that in itself means candy colors and hyperreal sharpness. HDR tools have simply been used in that way, and often overused, so that's what most everybody thinks of when they think of HDR. No more, though. HDR photography doesn't have to be quite so extreme. In fact, in this great tutorial from Digital Photography School, you can learn how to use HDR tools to produce decidedly atypical HDR images. It's a subtler HDR technique, and one that's invaluable for contrast control. That makes it one of the best ways to make a beautiful image in a tricky lighting situation.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-create-a-realistic-hdr-image-a-simple-and-fun-method-to-create-a-hdr-image-without-photomatix
A Large Format Platinum Portrait Project by William Sawalich I don't know Cleveland-based photographer Herbert Ascherman personally, but I've known of his commercial work for many years thanks to a mutual friend. So you can imagine my surprise when he turned up in a recent American Society of Media Photographers bulletin showcasing a tremendous personal project: 8x10 platinum portraits of The Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota. Mr. Ascherman closed his commercial photography studio in the wake of the digital revolution and picked up an 8x10 Deardorff view camera instead. Using black & white film to photograph Native American tribes in much the same way Edward S. Curtis did almost 150 years ago, Mr. Ascherman has created a long-lasting body of work with an antique process perfectly suited to the subject and his style of shooting. Please visit the ASMP web site to see a variety of portraits from the project, as well as an interview with the photographer himself.

http://asmp.org/articles/best-2010-ascherman.html
A Look At An Amazing Photographer by William Sawalich The online photographer, Michael Johnston, always has great content on his photo blog. Still, he sometimes manages to surprise me—as he just did by linking to the work of a photographer I've never heard of, but who is clearly a master of documentary photography. Gueorgui Pinkhassov is a Russian photographer and a member of Magnum—so you know he truly is a world-class photographer. His photographs have a timeless quality, much the same way as many of my favorite Magnum photographers such as Steve McCurry, Alec Soth and—dare I say it, even the man himself—Henri Cartier-Bresson.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/11/random-excellence-gueorgui-pinkhassov.html
A Look Inside A Lighting Kit by William Sawalich You can learn a lot about still photography by studying filmmaking. (The reverse is probably true too, right?) With the ever-increasing convergence between photography and video production, I find that I'm paying increasingly more attention to what's happening in the video world. Case in point: The Frugal Film Maker, Scott Eggleston, is a DIY video guy, and in a recent episode (highlighted on the DIY Photography blog) he breaks down all the great gear he carries in his lighting kit. It's great stuff, very helpful if you're trying to outfit your own location lighting kit—whether that's for stills or video, and it's especially perfect if you're doing a little of both.

http://www.diyphotography.net/do-you-carry-a-lighting-kit-in-your-trunk
A Look Inside The Internet by William Sawalich It really is a series of tubes! The Internet, that is. And I've confirmed this because Google recently released the first-ever photos from inside one of its massive data centers. As the Colossal blog put it, "This is where the internet lives." Not only is it cool to get a glimpse inside the innermost workings of the Google machine, the photographs themselves are pretty stellar. The photographer is Connie Zhou, and she's definitely done justice to this tremendous and unique subject. It's a must see.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/10/where-the-internet-lives-the-first-ever-glimpse-inside-googles-data-centers/
A Must-Have For Every Camera Bag by William Sawalich Carry a trash bag. There, I blew all the mystery about this post right there in the first paragraph. Steve Berardi, the PhotoNaturalist, thinks there's one item everyone who ever sets foot in the out of doors with a camera in hand should be carrying inside their camera bag. It's a simple trash bag, which has a million uses. Most notably, it's the perfect protector in case it starts to rain. But it's also handy to become a makeshift light diffuser for a macro photograph, and it can even become a bit of a softbox for a flash if you're in a pinch—something I've written about on this very web site. Check out PhotoNaturalist to get the scoop straight from the horse's mouth, and then be sure to peruse the plentiful reader comments for a bunch of other great reasons why you should carry this must-have accessory. And in the meantime, just trust me and stuff a trash bag inside your camera bag.

http://photonaturalist.net/something-that-should-be-in-every-camera-bag.
A Must-See NPR Picture Show by William Sawalich This is a pretty amazing photographic experience courtesy of NPR. It's the discovery of lost photographs by Charles Cushman, a hobbyist photographer who started photographing in the 1930s and continued shooting for more than 30 years. The bulk of his archive of almost 15,000 images is housed at Indiana University, and these missing photos—found by photo historian Rich Remsberg in boxes destined for the dumpster—had been separated from the larger collection. What's most unique about the images, perhaps, is that they depict America in color in an era we're generally only used to seeing in black & white. The NPR multimedia presentation makes wonderful use of audio narration to tell this tremendous story; it's a wonderful way to use the web to share photographs and tell stories, and I hope we start to see many more presentations like it.

http://www.npr.org/news/specials/2012/cushman
A New Take On Underwater Photography by William Sawalich Ever wonder what would happen if you dropped your D-SLR into the sea? Well now we know: the camera might be kaput, but your pictures would likely remain intact on the CF card for a long, long time. Chase Jarvis linked to the story of Markus Thompson, a diver who recently found a Digital Rebel at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. He brought the camera to the surface, salvaged its memory card and was actually able to download the data. That in itself is cool enough to be noteworthy, but the story gets even better. Given the connected world we live in, perhaps it's no surprise that Thompson wanted to find the camera's rightful owner in order to deliver the photos. And he did. Read all about it at Jarvis's blog, then click through to Thompson's original Google+ post to see how the recovery unfolded.

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/11/your-photo-data-is-safe-underwater
A new Tronix Explorer Battery To Power Your Life by William Sawalich Rob Galbraith recently delivered news of a new product I'm especially excited about. It's the Tronix Explorer Mini battery pack. Technically it's a pure sine wave inverter, but I'm no electrical engineer and I don't exactly know what that means. What I do know is that it acts like a big old battery to power my strobes or my laptop or just about anything that requires a regular household AC connection. I have a bigger Tronix Explorer pack, the XT, which, after several years of powering my strobes on location shoots is nearing the end of its useful life, so I'm ready to upgrade. Why wouldn't I consider a more compact power source like the new Mini? At about the size of a first generation cell phone, bag and all, this $350 product ships direct from Innovatronix in the Phillippines. Check the Innovatronix web site for pertinent info, and to order the new Mini.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11532-11617
A Phone That Thinks It’s a Camera by William Sawalich This is weird, and I feel strange even mentioning it. It’s a phone that's a camera. Or at least it thinks it is. The camera maker (phone company) has decided is worthy of its own school for learning how to use it. It’s the Nokia N8, and it’s got a bit of an identity crisis. Apparently it’s got at least some point-and-shoot camera chops, because Nokia is treating this phone really seriously as a camera. As in, they have an online camera school dedicated to using the N8. I’m not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, if you're going to carry a phone (which you are) and if it's going to have a camera (which it will) and you're going to use it (which inevitably you will) then it might as well be fantastic and amazing. On the other hand, with all of this hubbub about increasingly great cameras in phones, are we just settling for really poor versions of what an inexpensive point and shoot could do much better? Either way, the technology keeps moving forward, and that’s definitely all positive. Somebody wake me when my cell phone has interchangeable lenses, okay?

http://conversations.nokia.com/2010/10/18/introducing-the-nokia-n8-camera-school/
A Photographic Menagerie by William Sawalich I've been a fan of the photography of Sharon Montrose for several years now. In fact, I've got one of her pictures hanging on my wall. It's a beautiful portrait of a mccaw. Yes, that's right, she makes bird portraits. And donkey portraits. And monkeys and owls and porcupines. She makes sublime images of all sorts of animals, and they're somehow dignified and funny and beautiful all at once. They're simply wonderful, which is why I was thrilled to learn of her brand new book, Menagerie. I'm definitely going to be purchasing a few of these to hand out as gifts this holiday season. It seems like a perfect present for anyone from designers to animal lovers to kids. Check out more of Sharon's work at her commercial site, or order a signed copy of the book or art prints of her images at her Animal Print Shop web site.

http://www.theanimalprintshop.com/menagerie-signed-copy
A photographic Rube Goldberg Contraption by William Sawalich Not long ago a video went viral and took the photo-blogosphere by storm. In case you haven't seen it, it features a photographic Rube Goldberg contraption in a four-minute free-for all that's as ridiculous as it is inspiring. (Minus the cheesy commercial endorsements built in.) The photographers of 2D Photography in Toronto crafted the fun project that certainly garnered them a bit of internet celebrity. Check out the video, as well as a behind the scenes look, at the 2D Photography web site. But that's not all I've got for you today. This video got me to thinking about some other great Rube Goldberg videos I've seen online. So I decided to compile a few and share them with you. There was a great one last year courtesy of the band OK Go, and one I remember enjoying on the television show Mythbusters. But my absolute all-time favorite, and a veritable industry standard in Rube Goldberg contraptions, was a commercial for carmaker Honda. Produced in 2003 the video not only showcases the awe factor of an over-the-top contraption, but it is filmed and photographed beautifully. Inspiring all around.

http://2dphotography.ca/blog/2011/07/rube-goldberg/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCYg_gz4fDo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ve4M4UsJQo
A Photographic Scholarship by William Sawalich Photographers can now apply for a unique scholarship from the American Photographic Artists association and the Lucie Foundation. This award is a little different than most because it's more like a grant, and instead of being geared to young, "emerging" photographers its target audience includes working professionals too. A scholarship of $5,000 will be awarded to an established photographer to be used for a specific photographic project. The APA is a commercial photographers' organization, and the Lucie Foundation's mission is three tiered: to honor master photographers, discover and cultivate new talent and promote the appreciation of photography throughout the world. They're working together to benefit each of their constituencies, which in turn could benefit you. So if you've been looking for a way to fund a personal project you're passionate about, this may be the ideal opportunity. For more information and an application, visit the Lucie Foundation's web site.

http://www.luciefoundation.org/education/scholarship-APA_2011_2012.php
A real photographic use for the iPad by William Sawalich I first considered the practical uses of the Epson P series of digital backup devices a few years ago when I interviewed photographer Frans Lanting. He told me about taking the devices into the field when he shoots in exotic places; they are the perfect surrogate for a laptop where a laptop wouldn’t be practical. Lanting, and many photographers like him, shoot their gigs of data and then download it onto an Epson multimedia viewer to free CF card space and view shots on the built-in LCD screen. When they’re back in the world, they transfer the images from the viewer (the P-7000, for instance, has a 160GB capacity) to the computer and resume their normal workflow. But now there’s a new catch in that method: the iPad.

The iPad is a multimedia viewer of its own sort. An entirely different form factor and, as of now, still not available at the price and capacity of the Epson series of devices, but certainly this is something photographers can consider as a temporary holding tank when working far afield. The interesting thing about the device is the plethora of additional uses for the thing when it’s not being a photographic storage system. The presumed eventual popularity of the thing might make it an ideal interim archive, especially if we’re all carrying them already. But that’s all speculation at this point. After all, as currently priced and spec’d you be much better served by an Epson P-7000 in purely photo storage terms. Still, it’s interesting to see how photographers adapt to new technologies, and how new technologies adapt to photographers. Read up on the idea, including the comments of many photographers dealing directly with the issue, on Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider blog.

scottkelby.com
A Really Large Format Camera That Uses X-Ray Film by William Sawalich Some people build homemade cameras. I can see the appeal in this, although I wouldn't know where to begin trying to do it myself. One of the most intriguing aspects of building your own camera would be the ability to build it as big as you'd like—even if that's, say, 14x36 inches. Darren Samuelson is building a camera that big—which is so large that it uses x-ray film in lieu of traditional orthochromatic black and white photographic film. Check out this cool video of Darren in action with his big ol' camera at DIYPhotography.net. I guess in a world where film choices are fairly limited, x-ray film actually broadens the spectrum of options available to you.

http://www.diyphotography.net/diy-camera-uses-xray-sheets-for-film
A Remedy For Visual Bias by William Sawalich Do you ever feel like you're consistently producing photographs that are somehow skewed? What I mean is, do you find yourself occasionally producing work that is either too dark, or too light? Maybe too warm, or too cool? A lot of these problems are solved by keeping your monitor well controlled with profiling hardware, but I've found that I still develop habits that affect my work. Reading The Online Photographer recently I found a great way to combat at least one of those trends, and I put it to work immediately. You see, I'd been feeling that my work was erring on the "too bright" side. Not necessarily overexposed, but just brighter than I felt like it needed to be. And it occurred to me when reading about Canvas Value in Photoshop on TOP that my fairly bright computer background could be making me overcompensate in my photos, producing work that is brighter than it needs to be. So I adjusted my Photoshop Canvas Value to make it a fairly dark gray. Now when compared to the background against which I'm working, a slightly darker photo will appear "normal" and I'll be more inclined to produce subtly darker work—counteracting that disturbing trend that had been skewing my work of late. Sometimes it's the simplest techniques that have the biggest impact on your photographs.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/11/a-tip-canvas-value-in-photoshop.html
A Ring Light For Your iPhone. Really. by William Sawalich While I'm all for the democratization of photography and the wonderful advances in technology that have made iPhones some of the most popular—and frankly, some of the best—digital cameras on the market... Isn't it all getting a little bit ridiculous? Take, for instance, this iPhone ring light. Sure, it's all in good fun, and I'm sure if I had enough time and energy the thought of making a ringlight for my phone would be sort of appealing. But really, at the point at which we have so many accessories for our iPhones to make pictures, doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of the iPhone's camera, and eliminate what it is that makes the thing so great in the first place? Namely, that it's ever present in our pockets, always ready to go, which makes it invaluable. I certainly love the DIY photo blog, and I have to admit this is a fun project sure to generate plenty of comments if you were to actually put it into practice. But don't you think this post would be more fitting for April Fool's Day?

http://www.diyphotography.net/how-to-build-a-clever-iphone-ring-light
A Seasonal Time Lapse Of Fall Color by William Sawalich This is one of the greatest time-lapse videos I've ever seen. Filmmaker Jamie Scott not only made multiple exposures over the course of many minutes and hours, he returned to his Central Park locations time and time again over the course of six months, and because he set his tripod and lens and camera in the exact same way each time, his resulting time-lapse video shows the trees change colors and shed their leaves, in an instant. It's a beautiful work of art. To see more of his tremendous videos, visit his web site. He's got quite the portfolio of work, including many high-end commercials you're likely to be familiar with.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/11/fall-the-color-of-central-park-filmed-over-six-months
http://invisiblejam.com
A Shortcut To Using Shortcuts by William Sawalich I'm sort of cuckoo for shortcuts and timesavers when it comes to the computer-based part of my photographic workflow. I believe not only should you automate every repetitive task as much as possible, but you should also incorporate keyboard shortcuts—also called speedkeys—to make the hands-on tasks flow even faster. It really is amazing how much more efficient it is to be able to change tools and apply adjustments without having to use the mouse to navigate menus and palettes. With one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse or tablet, you can fly through your digital workflow. So here is a great list of ways you can incorporate speedkeys into your Lightroom usage. For those of you who don't use Lightroom, many of the principles at play also apply to other programs, so you can make your own cheat sheets and keyboard overlays for any software you'd like. Check it out at http://www.diyphotography.net/use-keyboard-shortcuts-expedite-your-lightroom-workflow.
A sneak peak at Blair Bunting by William Sawalich If I could be any photographer, there's a good chance I'd choose to be Blair Bunting. Not just because he's super talented and a master of complex studio portrait lighting, but because he's just 26 years old. That’s almost ten full years younger than me. What I would give to be young and talented. I recently had a nice long conversation with Blair, and now I’m even more impressed. I think he's going to become a superstar—if he isn’t considered one already. Talented, humble, inquisitive, compassionate... He's got a lot of qualities beyond pure lighting talent—which he possesses in spades. So if you'd like to get a sneak preview of an upcoming profile to appear in the pages of Digital Photo Pro, check out some of Blair’s newest work, updated weekly on his blog.

http://blairbunting.com/blog
A Stop-Motion Spectacle by William Sawalich Ever wonder what the flight from San Francisco to Paris really looks like from a window seat? Thanks to photographer "Boltron" (real name Nate Bolt; don't you just love the Internet age?) now you can see for yourself. Mr. Bolt made a time-lapse video called "San Francisco to Paris in Two Minutes." He shot a photo every couple of miles between take off and landing—documenting exotic sites including a gorgeous starlit dance with the aurora borealis—and constructed a very unique video out of the thousands of frames. I find it amazing that he was able to set up his tripod and time-lapse rig without causing too much ruckus among flight crew and fellow passengers. Check out the video on YouTube, and see more of his time-lapse projects at his Beep Show Tumblr blog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j36Erxd5rc
www.beepshow.com
A stunning Digital Composite by William Sawalich Ever wonder what you'd look like if you could average your face over a period of almost two years? Sort of a weird thought, I know, but by compositing together 500 images from the self-portrait-every-day project of Flickr user "clickflashwhirr," digital artist and designer Tiemen Rapati has figured it out. He determined the average tonal value of every given pixel within the frame (exactly how, I'm not sure—but that's his prerogative) and arrived at an "average" portrait—which also happens to be a beautiful photograph. It makes sense, too, as the details that change least from day to day (eyes, nose, mouth) are rendered sharpest in the image, while parts at the periphery (clothes, hair, accessories and background) all fade into a shapeless blur. The result is a nifty bit of computer-aided image-making, and one heck of a stunning portrait. Check it out at the Colossal blog and find out more via Mr. Rapati's own Flickr page.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2011/11/composite-photograph-made-from-500-self-portrait
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rapatski/5742643409
A Stunning Time Lapse Of Our Planet by William Sawalich Digital Photography Review recently linked to a phenomenal video created by combining still photographs shot by the International Space Station. The clips were compiled by German videographer Michael Konig who set them to music and turned them into something especially breathtaking. The NASA photos are beautiful on their own, but this is yet another example of how multimedia projects not only serve to showcase exceptional photography in a wonderful way, but to tell a story more completely. You really do get a sense for our planet's place in things, our human footprint, the way weather works and even a hint at what it must be like to float above it all in space.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2011/11/14/MichaelKonigNASAvideo
A talk With Photojournalist David Guttenfelder by William Sawalich The Atlantic's In Focus blog is a tremendous resource for appreciating fine photojournalism. And that's exactly what you can do with this tremendous post about photographer David Guttenfelder. I was unfamiliar with his name, but had definitely seen some of his amazing work. Guttenfelder just won the 2013 Infinity Awards from the International Center of Photography. He is currently the Chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, and he's stationed in North Korea—delivering a rare glimpse inside the country. He shows the propaganda, sure, but he also shows the beautiful mundanity of real life—each are equally fascinating and important. The interview at the In Focus blog is, in my opinion, absolutely one of the most important videos you can watch about a contemporary photojournalist.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/05/a-talk-with-ap-photographer-david-guttenfelder/100508/
A Tip About Tips by William Sawalich I love Lightroom. In the year and a half I've been using it the program has become an integral part—really, the linchpin—in my digital workflow. I'm a fairly new user, though, so I'm also always looking for tips about how to improve my efficiency and efficacy with the software. So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled across this tutorial, this collection of video tutorials, at the LightStalking web site. From improving print quality to changing the look of the interface to watermarking tips, there are a whole bunch of tips in this tip—more than ten of them—making it well worth the free price of admission.

http://www.lightstalking.com/lightroom-tutorials
A Titan Pinhole Camera by William Sawalich If you're either, A) really into depth of field, or B) really into pinhole cameras, or C) really into 8x10 film... then have I got the camera for you. It's the Harman Titan 8x10 pinhole camera. The British company known to American film lovers primarily as Ilford retails it for only about 300£ (which equates to something along the lines of $450 U.S.). At f/288 it's about ten stops darker than f/8, so you'll need a lot of light or a long shutter speed. But still, it's a pretty cool camera if you're into that sort of thing. I might have to give it a shot, if only I like any large format camera that can be had for under 500 dollars.

http://www.diyphotography.net/the-ilford-harman-titan-is-an-f288-beast
http://www.harmanexpress.com/prod/96/HARMAN-TiTAN-Pinhole-Camera-8x10in-Accessories.htm
A Visual Compendium Of Cameras by William Sawalich This I love. Are you a camera buff? Of course you are; we all are, in one way or another, right? Well, the talented artists and designers at the Pop Chart Lab have created a poster called A Visual Compendium of Cameras, and it beautifully illustrates the evolution of the camera from the 19th to the 21st century—so far—and includes favorite cameras we love, as well as I'm sure some cameras we've loved to hate. It's a must for your darkroom wall, or, I guess, maybe you could hang it over your computer workstation. A fun work of art for us gearheads.

http://popchartlab.com/products/a-visual-compendium-of-cameras
A Visual History Of The Space Shuttle by William Sawalich In honor of last week's retirement of NASA's historic 30-year Space Shuttle program, here is a great gallery of images of life in, on and around the iconic space vehicle. It's a shame that this tremendous program has come to an end, and these photos help put the importance of space exploration in perspective. I'm confident that soon we'll have figured out the next phase of our otherworldly exploits, and hopefully we'll soon have the beginning of even more amazing images, courtesy of the next big thing in space exploration, for decades to come.

http://www.howtobearetronaut.com/2011/07/the-history-of-the-space-shuttle/
A Wealth Of Photo Resources, All On Video by William Sawalich John Paul Caponigro recently filled his normally very interesting blog with a whole bunch of videos about another photographer. That photographer is Ansel Adams, and the YouTube clips are definitely worth watching. But what really blew me away about this post was what it led me to: a couple of great video discoveries, caches of photography videos collected online. First is the super-secret (or so it would appear) stash of videos hidden away on John Paul Caponigro's site. A simple text page that looks like it might be a mistake turns out to contain links to videos from forty-some world-class photographers. The second great group of videos actually comes from the YouTube page where Mr. Caponigro found all those great Ansel Adams videos. It's Tom Johnston's ZoneIII YouTube channel, and it's packed with dozens of photo-related videos—interviews with photographers, videos of their workflows and how-to videos made by Mr. Johnston himself illustrating photographic and darkroom techniques. Between these two caches of videos you can pretty much learn whatever you want about photography from whomever you'd like, and you won't run out of videos to watch any time soon.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/5713/ansel-adams-video/
http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/downloads/creativity/creativity-photographers.php
http://www.youtube.com/user/ZoneIII
A Worthwhile Gallery Of Cinemagraphs by William Sawalich For several months now I've been seeing these inexplicable things everywhere. They're images online that appear to be standard photographs in every way except for one little part of the frame that's moving. At first I ignored them, then I dismissed them (as something akin to plain old animated gif) and now, finally, in this post at the Silber Studios blog, I'm actually kind of impressed and entertained by them. The process is fairly straightforward—multiple exposures are layered together and play just like an animated GIF—and it seems like it might actually be a useful way to introduce subtle movement into a still image without all the trappings that accompany the creation of actual video. It will be interesting to see if these things garner wider commercial use as something more than a curiosity.
http://www.silberstudios.tv/blog/2011/09/cinemagraphs-photography-on-the-move
Photo by "From Me To You"
A Year Of Photo Project Ideas by William Sawalich Continuing with my theme of photographic self-improvement from yesterday, today I've got a link to a blog with some practical help to get your creative juices flowing. As I've said many times right here on this blog, I am just no good at photo-a-day projects. So while I may not be the perfect guy to emulate when it comes to this stuff, at least I know who to point you to when you want to model good behavior! The Pixiq blog is a great place to look for insight and inspiration in general, but today especially because of a great post by Haje Jan Kamps that can help you develop some great photo projects for yourself in 2012. And don't get me wrong: these don't all require the commitment of "photo-a-day" projects. Some of them are simple projects that you can do for a month, or over the course of a weekend, or even just in a single day. The point is, giving yourself photo assignments really is invaluable. It will make you a better photographer, hands down. So if you don't know where to look, start here at Pixiq and pick a project that sounds like fun. Or, at the risk of sounding entirely too self-serving, check out a recent Tip of the Week article I wrote here at the Digital Photo web site. It's all about setting some photographic goals for the new year in order to improve your photography over the long run. Whereever you start, it all comes down to some really tremendous, really simple advice: Just do it.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/ten-cool-photography-projects
http://www.dpmag.com/how-to/tip-of-the-week/five-new-years-photo-resolutions-you-can-keep-01-02-12.html
Abraham Lincoln In Color by William Sawalich No, it's not some rare technological marvel that's been recently unearthed. These photographs of President Lincoln have been colorized digitally by artist Sanna Dullaway, who was commissioned by Time magazine for the project. It's amazing how removing the abstraction of black & white entirely changes the feel of these photographs. Abraham Lincoln seems somehow more relatable, more human, more real. And I suppose that was the point—humanizing the man who was perhaps our most collectively beloved president. I've mentioned Ms. Dullaway's work before on this blog, but this project really is a cut above. Check it out at the Time Lightbox photo blog.

http://lightbox.time.com/2012/10/25/a-vibrant-past-colorizing-the-archives-of-history/#11
Adobe Creative Cloud by William Sawalich Along with the newest version of Photoshop, CS6, that Adobe recently announced, it also introduced us to a new service known as the Adobe Creative Cloud. For a monthly subscription fee you can have unlimited access not only to Photoshop, but to Premiere and Dreamweaver and 23 other fully functional Adobe Creative Suite products. And these programs aren't accessed from some server online: they're fully functional programs that you download to your computer, just like users who pay a one-time licensing fee do. So for anyone who thinks of the high price of Photoshop as a preventative reason for not installing the industry standard software (especially if you're unsure whether you'll really take to the program itself) now you can try it out on a month-to-month basis and avoid the big one-time payment. And for those who always want to upgrade but don't love the cost, this approach could make sense for you too. Best of all, rather than waiting for new features to be released in new versions of the software, The Creative Cloud will allow Adobe to implement new features via updates, affording you early access to the best new bits of programming. It's a brilliant idea, and one that I'm sure is going to bring Photoshop to an even wider audience of photographers. Add to it features like extra cloud storage, syncing and collaboration and Adobe Creative Cloud becomes a really intriguing option. Check out what Photoshop guru Scott Kelby thinks of the program after he got hands on demo straight from the folks from Adobe.

http://scottkelby.com/2012/my-adobe-creative-cloud-quick-qa/
Adobe’s New Carousel by William Sawalich Adobe just announced its new Carousel cloud-based system for storing, editing and sharing photographs. I like this cloud-based stuff, so I’m looking forward to checking out this subscription service. Maybe it’s because the cloud has been part of my photographic backup plan for more than a year, and I love it for that. It's also helped deliver my music where and when I want, and I love that too. So now if I can use the cloud to deliver my pictures wherever I want too, across computers and smart phones and multimedia devices, that seems like a pretty promising program that I’m sure to love as well. Sign up for yourself at the adobe web site, and then check out the Photoshop blog for a neat behind-the-scenes video about Carousel.

http://blogs.adobe.com/photoshopdotcom/2011/09/introducing-adobe-carousel-your-photos-everywhere-you-are.html
http://www.adobe.com/products/carousel.html
Adventure Portraiture by William Sawalich I recently had the good fortune of attending a lecture by forward-thinking photographer Jay Kinghorn. Along with a good bit of wisdom about the photo business, Jay also told me about a friend of his who's a very talented photographer. Claudia Lopez is her name and she's a phenomenal mountaineering and travel photographer. "She has a unique style in the way she tones her images," Jay said, "and she specializes in taking portraits of climbers and mountaineers in their environment." Her portfolio looks unlike any other—namely because most portrait photographers don't climb 8,000-foot peaks to make their portraits, and most mountaineering photographers don't have quite such a deft touch when it comes to photographing people. What I appreciate most about it is the context: she really paints a picture of what life is like for the people who make these amazing mountaineering expeditions. See for yourself at her site, claudialopezphotography.com.

http://www.claudialopezphotography.com
Advice For Young Photographers by William Sawalich I recently stumbled across a treasure trove of photographic insight courtesy of the Canon Professional Network. Turns out Canon Europe has created interviews with talented, well-established professional photographers specifically designed to educate and inspire young photographers. We are familiar with a few of their names over here in the States, but Europeans may likely know all of these photographers and their work. Thanks to the Internet we can enjoy these interviews just as easily as folks over on the continent, and that means we can learn from them too. Ain’t the modern world great? An aperture is an aperture in any language, after all, and beautiful light is still beautiful light. Check out the videos and see if you learn anything new, or maybe you’ll just find some inspiration in the work of these talented world-class pros that will help you along the way.

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/interviews/ambassadors_advice.do
Affordable Aerial Photography by William Sawalich Interested in aerial photography but don't have the budget requirements for a plane, helicopter or even unmanned aerial vehicle? No problem. Go fly a kite. Kite aerial photography has become increasingly popular in the digital photography era, and this post at DPS showcases several dozen amazing kite photos that demonstrate just how powerful and effective this fairly simple technique can be. More important, it also links to useful information about learning kite photography for yourself. True, you're going to need a small investment in the necessary equipment, but it's a fraction of the cost of flight school, and a way to open up a whole new world of photographic possibilities.

http://digital-photography-school.com/61-amazing-kite-aerial-photography-images
Alex MacLean’s American Landscape by William Sawalich If you happen to be in San Francisco in the next two months you're in luck: one of my favorite photographers is having an exhibition of new work at the Robert Koch Gallery. Alex MacLean, an architect turned pilot turned aerial photographer with a penchant for photographing the places where man's world intersects with the natural world, makes interesting images full of meaning that are also intensely beautiful. If you can't make the show, check out a sampling of the work online, and consider picking up one of his many wonderful books filled with his aerial photography of the American Landscape.

http://www.kochgallery.com/exhibitions/index.html
All About Color by William Sawalich Everything, and I do mean everything, you could ever want to know about color seems to be contained within this nice new post at Lifehacker. Not only is it an amusing and entertaining read, it really does have a lot of pertinent information for photographers who want a deeper understanding of how and why color works in a photograph. More than a technical analysis, though, the post is about color theory—the interactions of complementary colors and the psychological impact of certain hues, for instance—and how to put it to use in your photographs.

http://lifehacker.com/5620138/how-to-get-the-best-color-out-of-your-photos
All About Lens Profile Corrections by William Sawalich In case you missed it, Adobe's been working hard to allow you to automatically correct for all the problems with your lenses. I don't mean correct for errors particular to the brand and model of your lenses, I mean your exact lenses. Thanks to Adobe's Lens Profile Creator, not only can you fix chromatic aberration, distortion and vignetting with pre-made profiles for you brand and model of lens, but you can download a test chart to photograph and make custom profiles for the peculiarities of the very lenses you own. It's a super-powerful tool, and if you're not yet putting it to use I suggest you check out John Paul Caponigro's blog to read up on the tool and how you can put it to use in Camera Raw and Lightroom, or inside Photoshop itself.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=5030
All About Lightroom Collections by William Sawalich I've been working with Lightroom for about a year now and I think I've got a pretty good handle on it. I'm happy with my workflow and I feel like the program is generally intuitive to work with. That said, there's one major feature that I don't use in a very in-depth way: collections. Of course I have basic collections set up, but I also know I'm not harnessing the power of collections in the most efficient and effective ways. Thankfully Helen Bradley, who always writes very insightful and helpful tips for Lightroom and Photoshop CS, has published an in-depth look at Lightroom Collections on the DPS web site. From Smart Collections to sorting tips, Helen's tutorial is immensely helpful for Lightroom users who are looking to harness a little more of the great program's organizational power—which is exactly what I need to do.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/8-important-things-to-know-about-lightroom-collections
All about model releases by William Sawalich Do you ever photograph people? I thought so. Do you always get model releases? I didn't think so. I'm no model release expert, but I'm working on it. I know I need to request model releases from more of my subjects, but I don't always do it. You should too, especially since the ASMP is always offering assistance for photographers who want to utilize releases to make photographs more commercially viable. In a series of recent posts, the ASMP has provided further examples of why we should get model releases whenever possible.

The first real world story comes from a famous photographer who profited greatly, and legally, from the sale of an image portraying a subject who ultimately sued. True, the photographer eventually won the lawsuit, but the idea that you'd win in court because the law is on your side is not a suitable replacement for a model release. It could very well be the case that you'd win, but if your subject is wealthy enough and committed enough, it could get incredibly expensive and time consuming along the way. A model release may have prevented the suit—or at least cut it significantly shorter.

Another ASMP post offers answers to photographers' most frequently asked model release questions—such as when and where you're at risk for losing a lawsuit from someone who doesn't approve of the manner in which you've utilized their images.

Lastly, lest you think you need to create a release that covers you at all times regardless of the rights of the subject being photographed, consider one important thing: would you sign the release you're asking others to sign? If not, review your terms and conditions and make the necessary adjustments to create a document that's fair to all parties, and one that you won't have trouble convincing your subjects to sign. Maybe then you'll be better about getting those releases all the time.

http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2010/09/i-dont-need-a-release-because-i-would-win-in-court/
http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2010/09/model-releases-questions-and-answers/
http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2010/09/whould-you-sign-this/
All about photo contests by William Sawalich A judge recently awarded the $160,000 grand prize in a major Australian photo contest to a friend of his. The friend also won the prize last year too. This may not be fishy at all, but it sure raised some eyebrows. After all, the appearance of impropriety is as dangerous as actual impropriety. It’s an interesting read at The Online Photographer that also serves as a cautionary reminder: not all contests are worth entering. Keep in mind that some folks use photo contests as ploys for income derived solely from registration fees. Others simply use contests to gather a pool of images to be used for a commercial purpose, with pitiful prize money reflecting a fraction of the actual commercial value of the images. The point is: keep your eyes peeled to avoid being taken advantage of. The TOP piece also contains links to other great photo contest info, as well as resources for finding the good ones.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2010/10/judge-defends-choice-.html
All Camera, No Idea by William Sawalich Here's a clever little ad for the compact, easy to use and fairly unpretentious Sony NEX camera system. The ad makes its point by poking fun at photographers' collective tendency to get all caught up in our equipment and forget completely about the main purpose of cameras—making great photographs. It skewers those of us who are more into our lenses than our photos, the "macro freaks" and the "status updaters" and a number of other quirky classifications of "camera-ists." So while the video is all in good fun, there is a little truth here that can serve as a helpful reminder: it ain't about the stuff, it's about the pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LApO_BDRE8M
Always use a tripod, even when you can’t by William Sawalich I'm constantly touting that photographers shoot with a tripod, because it can make all sorts of shots much better. The tripod is practically a necessity for still lifes or when shooting in low light at dusk, and it’s most definitely necessary for shooting after dark. But what about when you're shooting in places where a tripod can't go? Even worse, what about where you're not allowed to take your tripod? That's when you have to get crafty. The point remains the same—and that is that steadying the camera makes sharper pictures. So here’s a workaround courtesy of Scott Kelby’s blog. It’s about how to achieve the same effect as a tripod even when you're unable to take a tripod with you.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/14599
Amazing Airport Aerials by William Sawalich I've seen Jeffrey Milstein's work before. A few yeas ago he achieved a modicum of fame when his typology of commercial airliners in flight went moderately viral. There was something fascinating about studying these flying machines as they passed overhead. I have a similar feeling about Milstein's new body of work, Flying, which depicts the beauty (yes, believe it or not, beauty) of busy airports when seen from the air. The logistical challenges aside, it's an impressive body of work that I hope Milstein will continue to expand upon outside of the congested airports of the Northeast. Even more interesting, I think, would be a typology of many airports, big and small, from the perspective of the planes. Either way, it's a beautiful collection worth a look—especially if you've got a strong gut reaction to the thought of considering an airport "beautiful."

http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/05/14/jeffrey_milstein_flying_looks_at_airports_from_the_air_photos.html
Amazing Photo Animations by William Sawalich I love the way creative photographers are broadening the boundaries of photography, and blurring the area between stills and motion. One of the neatest collections of photo animations I've ever seen comes courtesy of Kevin Parry. He's a music video director, and he combines stills and video into awesome animated gifs that appear to slingshot the camera around large structures like San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and Transamerica Building. It's a simple yet ingenious combination of zooms, camera movements and stills to create an effect unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. Check out Parry's music video for Kalle Matson, shot by Andrea Nesbitt, and a bunch of other animated gifs at the Colossal blog.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/07/incredible-vertigo-inducing-animations-of-san-francisco
Amazingly Affordable 4x5 Camera by William Sawalich When was the last time you bought a camera for less than $100? When was the last time you bought a film camera—much less a 4x5 large format film camera—for less than the cost of the film? Now you can do both of those things by pitching in to the Kickstarter campaign of the fellows behind the Travelwide 4x5 camera. This lightweight point and shoot uses standard 4x5 film and film backs, and with the addition of your own 65 or 90mm LF lenses, you've got a fully functional travel point and shoot camera that utilizes large format film. And while $99 is the earlybird price, it's only good for the next couple of days (the last in this already super successful Kickstarter campaign). After that, you'll have to wait until the camera goes into production, at a price yet to be determined.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wanderlust/travelwide-45-camera
American Landscape Photography Contest by William Sawalich Our sister publication, the ever inspiring Outdoor Photographer, is hosting a unique photography contest. It's the American Landscape Photo Contest. Can you guess what the entries should consist of? That's right: your best images of the American landscape. What makes this contest unique for us is that it’s a fairly serious affair, with a judging panel that includes OP editor Christopher Robinson and master landscape photographers Jack Dykinga and Dewitt Jones, and a grand prize that includes not only a few thousand dollars worth of prizes (Canon, Nikon or Sony D-SLR included) but it also offers the opportunity to have your photographs featured in a multi-page spread in an upcoming issue of Outdoor Photographer magazine. That's pretty cool. Check out a few early favorites, and look for the link to enter at http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/photo-contests/the-american-landscape-2012/great-shots.html.
An Alternative To Flickr by William Sawalich Looking for an alternative to Flickr, or perhaps just another place online for photographers to come together and share work? Then perhaps 500px might be right for you. This web site has actually been around for quite some time, but its recent revamping has re-energized its audience and grown the user base, prompting Will Burrard-Lucas at DPS to write a review and encourage more readers to sign up. Maybe you’ll appreciate the big, beautiful photos or the simple interface. Or maybe you just want another outlet to share your own photos and be inspired by others. Either way, Burrard-Lucas makes a great case to investigate the photo community at 500px and consider getting involved. He even offers his tips for seamlessly getting started, which is bound to make for a better initial experience and a sustained involvement with the site.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/500px-review-giveaway
An Android-Powered Camera by William Sawalich Normally I don't blog about new product announcements, but this one is notable in an pretty unique way. It's another story of the convergence of cell phone technology and digital cameras. But in this case, it's not another smart phone that's designed to take great pictures. In fact it's a point-and-shoot camera that's got a smartphone's Android operating system built in. It's the new Nikon Coolpix S800c, a compact camera that captures 16-megapixel stills and full HD video, and allows you to easily share them via wi-fi to upload them straight to the web. This makes sharing online with this camera just as easy as it is with a smartphone. Even more, it includes typical smartphone capabilities like email, gps positioning and more thanks to apps downloaded from the Google Play store. It's the first of something pretty unique, and I'm guessing this won't be the last of its breed.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Compact-Digital-Cameras/26356/COOLPIX-S800c.html
An Immersive Martian Panorama Photograph by William Sawalich Last week I mentioned a few of my favorite Mars rover links. If only this one had been available at the time! It's an interactive 360-degree panorama of the Curiosity rover's Martian landing site. And it's so unbelievably great! It provides a different way of experiencing the red planet, heightening that feeling of "you're really there" in a way that no amount of still photos can quite accomplish. I can only imagine that once we start seeing actual video from the planet that the feeling will be even more heightened. It's yet another reminder of what an amazing technological age in which we're living.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/08/an-interactive-360-panorama-of-curiositys-landing-site-on-mars/
An Inexpensive And Portable Daylight Studio by William Sawalich Here's a neat idea if you're into studio-caliber portrait lighting but you just don't have a studio space. You can turn normal daylight into nice, "north light" illumination. There's a long tradition of world class photographers using daylight to make impactful portraits--a guy named Avedon comes to mind--so why not join that group? Check out the article by David Hobby on his Strobist blog to learn how and why he set up his inexpensive and portable daylight studio. Best of all this setup requires minimal equipment and can be utilized anywhere that you can find the sun.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/07/build-diy-portable-north-light-photo.html
An Over-The-Counter Tripod Hack by William Sawalich Finally someone smartened up to realize that A, some photographers don't want to build their own DIY camera hacks, and B, some photographers just don't want to carry a tripod, no matter how compact and convenient it might be. Well a couple of years ago I wrote about how to build a string tripod (which I still advise as a great way to help steady your camera when you don't have a tripod at hand) and now finally someone smarter than me has built one to sell to the mass market. It's from Photojojo (of course!) and it's called the Pocket Pod. This palm-sized device works the same way as a homemade string tripod: it affixes to the bottom of the camera's tripod socket and then you pull a string down to the ground, step on it with your toe and pull the line taught to create enough tension to steady the camera. It really works well, whether purchased or homemade. Though the $24 over-the-counter variety is considerably less expensive than many camera accessories, it's still a bit of a premium over the few bucks of screws and string you'd spend to build the DIY model.

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/pocket-pod
An Unseen Ad Campaign by William Sawalich I've been a fan of Blair Bunting's photography since I first saw one of his intense football portraits last year. His work's got an edgy, gritty look that lends itself to all sorts of subjects. Along with a portfolio full of athletes, Blair also photographs advertisements for some very popular reality TV shows, including my personal favorite—Discovery's Deadliest Catch. Fans of the show know that a beloved principal character, Captain Phil, died suddenly last year. It just so happened that Blair had been commissioned to shoot an ad campaign playing on the "cheating death" aspects of the violent nature of crab fishing. Running the campaign, which was completed just days before Captain Phil's death, would have been in poor taste, so it was cancelled. That was more than a year ago, but just last week Blair finally decided to show some of his favorite images from the unused campaign. Not only does Blair's blog currently show a great example of an image from the group, it also includes a neat behind the scenes video showing how he pulled the shots together in the studio. Check out the intense images and read about how Blair even used his own teeth to give an image a dose of gory reality.

http://www.blairbunting.com/blog/?p=2291
Anamorphic Projection Photographs by William Sawalich That's a fancy title for a pretty simple blog post. Sometimes somebody makes a picture that's just so cool and clever I have to tell others about it. That's the case with this image by artist Stephen Doyle. He created an anamorphic projection—a physical construction that when viewed in the ideal perspective takes the shape of another object. In this case, Doyle used simple blue tape to create a huge word—Grit—that served to illustrate a concept in a story about an educational program for the New York Times. When viewed just right, Doyle's long stripes of tape perfectly spell out the word. It's one of those things that's so simple and so creative it's inspiring. Read all about it and watch a "making of" video at the Colossal blog.

http://thisiscolossal.com/2011/09/anamorphic-tape-projection-by-doyle-partners/
Animal Self Portraits by William Sawalich I have a soft place in my heart for "an animal stole my camera and check out the great pictures I found when I got it back" stories. There've been some good ones in the news this summer, so I thought I’d share with you three of my new favorites. First is a story from London's Daily Mail in which a photographer loaned his camera to an Indonesian Macaque who proceeded to take a smiling self-portrait and many pictures of his monkey family as well. The pictures are almost too good to be true, and some commenters question whether they might be—which does make for some interesting reading. Along the same lines is a video that's seemingly got half the Internet in an uproar because it's surely a "fake" done to promote a little video camera. Whatever its origin story, it's still a neat look flight from a perspective we don’t often see—the seagull perspective. Finally is a video that was shot by a lion in the Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve. It appears that she was encouraged to find this little video camera, which sure enough she did. She then took the running video camera for a walk. I don't know that I'll ever get tired of these animal-made videos and photos, and I’m sure the Internet will never fail to deliver them. If you’ve got a favorite, I hope you’ll share it in the comments.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2011051/Black-macaque-takes-self-portrait-Monkey-borrows-photographers-camera.html
http://boingboing.net/2011/06/25/seagull-steals-video.html
http://youtu.be/aB9A0Zv07xM
Annie Leibovitz PBS Documentary by William Sawalich The PBS NewsHour recently aired a wonderful little interview with iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz about her most recent project, "Pilgrimage." While she's been known as one of the world's preeminent portrait photographers of the last fewml decades—frankly, = she's priobably the most famous portraitist of that time—her Pilgrimage is not portraits at all. She visited famous locales—Niagara Falls, Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home, Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond—to photograph the artifacts and places that helped to define some of the most important people of the last two centuries. It really is a fascinating project, beautifully executed, and full of beautiful photographs. It's made all the more impressive given that Leibovitz simply has never photographed in this way before. Her photographs are almost universally successful, and in their own way they're still portraits—simply without people present. Fascinating. Check it out at PBS.org.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june12/leibovitz_02-07.html
Annie Leibovitz Pilgrimage by William Sawalich With the biggest shopping day of the year just a few hours away, I can't think of a better gift suggestion than the newest book from photographer Annie Leibovitz. Though she's most known for portraiture, particularly of the celebrity variety, this book, Pilgrimage, depicts no people at all. Yet it is still a work of portraiture in its own unique way—a portrait of the artist and a portrait of the people whose homes and workshops she visited in her travels. Leibovitz began this project in the midst of a very well publicized financial turmoil that lays the foundation for why the book is important, to readers as well as to the artist herself. Ultimately the pilgrimage of the title isn't about an author objectively visiting iconic locations in order that we, her viewers, can see through her eyes. The pilgrimage is a very personal one, whereby Leibovitz created lists of the important people and places in her life, and then set about visiting those locations to photograph them as an intensely personal project. The book is a recording of her personal encounters with these objects and places, and it's unlike anything else we've ever seen from Leibovitz. In a way, that's what makes it so interesting, so special. It really is a powerful work of art, and one that is sure to be shared by many fans of the photographer as well as the icons she visited throughout the book. I can't think of a more meaningful gift to give a photography lover or historian this year, and I'm sure you'll agree after reading more at the New York Times and having a look at a number of images on display there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/annie-leibovitzs-pilgrimage.html
Ansel Adams, Street Photographer by William Sawalich We all know Ansel Adams as the granddaddy of all iconic western landscape photographers, but did you know he was a bit of a street photographer too? In the World War II era, Adams made pictures for many commercial clients. Like so many artists, commercial assignments taken outside of their own area of expertise helped fund the iconic imagery the artists would ultimately become known for. This series of Los Angeles images was made for a 1939 Fortune magazine article about the aviation industry in L.A. It’s an interesting glimpse into a whole different set of photographic talents Mr. Adams possessed. And it helps remind those of us who are struggling to balance art and commerce that even legends need to pay the bills.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/10/26/130838664/adamsla
Ansel On Video by William Sawalich Regular readers know how much I love a good photographic documentary. Getting a glimpse behind the scenes to watch a world-class photographer at work is about as good as it gets. Thankfully because of the age in which we're living, this sort of special glimpse into a photographer's workflow can happen fairly regularly as so many wonderful documentaries have been uploaded to YouTube. One of the earliest photo documentaries I've ever seen is this 1957 film by Beaumont and Nancy Newhall—the 20th century's first couple of photography—about iconic nature photographer Ansel Adams. Take a look at John Paul Caponigro's blog to get a glimpse into the master's working approach, a breakdown of his equipment, and even a few minutes of the man himself performing on piano. A worthwhile video for fans of Ansel and fans of good documentaries alike. It's full of wonderful little quirks about Adams. For instance, you may have heard that his preferred vehicle had a large platform strapped to the roof. But did you know that it was also an old eight-passenger limousine? The sight of the man himself loading his car full of gear to head out for work is simply wonderful. (After you finish this video, root around Mr. Caponigro's blog to find a few other videos of Ansel at work.)

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/9374/ansel-adams-photographer-1957-documentary/
Antique Expedition Images In Color by William Sawalich Now this is something I actually want to add to my gear bag. Tired of using those same bland, flavorless gels to color the light coming from your hot-shoe flash? Well try these new edible gels from General Mills. They're not sold in camera stores, though—you have to get them in the grocery store. They're called Fruit Roll-Ups, and while they've long been a popular snack, a desperate photographer recently found out they can also be used as flash gels. Talk about a tasty alternative. Read all about it at the Strobist blog.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2011/02/compared-to-these-rosco-gels-taste-like.html
Anything’s Possible with Photoshop by William Sawalich People always ask when I make portraits of them, “Can you Photoshop me to make me look great?” They’re usually somewhat tongue-in-cheek requests, but the answer is yes, I can make you look great. (And depending on my mood, I might add that anything is possible if you’ve got enough budget!) Well if you’re ever wondering about exactly what is possible with Photoshop in terms of retouching and beautifying, check out these examples from the Society of Publication Designers. My favorite is the simple fake advertisement for Photoshop Day Cream, but the others (in video form) will blow you away when you see what’s possible with a few mouse clicks. And remember, as I tend to remind people when they exclaim how amazing Photoshop is, yes the program is truly amazing but it’s the skilled hands of the photographer/retoucher who is really doing the work. So check out these videos and see that anything truly is possible.

spd.org
Arbitrary Image Rotation Tip by William Sawalich I was recently scanning some photos when I took note of one crucial part of my workflow—rotating the images to level horizons and orient pictures straight and true. Most scans end up on the flatbed somewhat crooked, and rotating them is a necessary step in the process. Even if you're not scanning it’s still an important step. If you're anything like me you have a bit of difficultly holding the camera level. Thankfully there's a simple Photoshop fix for lining things up precisely with straight lines and level horizons. Choose the ruler tool (hidden behind the eyedropper on the toolbar) and draw a rule line along a line that should be horizontal or vertical. (The horizon in a landscape photo, for instance, or a window in a room.) With the line drawn, choose Image>Rotate and select the Arbitrary option. Normally you might enter your own values here to rotate the image a particular number of degrees in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, but because of that ruler line you drew the clockwise/counterclockwise direction will already be selected, as will the exact measurement necessary to rotate your image perfectly. Click okay and take a look at your straight and true composition. Simple cropping will eliminate any visible background canvas, and voila: you're looking at a perfectly aligned image with only a few simple clicks of the mouse—and virtually no math at all.
Arnold Newman by William Sawalich Yesterday I mentioned the presentation I attended by Gregory Heisler. Part of what made it so great was that the photographer also went into great depth to tell us about his experience working for one of the greatest portraitists of the 20th century, Arnold Newman. Mr. Heisler clearly has the utmost respect for Mr. Newman, and as he showed us a few dozen of Mr. Newman’s most renowned photographs it became clear the influence Mr. Newman had on Mr. Heisler’s own work. And that reminded me of the influence Mr. Newman should have on everyone’s photographs. To that end, please let me direct you to a great and inspiring resource about Mr. Newman. It’s the Arnold Newman Archive, a collaboration of his heirs and his gallery, dedicated to carrying on the legacy of this great photographer. It’s perhaps the best online resource for information about the man and his work, and a little time spent studying the gallery is probably equivalent to a full year at a great photo school.

http://www.arnoldnewmanarchive.com
ASMP’s Release App by William Sawalich I'm a proud member of the American Society of Media Photographers, and I'm always advocating for other photographers to join the organization because of the great information, advice and direction the group provides. A good example is the ASMP's Releases App for iPads and iPhones (with an Android version soon to follow). When I got my iPhone recently, the app was one of my first downloads. It allows photographers to always be prepared with a model release or property release for photographs that they might like to license for commercial purposes. The aim of the app is to take the work out of remembering to print and bring releases by always having them available via our ubiquitous smartphones. Best of all, this useful app is also completely free.

http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2012/07/introducing-asmps-new-releases-app
Assistance From Eyeist by William Sawalich Are you considering making photography a profession? Even if you're just dabbling as a part-time pro, there are quite a few tools designed to help photographers make the transition from hobbyist to professional. Some of them are the same tools that professionals use to help them improve their businesses as well. Today's post is one of these tools that works wonderfully for both established professionals and those just beginning to give it a go. It's called Eyeist, and I can't wait to use it myself. Eyeist is an online photography review service. This type of portfolio review is invaluable when constructing a portfolio--be it a printed book or published solely online--because it can help you see your photographs through a new, impartial set of eyes. Typically you have to travel to a portfolio review in person, you pay some hefty fees, and the whole process can be fairly cumbersome and time consuming. So it's surprising that nobody's done this sooner and taken the whole process online--which is what makes Eyeist so great. What a perfect way to get some helpful, unbiased advice about your photography so that you can better present yourself as a professional. Have a visit to www.eyeist.com for more information.
Astro-Twitter by William Sawalich U.S. astronaut Soichi Noguchi has a twitter account. Sometimes he shares pictures. This glimpse into the life of an astronaut is very cool, as you might imagine. Oh, did I forget to mention that Mr. Noguchi is tweeting pictures that were made while aboard the International Space Station, orbiting miles above the earth? Yeah, that changes the dynamic a little bit. Astronaut Noguchi tweets photos from space walks and events aboard the space station, many of them originally captured by Italian astronaut counterpart Paolo Nespoli. Follow Astronaut Noguchi's feed at https://twitter.com/#!/@Astro_Soichi and then maybe reconsider your next tweet about what you had for lunch!
Astronomy! by William Sawalich I don’t know much about astronomy or even astronomical photography. But I know what I like, and I like the APOD site. I think you will too. It’s the Astronomy Picture Of the Day web site, and every day they upload a great photography from somewhere out there in the surprisingly beautiful universe, along with a description for us laymen written by a professional astronomer. One of my most recent favorites is an image of a silhouetted Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station transiting the sun. It’s a phenomenal moment of objects we know by heart, yet still shown in a manner we’ve never seen before. I highly recommend adding the APOD site to your daily blogroll. You might even learn a little about astronomy along the way.

apod.nasa.gov
Avedon On Portraiture by William Sawalich I recently found this great quote from Richard Avedon at the photo blog American Suburb X. The site is dedicated to interviews and galleries of the works of some of the most prominent photographic artists of the last 50 years. The quote from Avedon is inspiring, and helpful for portrait photographers to remember when they're considering how to approach a shoot. "A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he's being photographed," Avedon said, "and what he does with this knowledge is as much a part of the photograph as what he's wearing or how he looks. He's implicated in what's happening, and he has a certain real power over the result. Lisette Model told me she felt these photographs of my father were 'performances', and I agree with her. We all perform. It's what we do for each other all the time, deliberately or unintentionally. It's a way of telling about ourselves in the hope of being recognized as what we'd like to be. I trust performances. Stripping them away doesn't necessarily get you closer to anything. The way someone who's being photographed presents himself to the camera and the effect of the photographer's response on that presence is what the making of a portrait is about." Read the full quote in the entire article at American Suburb X.

http://www.americansuburbx.com/2011/04/richard-avedon-jacob-israel-avedon-1974.html
Awesome Amateur Autochromes by William Sawalich Check out these gorgeous autochromes by photographer John B. Trevor. If you've never heard of him, it's no surprise: he was practicing photography in the 19-teens and, of course, he was also an amateur. But goodness, are his photographs beautiful. The awesome Retronaut blog linked to a collection of Trevor's autochromes and they're so beautifully surreal—there's something quite disorienting about color photographs of long gone eras. But the color in this case also serves as a huge draw on its own, offering a glimpse into a world we normally only see shades of gray. It's a priceless experience. And if you're unfamiliar with autochromes, fear not. These are the original color photographic medium, a glass plate negative that was eventually replaced when the modern era of color photography was ushered in after The Great Depression. Looking at these images might make you long for a bygone era… or at least for a chance to use these unique photographic tools.

http://www.retronaut.co/2012/02/amateur-autochromes-by-john-b-trevor-1907-1919/
Awesome Fill Flash Hack by William Sawalich I've always been the kind of guy who has relied on a simple rubber band and bit of white cardboard to create the perfect bounce for my flash. Sure it looks a little chintzy, but it definitely does get the job done—and at a literal fraction of the cost of fancier systems. The key is that you want to point the flash straight up and let the white card provide a softer, more diffused flash illumination of the subject. Then a guy named Gary Fong invented his "Lightsphere" and I thought it seemed pretty cool—and unlike what my simple card could achieve. The Lightsphere diffuses the flash in every direction, making it very broad, very omni-directional, and a very good idea. Apparently it's a good seller, too—as any device that actually solves a problem so well should be. Still, for those of us who prefer something a little more hacked together there's got to be another way to build this mousetrap, right? Thanks to the DIY Photography blog I now know what that is: a translucent plastic cup. For me any homemade hack has to be simple and minimal at its essence; I don't want to be gluing and cutting and taping a bunch of things together. That can be more trouble than it's worth. But simply slapping a disposable cup on my flash—that's something I can get my head around. And I bet I'll get a few more strange looks than I do with even my homemade cardboard bounce card rubberbanded to my speedlight. Check it out at diyphotography.net, and click through to the original inventor's Flickr stream as well.

http://www.diyphotography.net/quick-tip-a-plastic-cup-lightsphere
Awesome Insect Eyes by William Sawalich I don't generally send you to photo galleries just to look at neat pictures; I figure there are plenty of places to get your fill of those on the Internet. But every once in a while something strikes me as just so dang cool that I can't help but point it out. The astronaut star trails were just such a case earlier this week, and from supercool shots on the macro scale, how about equally amazing images at the opposite end of the unseen spectrum—the microscopic world of insects. So today I present you with an amazing collection of gorgeous photos of not just insects, but little parts of insects. Insect eyes, in fact. That's right: microscopic images of bugs eyes that are not only really interesting for their ability to show us something we can't normally see with the naked eye, but they're also really beautiful works of art. Photographer Shikhei Goh is clearly a master of this microscopic domain.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/06/magnificent-macro-photos-of-insect-eyes-by-shikhei-goh
Awesome Lighting Tutorial Videos by William Sawalich I like lighting tutorials. Sure, I'm a studio photographer and sure I work with lighting tools on a daily basis, but part of what makes this job so interesting is continually learning new techniques. (The internet is full of lighting tutorials so it's a pretty easy way to keep learning about photography without worrying about ponying up for tuition.) But while it's often the case that lighting tutorials are interesting—if for no other reason than it's neat to watch photographers work—it's rare that I think they're especially useful for audiences comprised of both newbies and experts. Such is the case with The Slanted Lens web site and its series of exceptional lighting tutorial videos. Not only do they serve as tremendous technical explanations of particular light modifiers—like Octodomes, Softboxes and Beauty Dishes—but they really show practical hands-on uses of these tools and how they differ subtly from one another. Whether you want to know about how they change at different distances or when using modifiers of different sizes, it's really a great starting place for studio lighting techniques. And those techniques, in my opinion, translate across all photographic disciplines.

http://theslantedlens.com/2012/understanding-octodomesocto-boxes-a-lighting-tutorial
Back Button Focusing by William Sawalich In a recent TOP story on Tiger Woods' errant golf shot that created a photographer's now iconic shot and a fun amount of internet fame for "cigar guy," one of the comments triggered a teachable moment for me. I learned about focusing with the thumb button on the back of my camera. It was a tongue-in-cheek question about focus tracking that prompted a particularly informative reply (at least it was informative for me) from experienced sports shooter Ken Bennett. "This is a common tactic among sports photogs," Mr. Bennett wrote. "Separating the focus from the shutter button means I can leave my camera in continuous AF all the time, and adjust focus as needed with my thumb." Holy cow. How had I never stumbled across this feature? Sure, I’ve used focus lock, but I’ve never considered the idea of separating focus from the shutter button. It makes such perfect sense! Thank you, Ken Bennett! Just goes to show you however much you know, there’s always plenty of room to learn. And to all of you who are mocking my naiveté for not knowing this, forgive me. But also trust me: if you think you know it all, you’re wrong. To learn more about thumb button focusing, check out this article at the Canon Digital Learning Center.

