23July2008
Posted by Scott under: Site Info; Uncategorized.
This Week in Photography is proud to announce that it is a media sponsor of the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops.
This amazing event will bring together professional and amateur photographers who will work side-by-side at four of America’s most loved National Parks.
This is a year-long adventure and TWIP audience members will have the opportunity to enter a contest that might win them more than $2500 worth of prizes and an all-expenses paid trip to one of these parks.
Please visit the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops blog for all the details. The contest won’t accept submissions until August 15, 2008, but you can start culling your pictures now in order to be ready.
Even if you don’t win, you can check the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops blog for Aperture lessons, photo tips and news and information on the workshops.
During the field events, you’ll be able to follow along via podcasts, blogs, twitters and video.
Stay tuned here for more information.
And spread the word - this is going to be one of the biggest photo events of the year.
23July2008
Posted by Scott under: Tips.
Photo by Scott Bourne
If you do use CDs or DVDs to backup your photo library - please read this.
After burning the disc, don’t label it. The top of the disc, NOT the bottom, is the most fragile part! Most damage comes from labeling the disc. The adhesives used in labels, and the dyes used in ink pens, are applied directly to the foil layer of the disc. If that gets damaged, you will be very unhappy.
I don’t put labels on my discs. I also don’t write on them. I simply put them into a sleeve or jewel case that has been labeled. Yes, the CD could become disassociated with the sleeve or case, but if that happens, I just need a second to read the disc to see what it contains. I can then resleeve and relabel it.
This system assures the best care of the fragile foil layerof the CD. But if you do apply a label to your CD, make sure to get one with acid-free materials. This will cost more but will last longer. Eventually, the adhesive will probably damage the CD, so make sure to backup your backup every few years as a precaution.
NOTE: I have tested several special pens and adhesives that claim to offer a safe alternative for writing on CDs, etc. These are long-term tests that I started in 1997. So far, none of those claims has been true and all the products I started testing are now off the market. Approach these products with some caution and do your research.
22July2008
Posted by Scott under: Articles.
Photo by Scott Bourne
I always assumed that CDs and DVDs would last forever. But research shows that is not always the case. They might deteriorate in less than three to five years. So what can you do?
Remember that quality counts. Since you are going to trust these little round discs to hold your precious images, don’t skimp on quality. Buying the cheapest blank CDs and DVDs you can find may be the worst decision you make during your photographic career. These cheap discs can cause problems.
In my experience, I’ve found that the gold discs give the best performance. I am now using the Delkin Deviced Archival Gold products.
Why gold? Gold foil layers don’t oxidize. Oxidation is one of the downfalls of the cheap discs. They can become unreadable. Like anything else, you get what you pay for. Gold discs offer better quality control, are properly balanced and usually havean extra layer of scratch protection.
But backups shouldn’t stop at CDs or DVDs. Drive space is cheaper than ever. Consider using disk drives to hold your backups. Also consider online or tape.
I use a combination of Drobo for local backup, tape drive for remote backup (in this case in another state) and DVDs as well as redundant online storage for my really special images. I also have several copies of my photo library on another Drobo stored at my office.
What do you do?
This post sponsored by Lensbabies.
22July2008
Posted by Scott under: Reviews.
Photo by Scott Bourne
Nik Software is working hard to create a string of plug-ins for Aperture and Photoshop. Their stable has grown again to include their newest product, Silver Efex Pro. This plug-in will give you complete control over black and white images in a way that neither Aperture or Photoshop can.
I tested the product using my favorite photo editing software, Aperture. I assume it works identically on Photoshop since all Nik products (thankfully) share common interface traits.
Once you have your color image selected, you simply edit with Silver Efex Pro and you’re presented with lots of options to make your color image into a black and white image.
There are more than 20 presets built-in and building your own couldn’t be easier.
The presets are very good and for those with gray hair who preferred the look of B&W film, there are also 18 emulation modes for all popular B&W films.
You can apply the effects to one or more images in Aperture which is similar to a batch mode.
And as usual with Nik products, you can use their U Point technology to control certain aspects of the effects, such as contrast and tonality. This eliminates the need for layers and masking.
The built-in presets are my favorite part of the program because I can use them as starting points for creating my own presets.
Silver Efex Pro allows you to vignette and burn edges. You can control all aspects of the vignetting and it creates very dramatic effects. You can also use preset color filters (i.e., a red filter to bring out the sky, etc.) and you can use advanced tinting and toning options that mimic the kind of control I used to have when I worked in a wet darkroom.
