I’ve Been Invited!
In case you missed it, last week over on Friend-of-the-Blog Scott Kelby’s site he announced that Adobe has graciously allowed NAPP to invite a select number of their members to be private Beta testers of the next version of Photoshop.
Start to Finish Episode 2 Ideas
Rob and I are in the process of developing Episode 2 of the Start to Finish Photoshop and Photography Podcast from the TJM Media Group, and as always we’re looking for your input on what you want to learn and what would be most helpful when it comes to the shoot itself and how to process it for output.
Reminders and Such
As the week and month progresses I figured it would be a good time to pass on a few reminders for how you can take part in the goings on here at Jason D. Moore Photography.
TJM Media Group Presents: Start to Finish: Episode 1
The TJM Media Group is pleased to announce the release of the first episode of “Start to Finish” – a series where you, the reader, will help select each month’s photography and graphic design assignment and then watch as your projects are completed, from start to finish. The key to this being a fun, interesting, and informative feature is your interaction. In this first episode, we had to come up with a basic concept on our own.
In this episode, we go on assignment to the grounds of the University of Virginia and photograph Thomas Jefferson’s historic academic village. Photographs are captured to demonstrate basic pano-stitching techniques back in the studio. It was a simple task to get the series up and running.
We have every confidence that you can do much better!
Here’s how we’d like it to work:
Each month we need two basic assignments – a photographic concept and a final presentation.
For example, a suggestion for a photographic concept might be:
Demonstrate the process for capturing the photos needed to render an HDR image of the Lincoln Memorial. The resulting final presentation concept might be: Render the HDR image and present as a fine art print.
(OK, that one seems pretty neat. We might use it… )
Email your suggestions to: start2finish@tjmmediagroup.com
We look forward to working on YOUR assignments.
All the best,
Rob Jones and Jason Moore
Founders, TJM Media Group
PRESS RELEASE: Announcing the TJM Media Group
For Immediate Release…
Towner Jones Photography, LLC and Jason D. Moore Photography are pleased to announce the formation of the TJM Media Group. This new association serves as a common brand through which exciting new projects can be presented from these two established photography and graphic design content providers.
On February 1, 2010 the TJM Media Group will present the first episode of “Start to Finish” a Photoshop and photography training series showing viewers the complete creative process from capture to presentation. TJM Media Group content will be available through each of the members’ blogs as well as directly through the TJM Media Group website (tjmmediagroup.com) when it goes live in the coming weeks.
Monday Blog News
I thought I would start off the week with a few invitations and updates to help everyone get more involved here at Jason D. Moore Photography.
Site Stats from 2009
I know we still have a few days left in the year but I’m a stats junkie (for my site only) and thought I would share some of the interesting numbers from the year.
So, if you could care less about stats, please read some of my older posts to make up for it. If you’re at all interested, read on after the jump.
Monday News
Well here we are, the last Monday of the year. I’m looking forward to the coming year and would like to get some input from you about what you’d like to see more of from the blog.
After the jump you’ll find some ideas of what we did in 2009 (both successfully and not so much) and some things that are already in the works for 2010 to get your mind working. So please, let me know!
Taking it to the Next Level
I have recently begun talks with a popular web design site to be one of their contributing writers – on an article by article basis. I am very excited about this new opportunity and the challenges it brings.
I am already formulating my first article based on taking something ordinary and transforming it into something unique. I will be doing a start-to-finish workflow, from concept to final image, using my mini-planet tutorial as the basis.
There are many instances when you have a photo and you’re just unimpressed. Not because it isn’t a well-composed, evenly exposed, sharp image, but because it looks like everything else you’ve shot. That’s exactly when you need to do something drastic and jump into the surreal.
Also, coming down the pike with this new venture, I will be writing an article on search engine optimization (SEO) that all you bloggers and website owners out there will want to read so you can make your sites more search-engine-friendly and get more of the traffic you desperately want, and need to keep new customers coming in.