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2286
Back Button Focusing by William Sawalich Do you know about back button focusing? It's the method of focusing your camera (via autofocus, of course) that relies not on pressing the shutter button halfway with your index finger, but rather pressing a button on the back of the camera with your thumb. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but photographers who use the technique tend to sing its praises very loudly. Here's an article from James Brandon--author of an ebook all about achieving perfect focus--that advocates switching to back button focus at all times, and provides a few good reasons for re-learning this fundamental photographic technique.

http://digital-photography-school.com/back-button-focus
Backup Disk Primer by William Sawalich DPS recently published a nice little shopping guide for external hard drives. It's a great help for those who are considering an external drive for backing up photos—covering the bases of connectivity, speed and capacity. And you should definitely consider an external hard drive for backing up photos. The thing is, though, it's definitely not the only thing you should consider.

You can't just put your photos on an external hard drive and assume you're covered. You've got to make sure you're doubly covered, so that if (or when) a hard drive fails you've got the files stored safe and secure somewhere else. For years that somewhere else for me has been optical media.

In 2003 I was still using CDs to back up my digital image files. Then in 2004 I made the switch to DVDs. By 2009 I was backing up a dozen DVDs every month, so I recently upgraded to Blu-Ray disks for backup. For a brief time that meant I was backing up a month's worth of work on 2 BDR disks, but now with continually larger file sizes I'm backing up on more and more of those big Blu-Ray disks too. It's a never-ending capacity problem, but at least I know when something goes wrong with my magnetic media hard drive I've got duplicates on more stable optical disks. The reverse has happened too; I’ve had DVDs fail because I bought cheap disks. That’s why having a hard disk backup is crucial; it’s come in handy for backup as well.

http://digital-photography-school.com/external-hard-drives-backing-up-and-saving-your-images
Backyard Solar Photographs by William Sawalich Is that a super-enlarged photograph of an itty bitty egg? Or perhaps it's some tiny ball of energy made visible thanks to a scanning electron microscope? Turns out the sentiment is right on that second guess, but the scale is all wrong. It's actually a high-definition photograph of the sun. Our sun. As in THE SUN. Alan Friedman made these telescope photographs directly from his own backyard in Buffalo New York. He then hand colored the photographs in order to deliver the finest detail of the surface of the sun. If your interest is piqued, check out his Tumblr, then follow the link to watch his Tedx Talk.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/02/alan-friedmans-astonishing-hd-photographs-of-the-sun
http://alanfriedman.tumblr.com
Ball Of Light Painting By Night by William Sawalich I’m usually very taken with light painting photographs. Perhaps it’s because the images are inherently photographic in nature; after all, you can’t make them in any other way. Maybe it’s just because the only way to actually see these effects (which the naked eye could never see) is to create them by painting with light and capturing them in a camera. Or perhaps it’s just because they’re often so fun, so whimsical and so unique. This group of images—which appear to be light painting in daylight although they’re actually made at night—are also appealing because of the photographer’s story. Denis Smith was stressed out and depressed before he starting making these ìball of lightî photographs, and he says they saved his life. Check out the amazing images, read Denis’ story, and watch a documentary video about the photographer and his process at the always entertaining Brain Pickings blog. Then go see more of his work at his own web site.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/04/04/denis-smith-ball-of-light
http://www.denissmith.com.au
Beautiful Battery Caddy by William Sawalich I've been told that my obsession with batteries is unhealthy. Still… I just can't help myself. I'm always on the lookout for a better battery, or a better charger, or a better system of organizing my batteries so that I can tell the difference between the dead ones and the charged ones. Well now I've found an ideal solution for that last problem courtesy of Scott Kelby. It's the Personal Battery Caddy from Adorama, and I've just ordered a pair of my own. It's the perfect place to keep AA flash batteries so that you know which ones are ready to go and which ones are dead. This is a problem that I know I'm always fighting with, and I've tried solutions ranging from rubber bands to plastic bags to gaff tape. With this new system I'll probably leave the dead ones rolling around in the camera bag like I already do—I know, not brilliant—and I'll know that the ones in the caddy are ready to go. Plus now I won't have to worry about the charged ones slipping out and into that dead battery mix. A simple solution that's sure to make my life easier.

http://weeklyphototips.blogspot.com/2012/08/battery-caddy-small-item-big-help.html
Beautiful Watches, Beautiful Light by William Sawalich I teach a studio product photography class, and we were just discussing how to photography shiny objects. I explained to the students that unlike flat surfaces, when lighting a reflective surface you don't light the surface itself, you light what it "sees." Treat a shiny surface like a mirror, and you're on your way to total lighting control. One of the students showed me an example of some watches he had photographed. He'd lit the surfaces by pointing his flash straight at them. The resulting hotspots weren't ideal, and I started explaining how a different type of light source would have worked better, I stumble upon this great post at Feature Shoot about photographer Guido Mocafico's series of gorgeously photographed luxury watch movements. Guido has perfectly illustrated this theory, and the resulting images are both simple and beautiful. After taking a look, if you want to learn more… well maybe you just need to sign up for my class.

http://www.featureshoot.com/2012/02/photographs-of-the-inner-workings-of-luxury-watches
Beautifully Surreal Photocollage by William Sawalich By day Matt Wisniewski is a web programmer. But as far as I'm concerned his real talent lies in the realm of photocollage. Though he's not a photographer, he works with photographs and collaborates with photographers to create beautiful, surreal collage portraits. I'm usually no big fan of surrealism in photography; there are very few artists who I think really transcend the hokey and make something beautiful, inspiring, and wonderful. I think Mr. Wisniewski belongs in that rarified group. See more of his work at his web site, and send him a message if you're a photographer interested in collaborating with a very talented artist.

http://mattw.us/images
Become A More Deliberate Photographer by William Sawalich I shoot too fast. I'm no frenetic machine gunner, mind you, but quite often I don't take enough time to consciously pre-plan my shots. Ansel suggested that we visualize; this is no doubt great advice. Not only does it make us more deliberately aiming at a specific end result, but it also forces us to slow down, take our time, and make deliberate, conscious choices when making pictures. John Davenport recently wrote an interesting post on this very topic at the DPS blog. He's developed a surprisingly simple, and effective, technique for slowing down his pace so that he sets up shots more deliberately. He uses the video capability of the smart phone in his pocket—which many of us are also carrying—to not only explore a scene prior to shooting, but by narrating the video and explaining his setup he's also slowing down and thinking through his compositional and exposure choices as he explains them. Plus, as an added benefit, he's created an artifact that can help other photographers (should he decide to post it on his blog) and help himself in the future as he looks back at how and why he set up a shot the way he did. Read all about it at http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-i-stumbled-across-an-amazing-way-to-slow-down-my-shooting-process
Behind The Scenes At A Fast Food Photo Shoot by William Sawalich It's always neat to see what goes into professional styling of a photo shoot. Make it a food photograph and my interest is even more piqued. Make that a fast food photo shoot—where there seems to be a pretty big disconnect between the photos used in advertising, and the real thing—and the whole thing becomes downright fascinating. In this case, it's even more surprising that the goliath of fast food itself, McDonald's, released a behind the scenes video showing the styling of a burger shoot—including the very revealing "before" shot in addition to the beautifully stylized "after." Next time you wonder why your burger doesn't look like the picture, keep in mind that the chef probably had about 20 seconds to make your meal, instead of the hours that go into the photo shoot.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/why-photos-mcdonald-burgers-look-much-better-real-173911342.html
Behind The Scenes At A Filter Factory by William Sawalich Reading the always informative DIY Photography blog a few weeks back I came across this unique video. It's a behind the scenes tour of the Lee Filters factory in England. And while you might expect something like photographic filter manufacture to be a highly technical, fully automated process, in fact Lee uses a largely handmade approach to crafting their products. Some of the commenters seem to think that the handmade approach is inefficient and impractical, but I think if it's been serving the company well for a few decades, so why mess with success? Either way, it's a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of the creation of these always valuable photographic tools.

http://www.diyphotography.net/how-lee-filters-are-made
Behind the Scenes of a Fashion Shoot by William Sawalich Perhaps my favorite consequence of this whole photo/video convergence thing is how prevalent the behind-the-scenes video has become. It seems like every photographer, and every fashion house, is now producing behind-the-scenes videos that show just how complex and involved their shoots can be. Best part about all this is that we photographers can use this as a learning tool. For instance, in this behind-the-scenes look at a Forbes Company fashion shoot, I realized a few things about lighting gear that I can apply to my own shoots, and I also saw just how much work from how many different people goes into a successful fashion shoot. It may not be quite as direct as a true “how-to” video, but that’s partly what makes it so interesting. You’re not learning from examples set up in a conference room or a hotel ballroom—you’re learning from an actual fashion shoot with actual photographers and actual talent. It’s invaluable to see actual pros at work.

http://vimeo.com/15234619
Behind The Scenes Of A Time Cover Shoot by William Sawalich Regular readers know how much I love behind the scenes videos—especially when they feature the work (and some technical insights) from real world class photographers. Here's a link to a great behind the scenes video by one of the most prominent editorial photographers working today. Martin Schoeller photographed Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte for the cover of Time's summer Olympics special. For a glimpse below the waves (er, at least, in the pool) tune in to the video on the Strobist blog.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/07/bts-martin-schoeller-photographs-ryan.html#more
Behind The Scenes Of Vogue by William Sawalich If you're a fan of world-class fashion photography, there's perhaps no venue more high profile and downright amazing than the industry icon, Vogue magazine. Vogue is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, and just the other day HBO Documentary Films debuted a new documentary exploring the magazine, its history, and of course some of the most iconic and important fashion photographs in history. A book by the same name was released in October, and like the film it's filled with behind the scenes interviews with fashion industry giants, including Vogue editors, fashion designers and even celebrity subjects.

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/#/documentaries/in-vogue-the-editors-eye
Behind the Scenes Portraits by William Sawalich The Strobist blog has long offered behind the scenes glimpses of how professional photographers utilize strobe lighting to create interesting images. Photographer Brad Trent has turned his behind the scenes portraits into more than that – a saleable personal shooting style. Now the two have teamed up for a Strobist post showcasing Mr. Trent and his interesting images. You see, he once found himself shooting a portrait and feeling fed up with the “fake reality” of it all. The artificial lighting, the contrived poses, all the setup just to look “natural.” So he decided to stop hiding it, and he backed up to show how he created the scene. Not only do the resulting images offer a glimpse for other photographers as to how he lights his editorial portraits, they make an artistic comment about perception versus reality, real identity compared to the carefully crafted visual identity put forth in commercial portraiture. Better still, it’s a look that art buyers must appreciate because they hire him for that very look. It’s all quite interesting and worth a read over at the Strobist site.

strobist.blogspot.com

Photograph © Brad Trent
Behind the Scenes Videos by William Sawalich One of my favorite things about the whole combo photo/video thing that we’ve had going on in recent months is how many photographers are creating behind the scenes videos of their processes for making still photographs. A couple of recent faves include Chase Jarvis’ link to a ìmaking ofî video that gives us a glimpse behind the scenes in a stop-motion stills shoot used as a Levi’s jeans commercial. Inspiring because it’s so simple and so darn great. On the other end of the spectrum is the big budget production, nothing shoestring about it, of a high-fashion photo shoot. That is exactly the video that Rachel Hulin recently linked to via her blog. It shows photographer Craig McDean in studio (well, at least in a makeshift studio via an old warehouse—sufficiently grungy to qualify for fashions requisite juxtaposition duty) working on an Oscar de la Renta shoot. This video is done in a little less of a "how to" fashion, but the artsty clip is still a pretty cool look behind the scenes at the making of a big time fashion spread. Both are inspiring videos and well worth a look. (Got your own favorite behind the scenes video? Let us know about it!)

blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2010/07/how-to-shoot-a-fancy-stop-motion-commercial-on-the-cheap-ish/
rachelhulin.com/blog/2010/07/in-the-studio-fashion-maven-craig-mcdean.html
Behind The Scenes With An Animal Photographer by William Sawalich I love the work of photographer Sharon Montrose, and I'd love to have her job, too. She's a tremendously talented photographer (full disclosure: she's a friend of a friend, but I promise that's not why I love her work. It's just why I'm aware of it.) who has made a name for herself photographing animals in her L.A. studio. And more recently, she's made her whole career photographing them to sell prints via her web site, The Animal Print Shop. For a glimpse at her work, and an interesting look behind the scenes of her process (on a day when she has what appears to be a baby llama in her studio), check out this great little story at the Cup of Jo blog.

http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2013/03/q-with-animal-photographer-sharon.html
Behind The Scenes With Annie Liebovitz And Rihanna by William Sawalich Commercial photographers make behind the scenes videos—especially the famous ones. Then the rest of us watch those videos to learn not only how to interact with a celebrity subject, but also how to light when you're shooting, say, a cover of Vogue magazine. Well superstar photographer Annie Liebovitz recently had a behind the scenes Vogue cover shoot with pop star Rihanna given the annotation treatment by David Hobby at his Strobist blog. When he does these annotations, Hobby watches BTS videos and points out important things for us photographers to pay attention to during videos. It's kind of like a DVD commentary track in print. Good stuff, definitely—both to see how amazing Annie's approach is, and how simply and beautifully she makes great photographs. Let the haters hate; That is one super-talented photographer.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/10/annie-tated-video-leibovitz-shoots.html
Behind The Scenes With Caleb Charland by William Sawalich So at this point I'm pretty much a Caleb Charland groupie. I interviewed the photographer a few months back and fell in love with his whimsical, wonderful, awe-inspiring style. His photographs practically drop your jaw every time; they really are something special. So I've followed Caleb and new developments in his career ever since. He emailed me a photograph he was particularly proud of, in which he used the minor amount of electricity generated by the apples in an orchard to power a light bulb, which he then photographed. The result is quite literally wonderful. So when he just emailed me to tell me a little behind the scenes video of the making of that image was recently aired on the Discovery Channel, I had to check it out. It's a quick, simple, fun video that I highly recommend to Caleb's fans, and those who haven't yet heard of him but are surely about to count themselves among his fans. See for yourself at http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/daily-planet/january-2012/daily-planet---january-23-2012/#clip605968
Behind The Scenes With Your Camera Sensor by William Sawalich Regular readers know how much I like a good behind-the-scenes video, whether that's behind the scenes of a photo shoot or behind the scenes in the manufacture of some product we all know and love. Well today's video fits closely with the latter category, as it's behind the scenes of the inner workings of a digital camera, and how the CCD sensor works. Sure, it's not exactly the same as a CMOS, but no matter what kind of digital camera you use an understanding of how light is turned into electrical signals, and how those signals are turned into pretty pictures, is not only very interesting but is a great way to help you understand what you can do to take better pictures.

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-ccd-sensors-work#close
Being Bruce Gilden by William Sawalich While Winogrand may have been the master, there’s no other street photographer quite like Bruce Gilden. He jumps in front of his subjects, startling them with his camera, and shoots. ìIf you can smell the street by looking at the photo," Gilden says, "it's a street photograph." There’s a great video of Gilden at work, and it’s fun to watch whether you’re interested in the great photography or the shock value of his brash approach. One thing’s for sure: you can’t argue with the success of his in-your-face street photography style. There was even a mini-documentary made about Gilden called "Head On." It was filmed just last year and it’s available at vimeo.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBARi09je8l
http://vimeo.com/17408282
Best Environmental Photos Of The Year by William Sawalich There are still a couple of months left before we put 2011 to bed, but the London-based Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management has gone ahead and named its best environmental photos of the year. This collection of stunning, heart-wrenching, beautiful images was shot by photographers from around the world—including professionals and hobbyists alike—with more than 10,000 submissions from 105 countries. The National Geographic web site features a gallery of the winners, and it's well worth a look. While you're there, click over to another great gallery of "best of" photos: the winners of the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/10/pictures/111027-best-nature-pictures-2011-environment-animals-science#
Photograph by Bence Máté
Best Landscape Advice Of The Year by William Sawalich The Digital Photography School blog frequently has helpful posts for photographers looking to improve their landscape photography. That was certainly the case in 2012, and just the other day DPS recapped its top ten best landscape photography tutorials from last year. The list includes tips for better all around landscapes, as well as specifics such as shooting seascapes, long exposures, and making high-dynamic range sunset images. If you're interested in making better landscape photos in 2013, start with this list of the best landscape tutorials of 2012.

http://digital-photography-school.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-landscape-photography
Best of World Cup photographs… so far. by William Sawalich Rob Galbraith does a remarkable job of pointing to great collections of photography online, and one of his favorite sources has also become one of mine—the Boston Globe’s Big Picture. Over the weekend, the Big Picture photo blog featured a gallery of phenomenal images from the biggest sporting event in the world at the moment, the World Cup. With so many opportunities for stunning sports action photography, what’s most interesting to me about the collection is how many of the images capture human moments surrounding the on-field action—athletes reacting with thrill and agony, fans expressing the same emotions, and generally the spectacle that draws the world’s focus for a few weeks every four years. It’s a great collection of images that work both to give a great picture of the event so far and as a model for aspiring photojournalists: sometimes the best way to tell the story is to turn your camera away from the obvious shots and look for something more.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/halfway_in_-_2010_world_cup.html

AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti
Better Food Photography (If You Must!) by William Sawalich Everybody's a food photographer these days, or so it seems. The epidemic—er, I mean the trend—is spreading like a plague—er, I mean like wildfire. Can you tell from my snarky tone that I'm fairly tired of seeing my Facebook feed full of iPhone snaps of tacos and tarts and tapenades? Enough with the snap-shoddy food photography! (I even read a NYT article recently about how some restaurants are overrun with food photographers and have begun banning the practice!) Maybe I'd feel differently if everybody knew a little more about making good food photographs. And maybe they'd know a little more if they read Natalie Johnson's 5 simple tips for stronger food photographs via the DPS blog. If you insist on snapping all of your meals, it's a must-read.

http://digital-photography-school.com/food-photography-%E2%80%93-5-simple-ways-to-get-stronger-shot
Better Living Through Radio by William Sawalich File this under "you learn something new every day." I've been working with Pocket Wizard radio transmitters for five years or so, and in that time I've also been unofficially evangelizing for them, as my results have been mostly worry free and consistently excellent. If you're going to work with strobes, don't even bother with the antiquated cable tether—step into the 21st century and use a radio trigger to make your strobing life simpler and easier. Then today I read this Strobist post on working with remotes and discover that I've completely overlooked some basic physics that affect—apparently quite dramatically—how successfully wireless remotes work. Turns out not only does the orientation of the transmitter and receiver make a huge impact, but so does the makeup of the area in which you're working. No matter whether you're using PocketWizards or any other brand of wireless radio remotes, take the time to read the owners manual and determine the peculiarities that will make a big difference in your success. And, of course, read the Strobist blog to find out more about David Hobby's experience.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/02/core-knowledge-working-with-remotes.html
Better Photos Through Math by William Sawalich Wired magazine’s Jordan Ellenberg recently published an interesting piece about math. (So far, this does not pertain to photography, I know, but trust me—it will.) The story was based on the sparsity principle, which is a mathematical concept that states… well, I don’t exactly understand what it states. But some other smart people do, and this sparsity thingamajig led to the scientific field of compressed sensing. Again, some stuff I don’t understand happens here involving magnetic resonance imaging and… voila, higher-resolution photographs. Okay, I know I skipped some crucial details. Let me try to fill in the blanks in laymen’s terms. Actually, “filling in the blanks” might be a good way to explain what this process does.

The smart math and science and computer people who work in this field implement an algorithm to fill in the gaps in a low resolution “data set” (a digital image file, a low-quality audio recording, etc) by making better guesses (based on the scarcity principle) at what data should fill in the holes. It’s like interpolation, but without the stigma. And it apparently works really, really well.

This breakthrough does not mean that tomorrow you’ll be able to go out and get your Scarcity Principle plug-in for Photoshop, but perhaps in the coming years you’ll be able to up-res your image files in a much cleaner, higher quality way. Perhaps even someday you’ll be able to enlarge low-resolution video and still images the way they do in movies and TV shows—you know, when the cops are cleaning up surveillance footage to see in crystal clear detail who the bad guy really is. Maybe that will remain the stuff of science fiction, but it will still be great if we will just be able to make really big, really beautiful prints. Either way it’s a technology to keep an eye on, even if you don’t understand exactly how it works. (Once you’ve read the Wired story, for a little more insight into what photographers with a bit of math aptitude think about the concept as it applies to digital imaging, head over to photo.net and check out the scarcity principle discussion forum.)

wired.com

photo.net
Beverage Photo Tutorial by William Sawalich This link is something I'm definitely going to send to the students in my studio product photography class. Patric Bergkvist demonstrates that you don't need a fancy studio or expensive equipment to make a very nicely crafted product shot—even with a tricky subject like a transparent glass full of translucent liquor. A little bit of compositing combined with a lot of basic photographic ingenuity—and a straight up understanding of how to make shiny and clear subjects look their best—results in an excellent product shot in a home studio that anyone can emulate. I'm especially a fan of using black paper to turn traditional softboxes into dramatic strip lights. What a brilliant fix! Check it out at the Photigy blog.

http://www.photigy.com/shooting-glass-of-whiskey-with-ice-studio-tabletop-photography-step-by-step-tutorial/
Big Old Polaroids by William Sawalich Forbes magazine just did a great little writeup on the massive 20x24-inch Polaroid Land camera. Only seven were made, with four of them remaining in useful existence. If you’ve got the budget—close to $2000 a day and $200 per exposure—you can rent the camera for your next shoot. If you’re looking to differentiate your work in this increasingly all-digital world, I’d say you can’t do much better than a mammoth 20x24-inch Polaroid original. See what some renowned photographers have done with the camera online. Jennifer Trausch, mentioned in the Forbes story, takes the 20x24 on location to shoot in the real world—not something often seen with the cumbersome machines. William Wegman popularized the format with his series of portraits of his dogs, and Elsa Dorfman is perhaps the photographer most closely associated with the format as she has one in her own studio. Each of these photographers is worth investigating, and if you have the good fortune to see original 20x24 Polaroids in a gallery or museum near you, be sure to search them out. They’re unlike any other photographic format you’re likely to have seen before, nor ever will again.

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0913/life-art-photography-cameras-polaroid-land-grab.html
http://www.jennifertrausch.com
http://www.wegmanworld.com/gallery/works.html
http://elsadorfman.com/camera.html
Bill Owens On Suburbia by William Sawalich One of my earliest photo book memories is discovering the sublime black & white photography of Bill Owens and his 1972 book "Suburbia." It revolutionized the way I thought about photography—that someone could so painstakingly document mundane suburban life, the life that I came from, was mind-blowing. Photography need not take place in exotic locations across the globe. Everything, when looked at critically and considered with a photographer's eye, is fodder for outstanding photographs—that's what this book taught me. If you haven't seen "Suburbia" for yourself, I highly recommend that you seek out a copy. In the meantime, visit this interview with photographer Bill Owens via the American Suburb X web site. Conducted in 2005, it provides 30 years worth of perspective on the fairly groundbreaking work, including how Mr. Owens is still photographing contemporary of suburbia to this day.

http://www.americansuburbx.com/2012/04/theory-interview-bill-owens.html
Bits of Bits by William Sawalich Steve Berardi is the PhotoNaturalist, and I highly recommend reading his blog if you're at all interested in wildlife, landscape and nature photography. But his expertise goes well beyond topics of use only to outdoorsmen, as evidenced by a techie think piece he recently wrote for DPS. It answers a question about which I’ve always wondered: what exactly is a bit and why does it matter? Analog-to-digital converters, color depth, even Photoshop itself uses the ìbitî terminology, but none of them seem to mean exactly the same thing. So if you too wonder about bits, check out Steve’s great new post. And then be sure to visit his own blog to see what wildlife and nature photography bits you can learn about too. (See what I did there?) Pardon the pun, but it is true: there’s always lots to learn from the PhotoNaturalist.

http://digital-photography-school.com/16-bit-vs-32-bit-vs-64-bit-what-does-it-all-mean
http://photonaturalist.net
Black & White Conversion Cheat Sheet by William Sawalich When I convert an image to black & white in Photoshop, I choose my method—from the dozens of different approaches available—practically on a whim. Then I do a lot of experimenting to arrive at a finished image that delivers the look I want. Well what if there was a better, faster and easier way—not a better way to convert to black & white, but a better way to determine which conversion method will work best for a given image? Well there is. It's courtesy of the DIY Photography blog, where Ladislav Soukup has created a Photoshop document containing a bunch of preset conversion method thumbnails that can be used to preview your own image with the click of a mouse. Just open the cheat sheet in Photoshop, drop your image into the Smart Object layer, and in an instant you'll see how these different conversions will look when applied to your image. What a resource, what a time-saver. What a great idea! Download it at DIYphotography.net.

http://www.diyphotography.net/black-white-cheatsheet-for-photoshop
Brazen Camera Thieves by William Sawalich Believe it or not, gutsy camera thieves can actually steal the lens right off your D-SLR without you even noticing. And according to the BBC, they're actually doing it and getting away scot-free. The same quick release button that makes it easy for you to swap lenses on your camera body also makes it equally easy for shady characters to do the same when your camera's slung casually over your shoulder. Check out the Pixiq blog for the lowdown, to see video of master thieves in action, and for a bit of advice on how to protect yourself while traveling.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/lens-thieves
Brian Smith's Book Of Better Portraits by William Sawalich Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith is not only skilled at lighting and shooting, but it seems he's pretty good at sharing his expertise with other photographers as well. To that end, his new book aims to help all of us make better portraits, while still providing great behind-the-scenes glimpses into the creation of some of his most recognizable portraits. Everything from pre-production, shoot details to post-production particulars is outlined in detail. Culled from 30 years of celebrity portraits, Smith's book is half coffee table monograph, half how-to instruction manual. And that adds up to a must-read for any portrait photographer.

http://briansmith.com/blog/2012/05/a-book-30-years-in-the-making.
Browse Lighting Diagrams by William Sawalich Lighting diagrams are all the rage these days. There’s a new web site called Sylights designed to bring making and sharing lighting diagrams to the masses, and it’s a pretty cool concept. Unfortunately, I think for lighting diagrams to be really effective they need a lot more information. Most crucially, you need to see sample photos that show the setup in action and what the photographic results look like.

Beyond the sample photos, though, when I make lighting diagrams I include all sorts of data on power, ratios, distance, modifiers, colors, etc. Add that to this web site and suddenly you've got something invaluable for photographers.

If you want to learn how to utilize lighting diagrams, a great way to start is to tear photographs out of magazines and then try to recreate them. How? Look to highlights, shadows and catchlights in eyes for clues as to the setups employed in the pictures. That's how we did it in school, and that's still how I do it today. Once you’ve got it figured out, create a diagram with all the details that will help you recreate the setup again and again.

sylights.com
Build A Backyard Bird Studio by William Sawalich Many of us might bring out the camera to photograph a beautiful bird we find in our back yard, but only David Hobby would turn such a birding discovery into a two-day location strobe lighting adventure. In a recent post, the man behind The Strobist explained how he turned his backyard into an impromptu photo studio complete with six speedlights and a paper background. Not only is it a neat explanation of how to photograph a bird in flight, but it also demonstrates something much more important and generally useful—the ability to be a photographic problem-solver. Read all about it at http://strobist.blogspot.com/2013/04/bluebirds-and-stink-bugs.html
Build Your Own Ground-Pod by William Sawalich It can be difficult to use a camera way down at ground level if you don't want to hold it in your hands. If you also want it steadied by a tripod, you've got limited options. Some manufacturers make "ground-pods" in order to make it easier to steady your camera mere inches from the earth, but Elliot Hook has written about his own process for creating an inexpensive DIY ground-pod out of a frying pan and tripod head. I love the simplicity! It's simple and light and easily portable, and you can fill it with rocks or sand plain old dirt if you need some added stability when shooting from ground level. What a simple and effective tool.

http://digital-photography-school.com/a-project-for-the-new-year-how-to-make-a-diy-ground-pod
Build Your Own Light-Modifying Softbox Grid by William Sawalich I work side by side with video crews on a relatively frequent basis, and one of my favorite tools that they regularly rely on—one which I don't often employ nearly as much as I should—is the softbox grid. This honeycomb-shaped black fabric modifier attaches to the front of a softbox to help focus it slightly and keep it from spreading quite so far and wide. It allows the light to remain soft but focused. And I know I can run down to the camera store and pick up a new one of them on a whim, but I just never have. And now, thanks to the fun folks at DIYPhotography.net, I probably never will. You see, they've just explained to me—and everyone else on the internet—how to make one of these honeycomb grids using nothing but gaffer's tape. That's right, simple black gaff tape now officially has one million and one uses. Flickr user cUKi uploaded the tutorial, and this person should be roundly hailed as a bit of a genius. Also a bit nutty, but definitely somewhat genius. So check it out, even if you'd rather buy your grids than make them out of tape.

http://www.diyphotography.net/build-a-huge-grid-from-gaffers-tape
Buy Bob O'Connor Prints by William Sawalich I've been a fan of the photography of Bob O'Connor since I first interviewed him a few years ago. He's got a sublime style, and he makes beautiful, elegant, simple photographs of the most banal subjects. That banality is crucial to the success of his work, I think, because he makes beautiful images of these objects most of us would simply look right past. Now you can own a print of one of Bob's beautiful Iceland images courtesy of the great site 20x200. The premise of the web site is simple: great art that regular people can afford. An edition of 200 8x10 prints of Bob's image are available for $20 each. That's what I call affordable art. (For those with deeper pockets, limited editions of larger sizes—such as two 30x40-inch prints for $2000—are also available.) Bob's a great photographer, this is a great image, and it's brought to you courtesy of a great web site. Hurry, while supplies last!

http://www.20x200.com/art/2011/05/breidalsvik-iceland.html
Buy Nikons, direct from Nikon by William Sawalich Well duh. Why didn't I, or they, or any camera manufacturer for that matter, think of this sooner? I'm sure it's got to do with all sorts of things I can't comprehend regarding distributors and middlemen and contracts and such—after all, if you've sold Nikon cameras for 50 years you're likely not happy with the company trying to cut you out. But what's bad, or potentially bad, for retailers could be good, at least potentially, for us customers. Now you can buy Nikon gear, including refurbished and discounted items, direct from the manufacturer. I don’t think bricks and mortar retailers have too much to worry about because buying a camera is like buying a car—you’ve got to test drive the thing first. Holding a camera in your hands is still an ideal way to see what a camera is all about before you plunk down the money to purchase it. Still, if you know what you want, buying straight from the manufacturer does seem convenient. We’ll see how this all shakes out fairly soon, I’m sure.

http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/nikonusa/en_US/home
Buy Used At KEH by William Sawalich The last thing I need is one more obsolete (or at the very least, obscure) film camera. Yet I still can't help myself from perusing the virtual aisles at KEH Camera. A recent jaunt through the site reminded me about what an excellent resource it is for purchasing used cameras. Sure you can always use Craigslist and eBay, and even get great results. But KEH should be the first stop on anyone's used camera shopping list because their prices are fair, the quality is guaranteed, and they'll even buy your used cameras to help you fund your next purchase. It's a one-stop shop for those of you who, like me, just can't help yourself when it comes to film cameras.

http://www.keh.com/?gclid=CM6YpuPv_LICFQz0nAodk2UAgw
Bye, Bye, Velvia by William Sawalich It's is a sad time to be a photographer. Especially a landscape photographer. Fuji has announced it will be discontinuing the film of choice for serious landscape photographers—Velvia 100 and Velvia 50—in large formats. Velvia 100 will be discontinued entirely, while the 50 speed—a beautiful slow film ideal for outdoor photography—will be maintained in the 35mm and 120 formats. That means this is the point at which landscape photography will make a huge sea change, lagging behind the rest of the world in which digital had overtaken film. What will Velvia landscape photographers do now? Or, rather, what will they do after stocking their freezers with as much large format Velvia as they can afford? It’s a time we’ve all known was coming. But that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. A sad time to be a photographer, indeed.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/fujifilm-dicontinues-velvia-100f-50
Caleb Charland's Viral Orange Photograph by William Sawalich Earlier this fall, amazing photographer-slash-science-geek Caleb Charland emailed me some samples of untouched images from a recent shoot he had completed. One of them was a tremendous photograph of a peeled and sliced orange turned into a generator for a small LED light. After a 14-hour exposure, the light's glow recorded on film, Caleb found himself the creator of a gorgeous work of art that illustrates a wonderful bit of science as well. This type of photograph—Caleb's specialty—struck an obvious chord, and now the image has essentially gone viral, popping up on photo and science blogs all over the world. (If you haven't seen it, check out the link below to find the photo at Boing Boing, including a bit of text about the photo direct from Caleb himself.) Since it's garnered such attention, Caleb is now offering it for sale in a limited edition of fairly affordable prints from Lux Archive. If you're as much of a fan of his work as I am, this one's a no-brainer.

http://boingboing.net/2012/11/20/gloriously-illuminated-orange.html
http://www.luxarchive.com/products/orange-battery
Calibration Webinars Tonight by William Sawalich Care to learn about color calibrating your computer monitor? There are only two correct answers to that question: I already know how, and yes. If you already know how, I suggest you still keep an open ear as there’s always more to learn. (That pretty much goes for everything photo related, by the way.) But if the answer is yes, and you’re ready to learn about tackling color calibration, then I suggest you tune in tonight for a free X-rite web seminar. You’ve got two choices here too: 7pm Eastern or 7pm Pacific. So tune in online and learn everything you need to know about not just monitor calibration but print matching as well. If you can’t make it tonight, don’t worry: X-Rite will repeat the seminars next month, and they’ve also got a whole series of seminars scheduled on a variety of color calibration topics.

http://xritephoto.com/ph_learning.aspx?action=webinars
Camera Buying Guides by William Sawalich Care to improve your camera-buying prowess? Browse one of superstore Adorama's 65 free buying guides online to help you hone in on the perfect camera and lens for your next purchase. Of course, these buying guides are practical way beyond learning just what gear to splurge on. They're helpful for learning about photography too, as they encourage you to consider the methods and techniques that you use, and to learn more about them as you learn what equipment might be most practical for a given way of shooting. The point is, by learning more about gear options, you can learn more about photography. These buying guides are the perfect way to learn more about cameras and techniques—whether you're considering a compact digital camera for family events or a big dSLR for a budding photojournalist. How you shoot determines what you buy, so thinking about what to buy can help you figure out how to shoot. It's a perfect symbiosis!

http://www.adorama.com/alc/category/Buying-Guides
Camerapedia by William Sawalich I recently bought a new camera. Well, it's a used camera but it's new to me. It's an old Polaroid 600 SE (the "Goose") and I did a decent amount of research prior to my purchase. The Internet certainly does make camera research easy, but there's one site in particular that can be immensely useful. It's called Camerapedia, and it's exactly what the name suggests: an encyclopedia of camera information. It's the perfect place to research old cameras and lenses, to learn things like which generation of a camera model included what features, or to distinguish subtleties of lens mounts and film formats and accessories—all of which can get you in trouble if you're purchasing a used camera and you don't know exactly what you're going to get. But even if you're uninterested in buying old cameras, Camerapedia comes in handy for researching brand new cameras too. In my opinion, though, it really shines at delivering hard-to-find, useful information about old cameras for collectors and the occasional odd purchaser who intends to shoot with his antique—like me.

http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Camerapedia
Cameras In Action by William Sawalich I recently saw this neat little video on the DPS blog. It's by street photographer Eric Kim, who strapped a tiny GoPro video camera to his Leica's hot shoe and took to the streets. A neat way to see how an actual street photographer works. I'm not at all disparaging Mr. Kim's approach to photographing people on the street, but it did make me realize how differently he approaches his subjects than some other photographers I've seen from their cameras' perspectives—like, for instance, James Nachtwey, who in the documentary "War Photographer" had a tiny video camera strapped to his camera as well. It too is a fascinating look at how a photographer works, made even more powerful when viewed from the perspective of his camera. It's interesting that Mr. Kim tries to avoid eye contact and shoots quickly before moving on to another subject, while Mr. Nachtwey works in a more lingering, deliberate manner. Part of it may be the different subject matter, part of it is surely different shooting styles. Whatever the differences, and whichever approach you prefer, it's extremely interesting to watch photographers work like this. Check out both videos via the links below.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/watch-how-a-street-photographer-going-about-a-shoot-video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3VoyjUP8hg
Camille Seaman's Cloudscapes by William Sawalich It's awfully easy to think of only one type of beauty in the American landscape. To some it's only found in the mountains and deserts of the West. But some see natural beauty in all areas of the country. Even in times of relative calm, there is a distinct beauty in the plains of the Midwest. But when a storm is rolling in, the landscape becomes amazing. Photographer Camille Seaman's The Big Cloud series is a study of supercell storm clouds—some as large as 50 miles—and it is undeniably stunning. The contrast between the beauty and the frightening power of these storms gives the work a unique tension. Seaman says her work—which also includes an amazing study of icebergs that I personally find to be the most stunning of their kind—is all about helping to connect people to their environment and to consider it in ways they haven't before. After viewing this gallery, visit her web site to see more of her work.

http://butdoesitfloat.com/The-only-ultimate-disaster-that-can-befall-us-I-have-come-to-realise
http://www.camilleseaman.com
Can Film Hang On Much Longer? by William Sawalich I remember the year 2000 as if it was yesterday. The dawning of the new era in digital photography, when people talked about how film would one day disappear. Photographers were engaged in all sorts of arguments about whether or not film and darkroom papers would eventually go the way of the dodo bird, or if there would always be a need for film. Flash forward just a decade and all of a sudden that hypothetical future has arrived. None of the commercial photographers I know uses film for anything more than a small fraction of their work—and only then for some specific, special reason. What was once the dominant tool in the industry—in fact, the one necessity that every photographer needed—is now quite literally an afterthought. This recent AP story by Ben Dobbin puts into perspective just how dramatic our shift from film to digital has been. Ten years ago Kodak sold almost a billion rolls of film annually. This year, however, they'll sell only 20 million. That's a 98% hit to a once vital company with a near corner on the market. It's sad to see film decline this far, even sadder to think about an eventual disappearance altogether. It's hard for me to imagine we won't be able to ever buy film, though. I sure hope Kodak and other manufacturers keep filling the demand in one way or another—no matter how small that demand might be.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110530/ap_on_hi_te/us_film_s_fade_out
Capture TV by William Sawalich How did I let three episodes of this Internet TV show slip by? I've just learned about Capture, the interview show in which renowned portrait photographer Mark Seliger invites a photographer and a celebrity photo buff into his studio to discuss photography. This episode features Kevin Bacon, quite the serious amateur photographer, and Bob Gruen, rock 'n roll photographer most famous for his iconic portraits of John Lennon. It's great fun, and interesting, and always nice to hear fellow photographers discuss their passion. Thanks to A Photo Editor for the heads up!

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2012/10/29/capture-episode-4-bob-gruen-and-kevin-bacon-with-mark-seliger/
Carr Clifton’s Sacred Headwaters by William Sawalich I recently received an email from master landscape photographer Carr Clifton. It seems he’s just returned from a trip to photograph the Sacred Headwaters of British Columbia with the International League of Conservation Photographers. Here’s what he wrote: "Home to Canada’s most important salmon spawning rivers—and one of North America’s largest predator-prey ecosystems—the Sacred Headwaters is being threatened by large scale industrial development, including copper strip mines and coal-methane gas extraction. ILCP’s mission is to obtain a comprehensive portrait of the Sacred Headwaters, giving voice to the historical, cultural and ecological significance of this region." Check out a portfolio of amazing images from Carr’s trip to this rarely photographed region at his web site, www.carrclifton.com.

http://goo.gl/ZskLe
Cave Photography by William Sawalich Do you remember when earlier this year James Cameron (of Titanic and Avatar fame) released a 3D movie called Sanctum? It didn't get a lot of critical acclaim, and it wasn’t around for very long, so I don’t blame you if you missed it. One thing it did do quite well was show some beautiful cave images, and raise some interesting questions about cave diving and photography. National Geographic took the lead on setting the record straight by interviewing photographer Stephen Alvarez, a cave expert, about what it's really like to explore—and photograph—in these treacherous locations far underground. You can watch the movie trailer and read the interesting interview at National Geographic's Blog Central.

http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2011/02/sanctum-raises-cave-questions-nat-geo-photographer-answers-them.html
CF Card Mailer by William Sawalich The term "genius" gets thrown around pretty freely… which means I don't feel too bad for doing it again right now. I'm going to call myself a genius for this brilliantly simple idea. I recently had a photographer friend shoot a job for a good client of mine while I was out of town. My friend didn't need his CompactFlash card back immediately, so he asked me to just pop it in the mail. I don't know about you, but I've never kept the little plastic storage case that every media card comes in, so I needed to think of an easy way to protect the card and allow it to fit easily in a normal business envelope. So I cut a piece of quarter-inch corrugated cardboard to fit the envelope, and then notched out an area where the CF card would fit perfectly. I taped it in place, and voila. I had protection for the card while maintaining the ability a smooth envelope that would travel easily through the Postal Service's machinery. And it only takes a single First Class stamp to send it. Genius, if I do say so myself.
Chart The Sun's Trajectory Through Your Scene by William Sawalich I'm a big fan of wielding a technological advantage whenever possible, so I like using tools like Google Earth and The Photographer's Ephemeris to help plan out photo shoots. You can imagine how pleased I was, then, to learn about this new iPhone and iPad app called Sun Seeker. Point your phone's camera in any direction, and using the iPhone's directional positioning the Sun Seeker app will overlay the sun's movement across the scene. If you want to figure out if the sun will dip behind that building on its way to dusk, or if you simply wonder what direction will work best for a shooting session later today, Sun Seeker is a simple and effective way to plan for where the sun will be. It also includes a compass and map view that can also help to plan shoots remotely, but the live overlay of the sun's trajectory is really pretty sharp. At only five bucks, there aren't many photographic tools less expensive.

http://ajnaware.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/sun-seeker-seeing-the-light-with-augmented-reality
Chased By The Light by William Sawalich Regular readers may recall my fondness for a web site called Cool Tools. Every day the site updates with an addition to its catalog of tools submitted by readers everywhere. From educational resources to electronic devices to knives to kitchen aids, almost anything can qualify as a Cool Tool so long as it is useful and superior to comparable items. Site founder Kevin Kelly recently posted about a wonderful book (as well as an accompanying app and documentary film) "Chased By The Light." It's the story of outdoor photographer Jim Brandenburg and his project to spend 90 days one autumn making only one shot per day. As he put it, "There would be no second exposure, no second chance." I won't argue—as the site's readers do—whether or not this book conforms to their definition of a broadly useful tool, but I'll tell you that I think it's a brilliant idea for photographers to improve their capabilities. Practical concerns of exposure and composition are sure to be refined when you've only got one chance to get it right, but more importantly you're going to dramatically influence the way you see the world, the way you approach a scene and the way you consider its every possibility before releasing the shutter. Nothing could be more counter-intuitive to today's "shoot away" mentality, but that's what makes it so useful. That's why I recommend the project sight unseen: it just makes so much sense. But I also recommend that you do what I'm about to, and search out the book, the app and the film.

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/006093.php
Cheat Sheets by William Sawalich I like cheat sheets. I have a customized cheat sheet to remind me of the specific gear I take on location. I have a cheat sheet taped to my studio strobe pack outlining a couple of unique setups I use for a couple of particular clients. I am not shy about putting together detailed cheat sheets if they will help me make better pictures. That’s exactly the idea behind a couple of cheat sheets put together by the DIY Photography blog. First they assembled a portrait lighting cheat sheet, in which they worked out in detail the lighting results they’d get from various lighting positions in relation to the subject’s face. It’s the sort of thing you’ll naturally pick up over time, but it can be immensely helpful when you’re getting started. That cheat sheet was such a rousing success, they created another one—this time, all about lighting modifiers. With this sheet a photographer can see the results achieved from a variety of strobe modifiers (like various sizes and configurations of umbrellas, softboxes and reflectors) on a portrait subject’s face. This one is especially valuable, even for experienced photographers. To be able to see the subtle differences achieved by different modifiers is invaluable. Best of all, both of these cheat sheets are available in downloadable and printable form from the DIY Photography site.

diyphotography.net

diyphotography.net: lighting modifiers
Chuck Close On Creativity by William Sawalich The next few words I'm going to write will sound like blasphemy to some photographers, but I'm going to write them anyway. Here goes: It seems to me that the best photographs are as much about ideas as they are about execution. By that I mean, it's the content that matters most. It can be all too easy to get caught up in the trappings of technique and equipment—and let's face it, it can also be downright fun. But to a certain extent, all of these things can get in the way of what we photographers are supposed to be doing: making pictures. I have been kicking around this idea for a long while now, but it was only when reading a recent post at the wonderful Brain Pickings blog that I read some quotes from the painter Chuck Close that really galvanized these thoughts for me. Close puts it simply: "Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work." I think that translates for photographers into something along the lines of, "Let's not worry so much about how, and let's just concentrate on doing." As Nike's ad agency so beautifully put it, "Just do it." Work begets work, creating leads to creativity. So the next time you're feeling like something—anything—is getting in the way of making photographs, forget it. And just get to work. (For more from the Chuck Close interview, as well as conversations with many other phenomenal artists, follow the link to Brain Pickings where you can pick up the book from which Close's quotes came: Inside the Painter's Studio, by Joe Fig. Looks like a wonderful and inspirational read, even for us photographers.)

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/12/27/chuck-close-on-creativity/
Cindy Sherman On Her Work by William Sawalich For any fans of fine art photography, this one will no doubt get your attention. It's an in-depth interview with contemporary master photographer Cindy Sherman. Fans of Ms. Sherman know her work—all about identities and the self without being strictly self portraits—and they may also know that she rarely, if ever, sits for an interview. This one is especially neat for a few of the non-photographic things she discusses. No apertures and shutter speeds here. Instead, the photographer speaks to the UK's Guardian newspaper of working in a male-dominated field, having her photography treated as art, and what it's like to have a single image sell for upwards of one million dollars. It's a bit of celebrity journalism, I suppose, but it so happens that the celebrity in question is a real honest-to-goodness artist and photographic icon. And that makes it an enjoyable read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/jan/15/cindy-sherman-interview
Civil War In Color by William Sawalich Black and white photos are inherently abstract. Our eyes see reality in color, after all, so anything photographed in shades of gray is obviously an incomplete depiction of reality. It's for this reason that many events prior to the era of color photography may seem less real, more abstract. For instance, the Civil War has never been viewed in color… until now. John C. Guntzelman has published a new book of colorized photographs of the Civil War. The Civil War in Color: A Photographic Reenactment of the War Between the States includes hundreds of hand-colored (via digital means) photographs from photographers the likes of Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner. It's a fascinating look at something made more real thanks to Guntzelman's diligent efforts. The Smithsonian Magazine's web site includes an interactive slideshow that allows you to drag a slider across an image, moving from the original grayscale to the new colorized view. It's a powerful effect, and one that makes this horrific moment in American history less abstract and all the more real.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-Civil-War-Now-in-Living-Color-192504401.html
Classic Contact Sheets by William Sawalich Do you remember contact sheets? They were a function of film photography: you'd shoot a roll of film and make a contact print to help you determine which selects to make "real" enlargements from. Well Thames and Hudson publishers has released a book in conjunction with the Magnum photo agency, filled with famous contact sheets of iconic photographs. "Magnum Contact Sheets" is of interest to any fan of fine photography, or maybe for a news buff interested in seeing a little more context surrounding the creation of some world-famous photographs. But it should be especially of interest to photographers because perhaps no other artifact offers the same glimpse into a master's working process than to peruse his contact sheets. What frames did Cartier-Bresson make immediately before and after an iconic shot? How did he arrive at "the" shot? Perusing these classic—as well as some contemporary—contact sheets is not only an enjoyable read but it's a concise photographic education as well. Read more about it and purchase it direct from the Magnum web site.

http://agency.magnumphotos.com/Magnum-Contact-Sheets
Cloud Connected Cameras by William Sawalich As someone who currently uses the cloud—and loves it—I'm particularly interested in the future of cloud connectedness to cameras. This article by Barney Britton of DPreview raises some interesting questions—and frankly ups our expectations—for the future of digital cameras that are connected directly to the cloud. In his interview with Samsung's VP of sales and marketing, Britton delves into exactly what the future of connected cameras might hold, and just how soon it will become a reality. (It appears that this will happen sooner rather than later, and the idea that "non-connected devices will be meaningless" really signals how at least one camera maker is looking to the future of photography, and just what it means to be connected.) Read all about it at http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6388646200/samsung-looking-ahead-to-carrier-subsidized-connected-cameras.
Coffee Cup White Balance by William Sawalich Did you know you can use a coffee cup for white balance? No, not by photographing the white cup and setting a custom white balance based off of it (though that might work too, actually). I’m talking about using the translucent white disposable coffee lid that’s ubiquitous at every coffee shop everywhere. Simply stuff the lid into your lens shade and it acts like one of those fancy Expodisc white balance tools. It may not be perfect, or quite as precise as the real thing, but it sure is cost effective.

http://www.diyphotography.net/the-real-story-behind-starbucks-getting-the-perfect-white-balance
Cold Shoes For Radio Triggers by William Sawalich I only recently learned, I'm embarrassed to say, that my radio strobe triggers work better when they're properly oriented. For years, I've laid my Pocketwizard receivers wherever it was convenient. But it turns out that if the receiver and transmitter are oriented in parallel—meaning that the receiver should also be standing upright—they will work notably better in almost all circumstances. I learned that little tidbit in the first place from David Hobby, the Strobist, so it's fitting that today I learned a great trick for affixing those radio receivers (Pocketwizard or otherwise) to the pack or strobe heads I'm using also straight from the Strobist. Here's the tip: take a discarded cold shoe (the non-electrified version of the hot-shoe on top of your camera) from other random strobe accessories (like the brackets designed to hold umbrellas for use with handheld flash units) and glue it to your pack. Then you can mount your receiver directly to the pack and keep it perfectly oriented for better reception. See how Mr. Hobby does it at his blog, and then do what I'm gonna do: glue some cold shoes to practically everything I own.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/03/cold-shoe-your-monoblocs-for-better.html
Colorized Classics by William Sawalich A friend just sent me a link to a story in the Huffington Post about an artist who colorized old photos. He was asking what I thought about the pictures and the concept behind them. They're causing a bit of controversy. Artist Sanna Dullaway has started a photo restoration and colorization business, and in an effort to show off her talents, drum up business and garner a bit of publicity—an act which has clearly worked—she colorized classic black & white photographs. One could construe this colorization as a bit of blasphemy—dramatically changing the look of iconic black & white images. But I don’t think they’re blasphemy; I think they’re great. The reason I love them also makes for proof positive of a photographic construct: because black and white is inherently abstract, and color automatically looks more "real," so therefore these newly colorized iconic images of iconic people we've never seen in color... Well, it just makes them more real and relatable, and it serves as a reminder that they really inhabited the same world we do. That's a wonderful realization, no matter how you come about it. See more of Sanna’s work at her post at 9gag.com.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/sanna-dullaways-colorized_n_1216072.html
http://9gag.com/mygrapefruit
Comet Close-up by William Sawalich Did you miss the news of NASA's big comet fly-by? I read about it earlier this month in the New York Times and was wowed by the accompanying photograph. It seems NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft passed within 500 miles of the comet and happened to make a series of amazingly detailed photographs. The story and the picture are worth a read, but what's really impressive is the movie put together from the series of stills the satellite made. It's a close-up, of a comet, in motion. Simply amazing. Check that out at the NASA site and take a look at the whole gallery of NASA comet images too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/science/space/05comet.html?_r=1
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13602
Confessions of a JPEG Shooter by William Sawalich You can’t shoot JPEGs—only shoot RAW! Folks like me tend to beat that message into you over an over: if you haven’t started working with RAW you’re really missing the boat. But in truth there are lots of reasons why many photographers—even serious professional photographers—prefer to shoot JPEGs. There are no hard and fast rules. A perfect example is the confession by a photographer who prefers to shoot JPEGs. Why would he do such a thing? Sports. I won’t spoil the suspense; I’ll let you read the original post on Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider blog to find out exactly why. Suffice it to say it's got to do with the speed of sports and the speed of cameras. It serves as a reminder that every rule of thumb is untrue given the right set of circumstances. Though I still say RAW is great for a whole bunch of things. And I'm guessing that at some point in the future, cameras will process RAW fast enough that it will become the standard for sports shooters too.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/13157.
Considering Different Approaches To Post-Processing by William Sawalich If we can agree with Ansel Adams that, to paraphrase, a picture is only half finished until it's printed, then we can also agree that retouching a digital image file can dramatically change its effectiveness. One of the great teaching tools of the Internet era involves tasking multiple people with post-processing a digital image file to see who comes up with what. How might you approach interpreting a given image? Not only is it helpful to see the specific techniques that go into editing and finalizing an image file, it's also incredibly useful to see how different photographers interpret a scene in vastly different ways. The Online Photographer uploaded a raw file and invited his readership to turn it into a beautiful black & white image. Some went dark and dramatic, others went light and airy. Many of the photographs are very different, which is sort of amazing when you consider that they all started with the same raw exposure. Maybe this is the perfect way to illustrate that principle of Ansel's, that the negative is the score and the print is the performance. I think it's a great exercise and a wonderful post to consider how you might have approached this black & white conversion yourself. Along with providing some context for your own aesthetic when compared to other photographers, it's a great way to learn about different approaches to retouching a photograph—both aesthetic and technical.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/02/interpreting-black-and-white-part-i.html
Corporate Portrait BTS Video by William Sawalich Corporate portraits are a pretty common assignment for commercial photographers. In fact, I do them myself on a pretty regular basis. This video from Jay P. Morgan of the Slanted Lens shows a textbook approach to a corporate portrait assignment. A few differences I'll mention, compared to how I like to do it. First, I prefer a seated subject for a headshot. I think it makes for a nicer, more formal portrait. The tradeoff is that a larger subject may tend to look heavier when seated, so for those instances I'll have them stand. Second, I like a more symmetrical background light; rather than placing it off to the side, I prefer the background light centered behind the subject—often from a floor stand below the frame. And third, and maybe most important, I always—and I mean ALWAYS—use a lens hood. Those first two are personal preferences, but I consider a lens hood practically mandatory in this situation—especially if you'll be shooting directly toward that hairlight in the background. Aside from my little tweaks, this video is really great, and a must-see for anyone wondering how to approach this type of corporate portrait assignment.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/09/watch-this-jay-p-morgans-corporate.html
Correcting White Balance For Multiple Light Sources by William Sawalich I just did a shoot where the color balance was way wacky. First of all, it was dark as night in the room I was shooting. It was mostly low-level tungsten illumination, but there was an occasional and changing fill from an ever-shifting digital projector. The color temperatures combined to make a soup of mixed up colors. I wish I'd known this tip from Digital Photography School about tweaking white balance in Lightroom when working with multiple color temperatures in a single scene. Peter West Carey explains the predicament in a much more common situation—when daylight from windows is mixing with illumination from tungsten or fluorescent bulbs indoors. Peter's solution is pretty simple, when you think about it, but that doesn't mean it's not valuable. Read all about it at DPS, and the next time you're faced with a too-blue window or an overly-warm interior, put this custom color balance advice to work for you.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/dealing-with-two-light-sources-in-photoshop-lightroom
Cover Your Eyepiece by William Sawalich This could be the reason your photos are coming out dark: light is entering the camera from the back. Precisely, it's entering through the viewfinder and messing with the camera's ability to accurately read TTL light levels. Ever notice that little viewfinder cover that's probably attached to your camera strap? I didn't think so. Well Peter West Carey at Digital Photography School did notice it, and he's put it to good use to help prevent erroneous light from affecting his photos. You don't have to use this little device to eliminate light from the viewfinder, you can also use your hand, or your eye, or just about anything else to block light from leaking in while the camera is calculating exposures. Read all about how and why this works at Peter's great DPS blog post.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/cover-your-eyepiece
Custom Keyboard For Photographers by William Sawalich In case you're feeling like you don't have enough helpful computer- and photo-related gadgets in your life, I've got the perfect thing for you. It's a keyboard made specifically for photographers. The X-Keys Professional system provides a USB-compatible 58-key keyboard that you can customize to help speed up your digital workflow and make processes and tool selections faster and more efficient. It works whether you're using Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture or any number of other programs. Simply determine the shortcut keys you use most often, as well as the other tools and functions that dominate your post-production processes, and then program them into the X-Keys keyboard. You can even label the keys with the included customizable stickers. Read all about it, including a breakdown of how one photographer put it to work, at the PPA web site.

http://www.ppmag.com/web-exclusives/2011/05/xkeysprof.html
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts by William Sawalich I absolutely love keyboard shortcuts. I’m a Ctrl-A kinda guy; who wants to go to the dropdown menu just to select everything when one quick keystroke does it for you? I’ve got all sorts of speedkeys programmed into my brain that help me navigate through my files and tools quickly and easily. It really does speed up the workflow too, meaning you can spend time on the creative parts of editing and retouching, and not dwell on the menial tasks of opening files, positioning them as you’d like and moving from one to another. I actually have a Ctrl-S compulsion too, and I recommend it to everyone else: each time I pause when working on a file, I automatically hit that key combination to save my work where it is. These tips are all well and good, but did you know that along with pre-programmed shortcut keys you can customize your own unique key combinations to build your own speedkeys in Photoshop? You can even change existing standard presets to work with different key combinations that you prefer. It’s pretty easy, and pretty great, and John Paul Caponigro explains how it works.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=5388
Dan Winters In His Own Words by William Sawalich One of my favorite photo blogs is called A Photo Editor. This recent three-part interview with one of my favorite photographers working today, Dan Winters, illustrates precisely why. It also showcases Winters phenomenal creative talent. Sure he's the cream of the crop of portrait photographers, but he's also a talented illustrator, sculptor and wielder of scanning electron microscopes. Read all about how Dan became as talented as he is—as well as the many tools and techniques he uses to express himself—in this wonderful interview conducted by Rob Haggart.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2011/04/13/dan-winters-interview-part-1/
Darkrooms Are Almost Extinct by William Sawalich If you're a photographer of a certain age (in my case, the mid-thirties) then you no doubt learned to ply your trade at least partly in the dark. The darkroom, once as much a part of photography as the computer is today, was a magical and mysterious place. More than anything, it was a place. It was where photographers went to create their photographs. Every darkroom had a personality, and one could glean some little bit of knowledge about a photographer's techniques based on a glimpse into his darkroom workspace. Darkrooms, like artists, were very unique. Unfortunately darkrooms are disappearing. For the most part they're already gone. Labs that once thrived are now shuttered, and facilities that employed dozens now cling to life with a skeleton crew. The darkroom, a tool once synonymous with photography, is now all but extinct. Photographer Richard Nicholson has been photographing darkrooms—specifically, the centerpieces of those darkrooms, the enlargers—as part of his newest project. Wired's Raw File photo blog has put together a collection of the images, as well as an interview with the photographer. He mentions that a mere five years ago there were more than 200 photo labs in London; now just six remain. If you're a former darkroom photographer yourself you may find it difficult to say goodbye to these "dinosaurs." And if you never had the pleasure, you may want to put in a little bit of time now before it's entirely too late.

