PixelatedImage Blog

Hey folks, thanks for being patient with my rant yesterday. Canon did little to help, but my local drug camera dealer - Leo’s Camera’s in Vancouver - went above and beyond, getting me a new 85/1.2L lens that is not only perfect, but here in time for me to not stew about whether I will have it for the trip. Mad props, as they say, to Leo’s. And that’s why I buy my important gear from a brick and mortar store staffed with people who know my name.

In other news - Chase Jarvis, of whom I am a fan - has put out a post asking you and I to be his photo editors. Check it out HERE.

Strobist links a cool video from another “trash the dress” shoot HERE and as a follow up there’s a post about the kite-mounted remote-controlled G9 HERE.

Is getting one of your images onto the front of a Lonely Planet guide one of your career goals - read on HERE.

Looking to put up a fast and slick online portfolio? You get portfolio space as part of your NAPP MEMBERSHIP, but here’s another one, and it’s even free-er. Though way less benefits than NAPP. Check out CARBONMADE.

Want a few minutes to work on your chops and take some great images of a Sumo wrestler washing his Subaru? C’mon, you know you wanna. Subaru Canada has a really fun interactive campaign that allows you to shoot and post-process your images - too fun. Check it out HERE. (See, we canucks are fun. Subaru US site? Boring. Subaru Canada? Sumo wrestlers and interactive photo shoots. We OWN fun. I don’t know what it has to do with selling SUVs…)

Adobe will be announcing the new CS4 on September 23rd. I always approach these  things with a mix of joy and pain. More learning just as I am finally coming to grips with CS3. Stay tuned.

Photokina is nearly upon us and with it the unleashing of more can’t-live-without-it gear that only two months ago we all lived just fine without. Sony is announcing a new SLR, Canon - we hope - will be announcing the follow-up to the 5D, and all kinds of makers will be announcing new bags, tripods, and gadgets we’ll all drool over. So it’s good to take stock now of your gear and appreciate it for these last few weeks. Because at the end of the month you’re going to hate it. Remember, if the current gear can’t give us the images we want, it’s not likely the new batch will get us any closer. Faster, bigger, cooler, shinier - yes. But images that more closely match your vision, not likely. Let’s keep it in perspective. Together we can get through this time of mass hysteria. Now would be a good time to lock up your wallet.

I’ve got posts planned for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. And then I leave and after that it gets thin. Brace yourself.

For anyone that’s interested in this kind of thing (you’re sick people and you need help), I’ve published my packing list for the upcoming trip. I’m also doing this to make it available to our Lumen Dei team as a resource. I might add a few things, might remove a few, but this is a pretty close match to what I’m packing for seven weeks in Ladakh and Kathmandu. Consider this a supplement to the post I did last week. I know, I know, I don’t exactly pack ultra-light, don’t even start…

Downloadable PDF - Click HERE

**Update - Be sure to check out Matt Brandon’s post about this article. He adapted mine and distilled the list into iPhone compatible checklists. Dude has way too much time on his hand or he’s even more organized than I am. Either option is scary. Link HERE.

The UPS guy came 8 times this week. I’m worn out with all the gear. So this week’s resource round-up is gear-free. If it wasn’t, and I was ok with showing you THIS, then I’d also be ok showing you THIS. If you ever wanted to see how a photographer packs for the Olympics, these links will make you drool. If you haven’t, these links will still make you drool.

Lovin’ the new filters in Lightroom 2.0? You should be, the graduated filters are superb. Sean McCormack has produced a whole set of grad filter presets - find them on his Lightroom Blog HERE. They aren’t free, but when’s the last time you got 30 filters for less than $8? And they’re presets, not actual filters so I’m sliding them in on this no-gear Friday on a technicality. My blog, my rules.

FreelanceSwitch, one of my daily reads, has an excellent article on 30 Ways To Create An Incredible Client Experience. A must-read for any of you doing this as a freelancer/self-employed worker bee.

Corey Barker has an excellent guest post on Kelby’s blog this week - read it HERE.