In my final article of my initial series with them, I’ll present an in-depth review of a piece of digital asset management (DAM) software that helps keep all of your files and file associations in order for speedier searching and a more efficient workflow.
When I’m done writing the first article and it is ready to go live, I will certainly share some excerpts here and link you to the entire article for you to enjoy.
Special Weekend Edition
So much has been going on this week that I just haven’t had time to fit everything into my posts over the last few days. So, to carry you through the weekend – as though you didn’t have enough to do with the holiday season in full swing – I thought I’d throw up a bonus post with few things that have either come up or have fallen through the cracks.
After the jump, you’ll learn more about a fun new item from Scott Kelby, the next source image for the Points of View Photo Project, and more! (more…)
Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program
After a brief hiatus I am now back to my normal schedule of daily posts between now and Christmas.
Before I get too far, I want to remind you all that the next Points of View Photo Project will be posted this Friday. If you would like to participate, and it’s open to everyone, please head over and grab the source image for this week. All you have to do is download it, process it, and send it back to me at pov@jasondmoore.com by Thursday at around 8pm (Eastern) so I can include it in the gallery with the other contributors from across the country and around the world.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way… (more…)
Blogging Break of Sorts
As the holiday season is upon us and the dawn of the new year with new opportunities and new beginnings is on the horizon I feel like I need to take a little time to refocus and plan for the future.
Over the next week and a half or so there will be some limited blogging as I devote the time I would normally spend developing content to other things that will help with the long-term goals I have set. (more…)
October Photo Contest Reminder & News
With less than two weeks left in October – I know, I can’t believe it myself! – that means the October Photo Contest is almost up!
Entries this month have a chance to win a 16×20 print of one of their photos sublimated on to a piece of aluminum by our friends over at IGT America – A $50 Value! I have one hanging in my house and it looks fantastic! You will definitely want to enter this one!
I’ve been in on the beta testing for a new iPhone App designed specifically for wedding photographers. I can’t say much about it until it is officially released but I will have a full review as soon as it is. All I’ll say is that it is very impressive and will be very useful for all of you wedding photogs out there. Just out of curiosity, how many wedding photographers do we have in the audience? How many of you are iPhone users? In the coming months, there may even be a copy of this mystery app as a contest prize! So let me know!
Thanks to Marc Benton, I am now a part of Google Wave! If you’re on it too, add me to your contacts and ping me: jasondmoorephoto@googlewave.com
Monday Morning Updates
Last night marked the end of our silent auction to support Chris Stern’s Walk4Hearing efforts. In the end, with the help of some awesome photographers, an amazing printing donation via Mpix, and the generous support of those who bid on the prints, we were able to raise a hair under $900 to benefit the Walk4Hearing! Thank you all!
Even though the auction is over, if you would still like to help Chris out, you can donate directly through his donation page.
I have settled on my three videos for the NAPP contest. I’m not going to divulge them until after the deadline so I can be sure they aren’t copied. I’ve finished the opening graphics sequences for all three videos, I’ve outlined the workflow for each and I’m ready to start recording and editing in the next week. Who knows what the outcome of the contest will be with so many excellent trainers out there, but I know that I’ll be able to come up with some great tutorials for three very interesting effects that will provide you with options when you want to look at your subjects in a new way.
Thank you to everyone who has filled out my Photoshop Workshop survey so far! If you haven’t taken it yet, scroll down to the previous post and let me know your thoughts. There are only 11 questions so it won’t take long. I know it’s pretty general but it’s only a starting point as I develop what could be a new series of workshops to help you get better at Photoshop. I will also have more opportunities coming up for you to share your ideas/preferences with me about workshops, so be on the lookout for those!
For those of you with today off for Columbus Day, I hope you’re enjoying your time! Snap a shot for me! And if you have to be at work today, don’t worry, I’m at the office too… We can suffer through it together!