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2011/01/photo-enlargers
Defining Sepia by William Sawalich Here's an interesting little sidebar by photo guru Chase Jarvis. He poses the question on his blog, "What the hell is sepia?" He makes a good point, because to many photographers sepia is just an effect achieved by clicking the appropriate preset or filter in a given photo editing application. But as Chase points out, sepia actually has a long and rich tradition in the photo world. When I was just a young pup, I made actual sepia prints in an actual darkroom. Sepia, you see, is a photographic toning technique from the silver darkroom. Sepia became popular in the 19th century, and remains so still today. Read a little more about the origins and history of sepia at Chase's site, then think about how to apply its effects to make your black and white photos look even better.

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2012/03/sepia-what-the-hell-is-it/
Deliberately Blurring Photos by William Sawalich As a photography writer I spend a fairly decent amount of time explaining all of the different ways people can use their equipment to avoid blurry pictures. But if there's one thing I've learned about photography it's that for every "rule" we should follow, there's an equally valid reason to break that very same rule. Take blurry pictures, for instance. While most of the time we want our pictures to be sharp, there are definitely a few occasions in which blurry photos actually work better. Three situations in particular, and thanks to a post on the Light Stalking blog, you can now see what they are and how to harness them. When you want to show motion, when you want to isolate a subject, or when you want to make an abstract image, read about how they work at the Light Stalking blog.

http://www.lightstalking.com/3-situations-where-blurred-photos-just-work
Digital Photography 1 On 1 by William Sawalich Just last week I mentioned some tremendous instructional videos for studio lighting techniques with a variety of light modifiers. That reminded me of another great series of instructional videos that are just right—neither too basic nor too advanced. The thing about these videos is that they're understandable to photographers of practically any skill level, but they're also not lacking in the technical information more advanced users will appreciate. Anyway, the series is called Digital Photography 1 on 1, and it's a really great place to look for assistance if you're trying to learn more about photography and lighting. They're the creation of photo educator Mark Wallace, who teaches workshops around the country, and there are literally hundreds of these great videos available on his Snapfactory YouTube channel. He's been uploading for more than five years, so you know he's no late comer to the video tutorial party; he's serious about this stuff and it shows. Check them out if you'd like to brush up on your skills, because no matter your experience you're sure to find something worthwhile in these tremendous videos.

http://www.youtube.com/user/snapfactory
Do you use Flash Benders? by William Sawalich Do you use Flash Benders? They’re the flexible flash light shapers that affix to hot shoe mountable flashes and allow you to create a snoot or a reflector or a flagÖ Basically you can sculpt the dimension and direction of the flash output, and they look like they work simply to create effects that are unquestionably cool. Flash modifiers in general, and these things in particular, are gaining popularity all the time. That kind of makes sense. I've always just used a little white card to bounce my flash—which is a necessity when shooting with on camera flash any place indoors (particularly if that place is outfitted with a low white ceiling). I make mine by cutting down the white cardboard inserts from 4x5 film boxes. It’s always been a great way to make use of this otherwise leftover piece of packaging. But now with film becoming less and less popular (I don’t know the last time I shot it), I wonder what I’ll do for a flash card? Maybe I’ll stock up on 4x5 film boxes before it’s too late? Or maybe I’ll just invest in a Flash Bender.

http://www.expoimaging.com
Documenting The Death Of Film by William Sawalich Canadian photographer Robert Burley has been working with film throughout his long photographic career. And lately he has even used the stuff to document the demise of film itself. His photographs depict the end of an era, when film was used to record every event in history and the thought of it ever disappearing was plainly preposterous. That has now given way to digital technologies, but as Burley says in this interview on the CNN photo blog, yesterday's technology is tomorrow's next art form. I have so many sad feelings about the death of film. In a way, photography used to be more special, and it was at least in part due to the mysteries of film and chemistry. At one point early in my career I got to be a little more of a scientist. Today I'm much more of a computer programmer. I didn't want to be a computer programmer. Alas, the world is changing. See more of Burley's tremendous photographs at CNN's photo blog.

http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/05/the-death-of-film
Don't Be An Intellectual Property Hypocrite by William Sawalich We photographers are often hypocrites. Why? Because we scratch and claw and fight to get commercial users to respect our copyrights: if you're going to "steal" our images for your business use, we're going to get ticked off about it. We pool our resources to best learn how to protect our intellectual property, but then we become hypocrites when it comes time to use a song in a slideshow or web site—or even just on our own iPods. Those musicians are concerned about protecting their intellectual property rights, too, just as we are. They earn their livings off of their creative endeavors just as we do. Yet we shrug and ignore the connection between our infringing on their copyrights as we simultaneously trumpet the sacred nature of our own. So if you want others to value your intellectual property rights, value the rights of other creators. Read more about another photographer who feels the same way and check out a great copyright public service announcement via the Burns Auto Parts blog.

http://www.burnsautoparts.com/blog/2011/04/28/great-psa
Don't Focus And Recompose by William Sawalich I'm a "focus-then-recompose" kind of guy. This is not good. I always sensed I was neglecting some fairly robust camera focusing technology by falling back on this old-school approach, but it wasn't until I read this DPS blog post by James Brandon that I realized just how woefully inadequate this technique really is. Focusing then recomposing is the technique in which you point the center focus point in your viewfinder at the subject you want to photograph—say, an eye on a smiling face—and then (once focused properly) you recompose to create the composition that's most pleasing. The problem with this approach becomes visible in a few specific instances: at larger apertures, when working with longer lenses, and when you're a generally unsteady photographer. When you recompose you can actually change the distance between the focused point and your camera, meaning that the new plane of focus is actually behind the original (correct) one. That means that if your lens is long enough, your aperture large enough or your depth of field shallow enough, you're going to get an out-of-focus picture. See for yourself at the DPS blog, then get started—as I am—learning how to focus correctly using shifting focus points.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/the-problem-with-the-focus-recompose-method
Don’t be a cameraist. Be a photographer! by William Sawalich I’m a big fan of Paul Burwell’s Wildshots photo blog. I’m an even bigger fan of this idea: there are cameraists, and there are photographers. A cameraist, according to Paul, is somebody who can’t see the forest for the trees. These cameraists somewhere along the line became more concerned with gear than with pictures. Cameraists also may not know about great photographs, but they know about great cameras—even if they don’t really know how to use them. Basically, cameraists don’t seem to have their heads on straight. Read Paul’s blog to learn the top 10 ways you can keep from becoming a cameraist in your quest to become a better photographer.

http://www.paulburwell.com/blog/2010/09/top-ten-ways-to-separate-the-cameraists-from-the-photographers/
Don’t Steal Stuff by William Sawalich I do a lot of photo-blog reading in my quest to stay informed, and nine times out of ten the stuff I see is great and informative. But I just read a blog entry on a site targeted primarily at wedding photographers. The post was for those who produce slideshows to showcase a couple's wedding day in synch with music. These multimedia slideshows are often sold to the couple, or simply used to showcase the photographer's work online. The article addressed the legality--actually, the lack thereof--of using songs for commercial use without approval. The thing that bothered me was that the author shrugged it off. I won't pretend to think that sort of thing doesn't happen, but neither will I pretend that it's not a big deal for us photographers. So let me be clear: it's not okay to use a song for commercial use without licensing it. It wouldn't be okay for a musician to steal my photographs for use on his album cover, so why should I treat his creative output any differently? We photographers are in the same boat as musicians; it's getting harder for to make a buck with our creative output. And if photographers won't stand up for the legitimate licensing of music for commercial purposes, what hope do we have that anyone would ever pay for our work? There’s a great primer on music licensing for photographers, including useful resources for licensing songs legitimately, at the Wedding Photojournalist Association’s web site.

http://www.wedpix.com/articles/010/music-on-wedding-photographer-web-sites/
Double Backup by William Sawalich Here's a quick little tip for you. Can you identify the photo above? No? It's just a piece of gaff tape. But it's a piece of gaff tape you'll find, in various colors and configurations, on many of my gear bags. I've got one on the back of my light kit (that's what you're seeing here) as well as one inside my grip case and one even taped to the top of my camera bag. I do it for two reasons. One, gaff tape is always handy to have around. A spare six inches of tape might be just what you need in a pinch, and so keeping it taped to my bag is good practice, just to be safe, for when I'm shooting on location. The second reason is even more of a lifesaver. I also tape a spare CompactFlash card beneath each strip of gaff tape. You know those old CF cards that you stop using because they're only 1 or 2 or 4 gigs? Those cards are the perfect thing to stash for those "just in case" moments when you'd trade your kingdom for a card. So that's what you're looking at: my dual backup system—gaff tape and a CF card. You can never have too much of either.
Double Photographers, Double Exposures by William Sawalich You might not expect a business blog to be a great resource for creative photography, but in fact Fast Company's design blog is a great place to find all sorts of creative work. To wit, the recent piece on "dueling photographers" who make double exposures on the same roll of film. It's a tremendously creative project, in which two different photographers expose the same roll of film, and serendipitously create gorgeous double exposure photographs. It reminded me of some partner projects I've done with other photographers over the years. Working with another photographer is a great way not only to boost your output, but to get you thinking more creatively as well. Whether that's giving each other weekly self-assignments, offering open and honest critiques of one another's work, or swapping a roll of film on which both of you will shoot. There's lots of value in working with another photographer to improve your own photography.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670891/dueling-photogs-share-the-same-roll-of-film#3
Double-Decker Portraits, Then And Now by William Sawalich A good friend alerted me to this gallery a couple of weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to sharing it with you. (Sorry to make you wait!) It's a collection of "double-decker portraits" made by photographer Daniel Meadows over the course of, oh, just a few decades. You see, back in 1973 Daniel spent a year touring England on a double-decker bus. He made almost 1000 portraits (free of charge) during his trip, and that alone would make for an interesting enough story. But then 25 years later, Daniel decided to go back and revisit some of his subjects, rephotographing them as well. The results were delivered to me via the CNN photoblog, and they're a tremendous collection. What a great way to visualize the passage of time, and all the things that have changed—in England, in the world, and with the people in these pictures—over the course of just a few years. Check out the collection at http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/01/double-decker-portraits/?hpt=hp_c2
Down And Out In The South by William Sawalich This is a tremendous portrait project with a poignant social message. So often, homeless people are treated as less than human, ignored both in theory and in reality by society as a whole. So when Dutch photographer Jan Banning took a residency at the 701 Center for Creative Art in Columbia, South Carolina, the socially minded photographer decided to set up a makeshift studio in a housing facility for aid of the homeless, and he made beautiful, dignified portraits of these people without preying on them. It's certainly a well covered subject, but Banning's approach is definitely unique. The result is a lesson not only in beautiful portraiture, but also a lesson in how to treat subjects with dignity and photograph to serve a greater purpose.

http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/03/down-and-out-in-the-south
Drying Out A Damp Camera by William Sawalich The calendar says it's spring, but the snow in my yard disagrees. If Spring ever arrives, I'm guessing it will eventually be followed by summer. And once the really warm weather gets here we photographers will start spending our time in the great outdoors with our cameras. That's also when we really start putting our cameras in harm's way. Maybe not this month, maybe not this year, but eventually the odds are good that we'll drop our camera in a swimming pool, pond, river, ocean or cruise ship toilet. So what do you do when your gear gets wet? Peter Hill has perfected a wet camera resuscitation technique, and he's published his guide at his Redbubble blog. Ultimately it's the same basic technique you may be familiar with for drying out a damp cell phone: remove the battery, don't turn the thing on, use a blow dryer, and submerge it in dry rice for a week. There's also a handy video I found on YouTube that does a pretty good job of illustrating the technique and demonstrating the drying capabilities of rice. It too is worth a look, but for the particulars of pulling off this delicate procedure on a pricey DSLR, check out Mr. Hill's blog. You might want to bookmark it for future reference, too.

http://www.redbubble.com/people/peterh111/journal/9049428-how-to-perform-cpr-on-a-drowned-dslr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np-4TehQxes
DxO Lens And Sensor Tests by William Sawalich I'm intrigued by DxO Labs. The French company tests everything camera related—including, most importantly, image sensors and lenses. I find the lens ratings especially helpful when it comes time to purchase a new lens for my kit, or to rent a lens for an upcoming assignment. Because there's nothing I hate more than lenses that aren't unbelievably sharp. And while I can't personally vouch for the testing methodology or the scientific credentials of the fine Francophones at DxO, I can tell you that they seem to think some of my favorite lenses are pretty sharp, which bodes well. Plus, they're accepted by many as the resource for sharpness testing of dSLRs. The point is, the next time you're pondering what lens or camera you might want to try, consider making a stop at dxomark.com to check out their findings. If nothing else it will give you a frame of reference for interpreting the sharpness of the cameras and lenses you're considering.

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Lenses/Camera-Lens-Ratings
Early Color Images of Depression-era America by William Sawalich The Library of Congress is another great resource for studying American history via photographs. The most popular and iconic images of the early 20th century are almost always seen in black and white. Interestingly, though, the Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information in the 1930s and 1940s actually did have photographers shooting across the country with color film. These depression-era color images are now property of the Library of Congress, and they offer a considerably less abstract glimpse into this tumultuous time in America. The use of black and white film and its inherent abstraction made it somehow more difficult to relate to subjects in photographs. In color, though, the stark reality shines through and makes these images quite powerful. Thanks to the Denver Post for uploading a huge selection of them to its Plog photo blog. blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/07/26/captured-america-in-color-from-1939-1943/2363

Photo by Jack Delano, courtesy Library of Congress.
Early Images Of Antarctica by William Sawalich Here's another wonderful collection of historic images, this time documenting an expedition to the Antarctic in 1911 by Dr. Douglas Mawson. This was the first Australian journey to Antarctica, and it took three years. Not only is this collection a rare glimpse into life a century ago far from most of our homes, it's a look at early explorers living their day to day lives in one of the harshest and most unforgiving environments on the planet. Beyond that, the images are as beautiful as they are interesting—something that the Brain Pickings blog does a great job finding.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/04/13/australian-antarctica-expedition-1911/
Earth From Above by William Sawalich The Atlantic recently featured an interactive puzzle game based on Google Earth's satellite photographs of interesting locations around the world. Though the game itself is fun—quizzing viewers on their ability to guess a location based on its appearance from above—what really struck me was just how stunning these images are, and just how tragically beautiful man's influence on the land can be when viewed from this unique perspective. So head over to the Atlantic's In Focus blog to play the game and view these stunning photographs. It really is a nice collection of images that's worth a look even if you're uninterested in playing the game (you party pooper).

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/11/where-in-the-world-part-2-a-google-earth-puzzle/100197/
Easy Color Management In Photoshop by William Sawalich A few weeks back I mentioned how John Paul Caponigro has a wonderful knack for explaining fairly complex post-processing issues in an easy and approachable way. He’s gone and proved me right again with a post I loved, all about navigating the Epson printer driver from within Photoshop. Mr. Caponigro explains that you've got three basic approaches to selecting proper printing profiles: let Photoshop manage colors, let the printer manage colors, or let the printer manage a black & white output. It all boils down to making sure you only choose one profile in one place—either the software or the printer. This followed an earlier post on avoiding double profiles, which led me to consider the topic again in the first place. Most printing problems, at least for photographers, come from mistakenly managing color twice. Never fear, Mr. Caponigro is here to help keep you and your prints from harm.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=4820
http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=4842
Eat Your Way To Great Macro Lighting by William Sawalich Macro photography requires specialized equipment. Beyond the basics of a macro lens, lighting needs to be addressed as well. Why not just use the sun? Well, sometimes you can, but sometimes when you're up close and personal with a tiny little subject, the camera, lens and your own head combine to make a deep dark shadow that you need to light you way out of. Most folks invest in a ring light for this purpose—a flash that wraps around the front of the lens to provide even illumination for tiny subjects. Some folks don't want to invest in a ringlight, so they invest in a substitute that turns their standard hot-shoe flash into a pseudo-ringlight—like the Orbis ring. If you're neither of these types of people, whether you're a total cheapskate or you get inspired by doing everything yourself from repurposed materials, this is the ideal DIY project for you. First, purchase a can of Pringles potato chips. Then eat all of the contents in one sitting. Then turn the empty can into a hacked together yet surprisingly effective lighting setup for macro photography. Read all about this creation by photographer Steve Kushnir at the DIY Photography blog, then get busy eating and crafting—and making better macro pictures.

http://www.diyphotography.net/super-easy-macro-lighting-using-a-pringles-can
Edible Gels by William Sawalich Now this is something I actually want to add to my gear bag. Tired of using those same bland, flavorless gels to color the light coming from your hot-shoe flash? Well try these new edible gels from General Mills. They're not sold in camera stores, though—you have to get them in the grocery store. They're called Fruit Roll-Ups, and while they've long been a popular snack, a desperate photographer recently found out they can also be used as flash gels. Talk about a tasty alternative. Read all about it at the Strobist blog.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2011/02/compared-to-these-rosco-gels-taste-like.html
Edward Steichen in High Fashion by William Sawalich I was recently fortunate to visit Kansas City's Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and its traveling exhibit, Edward Steichen: In High Fashion. The beautiful collection focuses on Steichen's celebrity portraiture and fashion photography during the 1930s when he was chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair. What struck me was how timeless many of his images are, and how photographers today can still learn from Steichen's work. It’s amazing what he achieved with relatively rudimentary equipment more than 80 years ago. The exhibit has been traveling for more than a year, and no additional stops are yet on the calendar. So if you can't hurry to Kansas City before the end of the month, you'll have to settle for learning about Steichen and his work online. The Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography has a nice writeup of the man and his work, as well as a fairly robust image gallery on its web site. The Art Gallery of Ontario has a very nice selection of audio podcasts with exhibit curators discussing specific selections from Steichen's portfolio.

fep-paris.org
ago.net
Eliminating Reflections from Glasses by William Sawalich I know of a photographer who has been accused of popping the lenses out of eyeglasses to avoid having to deal with reflections in photographs. This might be fine in bizarro world, but the rest of us need to deal with reflections in eyeglasses the old fashioned way: first by avoiding reflections when lighting, then by retouching away reflections in post processing. This is something that I've spent entirely too much time working on, so I know how important the "ounce of prevention" philosophy is. In short, when working with a studio light or on-camera flash, you've got to get the light above and/or to the side of the subject enough that the reflection on the glasses disappears. I find with a key light at a 45-degree angle to a portrait subject's face, and a few feet above eye level, I can usually eliminate reflections from all but the most bulbous lenses with simple head tilts and chin movements. Those super-bulbous lenses, however, sometimes make it impossible to eliminate reflections completely, and that's when knowing how to retouch them away in Photoshop comes in amazingly handy. I usually use a combination of luminance- and color-clone stamping, built up over what seems like hours of clicking, and in the end I get a passable result. Check out the recent DPS story on preventing and editing glasses reflections. If you ever photograph people—particularly those with less than 20/20 vision—you'll be glad you did.

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-prevent-edit-out-reflections-on-glasses
Embracing Photographic Change by William Sawalich Photo blogger Scott Kelby invites a guest blogger to fill in for him every week, and recently it was photographer Gary S. Chapman. Chapman is a photojournalist turned, well, photojournalist, but he was also a stock photographer in between. These careers don't really seem to go together, until you hear him explain his path. It used to be that he was a newspaper photographer, until changes in the newspaper business suddenly found him searching for another way to earn a living with his camera. He became a small business owner and created conceptual photographs for the stock industry. Microstock subsequently meant the virtual death of the stock photographer, so these days he puts his documentary skills to use again—not for newspapers, but to aid non-government organizations and non-profit charities to tell their stories in pictures. He's still serving the public with his camera, just in a different way. You might think that the idea of conceptual stock images and straight up documentary photographs aren't exactly one and the same, but when you realize that every time you create a photograph what you're really doing is telling a story, suddenly Mr. Chapman's career path doesn't seem quite so odd at all. His is a great story about perseverance, thinking outside the box, and making great storytelling photographs. Check out the Photoshop Insider blog to read Mr. Chapman's personal story and view a few slideshows he created that illustrate his multifaceted career at its different stages, then head over to his personal blog to read more about what he's doing with his camera nowadays.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/11394
Enter The Nat Geo Photo Contest Asap by William Sawalich Hurry up! Tomorrow is the last day to enter the 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest. Submit your best people, places and nature shots for a chance to win $10,000 and a trip to Washington D.C. for the National Geographic Seminar in January. After you’ve entered, head over to the Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog to check out a gallery of last year's best photos courtesy of the magazine and the photographers who entered. It’s really an awesome assortment of images. I particularly like, well, just about all of them. Great portraits, great macro insect shots, grand vistas, touching moments... It’s an amazing collection that’s most definitely worth a look.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/11/national_geographics_photograp.html
Even If It's Been Done Before, Do It Again by William Sawalich I'm always impressed when a photographer--or any artist, for that matter--can take a subject that has been well covered by countless artists previously, and turn it into something special that's unlike anything I've ever seen before. That's exactly the case with these very simple, very beautiful flower photographs by artist Sasha Kurmaz. These photographs don't appear to involve any particularly unique special effects, but quite simply they are gorgeous. It takes something special to photograph flowers in a "new" way, and there's a lesson in that. Everything may have been done before, but that doesn't mean there's not plenty of room for each of us to put our own spin on any given subject. Thankfully Kurmaz didn't shy away from this well covered territory.

http://butdoesitfloat.com/Naught-is-beyond-Bliss
Every National Park on the iPad by William Sawalich Are you a National Parks nut? Or maybe just a fan of fantastic landscape photography? Either way, you should consider shelling out five bucks for Fotopedia's National Parks app for iPad and iPhone. It's a collection of 3000 amazing images by photographer Quang-Tuan Luong made over the course of 10 years shooting in each of the United States' National Parks. More than just pretty pictures though, photographers can use the app as a tool to help plan out photo treks and vantage points for their own shots. Check it out at Fotopedia.com or download it from the Apple app store.
Everybody loves Dan Winters by William Sawalich Rachel Hulin of A Photography Blog recently titled a post "I like you, Dan Winters." Well I like Dan Winters too. He's the mack daddy, the cat's pajamas, the bee's knees, all rolled into one. While he may be known as the photographer's photographer and the preeminent portraitist working today, he's multitalented. He doesn't just make great color portraits—which are basically the best around—he also makes stunning grayscale images of honeybees too. Check them out, but first be sure to set the stage with an overview of Dan's great work. Watch the video on A Photography Blog, then follow the link to the Texas Monthly piece about the bees. You'll have to register, but it's a worthwhile adventure.

rachelhulin.com

texasmonthly.com
Expensive Cameras Make You Look Better by William Sawalich That title isn’t pure hyperbole. There’s scientific proof. While I don’t normally find a lot of pertinent scientific studies on the OkCupid dating blog, this time they’ve really come through. They’ve published the results of a fairly in-depth study whereby they aggregated more than 11 million opinions about exactly what makes a great photograph. And you know what? Amusing as it is, the findings really reinforce some actual photographic principles. Things like the fact that using a shallow depth of field tends to create a feeling of intimacy that viewers respond to, or that magic hour light around sunrise and sunset translates directly into the appeal of a photograph. This is great stuff, definitely an amusing read. There should probably be an R rating for a bit of adult language, but then again this is the internet. By comparison it’s rated G. Oh, and one more thing: maybe don't buy your teenager an iPhone.

http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/dont-be-ugly-by-accident
Expert Advice On Histograms, Color Spaces And B/W Previews by William Sawalich I've long admired John Paul Caponigro as a wonderful photographer, but I didn't realize he was such a great blogger too. I've recently added his blog to my regular routine, and I recommend other folks do the same. To get you started, here are a few of my favorite recent posts from his blog. He has a knack for communicating complex technical issues in a clear and simple way. Know how to use histograms? Even if you do, Mr. Caponigro's explanation offers a simple and very practical look at how you can use in-camera histograms to improve your exposures. That also applies to his post on color spaces, and how and why you should choose the right profile for your own photography. It's a simple and easy to understand investigation of a fairly complex issue that really matters to photographers—and that's what Mr. Caponigro does so well. Lastly, he offers a simple insight for improving compositions that I can really identify with. It’s the suggestion to turn off color previews in your camera in order to see your compositions more clearly in black and white. The camera still captures colorful RAW files, but JPEG previews can be set to display only in black and white—which allows you to concentrate on light and shadow without getting distracted by color. A great and simple workaround for improving compositions, and another example of Mr. Caponigro's very reasonable approach to making better pictures.

Histograms: http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=4591
Color Space: http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=4674
BW Preview: http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=4685
Exploded Flowers by William Sawalich Sometimes I have to share something here just because it's so stunningly beautiful—even if I'm not sure I can provide an explicit photographic learning opportunity with the post. Such is the case today, when I direct you to seek out the Exploded Flowers project by "serious hobbyist" photographer Fong Qi Wei. Fong, who is based in Singapore, has really accomplished something quite simple and beautiful, and utterly unlike anything I've ever seen before. And it makes me gasp audibly every time I come back to it. Maybe the takeaway is this: sometimes great photography is not at all about technique or even execution, but simply a beautiful idea that produces a beautiful result.

http://www.featureshoot.com/2011/10/exploded-flowers-photographed-by-fong-qi-wei/
Extreme Eye Closeups by William Sawalich Oh, photography, you've done it again. You've shown me, in painstaking detail, something totally familiar in a way that's unlike I've ever seen it before. And all it took was a simple idea from Armenian photographer Suren Manvelyan, and a little bit of technical ingenuity, to create extreme closeups of the human eye. And what do we see? A set of images that's somehow simultaneously creepy and beautiful. No matter how it strikes you, you're sure to be enthralled by this look at the colorful little organ that's somehow so familiar and totally mysterious.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Your-beautiful-eyes/428809
Facebook Photo Critique by William Sawalich Are you an aspiring child photographer? Would you like feedback or even a professional review from an established professional? Then you’re in luck, because now on Facebook you can connect with photographer Nick Kelsh and he’ll critique your baby photos for free. Simply search for Nick’s Facebook page called “How to Photograph Your Baby,” which is not so coincidentally the same name as one of his best-selling books. Even if you don’t upload images for review, you can peruse the page and learn a thing or two from Nick’s advice. Everything from composition to color balance is covered, and the tips pertain to many other kinds of photography as well. So don’t by shy, give Nick’s Facebook feedback a try.
Fall Color Finder by William Sawalich It’s not often as a photography writer that I get to cite the Christian Science Monitor, so I’m going to seize this opportunity and enjoy it. And I’m going to really enjoy telling you what the Monitor called a recent post: Fall Foliage Smackdown. What a great name for a great gallery of fall color imagery from across the globe. Besides being a great gallery of colorful autumn images, it works as a bit of a guide to help you figure out when and where you should go out to find great changing leaves to photograph. Since the images in the gallery are from last year, you can see when these peak colors happened in order to better help plan your travel this year. That makes it a worthwhile gallery because of the great photos and because of the useful info for foliage photographers everywhere.

http://www.csmonitor.com/CSM-Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Fall-foliage-smackdown-The-vibrant-reds-yellows-and-oranges-that-come-only-once-a-year
Fall Photography Galleries by William Sawalich Fall is finally here in my part of the world. Summer hung on for quite a while, but this week the crisp air of fall finally crept over my hometown. I’m guessing it’s doing the same for many readers, too. And that puts me in the mood for enjoying fall and the great photo opportunities that come with it. There's lots of great photography to see—a lot more than just colorful foliage—in two beautiful galleries courtesy of The Atlantic and MSNBC. What’s great about each of them is that they’re representative of autumn all across the world, with images from multiple continents and cultures. Check them out and get ready for the splendor of fall wherever, and whenever, you will find it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44849031/ns/travel-picture_stories/
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/fall-is-in-the-air/100167/
Famous Lost Photographs by William Sawalich The continuing saga of Ansel's old images (or do they really belong to Uncle Earl?) has inspired some folks, including Pete Brook, to ponder other lost and found photographs. Brook, via Wired magazine's Raw File photo blog, has compiled a collection of famous lost photographs that, when found, achieved their own well deserved headlines. My personal favorite is the cache of unseen street photographs, including more than 1,000 undeveloped but already exposed rolls of film, by unknown photographer Vivian Maier. She toiled in obscurity for years and is finally achieving a bit of posthumous fame. A book of her work is planned, and I for one can’t wait to see it. She was clearly a gifted photographer, and her uncovered archive represents a wonderful look at the second half of the 20th century from an extremely talented documentarian's perspective.

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2010/08/found-photography-archive/all/1
http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com
Fashionably Black and White by William Sawalich Last year I had the opportunity to interview fashion photographer Michael Creagh for a profile in Digital Photo Pro magazine. Not only was Michael a great photographer, he was a real pleasure to speak with. The hook for our story was about how he shoots fashion photographs in black and white—not something you see all the time. He relies on digital cameras and a digital workflow to create his black and white look, but the effect is as classic as any darkroom technique could be. For those unfamiliar with his work, not only do I recommend reading that article from DPP, I'd also suggest you check out some of Michael's newer photographs. On his blog he's recently published a series of absolutely stunning and innovative fashion photographs involving a "Penn corner," a whole lot of mirrors and his amazing eye.

digitalphotopro.com
michaelcreagh.wordpress.com

Photograph © Michael Creagh
Felix Baumgartner's Record-Setting Space Jump by William Sawalich Last weekend did you watch live, as I did, as Felix Baumgartner jumped from the edge of space to the terra firma in the American west? I even made a screenshot of the moment, live, when he dropped free from his capsule 25 miles above the earth. Just a few minutes later he was standing on the ground and greeted by a photographer. (Show's you how important it is to get those pictures, doesn't it? The first person to greet him was a photographer with a D-SLR to his eye.) I've enjoyed looking through this gallery of photos from the Huffington Post, showing not only preparations for this particular flight and jump, but from historic jumps made by Baumgartner--and others--in the past. It's an interesting gallery definitely worth a look--and it includes those photos made by the photographer who greeted him on his return.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/14/felix-baumgartner-skydiving-photos-record-breaking-jum-red-bull_n_1965319.html#slide=1640139
Fiber Optic Flash Trigger by William Sawalich Normally when I think about do-it-yourself photo hacks I think of fairly low-tech tools, not fiber optics. But this homemade "wireless" flash trigger actually uses a combination of low tech (tape and cardboard) and high tech (fiber optic cable) to allow you to sync your strobes to cameras that don't have PC connections or hot shoes. By taping the fiber optic cable to a pop up flash on a camera, and the other end to any handheld flash with an optical slave, you can circumvent the camera's lack of flash connectivity by sending a pulse of light from the pop-up flash through the fiber optics and into the optical slave to trigger the off-camera flash. Plus, you can run over long distances this way too. It's not truly wireless, but it's pretty dang neat. Why didn't I think of that? (I should write a book about great photo ideas called, "Why didn't I think of that?") Kudos to the savvy photographer who goes by the moniker "Fiberstrobe" for developing this homemade workaround. Read all about it at http://www.diyphotography.net/using-fiber-optics-instead-of-pc-sync.
Fight For Your Photographer’s Rights by William Sawalich Last week I wrote that we photographers shouldn't be hypocrites. Well now's my chance to remind two die-hard readers, Lady Gaga and Janet Jackson, that they in particular should not be hypocrites either. As creative artists themselves, I had hoped that they would respect the rights of creators. But apparently not. So Ms. Gaga and Ms. Jackson, please don't make photographers sign contracts that transfer the copyrights on the images we create of your concerts directly to you. I understand your need, or perceived need, or plain old desire, to maintain some control over your image and your brand, but come on—these contracts are offensive. "Egregious" was the term used by John Harrington on his Photo Business News & Forum blog. Read all about the hubbub, and what you should be prepared to do about a bad contract when you see one, at Mr. Harrington's wonderful web site—which is a must-read for anyone interested in the business side of the photo business. Then head over to the ASMP web site where they've got a whole section about bad contracts, how to spot them, and what to do about them.

http://asmp.org/tutorials/bad-contract.html
http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2011/03/egregious-demands-by-gaga-and-ms.html
Fighting Copyright Infringement In The Real World by William Sawalich Here's some great advice, courtesy of photographer Jeremy Nicholl by way of the A Photo Editor blog. It's Jeremy's recommendations for photographers who are interested in protecting copyrights. Namely, it's a list of the ten steps to take to help collect from an infringer who has profited from your images in violation of US copyright law. It's all well and good to brush up on your copyright, but when you read the part about the author collecting "a five figure settlement for a 468-pixel wide image" that had been used illegally on a site he had never heard of, these ten tips take on a whole new meaning (and value). So pay attention and protect your rights!
Photo by William Sawalich

http://www.jeremynicholl.com/blog/2011/06/13/the-10-rules-of-us-copyright-infringement
Filter Folly by William Sawalich I am of the belief that you should not keep a filter on your lens at all times simply to protect that lens from the bumps and bruises and scratches that can occur out there in the world. But I also understand that's just my personal preference, and I do get the logic behind using a $150 filter to protect a $1500 lens. The key is as long as that $150 filter is really high quality. What I will never understand is the idea of protecting a new $1500 lens with a $50 filter, or a filter that is of poor quality. Why? Because if you're going to ruin all of your photos with that cheap piece of glass on the front, why buy a great $1500 lens in the first place? Just buy a cheap lens and don't worry about it. All of that said, DPReview recently directed me to an awesome blog post at the Lensrentals.com web site. It's a bit tongue in cheek, and definitely over the top, but it's actually very instructive too. Roger Cicala stacked 50 filters on the front of his camera to illustrate how horrible a photo looks with 50 filters stacked in front of the lens, but also to showcase the differences between good filters and bad. Even the good filters when stacked don't look great. And a filter-doubter such as myself says that if five filters hurt image quality a lot, one filter is bound to hurt image quality a little. But again, that's just personal preference—and I know that as soon as I ruin my next $1500 lens because I didn't have a filter on the front of it, well, I just may reconsider my position.

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/06/good-times-with-bad-filters
Find The Right App To Make Prints From Your Phone by William Sawalich I often lament what I think is the biggest downside of the digital photography era: the disappearance of the physical print. So often our photos live only on our phones and our social media profiles, and they never get printed and stuck on refrigerators and desks and walls. While the advent of digital cameras saw a major decline in printing, maybe the advent of smartphone photography will actually provide for a resurgence in printing. After all, the smartphone's connectivity makes it easy to snap a photo and, with the push of a button, have actual physical prints delivered to your door. The DPReview Connect blog published a breakdown of the best apps for printing smartphone photos straight from your camera. There are plenty of options available for both iOS and the Android platform, and they have some fairly distinctive features too, so check out the reviews and find the right service for you.

http://connect.dpreview.com/post/2495582313/best-apps-for-printing-your-photos
Find Your Camera's Built-In Level by William Sawalich Longtime readers will note that I've never claimed to be an expert on all the minutiae of my camera. And yet I'm still surprised on a regular basis by all the things I don't know. For instance, I've been using a 5D Mark 3 since its release, and only yesterday did I discover this wonderful little hidden gem of a feature. There's a built in level that appears on the LCD screen when you double-tap the Info button on the back of the camera. That's what I get for not reading manuals. I first accessed this level on accident, and it took me a second to realize what I was looking at. It's the perfect tool for ensuring level horizons and perfectly perpendicular vertical lines in your compositions. Take a look inside the manual of your own DSLR, as I'm sure many more offer some assistance when it comes to leveling things. (And if you're a film shooter, or someone who prefers something a little more manual, there's always the old-school hot-shoe-mountable spirit level, like the one in the link below from Photojojo. Still, it's hard to beat one built right into the LCD of your DSLR. A recent discovery it may be, but it's a feature I'm going to rely on regularly.

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/level-camera-cube/
Find Your Favorite Feature Of Photoshop CS6 by William Sawalich Adobe announced its newest version of Photoshop a couple of weeks ago, and it didn't take long for the photoblogosphere to respond with a veritable treasure-trove of how-to videos explaining awesome new features and techniques made possible by the software. So here I present to you a one-stop shop for almost two dozen videos of cool new features in Photoshop CS6, courtesy of the fine folks at DPS. Head over there for an in-depth look at the new software, and you can formulate what constitutes your favorite features of CS6 for yourself.

http://digital-photography-school.com/23-cool-new-features-in-adobe-photoshop-cs6
Find Your Lost Or Stolen Camera by William Sawalich Every time you take a picture with a digital camera there's a unique serial number embedded into the EXIF data inside each image file. Along with data about exposure, lens, flash and all sorts of useful information, that serial number can actually come in very handy in case your camera is lost or stolen. How? Because we live in a connected online world, chances are pretty high that photos from digital cameras will eventually be uploaded to the web—via social media, blogs or other connected applications. And that means a smart developer can create a program that allows you to scour the web for your camera's unique serial number should that camera go missing. Thankfully a group of smart developers has come together to create the open source StolenCameraFinder, which makes it easy to find your photos—and eventually your missing camera—with a simple drag and drop interface. Even if you don't know your camera's serial number, all you have to do is drag a photo from that camera onto the StolenCameraFinder home page and it will get to searching by scouring the internet and examining EXIF data of JPEG files to find a matching serial number.

http://www.stolencamerafinder.com
Fireworks Time Lapse by William Sawalich So, one week ago the nation was celebrating. People everywhere were blowing up all sorts of fireworks to commemorate the rockets' red glare on the fourth of July. In my neighborhood the practice was... extreme, to say the least. In fact, it sounded the way this great video looks. It's a time-lapse of the Chicago skyline dotted with fireworks wherever you look. Fireworks which, coincidentally, are illegal within the city limits. And since this video's so neat, I can sort of see the appeal. But still, just to be clear, setting off fireworks in a crowded neighborhood later than 11pm kind of makes you a jerk, at least around my house, no matter how cool they look.

http://thisiscolossal.com/2011/07/how-chicago-cancels-fireworks-shows
Fixing Blue Skies With Lightroom by William Sawalich Here's a useful tip, made even more necessary when working outdoors this time of year. No, it's not about staying warm when shooting in winter, it's about helping those not-quite-as-blue-as-you'd-like-them skies to being more beautifully blue. Jason Weddington writes on the DPS blog about using some of Lightroom 4's simple tools and techniques to help make a washed out blue sky a little more bold, a little more vibrant, a little more straight up blue. No, it's not a tutorial in making unrealistic, candy-colored landscapes. It's just a simple way to help make a blue sky a little more photogenic, and you don't need to be a computer expert to make it happen.

http://digital-photography-school.com/enhancing-blue-skies-in-lightroom
Flag Your Camera by William Sawalich Sometimes I write about things because I think you, dear reader, will really want to know about them. And other times I write about things because I am dying to put them to use myself. The latter is the case today. I bring you this great post from David Hobby of Strobist fame, though I found it via one of my favorite blogs, DIY Photography. It's about a fix for lens flare. I love using rim lights and edge lights and back lights to create separation between my subject and the background. But this can present some fairly problematic challenges in terms of lens flare. And anyone who knows me knows that if there's anything I hate it's lens flare. So to prevent lens flare—no matter how you're lighting—you can use a lens shade, and flags, and position lights behind scene elements (trees, walls, people, etc) so that they're flagged from the lens and therefore won't cause flare. Well here's the perfect solution for protecting your lens from flare all around the subject, and it falls into the "duh, why didn't I think of that" category. It's a black cardboard frame that's got a window cut in it, through which you can frame your scene—thus ensuring that your lens is flagged all around, and less likely to be bothered by flare. That's what I call using your brain to solve a big problem in a really simple way. I love it, and I can't wait to try it for myself. I suggest you try it too.

http://www.diyphotography.net/sometimes-its-easier-to-flag-your-camera
Flash Duration And Motion Blur by William Sawalich I teach a studio lighting class, and one of my favorite subjects is flash duration as it relates to exposure. (Because flash durations are so short, shutter speed doesn't affect them. Deep, I know. But trust me.) That always leads me into a discussion of how flash durations—while very, very brief—are still long enough to create motion blur on a fast-moving subject. Which then leads into a discussion about lowering a flash's output in order to shorten the flash duration in order to ultimately minimize the motion blur on the fast-moving subject. The DIY Photography blog now supports this thesis with visual evidence of a shorter flash duration and how it makes for sharper photographs, courtesy of photographer Sam McGuire. It also defies logic, though, because it is made with the Lumedyne 200w/s Action Pack flash unit. What's groundbreaking about this thing is that as flash output is increased, flash duration is decreased--a direct contradiction to the way this stuff usually works. But this is actually very helpful, since frequently more power is necessary in order to increase distance between flash and subject, or to be able to use light modifiers that more effectively shape the light. So the point of this post is two-fold: take a look at the DIY Photography blog to increase your understanding of how flash duration affects sharpness of moving objects, and then seriously consider the Lumedyne 200w/s Action Pack if you're serious about strobing sports action.

http://www.diyphotography.net/how-flash-duration-impacts-motion-blur
Flowers Or Fireworks? by William Sawalich Just when you think everything's already been done, along comes a guy like David Johnson to do something totally different. Mr. Johnson started making long exposures of fireworks. But, of course, they don't look anything like any long exposures of fireworks that I've ever seen. I was looking at them and wondering how in the world he achieved such a unique effect—one that in its own way is actually more representative of the true beauty and power of fireworks. And here's the answer: he simply refocused. He'd start with his composition out of focus—creating the large blurry central area of each explosion—and then he'd click the shutter and refocus in order to bring the explosions into tack sharpness, resulting in a really unique set of fireworks photos. Who knows: this may become the de facto new way to photograph fireworks. What a brilliant, and brilliantly simple, technique. Bravo!

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/08/unusual-long-exposure-firework-photographs-by-david-johnson/
Focusing Assistance From The Kitchen by William Sawalich File this under, "I thought I was the only one." Turns out I'm not the only one who confuses the focusing ring with the zoom ring. I often accidentally twist the zoom ring on a long zoom instead of the focus ring. Sometimes it's vice versa, but either way it seems whenever I want to focus I accidentally zoom, and when I want to zoom I accidentally focus. So leave it to former Outdoor Photographer editor Rob Sheppard to come up with this beautifully simple solution, posted on his Nature and Photography blog. It's a silicone jar opener that he purchased in a kitchen supply store, and it's the perfect way to differentiate focus ring from zoom. Great idea, Rob!

http://www.natureandphotography.com/?p=555
Food Landscapes by William Sawalich Do you know Carl Warner? You should, because he's the photographer who combines two of my favorite subjects: food and landscapes. He doesn't shoot sand dunes with bowls of fruit perched on them or anything like that. That would be weird. But what Carl does actually might be weirder. Carl is a still life photographer who photographs food landscapes. In fact, his book is called Food Landscapes and it's just what you think it might be: landscapes comprised of food. From marshmallow clouds to noodle trees, Carl creates amazing sculptural food worlds and then photographs them in his London studio. Read all about it at his web site, where you can also purchase his wonderful book too.

http://www.carlwarner.com
Food Photography And Lighting Techniques by William Sawalich I teach a product photography class, and in one lesson we discuss food photography. To that end I recently checked out a new book about food photography, called (appropriately) Food Photography & Lighting by Teri Campbell. Mr. Campbell has 25 years of professional food photography experience, and it shows in this tremendous book. It seems to me that if you're looking to learn about food photography, this just might be your best bet. Not only does it cover business and practical aspects of professional commercial food photography, a good half of the book is dedicated to nuts and bolts hands-on lighting tips and techniques. And they're detailed: this light was here, with this modifier, for this particular purpose, and so on. I'm fairly convinced that if a beginning photographer spent enough time with this book they'd become a pretty polished food photographer. I don't often offer such effusive praise to technical books, but this one's something special. Best of all, like the best photography tutorials, the principles translate across styles ad apply to many different photographic disciplines.