Like great writing? If you’ve never read anything by Ryszard Kapuscinski, you’re missing out on some of the best travel writing ever. Lucid, graceful, human, and a master wordsmith. Man, I love his stuff. I just got his last book - he died last year - called Travels With Herodotus. I’ve also read several of his others and without exception I’ve loved them in a way I reserve for truly exceptional books. His author bio from The Shadow of The Sun includes this: During his four decades reporting on Asia, Latin America, and Africa, he befriended Che Guevera, Salvador Allende, and Patrice Lumumba; witnessed twenty-seven coups and revolutions; and was sentenced to death four times. How can you not love a man whose author bio includes that?

Well folks it’s that time again; time for the Friday resource roundup. Now sometimes this is just an excuse not to come up with something that takes more effort, but that is not the case today as there is also a video tutorial that took me a long time and if I don’t get an “A” for execution then I should at least get one for effort. Make sure you check out the video review of the Polaroid Pogo.

If you don’t have the bandwidth - here’s what I like about it - small, lightweight, easy to use, the paper packets are small, and the paper is pull-and-peel backing which allows you to stick the images to model releases. Super cool. The prints themselves are 2″x3″ and take about a minute to print, and the quality is ok, though I’d compare it to a crappy print from a 4 year old colour printer. But I don’t see the quality being an issue, that’s not why I am so exited about this. I just want to give people copies when I am travelling internationally.

Other stuff. Lexar.com has published another of my articles - this one on finding inspiration. It’s a compilation of thoughts I’ve expressed here before, but if you need a refresher, the link is HERE.

Adobe Lightroom 2.0 was released this week, and you’ll find excellent resources HERE at Lightroom Killer Tips, HERE at NAPP, and HERE at Kelby Training (though this one’ll take a subscription - well worth it for the amount of information/education this makes available to you!) and HERE on Tom Hogarty’s blog. I’m already loving it and there are functions now that guarantee I will use Lightroom for 98% of my photography work. That’s up 3% and while I still love (LOOOOOVE) Photoshop, I use it more for graphics and design than I do for my photography. Is LR2 worth the upgrade? Yes, yes, a hundred times yes.

I was in line at the Canadian Passport Office at 6am yesterday morning. In less than three years I filled my passport. The gal in front of me was heading to Europe and desperately hoping to get a new passport in 24 hours because she hadn’t realized that most countries require not only a valid passport, but that the passport be valid for 6 month after the time of the trip. So, a reminder - while you are backing up your data and calibrating your monitor today, check the expiry on your passport. In Canada it is much less work getting a new passport while your current one is still valid than allowing it to lapse and then re-applying.

Speaking of travel readiness, if you were called out of country on assignment in a hurry, would your travel insurance and vaccinations be current? Now would be a good time to check those too. You have time, your hard drives are still backing-up, right?

And speaking of international photography, the Scott Kelby Worldwide PhotoWalk is adding new cities every day, and if your city is not represented, why not put your name in to lead one yourself? Check your city for a PhotoWalk HERE. I’m leading Vancouver’s walk and we’re already full. My friend Matt Brandon is leading in Penang, Malaysia and Gavin Gough is in Bangkok, Thailand. My friend Ted Waitt is leading in San Francisco, and RC is leading in Clearwater, FLA. This is turning into something really special.

Joe McNally has a new book coming out and available for pre-order on Amazon.com - whohoo! Look it up HERE. (found this via PixSylated)

Finally, check out this post by Nevada Weir (thanks to The Travel Photographer Tewfic El-Sawy for the link) on How To Become A Professional Photographer (And Not Starve)

Have a great weekend. Thanks for hanging out here. See you on Monday. In the mean-time, go shoot what you love.

It is time again for another hodgepodge of resource, gathered from the far reaches of the cyber galaxy.

First, in the interest of keeping as many photographers from bankruptcy and therefore living the dream as long as possible - check out Freelance Switch’s article 10 Items You Absolutely Need For Financial Security.

On the same topic, Photopreneur has a post about raising your prices HERE.

Eric Frischling, aka Flying With Fish, just got a book deal! Congrats to Eric, and good for us who travel with cameras because The Traveling Photographers Essential Pocket Guide is going to be a great resource to us.