Letting Google Know Your Photos Are Licensed
One of my coworkers was researching ways in which Google indexes images and how we might better leverage that for SEO purposes. Aside from using really good “alt” tags when inserting your images to your site or making sure you have some copyright info in your metadata, one interesting thing that Google Image Search has recently implemented is a way of refining your searches to images that are licensed – using Creative Commons, etc. – or that are Public Domain, or those that are not tagged at all. It’s an extra step to add in a little piece of code to your images but it’s easy enough that even a novice with HTML can take advantage.
Instead of me trying to explain it, here is Peter Linsley, one of Google’s Product Managers (original article – “Specifying an image’s license using RDFa“):
What do you think? What do you do to help make sure your images are secure?
“Ask Jason” Reminders and a New Regular Column
First off, I’d like to remind you that I am still accepting your submissions for photo reviews wherein you send me one of your photos (800px on the longest side) and I will look at it and write up my thoughts here on the blog. Just if you’ve read any of my other photo reviews you will know that I try to bring out all of the positive aspects of your shot while also pointing out what I would do differently or what you might consider doing for future images.
I have found that it can be a great learning experience and a chance to get your images out in front of a new audience as well. However, if you are nervous about using your name, just ask and I’ll make sure it is listed as anonymous. So send in your photos today!
Now that one project is over it’s time for another one to begin! Starting today, use the “Contact” button up at the top to send me Photoshop-related questions that you would like to know more about and each week I will answer them here on the blog. Whether it’s a question about technique, composition, shortcuts, or whatever! So start sending me your questions and see them answered right here in the coming days!
Photo Contest Reminders
We’re coming up on the end of June already and that means the deadline for my June Photo Contest is almost upon us! There are already a number of great shots submitted but there is still time for you to send in up to 3 entries for your chance to win a free 8×10 of one of my photos. Complete contest rules can be found in the bottom half of my “Contests” page.
Also, I’m excited to announce that we’re almost at the halfway point in my BIG Photo Contest and we’ve already received 26 photos so far! I know there are 22 people registered so you better get crackin’ so you will get your collection of shots in on time to be considered for the grand prize worth over $1,000! Once again, complete contest rules can be found on the “Contests” page.
I hope you will send in your work to be a part of one or both of these contests. And while you’re over on the Contests page, please be sure to check out what our sponsors have to offer. They each have some great products and services that every photographer can find useful.
New Online Magazine: Creative Studio (CAFE)
I was looking through my latest email CAFE Cup news from PhotoshopCAFE and noticed that Colin just launched the first issue of his new online magazine, Creative Studio (CAFE).
For this inaugural issue, Colin has assembled an awesome group of experts to talk about what’s new in CS4. It’s more than just a listing of new features, they go in-depth to really show how some of the newest features work and how they will help you improve your workflow.
In other news, I was reading Scott’s post the other day about AllTop.com and how they are now letting you create your own page of RSS feeds. Scott links us to his page to see the blogs that he checks up on every day and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I am on his list! Very cool!
And speaking of Scott, I was reading the blog of my buddy Rob Jones of Towner Jones Photography and he recently posted about the judges for the “On Assignment” contest. I was asked to be on the panel of judges but when I saw that the other members were Scott and Photowalker Extraordinaire Jeff Revell, I was humbled.
I never want to sell myself short but I am always amazed when movers and shakers in the digital photography community take notice of what I’m doing here in my little corner of the web or when others count me among those same individuals whom I hold in such high esteem.
So, thank you Scott! And thank you Rob! for such honors.
BIG Photo Contest Update
I am pleased to report that in addition to already having 11 members of the BIG Photo Contest Flickr Group, with a few submissions already coming in, we have locked in 6 official sponsors offering some fantastic items as part of our Grand Prize package as well as some prizes for 3 runners up! All told the Grand Prize winner will receive over $1,000 in prizes and services from our very generous sponsors! (Fitting for my 1,000th post, wouldn’t you say?)