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Photography-Lighting-Photographers-Irresistible/dp/0321840739
Forecasting The Future Of Photography by William Sawalich Guessing what the next generation of cameras will look like is a lot like guessing what the next generation of cars will look like: it's really difficult to differentiate between prototypes that will actually become reality and which will remain mere fantasies. But it's cool to see these technological hypotheses either way. At Nikon's Japanese development headquarters they've created some interesting, and definitely futuristic, camera prototypes which were exhibited earlier this summer at a Science museum in Paris. These devices include two spherical cameras, a very deluxe point-and-shoot, and a D-SLR that looks more like a sci-fi movie prop than a photographic tool. Read all about the possible future of Nikon cameras at the I Am Nikon blog, and check out pictures of these far out cameras.

http://blog.iamnikon.com/en_GB/photokina/a-vision-of-the-future-of-photography/
Fortune Cookie Fortunes by William Sawalich The other day I used a photo to illustrate a story I linked to on this blog. The story was about collecting money from a copyright infringer, so I used a picture of my own to illustrate the story. It was a photo of a fortune cookie fortune with money. That gave me the idea to mention to you here that I have a whole series of those photos I've been working on. I tend to focus more on what other folks are doing around the web, but why not mention what I'm doing every once in a while too? Anyway, ever since I can remember—for 20 years or so—I've saved every fortune cookie fortune I've received. They're stuck to bulletin boards and tucked away in my wallet, filed in desk drawers and scattered around my office. I don't eat that much Chinese food, but the things have really accumulated over the years. One day last year I finally decided to photograph them. After all, they're sort of like little meaningful (or ironic, or funny, or just plain weird) inspirational posters—but personalized with wisdom from Confucius or the guy at the fortune cookie factory. So without further ado, here's a gallery of my fortune cookie photos for your enjoyment, straight from my Etsy store. (If you've got a great fortune you'd like me to photograph, just let me know!)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/chilawas
Frank Lloyd Wright's Photographer by William Sawalich I'm no architecture expert, but I know enough to get me in trouble. And I thought I knew about all of the architectural photographers I should have known, but I was unfortunately unaware of the work of photographer Pedro Guerrero until I learned of his recent passing. It seems that Mr. Guerrero was the unofficial photographer of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. "He told me I should remember he designed his houses from a sitting position," Mr. Guerrero was quoted in The New York Times earlier this year. "He was only three or four inches taller than I was, and he didn't want bird's-eye views or worm's-eye views. He wanted me to photograph a house that he would recognize as being his." After Wright's death, Mr. Guerrero worked extensively with other world-renowned artists and architects such as Alexander Calder and Philip Johnson, and he continued to produce beautiful photographs of art and architecture that are sure to serve as fitting memorials to the artists who made them, as well for the photographer himself. To see more of Mr. Guerrero's work, visit his web site at http://www.guerrerophoto.com, then be sure to read more about his life at the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/arts/design/pedro-guerrero-95-dies-captured-another-dimension-of-art.html
Free Expression Media by William Sawalich Are you a member of ASMP? If you are, take advantage of this great opportunity to get your hands on some great information and a great photo management program. (And if you’re not, here’s another excellent reason to join.) For the month of October, members who buy a copy of The DAM Book (a great information resource all about Digital Asset Management and best practices for digital image workflows) get a full copy of Expression Media 2 absolutely free. The photo management software (formerly known as iView and formerly from Microsoft) is now a Phase One product, and its loved by many photographers who rely on it for cataloging and tracking their digital media databases. If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on this $200 program, here’s your chance to get it free with the purchase of the $50 DAM book. Order by Halloween to be sure you get the great deal, and do so from The DAM Book’s asmp link at www.thedambook.com/asmp.
Free Guide To Selling Prints Online by William Sawalich Everything else happens on the internet, so why shouldn't your photo editing occur online too? I can't say that I've ever done any serious I just downloaded a free and quite interesting guide to selling prints online courtesy of the fine folks at Photoshelter. Sure, they have an agenda, and that agenda is to convince you that their service is an ideal place to store, display, license, print, and sell your photographs, but that doesn't mean the info they provide in exchange for an email address is any less pertinent or accurate. It's a great guide to selling prints online, whether you work with Photoshelter or not. Covering everything from color matching to print finishing, trends in what sells and even pricing and marketing strategies, any photographer who's ever even thought of selling a print via their web site would be well served to click over to Photoshelter and download this guide. Then go ahead and get rich selling your photographs online, and tell me all about the success that this post inspired.

http://www.photoshelter.com/mkt/how-to-sell-prints
Free Lens Shade by William Sawalich I hate lens flare. I think it's insidious, and it sneaks in and ruins your photos if you're not paying careful attention. I hate flare enough that I'm going to recommend that you read this post from DIY Photography about the most half-fast, cheapskate, makeshift lens shade you can possibly imagine. And I'm going to suggest you actually use it in a pinch. It's a coffee sleeve. You know, the folded piece of cardboard that the coffee shop barista wraps around your to-go cup of joe to keep you from burning your fingers on a hot cup? That's a coffee sleeve, and it just so happens that it's cheap and disposable and flexible enough to be the perfect lens hood. Plus, if you're a coffee addict like me, you're never more than a few steps from the coffee shop, which means these sleeves are the very definition of "readily available." The most important thing, when it comes to flare, is keeping it from entering the lens. If a coffee sleeve helps you do that, I say go for it.

http://www.diyphotography.net/a-coffee-sleeve-lens-hood
From Camera To Print… And More! by William Sawalich I've been a photographer for as long as I can remember. I made my first darkroom print in elementary school, and since then I've never been more than a few feet from a camera at any given moment. But as comfortable and confident as I am with almost all technical aspects of photography, there's still one area that makes my knees weak and my lower lip tremble. It's the process of translating my photographs from nice digital images into beautiful prints. There's so much voodoo magic, it seems, in the technical necessities of the file-to-print process that I've prepared myself for the possibility of never fully understanding it. Consequently, my prints suffer. The point of all this is that I'm always on the lookout for information and tutorials that present useful digital printing in a way that I can comprehend—in a way that might actually help me to make better prints, but even more importantly a way that helps me understand how I should go about doing so. That's why I was so pleasantly surprised to discover the wonderful video series from Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe of The Luminous Landscape web site. In their series "From camera to print and screen" they've updated the tutorial for 2011, so not only can digital photographers learn to translate image files into beautiful prints, but into image files perfect for iPads and other digital displays. The point is this: for a small investment of time and money I can have the process explained to me in an easy to comprehend way by two exceptional photographers and teachers. I recommend that any photographer interested in expanding his or her printing capabilities invest in this tutorial. I know I will.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/videos/tutorials/camera_to_print_and_screen.shtml
From Personal Project To PBS Series by William Sawalich As a working photographer I fully understand the importance of "personal projects." You see, once you attach a payment to any activity—even a fun one like photography—it becomes a job. A great job, mind you, and I'm not complaining. But still, sometimes it's a job, and sometimes you need to re-stimulate your creative energy with personal work. It's not only where you have the most fun, it's often where you photograph the most interesting things that find their way into your portfolio, and hopefully lead to more work—work that's more like your personal projects. A good example is the story of David Friedman. He's a photographer who left an unfulfilling job to pursue projects of more personal interest. That eventually led to Friedman making portraits of inventors, which led to meeting some very interesting people, which led to interviewing and video recording interviews, which led to his very own television show on PBS. Read more about Friedman's project—and be sure to watch the interview with the man who invented the "screw-in coffin"—and then be sure to get out there and start your own personal project. You may not land a TV deal, but it's sure to be fulfilling nonetheless.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2012/11/21/how-david-friedmans-inventor-project-became-a-pbs-series
From Shoulder Bag To Backpack by William Sawalich While I do relish the opportunity to take pictures outdoors, you'd be hard-pressed to mistake me for a true hiker. I spend a lot of time in the studio and on location—and when I am on location, it's more likely to be in someone else's office rather than in the woods. So when I tell you I've been a shoulder bag guy ever since I can remember, you'll understand. My first bag was a shoulder bag, and I’ve stuck with them since. So when the folks at LowePro sent me their new Flipside 500 AW backpack, I was expecting, frankly, to hate it. How ridiculous would I look, I thought, wearing a backpack in the city? Still, the bag didn't seem particularly cumbersome, and it sure appeared to have plenty of room inside, and what could it hurt to try something that might help me a little bit to save my shoulders, my knees and my increasingly aching back? So I gave it a try. And on the way to my first location shoot—only 30 minutes after packing the thing—I was already sold. Backpacks have a lot of advantages, and this one's got a lot going for it. I filled it with two D-SLRs, a 70-200mm zoom, 100mm macro, 24-70mm zoom, 15-30mm zoom, 50mm prime, two PocketWizards, two Speedlights, filters, and all of the various accessories I carry regularly, and the pack accommodated them with nary a complaint. I've subsequently learned that backpack users are, apparently, somewhat afraid of having their bags zipped open and the contents spilling out or being pilfered from literally right off their backs. I wasn't smart enough to consider this initially, so I was stumped when I couldn't figure out how to open the thing. Turns out the folks at LowePro are smarter than me (and hopefully many criminals are dumber than I am too) and they made the pack open from the back side—the part that is protected by your own back when you're wearing it. This way your expensive items are extra protected, which makes extra sense in the city. The main reason I was sold, though, was when I put on the pack I realized that all that weight that's been bearing down on my right shoulder for a decade would now be distributed across both shoulders and onto my hips. Comfort; I could get used to this. The pack has all of the quality bells and whistles you'd expect from LowePro—like a zip-out weather cover, tripod carrier and extra pockets for arranging your accessories—and it's clearly a very well-made product. Even if you think you're not a backpack guy… Well, don't speak too soon. Consider trying a backpack in lieu of a shoulder bag, and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised. Learn more about the LowePro Flipside backpack lineup at http://www.lowepro.com/flipside.
Fun And Funky Photo Gifts by William Sawalich Looking for that last minute photo-related gift? Then check out the Feature Shoot blog's holiday gift guide, complete with everything from a Weegee patterned silk scarf to a chocolate bar with your photography printed right on it. (And it's still edible!) Or maybe you're in the mood for a high-class leather camera satchel, or perhaps a Moleskine custom photo book. There are lots of great, creative options in here for last minute gift giving. And who am I kidding—it's fun to shop for yourself, too! Happy holidays!

http://www.featureshoot.com/holiday-gift-guide-for-photographers
Funding Photographic History by William Sawalich Tewfic Al-Sawy, The Travel Photographer, recently highlighted the work of an early 20th century photographic visionary by the name of Albert Kahn. Albert wasn’t a photographer, though, he was a banker. He funded a grand photographic project, sending 50 photographers around the world to utilize the new autochrome process to document the peoples of the world. It’s one of the earliest examples of color travel photography in the National Geographic tradition that I’ve ever seen, and both the story and the images are amazing. Read more at Tewfic’s Travel Photographer blog, and then check out more of the work Mr. Kahn brought into being at the web site of his museum and BBC-created book.

thetravelphotographer.blogspot.com

albertkhan.co.uk
Funny Crash Reports by William Sawalich When my computer locks up or a program crashes, sometimes I’m offered a crash report to fill out and send to the developer so that they can determine what went wrong—presumably to try to prevent it in the future. This usually happens at such an inopportune moment that my reports are often filled with vitriol. I hope nobdy in particular takes too much offense. After all, it sorta seems like I’m simply submitting them for another computer to read. Turns out that I’m not the only one who uses crash reports to get a little something off his chest. Photoshop user and apparently frustrated comedian Garrett Murray has turned his Photoshop CS4 crash reports into little works of comic art. Check out his Maniacal Rage blog for a new piece every few weeks—or whenever Photoshop crashes on him.

log.maniacalrage.net
Funny Photoshopped Celebrity Photos by William Sawalich Need to hire a good retoucher? I found one. His name is Danny Evans, and he's not only very talented with Photoshop and a tablet pen, but he's got one heck of a sense of humor. You see, Danny decided to showcase his retouching talents by Photoshopping celebrities to make them look like ordinary people. Extremely ordinary, in fact. These images are hilarious; Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie looking like a couple of losers, Madonna as a wrinkly old lady, and Paris Hilton as, well, several variations of an unattractive person. It seems no celebrity's been spared, and frankly I'm glad. I'm pretty sick of seeing celebrities everywhere I look, especially when they look perfect. So this is a nice change of pace. And a ridiculous one at that. Thanks to PetaPixel for the recommendation. Check out Danny's Facebook gallery for a look at several dozen of these funny photos.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.150250888323779.28939.150175044998030&type=3
Gauge Your Personal Color Fidelity by William Sawalich I have a deep, dark photographer secret: I'm color blind. What it means is not that I can't see color, or that I see the world in black & white, but rather that my eyes (or maybe it's my brain) don't do a good job of discerning certain colors--like reds and greens, especially. This color blindness only became a problem when, as a photo major in college I took a class about the Color Darkroom. The nature of color printing--really, even to this day--is to determine whether a photograph is deficient in a certain color, or contains too much of a color. Get the perfect color balance and you'll have a "neutral" photograph without any strange tints. This is, needless to say, very difficult for us color blind photographers. I've never been able to quantify just how color blind I am, however, until I stumbled across this online utility from X-rite. It's a little bit of fun to figure out where your color vision deficiencies lay by arranging various colored hues on a continuum. I scored just about in the middle, a 46. Which is better than I thought it would be, in fact, because I couldn't name a single one of the colors I was looking at. (And it was even better than my non-color-blind wife! Victory!) It's finally a bit of proof that I really can see colors, I just can't name them. It's a weird thing to be a color blind photographer. Even if you're not, though, you may get a kick out of this utility anyway. It's good to gauge your visual acuity.

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?pageid=77&lang=en
Geared Tripod Heads by William Sawalich I like geared tripod heads. And it seems I'm one of the few. Every time I talk to other photographers about tripod preferences, they seem to like other setups – be it ballheads or twist and lock handles. In fact, a photographer friend recently borrowed my tripod and said he didn’t like the gears, proving my theory incorrect: I’d long thought most folks didn’t love geared tripod heads just because they’d never tried geared tripod heads. Guess not.

Which brings me to my point: there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to photo gear and personal preference. We like what we like, just because we like it. And that’s perfectly fine.

So let’s discuss why we like what we like. I want to know what kind of tripod heads you prefer. And why. And while we’re at it, what other gear do you feel like you just can’t live without?

I’ll start: I like geared tripod heads so much that when I work with other heads – ballheads or twist operated handles, for example – I'm frustrated when I can't simply and efficiently make the subtle movements that I can with a geared head. Sure, geared heads are heavier, but for me that weight premium is a worthwhile sacrifice for the increased performance and precision.

So tell me: what gear do you love to love? What tools can’t you live without? What little slice of equipment heaven makes you wonder why every other photographer doesn’t use it too, just like I wonder how anybody gets by without a geared head?
Gerd Ludwig's Chernobyl App by William Sawalich I just finished an article for an upcoming issue of Digital Photo Pro magazine about Gerd Ludwig's 20-year history of photographing in and around the Soviet nuclear disaster site at Chernobyl. Aside from the historic events, part of this particular story is how Gerd, an experienced National Geographic photographer with plenty of years under his belt, is trying to think—and work—like a newbie photographer. He's harnessed the online fundraising site Kickstarter to finance his project, and he's just published an iPad app showcasing the work at Chernobyl. "I'm trying to embrace these new technologies and not just continue to do what I've always done," Gerd told me. "I didn't want to become this inflexible seasoned photographer. I tried to embrace the new media and learn from the younger people that are out there and doing it. It's not just a simple PDF e-book that you flip through; it's fairly comprehensive. It includes 150 images in four chapters, four videos, two panoramic images, some text and even a couple of web sites where people can donate to a children's cause." Gerd's Long Shadow of Chernobyl iPad app is available now for $6.99. For a preview and link directly to the download, visit Gerd's site at www.longshadowofchernobyl.com.
Get A Grip On Flash Sync by William Sawalich Flash sync speed isn't an overly understood concept, due in large part to manufacturers sending out D-SLRs that have different sync speeds than advertised. These sync speeds also vary not only from model to model but actually from unit to unit. Practically speaking, a D-SLR can sync with a flash successfully at 1/125th or slower shutter speeds without fail, but sometimes they'll sync at 1/160th and 1/200th, and even on occasion at the advertised 1/250th. But how do you know what yours does? You test it. And with a look at this flash sync primer from Digital Photography School's Marlene Hielema, you'll have a little better idea how to do that. Flash sync isn't an overly complicated concept, but in practice it can be a little tricky, and since it can make or break a photo shoot it's something you definitely want to have a handle on.
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/understand-flash-sync-speed-so-you-dont-sink-your-photo-shoot
Photo by Marlene Hielema
Get Paid For Your Photos And Videos by William Sawalich New service Paya is creating a worldwide index of licensable content. That means you can take your photos and videos (that now sit idly on sites like Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook and Flickr, collecting likes that—while nice—don't pay the rent) and tag them with a "click here to license" button to easily turn that content into profit. Better yet, Paya gives you, the photographer, 80% of the fee. Targeted at amateurs interested in making a few extra bucks as well as professionals who want to fight the ever increasing trend of shrinking returns, the site just might have some traction if it can recruit lots of photographers to index their work through the Paya service. I'm going to give it a shot; I hope you do too.

http://www.paya.com
Get the Shot by William Sawalich Speaking of great video tutorials to be found online, here’s a great one from the creative duo of Larsen & Talbert put together by the folks at PhotoShelter.com. Ever been to a celebrity photo shoot? How about dozens of them? In this hour-long webinar, the photographers explain how they made their way in photography and walk viewers through shoots with top celebrities. Check it out, as well as a number of other PhotoShelter-sponsored webinars, on Vimeo.com.

vimeo.com
Get Valuable Feedback On Your Photographs by William Sawalich I find that it can be awfully easy to crawl into a whole from which I never emerge, forgetting that in order to improve as a photographer it's important to continue showing other people my photographs in order to get useful feedback. Without valuable feedback from other photographers, you're missing a fundamental part of the foundation of photographic skill. It's not only good to learn what the consensus believes to be "wrong" with your photographs, but it's also useful to develop a thick skin to withstand tough criticism. Here's a list, courtesy of Lightstalking, of five valuable places online where genuine photographic feedback is not only appreciated but encouraged.

http://www.lightstalking.com/5-incredible-online-communities-to-get-genuine-feedback-on-your-photography
Get Your Fill Of Photo Backup Geekery by William Sawalich I guess I must be a true photo geek because I could talk about backups all day long. I could sit and listen to people discuss their backup horror stories—both gear they should have had duplicates of and photo files they should have done the same—because I think it serves as inspiration (or at least motivation) for my own methodical, slightly OCD approach to backing up my photo files. There's a nice article at Pixiq.com perfect for those of you looking to start sorting out your backup situation. More than anything, it stresses the importance of integrity—make sure you've got a system in place, and make sure it works when you need it. My own backup system, just in case it helps, involves mirrored internal hard drives (for every photo I import), followed by a monthly transfer of those photos from the main hard drive to a secondary external drive, followed by a duplication of those files onto Blu-Ray disks at that same monthly interval, and finally capped off with the delivery of my favorites (or the selects from client-based shoots) to storage on my own little private space in the cloud. I like my backup system—but that could be just because it has yet to let me down. I'm sure now that these words have been written it's only a matter of time before this system burns me like all others have before. Then I'll just have to read a little bit more about backup methodologies and geek out on the stuff even more.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/backing-up-your-photos
Get Your Monitor Right With X-Rite by William Sawalich After the recent upgrade of my Mac to OSX Lion, I discovered—unhappily, I might add—that some of my old software was no longer supported. This is the subject of much consternation among many Apple users. Alas, I bit the bullet and learned to love my new operating system and finally upgraded my obsolete color calibration system to one that would be compatible with this OS. After a bit of shopping around I finally settled on the X-Rite i1 Display Pro. It seemed to offer the ideal balance of power and precision that I'm looking for, and better still it wouldn't require a new degree for me to learn to use it. Now it turns out this OS upgrade was a blessing in disguise because this monitor calibration system is amazing. I've long operated with a dual-display setup (something I highly recommend to all computer users, especially photographers) and while I never had any problem profiling my newer Cinema HD display, I've never been happy with the calibration of my older, secondary display. Quite simply, the difference between the two monitors has always been very noticeable—to the point that I've never considered the secondary display to be color managed. Until now. The X-Rite i1 Display Pro seems to have done the trick, not only profiling the monitor and adjusting for ambient lighting in the room (a nice touch) but also matching it to my primary image-editing monitor. In short, after a few years living in the dark ages of an only partially color-managed desktop, I now have come into the light—and it looks perfect. So if you're on the fence about a color calibration solution I can definitely recommend this one. And if you're not sure about whether profiling is even something you need to worry about, let me say this: you'll never feel more confident about the photographs you make than you will when working on a color calibrated system. You can, in the end, trust your eyes—but only if they're looking at a calibrated monitor. The important thing isn't that you use this calibrator, but that you use any calibrator. For more information on my X-Rite system, visit the company's web site.

http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?id=1454&catid=109&action=overview
Getting Beyond ETTR by William Sawalich You've heard for years about ETTR (expose to the right) meaning to slightly overexpose digital files for maximum image detail and quality. And recently you may have heard more about doing the opposite—underexposing to maximize detail and image quality. Well this article by John Paul Caponigro at our sister publication, Digital Photo Pro, will help you understand exactly what's what when it comes to exposing digital image files for maximum quality. It's not that ETTR is wrong, it's just that it's not always right. Here's how to tell the difference.

http://www.digitalphotopro.com/technique/revolution/beyond-ettr-and-hdr.html
Getty And Google Stock Photography Deal by William Sawalich The stock photography world has been almost nothing but bad news for commercial photographers in recent years—unless you're one of the fortunate few who seem to have figured out how to make a buck with microstock. But last week Getty got into hot water with many photographers by reaching what Rob Haggart of A Photo Editor calls a new low in terms of licensing. Apparently Getty and Google have struck a deal to provide select Getty stock images to Google Drive users at no charge. That's an audience of more than 400-million users with access to the stock, including the ability to use it for commercial purposes. One photographer reports receiving a flat, one-time payment for the privilege in the amount of $12. It really is a game of quantity in the new stock world. It's a wonder photographers can survive at all. Is this the future of almost free stock, or a temporary blip on the commercial photographic landscape? Have you been able to earn money from your photography? Has your stock business declined in recent years, or has the democratization of the field meant that you're now able to supplement your income with stock licensing? If you've got experience or an opinion on the matter, I'd love it if you'd chime in below.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2013/01/16/getty-hands-google-users-free-commercial-images-photographers-get-12/
Giant Olympic Imagery by William Sawalich Yay! Olympic photos have arrived! I'm an Olympics junkie. My wife, however, is not. This has caused me to examine why I so look forward to the games, and what it is that has me so enthralled. I know that I love any spectacle, and any sporting triumph—that's why I'm such a fan of the Tour de France, the Super Bowl and any other athletic spectacle I can find. But still, the Olympics is special. All this analysis finally led me to this realization: it's the visuals! What a gorgeously rendered and attentively photographed visual extravaganza we are fortunate to witness every couple of years. The opening of the London Olympics was no let down, and I thought the visual imagery was outstanding. So I've been champing at the bit to see NBC's gigapan images of the Olympic opening ever since I learned of the plan to create them. Check out DP Review for a link to the NBC gigapans, and stick around DP Review if you care to read an interesting discussion in the comments about the merits, viability and practicality of super-high-resolution displays and their place in Olympic broadcasting.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/08/01/8K-video-and-gigapan-images-bring-olympics-in-high-resolution
Give Yourself Assignments by William Sawalich I’ve long been a believer in self-assignments. That’s when you give yourself a photo assignment rather than waiting for the phone to ring, or instead of sitting around waiting for a stroke of magical inspiration. Give yourself an assignment and make yourself follow through with it; you’re bound to make something great. I’ve even had arrangements with other photographers in the past where every week we gave ourselves and assignment. This incorporated the pressure of not letting down your partner, as well as afforded the opportunity to learn from another photographer and get feedback from a trained eye. For proof that self-assignments really do work, take a look at these amazing steel mill images from photographer Carl de Souza. He made them after giving himself the self-assignment to photograph at a factory while on another assignment in Pakistan. The images are beautiful, surreal and immensely informative all at the same time. His newspaper, The Guardian, even selected them for inclusion in as special slideshow edition. Once you see them—here featured on Rob Galbraith’s web site along with the story of their creation—you’ll understand why. And hopefully you’ll see why self-assignments can be so rewarding.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11412-11418
Good Reasons To Love Photography by William Sawalich Though I don't often link to it here, I absolutely love Wired magazine's "Raw File" photo blog. This recent essay and post by PhotoShelter CEO Allen Murayabashi is a prime example of why. It's called "I love photography," and it's a little bit rant, a little bit manifesto about why Allen simply loves the state of photography today. He provides examples of all the things that are going right in the photo world, which serves as a nice counterbalance to a lot of the negativity that we all encounter when we talk to some photographers these days. Best of all, though, Allen cites tremendous examples of amazing photographs from the last couple of years. It's worth a read for the photographs alone, but the thoughtful commentary makes it a must-read too.

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2012/02/rant-i-love-photography
Goofy Photo Gift Ideas by William Sawalich If any of you are thinking about getting me a gift this holiday season, might I suggest starting at Photojojo? Actually, PJJ is the perfect photo gift shopping stop for all sorts of photographer types because it's always got something unique and interesting and affordable. Instead of $1000 pro lenses, they've got $30 coffee mugs that look just like $1000 pro lenses. Instead of fancy camera straps, they've got T-shirts with illustrations of cameras and straps printed right on them. And instead of complicated panoramic digital photo stitching software, they sell a downright affordable 360-degree spinning panoramic film camera. I want one, and I want it now. So do some shopping next cyber Monday at Photojojo. Send all my gifts to the magazine, please.

http://content.photojojo.com/buy-this/nikon-lens-mug-360-spinner-tees
Gorgeous Portraits by William Sawalich This post is a bit of a two-fer: you get two great photography recommendations for the price of one. That's because it's both a link to a simple collection of gorgeous black & white portraits from photographer Nelli Palomaki, as well as an endorsement for the blog that introduced us to her work. Simple, timeless and striking, these portraits of children are inspiring for their sheer beauty. If you are at all interested in portrait photography, this series is a must-see. As for the blog that brought her work to us, it's Jorg Colberg's Conscientious photo blog. Jorg stays on the cutting edge of contemporary fine art photography from around the world. With book reviews, show critiques, and simply pointing out the works of great and largely unknown photographers—much like Ms. Palomaki—Jorg's blog is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in what's going on in the world of contemporary photography.

http://www.nellipalomaki.com/fafa_1.html
http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/
Great Magazines Feature Great Photography by William Sawalich The society of Publication Designers gives out awards every year for achievement in the field of publication design. At first glance this might seem to have little to do with photography—certainly not enough to justify a whole blog post dedicated to it. But in fact I eagerly await the SPD awards every year because they do a great job of showcasing amazing photography. (It doesn't hurt that it's also in conjunction with amazing design, which should be a reminder of how important each is to the other.) They just announced the finalists for the 47th annual SPD awards, and while you can see the covers if you cross reference the list with a Google image search, it might be easier to wait and get the book of winners when it's published. Until then, check out the most recent winners in the recently published SPD 46 annual, which you can read all about at SPD.org, and even thumb through it to see the great photography via the Amazon.com "Look Inside" feature. You'll find a collection of tremendous portraits, landscapes and still life photographs on the covers of a dozen magazines that clearly care about good design (and great photography). So go get inspired, and remember that great magazines require great photography—and vice versa.

http://www.spd.org/2011/12/spotted-in-nyc-on-a-mail-carri.php
http://www.amazon.com/Publication-Design-Annual-Society-Designers/dp/1592537502/
Great Photography on Great Covers by William Sawalich I love great editorial photography. I find it inspiring. Every year, the American Society of Magazine Editors puts together their collection of the year's best magazine covers. The connection between great covers and great photography is an obvious one—particularly when checking out a gallery of this year's nominees. I think editorial photography is where many groundbreaking trends and techniques find their start, and I think this collection proves exactly why. Check out the nominees, along with commentary from each magazine’s staff about the making of the covers, and then remember to return next year to vote for your favorite and enter for a chance to win prizes. By the way, it’s Harper’s Bazaar that won this year. Those Twilight vampires have huge cover cache.

http://goo.gl/pVNBw
Great Portrait Lighting With Just One Reflector by William Sawalich I've always been an advocate for simple lighting in photographs, especially in portraits. I even wrote a recent article in Digital Photo Pro all about lighting simplicity and working with one or two lights, and also wrote a few months back about high-key portrait lighting in which I utilized one light (or just a reflector and the sun) to make beautiful portraits. So I'm sure to love a post like this one from DIY Photography, which is all about making great portraits with nothing more than a single reflector. The site is usually geared more to promoting gear, homemade and storebought, but this how-to video from Sasser Stills shows just how great some simple sunlight and a reflector can be. In fact, it's arguably the most beautiful portrait lighting you can find anywhere. Well worth a look if for no other reason than to serve as a reminder that you can find great light anywhere, and make it even better with the simplest of tools.

http://www.diyphotography.net/it-only-takes-1-reflector-to-create-beautiful-portraits
Grecco On Lighting by William Sawalich Just a few weeks ago I wrote about the awesome collection of behind-the-scenes videos that portrait guru Michael Grecco has been doling out via his YouTube channel. But now I've got another reason to mention the man's great work to you, and it's courtesy of his book "Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait," which has been updated and re-released for the digital era. The 2006 book pre-dated the iPad, which also mean that Grecco's publisher wasn't particularly keyed in on electronic publishing rights, so the photographer retained them. And that has allowed him to release his best-selling lighting book for 2012 audiences as an e-book. David Hobby convinced Grecco to break down a shot from the book in greater detail for Strobist readers, and it's well worth a look. But the real takeaway here is to take your iPad, Kindle or Nook and download Grecco's lighting book. Not only will you gain a lot of insight into high-end lighting techniques, but you'll be supporting the photographer directly, as 90% of every purchase goes straight to him.

http://michaelgrecco.com/store
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/03/little-grecco-to-go-for-your-tablet.html
Gregory Crewdson's Black & White Historical Landscapes by William Sawalich The Hyperallergic blog does a wonderful job of pointing out great art online. Recently they turned me on to a body of work from a photographer I know and love, but with work that's so out of character (though still wonderful) that it was a great and pleasant surprise. The photographer is Gregory Crewdson, whom you may know as the creator of big budget, Hollywood-style productions of very cinematic and colorful still photographs. They're like big films in a single frame of 8x10 film. It turns out that's not all Crewdson is skilled at shooting. The New York Times did a feature on his black & white images of ancient Rome. In fact, the subject of these images is a retired film studio and its grand staged sets of structures from the ancient city. So I suppose it turns out that even when Crewdson isn't making his trademark cinematic images he's still making images that relate to the grand tradition of cinema. Either way they're beautiful and most definitely worth a look—even if you

http://hyperallergic.com/23329/crewdson-ancient-rome
Gregory Crewdson’s Cinematic Process by William Sawalich The photographs of Gregory Crewdson have always fascinated me. Not only are they mysterious and compelling, their scope is unlike anything else ever seen in the art world. He works the way a filmmaker would—with an entire film crew's worth of production, not to mention the pre- and post-production requirements of a big budget Hollywood motion picture as well. Essentially Crewdson makes films and then simply photographs them one still at a time. This video, linked to via John Paul Caponigro’s blog, provides a detailed look at how he works, and why.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/?p=5262
Gregory Heisler by William Sawalich I recently attended a lecture by Gregory Heisler. What a great speaker, what an enjoyable evening, and what a ridiculously talented photographer. He showed a video of himself in action and he explained the creation of dozens of his images—including iconic Time and Life magazine covers you’re doubtlessly familiar with. A friend and I were struck by how much the video of Mr. Heisler working in studio reminded each of us of our own studios, and the general energy and approach we take to every photo shoot. What was different, of course, was the end result—proving to me, anyway, that it isn’t about the gear or the technique so much as it’s about the creativity. And it probably doesn’t hurt if you’re a true photographic genius, as Mr. Heisler seems to be. So I recommend that you rush out to his web site right away to view a variety of his portrait galleries. Then head over to YouTube to watch him diagram the lighting he used on a few famous shots, courtesy of his lighting sponsor, Profoto. Then think about all of Mr. Heisler’s great advice and wonderful photographs, and go out and put that information to use in your own work.

www.gregoryheisler.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/profotovids#p/u/16/x63bvpNUxLE
Gregory Heisler Explains How He Lit Another Iconic Cover by William Sawalich I'm more and more convinced that you could skip photography school altogether and just watch this ongoing series of videos of Gregory Heisler dissecting his photographs. Created by Profoto, the videos have Heisler explaining the creation of some of his most famous cover shots—none of which are more famous than the most recent video’s subject, the 2001 Time cover with Rudy Giuliani. A phenomenal and iconic photograph, to be sure. What's most exciting about this shot, in terms of the lighting at least, is what Strobist David Hobby points out in his brief writeup: the lighting was environmentally centered. Heisler gelled his lights green and orange to match the warmth of the ambient city lights, and all of them were positioned below (except for the fill) to match the lighting that would be provided by the city below. A genius photograph, wonderfully executed and beautifully explained.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2010/09/gregory-heisler-whiteboards-guiliani.html
Guide To Selling Your Photos As Fine Art by William Sawalich Today's book looks like a pretty great book about photography, yet it's got no photos. It's "Photographs Not Taken," a book of essays rather than photographs. Written by photographers, it's all about the personal stories of missed opportunities and the mistakes that led to them, by such prominent photographers as Mary Ellen Mark, Tim Hetherington, Roger Ballen and Sylvia Plachy. This book seems destined to become a must-read for every photographer and photography collector, and it's a brilliant idea to boot. Who would've thought a book about photography could be so well served by not including any photos? Learn more via the New York Times Lens blog.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/28/a-picture-book-without-pictures
Hack Your Old Camera by William Sawalich What to do with your old, unused (and practically unusable) 35mm film cameras? Turn them into flash focusing snoots, of course. If you tear off the back of your film camera and use enough tape and bungee cords you can shove your handheld flash into it and utilize the now dead camera's lens to focus, and therefore project, the flash over longer distances, in more refined shapes, and with patterns built in. That last part is only, of course, if you decide to insert a patterned transparency between dead camera and flash. It's a bit ridiculous, but certainly clever. And if you're drowning in near worthless old film cameras and plenty of time on your hands, why not give it a shot? It may not be practical, but it’s certain to grab attention!

http://www.diyphotography.net/convert-your-old-camera-to-a-backdrop-projector-in-10-easy-steps
Hands-On Copyright Protection by William Sawalich If you find your photograph on a site where it doesn't belong, do you know what to do about it? I don't mean send an invoice and hire a lawyer, I mean the basics. Namely, how to send a takedown request the quick and easy way via our old friends at Google. Google announced last month that it now receives an average of 2.5 million copyright infringement-related takedown requests every week. (Thanks to Rob Haggart's A Photo Editor blog to pointing me to this interesting statistic.) In the last six months since Google made it incredibly easy to report copyright infringers—whether they're using your photos, music or other copyrighted intellectual property—the company reports that takedown requests have grown tenfold. So if you find your photo being used improperly, yes you can start by sending the infringer an invoice and hiring a lawyer, but you should also visit Google to have the content removed from search results. Check out the cold hard facts, straight from Google's mouth, on their copyright data page, then head over to the search giant's information page for help on removing infringing content from Google's index.

http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright
http://support.google.com/bin/static.py?hl=en&ts=1114905&page=ts.cs
Hans Strand, a Hassy and a Volcano by William Sawalich Swedish photographer Hans Strand, a master photographer who was featured in this year's Outdoor Photographer Landscape Issue, has again caught my eye with his photographs of the unpronounceable Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. Strand used his Hasselblad H4D-40 to capture these amazing photographs in what would have to be considered extreme circumstances by anyone's standards. Check out the photographs, read about Hans' experience, and watch a behind the scenes video at the Hasselblad press site.

press.hasselblad.com
Happy Birthday, Hubble by William Sawalich It's hard to believe the Hubble Space Telescope is already 22 years old. It seems like just yesterday it was sent out there into the great unknown. I guess that's the first sign that you're getting old: when things that happened two decades ago seem like they were just yesterday. The good news, though, is that Hubble has 22 years of amazing photographs under its belt, and courtesy of this post at Brain Pickings you can see a few of my personal favorites. Have you ever glimpsed anything as stunning as the towering gases of the Carina Nebula? You wouldn't have, if NASA hadn't funded this deep space explorer back when I was young. It's outlived the shuttle program, and it's soon to be replaced by a newer, presumably even better deep space telescope, but it's hard to argue with the images this machine has delivered to humanity—glimpses of the cosmos that we would never have begun to understand otherwise. A pretty remarkable feat for photography, I would say. Celebrate two decades of Hubble imagery with the new National Geographic monograph filled with stunning photographs and scientific explanations that make the jaw-dropping images even more remarkable.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/04/24/happy-birthday-hubble/
Happy Halloween by William Sawalich Today's post is simply spooktacular. It's Halloween and I've got a couple of great places for you to go today for some haunted photo tips. The first one I know is an excellent piece because I wrote it myself. It's here at the Digital Photo web site in the Tip of the Week section. (Which, by the way, you should definitely sign up to have a new photo tip emailed to your inbox each week.) It's five tips that will help you make creepy lighting, or successful low-light images of glowing jack-o-lanterns, or awesome portraits of costumed kids. In a similar vein, the Digital Photography School blog just published its own take on Halloween tips. They aren't overly Halloween-centric, but they still offer useful insights for a variety of photographic situations. And the accompanying ghoulish images are really nice as well. Neither post, unfortunately, includes advice for acquiring more candy or avoiding having your house tee-peed by devilish kids. For that you're on your own.

http://www.dpmag.com/how-to/tip-of-the-week/five-halloween-photo-tips-10-24-11.html
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/halloween-photography-tips
Happy Labor Day! by William Sawalich Today is Labor Day, so hopefully that means you’re not reading this at the office computer but on the couch—or even better, on the patio warming up the grill for a backyard barbecue or getting ready to take an end-of-summer dip in the pool. Either way, enjoy your day. If you’re looking for something online before you get out there and enjoy the day, check this out: it’s a gallery of great photos that are bound to remind you that summer is fleeting, and swimming weather is almost gone. It’s a collection of diving photographs on The Boston Globe’s Big Picture Blog, and it’s bound to make you miss summer before it’s even over.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/09/diving_in.html
Happy Memorial Day by William Sawalich Happy Memorial Day, and thank you to all who have served our great nation. The Boston Globe’s Big Picture photoblog always serves up an interesting gallery, and I suggest this Memorial Day you look at a series of images from the Vietnam War posted at the Big Picture earlier this month to commemorate the fall of Saigon and the end of the war. boston.com AP Photograph by Henri Huet
Harry Callahan At Conscientious by William Sawalich This post is about two of my favorite things that I always look forward to sharing with others: the Conscientious blog and the amazing photography of Harry Callahan. Recently on Conscientious—the blog where Joerg Colberg writes about fine photography and photo books—he told of the new Callahan retrospective taking place in Hamburg, Germany. While it's doubtful I'll be able to visit Germany next month to see the show, what I can do is purchase the book that accompanies the exhibition, titled simply Harry Callahan. According to Colberg, it's a beautiful book that lays out Callahan's long career and tremendous body of work in chronological order—which makes sense to me, as watching the artist evolve seems like the best way to view his tremendous work. Anyway, if you happen to be visiting Germany soon, or if you're like me a fan of Harry Callahan, make an effort to see the show or get the book. For a look inside the book via video tour, check out the Deichtorhallen Museum's web site as well.

http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/2013/04/review_harry_callahan/
http://www.deichtorhallen.de/index.php?id=350&L=1
Have A Nice Book by William Sawalich Have you seen the site called Have a Nice Book? It's all about photo books. And since this week has been devoted to a few photo books I've been keen to get my hands on, I thought it might be nice to mention this site too. I know it's not technically a photo book—but it's seriously the next best thing. And it really does put photo books on a pedestal. You see, the Have a Nice Book folks get their hands on great photo books, and then they make videos of them. They browse through the books, providing you with a great glimpse at the art therein, which is not only interesting but practical—it gives you a better idea of whether or not a book might be perfect for you to purchase. Think of it like a service that allows you to preview hot new photo books, as well as one that introduces you to beautiful books by artists you may not be familiar with. More than anything, it's all very nicely done to boot. Take a look and just try to tell me the photo book isn't thriving in this new digital world. The site represents a great combination of the old print technology merged with digital video and the Internet. I, for one, absolutely love it.

http://www.haveanicebook.com/blog
Heisler on Lighting by William Sawalich I’m such fan of Gregory Heisler and his masterful, understated use of strobe lighting, I’d watch him diagram a passport photo. Thankfully I don’t have to resort to that since Profoto has recruited him for a series of explanations about some of his most well-known portrait setups. Most recently he diagrammed a portrait of Yankees great Derek Jeter for the cover of Sports Illustrated. It’s a perfect example of using precisely placed lights to recreate a natural illumination, totally ambient in appearance. And it’s well worth a look. Check it out at Profoto’s YouTube channel.

youtube.com
Help Amit Fight Leukemia by William Sawalich The founder of one of my favorite photo sites, Photojojo.com, Amit Gupta is a bit of a visionary. He also needs our help. Amit has been diagnosed with leukemia. With a bone marrow transplant—which as I understand it is carried out much like a blood transfusion—Amit's prognosis improves dramatically. But the odds of finding a perfect genetic match are daunting. So his tech-savvy friends have taken to the blogosphere to spread the word and ask anyone of South Asian decent to be tested (a simple swab to the cheek) to learn if they're a match. There's a party in New York this Wednesday night where you can be tested, but readers beyond NYC can also be tested via mail. Check out the blog of Amit's friend Tony Bacigalupo for more details, and consider this a good opportunity to register with the National Marrow Donor organization.

http://happymonster.co/2011/10/06/lets-help-amit-gupta-defeat-leukemia
http://www.marrow.org/Join/Join_Now/Join_Now.aspx
Help Bruce Help Sandy Victims by William Sawalich Bruce Springsteen's doing something pretty cool. Today's the last day of his contest to raise money for hurricane Sandy relief. For a $25 donation, you're entered into a drawing to win one of 22 original photographs made of Bruce throughout his career by some world-renowned rock 'n roll photographers—including Danny Clinch, Lynn Goldsmith and Annie Leibovitz. Oh, and Bruce will sign each of these original photos, too. Since your donation goes to a good cause, why not consider donating for a chance to win a great print? I just did, and now my fingers are crossed.

http://www.backstreets.com/sandy
Henri Cartier-Bresson In Just Plain Love by William Sawalich One of the most exciting things about living in our ever-connected, "nothing is ever lost" digital era is the ready availability of tremendous documentary films, from all over the world and about all manner of subjects, via outlets such as YouTube, Netflix and Vimeo. The tremendous Feature Shoot blog recently linked to a perfect example of this, a 2001 French documentary about iconic Magnum photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. The hour-plus subtitled film includes intimate moments with the photographer, as well as in-depth interviews touching on everything from photographic philosophy to technique, and incorporating interviews with other artists in genres from motion pictures to music. Just being able to spend a few moments, virtually, with one of the best photographers of all time... Well, it's invaluable. We're fortunate to live in the era we do.

http://www.featureshoot.com/2012/06/henri-cartier-bresson-just-plain-love-documentary
High-Resolution RhinoCam by William Sawalich So you want to use your favorite Hasselblad lenses with your compact little Sony NEX camera? No problem. That's right: I said no problem. You see, Fotodiox—the folks behind various fun and useful camera and flash accessories—has created a sliding adaptor mechanism that allows you to take advantage of the large circle of light produced by a medium format lens, and after stitching multiple exposures together create a 140-plus megapixel ultra-high-resolution image file. Sure, it won't work with a moving subject, but for still life shooters and landscape photographers, this wacky rig just might make sense. As someone who often laments the loss of those great old Zeiss lenses I used on my Hassy, I'm seriously considering this investment. Read more at http://www.pixiq.com/article/fotodiox-rhinocam-0 then head over to the Fotodiox web site for the specs and particulars.

http://fotodioxpro.com/index.php/vizelex-rhinocam-for-sony-nex-e-mount-cameras.html
Holiday Books by William Sawalich Well, it's here. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, which means Friday marks the beginning of the official holiday shopping season. And that means I'm getting my wish list in order. It's usually well populated by photo books, which I usually share on this blog. I'm going to kick off that tradition again this year with the book at the top of my list: Dan Winters' Last Launch. Mr. Winters is one of my favorite photographers, and he's actually got two new books this year. Dan Winters's America is a retrospective of the photographer's entire career. He made a name for himself primarily through tremendous editorial portraiture—of which he's an absolute master—but he shoots everything from architectural to still life and documentary. That's what you'll find in his other book, Last Launch. It showcases photographs from Mr. Winters' project documenting the final missions of NASA's space shuttle program. It's a fascinating story of a personal passion that prompted an assignment, which lead to these absolutely gorgeous photographs, which ultimately led to another new book—one that should be on any photographer's (or space buff's) wish list. Happy Thanksgiving!

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/11/winter-reads-winters-reads.html
Holiday Gifts For The Goofy Photographer by William Sawalich Goofy as it is, Photojojo is a must-visit web site for photographers. It's a totally indispensable gift giving resource, as far as I'm concerned. You see, Photojojo is filled with photography stuff for photography buffs, and yet almost none of it (or at least very little) is designed for DSLRs to make better pictures in the traditional sense. Rather, Photojojo is filled with iPhone camera accessories and goofy gadgets that help you have fun with your photography addiction. Whether you visit for a quick laugh or for the totally unique gadgets, you must visit the site this time of the year because it's absolutely the perfect place to get gifts for the other photo geeks in your life. Or send this link to your loved ones and tell them what you have on your own wish list. The Photojojo holiday gift guide (in two parts) makes photo gift giving a breeze. Enjoy!

http://content.photojojo.com/buy-this/photojojos-holiday-gift-guide-2012-part-1
Homemade ICE Light by William Sawalich Just the other day I mentioned a new light from Westcott that's garnering all sorts of buzz. It's the ICE Light, and it looks like a combination of a flashlight and a light saber. At almost $600, this handheld light source is not the sort of thing most of us can afford to buy by the dozen. But just after writing about the ICE Light, I was at my local home improvement store when I stumbled on the next best thing: a half-fast knockoff. It's a combination work light and flashlight, but its specs are somewhat similar to the ICE Light. Namely, it uses LEDs for bright, cool, constant illumination, and it really does look an awful lot like the real thing. Unlike the ICE Light, though, a pair of these bad boys will set you back less than $15. (And a built-in magnet makes these work lights easy to attach to all sorts of locations—including light stands. Okay, okay… I know this light pales in comparison to the real thing—especially since the light isn't daylight balanced, it isn't nearly as bright, and it isn't as soft as the ICE Light—but it still could come in handy in the right circumstance. And at this low price, you can't afford not to buy one! (Plus, the thing really is handy as a work light too.) Pick them up at your local Home Depot. http://www.homedepot.com/buy/commercial-electric-17-led-handheld-work-light-291869.html.
Honoring Harold Feinstein by William Sawalich Harold Feinstein began his photographic career in 1946, and by the age of 20 his work had already been purchased by Edward Steichen for inclusion in the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art. A member of the famous Photo League, he rubbed elbows with the likes of Weegee, Winogrand and W. Eugene Smith, but when he declined inclusion in Steichen's now iconic Family of Man exhibition, he was soon left behind and forgotten by the art world and contemporary photography collectors. To that end his Boston gallerist began a Kickstarter campaign to raise $35,000 in order to print the first monograph of Feinstein's work. The goal has been easily reached, so the book will definitely be created, but check out the page to find great information about Mr. Feinstein and his work, as well as links to the photographer himself and those involved with finally creating a monograph for this undisputed modern master.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/589591535/harold-feinstein-a-retrospective
How do you set the perfect white balance? by William Sawalich A lot of photographers seem to be wondering what exactly is the best way to set their white balance. It seems like if you ask ten people you’ll get ten different answers. Some photographers use a dedicated device like an ExpoDisc to nail custom white balances based on the available light in a scene. Some folks use a gray card to achieve the same sort of thing. Other people just set their white balance off of anything white available in the frame: a shirt, a tablecloth, a sign… So who’s right? There are a lot of different ways to set white balance, and no single approach is always the best. For me, a gray card placed in a scene is perfect for custom white balancing when I process the RAW files in Lightroom, because I can simply click the eyedropper on the gray card to set the exact white balance—and I don’t have to do it before I shoot. But I don’t always worry about setting a custom white balance at all. For example, I know that with my external strobe setup I get good results with my camera’s flash white balance preset (it looks like a lightning bolt) and that I like the look of my studio strobes when the color temperature is manually set to 5200 degrees Kelvin. Of course, all of those are particular to my personal equipment, but the idea holds true: One photographer can use multiple methods to get great white balance results in a variety of situations. There is no single “best” way to set your white balance. (Also, for what it's worth, just about the only time I use auto white balance is when I'm mixing hot-shoe strobe with ambient light in a fast-paced, changing-light scenario.) The point is this: if you’ve got a method that works for you, stick with it.
How Does A Lens Have A Speed? by William Sawalich Here's a good question pondered by many new photographers: how exactly can a lens have a "speed"? Those of us in the know—or at least with a little more experience--know the answer to this question likely because, at some point early on in our photographic adventures, we heard someone refer to a "fast" lens and we said something profound along the lines of, "Wait. What?" And then they told us how lenses can have a particular speed. So if you've heard of lenses referred to as fast or slow, or if the idea of speed in general doesn't make sense to you when it comes to lenses... Well, read this post on the Pixiq photo blog. It explains how a lens has speed based on its ability to use fast shutter speeds. A wide aperture, which allows for a fast shutter speed, is a "fast" lens. And one thing the Pixiq piece doesn't mention is that speed is relative. An f/4 lens might be fast if it's a telephoto, but relatively slow for a wide angle. The same goes for different camera formats, too.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/lens-speed-terminology
How Does Heisler Do That? by William Sawalich To learn complex studio and environmental lighting, you could go to photo school. Or, it seems, you could simply seek out every Gregory Heisler behind-the-scenes video on the web and watch them all repeatedly. In the end I'm sure you'd save a few bucks and probably learn more from Mr. Heisler's videos. He's just that good, and he's even better at at explaining in simple terms and in his charming way just how he pulls off a shot and makes it look effortless. It's a glimpse into why he's such a master of portrait lighting.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2013/01/greg-heisler-will-now-bts-for-you-my.html
How HDR Can Help Black & White Photographs by William Sawalich I'm going to go out on a limb here and state a personal preference: I do not care for most HDR photography. That is to say, I do not find appealing images that are so candy-colored and texture-filled as to come off as painterly illustrations. I'm not saying HDR images are always this way, or that this is inherently bad and that you shouldn't keep doing them if you like. I'm simply stating a personal preference for a more "realistic" photographic vision. I state this preference because I know it's one that's shared by others as well—we hear "HDR" and immediately picture a technique we don't particularly care for. But that's kind of unfair, because HDR can mean lots of things—including the benefit of black & white tonal range. It makes perfect sense, really, because black & white photography is inherently removed from reality, and tones of gray and black and white have always been more arbitrarily "assigned" by the photographer in the quest for a beautiful black & white print. So why wouldn't utilizing the added dynamic range and detail of an HDR construction be the perfect way to make more interesting, more beautiful, and even more "real" looking black & white photos? That's part of the premise behind this great post by Joseph Eckert at DPS about seeing in black & white, and it's one that I recommend any photographer—especially those who are working in black & white or who have their own misgivings about HDR techniques—give some attention to.
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-see-in-black-and-white-and-how-hdr-can-be-a-powerful-tool-for-the-monochrome-photographer
Photo by Joseph Eckert
How Leica Lenses Are Made by William Sawalich Not long ago I posted a link to a really neat Leica video. That one was about the history of the company—specifically, how the son of the founder saved many friends, colleagues and employees during World War II by sending them to work in facilities far from Hitler's reach. Today I've got another great Leica link, but this one is a bit more contemporary and a bit less life changing. Still, it's a pretty neat thing to see. It's a unique behind-the-scenes look at Leica lenses in production. Sure it's a Leica-produced video that amounts to a slick long-form commercial, but it works. Because this stuff is interesting. It's amazing how much hands-on work goes into these high-tech lenses. See for yourself at Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/26251829
How Many Megapixels Is Too Many? by William Sawalich To the layman, judging new cameras is easy. It only involves one simple question: how many megapixels does it have? But to photographers in the know, megapixels are just the tip of the iceberg. Ctein, the mononymous master printer and photoblogger of The Online Photographer fame, is always good for a nice editorial opinion. This time his essay is also very helpful for those of us who want a more nuanced way of evaluating camera quality. Prompted by the announcement of Nikon's new D800 dSLR and its whopping 36 megapixels, Ctein explains some of the most common misunderstandings about megapixels and their effect on picture quality. There are many myths associated with pixel counts—like the fact that more megapixels doesn't necessarily mean sharper pictures, or the fact that more megapixels can do more than just allow for bigger prints. Maybe Ctein's take will change your opinion about how many megapixels is enough for you, or even how many megapixels are too many.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/02/d800-megapixels.html
How Photography Connects Us by William Sawalich Are you looking for a little more inspiration in your life? Do you struggle with the search for meaning in photography? If so, take a few minutes to watch this great TED talk from National Geographic photography director David Griffin. Not only is Griffin's presentation full of valuable insights into how photography connects us and how we all utilize photography to tell our stories, he illustrates it with iconic imagery from the Geographic’s archives too. The photographs alone make it worth a look, but it’s the invaluable insights—like the realization that we all think and talk in pictures—that make it downright inspiring.

ted.com
How To Be A CSI Photographer by William Sawalich Here's an interesting "how-to" story for you: How to be a real life CSI photographer. That's right, crime scene photography. Maybe it's not something to which the average photo enthusiast is aspiring, but it's an interesting story nonetheless. When you stop and consider all of the professions in which photography is essential, you realize there's a whole world beyond those of us who shoot for fun. The Pixiq blog's Haje Jan Kamps recently published an interesting interview with a photographer whose day job, and sometimes night job, is being a real life crime scene photographer. It's an interesting glimpse into the workings of a photographer who is likely to be having not nearly as much fun with his camera as the rest of us.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/csi
How To Choose The Right Tripod by William Sawalich Here's something you don't often get: advice on how to choose the right tripod. Sure, you've heard plenty of things about quick release plates and tripod heights and the makeup of a head and its movements, but really all of that stuff is usually opinions. "I like a ballhead, you probably will too," for instance. But what about the nuts and bolts stuff, like how much will a tripod hold, how steady will it be, and how comfortable will it be to work with? It's best before buying that you go to your local camera store and get your hands on a prospective tripod so that you can figure out what you like. Here are some suggestions you can keep in mind for when you go to test a prospective tripod's functionality, to be sure it's not just right, but right for what you need a tripod to do. Kevin Kopp produced this write-up on his Pixiq blog based on insights from former Outdoor Photographer editor-in-chief Rob Sheppard. Rob's got great suggestions for what to look for in a tripod so that you can make a smarter buying decision.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/eight-tips-for-choosing-the-best-tripod
How To Deal With Demanding Clients by William Sawalich Here's a question a young semi-pro shooter recently asked me. "I did a shoot yesterday," he said. "The client wants me to digitally add cars to an empty parking lot. Our agreement was for me to photograph the property, but he’s now expecting, and sort of demanding, a lot more work. What should I do?"

I told him that this is fairly common, and clients can sometimes get a little pushy with photographers who are just starting out. The key is to remember that just because something can be done "easily" in post-production doesn’t mean it doesn’t take time and have an associated expense.

"You weren't hired to digitally alter the scene to be something different," I said. "You were hired to shoot it as it was. The client has moved the target after you started shooting. If the fix could have been made ahead of time—whether that’s filling the parking lot or painting a wall—it should have been. The client can’t pass that cost along to you—it’s simply unreasonable. So if you do the digital imaging, you would have to charge him for it."

From the client’s standpoint, digital imaging can seem like magic. For those who do it, though, it’s a skill that took many years to perfect, and many more hours to execute on the client’s project. That’s why we charge for it.

"If it were my client," I continued, "I'd tell them that they would be better off shooting when the cars are there if that’s what they want in the finished shot. Of course, that would entail another shoot—which perhaps I’d offer at a discount, depending on the client. Adding cars digitally would look worse and cost more in the long run, so you can actually help your client and save them money and provide a better result by doing another shoot."

The bottom line is that even when a client changes the requirements after an agreement is reached, you can still service their needs and help deliver what they need without being taken advantage of. And perhaps the biggest takeaway from all of this is to make sure, even for seemingly simple little shoots, that you’ve got an agreement in writing that spells out all the tasks to be performed and all of the associated costs. It’s better for the photographer, and it’s better for the client too.
How To Design A Good-Looking Photo Book by William Sawalich I recently invested a fair chunk of my time into assembling and printing more than a half dozen photo books. I learned a lot about print quality, the importance of a helpful publisher with good software, and most of all the importance of good design for the layout of a book—whether it's a portfolio, a wedding album or a coffee table keepsake. So when this morning I read a piece at Digital Photography School about how to design a good photo book layout, it really piqued my interest. I was a bit skeptical, I admit, because the one thing I found in the many book templates I tried is that those templates don't often reflect good design. But these tips were written by the young lady behind the "Photo Book Girl" web site and she knows whereof she speaks. (Her site, btw, looks to be a great resource for all sorts of how-to tips, deals and information about making great photo books. Check it out at http://www.photobookgirl.html.) Her first bit of advice is to keep the layout simple, so you know right there she's off to a good start—and bound to help you overcome some of the cluttered, cumbersome and downright goofy templates that exist out there in photo book world. So check out the tips at http://www.digital-photography-school.com/5-top-tips-for-designing-good-photo-book-layouts and then read about my experiences with a handful of publishers at the Digital Photo Pro web site, http://www.digitalphotopro.com/technique/software-technique/photo-books-101.html.
How To Display Inkjet Prints by William Sawalich Being a photographer in 2011 is a little bit sad. Why? Because for years being a photographer meant you took pictures and made prints and had a finished product you could hold in your hands or hang on your wall. These days, though, the print has all but disappeared. It’s too easy to shoot photos and look at them on our computer screens and then forget about them forever, without ever making a print. Sure, galleries and pharmacies still trade in prints, but let's be honest: most of us wish we printed a lot more of what we shot. Let's all agree that we'll make a conscious effort to print more of our photographs.

That's only part of the challenge, though. Printing is a bit of a tricky endeavor because most photographers are printing their work in-house on inkjet printers. Instead of farming out the job to a pro lab, most of us are doing it ourselves. The good news is that these prints look great and have archival qualities as good or better than traditional darkroom color prints. The bad news is that we've got to take a little bit of extra care to ensure our prints look their best and last a long time too.

To that end, The Online Photographer’s Ctein (think Madonna or Cher, but with more photographic chops) has written a great guide—practically a treatise—on displaying and caring for inkjet prints to maximize their beauty and their lifespan. For anyone interested in treating their photographs as fine art, or at least for those of you who want to ensure your photos stick around long after you're gone, it's a must read.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2011/02/how-to-display-inkjet-prints.html
How To Go To Iceland by William Sawalich I have long wanted to visit Iceland on a photographic tour. And based on the number of images I've seen from the tiny island in recent years, I'm not nearly the only one. Perhaps it's the almost martian volcanic landscape, the wild horses, or simply the remote oddity of the place, but one thing's for sure: American photographers are enthralled with Iceland. If you're interested in making your own trip to the country, I suggest you start by reading Sean McCormack's article on the Pixiq blog, titled "So you want to go to Iceland." It includes good information on Sean's own trip, which has everything from planning the ideal path to how to do it affordably (which does include camping) and what to take to ensure you'll get great photos. With a little bit of Sean's insight you're sure to have a good and comfortable time while traveling in Iceland.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/so-you-want-to-go-to-iceland
How To Light A Lamborghini by William Sawalich When I was a kid I had a prized poster on my wall: a black-on-black 1984 Lamborghini Countach. It was a gorgeous car, and a gorgeous photo. But not nearly as jaw-dropping, on either count, as Blair Bunting's new photograph of a 2012 Lamborghini Aventador. Blair may be best known as the photographer of athletes and awesome reality TV shows with the gritty realist style, but he also photographs cars. And when he was asked to shoot a Lamborghini so that the folks at F-stoppers could make a video of it, Blair jumped at the chance. He breaks down the how and the why on his blog, and you can also watch the finished video there too. It's a great behind-the-scenes with a talented young photographer shooting a gorgeous dream car. And I think it's neat to see how simple it is to photograph such an exotic subject—as long as you've got the right light.

http://www.blairbunting.com/blog/?p=2509
How To Make A Cinemagraph by William Sawalich Do you know about cinemagraphs? They're sort of like a combination of a still photo and an animated gif, but only part of the image is animated. So, for instance, in this example from designer Chris Spooner's blog, only the model's hair and dress are moving—blowing gently in the wind. It's this subtly that gives cinemagraphs their power. If you're interested in learning how to make these unique web-based images, Spooner's blog post is built around a great breakdown of how to create the complex looking effect in a fairly simple way that requires no special software beyond that good ol' standby, Photoshop.

http://blog.spoongraphics.co.uk/tutorials/how-to-make-a-cool-cinemagraph-image-in-photoshop
How To Make Your Own Time-Lapse Video by William Sawalich I'm always linking to time-lapse videos on this blog, mostly because I never seem to get enough of this super-simple, super-neat technique. So here’s a page that does contain a cool time-lapse video, but the real reason I’m pointing it out is because it’s a primer for photographers who not only want to watch cool time-lapse videos, but who also want to learn how to make them for themselves. It’s a little bit different, and a little bit fun. And best of all, any photographer with any camera can do it with just a tiny bit of know-how.

http://www.lightstalking.com/timelapse
How To Photograph In Museums And Galleries by William Sawalich Every time I'm in a museum I think about how wonderful it would be to photograph what I’m seeing. There are so many opportunities to make great photos, so many beautiful subjects, so many beautiful rooms, so much wonderful light. Yet my museum images are never quite as great as I think they could be. The fact is, museums can be kind of tricky to photograph. If you've ever felt this way, or if you’re planning a trip that includes a museum visit, check out these tips from Tom Dinning at the Lightstalking blog He’ll help teach you how to photograph museums and galleries, and along with his helpful tips is a great collection of images made in these places as well.
http://www.lightstalking.com/how-to-photograph-museums-and-galleries
Photo by Tom Dinning
How to photograph your pregnant wife by William Sawalich Perfect timing! Well, perfect for me, anyway. My wife and I are expecting our first child, and so far we've been documenting the progress with a monthly profile portrait of her growing tummy. So this DPS post couldn't have arrived at a better time. I especially like the idea of making tummy portraits outside. I think those will show our future daughter how her mommy got out and about with baby in tow. It seems that outdoors shots might also help us make pretty pictures rather than, well, creepy belly shots. I've seen some of those before, and I don't think I want any part of that. I know my wife doesn’t. So if you're expecting, or if you might be called on to photograph an expectant mother, check out these tips for making better maternity portraits.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/tummy-time-7-tips-for-taking-great-maternity-shots
How To Price Photography by William Sawalich There are a lot of photographers out there these days, and an increasing number of them are dipping their toes into the waters of professional assignments. Maybe it’s shooting a wedding for a friend, or creating baby photos of your cousin’s new kid, or perhaps going so far as to establish a web site and hang out a shingle for shooting commercial assignments and events. Whatever kind of photography you’re going to charge for, there’s one important factor that many photographers don’t pay enough attention to: how should you charge?