Terry White was the guest author on Kelby’s Photoshop Insider this week, and gave a good tutorial on outputting images for an iPhone or iPod Touch. Link HERE.

David Hobby, aka Strobist, has a review of the new Nikon SB 900. I’m not a Nikon shooter, but these are sweet strobes. Nikon shooters toying with the idea of shelling out for these new strobes will want to read this.

A couple weeks back Scott Kelby asked the world to save August 23rd on their calendar. Keep it open, folks. I can’t say why. Just do it for me. Keep it open. Pretty please.

Yesterday Matt Brandon took a comparative look at VistaPrint and Overnight Prints on a recent business card project. Even I was surprised at the cost - and the cards look good. If you still haven’t got business cards that make prospects say “wow, nice card!” you need to step up to the plate.

Don’t forget to get your name in for the Free R-Strap Giveaway. Hey, while we’re talking about the R-strap, check out this two-camera set-up on Tony Schreiber’s blog. It’s similar to something I’ve been playing with, but while I’ve been toying with velcro, he’s gone and used straps. I like this alot. Check it out HERE.

Finally, a quote, found on the PhotoQuotes site. If you’re looking for inspiring out-of-context quotes from your favourite photographers, this is the place. It’s actually a great resource and the quotes are very well referenced.

A mad, keen photographer needs to get out into the world and work and make mistakes.
- Sam Abell

Have a great weekend. Shoot what you love, love what you shoot. Go make some mistakes.

Multimedia

The pundits are all in accord on this: multimedia is where things are going. Not ALL things, but big, important things. They’re going to Multimedia. No idea what it means. But hey, they said the Pet Rock would never catch on and, man, were they wrong.

But folks, this shouldn’t scare you. If you’ve already embraced that the job of a photographer is to be a visual storyteller, then adding multimedia to your toolbox is time well spent.

In Kona last week Gary S. Chapman led a session on getting started in multimedia presentation. I was amazed how easy it was (important) and how powerful the results were (way more important). Here’s the gist:

1. Lay out your sound first - Gary used a simple mix of audio interviews gathered on an Olympus DS-30 and pulled into Garage Band via iTunes, and royalty-free music from Magnatunes.

2. Pull the resulting audio into Soundslides Plus ($70 for the full licensed version) and add your photographs. Add credits.

3. Congratulations, you’ve just put together a basic multimedia presentation. I’ve oversimplified it, and you can get as complex as you like if you use programs like Final Cut Pro.

Looking for some inspiration on this kind of thing? You need look no further than MediaStorm which has some truly powerful pieces.

Don’t think of this as a change of discipline, but as a chance to present your images in a way that, when done right, can multiply the impact of your story. Still not convinced? Read this article by Michael Clark on the O’Reilly site.

*Be sure to check the comments from Brad - he’s added some solid recommendations and alternatives.

Writing Software

While we’re talking about stories, I was just turned on to a great piece of writing software while in Kona. It’s called Scrivener and it’s freaking amazing! Unlike MS Word where the document is a single written piece, in Scrivener each document is an entire project, with the ability to outline, to gather resources and links, and to keep it all organized. I’ve never been this stoked about writing since that ill-fated experiment with caligraphy back in grade 5. It’s going to make my book WAY easier to write. Scrivener is a whopping $39.95, and there’s a fully functioning 30 day trial.

Still in Hawaii. Spent Saturday snorkelling in the waters just North of Kona. Bought a small waterproof film camera and shot my first roll of film in five years. Strange not being able to look at them right away. Spent Sunday snorkelling at Cook’s monument with my students, bookended by a forced march up and down the mountain. If that hike was any indication, I am clearly in need of more training before Kashmir

My time in Hawaii has been wonderful, teaching photography and my Vision-Driven theory and practice for 5 days. Spent some time with colleague and new friend Gary S Chapman and his lovely wife and made fast friends with them. Gary shot the image above last Wednesday, I think, while I tried my hand, not overly successfully, to shoot something resembling a landscape/seascape. Instead I got wet. But I really enjoyed myself.