Another cool new feature of this plug-in is called Structure. It allows you to control local contrast in a way that I have never seen in any other program. It creates some stunning effects. Structure gives you less or more contrast on small details. It automatically makes a portrait soft in all the right places if you slide the slider to the left, and automatically brings out fine details when you slide it to the right! All I can say is once you see this tool, you won’t want to be without it.
Some will argue that you can in fact create some of these effects in Aperture or Photoshop. That’s true. Both Aperture and Photoshop have powerful B&W conversion tools built in. But Silver Efex Pro gives you more options, more preset styles and more controls. For someone who does a great deal of black and white, it will be worth looking at Silver Efex Pro.
How about everyone else? Well for $199, the price is a bit prohibitive for the average hobbyist. Aperture alone only costs $199. So $199 for a plug-in that converts images to black and white is a bit steep.
For me, it’s worth it. All the Nik products are smooth and reliable. In a professional production environment, their costs are minimal when you compare them to time saved making images.
http://www.niksoftware.com/silverefexpro/usa/entry.php
Will it be worth it for you? You can find out by downloading a free 15 day trial.
This post sponsored by Lensbabies.
21July2008
Posted by Scott under: Audio Podcast.
Episode 39 is in the feed or you can download the MP3 at Pixelcorps.TV.
Host: Scott Bourne
Contributors: Fred Johnson, Steve Simon, Ron Brinkmann
Locations: San Francisco, New York City & Hermosa Beach
Intro Music by Scott Cannizzaro
Producer & Show Notes Author: Aaron Mahler - Twitter: halfpress
Bandwidth for This Week in Photography is provided by Cachefly.
TWIP is sponsored by Audible. For a free downloadable book visit www.audiblepodcast.com/twip
Don’t forget you can win a Drobo by linking to us. Details on the Contest page at TWIPPHOTO.COM!
TODAY’S SCENE
- Steve Simon comes in via Skype from New York and Ron is Skyping from Hermosa Beach.
- Fred’s in the studio with Scott at Pixel Corps and I (Aaron) am nowhere since my MacBook Pro decided to blow its graphic hardware just prior to the show. I’m writing these show notes three days later on backup hardware while my main machine is off with Apple for repair… 
Read the rest of this entry »
21July2008
Posted by Scott under: Photo Assignment.
Our last photo assignment was Fireworks and we had hundreds of qualified submissions. But there can be only one winner. And the winner is …. 01a_Fireworks, by naytmayer. Talk about impact! Wow this is so well thought out. The winner took the theme seriously and built an amazing story. Hands down it’s one of the best images ever submitted to our assignment competition. If the winner sends us an e-mail, we’ll get busy sending them their prize, which this week is a fresh copy of Adobe Lightroom.
The runner up was selena sparkles by missybrooks. Once again this image contains a person - almost never a bad idea by the way, and the story is strong. Nice light and even though it breaks some compositional rules, it’s still a great photo. Thanks to everyone who entered.
This week’s assignment - should you decide to accept it - is to photograph BLUE. That’s it - no other guidelines - (other than keep it clean - remember our TWIP Flickr Group rules - kid-safe photos only please.)
You can post ONE image to the new Flickr - the TWIP CONTEST POOL and we’ll do the rest. You can also just use the old tag system if you prefer and tag the image with the current theme.
We’ll pick one or two of the images we really like to talk about and feature on the blog - and if we really like something, we’ll send a free book, (or two or three or whatever we have tossed into the prize pool that week) to the winner.
So have at it. You have until July 31 at 5:00 PM - PST to post your images. You can still post images with this theme after the deadline - but we won’t consider them for our TWIP Photo Assignment Competition.
If you’d like to chip in, please suggest some future themes you’d like us to explore in the comment section below. Have fun.
This post sponsored by Lensbabies.
20July2008
Posted by Scott under: Articles.
For our US audience concerned about protecting their images from Copyright infringement, you should be a aware that a new “Orphan Works” bill is working its way through the US Congress. This bill could substantially weaken your rights when it comes to protecting your photos from unauthorized use.
A group of interested parties has created a web site that you can use to communicate with your elected officials about Orphan Works legislation. Please consider visiting the site today and taking action. If you rely on someone else to stick up for you, it might be too late.
PS: If you have comments on this legislation, feel free to leave them. This is NOT the place to tell me you think we shouldn’t have Copyright protection. Those comments won’t be moderated through.