I like to boil it down like this: if you’re going to do the work of a professional, you should price your work as a professional would too. That doesn’t mean you need to charge as much as an established pro would. It just means that you need to understand the ins and outs of assigning appropriate fees. To that end, this story from New Media Photographer illustrates a great point: price the photographs, not the intangibles. There was once a fairly standard industry practice of charging by the hour. Then photographers who were really good and worked efficiently realized they were being penalized for their skill. So a more fair pricing standard—one that charges based on the type and number of photographs to be created—has emerged. It’s better for clients and better for photographers. The key is that new photographers understand how to price their work fairly so that they won’t be taken advantage of. And this story is only the start. There are countless resources online for photographers looking to understand pricing for professional services. For a good start, check out the ASMP’s Paperwork Share and other resources for professional pricing guidance.

http://www.newmediaphotographer.com/2010/09/still-not-learning-the-per-image-pricing-lesson/
http://asmp.org/links/32
How To Properly Get Permission To Shoot On Location by William Sawalich I don't like asking for permission. I generally want to do what I want when I want and how I want. This gets me into a fair amount of trouble. It would really get me into trouble if I applied this same philosophy to photographing in public, but I'm smart enough to know that photo shoots tend to attract attention, and if you don't have permission to shoot in public you're probably going to get hassled. Even worse, you might be sent packing. That's bad on any shoot, but especially so if you're a professional working with a budget and client. Cancelled shoots cost money, and so it's important to get permission—and the necessary permits—for your location photo and video shoots. You might think that a park is public property, but in fact if you're setting up a commercial venture, or even a private photo shoot that simply prevents others from enjoying the park, you're darn right you need permission. Thankfully this post by photographer Chase Jarvis explains how and why to go about getting the necessary permits for your public photo shoots, and he even includes examples of actual paperwork and documents from his own client-driven assignments. The bottom line is this: if you're shooting for money, you're practically always going to need permission. And even if you're shooting just for fun, you sometimes need permission too. Check out the blog to find out how to get it.

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/03/how-to-permit-photo-video-shoots/
How to shoot a TV drama with your D-SLR by William Sawalich Remember earlier this spring when the photoblogosphere was all at witter with news that the season finale of Fox’s House had been shot entirely with a Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 D-SLR? Well if you happened to be living under a rock at the time—or if you have better things to do than read the Internet all day—trust me, it was. This was (and still is) big news, because instead of a $50,000 setup (or god knows how expensive a traditional high-def video rig and lenses could be) you can now shoot primetime TV dramas with a $2500 camera and a couple of $1000 lenses. That’s big, right?

Well now you can learn exactly how it was done by tuning in to an interview with the director of that episode, Greg Yaitanes, on the blog of filmmaker Philip Bloom. Philip interviewed Greg to create the hour-long radio-style interview full of experiences from a seasoned television professional on working with the little D-SLR that could also do TV. (If you’d rather not stream the audio, you can save the clip to your desktop or even peruse a transcript instead.) Anyone interested in broadening their video horizons would be well served by a professional TV shooter’s insights and inspiration.

philipbloom.net
How To Shoot Food In The Dark by William Sawalich Strobist David Hobby just pointed out an awesome video about photographer Robert Caplin, a New York-based foodie who is charged with shooting in some tricky circumstances—namely, cramped kitchens and dimly lit restaurants (which are also usually crowded full of diners). To do this, Caplin suggests using a tiny little LED light panel that he can hand hold and position just so to create interesting, directional light—and to ensure he can shoot in a dark restaurant without having to crank the ISO to hell and back. It's a simple idea that's sure to have a lot of photographers—Hobby included—carrying around light panels for a variety of sticky situations. One commenter on the post mentions a few apps that turn Androids and iPhones into little light sources for just such an occasion, which is another great idea—especially in a pinch.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2011/06/robert-caplins-light-fare.html
How to shoot Rainbows by William Sawalich Let’s face it, rainbows aren’t the most common of photographic subjects. But when you are fortunate enough to find one—no matter where you might be or what you might be shooting—how are you going to pass up the opportunity to try and make pictures of it? Photographer Ian Plant, who writes about shooting in the outdoors for his Mountain Trail Photo blog as well as the newly revamped Outdoor Photographer blog, is the ideal instructor to turn to when you’ve got questions about shooting in nature. His recent article on photographing rainbows is full of very practical tips on everything from how to find rainbows in the first place to the right technical approach to capturing them in camera.

ianplant.com
How to tell if a photo’s been faked by William Sawalich A few weeks ago I saw a video online showing what appeared to be a dumpy old woman (or maybe even man in drag) speaking on a cell phone in an old film from 1928. Turns out it’s part of this whole new wave of "time traveler" photos and videos. Basically, people find these clips and shots from throughout history with inexplicably modern people or elements in the frame. Now there's this photo of a dude wearing a Nine-Inch-Nails T-shirt and sporting an SLR and sunglasses—even though the photo is from the 1940s. Weird, right? Even though it’s probably not really a time traveler, it’s neat that nobody really seems to know what exactly is going on in these pictures. It gets really fun when you start throwing science at the photos, and when the science says it’s not faked. There’s this software called the Error Level Analyzer which can unearth composited and faked photographs by searching out differences in the level of JPEG artifacts that occur in composites. Read all about it, including links to those old time-traveler photos, at Photojojo.

http://content.photojojo.com/guides/photo-forensics-how-to-tell-if-a-photos-been-faked/
How To Use The Unsharp Mask Filter by William Sawalich Image sharpness is a pretty critical thing. Photographers spend hours and days and years honing their craft in order to make sharper pictures. They spend thousands of dollars on the sharpest lenses, and then they—hopefully—apply the appropriate sharpening prior to output of a finished digital image file. There are lots of different tools for going about that last bit, and one of the most popular in Photoshop is the Smart Sharpen filter. But there's another filter that can be a powerful ally in the quest for sharpness, and that's the Unsharp Mask filter. Named for a traditional film process that creates the illusion of sharpness in a finished print, Unsharp Mask helps digital photographers in much the same way by enhancing contours and edges to increase the appearance of sharpness. John Paul Caponigro, master of digital imaging and, maybe even more valuable, master of explaining how to apply high-tech digital tools in an easy to comprehend manner, recently delved into Unsharp Mask on his blog, and it's a must read for anyone looking to add another powerful tool to their sharpening repertoire.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/6622/unsharp-mask/
Humans Of New York by William Sawalich A few months ago a friend alerted me to a Tumblr (it's a particular type of photo-based blog-style web site, for those of you who may be uninitiated) called Humans of New York. My first thought was, "what a nice collection of street portraits of people in New York City." But now, after several weeks of daily viewing, I'm realizing that not only is the site's founder and photographer Brandon Stanton a tremendous photographer, but his site is a downright amazing work of art and documentary all rolled into one. Put it in your reading list and check it out every day. You'll be thankful that you did.

http://www.humansofnewyork.com
I Am The 13 Percent by William Sawalich When it comes to focusing your camera there are lots of ways to go about it. In the end, though, the choices really boil down to two options: autofocus or manual. I've always been a fan of manual focusing. I think it's because I learned this way in the pre-auto era, and I had some bad experiences missing shots because my early autofocusing cameras couldn't keep up with the action or because I was working in low light. As I get older I find that I rely on my eyes a little less and on the camera to autofocus a little more. These days I'd say I use manual focus most of the time, with a little bit of autofocus thrown in. And that, according to a recent poll at Digital Photography School, means that I'm in the 13% group. Turns out that most people, by far, use autofocus most of the time. In fact, three quarters of photographers rely on autofocus at least half of the time. That's a pretty significant group, I'd say. Check out the pie chart at DPS to see how the statistics break down, to figure out where you fall in comparison to other photographers, and to read some interesting and insightful comments from readers about how and why they choose to focus their cameras the way they do.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-photographers-focus-their-cameras-poll-results
Iconify Online Portfolio by William Sawalich Are you sick of your digital portfolio not measuring up to the quality of your photos? Tired of having a site that works on the web but not on a mobile phone? Or maybe you just want to finally take full advantage of a tablet's portfolio possibilities? Well you might just want to sign up for the brand new service called Iconify. It looks to be a pretty darn useful app for iPhones, tablets and laptops to create a single, minimally beautiful photo portfolio that works seamlessly across all of these divergent platforms. It's currently in the beta testing phase, so you can sign up now to gain access to the service soon. I've already signed up myself and I'm eagerly awaiting admittance. (Click the link below to sign up for free and you'll help me get in sooner. Then you'll get your own URL to share in an effort; the more referrals you provide, the early you'll gain admittance for yourself. Pretty smart marketing; must be pretty smart folks. That bodes well for Iconify.) I can't wait to get my hands on their software!

http://iconify.co/launch?lrRef=q7iRd
Identifying Pirated Software by William Sawalich As a photographer, it's my belief that if I would like people to value my work and respect my copyright then I should darn well respect the intellectual property rights of others. That includes the music I listen to and the software I use. In short, I'm no fan of pirated software. But even if you have the best intentions, how can you really know if the software you think is legitimate is actually a pirated copy? Well just the other day I stumbled across this post from web design site We Rock Your Web, which lays out a few simple steps for determining if a prospective copy of Adobe Photoshop is pirated—as well as a few alternatives (in lieu of outright theft) if you find the price of Photoshop prohibitive. That led me to dig a little deeper, until I found a page from Microsoft designed to help its customers determine the validity of their products as well. Advice such as "inspect the certificate of authenticity" and "activate the software" may be pretty simple, but they're effective, too, and need to be said. The best advice, I think, calls for a little bit of common sense: if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

http://www.werockyourweb.com/how-identify-pirated-versions-adobe-photoshop
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy
Ilford's Film Expansion by William Sawalich It's refreshing to see a traditional darkroom business expanding. While the biggest name in photography for generations, Kodak, is downsizing and selling off all sorts of traditional photo businesses as part of a total restructuring, the company that stood in Kodak's black and white shadow for many years—Ilford—seems to be expanding in the darkroom market. Harman Technology, Ilford's parent company, has invested half a million dollars in building its own factory to produce 35mm film cassettes. Remember them? If not, that's part of the overall issue at work here. While this may not signal any particular resurgence in the use of 35mm film, at least it demonstrates that the company is investing (modestly, but still) in ensuring that 35mm film will remain available for the foreseeable future.

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/pressroom/article.asp?n=155
Impossible Photography by William Sawalich Got a spare six minutes? Here’s photographer Erik Johansson presenting a TED talk about his ‘Impossible Photography.’ It's really pretty cool. He creates very realistic looking images—meaning they're very well done, not that they look real. But they're actually surrealistic because of the content; many images display an M.C. Escher-like optical illusion quality. This photographer's work is as much about retouching and digital manipulation, but it's really unique and well worth a look—even if you’re not interested in creating your own out-of-this-world fantasy images. After the TED talk, check out Johansson's web site to see even more images and order your own prints.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-create-impossible-images-erik-johansson

http://erikjohanssonphoto.com/work/imagecats/personal/
Improve Your Photography In Just Ten Minutes by William Sawalich Who wouldn’t want to become a better photographer in just a few minutes’ time? I know I would. So I took note of this exercise suggested by Mark Silber on his SilberStudios blog. It involves heeding some advice from Ansel Adams, then briefly brainstorming and writing a plan for a photograph you’d like to make. Finally, just go out and make it. It sounds simple, no? Maybe it is, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t totally effective too. I know I rely entirely too much on chance and happenstance in my photography. My best images actually come from the times I start with a plan—a specific plan—in mind. That doesn’t mean I’m afraid to change or unable to adapt and be spontaneous. It just means that I’m working in a specific, and deliberate, direction. That’s what Ansel called ìvisualization.î Check out Mark’s blog for the simple instructions and then get out there and improve your photography in the next few minutes.

http://www.silberstudios.tv/blog/2011/04/an-easy-7-step-exercise-to-improve-your-photography
Improve Your Video With A Rubber Band by William Sawalich The lines are blurring between photography and videography. I used to resist this, but no longer. For years, I felt like photography and videography had almost nothing in common. But then my clients started demanding video, and I started enjoying it, and the next thing you know I'm shooting the stuff on a fairly regular basis. The biggest problem, as far as I can tell, is that I'm making due with photography gear for some of my video projects. Case in point, I don't have a wonderfully smooth-panning professional video tripod head. That means I don't do a lot of moves with my camera, and certainly not while strapped down to my tripod. But this wonderful little tip from my favorite DIY Photography blog really does seem like an excellent, free, frankly ideal solution to this age-old videography problem. By using a simple rubber band to act as a shock absorber between your hand and the tripod head, you can start and stop panning motions without any herky-jerky impact on your shots. Even if you do have a high-end video head, this tip could really help you improve the subtlety of your movements. I love it! Read all about it at http://www.diyphotography.net/use-a-rubber-band-for-smooth-panning-shots.
In Memoriam: Bryce Bayer by William Sawalich A crucial figure in the science of digital cameras died last month. Bryce Bayer invented the Bayer filter, the device that makes it possible for the monochromatic sensors in our digital cameras to render colors accurately. It's quite a legacy, for sure. If you're unfamiliar with how the Bayer filter works, take this opportunity to read about it via the Imaging Resource blog. It's a fitting tribute to the man who made the device a reality, and it will make you a more informed photographer—just like the Bayer filter makes better digital photographs. Rest in peace, Mr. Bayer.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2012/11/20/bryce-bayer-who-created-bayer-filter-for-digital-cameras-has-died
In-Camera Double Exposures by William Sawalich Have you seen all of the beautiful multiple exposures out there? It seems like this old-school film technique has experienced quite a resurgence of late—likely in large part thanks to its inclusion as a feature on some new DSLRs. My only complaint about the technique is that it seems to only be applied in one way: silhouetted people mixed with landscapes and foliage. (That's not to say these images aren't utterly beautiful; they just leave a little bit to be desired by way of originality. Ultimately it's up to the artist to apply the technique in whatever way he sees fit. But now I'm digressing.) Anyway, the point is, however we may choose to apply it, there's no doubting that it's an interesting and powerful technique. And the first step, of course, is mastering that technique! Thankfully, photographer Sara Byrne has posted a tutorial for making double exposures with a Canon 5D Mark 3, and the principles are the same with any multiple-exposure-enabled camera—which I'm sure we'll continue to see more of in the future.

http://petapixel.com/2013/04/17/tutorial-shooting-double-exposures-with-a-canon-5d-mark-iii/
Inspiration for your photographic year by William Sawalich Looking for a little bit of photographic inspiration? Try this suggestion from DPS. It's a list of weekly themes for photographers who are trying to take a picture a day for a whole year. This list will offer a bit of guidance and make those 365 pictures seem a whole lot less daunting. After all, at most you have to come up with seven shots that meet the weekly theme. Even if you're not trying a year-long photo project, this list can still be great inspiration. I'm a big believer in self-assignments. Shoot more to get much better, and giving yourself assignments is a great way to do that. Consider these 52 guidelines like a weekly assignment and get out there and shoot. By this time next year you’ll thank me, I’m sure.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/53-weekly-themes-for-your-2011-project-36
Instagram's New Terms by William Sawalich Two weeks ago Instagram updated its terms of service, and my first thought was "Get ready for a big stink." Well, the pervasive odor spread a lot faster than even I expected, and within hours Instagram had "clarified" (i.e. rescinded) some of the more odious parts of the terms, which included the right for the company to sell photos uploaded via its service to third-party advertisers. You can argue about whether it's a small price to pay for using a free service, or a malicious rights grab, but either way it's interesting to watch the saga unfold. If you're interested in bailing out, there's a link below to a CNet story on backing up your photos and closing your Instagram account. I've also linked to a CNN Money article about the initial hubbub, as well as Instagram's official response via the company blog. Also included is a link to a Poynter story that points out that the terms have always included this right, so we don't need to be all up in arms about the new "broader" terms. Either way, it looks like Instagram isn't going to stick users with quite so bad a deal as was initially feared. But it does serve as a reminder to read the fine print when you go uploading your photos online. You may be giving up some rights you're not comfortable with.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/18/technology/social/instagram-sell-photos/index.html?iid=HP_LN
http://blog.instagram.com/post/38252135408/thank-you-and-were-listening
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/198758/instagrams-new-tos-cheesing-off-pro-photographers
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57559810-285/how-to-back-up-your-instagram-photos-and-delete-your-account
Interesting Aerial Lens Arrays by William Sawalich Have you ever used one of those old-school camera calibration charts to test the resolution of your lenses? Did you know they're called Tri-bar Arrays? For years they were the standard test of a lens' ability to resolve fine details. The standard was created by the American military back in the 1950s, and the Tri-bar Array remained the de facto standard until the digital era brought it to an end in the mid 2000s. Because of the pattern's military origins, there are still some intriguing large-scale remnants of the pattern in use today. You see, various air bases and military installations around the country painted giant versions of the Tri-Bar Array adjacent to runways for use as a calibration and testing tool for aerial and satellite cameras and lenses. It's a pretty neat holdover from the cold war days, and thanks to Google earth we can see these interesting artifacts for ourselves. Thanks to Michael Johnston of The Online Photographer for pointing us to this interesting article at the Center for Land Use Interpretation.

http://www.clui.org/newsletter/winter-2013/photo-calibration-targets
Intro To Focus Stacking by William Sawalich I have never stacked focus. Have you? Do you know what focus stacking is? It's the technique in which you take multiple exposures, with multiple points of focus, and combine them together in the computer (into a "stack") and choose only the sharpest bits from each shot to create an overall sharper image with greater depth of field than what would have been possible with the single in-camera image alone. This is most useful, as you might imagine, with very shallow depth of field. And that makes it the most obvious fix for macro photos in which not quite every bit of your tiny subject is tack sharp. You can fix that with focus stacking. Mike Panic writes about the technique on the Light Stalking blog, and he demonstrates how you too can get sharp macro images of an entire subject, rather than settling for just one part being perfectly in focus. The article includes a great example too, as manifested on a bug's millions of eyes photographed by Thomas Shahan.

http://www.lightstalking.com/focus-stacking-in-photoshop
iPad Card Reader by William Sawalich Care to use your iPad as something more than a portfolio display device? There are some options out there that allow you to do that, but the one that really intrigues me is the M.I.C. All-in-One card reader for the iPad. It allows users of a variety of media types to download directly to the iPad, whether they're working with CompactFlash, SD or MicroSD cards. It even has a USB port which this reader very useful for practically any photographer. The ability to display RAW files straight from your Nikon and Canon cameras is pretty great too. Learn more at M.I.C.'s web site, http://store.micgadget.com/ipad3-card-readers/315-cf-sd-high-speed-card-reader-for-ipad-3.html.
iPads as light sources by William Sawalich Doesn't everybody use iPads as portrait lights? I know I do. Oh wait: that’s not me. That’s the dude in this video. It’s him who’s built his own array of nine iPads that he uses in place of a softbox. Sure, the cost is about five grand, and I know I could get a heckuva studio strobe system for that price, but the light is soÖ digital. Okay, so in reality I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not. (Actually, I do. And it’s not.) But it sure is neat. A great way to flex creative muscle, both in the building of the iPad lights and the shooting of this neat video.

http://www.diyphotography.net/huge-ipad-arrays-used-as-portrait-lights
iPhone photo shoot by William Sawalich It's the lighting, stupid. So says Strobist and uber-photo-blogger (not to mention pretty great photographer) David Hobby. He's recently linked to a video that is interesting, insightful and fun—even if it is a bit gimmicky. Lee Morris, photographer and blogger at Fstoppers.com, did a whole fashion shoot with the worst possible camera—the built-in "camera" on an Apple iPhone. Tongue-in-cheek gear digs aside, the video makes an awesome point that's all-too-easy to forget: it's not about the camera! Even an iPhone takes great pictures if you know how to light. Whatever camera you have, you can create great photographs. Because it's not about the camera—it's about the photographer, the subject and the light!

strobist.blogspot.com
iPhonography On The Cover Of The New York Times by William Sawalich Around this time last year, photographer Nick Laham made lemonade out of lemons. He was, through a wide array of circumstances beyond his control, forced to try to make portraits of Yankees players at Spring Training in a men's restroom. And he did it with an iPhone. And just last week one of his portraits made the cover of the New York Times. Now that is what I call a photographic triumph. You can read the story of the original photo shoot at Nick's own blog, and then follow up with The Online Photographer's mention of the Times cover photo. My favorite part is the way TOP's Mike Johnston also turns proverbial lemons into lemonade, noting that many photographers lament that clients no longer care about top notch quality, and choosing to see that as freeing for photographers to no longer have to continually invest in the newest, most expensive professional gear. If you can shoot a Times cover photo in the toilet with a phone, it seems to me that anything is possible.

http://www.nicklaham.com/blog/?p=630
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2013/04/he-shoots-he-scores.html
iPod And iPad Apps for Freelance Photographers by William Sawalich Are you trying to earn a buck with your camera? Do you use an iPhone or iPad to help in that endeavor? Then you need to check out this list of 90 awesome apps for freelance creative types. Some of them may be more specifically suited to graphic designers, but the art and productivity apps for freelancers found in this list are sure to be of help to many photographers as well. Whether you want to make sketches on your phone's touchpad or figure out how to bill more appropriately for your time on a shoot, there's an app for that—and you can probably find it in this list.

http://iphone.appstorm.net/roundups/productivity-roundups/90-awesome-ios-apps-for-freelancers
Is This CF Card Empty Or Full? by William Sawalich How do you know which of your batteries are charged and which ones are empty? How can you tell which CF cards you've already shot, and which ones are ready to use? What methods do you use to distinguish spent cards and batteries from fresh ones? It's actually an important consideration, because the last thing you want is to accidentally shoot over images on your CF card, or rely on an almost empty battery to get you through your day. My method is simple: unused CF cards go in my right front pocket, and used cards go in the front left. If I won't be able to download immediately, I put full cards in my wallet so they're never just sitting abandoned somewhere—that's the first step toward accidentally erasing. When it comes to batteries, though, I have no good plan in place. Maybe I should check out this DIY Photography post on distinguishing ready-to-go equipment from spent supplies. You should do it too if you haven't figured this out already for yourself.

http://www.diyphotography.net/yes-but-is-it-ready
It’s not about the camera by William Sawalich Photographer Peter Belanger usually uses a 60-megapixel medium format digital camera to shoot his magazine covers. For this month’s Macworld cover photo of the new iPhone 4, however, Belanger used... the new iPhone 4. He used the camera to shoot the camera, and now that cell phone photo is the cover of a major magazine. Yet more proof that it’s not about the camera—it’s about the photographer, the light, the composition, the talent, the processing... Actually, while all that is definitely true—the light and photographer are much more important than the gear—it must be at least a little about the camera. You’ll notice he didn’t do this with a first-generation iPhone camera, or an old cell phone camera capable only of VGA capture. The point, I think, is that once you reach a certain level of quality—in this case, a level that’s now being reached by the latest and greatest cell phone cameras (mine has 8 megapixels and a fairly decent flash even though it’s mostly a phone)—it stops being about the camera and becomes almost all about those more important aspects of concept, creativity and light. Anyway, forget all of my philosophizing and just check out the behind-the-scenes look at Belanger’s making of a magazine cover, which would be interesting even if it wasn’t shot with a phone.

peterbelanger.com
James Balog's Chasing Ice by William Sawalich James Balog is a phenomenal photographer. In 2005 National Geographic sent him to the Arctic on assignment to document earth's changing climate. Balog was somewhat skeptical, but after a single visit to the Arctic he says his eyes were opened to the severity of climate change. Eight years later he's become the focus of the documentary Chasing Ice, which chronicles Balog and his crew as they scramble to record glaciers as they disappear forever. The film's synopsis spells it out: "It's the story of one man's mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet." The film looks gorgeous and riveting, and can still be found in some theaters throughout the country. If it's not playing in your area, though, you can log on to the web site to help bring the film to a theater near you—which you might have to do, as there's no DVD available yet.

http://www.chasingice.com
Jim Richardson’s Notes From the Field by William Sawalich I've been fortunate throughout my career to spend great portions of my time interviewing and interacting with some of the most talented photographers around. I'm consistently awed and inspired by their work and their stories, and I'm frequently impressed by how nice and down to earth these masters truly are. One photographer still stands as one of my favorite people too, and that's National Geographic's Jim Richardson. Not only does Jim manage to consistently create stunning storytelling images, he manages to put a smile on your face too. I even get that sense from looking at his work, which you can do at National Geographic's web site. Better still, you can get photography tips directly from the master's mouth in his Notes and Tips From the Field. Inspiring images, phenomenal advice, and just a really great guy. What more could you ask for in a photographer?

photography.nationalgeographic.com
Joel Sartore by William Sawalich I've been seeing a lot of beautiful animal images recently, and it's amazing how many of them come from the camera of a single photographer: Joel Sartore. From studio portraits of monkeys to documentary images like this one—which shows a wildlife overpass spanning an interstate near Banff National Park—from his Fragile Nature series, I keep gasping at the gorgeous photographs this man keeps making. (Even more, I'm incredibly envious of his aesthetic and technical skills, as well as his artistic vision and drive, too.) So if you're not familiar with his very fine photography, visit his web site at joelsartore.com. While there you can order prints of this and many of his wonderful images, or purchase Sartore's most recent books, Rare and Let's Be Reasonable.

http://www.joelsartore.com/galleries/fragile-nature/5/
Joplin Photographer Raises Funds For Models by William Sawalich Beauty photographer Brian DeMint is the subject of an upcoming profile in the pages of Digital Photo Pro magazine. He's also based in Joplin, Missouri, which was devastated by a tornado on May 22nd. Brian and his family were unharmed, but two of his models were not so lucky. Rose Dominguez and Jeniffer Roberts were lucky to survive the tornado. Jeniffer's family home was destroyed, along with all of its contents. Brian has been able to provide some immediate relief with donated clothes and toiletries, but the family is still desperately in need of much more. Rose was injured during the tornado when her car was thrown end over end. Along with minor injuries, she fractured vertebrae in her lower back. Now she is unable to work for at least six weeks, and with no medical insurance the bills are piling up. To help raise funds on behalf of these models, Brian has created a ChipIn page to collect donations. "No amount is too small," Brian writes, "and every penny is sincerely appreciated. We love our girls and want to help them through these most difficult of times." To contribute, please visit Brian's ChipIn page at http://eyeworksmodels.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/08e134fa9a3a6e85
Joyce Tenneson’s View by William Sawalich I was just yesterday gazing at a favorite photograph of mine, made by Joyce Tenneson close to 20 years ago, and wondering what she was up to these days. Then this crossed my desk http://www.joycetenneson.com/view/letter.php and I got my answer. She's working on the View Project. The View is a book she's curating, filled with photographs of places that hold deep meaning for the photographers who submit the work. About it she writes, ìI have been interested in what it is that touches us--and it is something different for each individual--when we are somehow in the presence of a view that strikes us with awe. My thought is to ask photographers around the world to contribute a photograph of a particular place--for example, the desert, mountains, ocean, reflections, gardens, etc, etc--that has moved them in an indelible and deep fashion." Not just nice views, though, Joyce really wants to see the places that move you. Visit her web site and read all about the project, and if you've got an ideal image, send it in.

Photo © Joyce Tenneson
Justin Timberlake Wants Your Pictures by William Sawalich Actor/musician/superstar Justin Timberlake is starring in a new movie called "In Time," and as part of the promotion for the film the Talenthouse creative collaboration web site is sponsoring a photography contest on J.T.'s behalf. Ten finalists will be selected (five via reader poll and the remaining five by Timberlake himself) before a grand prizewinner is ultimately chosen. The winning image will be featured at the premier of "In Time," and it will become Timberlake's actual Facebook profile picture for a full month—putting that photo in front of 12-million viewers. That's quite an audience for any photographer. Check out the contest at Talenthouse today.

http://www.talenthouse.com/justin-timberlake-your-photograph-featured
Keep All Your Pictures Just In Case by William Sawalich I once read that street photographer Garry Winogrand made a practice of keeping all of his photographs unedited, or in some cases unprocessed, until long after a shoot. Why? Because he wanted to separate his personal, emotional connection to the photo shoot from the visual factors used to determine which images stand out in editing. He didn't want to get caught up in how much fun a shot was, or how difficult it was to pull off. He just wanted to respond to the images alone, and to do that he waited until the session was a distant memory. Photographer Steve Berardi, who writes the Photo Naturalist blog, recommends a similar practice. He doesn't necessarily advocate that you wait to review your pictures until long after a shoot, but he definitely suggests you keep every last one of those digital images just in case at a later date your fresh eyes see something special standing out in the take. Read all about his approach at Photo Naturalist, and start making plans now to build an archive and backup system that will allow you to keep all your photos indefinitely.
http://photonaturalist.net/why-you-should-keep-all-your-photos/
Photo by Steve Berardi, Photo Naturalist
Keep Your Computer Cool For Better Performance by William Sawalich Photographers who use desktop computers might not think much about the temperatures of their machines, but I guarantee that any photographer who has edited image files on a laptop computer knows exactly where I’m going with this. When your computer heats up, its performance lags. And that’s extra annoying when you’re working to process your images. Here are two solutions that you can consider to help keep things cool, whether you’re using a laptop or a desktop. The first one is a tool I’m already using—a piece of software called Fan Control. You can dial it in to kick up your computer’s fan speeds at various temperature marks, so you can keep the optimum operating temperature exactly where you want it. Another option is something I just read about on one of my favorite blogs, Cool Tools. It’s a USB-powered external fan from Thermaltake. You can position it to blow cool air over your laptop, or to cool an external hard drive, or really any electrical component that you’d like. (Now that I think about it, there’s no reason you couldn’t use it to keep yourself cool while working on the computer—which could be necessary if your hot laptop is running especially slow.) If you visit the Thermaltake site in search of the USB fan, be sure to check out some of the cooling pads that are especially designed for improving temperatures in high-performance laptop applications.

http://www.lobotomo.com/products/FanControl
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/005824.php
Keeping Lenses Clean by William Sawalich I know all about how important it is to keep my sensor clean, and I'm sure you know this too. Anybody who's spent hours at a time retouching dust spots out of blue skies or other areas in a favorite photograph is bound to redouble his efforts to keep dust from landing on the sensor in the first place. But there's another important piece of gear you need to keep clean, and that's your lens. Old-school photographers are sure to remember keeping lenses clean; after all, ten years ago that was the main piece of equipment you worried about. Whether you're a microfiber cloth or a disposable wipes guy, a lens pen or a camel hair brush user, you've got lots of options and no excuse to not keep your lenses clean. The fine folks at LightStalking have put together a neat little video to help you follow their suggested best practices when it comes to cleaning lenses. They even updated their post after the video first aired to include another approach—the Hollywood approach—to keeping glass dust-free.

http://www.lightstalking.com/clean-camera-lens
Kevin Kubota’s Lighting Notebook by William Sawalich Here's a useful book. Kevin Kubota's Lighting Notebook offers a glimpse behind the camera and details on 101 different lighting setups. Kevin is an acclaimed wedding photographer, so he's used to using a variety of equipment in a variety of ways to create a variety of dramatic—and dramatically different—looks with his lighting. Though the book isn't especially technical in terms of lighting, it is filled with diagrams and pictures to help you create the exact same same lighting techniques that Kevin used in creating the example photographs in his book. It answers, fairly precisely, the questions about the types of cameras, lenses and lighting equipment used to make his favorite photographs. And that can be a very useful learning tool. Be prepared, though, as this Light Stalking review points out, Kevin relies on a wide variety of equipment—and that means you're going to want to buy a whole lot of new gear. That's either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. Even if you don't care to invest in new gear, this guide is bound to give you a bunch of good, new ideas when it comes to lighting your shots.

http://www.lightstalking.com/kevin-kubotas-lighting-notebook
http://kubotaimagetools.com/lighting-notebook/book.html
Kickstarter And The EZ Steady by William Sawalich One of my favorite trends in this web three-point-whatever era is the Kickstarter photo device. I suppose all sorts of industries have flooded the Kickstarter site with devices for sale by entrepreneurial inventors, but the photo market sure does seem perfect for it. After all, we're so often looking for a better mousetrap, and anyone who can make even a decent mousetrap at a significant cost savings… well, we're happy to spend our money with them. I've seen camera straps and buckles and quick releases and all sorts of successful photographic accessories get rousingly funded via Kickstarter, and so it is with the most recent device worthy of your consideration. It's the EZ Steady camera stabilizer. It works with a gimbal and counterweight to make it possible to handhold your D-SLR while shooting video. That's no small achievement, as anyone who's tried to handhold a D-SLR for video knows. For a $225 contribution you'll get your own EZ Steady shipped straight to you in January—saving 100 bucks off the eventual retail price. We've ordered one at my studio already, and I'm looking forward to shooting some handheld video with it—almost as much as I'm looking forward to the EZ Steady's promised simple setup process. If you want to shoot handheld video on a budget, you may want to have a look at this, quick.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1851477510/ez-steady-dslr-camera-stabilizer
Kodak's Quiet Bankruptcy by William Sawalich I wasn't going to write about Kodak's bankruptcy because I decided it had been well-covered, and so I didn't think I had anything particular to add to the story. But then it occurred to me: that a photography writer writing for a photography blog of a photography magazine might consider the bankruptcy of the ultimate titan of the photographic industry, a name synonymous in many ways with the very act of taking pictures, not worth writing about… Well this is, in fact, a noteworthy story in itself. And maybe that's why Kodak has suffered so much in recent years. Irrelevant is certainly a strong word for such an icon, but maybe that's the best word for the company's presence in the photo world of late. Unless you're a film photographer—in which case, quite obviously, the big yellow box is still very relevant—Kodak simply isn't as omnipresent in the minds of photographers today the way it was just a short decade ago. The Canons and Nikons of the world have certainly garnered their share of well-deserved attention for the last few decades, but it's telling that in the digital era names like Epson and Adobe and Lexar have largely replaced Kodak on the tips of most photographers' tongues. I sincerely hope that Kodak can continue to operate through its bankruptcy reorganization, and come back stronger, and more relevant, than ever. Because I think all of us would agree that the photographic landscape is simply much better with Kodak in it. And I think that's for way more than sentimental reasons.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11673-12278
Landscape Photography Tips with Joseph Holmes by William Sawalich I like video tutorials. Actually, I should clarify: I really like photography tutorials that are presented in video form. There are plenty of these to be found online these days, but the trick is finding the ones that are worthwhile. Some folks are actually doing TV-quality video productions, and perhaps nobody is better at that than Marc Silber and his online TV series of photo tips and tutorials. He recently interviewed landscape photographer Joseph Holmes, and the resulting 10-minute video includes not only interesting photographs and inspiring aphorisms, but actually boots-in-the-dirt practical tips for photographers. Especially useful for landscape shooters, Holmes' compositional tips apply to all kinds of photography. The interview is definitely worth a look no matter what type of photographs you create.

http://www.silberstudios.tv/videos/joseph-holmes-landscape-photos
Landscape Workshops With A Landscape Master by William Sawalich James Kay has a 30-year track record of creating phenomenal landscape photographs. If you read our sister publication, Outdoor Photographer, you've no doubt seen his work in numerous articles throughout that time. Well now you've got the chance to work side by side with this master photographer by attending one of his upcoming southern Utah workshops. Three are scheduled for October of this year, and three more are planned for May of next. Heck, why not sign up for all of them? (And while you're at it, why not take me with you?) With destinations including the San Rafael Desert's Badlands, Capitol Reef National Park, slot canyons and Grand Staircase Escalante Monument, there's something for landscape lover to learn, from advanced amateur to total newbie. Plus it'll be a fun way to spend time with good people in the great outdoors. For more info, visit James' web site at http://www.jameskay.com/workshops.
Large Format Polaroid Reinvented by William Sawalich As a commercial photographer I'm always looking for ways to differentiate my work from the masses. One thing I've turned to lately—or, more accurately, something I've returned to—is film. I'll shoot the occasional medium format negative or even 4x5 transparency. I don't use the 8x10 view camera any more—though it sits ready in the corner of my studio--because the film is so darn rare, and so darn expensive. Not too many years ago I owned the necessary processing equipment to shoot 8x10 Polaroid film. Alas, it is long gone, and has been for a while. But the Impossible Project, the folks who have breathed new life into small format Polaroid instant films, are now working on a new version of 8x10 instant film as well. This is great news for those of us who want to differentiate, and for those of us who don't mind the cumbersome process of working with an 8x10 view camera. Man, are those big instant prints a sight to behold. I can't wait to get my hands on some of this stuff. If only they would hurry up and get it to market!

http://www.pixiq.com/article/reinventing-instant-polaroid-8x10-film
Large Scale Light Painting by William Sawalich I'm infatuated with light painting. It's a technique that I don't often attempt myself, but I sure am drawn to the results. That's probably why this collection of images by Eric Curry—a photographer who uses light to paint on a grand scale, with subjects like classic military aircraft, Airstream trailers and other huge and iconic American machines—and his behind the scenes "making of" videos, really caught my eye. The DIY Photography blog brought his work to my attention, and that's where I recommend you go to watch him work. It's amazing. From there, visit Eric's web site for a more in depth look at the images in his American Pride and Passion project.

http://www.diyphotography.net/light-painting-a-b-25-bomber
http://americanprideandpassion.com/photographs.php
Laszlo Willinger by William Sawalich A friend walked into my office the other day with a big beautiful black and white print of leading lady Vivien Leigh, best known as Scarlet in the movie Gone With The Wind. He'd purchased it for $20 at an antique shop just a few minutes before. The print was poster sized, although it looked old it didn't look like a traditional darkroom silver gelatin print. Most intriguing, it was signed and numbered. The signature was almost impossible to read, but after a bit of Googling we found out who created this gorgeous image: Laszlo Willinger, a Hollywood photographer of epic skill. Most of us are familiar with the work of Clarence Sinclair Bull and George Hurrell, but that's generally where the household names end when it comes to photographers who captured all the stars during Hollywood's golden era. Turns out Mr. Willinger belongs in their company too. He was a master portraitist with a fascinating personal story. Read all about him and see a large sampling of his work at the Iconista blog, then see what else you can dig up about the man and his prolific body of work online.

http://theiconista.blogspot.com/2008/08/laszlo-willinger.html
Launching a Career in Commercial Photography by William Sawalich Selina Maitreya has built her own successful 30-year career by helping photographers polish their portfolios and position themselves most effectively to build the type of creative and commercial success crucial for a long-lasting career in photography. She offers inspiration and guidance to photographers interested in their own business development. Now she has also moved her personal consulting approach into the online world with a series of MP3 downloads called “The View From Here.” To accompany this program she’s also created a brief introduction video, as well as the first in a monthly series of video challenges for photographers who are up to it. She promises that if you take her challenge you will move your photo business forward. Tune in to learn more at Selina’s web site.

selinamaitreya.com
Leaning Houses Tromp L’oeil by William Sawalich When I first saw this gallery of photographs of leaning houses in Minnesota, I wondered what on earth could cause a house to lean so much, but I didn't bother to look closer. That was my first mistake. When a few days later I saw the collection referenced again, I did think about the concept long enough to wish that the photographer had done more—tilting the camera, perhaps, to mess with our perceptions of these tilting houses. Still, I skipped past and didn't look closer. This was my second mistake. Then I saw the gallery again, and rather than making a third mistake of ignorance I decided to look closer. It turns out what photographer Cameron Wittig did was even better than I could have expected. I'm glad I looked closer, as these photographs are not at all as they first appear. And that makes them simply spectacular. The photographer has twisted reality in a playful way, and the result is a wonderful use of our deceptive medium. Rather than tell you what's going on here, I'll let you avoid the mistakes I made and tell you to go now, and look a little closer.

http://www.featureshoot.com/2013/02/typologies-of-minnesota-houses-built-on-steep-hills
Learn about depth from Van Gogh by William Sawalich There’s a lot we can learn from Vincent Van Gogh. In this case, though, thanks to an art student we can learn more about Van Gogh’s works—and that can teach us something special about photography too. This young lady has applied tilt/shift focus control techniques in her photographs of famous Van Gogh paintings. It’s weird, I know, but it’s also supercool. The student, Serena Malyon, used a tilt/shift lens to turn two-dimensional paintings into simulated 3D. There seems to be some argument about whether she actually used a tilt/shift lens to make the photographs or whether she simulated the look in Photoshop. Either way, the effect is clear: the illusion of depth is dramatically enhanced by the careful use of depth of field and a precisely placed plane of focus. If you can turn a literally two-dimensional image into such a successful faux 3D picture, imagine what you can do when photographing the actual three-dimensional world.

http://thechive.com/2010/09/21/brilliant-student-uses-tilt-shift-photography-to-bring-van-gogh-to-life/
Learn Color Lookup Adjustment Layers From Adobe TV by William Sawalich Do you know Julieanne Kost? Do you watch Adobe TV? If you answered "no" to either of those questions, you've got some work to do. Ms. Kost is the principal "evangelist" for Adobe Photoshop, which means she's a prominent voice in the quest to increase the overall reach and understanding of Photoshop as an image-making tool. I've long read her blog posts and other helpful articles online, but recently I started learning straight from the expert's mouth thanks to the wonderful resource of Adobe TV. Just like it sounds, Adobe TV is an online channel filled with amazing videos from Photoshop professionals—including Ms. Kost and many other experts. It really is a wonderful resource, no matter what Photoshop topics you're interested in. I recommend starting with this great video about using Color Lookup Table Adjustment Layers. It's a quick and easy to understand lesson in a tremendous CS6 tool. So not only should you add Color Lookup Table Adjustment Layers to your retouching repertoire, you should add Ms. Kost and Adobe TV to your learning repertoire as well.

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/the-complete-picture-with-julieanne-kost/quick-tip-color-lookup-adjustment-layer-in-photoshop-cs6
Learn Lighting By Watching Television by William Sawalich I'm always noticing interesting lighting and camera techniques wherever they might show up. In practice, that most often means in the movies and television shows I watch. Turns out I'm not the only one. As Luke Townsend recently wrote on the DPS blog, you can use popular television shows to boost your knowledge of classic portrait lighting patterns. Utilizing clips from current shows such as House and Mad Men, as well as classic sit-coms like Cheers, Mr. Townsend perfectly illustrates classic approaches to lighting faces. See for yourself how to use TV to learn short light, broad light and split light at the DPS blog, and then start paying attention to lighting techniques wherever you might find them—even if it's on TV.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/using-popular-television-to-boost-your-knowledge-of-classic-lighting
Learn Photography From The Mona Lisa by William Sawalich What can you learn about making great photographs by looking at a painting? A lot, frankly, if that painting is Leonardo Da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa and what you’re looking to learn are some insights into portraiture. In this fun post by Darren Rowse at the Digital Photography School blog you can learn about composition and posing, as well as the importance of a simplified background and a little bit of mystery. As a portrait photographer I’m always on the lookout for any insight and advantage I can find. This especially piqued my interest because really, who better to learn from than Da Vinci himself?

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/what-the-mona-lisa-can-teach-you-about-taking-great-portraits
Learn Photography The NASA Way by William Sawalich Here’s a cool blast from the past. Check out this Astronaut's photography manual, printed on behalf of NASA by Hasselblad—official camera outfitter of American Space Exploration since, well, since we've been slipping the surly bonds of earth. Kitsch appeal aside, it's actually filled with some very interesting photographic information that covers topics like depth of field and image composition, and they're covered in ways slightly different than the usual photo fare. Most notably, the images are illustrated with drawings of astronauts and spaceships and planets. And that makes it a fun way to learn some very practical photographic techniques, even if you’re using them here on boring old earth.

http://www.howtobearetronaut.com/2011/09/nasa-photography-manual-1984/
Learn The Intricacies Of Time Lapse Photography by William Sawalich Do you marvel when you see a particularly successful time lapse video? I do. And I think it's astounding how these compilations of hundreds or thousands of still images accomplish something that neither straight photography nor strait videography can. Namely, it's a wonderful way of showing change over time, and that's something equal parts informative and beautiful. Admire them as I do, I've never really experimented with making my own time lapses. Sure, I get the basics—shoot lots of photos and compile them together—but that's about where it ends for me. Thankfully, for the very meager sum of only $5, I can now download Dave Delnea's ebook, "Time Lapse: An introduction to still photographs in motion." This looks to be a definitive guide for photographers who, like me, know they want to give time lapse a try but simply haven't got an idea where to start. Consider it a solid foundation for your time lapse education. Read more and download the ebook via the Pixiq blog.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/timelapse-photographs-in-motion
Learn The New Lightroom 5 by William Sawalich There's a new version of Lightroom coming, version 5, and it's officially available for beta testing from our friends at Adobe Labs. Download it via the link below. But wait! Before you do, check out the helpful review (and pre-view) from the National Association of Photoshop Professionals' president Scott Kelby and Photoshop guru Matt Kloskowski. They offer a great breakdown of key new features, which will help you get a head start and make the most of the demo software. For those who haven't been beta testers before, remember the software isn't fully functional and there may still be some bugs to work out. But you can use the "almost perfect" software for free until the date of its official release—at which time you've got to license it like everybody else.

http://layersmagazine.com/learn-all-about-the-new-adobe-lightroom-5-beta.html
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom5
Learn To Light People By First Lighting An Egg by William Sawalich I believe that light is the most important element in any photograph. Some of you, no doubt, are saying "duh," while others are thinking it's not as important as the camera or the lens, the subject or the moment. These other elements are obviously important, but I believe it's the light that we should all be most concerned about. After all, light is the reason for the "photo" in the word "photograph." So, the point is this: anything you can do to improve your understanding of lighting, and skill with utilizing the appropriate light to render your subject exactly as you want, will be a huge benefit in all of your photographs no matter what you shoot. To that end, I recommend you head over to DIYPhotography.net to check out this great little video by Joe Edelman, who uses a simple old egg to demonstrate the basics of great portrait lighting. It's super simple, but that also makes it super effective. Plus, it's neat to see how different lighting scenarios can have such a huge effect on the same subject—even if it's just a little old egg.

http://www.diyphotography.net/understanding-lighting-with-an-egg.
Learning about lighting… from politicians? by William Sawalich I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but in my part of the country election season is really heating up. I was watching TV the other night when I noticed a commercial for a Senatorial candidate. As is often the case, the commercial heavily referenced the candidate’s opponent. And that’s when it hit me: we can learn a lot from political commercials and print ads. How? By examining how the candidates are lit and photographed. In the commercial I saw, the candidate who had funded the spot was photographed beautifully in warm, soft, inviting light. At the end of the commercial was her opponent, and of course they chose a photo in which he didn’t look very good. They used a news shot, made from an awkward angle, converted it to black and white, upped the contrast, and made sure there was a hard, raking light source that brings out every flaw. Basically, the campaign utilized lighting to help send a message. We can learn from this, because that’s exactly what we as photographers need to do with every picture we make. Want to make someone look warm and friendly? Use a warm, soft light. Want them to look beautiful, friendly and approachable, make sure it’s not too high contrast and that the source is nice and broad. Want to make someone look a bit more evil, maybe even sinister? Remove the color, go high contrast, and use a hard light source to show them in painful detail. Put this to good use and, next thing you know, politicians will be contacting you to photograph their campaigns.
Learning From The Best by William Sawalich Continuing with my theme of improving your photography by learning from the best of the best, the masters of the medium, the most iconic photographers of recent years...allow me to direct you to a wonderful web site called the Shooting Gallery. It's a collection of videos highlighting world class photographers who have agreed to discuss how, and why, they make their work. From Ryan McGinley to Alec Soth, Cindy Sherman to Hiroshi Sugimoto, these photographers are world class artists and creators and it's downright fascinating to see them dissect and discuss how they work.

http://shootinggallery.tumblr.com
Learning HDR by William Sawalich High-Dynamic Range processing, known popularly as “HDR,” is a bit of a controversial topic. Many photographers love it for its visceral, hyper-real grabbing power. When you see an HDR image, it epitomizes “eye candy.” That’s also part of the problem if you’re on the other side of the fence, the side which says HDR is too over the top, too unreal, too much of a post-processing effect—too much eye candy. Whatever your opinion about HDR, there’s little argument that the effect is extremely popular. Many photographers on the fence want to understand how to create HDR effects, from super-subtle to over the top. That’s where a good education comes in, and Rick Sammon’s new book, HDR Secrets for Digital Photographers, is not only a valuable teaching tool it’s a fun read too. Sammon delves into great detail, explaining 200 techniques with more than 150 of his own HDR images. Whether if you’re brand new to the technique or if you’re an HDR master, you’re bound to learn from these pages.

ricksammon.com
Learning Lightroom 4 by William Sawalich Do you want to learn how to use Lightroom 4? Well Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski have got the perfect solution: attend one of their day-long Lightroom 4 seminars to go from newbie to expert (or, at least "totally comfortable using the program guy") in just a few hours time. For 99 bucks you get a day-long session with Mr. Kloskowski—the chap who developed the seminar—covering topics from setting up the software correctly, to working with Raw, Tiff and Jpeg image files, integrating with Photoshop, and printing enlargements and books. Better still, you get freebies that include a workbook, keyboard shortcut guide and a digital download of $99 worth of post-processing effects from OnOne software. Check out the Kelby Training web site for a schedule of Lightroom 4 seminars, and while you're there check out some of the other great photography classes on tap from this world-class educational organization.

http://kelbytraining.com/live
Learning Street Photography by William Sawalich All week we’ve been looking at some masters of street photography. But what if you want to learn how to do it yourself—maybe eventually become a master in your own right? Covering everything from how to hold the camera to how to shoot stealthily on the fly, there's a great DPS article on tips for candid street photography. The piece provides a whole "how-to" guide for getting up close and personal portraits—a mainstay in the street shooter’s repertoire. Philip Greenspun, the brains behind Photo.net, has even written a wonderful street photography guide for everyone from beginners to advanced shooters. It’s a must for anyone looking to hone their street photography skills.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/getting-close-and-personal-11-tips-for-close-up-candid-street-photography
http://photo.net/learn/street/intro
LED Lighting Instruction by William Sawalich I'm going to focus on great photo books I'd like to buy this week. And I'll start with one that's very specific: It's all about LED lighting. While I do not yet own a single LED light, I'm definitely intrigued by the technology. They're smaller, lighter, brighter, cooler, and much less of an energy drain that strobes, tungsten hot lights or just about any other light source you can think of. They're used wherever photographers and videographers want to minimize heat and the footprint of the light, while still outputting a beautiful light that can be fairly specular or pretty darn soft. Before I go investing in some LED lights myself—and trust me, they can definitely be an investment—I think I'll check out Kirk Tuck's new LED Lighting book. Packed with information from shopping for the right light for yourself and then putting it to good use, Tuck's book is written from the perspective of a photographer who, after dabbling with LED lights, essentially abandoned studio strobes in favor of lower power continuous light sources. No matter what you shoot, consider investigating LED lights, and if you're at all serious about going back and forth between stills and video, LED might be exactly what you need. I know I'm going to use it to help make my first foray into working with the technology.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/04/led-lighting-for-photography-kirk-tuck.html
Legal Aspects Of Street Photography by William Sawalich No consideration of street photography would be complete without a look at the current societal challenges facing street photographers. In the UK there was a law enacted, and thankfully recently retracted, that compared street photography and shooting in public to terrorism. (The Wired story about the law also includes a great gallery of images from the book, Street Photography Now.) It's understandable that law enforcement wants to be sure crimes aren't being perpetrated by people with cameras, but in most cases I have to believe that if it looks like a duck and acts like a duck, it's a duck. So if it looks like a photographer taking pictures of a photogenic subject, chances are good it's just a photographer. Let’s not forget that photography is not a crime.

Some overzealous folks do sometimes forget this, though, and they try to prevent legitimate photographers from doing their jobs. It’s one thing to inquire about a photographer’s intentions, yet completely another to prevent legitimate and legal photography. That's what happened to notable journalist Manny Garcia when he was shooting a newsworthy event on the public sidewalk in front of the White House. Garcia, who's name entered the news in recent years when his photograph of Barack Obama was appropriated for Shephard Fairey's iconic "Hope" poster, was harassed by a novice security guard. It caused quite a stir when the professional photojournalist balked at the unreasonable attention. When a uniformed law officer stops you while you're taking pictures in public, the best practice is to be polite and cooperative—even if you know you're right. But if you are detained illegally and prevented from taking pictures, be sure to get the officer's information and file a complaint rather than to cause an immediate stir and get yourself arrested in the meantime.