I really have not had much time to shoot, and what spare time I’ve had I have spent enjoying myself, and that’s meant leaving the cameras in my room and just lovin’ on Kona. And in return Kona has been lovin’ on me. Man this place is nice. Sorry for my absence this week - but it’s a sign of things to come as I get ready for busy season.

Ok, a couple things.

1. Check out this site. It’s called Lightmark and it features the lightpainting images of a couple from Germany. I love this work.

2. The Layers blog has announced a contest and if you want to win a free iPhone, check it out HERE. Don’t want a free iPhone? How about a full conference pass to Photoshop World in Vegas? Books? Magazines? Ok, how about a tutorial by Chris Orwig on great B/W conversions in Lightroom? It’s all here in this post on the Layers Blog. HERE.

3. Loving the idea of free stuff? Here’s another contest, the prize being a set of Pocket Wizard Plus II wireless radio triggers for your strobe(s) - awesome. Find it on the Strobist HERE.

4. I’ve got an insane fall and with that comes less time for other projects, but I have room now for ONE more mentoring client. If you’re looking to improve your shooting - want to take it to the next level - or to have someone to walk through your transition from amateur to pro with you, check out my Mentoring Program. I only have room for one, so get in touch quickly. If I don’t get any interest this week I am going to shut the doors on this and the next opportunity won’t be until the spring. Check it out HERE.

I leave Hawaii tonight and will resume more regular posting this week. But give me tomorrow (Tuesday) to take a breather.

I’ve got lots of links for you today, so let’s get at it.

Layers TV has a new episode up, and if you’ve ever wanted a primer on getting a website up - from the very, very beginning - RC Concepcion has a series about just that, starting with this episode. It’s not sexy tips and tricks, it’s just good solid, education and it’ll get you going. Tune in to the whole series. Layers TV - go HERE. If the link gets old, just look for Episode #43.

Speaking of sexy tips and tricks, be sure to read Stephen Johnson’s guest post on Scott Kelby’s blog this week. He’s tapping in to the whole “addicted to HOW” stream of consciousness. The dude just gets it, and is really articulate about it.

Back to Layers - the blog has a solid article by Rick Sammon about shooting people on location - The Art of the On-Location Portrait.

Remember a while back how I raved and raved about Up Straps? Well, after a year of using it I stand by how good they are. The thing is, they just don’t match my shooting style - in fact I now just use their bandolier, which is great but kind of defeats the purpose of the Up Strap sticky rubber pads, because, well, the bandolier doesn’t have one. I’ve recently stumbled onto the BlackRapid R-Strap and I’m stoked to get a couple - I won’t go into it now because I’d rather do a review when I’ve tried them, but check out the website, particularily the video. This is how I shoot already, I just don’t have the strap that does it as well as this. When I get them I will do a complete review, and I’ve arranged with Black Rapid to do a give-away as well. So stay tuned.

Moleskine user? Here’s a cool site for a service that’ll laser engrave/customize your Moleskine notebooks. I’m still trying to get pricing on this service, but in principle I’m stoked about this. While we’re on it, here’s a page of Moleskine Mod resources on the Freelance Switch blog. (oops - the link for the engraving service is: www.engraveyourbook.com but they suddenly closed, something about concerns over the chemical make-up of the book. Sorry if I got your hopes up!)

Have a great weekend. I’m shooting the Vancouver Yogathon and Blissfest on Saturday and flying to Kona, Hawaii on Sunday. I’ll be there all next week and will try to publish while I am there, but teaching generally consumes me, so posts might be a little thin.

The Travel Photographer links to a great article by Vincent Laforet. It’s a lengthy one but for aspiring professionals it’s a must read. The title, The Cloud is Falling, should suggest that Laforet, who I have great respect for, spends the article running amuck and crying “the sky is falling, the sky is falling.” He doesn’t. Not really. But ignore this article and the realities it represents at your own peril. Read The Cloud is Falling HERE.

One of my sponsors, Data Robotics, has just announced a Firewire 800 version of the DROBO - of course I had to find out from RC Concepcion on his Layers Blog. Once of the quirks of sponsorship - they send me stuff but don’t really talk to me. More info on the FW 800 Drobo HERE.