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2010/11/street-photography-now
http://pdnpulse.com/2010/12/obama-photographer-confronted-by-secret-service-after-taking-photos-in-front-of-white-house.html
Lego For Your Lens Cap by William Sawalich Lose your lens cap? If you're chronically uncovered or if you have a hard time keeping track of your lens caps, consider trying this fun fix courtesy of the DIY Photography blog. You can use Lego pieces to affix your lens cap to your camera strap, tripod leg or just about anything else. Sure, it may not be as practical as using industrial strength hook and loop fasteners for the job, but it's a whole lot more fun. And on the plus side you get to sport a colorful bit of Lego on the front of your lens—when it's capped, that is.

http://www.diyphotography.net/use-lego-to-keep-your-lens-cap-safe
Lens Hood Operator Error by William Sawalich Today I've got a little tip for you. No link, no video, just a simple little bit of advice. And, I suppose, a call to action. Here it is: Don't use your camera with your lens hood pointing backwards! I can't tell you how often I see this, and how crazy it makes me. I know, I've got problems, but seriously: don't use your lens shade backwards. I'd rather you not have a lens shade at all than that you have one, and keep it attached to the camera, but then you don't actually take the time (all of 15 seconds) to reverse it when you're ready to shoot. I understand autofocus meaning you may not need to reach the focus ring, and I also understand that you might like to stow your camera with the hood reversed because it saves on space, but for goodness sake you're just making the camera heavier and more user un-friendly when you do it this way (because zooming and focusing do become more difficult), not to mention the fact that you're totally not protecting the lens and you're leaving it vulnerable to that horrible lens flare stuff. So seriously, just do me this one favor for the sake of my sanity: don't use your lens hood backwards. Flip it around. Chances are you'll take better pictures this way, too.
Lens Lessons Learned From Real Estate by William Sawalich My wife and I have started shopping for a new home. We're in the "keep our eyes open and visit the occasional open house" mode, and if there's one thing I've learned so far it's this: it really helps to set foot in a house rather than to rely solely on pictures. The reality is often quite different from the picture. This has served to remind me about the power of photographs, and more specifically, the power of a wide-angle lens to expand a scene. Small (er, "charming") homes use this technique regularly to make a living room look large and comfortable rather than cramped and claustrophobic. So here's what I've learned: first, not only should I be more deliberate about what I'm trying to say with a given picture (do I want to make someone look old or young, should I make this element prominent or minimize it in the scene, and so on) and two, when I want to make a space look huge I probably can't do better than to use a wide-angle lens. If a real estate agent can make great pictures with this simple bit of knowledge, think of what us photographers can accomplish? If you'd like a leg up on working with wide angles effectively, check out this article I wrote for Digital Photo a little while back. It includes tips for composing successfully with wide lenses, as well as advice for minimizing distortion in camera and in the computer.

http://www.dpmag.com/how-to/shooting/go-ultra-wide.html
Lenskirt by William Sawalich Have you ever tried to take pictures through glass? It could be that you're indoors trying to shoot out a window, or maybe you're at the zoo trying to photograph through a glass wall, or perhaps you'd simply like to make nice pictures of the fish in your fish tank. The trick for shooting through glass is to ensure that you're shooting from the darker side of the glass. Think of it like a window at night: if it's light inside and dark outside, you can't see out very well but your neighbors can sure see in. So to up your odds for shooting through glass--to eliminate the mirror-like reflections that interfere with the success of your shot--you need to block all light coming from behind you and keep it from hitting the glass that you're shooting through. A good approach is to wear a black t-shirt and try to get your lens right up to the glass, positioning your body so as to create a shadow through which you may shoot. Or, you could just get a Lenskirt. I'd never heard of this genius little device until I read about it in an ASMP blog. "Oh, it's brilliant!" That's what I literally said out loud the moment I first saw the thing. It's a pretty handy device if you ever find yourself struggling to shoot through glass. Check it out at www.lenskirt.com.
Lexar's Facebook Photography Sweepstakes by William Sawalich I resisted Facebook for what seemed like an eternity, finally signing up for the social network a year or so ago. In that intervening year I'd have to say that I now understand what the hubbub was all about. It's a whole different way to communicate and share ideas—as well as photographs. If you've been resisting the social network for lack of a reason, here's the excuse you've been waiting for: Lexar's "Take the Next Shot" Facebook sweepstakes. It's not a typical photo contest because the sweepstakes format means the winner will be randomly chosen from submitted photographs. (Maybe now I've finally got a chance!) Simply submit a favorite photo with a 15-word caption and be sure to become a fan of the company's Facebook page, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a NikonD300 or Canon EOS 7D, plus a lens, Lexar cards and readers. It’s a total value in the neighborhood of $3000, so don’t miss it. Enter by July 31.

facebook.com/LexarMedia
Life Imitating Art by William Sawalich Alexa Meade makes photographs of people that look like oil paintings. And here's the catch: she doesn't do it with post-production, or with a fancy filter, or in any other high-tech way. She simply paints her subjects and their surroundings to look like actual oil paintings. Then she photographs them. Simple. Brilliant. Beautiful. I love this kind of outside-the-box thinking and creative problem solving. Sometimes the simplest approch is also the most elegant and effective.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/alexa-meade-photos-imitate-paintings-1319236464-slideshow
Lifelogging Camera by William Sawalich Did Aunt Judy send you a big fat check for the holidays? If you've got cash burning a hole in your pocket, may I suggest you check out the Memoto Lifelogging Camera. At $250 it's no throwaway device, but it's a relatively small price to pay when compared to most cameras, right? Especially when you consider how unique it is. You strap the camera to your clothes and it automatically shoots a photo every 30 seconds, logging your life (get it now?) without requiring you to spend your time documenting all of your activities. I don't expect that it will take the place of a regular camera, but it's certainly got the wow factor that is sure to be the envy of fellow gadget-loving photographers.

http://uncrate.com/stuff/memoto-lifelogging-camera
Light Painting Flowers by William Sawalich This post combines a few of my favorite things: light painting and backlighting. Add the fact that it's a translucent subject and I'm in hog heaven. The post to which I'm referring was written by Ken Hubbard of the Tamron Angle of View blog, and it really features a lovely photograph and some helpful information about painting with light. It's also good advice if you're looking to set your work apart by approaching a fairly standard subject with a unique technique. In this case, Mr. Hubbard used light painting (interesting) as a backlight (even more interesting) to light a flower and make it appear as if it were really glowing from within (most interesting of all). A great example of a simple technique and a subject we've all seen before, having been combined to great effect. Well done on all counts!

http://tamrontechstips.typepad.com/tamron_blog/2012/04/macro-flowers-part-1-backlit-painting-with-light.html.
Light Painting with Harold Ross by William Sawalich While recently surfing the Photography Served photo blog, I stumbled upon some excellent work quite unlike anything I'd ever seen before. That's increasingly rare these days, so it came as a very pleasant surprise to discover that the amazing light painting photography by photographer Harold Ross was not a fluke; his whole portfolio is full of amazing work like this. So I got in touch with Harold, a well established commercial shooter from Philadelphia, to find out how he goes about making such great light painting photographs.

"I've been painting with light for well over 20 years," he told me, "and I currently use the technique in virtually every image I make. I started painting with light as a response to my desire to have more creative input into the commercial photography that I was doing at the time. I felt a bit constrained, having to follow a layout that included type placement and, as I was shooting product work and food, the subject matter was chosen for me."

Harold started with large format film and Maglight flashlights, and quickly saw that he could create more dimension, texture and color using the highly controllable light sources.

"I also found that I could create an ‘illustrative’ look to my photographs," he said. "This is partially a result of being able to place highlights exactly where I want them, just as a painter does. My clients came to appreciate the unique look of the images I was shooting as well as the problem-solving capabilities of light painting. I actually feel less encumbered when light painting in a more direct connection with my own creative vision and how I light my subject."

The challenge of light painting was trickier before Harold made the switch to digital. On 4x5 and 8x10 film, he had to get everything right on a single sheet of film. In those pre-Photoshop days, the fantastical images looked like nothing anyone had seen before. Today he shoots digitally with a Cambo Wide RS camera with Phase One P45+ back, sometimes substituting a pre-digital Hasselblad body for the Cambo. Noise was once a problem with digital long exposures, but not any longer.

"The day that digital technology allowed me to shoot with time exposure was one of the best days in my life," Harold said. "I am using a camera that can go quite long, several minutes. However it takes an equivalent amount of time to generate the preview, so if I shoot for one minute I have to wait one minute for the image. Obviously, I would prefer not to wait too long for the image so I can make corrections and do another capture. I usually shoot between one and two minutes. Fortunately, most DSLR cameras (once noise reduction has been turned off) give an instant preview and are then only restricted by the noise factor. I just taught a workshop in night light painting in Maine, and all of the students were using exposures of 40 seconds to a minute or two, and there were no noise issues."

"Here is how the process works for me," he continued. "After composing (which involves thinking about how the light itself will become a compositional element) and setting focus, I usually do several captures lighting the subject and the background. In general I use the light to create roundness, dimension and separation. After doing several overall captures, I eventually work out in my mind exactly from which direction and angle I will light the shot. As I am usually trying to elevate the subject from the background, I will usually keep the background relatively subdued. I use Photoshop to softly blend together the captures that I shoot, and I normally structure my layers so that the background is at the bottom and objects closer to me physically are closer to the top of the layer stack."

"I have recently taken my light painting techniques outdoors at night," Harold added, "using battery-powered large LED light panels to paint the light over the landscape in the same way that I do in the studio. What interests me so much about the night photographs is that we are looking at an undeniably real scene, but it is lit with an artificiality that creates a visual duality, a kind of resonance in the interaction between the real and the unreal. There is a spirited glow to these night images, yet at the same time a sense of stillness and quietness which I find evocative and beautiful."

Hard to disagree with those sentiments; all of Harold’s images are quite beautiful. See more, including how he puts light painting to commercial use, at his web site http://www.rossstudio.com and his fine art site www.haroldrossfineart.com.
Lighten Your Lighting Load With A Superclamp by William Sawalich One of my constant concerns is minimizing the amount of gear I have to take on location. Extra lights, stands, grip equipment... All of these things are crucial for a professional photographer who absolutely has to get the shot. But all that weight and size adds up quickly. With location portrait setups, for instance, I have found that rather than take along a large c-stand to hold the flag that keeps my hair light from causing lens flare, I can simply take the knuckle from a c-stand and affix it atop a regular eight-foot light stand—which is much smaller and lighter than a c-stand. Well just the other day, a new assistant made a suggestion that would allow me to further strip down the equipment I have to carry without compromising on technique. Instead of putting that hair light on its own eight-foot stand near the background, I could simply affix a clamp to the top of the background stand or crossbar and mount my hair light to that. I had the perfect solution on hand—a Manfrotto Superclamp. For $30, the Superclamp comes with a regular stud for mounting a light, and the jaws of the clamp tighten easily around the background crossbar (or many other objects as well). An elegant solution that makes my road kit that much lighter and easier to haul from location to location—which is the toughest part of the job.

http://www.adorama.com/BG2900.html
Lighting In Layers by William Sawalich David Hobby, the lighting genius behind the Strobist blog, is having a busy time of late. First he announced an upcoming national tour with fellow hot-shoe-guru Joe McNally, and now he's announced an interesting video tutorial series called "Lighting In Layers." The DVD box set is due next month, and it's particularly appealing to me because of the title. It's the way I've always found most success with studio and location lighting: light in layers. In fact, I don't always start my lighting with the key light. Sometimes it's the background light, or the hair light, or a kicker, or any other important source in the scene. The point is, lighting in layers has always allowed me to understand exactly what each light is doing, and it's given me great control over the subtleties of each light in the scene. I'm sure this set has much more going for it than a great title (and my personal favorite approach to lighting) so read all about it on the Strobist blog and check it out when it's released in March.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2011/01/introducing-strobist-lighting-in-layers.html
Lighting School With Blair Bunting by William Sawalich Since I first saw Blair Bunting's great portrait work last year I've been a big fan. The kid's got skills. Lots and lots of skills. So it should be no surprise that he's partnered with Photoflex to provide lighting advice via Photoflex Lighting School. Blair will be providing insights via the web to help you improve your own people lighting skills, and his first one is already up. It's a great workaround for those who don't want to shell out gobs of cash for a ringlight (which isn’t exactly as versatile as a softbox). He uses a small Octodome softbox instead, and the results are great. Check it out at Photoflex Lighting School.

http://www.photoflexlightingschool.com/Lighting_Lessons/Basic_Lighting/Portrait_Indoor/Ring_Flash_Effects_with_the_OctoDome__extra_small/index.html
Lightroom 4 Beta Update by William Sawalich I really want to download and install the beta testing version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4. For those not in the know, a beta release is not the official finished version of a piece of software, rather it's a test copy released while the programmers are still working to perfect the final version. This way they can get it into the hands of users who will provide valuable feedback, but it can also be a good way to get users hooked on your software so that they eventually purchase it, because once the final version is released the beta copies stop working. Anyway, I love testing new software especially when it's something I use everyday—and I definitely use Lightroom every day. But I can't bring myself to download this beta copy because I can't risk using a program that's going to crash, or one that has who knows how many bugs yet to be worked out. (Sure, I could download it and use it just for fun alongside the fully functional version of Lightroom 3 I rely on, but the reality is I simply wouldn't.) I want to use one program, and I really want it to work. So that puts me impatiently on the sidelines waiting for the full version's eventual release. Until then, though, my curiosity is piqued and I'm dying to know what sorts of features and improvements are waiting for me. Thankfully Peter West Carey just wrote about his experiences testing Lightroom 4 at the DPS web site. He's framed it with a simple premise: will it have enough improvements to justify upgrading? His verdict is yes, but for the breakdown of the features that are pretty nice improvements, I'll refer you to Peter's story directly.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/will-lightroom-4-be-worth-the-upgrade-cost
Lightroom 4 Is Built For Extreme Contrast Adjustments by William Sawalich For those of you Lightroom users who may be holding off on upgrading to the newly released Lightroom 4, this post from DP Review might just make you change your mind. It's an explanation of how to make extreme contrast edits within LR4, but it doesn't just serve as a simple how-to. It also helps to explain how the processing controls work differently within this version of Lightroom as compared to previous versions. In the end, the new processing engine allows for less overlap among lighting adjustments, which means greater control, more fine tuning, and the ability to extract the absolute maximum amount of useful image forming data from today's supersensitive high-dynamic-range digital camera sensors. Lightroom 4 isn't just the next step in the workflow software's evolution, it's a big step forward in editing control. And that means it can help you create much better photographs right out of the box. Read all about it at www.dpreview.com.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/1205103502/extreme-contrast-edits-in-lightroom-4-and-acr-7.
Lightroom 4 Speedy Workaround by William Sawalich I was recently shooting all sorts of portraits—like, thousands of exposures—over the course of three days for a great client who was leaving town immediately following wrap on the third day. The client wanted to take low-resolution proof JPEGs with them, and so I set Lightroom 4 to processing the first set of 1200 raw files. It took just short of forever. So I started Googling and found a tip in a Lightroom forum—a great tip, in fact, that saved the day. If you break a single batch process of say 1000 images exporting into three batches of 333 simultaneously exporting, they will export significantly FASTER in total. Like 25 to 30 percent faster. It's because Lightroom 4 is built to not use up all of a computer's processing power during import and export—meaning it can do multiple batches faster than a single one. Here's an article at CNet that explains the particulars of how and why this happens, but trust me—it works!

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-10287142-39.html
Lightroom Essential Development by William Sawalich Craft & Vision publishes excellent e-books for photographers, and they've got a new one that's certainly piqued my interest. It's called Essential Development, and it's all about techniques to help you make the most of Lightroom 4. Better yet, for the low low price of seven bucks, the ebook comes with a toolbox pack with more than 85 Lightroom presets to help make your workflow more effective, and more efficient. Topics such as historgams, white balance, beauty retouching and even image toning and sharpening are covered in the book, and many helpful presets address these same topics as well. Hard to go wrong at such a low investment cost, don't you think?

http://craftandvision.com/books/essential-development-package/
Lightroom In The Cloud by William Sawalich Earlier this year Adobe announced its Creative Cloud program which lets users opt to pay a monthly fee for access to many of Adobe's most powerful digital imaging applications—namely, Photoshop CS6—rather than shelling out larger sums to buy individual applications periodically. Creative Cloud users pay a monthly subscription fee in order to download fully functional versions of their favorite Adobe software. Until last week, though, one notable program was missing from the Creative Cloud. That's been remedied now with the addition of Lightroom 4 to the service. As the linchpin in my own digital workflow—and I'm sure that of many other photographers—Lightroom's inclusion in the Creative Cloud makes the prospect of signing up much more appealing. And if you use several Adobe programs such as Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Premier, it's practically a no brainer.

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud.html
Lightroom Losing Your Files? by William Sawalich Helen Bradley consistently writes wonderful tips for making the most of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Her blog posts are a must read, especially if you're a new user. It can be tricky to wrap your brain around how, why, and even where, Lightroom stores your photos, and thankfully Ms. Bradley has tackled the subject with a post about how to find files that appear to have gone missing in Lightroom. Covering topics from Smart Collections to subfolders and missing individual files, this primer is the perfect place to start whether you've had firsthand experience with seemingly missing files, or if you just want to be prepared when it happens to you. Ms. Bradley's explanation helps makes sense of the software's organizational structure, which will help you make better use of the powerful program.

http://digital-photography-school.com/help-lightroom-lost-my-files
Lightroom Tonal Control by William Sawalich Helen Bradley sure knows her Lightroom. In a recent post at Digital Photo School, Helen taught me another great thing about the photo management and RAW processing program I've slowly been learning this year. Normally, in my RAW processing workflow, I reach a certain point at which I output the image into Photoshop to make targeted adjustments to particular tones within a picture. Often these are as simple as pulling down nearly blown out highlights, or saturation and contrast adjustments to particular colors. I've long used gradient tools in Lightroom to help make adjustments in various regions of the frame, but not until I read Helen's wonderful piece did I really understand how to put adjustments to work across particular tones in any part of the frame. Reading Helen's DPS piece gave me a better understanding of how I can make finer tonal adjustments within Lightroom. Anything that makes Lightroom an increasingly efficient image editing tool can simplify your workflow without compromising image quality.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/targeted-adjustments-in-lightroom
Linda McCartney's Thoughtful Photographs by William Sawalich I've been seeing a lot of Linda McCartney's work lately. And that's a good thing, because before now I never realized what a talented photographer she was. I'd always sort of assumed she was a rock star wife in the right place at the right time, fortunate to photograph the Beatles in their heyday from behind the scenes. But that was my mistake, one born out of simple ignorance. The release of a beautiful new Taschen retrospective of her work has prompted many photo blogs—including Brain Pickings, which finally prompted me to write about the late Mrs. Sir Paul—to feature her work. What a talent. The images show that she was a gifted photographer who certainly would have been a success no matter what she would have turned her camera to. Along with the Brain Pickings collections, there's another great gallery of her work at Everyday I Show, which is well worth checking out whether you love everything Beatles related, or if you just like being inspired by wonderful photography.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/07/01/linda-mccartney-beatles-photographs
http://everyday-i-show.livejournal.com/121371.html
Live From New York… by William Sawalich
A few months ago I was fortunate to interview Saturday Night Live’s esteemed—if somewhat unknown—photographer Mary Ellen Matthews. The resulting Digital Photo Pro article called attention to her phenomenal body of work, and I noted many regular folks (i.e. non-photographer-types) who came out of the woodwork to say they’d always loved those photos on the show and were glad to meet the woman who made them. Well now Mary Ellen is getting even more recognition with a retrospective of her work at the former CBGB rock club and current John Varvatos clothing store in New York’s Bowery neighborhood. After a decade of toiling in relative obscurity (after all, her photos aren’t seen in print so often as they’re seen during commercial breaks—with no room for a credit), it’s great to see this phenomenal photographer receiving so much well-deserved attention. Read about the show at the Wall Street Journal, and check out more of her work at her Jed Root web site.

blogs.wsj.com

www.jedroot.com
Long Exposures In Bright Sun by William Sawalich Everybody loves long exposures, right? You go out at night and open your shutter for a few minutes and let star trails or headlights or a simple moonlit landscape light up your sensor. Long exposures are a great way to bend time and motion and make them work within the confines of a still photograph, creating something that we humans just can't see with the naked eye. But what if you want to make long exposures sometime other than nighttime? What if you want to make long exposures during the day? Well thankfully Scott Kelby has recently posted a great video on exactly that subject at the Weekly Photo Tips blog. There are lots of tricks that help, but you definitely need a good neutral density filter and a tripod. Watch the video to see how Scott goes so far as to make a two-minute long exposure on a sunny day.

http://weeklyphototips.blogspot.com/2011/07/long-exposure-tutorial-with-scott-kelby.html
Long Lost Camera Finds Its Way Home by William Sawalich Here is a heartwarming story of the return of a long lost love. Lindsay Scallion went diving in Hawaii back in 2007 when she lost her camera in rough water. She assumed it was lost forever, and it should have been. It was definitely lost, but it turns out it would improbably be found six years later. The camera drifted to the coast of Taiwan, where it was found by an employee of China Airlines. The airline helped track down Lindsay and return her camera to her, from which she was able to retrieve the still functioning memory card and view her photos from her trip. Read about it and see a few pictures at http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/03/26/camera-lost-in-ocean-reunited-with-owner.
Look Into the Light by William Sawalich I recently did a test shoot with a model and found myself working really fast with available light and, on occasion, a simple reflector. A lot of folks would naturally put the sun behind their back to provide even illumination for the subject. I, however, recommend gravitating toward the opposite approach: put the sun at your subject’s back so that it creates separation and a rim light. This adds to the illusion of depth in a two-dimensional photograph, which naturally makes for more lively and interesting images. When doing this you’ll find a strong shadow side on your subject’s face, so to bring up the exposure without blowing out the background you’ll need a fill flash or strong reflector. This technique is particularly effective if you can get your subject positioned in the shade (for soft, even illumination) with a shaft of sunlight from behind to create the rim.

Taking the approach one step farther, though, is when this technique turns really fun. Shoot into the sun—like directly into the sun—and enjoy all the flare and backlit drama it will create. It adds a sense of spontaneity to the images, which not only makes up for exposure ìproblemsî (like blown out highlights and flare) but it makes them part of the charm. Take a look around at popular media and you’ll see this technique put into effect all over the place. From vitamin commercials to fashion magazine ads, shooting into the sun is a hot look. Lucky for you it’s also an easy one to create. Just put your subject between you and the sun, open up and shoot! To see more from my test shoot, check out my project gallery at Behance.net.

http://www.behance.net/sawalich/Frame/611869
Loosen Up, And Get Portrait Subjects To Do The Same by William Sawalich Here's a great tip for all you portrait photographers out there. No doubt anyone familiar with making portraits on a regular basis is all too familiar with the "Chandler Bing face" that haunts some folks no matter how hard they try. You're not familiar with Chandler Bing Face? It's so named for the character from the TV sitcom friends, because in one episode Chandler Bing—a character on the show—tried unsuccessfully to loosen up and look natural in a portrait. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but make the most uncomfortable face ever seen. Well this is a real issue, whether or not you call it by the same name. Photographer and writer James Maher has provided DPS with not only this funny moniker but also some tips for helping other photographers turn those ugly and uncomfortable portrait expressions into nice, natural looking smiles. I can attest to at least one of them: chatting up your subject is bound to make them feel more at ease, and that will show on their face. Check out these tips and get to shooting without fear of the dreaded Chandler Bing face!

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-deal-with-the-dreaded-chandler-bing-face
Love photography? Buy photography! by William Sawalich Not only do I love looking at the work of others to see what I can learn from their photographic technique and style, I love looking at the work of others simply because I love photographs. If you love photography, why not buy photography? You're supporting the medium, surrounding yourself with work that interests you, and you can actually improve your own abilities in the process. Here are five great resources for finding, browsing and buying fine photographs online.

1. 20x200, www.20x200.com. This unique web site serves up a new image every week—from paintings to drawings to photographs. A variety of sizes are available in limited editions, with the smallest prints at the largest editions selling for only twenty bucks.

2. Contact Editions, www.contacteditions.co.uk. A British site quite similar to 20x200, it specializes in photographs. A wide variety of "30-pound" prints are available. In stronger dollar times that's a phenomenal deal. As it is, it's still a heck of an affordable way to own a fine 11x14 print.

3. Etsy, www.etsy.com. If you haven't yet blown all your disposable income for the month, chances are you haven't yet found Etsy. Think of this site as the handmade version of eBay. Artists and craftspeople of all types sell their wares on Etsy, and often it’s quite affordable. There's hats and vases and buttons and photographs and just about anything else artsy and handmade you can think of. Plus, many photographers find Etsy to be an ideal outlet for their work. One of my personal favorites is Sharon Montrose whose work can be purchased at www.etsy.com/shop/SharonMontrose.

4. eBay, www.ebay.com. I know you think of eBay as the place to buy and sell cameras, not photographs, but there are actually lots of folks selling photography on eBay. The massive reach of the site makes it a popular destination for those looking to buy or sell rare and collectible prints. A lot like a yard sale, though, you have to beware (as with any eBay purchase) that you're actually getting what you pay for.

5. Artnet, www.artnet.com. Designed to be a more robust art appreciation web site, Artnet also incorporates an online auction service for collectors. The auctions can be sorted by photography only, making it a quick and easy way to begin to build a collection of master photographers. It's often an affordable way to get into collecting the works of prominent artists, both old and new.
Lovely Wooden Pinhole Cameras by William Sawalich For all of the amazing whiz-bang technology that permeates the photo world, things like this collection of wooden pinhole cameras are all the more appealing. In an academic sense, it's helpful to be reminded that for all of the high technology in the photo world, a camera is ultimately nothing but a light tight black box with three modifiers. When the technology is shoved aside you're left with a direct connection to pure photographic creativity. Plus, these are simply lovely little objects of desire—from 35mm panoramic to 4x5 large format—and they're pretty darn affordable too. Pitch in and help out with the Kickstarter campaign. Check out the ONDU Wooden Pinhole Cameras at the Colossal blog.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/05/put-down-the-iphone-and-pickup-an-ondu-wooden-pinhole-camera
Lynn Goldsmith at work by William Sawalich I’m currently working on a story with photographer Lynn Goldsmith. You may be most familiar with Lynn’s history as a rock ‘n roll photographer, but for the better part of a decade she’s been working on an elaborate self portrait project. You’ll have to wait for the printed page to read my interview with Lynn, but until then you can watch her work. Her partner in photography, camera maker Mamiya, has uploaded a series of behind the scenes videos that show her making portraits of musicians, celebrities and regular people too. It’s interesting and educational to watch her work, and she’s a heck of a nice lady—which comes through when you watch her on video.

youtube.com
Macro Lighting by William Sawalich There are tools, tips and tricks in Mike Moats' recent post on the Tamron Angle of View blog all about light control when working with macro lenses. Sure, it's the Tamron blog, but the tips work just as well no matter what brand of macro lenses you're using. Just because you’ve got a macro lens doesn’t mean that you’re ready to go macro; you’ve got to deal with lighting for macro differently too. The nice thing about light modifiers for macro work is that the tools, like the subjects, are small: no need for massive scrims or softboxes and stands. Little clamps and diffusers no bigger than a foot around can do as much for a macro shot as a 4x8 softbox can for a full sized scenario. Check out the post and you’ll have more control over the lighting in your next macro setup.

http://tamrontechstips.typepad.com/tamron_blog/2010/11/controling-thelight-for-the-macro-photographer-working-with-natural-light-hereis-atip-and-productsto-helpimprove-your-photo.html
Magazine Portrait Retouching Tutorial by William Sawalich In this cool tutorial photographer Douglas Sonders takes his blog readers through the process of retouching a magazine cover shoot. He photographed the band Blink 182 in four versions—as three individuals and in one group—and so he had a lot of retouching to do. Here he leads us through his approach to spotting, eliminating blemishes, minimizing skin shine and maximizing sharpness in a fairly quick and easy-to-follow video that photographers from newbie to pro are sure to find helpful. He's also got a link to a behind the scenes video from the photo shoot itself, which is always a pleasure to get to see. Check it out at Mr. Sonders' photography blog.

http://www.sondersphotography.com/blog/2011/08/29/tutorial-how-i-retouch-a-portrait-magazine-cover-blink-182-edition/
Make It Easier To Paint With Light by William Sawalich The friendly folks at Photojojo have a knack for finding the oddest, most whimsical photographic devices in the world. So perhaps it should be no surprise that they're now selling a spray can aimed at graffiti artists. Don't worry, though: instead of spraying paint, this can sprays light. It's the Glow Graffiti light paint can and for 40 bucks it provides a bottomless cup of light painting fun. Use the embedded blue LED to paint with light just as you would with any flashlight or fiber optic device, or work in conjunction with the included stencils and UV background to make your light graffiti last longer, giving you more time to photograph it with a long exposure. Winter is the perfect time to practice long exposures and light painting since the days are shorter and the sun sets so early. You can learn more about the light paint can, as well as a number of other odd photo devices, at the Photojojo web site. If you act soon you're sure to find a lot of ideas for the photographers on your holiday shopping list—as well as countless ideas for filling your own stocking.

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/light-paint-can
Make Large Format Negatives from digital files by William Sawalich I encounter even film photographers on a regular basis who say they wouldn't think of printing without the intervention of the computer. That doesn't mean they all make inkjets; often it's as simple as digitally optimizing or retouching a file, or creating an unretouched digital output at a massive print size. The only real drawback to digital printing is that it's not analog. There are some great processes—particularly old-school alternative processes like cyanotypes, platinum prints and lith printing—that just don't look the same by any other approach. For those, photographers can now use their HP Designjet Z3200 photo printers to create large format negatives that can be used in all sorts of non-digital printing. Care to make an 8x10 contact print of a digital capture in your chemical darkroom? Now you can. The software is free to use for Designjet owners (who are most likely to be serious professionals who can afford the $5000 device). Presumably photographers will begin to see their favorite labs and printing professionals also offering the service too. The only limit is the substrate size and imagination. I'm excited to see a resurgence in non-silver printing as photographers begin to once again explore alternatives to traditional silver and digital printing techniques. Read all about the Large Format Photo Negative application on HP's web site.

hp.com
Make Skies Ultra-Blue by William Sawalich Balancing strobe exposures with ambient light is one of my favorite photographic techniques. It’s also the one that I think is most indicative of a robust understanding of photographic lighting. If you can control strobe and ambient independently in an image, I think you can do anything. That belief tends to be echoed at the Strobist blog, where David Hobby teaches people how to make amazing lighting with simple hand-held strobes. His most recent amazing lighting post showcases a simple technique for creating very deep blue skies when illuminating a subject with a flash. The trick? Apply a Rosco Plusgreen or orange gel to the strobe, balance for that light (with fluorescent or tungsten presets), and watch the ambient shift to ultra-blue while the subject remains neutrally balanced. Great tip, easy to apply, powerful effect. What more could you ask for?

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2010/12/rosco-plusgreen-magic-sunset-filter.html

Photo © David Hobby
Make The Ordinary Extraordinary by William Sawalich I like simple and I like great. The work of photographer Caleb Charland would have to qualify as both. Charland got a recent writeup on the DIY Photography blog, which is where I stumbled across the man and his work. What is perhaps most "DIY" (do-it-yourself, for those uninitiated) about Charland's work is the fact that he's building interesting constructs and contraptions to photograph. The photography is fairly straightforward, albeit beautiful, but the subjects themselves make the work totally fascinating. I particularly like the idea of illustrating everyday concepts—like magnetism, for instance—in such a simple way. Simple, yes, but plain? Definitely not. I love photographs like this that take something ordinary and make it look extraordinary. Check out the writeup at DIYPhotography.net, then head over to Charland's web site to see more of his work. His new series of color images is mind blowing.

http://www.diyphotography.net/interview-with-caleb-charland
http://www.calebcharland.com
Manage Your Batteries Better by William Sawalich I know, I know... Batteries. Blah. Boring. But seriously, batteries are so important to photographers! They power our cameras and our flashes and if we’re not immensely careful with them we’ll find ourselves completely unable to take any pictures at all. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for better battery advice. Sure enough, I found it at the DIY Photography blog in the form of a post with great tips on building your own battery management system. What does it do? It offers an easy to use and incredibly efficient way of storing and carrying batteries so that you know how to differentiate between which ones are fully charged and ready to go, and which ones are dead. This is a huge problem in my own life, as every time I pick up an AA battery I never know whether it will work or not. If I build one of these simple systems I’ll be all set. I recommend you do it too. Learn how at diyphotography.net.

http://www.diyphotography.net/the-ultimate-guide-to-managing-batteries-on-location
Manfrotto School of Excellence by William Sawalich Looking to learn a thing or two about photography from some of the world's premier professionals? Check out the Manfrotto School of Excellence where photographers like Joe McNally and David duChemin offer tips, techniques and real-world examples from their own photo shoots. Currently up on the site are behind the scenes glimpses of Teymur Madjderey's street photography and Kristof Ramon photographing cyclocross—both of which offer insights into the photographers' approaches that can be applied practically anywhere at any time. The Manfrotto School of Excellence is a great resource for those interested in learning a variety of techniques from a number of different resources, all in one place.

http://manfrottoschoolofxcellence.com
Manhattan From Above by William Sawalich Yesterday I mentioned a collection of great photographs of the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, but unfortunately that collection left this one out—and this may be the best of them all. It's by photographer Iwan Baan, and it graced the cover of New York magazine for obvious reasons. This is a great photograph. Not just because it is, quite obviously, a beautiful composition that tells a tremendous story in the blink of an eye. But it's also great because of how it was made. It's momentous, really. It's indicative of a type of photograph that can be made today, thanks to technological innovation, which simply could not have been made ten years ago. I've said it before and I'll say it again: high ISOs are the real cutting edge of innovation in digital capture. And this photographer's ability to shoot at ISO 25,000 and produce not only a USABLE full-page printed image, but a BEAUTIFUL full-page printed image, is as much testament as you'll ever need to believe that technology is fundamentally changing photography. And in many ways, it's for the better. Bravo to Mr. Baan, the photographer who made this tremendous image look so easy. Read more at Poynter.org.

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/194225/architecture-photographer-explains-how-he-got-that-new-york-magazine-cover-shot/
McDonald’s Gigapixel FanCam by William Sawalich At the football game in Pittsburgh two weeks ago (the one in which the Steelers upended the Jets in order to make it to this weekend’s Superbowl) fans were treated to their own Gigapixel photography experience courtesy of McDonald’s. Photographed from the 50-yard-line, the 360-degree Gigapixel image lets viewers zoom in close to spot friends on sidelines and in the stands, and folks who were at the game can even tag themselves in the browser. Hopefully we’ll be treated to a similar shot this weekend, but if not, and even if you don’t know anybody in Pittsburgh (or if you’re a Jets fan) it can still be fun to zoom in and look around the stadium from a perspective we don’t often get to see.

http://www.steelers.com/gigapixelfancam/230111
Microsoft's Surface For Photographers by William Sawalich Microsoft launched its new Surface tablet device last week, to all sorts of fanfare and generally positive reviews. It's less expensive than the iPad, and has a cover that becomes a keyboard to make the thing behave more like a laptop. Though it's currently only got a tiny fraction of the apps of the iTunes store, the future may be promising for the surface—especially for photographers. With a built in memory card slot and USB 2.0 plug, you can use the Surface like a portable hard drive, a device to which you can (theoretically) tether your camera, or simply a display that allows you to easily swap photos from device to device. I'll be curious to see what smart things industrious photographers come up with when they start getting their hands on this new device. Stay tuned…

http://connect.dpreview.com/post/6991506634/microsoft-surface-tablet
Military Training In Photography by William Sawalich The military has always been a tremendous proving ground for some of the world’s best photographers. One of my first photography teachers, in fact, often referenced his military training in photography as a way to inspire his students to do more, to go above and beyond, and to do whatever it takes to get the shot. The Light Stalking blog has compiled a gallery of great images from Army photographers as a way to showcase the fine photographic work they do, as well as to offer a glimpse into Army life as only an army photographer may be able to provide. Worth a look whether you’re a military buff or simply if you’re interested in outstanding documentary photography.

http://www.lightstalking.com/us-army
Moby Photos: Destroyed by William Sawalich This week is all about photo books. We'll start with one by Moby. You know, Moby, that quiet little bald guy with glasses who makes that loud fun dance music stuff? He's actually a pretty talented artist in a variety of arenas. He supports artists too, allowing independent filmmakers like you and me to use his music free of charge—which I have done. Well his talents also extend to photography as well, and he's got a new book and London exhibit that coincided with last month's release of a brand new album, Destroyed. Apparently Mr. Moby takes his camera wherever he goes, and this book documents his travels around the world as a touring musician. Check out the work via the Hotshoe blog, and consider supporting this artist who supports the work of so many others by buying his new book, or maybe the record by the same name—which of course features a Moby photograph on the cover as well.

http://hotshoeblog.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/moby-destroyed-photo-book-photo-show-and-album-release-in-london
More Amazing Iceberg Photography by William Sawalich Macro photography requires specialized equipment. Beyond the basics of a macro lens, lighting needs to be addressed as well. Why not just use the sun? Well, sometimes you can, but sometimes when you're up close and personal with a tiny little subject, the camera, lens and your own head combine to make a deep dark shadow that you need to light you way out of. Most folks invest in a ring light for this purpose—a flash that wraps around the front of the lens to provide even illumination for tiny subjects. Some folks don't want to invest in a ringlight, so they invest in a substitute that turns their standard hot-shoe flash into a pseudo-ringlight—like the Orbis ring. If you're neither of these types of people, whether you're a total cheapskate or you get inspired by doing everything yourself from repurposed materials, this is the ideal DIY project for you. First, purchase a can of Pringles potato chips. Then eat all of the contents in one sitting. Then turn the empty can into a hacked together yet surprisingly effective lighting setup for macro photography. Read all about this creation by photographer Steve Kushnir at the DIY Photography blog, then get busy eating and crafting—and making better macro pictures.

http://www.diyphotography.net/super-easy-macro-lighting-using-a-pringles-can
More Awesomeness From Photojojo by William Sawalich Photojojo is one of those web sites that strikes a great balance for photo geeks: it sells stuff that's practical and stuff that's fun. And no matter what it is, it seems to always hit a sweet spot for me personally: I really need that! This time it's two new things I absolutely must have—one useful, both fun. First, the totally impractical wood iPhone case. It serves its protective purpose alright, but mostly it's neat and clever and just plain fun. And it makes me wish I had an iPhone just so I could get this case and turn it into a "real" camera. The other item at the other end of the spectrum is still plenty of fun, but it's way more practical too. It's the Digital Time-Lapse Camera. For $150 you get a little weather-resistant camera that churns out a completed HD video of a time-lapse scene—no video editing required. That alone is worth it, but the simple way it makes movies really makes it useful too.

http://photojojo.com/store/press/photos/wood-camera-iphone-case
http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/time-lapse-camera
More Camera Tools You Can Make From Paper by William Sawalich Paper is an important part of my photography. I use cardboard sheets as fill cards, I use little bits of white paper to bounce my flash, and now I can use simple black paper to create a lens hood. While I've seen lens shades made from paper in the past, it's never really occurred to me to use the stuff in a simpler fashion—namely, just wrap it around the end of a lens and secure it with a rubber band to create an instant lens shade. Voila, it's just that simple. I'm never going to recommend this homemade solution in lieu of a factory spec lens hood, but in a pinch when you've lost or broken your lens shade, I'd rather see you using a cobbled together paper system to keep insidious lens flare out of your lens. It is, in fact, very much better than nothing. Check out John Neel's tip at the Pixiq blog for all the particulars of his system.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/easy-paper-lens-hood-or-shade
More Close-Ups Of Eyes by William Sawalich Just the other day I wrote about the beautifully creepy close-ups of human eyes photographed by Suren Manvelya. Little did I know that Mr. Manvelya has a history of extreme close-ups of eyes—animal eyes, in fact. He's recently released a new series of animal eyes as well, and I think they serve as an interesting counterpoint to the human eye photos I showed here last week. I think the difference, at least to me, as that these animal eye close-ups don't strike me as creepy in the least. The eyes are somehow more exotic and strange, and so seeing them in such minute detail is only fascinating. I think the difference with the human eyes is that we are intimately familiar with what human eyes look like, and so seeing them in a whole new light—one that is immensely personal—does add a bit of an edge. These animal eyes, however, are simply fascinating—stunning in their intricacy, as well as in how differently they look from species to species, and how they differ from our own eyes, and how they are alike. A really tremendous subject that is worth continued exploration. Great job, Suren.

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/04/can-you-guess-the-owner-new-macro-photos-of-animal-eyes-from-suren-manvelyan/
More Lightroom Control Tips by William Sawalich After reading Helen Bradley's advice for localized tonal control in Lightroom that I mentioned yesterday, I continued digging a little deeper for specialized tools to provide more control over local adjustments within Lightroom. Sure enough, DPS came through again with a tutorial about using a couple of existing tools together for a brand new effect—erasing graduated filter effects with precision. Let's say you've got a portrait of a person on a blue background. You could use a graduated filter to darken the top of the background, blending it downward with the natural effects of the filter. The problem is, you might darken the subject's face as well. As Elizabeth Halford points out in her DPS post, you can effectively erase the graduated filter by using the adjustment brush. If you dropped brightness -20 with the graduated filter, you can boost it +20 with the brush to selective erase the effect. It's a simple trick, but a great one for extending the value of Lightroom local adjustments—which is always a bonus if you're looking to streamline your workflow.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/lightroom-how-i-erase-portions-of-the-graduated-filter
More Megapixel Madness by William Sawalich Some say the race to make super-high-resolution cameras is dead. The new frontier is better image quality, they say, not massively high-resolution image files. Well to them I have but one thing to say: meet the new 200-megapixel Hasselblad H4D-200MS. For product and still-life photographers, this camera offers the ultimate resolution available in digital capture. To be clear, the camera achieves that whopping 200-megapixel resolution not through a sensor with 200-million physical pixels on it, but through utilizing multi-shot technology. Six different exposures are made on the 50-megapixel sensor, which physically shifts a distance of 1.5 pixels after each exposure in order to create an overlapping dense pixel map—no gaps in coverage and a whole lot of pixel information combine to create this amazing, super-detailed 200-megapixel image. The camera's not inexpensive, but there is a bit of good news: owners of the H4D-50 can send their cameras in to the manufacturer for a 200-megapixel retrofit. Read all about it at the Hasselblad web site.

http://www.hasselblad.com/products/h-system/h4d-200ms.aspx
More New Old Cameras by William Sawalich There’s another pair of new “old” camera on the block, and it’s Sony’s Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5 combo. Another, because lately cameras in this format seem to be popping up with a bit of buzz almost every couple of months. They’re new because they’re high-tech and fancy, fitting high-res APS-sized CMOS sensors into “pocket camera” bodies. And the cameras I describe are “old” too because they’re capitalizing on the trend that was popularized in the 1960s when camera makers worked to make 35mm film cameras into pocket cameras without sacrificing image quality and manual control. That’s what cameras in this category—referred to by some bloggers as DEVIL cameras (because they are Digital Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens cameras)—strive for, and it would appear that the Sony Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5 deliver. The most interesting thing as far as I’m concerned appears to be the large interchangeable lenses that fit on the tiny cameras (Sony says they’re the tiniest when compared to other interchangeable lens bodies). I’m assuming the lenses seem larger because the cameras are so small, and also because they are larger to work with the APS-C sized sensors—which are a bit larger than many DEVIL cameras’ Micro Four Thirds sensors. The bottom line certainly appears to be that these two cameras can do quite a lot, packing considerable quality into a little package. I’m excited about these DEVIL cameras in general, so it’s exciting to see all of the new entrants into the category. Check out hands-on reviews of the NEX cameras at DPS and C-Net’s web sites, and then go shopping at Sony’s dedicated NEX microsite.

digital-photography-school.com

news.cnet.com

bit.ly/ctRgVe
More of this year’s best pictures by William Sawalich The "year's best" galleries are popping up everywhere now. Three new ones this week come courtesy of The Boston Globe, The Denver Post and The Los Angeles Times. War, floods, oil spills, earthquakes, volcanoes... it's not a pretty picture of the world in 2010, it's an incredibly tumultuous one. But it's also a powerful view provided by professional photojournalists--a way of seeing the world unlike any other medium. And it’s probably one we haven’t seen much of on TV news. Be warned, some of the images are quite intense. Others can be uplifting as they highlight human compassion and resilience.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/12/2010_in_photos_part_1_of_3.html
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/12/15/denver-post-plog-the-year-in-pictures/2588/
http://framework.latimes.com/2010/12/10/2010-the-year-in-pictures/#/0
More on back-button focusing by William Sawalich Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned my personal discovery of "back-button" focusing? Well here's a video about using the technique courtesy of Nikon Blog. With simple use of the AF On button, you can easily separate focus activation from the shutter release. This makes it especially easy to start and stop focus tracking to have a better shot at precisely capturing a fast-moving subject. That's why sports shooters seem to be so keen on the technique. But even if you're not a sports photographer, there's bound to be a back-button focusing approach that works for you. The video is especially useful for Nikon shooters, but the principles apply across other camera brands too.

http://www.nikonblog.net/autofocus-af-on-lens
More Ways To Modify Handheld Strobes by William Sawalich I have to admit, sometimes the great ideas that come from the Strobist web site make me a little embarrassed. The problem is, they can be so simple and so brilliant that they make you wonder: "Why didn't I think of that?" Here's such a case, in the form of a "hack" to use studio strobe honeycomb grids—which focus light to narrowly send it in only one direction rather than scattered all around the room—with small hot-shoe portable flashes. The trick? Use a rubber band or a small elastic cord to connect the big ol' grid to that little bitty flash. The principle works just the same, even if the flash isn't using the entire surface of the grid. All you want is to make sure light is only traveling in a single direction. It's a great fix, either way, and definitely worth a look. Find it over at strobist.com.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2011/01/hack-your-grid-ii.html
Mount Your D-SLR Lenses To Your iPhone. Really. by William Sawalich Ever since the iPhone, and in particular the introduction of its Instagram app, folks everywhere have been treating their iPhones like actual cameras. The point, usually, is that you can make great pictures with even a relatively rudimentary fixed-focal length lens. And it also proves, as Chase Jarvis will attest, that the best camera is the one you have with you all the time. Just like an iPhone. Well now there's another add-on for folks who want to get serious, really serious, about taking iPhone pictures... in a totally ridiculous way. It's the SLR iPhone lens mount from PhotoJojo, which allows you to take the zoom off your Nikon D90 (or whatever Nikon or Canon D-SLR you happen to be toting) and affix it to your iPhone for "serious" picture taking power. I know it's too ridiculous to be true, and yet here it is. See for yourself at the PhotoJojo web site.

http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/iphone-slr-mount
MoVI For Cameras by William Sawalich If, like me and many other photographers, you find yourself dabbling more and more with motion and video, then no doubt you've run into a challenge: holding the camera steady. I guess we still photographers are a shaky bunch. But seriously, making steady video while handholding the camera is a big challenge. If you're serious about video production, then might I suggest you keep an eye out for this tremendous new device called MoVI. Built by Freefly Systems in Seattle, the MoVI is a digital 3-axis gyro-stabilized handheld camera gimbal. In layman's terms, you might be tempted to call it a Steadicam, but in fact it's poised as competition for the Steadicam brand. The premise is simple: create super-stabilized video, during handholding and even fast movements, that is so smooth it simulates the effect of flying. It's an amazing device. If you're serious about motion, you'll want to learn more about MoVI. I suggest you start at Vincent Laforet's blog.

http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2013/04/04/movi-a-revolutionary-handheld-stabilized-system-takes-flight/
Movie or Strobe? by William Sawalich
T.1 and T.5 surely pertain to Terminator movies, no? I must confess that I’m not terribly well versed in the current state of action movies, but I do know about photography stuff. It turns out that T.1 and T.5 are designations for the time it takes a flash to output a burst of light. The duration of a flash, as you know, is really short. But not all flashes are equal. In fact, some flashes are less powerful than others even though they can deliver the same amount of total illumination. They do this by lasting longer—say a 500th of a second instead of a 1000th of a second. The strobe pulse duration may not mean much in many situations, but sometimes it can make the difference between a sharp shot and a blurry one.

For example, if you’re photographing a dancer in motion and you’re relying on a flash to freeze her in midair, you’d be much better served by a shorter flash duration—say 1/2000th of a second—than you would a flash that lumbers along taking all of 1/200th of a second. There’d be a big difference in motion blur there, just as there would be with the same sort of shutter speed changes. (In fact, I always suggest to folks who are looking to stop motion with their flash to set the unit for its lowest power output and make that exposure work in camera—because the lower power translates into a shorter flash duration that’s much better at stopping fast action.) Now back to those Terminator numbers.

Manufacturers publish T.1 and T.5 numbers that can be used to compare different flashes. The T.1 number represents the time it takes for a flash to output almost all (90%) of a strobe pulse, whereas the T.5 number is in indication of the time it takes to output 50% of a pulse. Generally faster is better, but the most important thing when you’re comparison shopping is to compare apples to apples—if you’re looking at a T.1 number for one unit, be sure to compare the T.1 (as opposed to the T.5) number of another. Think of the T.1 as the time it takes to pump out the entire flash, and you’re closer to understanding the overall speed a flash is capable of delivering.

All of this photo-geekery comes to mind courtesy of the Strobist blog, which is the place to geek out on obscure flash technical information like this. I recommend heading over there asap to read the recent post all about T.1 and T.5 numbers to get a better understanding of how they work and how to put that knowledge to use.

strobist.blogspot.com
Music For Your Multimedia by William Sawalich Vimeo has become a favorite outlet for video projects among those who relish high-quality video online. With minimal compression and maximum fidelity, Vimeo tends to cater to folks who are doing more than throwaway home videos. That’s partly why the company recently announced its own music store, specifically for creators who need music tracks to put into their videos—whether they’re made for commercial purposes or otherwise. With 45,000 tracks available in its library, and prices from free to $98 (depending on whether the project is personal or commercial) it’s a phenomenal resource for videographers—and for us photographers who are venturing into the ever-changing multimedia landscape. See for yourself at Vimeo, and then get to work on your next great masterpiece!

http://vimeo.com/musicstore
Must-have iPad photo apps by William Sawalich I just got an iPad so I’m constantly on the lookout for great photography apps I can use to make the most of this thing. From what I can tell, it appears that the UK’s Guardian Eyewitness app (free from the app store) is a must-have for folks who are interested in seeing world class photojournalism on a daily basis. The images are presented with an explanation from the day’s photographer about how each photograph was made. I don’t know where I first heard of this app, but I know that in a recent list of must-have iPad apps for photographers it topped the list and was the third time it has come to my attention. I’ll take that to mean I should go get it asap. The list I was just perusing came from BestAppSite.com. That seems like a fairly good URL if you’re looking for the best apps, no? The list is pretty great, including the Guardian Eyewitness app, Photoshop Express (another highly touted iPad app for photographers) and a couple of others I am keen on trying. The one I’m most jazzed about, though, is called LightKit. It turns the iPad itself into a light source for use during actual photo shoots. Impressive! Read all about it, and see the whole list, at BestAppSite.com.

http://www.bestappsite.com/2010/09/22/8-must-have-ipad-apps-for-photographers
My Favorite Mars Rover Photography Links by William Sawalich The Olympics aren't the only out-of-this world visual spectacle going on these days. As promised, here are a few of my favorite links to the photographic story of NASA's Curiosity rover. The device began beaming back images of the red planet shortly after touchdown. For a look at the first color image of mars, as well as a great breakdown of the camera tech included on the rover, check out an interesting piece at DPreview. The best one-stop location for all sorts of interesting mission information and every awesome photograph sent back from the rover, check out Spaceflight101. It's a repository for space exploration information in general, and the mission updates from Mars is the perfect place to find every high-quality image that NASA has released. Lastly, if you're curious about Curiosity's camera technology, check out this interview with the camera project manager, Mike Ravine, who discusses how and why the camera was selected for the mission—and why it's only 2 megapixels. Being able to see these images almost immediately as they happen, and to dig into the technology with those who really are hands on with the project, serves as a reminder about just what an exciting time it is in the world of photographic technology.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/08/07/NASA-Curiosity-Rover-sends-back-first-color-images-from-Mars
http://www.spaceflight101.com/msl-mission-updates-3.html
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/08/08/Curiosity-interview-with-Malin-Space-Science-Systems-Mike-Ravine
My Favorite Olympic Photography Links by William Sawalich We've been treated to two major world events in recent weeks, each with a seemingly unending supply of great photographic stories. The first, the Olympics, is what I'm going to talk about today, and share a few links to stories I love. (Tune in tomorrow for the second, which I'll keep a surprise for the moment.) So here are some of my favorite stories from London 2012. First is the newspaper photographer for the Guardian who decided to cover his hometown games with nothing but an iPhone, a few add-on lenses and a pair of binoculars. And you know what? It worked! His photos look darn good. Second is the story of a world class athlete turned photographer--at least for a few moments. Usain Bolt won the 200mm sprint to become the first man to win back-to-back 100mm and 200mm races at the Olympics. As part of his celebration, he turned to a group of photographers, borrowed a DSLR from a Swedish journalist and snapped off about a dozen frames of fellow runners, the crowd and the media's intense gaze. Bolt did a pretty great job of composing and focusing his photos and, all things considered, he's might be pretty a good photographer. Lastly, check out the gallery of images that one professional photographer captured with a compact digital camera. Panasonic contracted with Getty photographer Dean Mouhtaropoulos to photograph the events of London 2012 with a Lumix DMC-G5. He made great images of everything from the opening ceremony to fast action in swimming, gymnastics, volleyball and more. All in all, the Olympics is always a photographer's dream, and it consistently presents interesting stories and wonderful photographs. This year was no exception.

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2012/08/covering-the-olympics-with-three-iphones-and-some-binoculars
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/08/10/Usain-Bolt-captures-the-moment-of-his-double-double-Olympic-sprint-triumph
http://news.dphotographer.co.uk/news/london-2012-olympics-photos-from-panasonics-london-2012-sports-photographer
My Favorite Photographer’s Newest Book by William Sawalich Just in time to really get your holiday shopping in full swing, here's a post from The Online Photographer about one of my all-time favorite photographers: Andre Kertesz. I'd have to say that this post lauds the man in a way I fully endorse, and it was prompted by the author having trouble finding currently in print books about Kertesz. A new book was released around this time last year, called simply Kertesz, and it's received quite a glowing review here. I know I'd be happy to find this book in my stocking, as would any photographer on your list—whether they love Kertesz already or not. His work is an inspiration whether you're a beginner or an established pro.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2011/07/that-most-poetic-of-photographers.html
My Movie-making Lens Shade by William Sawalich With many DSLRs you can shoot stills and video too. The problem is, no matter how hard you try, you can't efficiently shoot both at the same time. So recently when a client requested that I cover their event with both stills and video, I came up with what I'm calling an ingenious solution. Already in possession of the awesome and affordable GoPro Hero HD video camera (which is downright tiny and designed to mount almost anywhere) I realized that yes, I could occasionally switch my camera into movie mode in order to capture key clips of video where appropriate, but better still I could mount my GoPro on top of my camera for always-on video coverage. So using one of the super-sticky mounts that comes with every GoPro, I was able to affix the video camera directly to the top of my lens shade. (I considered making a hot shoe mount, but was worried I would get the front of my lens in the frame since the GoPro produces such a wide angle view. And that way I couldn't put a flash on my hot-shoe either.) In the end, the only adjustment I made to my shooting style was to hold the camera steadier for longer intervals, so that I would have the opportunity to produce usable footage from the tiny camera, and the whole system worked wonderfully. So if you're interested in defying physics and shooting photos and video simultaneously, give my system a try. For more information on GoPro's HD cameras, visit gopro.com.
My Pictures Would Be Better If... by William Sawalich Chase Jarvis is a commercial photographer with a great blog and a great following. A while back he asked his readers to consider what might make their pictures better. That got me to thinking about what would make my own pictures better, and what sorts of things would probably make everyone’s pictures better? I then started making conscious changes to my work patterns in order to improve my photos based on the answers to this silly little exercise. It turns out it's not so silly after all. So I really recommend that you try this. Answer this question as many ways as you can, and then start doing the things those answers instruct: My pictures would be better if ____. For me, some of the answers were:

- If I made photographs more often.
- If I got out of my own way and let technique be secondary to content and composition.
- If I simplified everything more often, from lighting to equipment to backgrounds.
- If I made every photograph as if it might be the best picture I'd ever make.

One way I’ve done some of these things is when it comes to photographing my new baby daughter. Instead of constructing elaborate photo shoots, I concentrate on capturing the real moments of her life so that someday when I look back at these images I’ll remember not only the photo shoot, but what she was like as a six-month-old.

So what would you say to this question? Ask yourself what would make your photographs better, and then set about doing it. You might like what it does to your photography. I know I do.
Myths of being a pro photographer by William Sawalich You're a talented photographer. You like earning extra income and meeting interesting people thanks to your camera. Why not pursue a career in the glamorous world of professional photography? After all, you'll party with supermodels and soon be rolling in cash, right? Your biggest concern will be how to choose from among the countless assignments you're offered on a regular basis. So you might as well just do it.

Yeah right.

Maybe these myths are a little extreme, but some folks think the world of professional photography is a lot more glamorous than it really is. There are many common misunderstandings about what it's really like to be a commercial photographer. On his Lighting Essentials blog, Don Giannatti dispels these and other myths about what it's like to earn your living as a pro. It's not as exciting as you may think, but it isn't all bad either. If you're considering pursuing photography for more than fun, check out Don's post and make sure you're okay with the reality of being a working photographer as opposed to just the fantasy.

http://www.lighting-essentials.com/ten-myths-of-professional-commercial-photography/
National Cherry Blossom Photo Contest by William Sawalich Believe it or not, spring is going to be sprung before we know it. And in Washington D.C. that means the official state flower, the beautiful cherry blossom, will be in bloom. From March 20th to April 27th is the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a big party on the mall in D.C. to which we're all invited. Photographers, especially, should consider visiting because those darn cherry blossoms are about as photogenic as any subject you can imagine. To that end, the Foto DC organization today kicks off its annual National Cherry Blossom Photo contest. In their words, "mark your calendars, watch the weather, grab your camera, wake up your imagination, and see the Blossoms in a bold new way." Enter the contest to ring in spring and you could be one of four photographers to win $500, or one of the top 100 to be exhibited during FotoWeek DC's November photography festival. For rules and regulations, and to submit entries beginning next week, visit cherryblossom.fotodc.org.
National Parks iPod App by William Sawalich Are you aware that there's a new National Parks App for the iPhone and iPad? National Geographic worked with its world class photographers and editorial staff, as well as the National Parks Service, to create a free app that provides priceless info and allows you to download park-specific guides (the first one for free, additional are a buck or two) which includes GPS coordinates of favorite photo locations, must see spots and even photo tips from the most accomplished photographers in the world. Jay Goodrich, for instance, mentioned on his blog recently that he divulged a few secret spots from a handful of parks to include in the app. Now that's what I call specialized information that's bound to be invaluable to photographers visiting the parks. And at that price (remember, it's free) how can you go wrong?

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mobile/apps/national-parks-by-national-geographic
Neat New LED Light Source by William Sawalich Have you seen the ICE Light? It's been the subject of a bit of buzz, and I personally know at least a few photographers who are clamoring for the thing. It's a handheld, battery-powered, daylight balanced light source for photography and video uses. It was invented by Jerry Ghionis, who partnered with Westcott to produce the neat new lights. The handheld lights look almost like, well, a light saber. Though it's called the ICE Light, it's not because LEDs keep the thing pretty darn cool, in more ways than one. It does look sort of like an icicle too, but that's still not where the name comes from. You'll have to check out Ghionis's ICE Society for more information on the name, but to get your hands on this cool little light, well you won't have to wait much longer. When I say it's new, I mean it's brand new: the ICE Light is only starting to ship as we speak. If you've got $500 to spend on a really cool (pun intended) light, check it out.

http://www.theicelight.com
New Documentary About Cinematic Photographer Gregory Crewdson by William Sawalich Here's a big Hollywood film I'd like to see. It's a new documentary about photographer Gregory Crewdson, which is set to premier at the South By Southwest festival this spring. It's not "big Hollywood" in terms of who made it, but rather it's the subject matter. Crewdson is a still photographer, but he makes photographs that are as big and cinematic in scope as any film Hollywood studios ever produce. It takes painstaking effort and a crew of dozens to create these "fantastical worlds that are seamlessly real." He's a photographer unlike any other, and I expect this film to offer a fascinating glimpse into his process. "To me," Crewdson says in the trailer, "the most powerful moment in the whole process is when everything comes together. For that instance, my life makes sense."

http://www.featureshoot.com/2012/02/gregory-crewdson-documentary-to-premiere-at-sxsw/
New Dynalite Strobes by William Sawalich I use Dynalite strobes in my location lighting package, and I generally love them. I replaced a set of older-than-me Speedotrons (which I still use in-studio) because they also weighed more than me and that made traveling with strobes quite tricky. But the Dynalites, as anyone who's ever shot with them knows, are tiny. I'm talking like six pounds for a 1000ws pack smaller than a breadbox. I can get four heads and two packs in a single bag that's not much bigger than a carry-on. So you can imagine my excitement when I read this report from Rob Galbraith about a new lineup of strobe packs from Dynalite. They've increased the top end from 1000 watt seconds to 1600ws, and shrunk the 500ws and 1000ws models, the previous standards, to 400ws and 800ws respectively. Apparently Dynalite has made them more reliable with faster flash durations, quicker recycling and an even smaller form factor than before. Guess I’ll have to add them to my ever-growing wishlist.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11133-11146
New Lightroom 3 is out now. by William Sawalich New Lightroom 3 is out now, and I got it on day 1. Actually, I made the switch to Lightroom about six months back when I upgraded to a new desktop machine. The idea of allowing users to beta test prelease versions of software like this must be a brilliant one, because the morning last week when I walked in to my office to find a message from Adobe about version 3 being ready for download, I happily plunked down my $299 and instantly sealed the deal. It’s a win-win for everybody: users like me get to test the software extensively before buying, and makers like Adobe get to hook us in to worthy programs ensuring that we’ll happily pay as soon as possible.

Which brings me to the only thing I’ve had a complaint about since my first experience with Lightroom, and that’s one tiny little preset. Or, more precisely, the lack of one.

You see, part of the workflow with Lightroom—or any browsing/organizing software, for that matter—is rating, ranking and rejecting individual images. Some images may be great, and so they’re rated with four or five stars. Others may be awful, so they’re flagged as rejects. Well in Lightroom, unlike other image management programs I’ve spent time with in the past, there’s no default preset for automatically hiding those rejected images. That means that every time I click on a new job (or a new catalog, or any new folder of images inside Lightroom), the program shows me every image in the bunch—including those rejects.

This is fine, except that 99% of the time once I’ve rejected an image I don’t want to see it any more. I want to be able to see it, but I don’t want to see it by default. If only Adobe had programmed in a “hide rejects” preset that I could set as the default, I don’t know that I’d have any other complaints about the program.

Which now brings me to this question: What bugs you about Lightroom, or Photoshop, or any other image editing and management program you might use? What features are absolute must-haves, and which ones are you dying to get hold of?

labs.adobe.com
New Polaroid Printer Brings The "Instant" Back To Photography by William Sawalich I'm all for instant prints. In fact, I just bought a Fuji Instax camera to celebrate the birth of my daughter—and to ensure that she'll have photographic prints in albums she can look back on to remember her childhood like most of us old-timers do. Well now there's another option, and this one comes from the folks who used to have the market cornered on instant photography. It's the Polaroid GL10 mobile instant printer. It's a tiny little thing, which makes it easy to carry around and take to parties and events—places where you might actually want to print out, and hand out, prints from the photos you take. It could help you free your photos from your camera and your computer, and maybe it will help you remember why you like taking pictures in the first place. Read all about it at Chase Jarvis' blog, and see how he put the fancy new device to use himself.

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/05/polaroid-gl10-mobile-instant-printer-now-available
New Work From An Old-School Master by William Sawalich Even laymen know a few iconic photographers by name—like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Minor White. But there are also photographic pioneers who are just as important, though not nearly as known outside of the photo world. Perhaps no name is more unknown given how important he was in the world of landscape photography than that of Philip Hyde. Cited frequently as an inspiration to today’s landscape gurus, Hyde made his name as a pioneer in color photography while other icons were still working in black & white. Today, Hyde’s son David carries on his father’s legacy—most notably by publishing the Landscape Photography blog. While Hyde was known primarily for his color work, he also worked in black & white, and in a recent post David has brought to light more work from his father’s black & white catalog. Check it out at the Landscape Photography Blogger, and consider purchasing an authorized print—in color or black & white—from this photographic icon.

http://landscapephotographyblogger.com/events-releases/new-portfolio-yosemite-and-sierra-black-and-white-prints
New Year Portraits by William Sawalich Happy New Year! Most of us have the day off today, so why not do something a little bit creatively productive? Judd Green has posted a wonderful tutorial on the Digital Photography School blog showing how he created a holiday-themed portrait of his children using a beautiful, but deceptively simple, sparkling lights background. It's straightforward and easy enough, but it's oh so effective. And it will help you start the new year off right.

http://digital-photography-school.com/christmas-portraits-how-i-took-it
New Year's Resolutions For Photographers by William Sawalich This new year is still young, and so I think it's fitting to consider your most important new years resolutions for 2013. Not the personal kind, like exercise more and eat less, but the photographic kind—like pushing your creative boundaries to become a better photographer. Tremendous outdoor photographer, blogger and educator Ian Plant has published a list of his personal Top 5 New Year's resolutions for photographers on the OP blog. It's a good place to start when looking for a little bit of creative guidance to get this year off to a great start.

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/blog/ian-plant/2013/01/top-5-new-year%E2%80%99s-resolutions-for-photographers.html
New Year, New Metadata by William Sawalich While the new year is still young and you're kicking around the idea of some photography-related new year's resolutions, consider this little tip: update your metadata presets in Photoshop and Lightroom to show 2013 as your copyright year. I did it just the other day (at the same time I updated my catalogs and archived the last remaining bits of 2012). If you're up to speed on Metadata, this serves as a simple reminder. But if you're not yet a convert to the importance of digitally embedding your name, contact information and copyright in your digital image files... Well, you've got the perfect resolution right there to start off the new year. Get your metadata and copyright houses in order in 2013—a great goal for any photographer.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/lrtip-update-your-metadata-preset
Next Up For Photoshop: A Sharpness Fix by William Sawalich Adobe last week released a tantalizing—and unbelievably frustratingly short—video preview of a new feature to be included in the eventual release of Photoshop CS7. This camera blur filter will allow photographers to minimize camera shake in post-processing with a one-click fix. Think of Smart Sharpen on steroids; at least that's how it looks. Senior product manager Zorana Ghee demos the Camera Shake Reduction filter, but she doesn't go into the whys and wherefores of its functionality. For that it looks like we'll have to wait, which I know I'm going to do with bated breath. This filter looks like it could be a real sharpness game changer.

http://www.nikonblog.net/content/sneak-peak-amazing-new-photoshop-cs7-filter
Next-Gen Photoshop Tool: The Content Aware Move by William Sawalich Here's some new technology that certainly looks promising. Adobe senior product manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes provides a sneak preview of a great new tool destined to make its debut in the next version of Photoshop. It's the Content Aware Move tool and its name is fairly self-explanatory. Much like content aware fill, you can automatically replace the contents of a scene without extensive pointing and clicking. After moving one element from one place to another with the Content Aware Move tool, the software automatically blends the element into its new portion of a scene, and at the same time seamlessly repairs the area from which the element has been removed. That means you could grab a stop sign from a streetscape and simply drag it to a new destination, or move a human subject from one side of a scene to another. It's a neat tool, and even if it only provides part of a perfectly seamless replacement, it's sure to be a huge timesaver. Adobe is smart to debut tools like this early, as they're bound to get many of us hooked on CS6 long before it's ever released to the public. There's a great video preview, which I found thanks to Mark Silber's blog.

http://www.silberstudios.tv/blog/2012/02/photoshops-new-content-aware-fillmove-tool/
Night Skies In The City by William Sawalich Have you ever wondered what New York City would look like in the middle of the night if all of the lights were turned off? Photographer Thierry Cohen can show you, if you don't mind a little bit of imagination thrown in. No, he couldn't shut off all the lights in New York for real—he had to do that digitally. But when he combined those now—darkened urban scenes (from cities around the world, I should point out) with photographs of starry night skies made in remote locations on the same latitude, he delivers what the night sky would actually look like to a New Yorker fortunate enough to find his city completely in the dark. Fortunate for those who hate light pollution, I mean—not so fortunate to the millions of people who'd have to deal with that massive havoc if the lights were really turned off! Maybe it's better that we leave the lights on in reality, and only turn them off in this wonderful art.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/02/03/magazine/look-stars.html
Nik Software Suite Deeply Discounted by William Sawalich Last fall Google bought Nik software and promptly pulled support for the desktop version of Nik's popular Snapseed editing software. That got folks talking, and worrying, that maybe Google was going to turn the Nik suite of photography plugins into something impractical for serious desktop post-processing work. So last week when the company announced the Nik Collection by Google, a whole lot of photographers breathed a collective sigh of relief. Then they gasped and said, "Check out that new low price!" So now for one low payment of $149, one can purchase the entire suite of Nik software plugins—plugins that together cost more than $500 around this time last year. Read all about it at the DPReview Connect blog.

http://connect.dpreview.com/post/4452357456/google-nik-software-plugins
Nikon Aspire Sweepstakes by William Sawalich Nikon just kicked off the Nikon Aspire Sweepstakes, which offers "aspiring" photographers the opportunity to win a photo excursion with National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths, as well as a D7000 D-SLR and a tutorial from a Nikon product specialist. You can enter every day for the next month or so, and the winner will be announced in February. Until then, you can also check out Ms. Griffiths' great travel and documentary work at her web site, http://www.anniegriffithsbelt.com.

www.nationalgeographic.com/nikonaspire
Nikon Contest by William Sawalich Nikon has just announced the 33rd iteration of its Nikon Photo Contest International. The 2010-2011 challenge is open to photographers of all skill levels, all around the world, working with any digital or 35mm film cameras. Entries will be accepted September through November of this year, so start working on your prize-winning entries now. All the information you need, including judges, past winners, contest rules and regulations, is available now on Nikon’s NPCI web site.

imaging.nikon.com
Nikon Lens Selector by William Sawalich I feel like I may have mentioned this in the past, but it's neat enough that I'd say it's worth coming back to. Scott Kelby just reminded me about this useful tool: a lens focal length simulator from Nikon, which can become an invaluable tool when selecting your next lens—or even camera body. Better yet, it can become an informative tool to help learn about the effects of different focal lengths and sensor sizes. With the tool, simply input all the particulars of lens and focal lengths, and you can even look at the type of photograph you'll be making, and then the simulator will display how a given scene will look on a particular sensor, with a particular focal length lens at a particular distance. It's simple but super-effective, and a great way to help plan your next lens purchase (or, like I said, to learn a little more about how focal length and sensor size affect images). Check out the simulator at http://www.nikonusa.com/en_US/IMG/Images/Micro-Sites/Lens-Simulator/simulator.htm
Nikons in Space by William Sawalich Eager to showcase the image quality and general cachet of the Nikon D-SLR system, Nikon recently released a series of NASA photographs from the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station. At web resolution, the images are interesting. But thankfully Nikon released many of the photos in their full 12-megapixel glory, so this glimpse inside the ISS and shuttle is truly awesome. I absolutely love these photographs—and just about every image NASA ever releases—because of the glimpse into another world that they offer. It’s unlike any other. It's also a good lesson in the importance of perspective; show your viewers something they've never seen before, or something requiring special access or a unique vantage point, and you're bound to impress.

robgalbraith.com
No-flicker DIY Fluorescent Studio Lighting by William Sawalich I'm a bit of a sucker for studio lighting hacks, so this article by Joe Edelman on the DIY photography blog is perfect for me. You see, Joe created a video series demonstrating how he lights with fluorescent light fixtures, which spurred him to create this article and video about how to make your own flicker-free sources. You see, this solves two problems. One, store-bought fluorescent light fixtures are great for producing beautiful light, but they're very expensive. And two, homemade fluorescent fixtures have for years produced a flickering light. But new advances in the types of low-energy, high-output flicker-free fluorescent bulbs means you can now build your own bright beautiful soft light sources for a fraction of the cost of the name brands. And because they're flicker free, you can use them for shooting video as well.

http://www.diyphotography.net/no-flicker-fluorescent-studio-lights-cheap
NPR On Astrophotography by William Sawalich NPR recently did a great story on its Picture Show blog about astrophotography. Unlike most other types of photographic pursuits, astrophotographers generally don't wield cameras, and they're also not looking through the optics of a telescope with the naked eye. Read about the process, and see a really nice gallery of astro images from a variety of sources, at NPR.org.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/01/22/133120650/atrophotography
Old Egypt In Color by William Sawalich Regular readers know of my fetish for antique images of exotic locales that have been photographed in color well ahead of the time when color images were commonplace. Well here's a pair of great galleries I've added to my must-see list. First is a group of photographs of Egypt from the early 1900s at the Brain Pickings blog. They're lantern slides—like glass transparencies—that were used in "magic lantern" viewers. Images from Egypt generally spark our western interests on their own, so this gallery of 100-year-old color photos is nothing short of mesmerizing. The second gallery is filled with images from a locale that isn't quite so exotic: the good ol' US of A. But the images are from the wild west in the 1920s and 30s, so they aren't your everyday fare. And as color photos, they're remarkably rare. Fascinating for photographers and historians alike, whether you just appreciate the oddity of seeing old worlds in color, or whether you just appreciate a glimpse into the past that isn't quite as abstract as black & white.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/05/23/egypt-vintage-lantern-slides
http://www.howtobearetronaut.com/2011/05/america-1920s-30s-in-color
Olympic Robo-Cams by William Sawalich I've been looking forward to the London Olympics practically since the Beijing games came to a close. The spectacle is unlike any other, and I love the beautiful images that come out of the TV coverage as well as the still photographer army covering the games. This year there will be a robotic addition to that photographic army, as two Reuters photographers are busily installing almost a dozen robotically controlled DSLRs into various venues around the city. Controlled remotely by computer, the cameras are positioned high above the action in each venue—places where human photographers could never go—and can be zoomed, panned, rotated and focused, all from a remote location. Read all about it on the Reuters blog, and look for their images in the coming weeks. Thanks to DP Review for pointing out this great story of what's sure to be another example of Olympic excellence.

http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2012/07/04/robo-cams-go-for-olympic-gold
On Assignment For National Geographic by William Sawalich National Geographic photographer John Stanmeyer is frequently asked one simple question: What is it like to work on assignment for the famous yellow-bordered magazine? Well on his personal photo blog he's recently posted the first in what's to be an ongoing series about exactly what shooting for Nat Geo entails. From the look of things, a lot of it involves getting wet and dirty and tired and smelly, and ruining a lot of expensive camera equipment in the quest for the perfect picture. It's a great read, illustrated by photos that bring home just how challenging the job can be. Which, in a way, illustrates the power and importance of photographs telling a story, and why the Geographic puts such effort into visual journalism. Thanks to A Photo Editor for pointing his readers to this great post.

www.stanmeyer.com

Photo by Anil Chandra Roy
On Location With An Expert In Arches National Park by William Sawalich Photographer John Paul Caponigro writes a wonderful blog full of tremendous photography and post-production tips and techniques. He has a technical understanding of the digital workflow that makes learning easy, and frankly one that is impressive if for no other reason than because it's always done solely to serve the image. What I mean by that is that I think some online instructional gurus are really good at explaining technique and giving examples on images that are nothing like anything you'd ever hope to make. Mr. Caponigro, though, is a real life artist and his images demonstrate a depth not only of technique but of artistic vision as well. And that, to me, is a really special combination. Here's a link to a video of John Paul on location in Arches National Park, which is fun enough in and of itself. But the couple of great tips he throws out make it well worth the price of admission. The idea of watching the edges of light between brightness and shadow… that's an incredibly sophisticated bit of advice that you're not gonna get from any tech-head newbie out there. For that kind of princely advice, turn to a pro like John Paul Caponigro.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/8027/what-its-like-to-be-on-location-with-me-at-arches-canyonlands-national-park
One More Shot At Winter by William Sawalich Unless you live in the most northern or high-altitude climes of North America, chances are good you're getting close to the official end of winter. But even those of us who can sense that Spring is in the air are not completely out of the woods. Many areas of the country could still be due for a late season surprise snowstorm. If and when it arrives, be ready with the know-how to make the most of your last chance at a snow photography opportunity. The problem is, many winter photo tips are always the same; adjust your exposure compensation because of all the snow, yadda yadda yadda. But this collection of uncommon snow photography tips from James Maher is chockablock full with good, insightful advice that is definitely not the same old stuff. So assuming that global warming doesn't bring us an early summer, check out these snow photo tips at DPS and get your warm socks on.

http://digital-photography-school.com/5-uncommon-snow-photography-tips-that-can-transform-your-winter-scenes
One-Light Portrait Advice by William Sawalich Just yesterday I was making simple studio portraits with a couple of lights and I was thinking about how great photographs require great light, but great light doesn’t mean lots of lights. Case in point: photographer Matthew Jordan Smith speaks in this Profoto-sponsored how-to video about creating a gorgeous one-light portrait of model Tyra Banks. More than your average short video, this clip has Mr. Smith diagram the shoot and offer insights not only for working with one light but for positioning lights for the ideal effect. He also offers advice for working with models when you're using a powerful source like a ring light. It's a great shot, and a great video—both done simply and both done quite well.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2010/12/matthew-jordan-smith-gives-tyra-ring.html
Online Lighting Diagram Creator by William Sawalich Photography is all about repeatability. I've believed this for years. Anybody can luck into a good picture every now and then, but it takes genuine skills to repeat your success. And that skill is what makes a good photographer. I think one of the best ways to develop the skill of repeatability is to take good notes. From exposures to post-processing, notes about how you approached a shot are important. And that's nowhere more true than when it comes to lighting. So many photographers sketch out lighting diagrams to help remember, and next time build upon, a given lighting setup. But drawing good lighting diagrams can actually be a bit of a challenge. So when I stumbled across this web site I was pretty stoked. It makes lighting diagrams easily via a free and intuitive online tool. Now you can make nice, appealing, even downright elaborate lighting diagrams with just a few mouse clicks. And that is sure to help you keep track of your setups so you can recreate your successes and improve on the setups that aren't quite right. Check it out at http://www.lightingdiagrams.com/Creator
Online Photo Editing Resources by William Sawalich Everything else happens on the internet, so why shouldn't your photo editing occur online too? I can't say that I've ever done any serious image editing online, but the idea definitely intrigues me—especially as a resource for folks who don't have hundreds of dollars to shell out for photo editing programs that live on their computers. The Light Stalking photo blog recently compiled a list of five free online photo editing programs that deserve a look if you're interested in editing your images online. One of them even carries the Photoshop name. All in all, online editors probably aren't yet ready to take over for full-fledged computer-based versions of photo software, but they're making great strides—and they're providing a useful resource for many users, and maybe even a glimpse into the future of photo software.

http://www.lightstalking.com/online-photo-editing
Optimizing Images for the iPad by William Sawalich I’ve been playing with my iPad a lot lately. I’ve been trying to put it to good photographic use, though in truth I’m mostly playing games and Facebooking with the thing. When I finally put my portfolio on my iPad, I discovered that some images looked perfect while others were just a bit off. Why? Because I didn’t optimize my photographs for display on the device. Thankfully there’s a great article from Serious Amateur Photography about making your photos display perfectly on the iPad. From image sizing and sharpening to the perfect proportions for your pictures. If you’re looking to make your iPad promos look perfect, it’s a must-read.

http://jefflynchdev.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/the-ipad-portfolio-how-to-look-your-best/
Oscar Portraits by William Sawalich I saw this last week and thought that I'd save it until much closer to the Oscars, which are sure to be at least a few weeks away. Turns out time really is flying by, and the Academy Awards were last night. Well if you haven't had your fill of big-name actors yet, here's a link to a collection of portraits of all the best actor/actress/supporting nominees as photographed by master portraitist Douglas Kirkland. The exhibit "Out of Character," which was commissioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and printed on Moab Entrada Rag Natural 300 paper, is currently on display at The AMPAS Grand Lobby Gallery in Beverly Hills. It's up for the next few weeks, and it's free of charge and open to the public. If you can't make it to L.A. for the festivities, check out the online gallery at the Oscars web site, which includes some behind the scenes photographs of the making of the portraits.

http://oscar.go.com/photos/out-of-character
Our Tools Are Pretty Great by William Sawalich Do you treat your memory cards, as I do, like they are nearly indestructible? My storage system does include a card wallet, but only for organizational purposes. I regularly store cards in my actual "wallet" wallet, as well as the jeans pocket of my pants adjacent to my car keys or my cell phone—depending on whether or not a card has been shot. I know, it's weird. But still, the point is that I don't exactly treat them with kid gloves. And that's okay. Turns out we all do this. It's one of the benefits of living in the digital era. Our "film" no longer has to be handled as carefully as it did back in the bad old days. Take, for instance, this tongue in cheek bit of satire from The Online Photographer. It's a list of do's and don'ts for the proper handling of memory cards that includes not changing cards in direct sunlight and storing unused cards in the freezer. Goodness, can you even remember the lengths to which we once had to go in order to make good pictures? If you're unfortunate enough to be too young to remember those days, you may not enjoy this bit of satire as much as the rest of us. But either way, trust me: it's good to be a digital photographer. We don't even have to put our hands in chemistry any more. You definitely won't find me complaining about that. Today's tools are pretty darn great.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/08/handling-memory-cards.html
Own Your Own McCurry by William Sawalich I've been fortunate in my career to interview some of the greatest photographers around. None of them have been greater, or more influential, or have had such an impact on me personally, than Magnum photographer Steve McCurry. Perhaps best known for his iconic "Afghan Girl" National Geographic cover, McCurry has a tremendous portfolio of images—many of them portraits—from three decades traveling the world. He's a true photographic icon, and if like me you are a huge admirer of his work you may want to look into the new Iconic Photographs limited edition book from publisher Phaidon. Complete with a limited edition photographic print, the book is signed and numbered (up to 3,300) by Mr. McCurry himself. At just under $400 it's an option for collecting his work that is within reach of those who aren't the typical millionaire art collector. And a great way to own a collection of fabulous documentary and portrait photographs from one of the world's best photographers.

http://www.phaidon.com/store/photography/steve-mcurry-the-iconic-photographs-limited-edition-9780714856339
Paul Nicklen’s Narwhals by William Sawalich This post comes courtesy of a link from the Kateoplis Tumblr page—which is a Tumblr I highly recommend if you're interested in gathering links to great photos and interesting tidbits from the art, fashion and photographic communities. She recently linked to a National Geographic story about Narwhal hunting in Arctic ice floes by Paul Nicklen. Nicklen is an amazing photographer, and this series—which is definitely a bit disturbing due to fairly graphic images of the animals hunted and butchered—is enlightening and moving. A must read for fans of the work of Mr. Nicklen, and for those who are simply concerned about the plight of the arctic and its inhabitants, both man and animal.
http://kateoplis.tumblr.com/post/6514054236/paul-nicklen
Photograph by Paul Nicklen
Permission To Chimp by William Sawalich Ever heard the word "chimping"? It's the derogatory term for looking at your camera's LCD screen after each exposure. I'm not sure why it's called chimping. Maybe the idea is that even a monkey could take a good picture by looking at the screen after each exposure, and adjusting the camera settings accordingly. But that's the brilliance of chimping as a valuable photographic tool: you can evaluate your settings and change them on the fly in order to improve your photographs. We'd be silly not to take advantage of this invaluable feedback while we shoot. So the next time some old fuddy-duddy makes fun of you for chimping, refer to this blog post by Rob Sheppard and point out to them that just like you use your speedometer to keep track of your driving prowess, so does the LCD screen on the back of your camera offer ideal information for tracking your photographic progress. And there's nothing amateur about that.

http://www.natureandphotography.com/?p=1154/
Phase One & Expression Media by William Sawalich In case you didn’t catch it, Phase One (makers of Phase One digital cameras and the increasingly popular Capture One image processing software) has purchased Expression Media (digital asset management and database software used by folks who have a whole lot of images to organize). This is good news for users of both programs, because owners of one can upgrade to the other for free. For a month, Phase One is offering a free copy of Capture One to Expression Media users, and a free copy of Expression Media to Capture One users. I’m anticipating a whole new uber-player in the processing/browsing/management arena. Only time will tell…

phaseone.com
Photo and/or Video by William Sawalich I'm conflicted about us still photographers moving into the world of shooting video. On one hand, I don’t necessarily believe that just because my camera is equipped for some new capture methodology means that I have the skills to do it well. On the other hand, the creative and inquisitive parts of me are intrigued by the idea of exploring the possibilities. Well all of this theoretical consideration finally became a reality as I had the opportunity to work on a multimedia project shot entirely with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II. My focus was a modified photo essay augmented by natural sound, video and personal interviews. I learned a lot working on it, not the least of which was that I needed to spend more time on the photography, and even more time focusing on the kinds of images that would tell the story best. In the end, I used up the better part of a week learning video editing, but it was a very rewarding challenge. Shooting for a multimedia piece involves a whole different mindset than shooting just stills, and I think simply exercising a different part of your mind has to be a good thing. I’m still not convinced that all photographers can shoot video any more than all videographers can shoot stills, but I’m a little more willing to explore all of the options available to me. And—who am I kidding—I’m kind of excited about that. Check out the results at Vimeo.com.

vimeo.com
Photo Based Reality TV by William Sawalich I may be a bit of a TV addict, but I'm also somewhat of a TV snob. I do not usually get caught up in celebrity-gone-wild style reality TV, but I may make an exception for a new Bravo show. Double Exposure follows the high-fashion photography duo of Markus Klinko and Indrani, formerly a romantic couple and currently the king and queen of the high-fashion photography world. Their talent is remarkable—but apparently so is their penchant for drama. In fairness, from the few clips I've seen, Indrani—the former model—seems to be fairly reasonable and, dare I say it, normal. Klinko, however, seems to be a walking caricature of a diva fashion photographer—the kind of man-child that reality show producers must dream about. Tune in for the drama or tune in for the comedy. Or you can just tune in because as a photographer it's fascinating to get a behind the scenes glimpse of big budget fashion shoots. On one hand they work just like the rest of us. On the other, we couldn't be working in more different worlds. For schedule and video clips look to the Bravo web site.

bravotv.com
Photograph Bears In Alaska With World-Class Wildlife Photographers by William Sawalich What are you doing this July? Can you spare a few days to travel to Alaska to learn from, and shoot with, world-class wildlife photographers Jay Goodrich and Art Wolfe? Because if you can, you most definitely should. The pair will be hosting a four-day workshop where you'll photograph not only brown bears but bald eagles and puffins and countless other wild animals, as well as the beautiful landscapes of Lake Clark National Park. There are still a few open spots, but only a few. So act fast. Read all about the trip, including how and where to sign up, at Jay's blog.

http://jaygoodrich-blog.com/lake-clark-alaska-art-wolfe-and-jay-goodrich-july-25-28-2011
Photographers As Television Stars? by William Sawalich It's not every day you see photographers being interviewed on television. When you do, it's usually the icons of the 20th century who are household names anyway: Leibovitz, Avedon, Cartier-Bresson. But recently a regular photographer—talented, phenomenal, amazing, but still a regular working photographer—got his due on "the second best fake news show" on TV when Jon Stewart interviewed Ben Lowy on The Daily Show. Ben is a photojournalist whose new book, Iraq Perspectives, has received several honors including being selected by iconic William Eggleston to win the Center for Documentary Studies Honickman First Book Prize in Photography. That wasn't why he was interviewed, though. He was assigned to cover The Daily Show for an article in Rolling Stone and the producers were impressed enough to put him in front of their cameras. Check out the interview via The Online Photographer blog, then head over to Ben's web site to learn more about him and see his impressive work.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2011/12/ben-lowy-on-the-daily-show.html
http://www.benlowy.com
Photographers On Photography by William Sawalich I don’t just write this blog. Obviously I have a life and a family and I take pictures, but I mean I write more blogs than this one. I also write another blog about photography that, at the risk of sounding entirely too self serving, I thought you might be interested in as well. I call it Key Words: Photographers On Photography, and I’ve been updating it for about a year. It’s a little bit amorphous, with no set schedule or agenda, but it does have one constant principle that drives it: when I read something about photography and I find it so informative or inspiring that I just have to print it out and paste it on my wall, I also paste it on my digital wall—via the Key Words blog. I include things about creativity, technique, the photo business... anything that I find particularly informative or inspiring to help me with my photography. Feel free to check it out. I hope you will find it helpful with your own photography too.

http://www.sawalich.com/keywords
Photographers Recount Their 9/11 Experiences by William Sawalich In honor of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the Associated Press has published interviews with its photojournalists who documented history unfolding in New York on that fateful day. For most of them, their cameras acted as shields to keep a crucial theoretical distance between themselves and the horrible events they were witnessing. Read more at the Associated Press web site, and in many newspapers throughout the country. Then visit the Time Magazine web site. They’ve also published a web gallery of 9/11 images, these from iconic photographer James Nachtwey whose images are every bit as poignant today as they were a decade ago. Time also has many other memorial projects in the works, including a photo book, a commemorative issue of the magazine and a full-length documentary feature film.

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1660644_1442563,00.html
http://hosted2.ap.org/APDefault/*/Article_2011-08-11-Sept%2011-Iconic%20Images/id-25f4d95a3de74d9785ae03dde5260ab6
Photographers, Know Your Rights by William Sawalich As someone who earns a living taking pictures, and frequently does so in public, I'm particularly attuned to issues involving the constitutionality of making pictures in public. So it was with bated breath that I read the Know Your Rights, Photographer post at the American Civil Liberties Union web site. It serves as a reminder that you have the right to make pictures in public spaces of anything that is in plain view. Unfortunately, some law enforcement officers (and, often, private security forces) aren't up to speed on the legality of photographing in public. So knowing the law, understanding your rights, and learning how to deal with someone who is detaining you can be a valuable skill for a photographer. I recommend that you brush up on your rights at the ACLU web site, and remember that no matter how “right” you may be, if you’re stopped by a police officer be sure to always remain polite and do not physically resist arrest. Knowing your rights might be protection enough.

http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/know-your-rights-photographers
Photographic Superbowl Commercial by William Sawalich Last week I should have mentioned how much I loved the Superbowl commercial about the farmers. It was for Ram trucks, and that makes sense but was almost immaterial—at least for me. I was highly aware as I was watching the commercial unfold (to the soundtrack of the incomparable Paul Harvey) that I was looking at some tremendous still photography. Some of it was lightly animated, but for the most part these stills were stills, served straight up. What I didn't know, and do now, is that ten world-class photographers were contracted by an adman to study life on the farm. The result... well, it speaks for itself. If you weren't fortunate enough to see it in real time, here's a link, courtesy of A Photo Editor. Also included are links to the tremendous photographers featured, including William Allard, Kurt Markus and Matt Turley.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2013/02/05/the-1-rated-super-bowl-commercial-shot-by-10-photographers/
Photographing Atop A 1200-foot Tower by William Sawalich Last year I found myself bidding on a commercial photography job that would require repeated visits to a Mississippi River bridge construction site over the course of many months. After receiving my bid the client called to thank me and, almost as an aside, mentioned one other thing. "You'd have to shoot from the top of a 400-foot-tall tower in the middle of the river. Will that be a problem?" Of course being a good businessman I instantly said it was no problem at all and we ended our call. I then proceeded to lay awake in bed for the next three nights, going over in my head what it would be like to photograph from the top of such a tower. Certainly there'd be no elevator. Would there be handrails? Would I be strapped to something? Would I get weak in the knees, or lose my lunch? I've never been so relieved not to get an assignment in my life—my now much longer and happier life, I'm sure. Well photographer Mark Blinch recently found himself on assignment atop an even taller structure, the 1200-foot-tall CN Tower in Toronto. While there he found something else: there's no handrail. Read all about this Reuters photographer's adventure at the Reuters web site. Then thank your lucky stars that you're not up there with him.

http://blogs.reuters.com/photo/2011/07/27/teetering-on-the-edge
Photographing Shadow And Light by William Sawalich The photographer Joey L makes me angry. You see, he's really good. Really, really good. And he's just a kid. Yes, technically he's 21, but when I first learned of his world-class globetrotting work he was only 17. Less than half my age, and more than twice as good! Yes, it's petty jealousy. Joey L (short for Joey Lawrence but in no way the same guy as the 1980s child actor whose catch phrase was "whoa") is a ridiculously talented and successful photographer. By any measure, he's enviable for 99% of photographers in the world. Bottom line, he's just really, really good. And now he's got a new book, Photographing Shadow and Light, as well as a LONG 43-minute documentary video online. And I think all of us, from Strobist's David Hobby to any other kids out there who have just picked up their first camera, can benefit from spending a little time learning from Joey L.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-book-doc-from-joey-l-are-both.html
Photographing Stars Of The Non-Celebrity Kind by William Sawalich Here's a great guide that's sure to be a godsend for many photographers who like to work after dark. It's Phil Hart's eBook called "Shooting Stars," which isn't about paparazzi photography but rather about photographing the night sky. Filled with information on equipment, technique and artistic vision, Hart's guide is 140 pages covering everything you need to know about photographing stars, from the necessary equipment (like tripods, bubble levels, filters and flashlights) to the best techniques for making beautiful motion blur shots of star trails or tack sharp images that allow you to explore the milky way. The digital download can be had for the low price of only $25. Check out this detailed review at the Pixiq site, then head over to Hart's site to purchase your own copy.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/shooting-stars-a-guide-to-shoot-the-moon-and-stars
http://www.philhart.com/shooting-stars
Photographing The Blue Hour by William Sawalich Here's a new one for you. I know you're familiar with the magic hour, and probably the golden hour, but have you ever heard about the blue hour? That's right, the blue hour. It's the time just before sunrise and just after sunset—adjacent to the times when the land is bathed in warm, golden sunlight—when the sky turns deep blue and everything gets a cool blue cast. It can be a wonderful time in which to photograph, though it's got to be approached a bit differently than the warmly dramatic true "magic hour" light. So how do you best capitalize on the blue hours? Check out this Lighstalking tutorial to learn how to shoot during these coolest times of day.

Photo by Garry - www.visionandimagination.com
http://www.lightstalking.com/blue-hours
Photographing The Night Sky's Aurora Australis by William Sawalich Way back when I was a high school kid (unfortunately now more than 20 years ago), I was lucky enough to spend a week in the wild woods of southern Ontario's Quetico National Park. This experience of living sparely in nature was a powerful event in my young life, and one that's stayed with me. One of the most special moments of that trip came late one night when my friends and I paddled our canoes out to the middle of a lake to watch as the northern lights began to glow. The aurora borealis is an amazing, ethereal shimmering light in the night sky, visible in northern latitudes on summer nights. Way down at the South Pole they have the same thing, but they call it Aurora Australis. Either way, being able to photograph such a gorgeous phenomenon is a life-long dream of mine--and it is for many others, I know. In this DPS post by Loic Le Guilly, you can learn not only how he approached his first chance to photograph a strong Aurora, but also see how he post-processed the photographs to bring out the color and maximize detail. And of course, you can also bask in the glory of these gorgeous Aurora photographs.

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-i-captured-my-first-aurora-australis
Photographing The Town That Disappeared by William Sawalich Thanks to the How to be a Retronaut blog (a personal favorite of mine for finding interesting photographs from the past) for pointing me to this great collection of images from the Atlantic Monthly's photo blog. It's the story of a town that disappeared. The Argentinian town of Villa Epecuen sat a few hundred miles from a large salt lake that, due to a prolonged rain, burst its earthen damn in 1985. Soon the town of 5000 was under 30 feet of water, and it remained that way for almost 25 years. Then in 2009 the water began to recede. Photographer Juan Mabromata visited recently, armed with images from the Villa's heyday, to photograph what a place looks like after a generation underwater. It's an amazing story illustrated with beautiful, haunting images.

www.theatlantic.com

Photo by Juan Mabromata
Photographs Of The Real Deadwood by William Sawalich I don't watch the TV show Deadwood, or I didn't when it was on HBO earlier in the decade. But it's on my list of things to check out (along with what seems like a million other shows and artists and musicians.) Anyway, this gallery of images from the real Deadwood, in South Dakota, should also be on that must-see list. It's filled with photographs by John C.H. Grabill from the late 1880s and it offers a wonderful historic record. According to Rachel Hulin's blog, "Between 1887 and 1892, John C.H. Grabill sent 188 photographs to the Library of Congress for copyright protection. Grabill is known as a western photographer, documenting many aspects of frontier life — hunting, mining, western town landscapes and white settlers' relationships with Native Americans. Most of his work is centered on Deadwood in the late 1880s and 1890s." I can't say that these photos make me wish I lived in Deadwood in the 19th century, but I'm definitely glad the images exist to document a time that is so fascinating to see.

http://www.rachelhulin.com/blog/2011/04/the-real-deadwood-by-john-c-h-grabill.html
Photography and the law by William Sawalich This is a must read for every photographer—unless of course you never take pictures outside of your own home. It’s a post from Black Star rising, linked to via A Photo Editor, all about the complex legal issues surrounding photography. It helps us understand what we as photographers need to know about our rights. It’s an increasingly important issue both for photographers and for an actively engaged citizenry. You can get a lot of good insights from the comments on the APE post as well. Know your rights, understand the law, make great pictures.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2010/09/09/photographers-and-the-law/
Photography Grants Available by William Sawalich Just about the only thing better than taking pictures is getting paid to take pictures. And just about the only thing better than someone licensing your work or assigning you to a shoot is receiving a grant for your work; it serves as a rousing endorsement of your own personal work. Jacob Maentz at the Lightstalking blog has compiled a very useful list of 10 places to apply for photography grants and scholarships, and there's something for everyone—for young photographers and seasoned professionals alike.

http://www.lightstalking.com/10-photography-grants-and-schlorships-for-amateurs-and-professionals
Photography Is Legal Again by William Sawalich It just got more legal to photograph in public spaces around important government buildings and landmarks. Thanks to efforts from the New York Civil Liberties Union, the U.S. government last week made it once again officially A-okay to photograph any and all exteriors of federal buildings viewed from public spaces. The Hyperallergic blog has a link to the documents, and Chase Jarvis suggests printing them out to help inform any government officials who haven't yet been brought up to speed. Chase also offers a great example of how problematic the old way was; he wasn't photographing a federal building, but because his streetscape shoot was close to a federal building he was still shut down by armed officers. And if you want to read about governments that really don’t like photography, check out the Time interview with photographer Platon who describes evading Burmese secret police in order to make a simple portrait.

http://hyperallergic.com/17621/us-photogs-official-free-to-photograph-public-space-federal-buildings/
http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/01/avoid-being-hassled-by-the-cops-while-shooting-pictures/
http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,731023907001_2040082,00.html
Photography Is Not A Crime by William Sawalich I've been reading a lot lately about the increasing criminalization of photography. It seems that more and more photographers are stopped by police officers all over the country for doing nothing more than photographing on public property. And many photographers, it seems, do not understand their rights: we have the right to photograph things that happen in public if we are on public property. That doesn't mean we can obstruct traffic or prevent police from doing their jobs, but public property is public whether you're a guy walking his dog or a guy taking a picture—no matter whether that picture is a personal snapshot or a professional assignment. If you're feeling at all unsure about your rights to photograph in public, I recommend you check out the story "Criminalizing Photography," by James Estrin of the New York Times. He interviews the chief General Counsel for the National Press Photographers' Association, Mickey H. Osterreicher, who explains just how much photography has come under attack in recent years. And then, if you've got the stomach for it, take a look at Carlos Miller's Photography Is Not A Crime blog, which showcases daily incidents of photographers being detained, harassed and just plain criminalized for doing nothing more than exercising their first amendment rights. Thanks to Mike Johnston, the Online Photographer, for inspiring me to speak out about this issue. His brief editorial does a wonderful job of succinctly explaining the issue facing photographers—and all members of our society—when it comes to protecting our freedoms.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/criminalizing-photography/
http://www.pixiq.com/contributors/carlosmiller
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2012/08/a-modest-proposal.html
Photography Isn’t About Cameras by William Sawalich In case you were thinking photography is all about the equipment, it’s not. Photography is about cameras the way dinner is about forks. As an example, take a look at this video that has nothing to do with photography. It’s from a talented animator who has used a very rudimentary tool, free Google docs cloud software, to create an amazing piece of art. If he can make this magic with a simple, free bit of software that wasn’t even intended for this, then you can do amazing things with whatever camera you currently own. Check it out, and try not to be blown away by the unbelievable creativity on display.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/its-never-about-the-equipment
Photography On Film by William Sawalich Here's another twofer for you. As I write this I'm watching a film about a photographer. it's called Bill Cunningham New York. Mr. Cunnigham is known to those who follow fashion and see his regular columns in the New York Times. He's a fascinating character, and the film is entertaining, enjoyable and constructive for photographers. Certainly not by way of photographic technique, as Mr. Cunningham freely admits he points and shoots whatever catches his eye. He's selling his aesthetic short, by the way, but his point is well taken: he's not a highly technical photographer. But what he does have is a highly refined eye: he knows what he likes. What photographers can most learn from him is passion. He does only what he loves, for entirely personal reasons far from the desire for financial success. He's a model many of us would be well served to emulate. More importantly, he comes off as a wonderful man and the movie is very touching. Read about the film at the Zeitgeist Films web site, and then do what I did—stream it from Netflix. I mention Netflix because it occurs to me that photographers who care to learn more about their craft, its history, technique and the arts in general could benefit greatly from a Netflix subscription. There are many great films I'd never see if it weren't for the easy access and low cost of Netflix. And because of the company's suggestion engine you can discover all sorts of instructive, educational and entertaining movies about photography that you never even new existed.

http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/billcunninghamnewyork/
http://www.netflix.com
Photography Wonder by William Sawalich Did you ever go over to the Yahoo Answers web site? It’s a nifty idea, albeit one that sometimes seems to fall short in practice. It works like this: somebody poses a question to the masses, and then the masses answer. Here’s where the problem lies: the masses sometimes get off track. Now someone else has come along and applied that concept specifically to photography and made it, at least at this early stage, considerably better. Maybe it’s because the masses in their entirety aren’t haunting the halls of Photography Wonder because it’s only for people who are interested in photography. So a photographer poses a question—from beginner to advanced—and other photographers answer. It’s a great way to pool our collective knowledge to learn from each other.

http://www.photographywonder.com
Photojournalists Bring Us The Story of Japan by William Sawalich With all of the coverage of the earthquake and tsunami devastation in Japan, I’ve found myself turning to photojournalists for a better understanding of what I’m seeing. Sure, television’s moving pictures do inform us quite effectively about what’s happening—especially on the broader scale. But I’ve noticed that the places in which I’m gaining a detailed understanding of the state of life on the ground in northern Japan all involve still photographs. I think it’s for this reason that photojournalists will always be integral to news gathering—even in a 24-hour television news cycle. For a dramatic and emotional gallery of images of the aftermath, perhaps no news galleries are better than the Boston Globe’s Big Picture and the Sacramento Bee’s The Frame. Be prepared, though—the images are heartbreaking.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/japan_one_week_later.html
http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/2011/03/japan-one-week-after-the-earth.html
Photos of Le Tour by William Sawalich I'm not a cyclist, but I'm a big fan of Le Tour—better known in this part of the world as The Tour de France. This 21-day cycling race, this marathon of marathons, is about as grueling a sporting event as I can imagine, with all sorts of history and drama to make it even more interesting. And the Sacramento Bee's Frame photo blog has put together a great gallery of photos of this year's just ended Tour. The pictures show the beauty, drama, intensity and sheer grueling nature of the event. And they make me dream about the day I can travel to france and see the race in person.

http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/2011/07/evans-looking-good-at-tour-de.html
Photos Of Le Tour by William Sawalich I freaking LOVE the Tour de France. Every year I look forward to the opportunity to hunker down and watch as much of it as is possible on American TV. That can be a bit of a challenge since we're not quite as devoted to cycling as Europeans. The other way I get my fix is through pictures—like those in this great gallery compiled by the Atlantic. The images from the Tour really are part of what makes it so great a spectacle: not only is it a three-week long test of human will and physical prowess, but it happens in some of the most picturesque terrain in the world. Watching the colorful peloton breeze through quaint villages, glide over mountain passes, fly through fertile fields... It's unlike anything else in this world. And well worth a look, even if you don't understand all the intricacies of the world's greatest sporting event.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/07/the-2012-tour-de-france-part-1-of-2/100337/
Photos Of The Shuttle's Final Years by William Sawalich Wired's Raw File photo blog is always a great resource for interesting photo essays. The recent gallery of photographs by Philip Scott Andrews chronicles the final years of the Space Shuttle program. And while I initially expected to simply scroll through the pictures for a second, I spent several minutes gazing at the little details in these intimate behind the scenes images—the likes of which I'd never seen before in the 30-year history of the shuttle program. It's a fitting chronicle of the end of an era, and a worthwhile visit if you're at all interested in the legacy of the iconic program.

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2012/07/a-new-look-at-the-end-of-the-space-shuttle-program/?pid=3001&viewall=true
Photos Of The Titanic, From The Titanic by William Sawalich I've had a busy month, so please forgive me for failing to mention the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. I'd made note of it, of course, because I had stumbled across this fabulous collection of photographs of the doomed ship and wanted to be sure to point them out to you. (While I'm at it, Mike Johnston of the Online Photographer blog linked to a tremendous account of the sinking of the Titanic, written by someone who had been on the boat. It was phenomenal, and explained the experience of the sinking of the ship to me in a way no big budget movie or even photographic account ever quite has. It's worth a look; head over to Mike's site to search it out.) Time Magazine's Lightbox blog features photographs by amateur photographer Father Francis Browne, who sailed on the Titanic's maiden voyage from the Southampton to its first stop in Ireland. There he was called back to his station, so Browne disembarked, which ultimately saved his life. He thankfully brought with him a collection of photographs he'd made on board the ship in its first days at sea, and they remain the only images from the Titanic itself that have survived. Today they offer a tremendous glimpse into this mysterious bit of history, and a fitting way to commemorate the centennial of the great American tragedy.

http://lightbox.time.com/2012/04/04/titanic/#1
Photoshop CS6 Resources by William Sawalich Way back in the heat of summer, Scott Kelby posted a great list of resources for new users of—and those who are considering the purchase of—Adobe Photoshop CS6. I made a note of it, but never got around to sharing it. Until now. Since I'm (finally) entertaining my own purchase of the latest version of Adobe's flagship photo editing program, I figured I'd share these links with you. There are ten links on Kelby's Weekly Photo Tips blog post, and all of them offer a great introduction to PS CS 6—everything from tips and tricks to detailed explorations of new features and their benefits. Better still, Kelby links to a resource for purchasing the program for 75% off retail for any teachers or students in your home. And remember, if the purchase price is too high for your comfort level, you've always got the option of Adobe's subscription-based Creative Cloud service that makes accessing all of its imaging software much more attainable with only a small monthly fee.

http://weeklyphototips.blogspot.com/2012/07/photoshop-cs6-resources-for-learning.html
Photoshop Exchange by William Sawalich Thanks again, John Paul Caponigro, for coming through with spot-on invaluable Photoshop information. In this recent post he points us readers to a great resource for over 10,000 Photoshop add-ons—from templates to tutorials, brushes to plug-ins. It's Adobe's own Photoshop Exchange, where photographers can access thousands of unique tools (like Actions, Styles and Brushes) to make Photoshop better—or easier, more fun and more interesting. And many of them are given away for free. The ones that do charge, Caponigro points out, average only a few bucks each, so either way it's an invaluable resource. Take a look at what you can add on to your computer to make Photoshop work even better.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/6033/photoshop-exchange/
Photoshop For iPad by William Sawalich At last month’s Photoshop World convention in Las Vegas, Adobe execs demoed an early concept for Apple’s iPad. It’s a Photoshop App, and it would allow fairly sophisticated manipulation of layered images on the touch screen of a tablet. I don’t know that I’d want to work with layers and my big fat fingers on a touch screen—I have enough trouble with layers and a mouse or pen and tablet—but I know it would be great to turn my iPad into a one-stop imaging and editing resource. Adobe Vice President John Loiacono demonstrated the app, which you can watch in the linked video from Rob Galbraith’s blog.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11314-11406
Photoshop for your mobile phone by William Sawalich It's official: the end of the world has arrived. There's a functional version of Photoshop made explicitly for use on the iPhone and iPad mobile devices. The thought of actually editing photos on those little keyless, mouseless devices actually seems like a tiny little nightmare. But the more I think about it, the better it sounds. The limited options for making cell phone photos look a little bit better can be infuriating. Surely this pared down PS makes it easy and intuitive to crop, rotate and color correct pictures on the devices. In this digital world, where many photos need not necessarily ever touch a computer, it makes sense that folks who work with camera phones might like to do things other than the same cheesy prepackaged special effects every other mobile shooter has on hand. A little bit of freedom goes a long way, and the end result could be pretty cool. I wonder what the future holds for this sort of mobile imaging. Next thing you know we'll be editing videos and publishing via the iPhone too. Actually, can’t we already do that too?

http://mobile.photoshop.com
Photoshop For Your Phone by William Sawalich Call me crazy, old fashioned, or just downright simple, but I just can't figure out why I would want Photoshop on my iPhone. Is it just me? Don't get me wrong: I love (LOVE!) Photoshop, and I love (LOVE!) my iPhone, but for some reason Adobe's announcement of Photoshop Touch for Android and iPhones just makes me want to… shrug. Am I the only one? Maybe I'm being a hater and I need to get my hands on the thing to see if I can really put it to use. Or maybe I'm just being an old fuddy-duddy. Maybe it's just a matter of simple miscommunication, and I shouldn't think of Photoshop Touch as Photoshop for my iPhone as much as I should think of it as Adobe's competition for the one-click filters of Instagram. Viewed through that lens, I'm starting to see some of the appeal. Check it out for yourself via this article, and the even more informative comments that follow, at the DPReview Connect blog.

http://connect.dpreview.com/post/6244411084/adobe-photoshop-touch-android-ios-mobile
Photoshop Iris Blur Preview by William Sawalich I love the Photoshop Sneak Peeks that Adobe releases prior to every new version of the software. From Adobe's perspective it's a great way to drum up interest and excitement in a new product. But from a user's perspective... well, it's sorta the same thing: a great way to get excited for new features in the next version of Photoshop. John Paul Caponigro linked to this new sneak peek into Photoshop CS6, featuring a simple, powerful, and downright awesome-looking tool called Iris Blur. The idea is to make a tool that's essentially a one-click way to recreate a shallow depth of field in any image. If you didn't shoot at a wide aperture—a big iris—you can create the look easily by positioning a point in the center of an area you want to be sharp, and then dragging a circle to enlarge the area of focus or shrink it. It's a pretty great looking tool that I can't wait to get my hands on.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/8018/photoshop-cs6-sneak-peek-6-iris-blur/
Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts by William Sawalich I recently read a blog post in which a photographer advocated utilizing shortcut keys when editing photos in Photoshop. He was brief, but right: shortcuts really are important if you want to work with images efficiently in the computer.

For example, there are a few basic shortcuts (or speedkeys) that I use all the time in Photoshop. Better still, the basic key combinations tend to be universal across many programs. On my Mac, it's CMD-O to open a file, CMD-A to select all, CMD-C to copy, CMD-X to cut, CMD-V to paste, CMD-W to close the window, CMD-Q to quit the program. (On Windows, simply replace the Command key with Control.) If you can start with just these basics, you'll seriously improve your processing time.

After those basics are covered, consider learning some keystrokes specific to your most frequently used programs. In Photoshop, I frequently hit F to cycle to a full-page view of the image I’m working on. I use the O key to toggle to the dodge/burn tool, the V key to access the move tool, the S key for the stamp, the J key for spot healing brush, the T key for type, the E key to erase and the B key for the paintbrush. I guess I didn't realize just how many of these basic speedkeys I actually use all the time. How did I learn them? I printed out a little cheat sheet and taped it to the side of my monitor, right next to where the toolbar is located. Not only did it help me to see which keys correlated to which tools, it still provides a quick reference for the random tools I don't use on a regular basis.

There are speedkeys for almost every function you can imagine in Photoshop. To get started, check out Adobe’s Help guide with details on keyboard shortcuts arranged by function. And for printable shortcut cheat sheets for many versions of Photoshop, visit designer Trevor Morris’ web site to download, print out and start learning the keystrokes that will streamline your Photoshop workflow.

help.adobe.com
morris-photographics.com
Photoshop Setup Tips by William Sawalich It's the simplest photography tips that I find have the most staying power. And so this collection of five simple Photoshop setup tips has the potential to be life changing. Covering everything from how files are opened to where they're saved, and a few crucial settings for in between, Helen Bradley (Photoshop and Lightroom tutorial EXPERT, I should point out) really nails it here at the DPS blog. I've just gone through this list to be sure that Photoshop is optimized to perform exactly how I'd like it to. You should do the same.

http://digital-photography-school.com/5-photoshop-setup-tips
Photoshop To Go From "For Sale" To "For Rent" by William Sawalich Say goodbye to buying Photoshop. Adobe announced last week that going forward it will no longer sell its Creative Suite of software in a "perpetual license" model. From now on, the formerly optional subscription service the company calls Creative Cloud will now be the only way the software—including Photoshop—will be available. The downside is for those who enjoy purchasing their software occasionally and not upgrading with every new version in order to keep costs down. The upside, of course, will be that as a subscriber your software will always be up to date, as new features and updates will happen bit by bit, rather than all at once in a single new software going on sale. And the pricing of cloud services can actually be a big cost-saver if you utilize several applications. When I first heard this news, I wondered about the eventual outcry. There's been some from photographers, because Lightroom is as of now not included in the Creative Cloud options. There's been speculation, and even some hint from Adobe, that this could change going forward in the future. Get the full scoop on options and pricing via Petapixel.

http://petapixel.com/2013/05/07/adobe-thinking-about-a-creative-cloud-bundle-geared-toward-photographers
Pictures Not Taken by William Sawalich Today's book looks like a pretty great book about photography, yet it's got no photos. It's "Photographs Not Taken," a book of essays rather than photographs. Written by photographers, it's all about the personal stories of missed opportunities and the mistakes that led to them, by such prominent photographers as Mary Ellen Mark, Tim Hetherington, Roger Ballen and Sylvia Plachy. This book seems destined to become a must-read for every photographer and photography collector, and it's a brilliant idea to boot. Who would've thought a book about photography could be so well served by not including any photos? Learn more via the New York Times Lens blog.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/28/a-picture-book-without-pictures
Picturing Sandy's Aftermath by William Sawalich Hurricane Sandy was obviously a huge disaster that people in the Northeast are fighting their way out of. But even now, almost two weeks after the hurricane wreaked havoc on one of the most populous areas of the country, I don't feel like I have a real understanding of the damage. That changed, though, when a friend linked to the Big Picture blog from Boston.com, which always does a great job curating news photography. And it was through this site and its photographs that I felt like I started to gain a real, meaningful understanding of the damage—and the plight of the people forced to deal with it firsthand.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/10/hurricane_sandy_the_superstorm.html
Picturing The Future Of The Olympics by William Sawalich If you're like me you love all things related to the Olympics. (Well, all things except for the performance enhancing drugs and petty politics.) But the pageantry, the spectacle, and the once-every-four-years rarity gets me really psyched up for both the summer and winter games. Well summer 2012 will see the Olympics in London and, as is required for any city to secure the Olympics, a whole lot of new facilities are being constructed for the games. Including this gorgeous structure—the aquatics center. Here's a gorgeous gallery of architectural images photographed by London photographers Hufton + Crow. Beautiful all by itself, it's going to be a stunning location in which the athletes can take center stage.

www.dezeen.com

Photo by Hufton + Crow
Pinterest Blowback by William Sawalich Several months back I wrote about Pinterest. I found it to be a wonderful new way to organize, note and catalog inspiring images found around the internet. Clearly I'm not alone, as millions of users have made it the fastest growing social media site in history. But what I didn't take the time to consider is something that's now causing quite a pushback from many photographers. Pinterest is, essentially, a giant collection of copyright infringements. My initial uses of Pinterest taught me a seemingly acceptable etiquette in which every image was linked back to the source. So at first glance it seemed like a fairly innocuous, even helpful service for photographers. Another way for people to share your work, but this time within the context of a framework that always maintains the attribution of where that image came from. Or so I thought.