While we’re talking about harddrives, Western Digital makes some of the smallest, cheapest ones out there. I have a couple of the smaller USB Passport drives but the USB keeps me from using them when I travel on assignment. Western Digital now has Passport Studio drives that are USB 2.0 and Firewire 400. They’re bus-powered, small, cheap, and they come in 250 and 320gb sizes. All this means I can carry less drives and all of them are capable of being bootable back-up drives. Here’s the link to the 250 GB drive at B&H. They come with cables, a carry bag, and a 5 year warranty. I’ll be buying a couple of these, replacing my handful of 80gb drives.

Chase Jarvis has a short but encouraging post called My Photography Mistakes #2496 - check it out HERE.

There are some excellent videos of lectures by photographers like Steve McCurry from the Lumix Festival for Young Photojournalism. I’m watching them as I write. Here’s a link to the Rob Galbraith site which’ll give you a comprehensive set of links.

The current issue of PDN is The Career and Self Promotion issue. Be sure to get a copy if you’re not a subscriber.

Be sure to check in on Scott Kelby’s blog to read today’s guest post by landscape photographer Stephen Johnson.

Thanks for your patience yesterday in the wake of my lack of inspiration. I still feel like I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel, but I’ll kick it up a notch tomorrow.

Well folks, time for the weekly roundup. Starting with Deke McClelland’s 100 photoshop tips in 5 minutes video. It’s mostly keyboard shortcuts, so don’t be looking for killer techniques, but it’s pretty funny and you’re bound to learn a few things if you’re good at listening fast.

Since we’re talking about Deke, you should check out You Suck At Photoshop which is rumoured to be done by Deke. There’re several of these videos. As education it works ok - you might learn a thing or two - but as performance art/satire it’s damn funny. And it’s crude and might border on offensive if you’re the type who doesn’t get satire for what it is, or just have more delicate ears than some. You’ve been warned. *Update - Looks like you just can’t trust the rumour mill. Stephen just noted this in the comments:

Donnie (You Suck at Photoshop) is the voice of Troy Hitch - Article HERE.

**

While we’re on the topic of funny, have you heard of the IYP Photography Contest? You heard it,  the IYP. International Year of the Potato World Photography Contest. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. Link HERE. It’s actually pretty serious and the prizes reflect that. But who can resist a jab at something so quirky? In 2004, there was an International Year of Rice contest too - see the winner’s gallery HERE.

Less funny is the introduction of the new Nikon D700 this week, a new SB-900 strobe, and two new PC/shift-tilt lenses. See Scott Kelby’s blog for details and links HERE. It’s getting hard to be Canon fanboy these days. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s worth investing in both systems. Starting with a D-700, a 24-70/2.8 VR (or whatever the Nikon lens equivalent is), and a few SB-900’s is starting to look pretty fine. Joe McNally is not doing much to help me with this - see his recent blog post HERE.

I got Peterson’s Understanding Shutter Speed in the mail this week and took some time to read it yesterday. It’s not a big book, so the read was quick. I think as book reviews go there are two questions - did the book do what the author set out to do? and did I get anything out of it? The rest are secondary. I assume the answer to the first is yes; this is not a book with a complicated premise. The second, well, yes and no.

I think that, if new shooters can be persuaded to put down their camera long enough to pick up a book, being reminded of the effects of shutter speed on the aesthetics of an image is a good thing and this book does that. The photos illustrate the book well, though they aren’t generally inspiring. If your local library has it, it’s a rental. Or a nice gift for someone starting out. But if you’ve got one book to buy and read, I can think of meatier ones out of which you’ll glean much more, like Freeman’s The Photographer’s Eye.

Finally, a quote:

All my photographs are about meetings and about coups de foudre - love at first site. To do that type of photography one must wipe the canvas clean to prepare for chance encounters, be open and aware to such moments, otherwise it becomes cliche - already seen and expected.
-Edouart Boubat

Have a great weekend. To my American readers, have a great July 4th. Shoot what you love, love what you shoot.