The problem is that lately when I've clicked on interesting images I find on Pinterest, I've been taken to a blank Google Image Search page. So I've essentially found an orphaned image, with no credit to the creator, and no direct link to where that image came from. And it can spread like wildfire throughout the Pinterest universe. That's clearly a problem. When I pin an image I like I am also actively trying to promote a photographer whose work I appreciate. But I'm clearly in the minority here, as many users don't bother linking to the work of the creator, or even mentioning the artist by name. And often times, because of the homemaking bent of the site, the pictures simply link directly to a recipe or an editorial about a product for which a commercial photographer was likely hired, but for whom no additional compensation has been provided for creating a viral image—one that doesn't even link to any sort of attribution for the photographer. And heck, even if it does, you can't eat an attribution.

So I'm not saying you shouldn't use Pinterest. But I am saying you should be aware of the consequences, and consider how you use the site. Maybe you'll determine that you're not comfortable with such a tacit agreement. If nothing else, do some reading and see what various creators and organizations are saying about the service, and why there protests might have real merit. Start with this interesting video and article on TechCrunch about suggested changes to Pinterest's Terms of Service and how proposed changes, as well as changes to conventional "pin etiquette," have been inspired by photographers and how the service might change to accommodate us. Then read the updated Terms of Service that Pinterest literally just released.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/20/copyright-issues-could-spur-changes-to-pinterests-terms-of-use-and-pin-etiquette/
http://pinterest.com/about/terms/
Pinterest For Photographers by William Sawalich All the women in my life have been going gaga for a new web site lately, and so I finally joined them to find out what all the fuss is about. And now I see what they love so much. It's a web site called Pinterest, and it's a sort of a fun, crafty, DIY, designy, wonderful combination, as if Etsy and Facebook made a baby, a web site that's part social networking, part visual catalog, part personal notepad. It basically works like this: you find images online that you love and you pin them to your digital wall. Your friends and followers and the public online membership of Pinterest can see your image, like it, and even re-pin your posts. So what's this mean for photographers? Well aside from discovering great recipes and wonderful decorating tips and examples of good design, it's also a phenomenal resource for great photography. The food images are almost universally beautiful and the architectural images are sublime. And there's even a whole Photography section of Pinterest—the perfect place to browse beautiful photographs. I'm a big believer in surrounding yourself with work that inspires you, and Pinterest is a great place to do that. It's a great place to catalog and view phenomenal photography, and by osmosis learn to do it yourself. The only catch is that right now Pinterest is invite-only. Apply online at pinterest.com and you should be online in just a few days. And when you get there, look me up.

www.pinterest.com
Pirelli's Humanitarian Calendar by William Sawalich In a past life I worked briefly (and just barely) in the motorcycle world, and I once got to witness the knee-buckling beauty of the Pirelli pinup calendar in person. This year, though, Pirelli has done something a bit different with its annual calendar. While it still features beautiful women in exotic locations, they are all fully clothed—and one of them is even pregnant. This year's photographer is not a traditional fashion or beauty photographer, either. The 2013 calendar was photographed by renowned Magnum photojournalist Steve McCurry, who spent two weeks photographing the models—each of whom is also known for her humanitarian work—in his documentary style to create what he calls "a calendar of the soul." McCurry, in my opinion, just might be the finest photographer working today. To get a glimpse of the master at work, check out the 30-minute "making of" video courtesy of Pirelli. It's a landmark calendar for many reasons, notable in more ways than ever in its 2013 iteration.

http://www.iso1200.com/2012/11/the-cal-making-of-new-pirelli-calendar.html
Pix Boom Ba by William Sawalich Well this is a fun idea. Ever want to ask a studly National Geographic photographer for some picture-taking advice? Now you can, thanks to the new web site Pix Boom Ba. The ridiculously named URL should give you an idea of some of the charm of this photo tips site, and that's the fact that the guru photographers involved—Bob Caputo and Cary Wolinski—are having fun while answering questions and offering photographic advice. With so many online resources geared to teaching photographic basics via blog, text and video (as this site also does), it's great to see someone putting effort into making photo tips entertaining too. And that’s something this site does better than almost any other.

http://www.pixboomba.com
PocketWizards For Everyone! by William Sawalich Whereas my experience with PocketWizard radio transmitters, receivers and transceivers has always been outstanding (courtesy of the company's Plus and Plus II models), any time I've had the occasion to use a considerably more affordable off-brand of radio transmitter, I've tended to find myself disappointed. Delicate construction, confusing controls and simple unreliability have cursed me on the few occasions that I've dabbled with el cheapo wireless radios for triggering flashes. That said, the biggest problem I've always had with my PocketWizards is simply their price. A few hundred bones for a transceiver makes it tricky to always be sure you've got a backup or two (or ten). But not any more. Pocketwizard's new $99 Plux X remote is the wireless transmitter that I'm willing to bet fits the bill for 99% of photographers. David Hobby agrees with me. Read all about it at his Strobist blog, and start saving your nickels—it won't take too many of them to afford this remote.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2013/03/pocketwizard-plus-x-remotes-break-100.html
Poignant Pictures Of Where Children Sleep by William Sawalich Sometimes beautiful photography is also very difficult. Such is the case with these amazing and touching images by photographer James Mollison. He's made a book for children, filled with portraits of kids from around the world and the places in which they sleep. From rich to poor, impoverished to luxurious, the book and beautiful images are designed to help kids ages 9 to 13 empathize with other children throughout the world. It's hard to imagine a book that works so well for kids also functioning so beautiful as a meaningful photo book for adults.

www.brainpickings.com
Point (Your Finger) And Shoot by William Sawalich Point and shoot takes on a new meaning with this camera-equipped "EyeRing." It's a ring you wear on your finger and, while it's quite clunky as rings go, I'd consider it fairly compact in terms of cameras. It captures digital photos and wirelessly delivers them to a smartphone for instant viewing. It was developed not with photographers in mind so much as a medical device for vision assistance. It's a quirky but obviously useful little tool. I can't decide if it's more weird than brilliant, but I do know this: I want one! If only the MIT Science Lab geniuses developing it would hurry up and get it to market. Sell it for $39 and call it the first real "digital" camera. (Get it? Digital? As in digit, like your finger? Punny.) I'm guessing that's not going to happen any time soon, but a guy can dream, can't he?

http://inhabitat.com/with-the-camera-equipped-eyering-you-can-point-at-an-object-and-take-a-photo
Polaroid Hotel by William Sawalich Fashion photographer Patrick Hoelck recently emailed with information about a new book project he’s working on. It’s called Polaroid Hotel. Here’s what he had to say: "I decided to pay tribute to the dying art of Polaroid photography with a book of images and an exhibition that capture intimate moments of my career... I want to show that just because a certain technology has aged it doesn’t have to lose its appeal." Patrick’s project is a neat one, and it’s certainly new. Really new. So new, in fact, that the book itself is not yet made. That’s part of what makes this interesting. Patrick is using a web site called Kickstarter to help raise funds to turn the idea into a reality. Kickstarter is a unique web service built expressly to raise funding for creative projects. Visit Patrick’s Kickstarter page to see a slideshow of some of his Polaroid work, to learn more about Kickstarter itself, and maybe even to contribute money to help the project along. If you want to see more of Patrick and his work, take a look at his personal web site.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1090625529/polaroid-hotel
http://portfolio.patrickhoelck.com
Posing App by William Sawalich I photograph a lot of people. I shoot executive portraits and environmental portraits and babies and kids and models and all sorts of people doing all sorts of things. And almost all of them are posed in one way or another. Sure, I have some favorite poses that I regularly rely on, but with posing—as it is with so many photographic techniques—it can be all too easy to get stuck in a rut and fall back on the same basic poses time and again. Well there's a great way to help you get out of your posing rut, or to learn new poses if you're not especially experienced. It's an app for your iPhone called, appropriately, Posing App. It does just what you'd think it would: it categorizes illustrated poses into groups of men, women, children, couples, groups and weddings, and it includes a total of 140 different poses that you can incorporate into your photo shoots. Best of all, since it's on your phone you'll always have a hundred new pose ideas right in your pocket.

http://posingapp.com
Preserve Your Favorite Films by William Sawalich Store your film forever! Well, maybe not forever, but at least for a long, long time. Storing film is becoming a very real necessity for photographers who enjoy shooting with the tangible stuff. As more and more films disappear from production and, eventually, the photo marketplace... well, if you have a favorite film, you'll need to stockpile it if you'd care to shoot it a few years into the future. And you'll want your stock to last. With this article from Photojojo, you can gain some insights into storing your film most effectively. Open it, label it and cool it in the fridge: there's not too much to the secret for successfully storing film, but it definitely does take a plan. The article will help you develop an approach and implement it, so that if your favorite film disappears from the marketplace you won't be stranded without it forever. (The only thing I disagree with in this article? You don't need a label maker! A little tape and a marker will serve you just fine.)

http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/how-to-store-film
Preserving RAW options in Photoshop by William Sawalich
The ASMP’s Strictly Business blog is a phenomenal resource for photographers who are trying to make a buck. It’s a place where established commercial shooters frequently discuss topics related to the business of photography—copyright issues, usage licensing, pricing, etc. It’s especially helpful for young photographers who are trying to figure out how to navigate the business stuff—which may not be much fun, but it’s crucial for survival if you’re hoping to make a living with a camera. All that said, the blog can also be a great resource for practical photo tips that apply even if you’re not interested in the business of photography. Judy Herrmann recently wrote about a Photoshop feature that allows photographers to carry their RAW image file functionality into Photoshop when working with layers—Smart Objects. Working with Smart Objects allows you to directly reference RAW data, meaning images can be resized and scaled without loss of quality, and even reprocess the RAW file and update it directly in the layered Photoshop file. It’s a simple but really useful feature, definitely worth checking out if you shoot RAW.
asmp.org
Prime Lenses Primer by William Sawalich I've been a fan of prime lenses ever since I purchased my first SLR, which came standard with a fast 50mm prime lens. Next came a 24, and a 35, then an 85, a 100, and even a wide angle 20. My love affair with primes has lasted a long time. Prime lenses, for those who may not know, have a fixed focal length--unlike zooms, which can cover a range of focal lengths in a single lens. Zooms are very practical, for sure, but still I love prime lenses for their simplicity. Plus I think prime lenses make me a more active photographer. They make me work harder to solve the visual challenges presented through my viewfinder. It's too easy to get lazy with a zoom lens and simply adjust the focal length to "make everything fit." But with a prime, you've got to use your eyes, your feet, and your brain to make the best composition possible. Anyway, the point is, I've long advocated for using prime lenses to make yourself a better photographer. And here today I just happened to find this article from Light Stalking about how photographers can use prime lenses to improve their skills. So of course I'm thrilled to see someone else who shares my positive opinion of primes, and I had to share it with you. So if you're interested in learning more about why I love primes, as well as flexing your creative muscles a little bit, check out this article and try out a prime lens.

http://www.lightstalking.com/how-photographers-can-use-a-prime-lens-to-improve-their-technique
Primes vs. Zooms by William Sawalich I've often liked using prime lenses. In fact, all things being equal, I tend to prefer them to zooms. I've always felt like working within the box of a fixed focal length forces you to be a more active seer. I could never quite put my finger on it, but I figured it had something to do with the idea that when working with a zoom lens, if something doesn't fit just right you adjust the focal length and make an easy fix. But with a prime lens, you move in and out, side to side, up and down... you're engaged with your subject, working to see, conscious of making the perfect composition.

Then I read an offhand comment by Michael Johnston of The Online Photographer blog. In a post about what makes Leica rangefinders so great (which you can read at http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2010/09/the-secrets-of-the-leica.html) he listed the cameras’ prime lenses as a major benefit. He wrote, "You learn how to see like the lens sees." Aha! That's it! The difference between prime lenses and zoom lenses is that simple, and that profound. A prime lens forces you to see as the lens sees, while a zoom lens can be forced to see the way you see. It may be simple, but it means a lot. At least, it does to us prime lens shooters.

If you don't shoot with primes, I recommend trying one out. They're often really sharp, and really fast, and they can be pretty affordable too. The normal 50mm prime used to be industry standard in a new camera kit, but it's been replaced by the mid-range zoom in recent years. If you've got an old dis-used prime of any size, strap it on and go for a walk. Or consider purchasing a new prime; the lenses are popular enough that Nikon has just introduced another great professional prime—the 85mm f/1.4. Whatever prime you choose, enjoy giving up a bit of control to the camera, and see how the lens sees. You might like it. You may even find it freeing.
Printable Strobe Modifier by William Sawalich Okay, sign me up in support of this one. I've long been a fan of the strobe bouncers made the old fashioned way—you know, a piece of white paper somehow stuck to the top of a strobe to diffuse and soften the light output. I cut mine out of the white cardboard inserts from 4x5 film boxes, and I could never figure out why people paid good money to do what a blank sheet of paper could do. Bridging the technology gap, we now have Pieroway. They print logo-branded flash bouncers. I'm guessing the logos are so you don't feel like a hack using a plain old piece of paper. Still, the point is good: paper does this job as well as any expensive modifier, in my humble opinion. And this free download offers a great template for putting paper to perfect use.

http://www.diyphotography.net/pieroway-makes-printed-strobe-bouncers-for-5c
Processing old Kodachrome by William Sawalich With all the hubbub about Kodachrome going away a couple of weeks ago, I'd been wondering what, really, we can do now with our leftover rolls of the stuff. I knew there'd be folks who would want to keep shooting and processing it themselves, and it turns out Mike Johnston at the Online Photographer thought so as well. He even looked into it. Turns out it's not as easy as I hoped it would be. Processing Kodachrome involves scrubbing and chemicals and all sorts of compromises and difficulties, it's probably not practical to keep those old rolls around unless you've already shot them and you're concerned they contain some notable images. Of course there's bound to be someone who continues to do-it-themselves, no matter how difficult and challenging, but I'm curious if some entrepreneur will step up and rescue Kodachrome processing in much the same way the Incredible Project rescued Polaroid pack film. It's doubtful, but something like that could happen. I guess only time will tell.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2010/12/old-kodachrome.html
Product Photography Tutorials by William Sawalich I teach a studio product photography class, so I've seen my fair share of product photos—from mediocre to outstanding. This collection of images from Alex Koloskov is not only pretty great, but it's a great teaching tool as well. And that's something pretty darn appealing me; I'm always looking for a way to teach certain fundamental photographic techniques on which all studio product photography is based. Translucent subjects, specular surfaces, splashes and motion… These are things I spend time specifically teaching week after week in my class, and I know how important these fundamentals are if you want to learn about lighting. So if you're interested in learning more about still life photography, or more importantly how those lighting techniques can be applied across a number of other photographic disciplines, you absolutely must check out these tutorials and behind the scenes videos Mr. Koloskov has posted at Pixiq.com.

http://www.pixiq.com/article/studio-photography-digest
Proposed Changes To The Cost Of Copyright by William Sawalich As a professional photographer, copyright is an extremely important topic to me. And it should be important to you, too—as well as for every photographer, artist and musician. Which is why it's a bit concerning that the US Copyright Office has proposed to increase the fees for registering photographic works from $35 to $65. You don't need to be a math whiz to see that it's almost double the cost. Many consider the process expensive enough already, which makes it somewhat preventative if you're on a real budget, but almost doubling the cost is definitely going to keep a lot of photographers from registering their works. This is why the Advertising Photographers of America have raised some red flags about the proposed change, and they're asking photographers who have a stake in the game to let their voices be heard at the Copyright Office via an online form. Take a look at the proposed revisions via the A Photo Editor site, and then if you feel strongly that the cost to register your photographs should not increase, let the Copyright Office know why.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2012/04/30/new-fees-proposed-for-copyright-registration/
QuoteRobot by William Sawalich If you're a budding professional photographer—or, heck, even if you're well established—you may want to take a look at the QuoteRobot online proposal software. It's been around for a few years, but somehow managed to elude me until just this week. Once I read about its features—cloud-based organization of proposals and invoicing, and even synchronization with some popular accounting services—I immediately signed up for my free 30-day trial. And once I'd spent a few minutes there, I knew this was a tool I wanted to tell you about. It's a pretty impressive way to upgrade not only the look and feel of your proposals, but it serves as an excellent repository of the bids you send out, their status, and even offers opportunity for direct client interaction via the software. Pretty cool stuff for any creative business, I'd say.

https://quoterobot.com
Rack Focusing For DSLR Video by William Sawalich I don't do tons of DSLR video recording, but I do dabble. And as far as I can tell, the biggest challenge is focusing. If your subject is stationary you can prefocus and do fine. But heaven forbid you'd like to change focus during a shot. This technique is called rack focusing, dramatically shifting focus from foreground to background, or vice versa. In Hollywood they've got whole jobs dedicated to this, but when you're doing it yourself you need a DIY fix to be able to rack focus effectively. That's where this post-it note-based system comes in. It's brilliant in its simplicity. See for yourself at the DIY Photography blog. www.diyphotography.net
RAW Capture From Your Phone? by William Sawalich There are a lot of smart people in the world. They figure out how to do things that would never even occur to me. Things like accessing the uncompressed image data from your iPhone's camera and saving it as a TIFF. This is brilliant—and something I never thought of, and now I can't imagine shooting phone photos without it. What's most exciting about this breakthrough—as explained in the great DP Review's explanation of the new "645 Pro" app—is what it foreshadows: the potential eventuality of RAW image capture from the camera built into your smart phone. It only makes sense. After all, if phones now have more megapixels than most D-SLRs from just a few years back… Well, if you're going to use your camera to take pictures—and the statistics say you most definitely will—then you might as well make them as great as possible. Check out the app, and then keep those fingers crossed that RAW capabilities aren't too far behind. And don't mistake my enthusiasm for a better quality phone picture for an endorsement to leave your real cameras at home. I'm just excited to see technological advancements in the cameras we carry with us everywhere.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/04/20/645-PRo-offers-camera-control-and-uncompressed-output.
RAW-Style White Balance Adjustment Of JPEGs by William Sawalich Everybody's always saying that you've just gotta shoot RAW. I tend to agree with the sentiment, but I also understand there are lots of reasons not to. Let's say you want to work really fast, maybe you shoot sports or photojournalism and you want to rapid-fire frames and then process them quickly and efficiently, there aren't as many reasons to shoot RAW. But no matter what you shoot, one thing that you might miss about RAW files is the ability to make efficient post-production changes to exposure and white balance. Well JPEG shooters actually aren't completely out of luck. In this tutorial from DPS, Elizabeth Halford explains how she makes RAW-style white balance adjustments to the JPEGs she captures long after the exposures are made. These simple techniques offer JPEG shooters a great way to adjust white balance quickly and easily—just like RAW shooters do—in Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/white-balance-on-a-jpeg-in-photoshop-elements-and-lightroom
Reality VS. Photoshop. Does it Matter? by William Sawalich Our friends at Outdoor Photographer recently published a blog post by Bill Hatcher that I think is a must-read for many photographers. You see, at Outdoor Photographer, whenever the magazine sponsors a photo contest or publishes a gallery of reader photos, the comments fill up quickly with complaints that the photos are "overprocessed." My first problem with the complaint is that quite often the images aren't really overcooked at all. Or at least they don't appear to be to me. It's as if any time someone sees a deep blue sky, or warm sunset light and they accuse the photographer of succumbing to the evils of HDR. Now don't get me wrong—I don't love fake looking overprocessed HDR landscapes either, but I certainly don't think every bold, colorful photo is a function of HDR or too much post processing. My second issue with this complaint is... So what? Even if it is overdone and you don't like it… Big deal! There are plenty of things I don't like, but just because I judge something—someone else's work of art, mind you—not to my liking, it's somehow necessary to decree that this photograph as a lesser work in my eyes? It's preposterous. Get off your high horse, climb down from your ivory tower. There are no rules about photography. There is no "right" and "wrong." If you don't like it, don't do it. But let's agree to stop all of our bickering about what's real and what's not. It's fine to have an opinion, and even to share it. There's constructive criticism, and there's petty whining. Let's not forget that none of us is the ultimate arbiter of taste—especially when it comes to someone else's photography. Ultimately, if you don't like it and want to show the rest of us how it's done… then show us how it's done! Share your work. That makes the greatest statement of what you think a good photograph should look like. Oh yes, and one more thing. If I hear one more comment about the good old days of film and how realistic it was, I'm going to cry. Let us not forget that black & white photography is inherently an abstraction of reality, and perhaps the greatest black & white landscape master worked hard to create photographs that represented his vision more than they represented the facts of a scene. The most popular color film for a generation of landscape photographers—Fuji Velvia—was popular precisely because of how rich and saturated it was. Photoshop is not evil, and HDR is not wrong. So let's all take it down a notch and try appreciate good photography of all kinds, even when it's not our own cup of tea.

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/columns/photo-adventure/keeping-it-real-or-calling-it-art.html
Red Bull's Illume Photography Contest by William Sawalich It used to be that when you thought of Red Bull you thought of an energy drink that was either delicious or disgusting depending on your tastes. And then it soon became clear that Red Bull was serious about action sports, as the company's brand started popping up more ubiquitously than even beer and soda brands in the action sports world. Skydiving, rock climbing, X-games… you name it. If it's action and adventure oriented, the folks at Red Bull are probably behind it. So it makes sense, then, that the company would also sponsor the Illume photography contest, the world's largest action and adventure sport photography contest. And as of today you've got about a month left to make your submissions. Winners will receive a Leica S camera, while runners up will receive a Leica X2. Read the rules and enter at http://www.redbullillume.com.
Reducing Digital Noise In Camera by William Sawalich Sensor noise has gotten a lot of press in recent years. Digital noise, particularly from high-ISO photography, has gotten considerably better with innovations in digital camera sensors and image processing algorithms. Still, though, noise is a real issue for almost every photographer, no matter what she might be shooting. Light Stalking has published a nice tutorial about noise and its causes, as well as a few great tips for reducing noise without resorting to post-production trickery. Advice centers on the common sense approaches of shooting with lower ISOs and subtle overexposure, as well as keeping the camera itself cool. Great advice for anybody who doesn't want to take a "fix it in post" approach but still wants to make low-noise photographs.

http://www.lightstalking.com/reduce-noise
Reenacting A Civil War Photographic Process by William Sawalich NBC's Rock Center news program did a wonderful piece the other night on photographer Richard Barnes who uses civil war era photographic techniques to photograph civil war reenactments. With a large format view camera and a wet plate collodion process, Barnes combines the antique look of the reenactments with the thoroughly modern environment in which these events take place. The results are artful and interesting and downright beautiful, and they're as much about the history of photography as they are about the history of the Civil War, and the sociological study of these folks who reenact these events 150 years later. The whole thing is, frankly, fascinating.

http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/20/13992104-photographer-brings-civil-war-to-life-with-centuries-old-technology
Rembrandt Lighting For Portraits by William Sawalich It's funny to me how often clients and their art directors request from me that I make flat, shadowless lighting on the faces of my portrait subjects. And they don't mean eliminating dramatic shadows, they mean eliminating all shadows on faces. Ugh. Any photographer worth his salt knows that shadows are the key to a good portrait. Used properly they accentuate attractive shapes and features, and minimize flaws. Consequently there have arisen throughout the history of photography a few reliable portrait lighting patterns that we have constantly been able to rely on. There's the butterfly pattern (with its butterfly-shaped shadow just below the nose), loop lighting, split lighting, and my personal favorite, Rembrandt lighting. The Rembrandt pattern is so named because, well, the man himself (seen above) with his tremendous sensitivity to light and shadow often rendered his subjects with just a small triangle of light on one cheek. The result is almost uniformly gorgeous. And if you want to know how to do it for yourself—or do it better than you currently do—then I suggest you read this introduction to Rembrandt lighting on the Light Stalking blog. With a few examples and a diagram to help position subject, camera and lights, you'll be your own master light painter in no time.

http://www.lightstalking.com/an-introduction-to-rembrandt-lighting-for-portrait-photographers
Resolution Revisited by William Sawalich Resolution is no fun. It took me years of coursework and studying and trial and error before I finally felt comfortable with resolution. (That was, of course, prior to the internet era where an explanation of everything is only a click away.) Resolution is such a huge topic, it deserves its own magazine and workshop series and maybe even a TV show. But of course, resolution is not a lot of fun… so, alas, it will never get what it deserves. Instead we need to find little glimpses of insight online via stories like this one at the Light Stalking blog. It's a rough guide to resolution, courtesy of Jason Row, and it's an easy-to-understand explanation of image resolution from megapixels to image size. It'll help you answer the ever important "what exactly is high resolution" question, and it will give you the confidence that comes from understanding this straightforward but very important (and somewhat nuanced) photographic essential.

http://www.lightstalking.com/a-rough-guide-to-image-resolution
Restoring An Antique Tintype by William Sawalich It's amazing what a skilled set of hands can do with a tool as powerful as Photoshop. Take, for instance, the world of photographic restoration. It's a different set of skills than just the regular old image editing and retouching so many of us do in our regular photographic workflows. When it comes to restoring an old image, I can't think of any challenge more daunting than a 19th century tintype. Here's a link to a collection of these photographs, which were made right on a sheet of metal. Check out the amazing transformation that takes place in this restoration project, and keep it in mind the next time you feel like a retouching project is too daunting.

http://topdogimaging.net/blog/restoring-a-photograph-from-the-1870s
Reuters Pictures of the Year by William Sawalich It's that time of year once again where everyone starts talking about their year-end highlights. Every media outlet seems to put together some variation on a slideshow of its favorite pictures of 2010, and to get us started here's a good batch from Reuters, by way of Rob Galbraith's blog, that focuses on world news. It serves as a great reminder of the power of photojournalism to tell a story quite unlike any other medium can. These are powerful, and in some cases disturbing, photographs.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10058-11090
Rich Clarkson In His Own Words by William Sawalich When I was 18, a mere skinny little lad, I attended a photography workshop at the US Olympic Festival which was being held just a few miles from my hometown. During that week I learned from and rubbed elbows with some of the most prominent sports photographers of the last half-century, including the man who had organized the entire workshop—Rich Clarkson. I learned he was a pioneer and an icon in the world of sports photography. (He was a nice man, too, as I recall.) Here, Mr. Clarkson talks about some of his personal favorite photos, including how he made them and why they're important. I particularly like his solution to an egregious copyright infringer. See for yourself at the Denver Post photo blog.
http://www.lightstalking.com/lightroom-tutorials
Photo by Rich Clarkson
Richard Avedon’s American Masters Documentary by William Sawalich I love documentaries about photographers. Clips of their behind the scenes workflow, interviews, simple slideshows… Any insight I can gain into how the masters work, well that's a priceless learning tool. Today I've got another photo doc to point out, courtesy of David Hobby's Strobist blog, and this one weighs in at a whopping 90 minutes in length. It's a 1995 American Masters documentary about Richard Avedon—one of the few photographers who deserve even more than 90 minutes of documentary footage about his life's work. Avedon was a true photographic genius, and there's something here for everyone. I'm going to start on it right away with hopes that I can make it through twice, just like Hobby did. It's bound to help me unlock some key to tapping my photographic creativity and becoming just a little bit more like this iconic photographer.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/02/richard-avedon-darkness-and-light.html
Robert Knight's Rock And Roll Photography by William Sawalich If I could go back and do it all over again, I think rather than becoming a photographer I might become a rock star instead. I think I may have missed my calling. I'm a huge music fan, and so when I see something about the early days of rock 'n roll—especially when it's crossed with photography—I'm smitten. Such is the case with the story of rock photographer Robert Knight. He photographed all the big acts back in the day, from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin—the latter of which he shares a great story in this, the first in a series of interviews posted on Marc Silber's internet TV show. After that taste of Mr. Knight's work and his gallery, you can head over to rockprophecies.com to watch the trailer for the 2009 movie of the same name, depicting the story of Mr. Knight's career in rock and photography.

http://www.silberstudios.tv/videos/robert-knight-rock-photography-led-zeppelin/
Rock 'n Roll Photographer Robert Altman by William Sawalich Are you a rolling stone, or were you at one time? Was your father? Did you maybe read the magazine in its early years of the 70s? Have you heard of the Rolling Stones at least? If any of these qualifiers apply to you, you may have been fortunate enough to see the work of rock 'n roll photographer Robert Altman. No, he's not the same guy as the brilliant movie director with whom he shares a name, but his work is equally exceptional. The photographer was present at many formative moments during the early years of rock, including the Rolling Stones infamous tragic performance at Altamont. Here the Selvedge Yard blog has collected a wonderful group of photographs, along with a bit of interesting information about this pioneering photographer through whose lens America watched the rock scene of the 60s unfold.
http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/photography-of-robert-altman-papa-was-a-rolling-stone/
Photo by Robert Altman
Rocket-Powered Pictures by William Sawalich Okay, one more fireworks post. I found lots of shards and rocket remnants in my city yard last week, and one of them was big enough to tote a D-SLR camera aloft, I'm sure. Well that's just what these folks did when they stuck a camera to a rocket and shot it into the air. Repeatedly. Actually, it wasn't a D-SLR, but a little pocket video camera. And it worked well regardless. The video is a bit disorienting, sure, but it's also pretty darn cool. Thank goodness for tiny digital video cameras, and the people crazy enough to risk their destruction in search of cool footage.

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/07/cameras-explosives-rockets-photo-nerd-4th-of-july
Rubber Band Update by William Sawalich A few months back I wrote about using a rubber band to remove a stuck filter, but never before did I have the opportunity to try it myself. But that just changed. Shooting an architectural image last week, I strapped on a polarizer to darken the blue sky and remove reflections from windows in the building. All the while improving the color and contrast in the image. (A polarizer works absolutely wonderfully for this, by the way.) Anyway, when I was done I needed to remove the filter from my lens for storage when, whammo, it was stuck. Really stuck. I couldn't budge it at all. So I remembered this rubber band tip—which is to put the rubber band around the filter ring in order to provide more traction when removing the stuck filter—and I put it to use. Voila. With hardly any force at all, I mean the tiniest little oomph, the polarizer unscrewed immediately. It really was a Eureka moment. So the next time you're faced with a stuck filter—especially if it's a rotating circular polarizer—pull out a rubber band and put it to use.
Sacred Headwaters by William Sawalich Amazing outdoor photographer Carr Clifton is releasing a beautiful new book called Sacred Headwaters, which serves as a visual accompaniment to National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis as he fights to save the Sacred Headwaters of three wild rivers in British Columbia. Filled with beautiful images from land and air, this collection is a must have for fans of Clifton's work, for those who appreciate this endangered area, and for anyone with an interest in the natural world and efforts—by artists and others—to protect it. Read more about the book and the project at Clifton's web site, then click over to Greystone Books to order a copy for yourself.

http://news.carrclifton.com/2011/06/21/sacred-headwaters-book-fall-2011-release
http://www.dmpibooks.com/book/sacred-headwaters
Salute to a jazz photography master by William Sawalich I've only ever dabbled with jazz. I'm certainly no expert, but I know what I like. Apparently I like Sonny Rollins quite a bit. And I definitely like jazz photography. It’s the one way I have always related to jazz easily; moody, dark images made in smoke filled clubs. You can practically feel the music in great jazz pictures. Unfortunately one of the greatest jazz photographers passed away last week. Herman Leonard has subsequently been eulogized in a variety of media, and rightly so. His work is iconic. Instead of stumbling with inadequate words I will instead simply point you to a wonderful slideshow collection of Mr. Leonard's work, put together by the BBC, and in the context it deserves—backed by the music of the jazz greats he photographed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11000692
Sammon On Subtle HDR by William Sawalich As someone who finds himself physically nauseated by most over-the-top HDR photography—with its syrupy colors and coarse textures—I'm a big proponent of the technology being put to use for more subtle image making. So I was thrilled to see that nature photographer Rick Sammon recently created this post at DP Review showcasing how "the rest of us" can use HDR to more realistic, more subtle, less obnoxious effect. The capability to combine multiple exposures for the simple benefit of enhanced tonal range is one of the best uses of HDR—the kind of use where you hardly know the technique has been applied.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/1944596440/hdr-for-the-rest-of-us
Schatz On Going Beyond by William Sawalich I'm working on a little article with Howard Schatz. Howard is the kind of guy who speaks in real gems. Unfortunately, I can't always find a way to fit them all in to every story. Thankfully I have this blog, where I can share these gems with you. We were discussing how much studying and research Howard puts in to his photography in order to push himself and to continue moving forward with every shoot. "It's very important," he told me, "for a photographer, an artist, anyone in creative life, to have a vast databank. In terms of photography, a vast visual databank. So that when someone looks through the camera they can recognize 'I've seen this before, I'm not going to do this the same way he did it. I'm going to try to find another way of seeing it.' So I study, hard; I'm a scholar of my work, of my field. I read everything, I look at every magazine, I look at books, I look online… I don't want to repeat. I want to find a new way of seeing. And it's very hard. The more you do it, the harder it gets, the fewer choices you have, the harder you have to work. That's why I also say when you hear simple, simple, simple… Well simple has been done thousands of times. Simple is not necessarily going to be so unique or original or magnificent. It could be nice. Generally, what I do is very complicated. There are dozens and dozens of ingredients that come to make an image right. And it has to do with the passionate striving to surprise myself." So the next time you look through the lens, try to recognize whether you've seen this same scenario before—in your own work or the works of others. Then push yourself to go farther. For more inspiration, take a look at Howard's web site, then visit your local bookstore to get your hands on his newest book, At the Fights, the culmination of many years spent photographing boxers in the ring and in the studio.

http://www.howardschatz.com
Scott Kelby's Super-Secret Duotone Recipe by William Sawalich Not long ago Scott Kelby showed a series of portraits from his "Sessions" series—a look at photographers who also double as musicians. The series was a collection of beautiful black and white photos Scott produced as a personal project. In fact, the black and whites are really duotone images, and they look warm and inviting and wonderful. I must not have been the only person who thought so, because apparently lots of folks asked Scott how he created his great duotone effect. I used to do things like this in Photoshop, creating duotones, tritones and quadtones with immense control and lots of options in the powerful program. It turns out that Lightroom has a super-simple built-in way to create a duotone, and Scott happily published his info. How does he achieve it? He opens the split toning panel in Lightroom and adjusts the shadows hue and saturation. That's it, all there is to it. Check out the screenshots, the specifics of the technique, and a link to the photos in the Sessions series, at Scott's Photoshop Insider blog.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2011/archives/16008
Secrets Of Great Portrait Photography by William Sawalich Tremendously talented portrait photographer Brian Smith has a new book is out this week, and it should be on the top of pretty much every photographer's wish list. The book, Secrets of Great Portrait Photography, breaks down decades of insights and advice from Smith--a true master portraitist--into reliable, relatable and increadibly invaluable information for photographers striving to make better pictures of people. Including behind-the-scenes stories of the making of many of his most iconic portraits, it's really a great book that works on two levels: not only is it a beautiful coffee table book of photography, it serves as an instruction manual for up-and-coming portrait photographers. It might just be a must-read.

http://briansmith.com/secrets-of-great-portrait-photography-brian-smith
See How Flash Media Cards Are Made by William Sawalich You know that show on the Discovery Channel called "How It's Made?" No? How about "Modern Marvels?" Still nothing, huh? Guess you're not as big a geek as I am. If you were, you'd know that these shows simply take viewers behind the scenes in the making of... well, just about anything. From breakfast cereals to hockey sticks, high-tech to low, there's clearly a mass appeal (albeit limited to us geeks) in seeing behind the scenes of how stuff is made. Well your friends at memory-maker Lexar have created their own little behind the scenes video, and Scott Kelby put it up on his web site not long ago. It offers a really neat glimpse into how these things are made. Very high-tech, very cool, and very precise. Frankly, after watching the video, it's amazing these little things actually do so much—and that they don't cost thousands of dollars each.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2011/archives/15708.
Self-Portraits Done Right by William Sawalich I've never been much for self-portraits. I remember an assignment once in college in which where we were charged with recreating a famous portrait but in self-portrait form. I chose a Bruce Weber brooding black and white portrait of actor Girard Depardieu. It worked, but not nearly as well as Mr. Weber's. Maybe because I'm not as pretty as Gerard. But I'm digressing, because the point isn't that I'm not much of a self-portrait photographer, it's that when I see great examples of them I'm insanely envious of those who can do them well. This is the same feeling I have about "picture a day" projects; I appreciate them, but I just can't seem to bring myself to invest in the commitment of taking a picture every day. Silly, I know. Anyway, the point is that I just discovered an awesome combination of the two. There's no better self-portrait project, and no better picture-a-day project, than Jeff Harris' ongoing adventure. He's up to 4,748 pictures in his "self-portrait every day" project (there they are, all laid out side by side in the picture above), which means he hasn't missed a day in nearly 15 years. You might think these images wouldn't be particularly interesting (how engaging can self-portraits be?) but it turns out they can be downright awesome, and Mr. Harris is clearly quite a talented photographer with a great sense of color and composition. Check out a fun video at the A Photo Editor blog for a glimpse into the portraits that made me a believer, then head over to Mr. Harris' own web site at www.jeffharris.org to see more. As he told A Photo Editor, Mr. Harris is just being pragmatic: "I see no reason to not make a self-portrait each day. I'm always around and always free. It's kind of like going to the gym—it flexes your muscles and keeps you in shape."

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2012/01/09/jeff-harris-4748-self-portraits-and-counting
Selling RAW Image Files by William Sawalich Digital Photography School recently published a short piece by photographer Elizabeth Halford. In it, Ms. Halford advocates that photographers who earn any part of their living licensing images never turn over to clients (or friends and family) unprocessed RAW image files. It’s a good argument too. After all, if you put your unfinished photographs into your clients’ hands, who knows how the finished product will turn out? That’s especially bothersome if you’re the one whose name will be attached to the finished photo. While Ms. Halford’s advice is certainly sound, the discussion that it provoked makes some interesting other points too. For instance, if you’re in the business of selling images to clients, wouldn’t you be well served by providing what your clients want? After all, isn’t the customer always right? Wherever you default on the issue, it’s extremely interesting and informative to consider both sides of the story. It shows how complex many professional photographic issues can be, and how they do apply to photographers at every level of the business. So if you’re a working pro or considering dipping your toe into the business waters, it’s a great opportunity to learn about one of the most common, and somewhat controversial, issues facing professional photographers today.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/should-we-ever-sell-raw-unedited-images
Serious D-SLR Moviemaking Gear by William Sawalich Are you considering turning your D-SLR into an HD-movie-making machine? You need help—the kind of help you can get from the folks at Zacuto. The company may be unknown to many still photographers, but for motion picture types, Zacuto is familiar as a supplier of motion picture camera equipment. What does this have to do with photography? Because more and more photographers these days are using their HD-ready D-SLRs for movie-making, and Zacuto offers a whole line of D-SLR Cinema Kits. These are the parts and accessories that help you turn your still camera’s quirky video controls into real-life pro video systems, things like eyepiece viewfinders and shoulder mount supports. While you’re browsing Zacuto’s web site be sure check out their series of videos about D-SLR video shooting. The Great Camera Shootout series compares digital still cameras to film—but not in the way most of us still shooters are used to. This is a comparison of HD-video capture from D-SLRs pitted against “legendary” 35mm film movie cameras. I wonder how these newfangled devices stack up?

zacuto.com

zacuto.com: shootout
Sharks In The Studio by William Sawalich I've seen some cool anthropomorphic animal portraits before, but nothing quite like this. Photographer Michael Muller photographs sharks in his underwater studio. And that's not a euphemism for "he kinda lights them a little bit underwater." No, he really does treat it like a studio assignment—complete with an assistant holding a "hair light" on a boom over a swimming shark's dorsal fin. (I guess that really makes it a "fin light," huh?) Check out the cool behind the scenes photos of Muller's studio at A Photo Editor, then head over to his web site for a big gallery of beautiful sharks.

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2012/03/06/michael-mullers-underwater-studio-for-shark-portraits
http://www.mullerphoto.com
Shoot empty scenics in crowded destinations by William Sawalich Have you ever been on vacation, or maybe just being a tourist in your own town, and while setting up a perfect shot only to have a crowd ruin your picture? Maybe you’re all set up to shoot a great scenic shot of the Eiffel Tower when suddenly some French dude wanders into your frame. This can be terribly detrimental to an otherwise perfect picture. Well Digital Photography School points out that with just a tripod and a clone stamp how you can still craft a perfect people-free photograph. It’s simple, really. By shooting multiple exposures and layering them together, you can paint away the parts with people and reveal the important parts of the scene to eliminate distractions from the frame. It’s a powerful tip that’s also pretty simple—and those are always my favorite.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/taking-photos-in-busy-tourist-destinations-with-no-people-in-the-shot
Shoot Indoors Sans Flash by William Sawalich It used to be that shooting indoors required you to expend extra effort on lighting in order to get usable shots. The main issue, particularly when working with film, was the color balance. Mixed lighting from windows and fixtures, as well as the general awful look of any continuous light fixture when used with daylight-balanced film, meant that indoor shots without flash, without filtration, or without augmented lighting would look several different shades of awful. But like so many other things in this digital world, that’s just not the case any more. Now white balancing is so simple it’s practically an afterthought. Because RAW shooting makes custom white balancing (and precisely perfecting after capture) an absolute snap, it’s ridiculously easy to get great photos with great color indoors. That’s the gist of a recent post at DPS about photographing portraits at home without flash. The other great advice author Fred Verosky provides is how to find ideal lighting. That way not only will the color balance be great, but the lighting pattern will be too. It’s a great read for almost any kind of shooter—especially with winter right around the corner and the prospect of indoor shooting an increasingly possibility.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/create-beautiful-indoor-portraits-without-flash
Shoot tethered… wirelessly. by William Sawalich Sometimes it’s nice to shoot with your camera tethered to a computer. I do it on occasion when working in the studio, because you can check exposure and sharpness details precisely, control the camera via the computer, and ultimately save significant downloading time and get to editing much faster when the shoot is through. But there are also drawbacks, and the biggest problem most photographers have with shooting tethered is… the tether. Even if you’re shooting in a studio, that cable connecting camera to computer can feel a lot like an anchor chain. It’s hard to be mobile when shooting tethered. That’s why the ingenious photographers/handymen at DIYPhotography.net have come up with a way to shoot tethered, wirelessly. It’s so simple it’s genius. Utilizing wifi transmission and a wireless USB setup you can convince your camera that it’s plugged directly into the computer, but without that pesky cable. So why not just use a wireless CF card like the eyeFi system? Because one of the key features of shooting tethered is the two-way communication—the ability to control the camera and change settings from the computer. That means that if you have the camera placed remotely where you can’t easily access it, tethered control is a huge advantage. Make that tether wireless, and it’s a phenomenal feature. Learn how to do it yourself at DIYPhotography.net.

diyphotography.net
Shoot the Outdoors Indoors by William Sawalich Every season seems to have an excuse to keep photographers from getting out into the world. Summer’s heat can be oppressive, winter’s cold can make you miserable, and even within the pleasant confines of springtime rainy days can sideline adventure plans. So what do you do when you can’t get outside to shoot the nature you love? Bring the nature indoors. Mike Moats recently wrote on the Tamron blog about photographing macro subjects like brightly colored feathers arranged in a home studio. He used an extension tube and a wide aperture to get close and shorten the depth of field, and the resulting photographs are great examples of staving off cabin fever by bringing your favorite subjects to you when you can’t get to them.

tamrontechstips.typepad.com
Shoot with the wrong eye by William Sawalich While watching Joe McNally demo his special grip last week, I was intrigued by the fact that he said it was ìfor left-eye shooters.î I'm a right eye, as are many of us—or most of us, I assume. So what would happen if we tried to work with our left eyes instead? Would we see differently, perhaps even more clearly? I wonder if it would have much the same effect as checking the effectiveness of compositions by holding prints upside down. This approach effectively turns off the part of your brain that identifies objects in order to clearly see the shapes, colors and composition.

Well, I decided to test this theory out to see for myself. And as it turns out, the disorienting effects of shooting with your "wrong eye" can actually be pretty interesting. I could almost feel my brain looking at the scene differently than when I look with my right eye. Not only was it uncomfortable and slightly disconcerting, it felt like I was very consciously looking through the viewfinder at a different image than the one I saw with my right eye. As best I can tell, the difference being that after you take enough pictures with your "good eye," looking through the viewfinder can become second nature. In some ways you may not even ìseeî what you're looking at. Or at least you don't see it much differently than when you’re looking at the world with naked eyes. After all, aren’t we supposed to see the world differently with our cameras? Looking with my wrong eye felt different, and different seems like a great place to start to actually see the world in your own unique way.

My experiment only lasted for a few minutes, and I wouldn't want to try it every day all the time, but as a change of pace and an awareness exercise it's a great approach. My head hurts a tiny little bit, which may just be psychosomatic. Or it could be proof that I was forcing my brain to work differently. Maybe that will come in handy in the future when I'm feeling stagnant or stuck, or maybe just to see the compositions I think I should be seeing.
Shooting Day For Night by William Sawalich I love old westerns from the 1970s. Those movies are a guilty pleasure for an afternoon on the couch or a late night "work" session. One of my favorite techniques from many of those westerns is the "day for night" shooting trick. By photographing a scene in the middle of the day, but dramatically underexposing and shifting the tones to blue (presumably via the use of a filter or a processing adjustment) suddenly the good guys are outrunning the bad guys under the light of a full moon—not under a harsh midday sun. So this video by Jay P. Morgan of the Slanted Lens, about turning daylight into moonlight with a few simple tricks, really strikes a chord with me. Maybe I'll make my own westerns now? Or maybe I'll just put it to use as a way to understand illuminating subject and background separately by controlling ambient and flash exposures independently in the same scene. It's powerful stuff if you really want to be the kind of photographer who takes control of lighting, rather than the kind who just takes what he can get.

http://www.silberstudios.tv/blog/2012/08/turn-sunshine-into-moon-shine-all-in-camera/
Shooting Food In Studio by William Sawalich I recently stumbled upon a video from Adorama TV that offers a great glimpse into what it's really like to be a studio food photographer. Rick Gayle offers a look inside his studio, as well as his equipment and workflow, which is immensely helpful for photographers who may be looking to build their portfolio with food. In this day when everybody with a smartphone is a "food photographer," setting your work apart requires an understanding of actual tools and actual lighting techniques that the pros use. And this video offers a short but extremely informative look into that world. There's a lot here, and even more across the Adorama TV channel. 600+ videos, in fact. So after you've finished watching this video, check out the dozen or so other food photography videos in the channel, and then consider subscribing for a wealth of photographic information right at your fingertips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD6zQQDgFUs
http://www.youtube.com/user/adoramaTV
Shooting in the Shower by William Sawalich

I recently stumbled upon a gallery of photographs of people in the shower. Don’t worry, it’s totally safe for work. The photos were interesting and engaging enough that I sent an email to the photographer, Nicolas Dumont. He was kind enough to share some before and after images and tell me a little more about his great project.

"At the time of the shoot," Nicolas said, "I'd been a commercial photographer for 17 years and had never done any personal projects. The few times I did think about it, I couldn't come up with anything that made sense. That all changed in December 2007 as I was doing a shoot for a well known shaving company. One of the scenes featured a male model ‘enjoying’ a shower. The water was cold, but he was told to smile and act as if he was having a great time. Needless to say, most of the shots were absurd and comical; advertising at it's worst—or best, depending on how you see it. I suddenly realized that I could replicate that same farcical situation at home, with a few changes."

"I set up a small studio in my kitchen,î he continued, ìthat included a canvas background, three Profoto flash heads, a Manfrotto spring loaded pole fixed wall-to-wall across the kitchen with a shower head fixed to it. The water supply came from the laundry room a few feet away. The Mamiya 645 and Leaf Aptus 75 combo was ready on a heavy duty Manfrotto tripod. The lens was a Mamiya 645 120mm F/4 Macro, which I had to shoot wide open because I had purchased the wrong model on eBay. The dark background and semi-harsh backlights were there to intensify the water effect. My only worry was the electrical installation; I had to be very careful to get the Profoto generators away from the wet areas, as any electric shock could be fatal. As a test, I invited a couple of friends over. Jon and Yuri had already been told that they would have to sit under a shower in my kitchen with their clothes on, but I only told them that the water was cold seconds before the shoot started. The rest of the brief was simple: sit still, stare right into the camera, don't close your eyes and don't show any emotions."

"I ended up inviting quite a few friends to my place," Nicolas added. "I noticed that people were reluctant to show up as soon as they knew that they would have to suffer. My kitchen eventually became known as ‘the torture chamber.’"

The photographer’s RAW image files were processed with Leaf Capture into 16-bit TIFF files, which he then worked on in Photoshop using dodge, burn, curves and hue/saturation controls. No extra sharpening was added.

"I kept some of the test shots,î Nicolas said, ìthe ones done before I opened the water tap. Comparing them to the final shots, its amazing to see how the cold water manages to wash away the vanity, the narcissistic self-image that only leads to mediocre portraits."

Be sure to view the entire great gallery of Rain portraits at Nicolas’ Behance gallery.

http://www.behance.net/dumont/frame/737574
Shooting The Shooter by William Sawalich At the risk of coming off as entirely self-serving, today's blog post is all about me. I was just the featured subject in another photographer's series of photographs of photographers. How meta is that! Corey Woodruff is a photographer and blogger, and he asked if he could photograph me in my studio classroom as part of his "Shooting The Shooter" portrait series. Of course I obliged, and while it's immensely uncomfortable for us photographers to find ourselves on the other side of the camera for a change, it wasn't as excruciating as I thought it might be. Corey made it easy and fun and—especially important given the circumstances—informative for my students too. Corey's only been shooting professionally for four years, but he's quickly becoming a master of the handheld flash in the same vein as David Hobby's Strobist style. Check out the blog post for a glimpse at my ugly mug, and a look inside my classroom (with, I might add, a fairly accurate retelling of the vibe in the class).

http://coreywoodruff.com/wp/?p=1683
Shtuff People Say To Photographers by William Sawalich Okay, so I thought I was done with this whole "stuff people say" meme. I even put it to rest last week with a link to a video of funny things photographers say. But then somebody referred me to a video titled, in thankfully safe for work fashion, "Shtuff people say to photographers" and I'm all about it again. If you're a photographer, you no doubt have heard most, if not all, of the things in this video before. What's especially nice is the way it's put together; the main subject sure must be a photographer given how perfectly he nails all the hilarious, aggravating and wonderfully ridiculous things people are always saying to us. So fine, go watch this video, and then we can finally, officially and once-and-for all put this meme away for good. (Unless and until I find another really great one.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niyTIbiV19A
Sigma Wants Your Help by William Sawalich Well this is a nice change. It's a photo contest in which you can participate, not just by entering, but by being a judge as well. Sigma announced its scholarship contest for student photographers last fall, and now it's asking the public to vote in order to determine winners. Nice! Rather than some anonymous/ambiguous/unknown panel determining the winners, the public gets to vote, American Idol style. I say that's great. Head over to Sigma's web site to vote for your favorite photograph until the end of March.

http://scholarship.sigmaphoto.com/view-submissions.asp
Simple Color Management by William Sawalich Leave it to John Paul Caponigro to craft a really great blog post that simplifies a complex digital imaging issue. This topic is color management—something I know all about, as I have fought with it since I first put my pictures on a computer in the 1990s. (Actually, that's not quite true. I messed around for a decade before I started to learn the importance of color management.) Anyway, Mr. Caponigro's post is a simple one: Six things you can do to ensure you've got good color management. Calibrate your monitor, make sure Photoshop's settings are working for you, and generally do these simple things that will help preserve good quality color control throughout your digital workflow. And do it now. No need to wait for a decade to go by before you learn the importance of color management too.

http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/5923/6-simple-steps-to-good-color-management-2
Simple Data Security—The Old Fashioned Way by William Sawalich I found some great advice on the DPS blog about data safety procedures. Sure, it's a good article about using duplicate media cards when you have the opportunity, and importing and archiving and backing up your data, and all of those tips are always wonderfully useful. But the one that really caught my eye isn't mentioned in the text, it's elegantly illustrated in the photograph accompanying the story: there's a bold "REWARD!!!" sticker on the removable SD card. Brilliant! I think I'll have to start doing this. Not only including my name and number, but maybe offering a reward worth more than the value of the card for the return of the card. Because after all, it's the pictures you're concerned about, not the card, right? I love this idea. The simpler the better—and that much more effective, I'm sure.

http://digital-photography-school.com/four-tips-on-your-image-data-safety-procedures
Simple Fashion Lighting Primer by William Sawalich I've been seeing this great lighting style in fashion ads and editorials for a while now, and I think it's a great way to create natural-looking, inviting light in people photographs—whether you're shooting portraits or fashion or kids. It's a sun flare look, where the warmth of the sun peeks into the frame, creates great backlit shape and dimension on the subject, and casts an overall warm glow across the scene. And now, no matter the weather or the location, you can create great summer warm light with this simple technique from Digital Photography Review. Fashion photographer Thomas Park created the tutorial and great images that accompany it, and best of all he doesn't rely on the sun to create the effect—it's achieved rather simply with a handheld flash.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/7670130459/editorial-lighting-the-minimalist-way-
Simple Studio Lighting With Fluorescents by William Sawalich Regular readers know I'm a big fan of the DIY Photography blog. The site does a wonderful job of compiling the best homemade photo gear solutions from around the Internet. And today they brought me a nice, simple, effective and above all super-affordable lighting solution that I've wondered about for quite a while. It's turning dirt cheap fluorescent lights into beautifully soft studio sources. DIY-er Joe Edelman has created a pair of videos that explain not only how he assembles his fluorescent studio lights, but also how he puts them to use. I love the idea of having lights that slide on a simple track system, and the ability to create a great soft source that can work for both stills and video… that's a heck of a solution at any price. If you're interested in making an affordable fluorescent lighting studio solution for yourself, I can't think of a better place to start.

http://www.diyphotography.net/can-kickass-studio-lighting
Simply Sublime Snakes by William Sawalich Sometimes all I want to do is see beautiful photographs for no particular reason, so that's what I've got for you today. Los Angeles-based advertising photographer Mark Laita has been working on an interesting personal project that's taken him around the world to zoos, breeders and laboratories in order to photograph the world's deadliest snakes. It just so happens that these animals are also amazingly beautiful and photogenic as well. Check out a sampling at the Feature Shoot blog, then head over to Mr. Laita's web site to see more of the Serpentine project, as well as a variety of his other work.

http://www.featureshoot.com/2011/11/graphic-and-breathtaking-snakes-photographed-by-mark-laita
http://www.marklaita.com
Simulate Movement In Time-Lapse Videos by William Sawalich This is great advice for time-lapse video makers on a budget! And I wish I'd thought of it first. I'm al

Canon	Nikon
EOS 40D	D300
EOS 1-Ds Mark III	D3
Olympus
E3
Sony	Panasonic
Sony A700	Lumix DMC-L10