Here’s a rundown of who our sponsors are and what they are contributing to the contest:
onOne Software is the creator of an award-winning series of plug-ins for Photoshop that are designed specifically to help you improve your workflow and increase your productivity. To that end, onOne has recently announced a new free version of thier popular PhotoTools 2 called PhotoTools 2 Lite. They have also just announced a new iPhone app for Canon users so they can control their EOS DSLRs via a WiFi enabled computer.
As part of the prize package the winner will receive a full version of the onOne Plug-In Suite 4.5.
Unified Color offers full-featured HDR editing with an intuitive and natural interface making your HDR experience run smoothly with amazing results.
Unified Color is including a full copy of their excellent HDR software, HDR PhotoStudio. Read my review of HDR PhotoStudio.
The great folks over at Mpix make up the largest professional photography lab in the United States. They provide an unparalleled quality of products and services in the photographic printing industry with an equally impressive turnaround time with almost all orders shipping within 24 hours.
The winner of the BIG Photo Contest will be getting $250 to spend on Mpix services.
Photoshop Cafe is run by Colin Smith, a best-selling author, trainer, and award-winning new-media designer who has caused a stir in the design community with his stunning photorealistic illustrations composed entirely in Photoshop. Colin is also known as a pioneer of HDR photography. He is founder of the world’s most popular Photoshop resource site, PhotoshopCAFE.com, which boasts over 20 million visitors.
Photoshop Cafe is providing a copy of Colin’s instructional DVD “Photoshop CS4 for Digital Photographers” with over 6 hours of tutorials.
This sponsor needs no introduction to regular readers of the blog. Scott Kelby and other members of Kelby Training team work tirelessly to bring quality education for creatives around the world. Their mission is to make you better at what you do and to help advance the technologies we use everyday to make the creative community better.
Scott Kelby is donating a signed copy of “The Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers” for the winner.
What the Duck is an awesome daily comic strip that pokes fun at everyone and everything associated with photography – from clients to art directors to the technology itself through the life and times of our little friend, the duck.
What the Duck will be giving the winner a What the Duck Plush as well as a signed print of their favorite WTD Strip.
As I mentioned above, that is not all! The first runner-up will receive a full copy of the onOne Plug-In Suite 4.5 and $50 to spend at Mpix! Also, 2 additional runners-up will get $50 in Mpix services.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our very generous contest sponsors for helping me celebrate my 1,000th post and by making this our biggest photo contest to date! Thank You!
So, where to you go from here? How do you enter for your chance to win? Well, get all the details for the BIG Photo Contest and submit your shots to the BIG Photo Contest Flickr Group by July 31st.
Good Luck!
Three More Sponsors for the BIG Photo Contest
I received word yesterday of three new sponsors for my 1000th Post BIG Photo Contest!
The details are still coming together but I am excited to announce that Kelby Training, onOne Software and Mpix have joined our list of official sponsors for the contest, which already includes:
- Photoshop Cafe – “Photoshop CS4 for Digital Photographers” DVD
- What the Duck – What the Duck Plush & Signed Print
- and Unified Color – HDR PhotoStudio
A HUGE thanks goes out to all of our sponsors for your support and generous offerings.
Click here for complete contest details and to start working for your chance to win!
P&P Weekly: #117
Welcome to the 117th edition of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll’s P&P Weekly!
This whole week seems to be about the buzz surrounding Scott Kelby’s 2nd Annual Worldwide Photowalk. And as I was preparing for this week’s P&P Weekly, I noticed just how many of our members will be hosting a photowalk as part of this awesome event!
So I decided to dedicate this week’s edition to highlighting the photowalks being led by members of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll or other Friends-of-the-Blog:
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I, of course, am hosting one in Cazenovia, NY USA
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Clayton of Photographic Design – Charleston, WV USA
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Terry of Terry White’s Tech Blog – Detroit, MI USA
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RC of NAPP – Dunedin, FL USA
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Larry Becker of NAPP – Lakeland, FL USA
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Dr. David Jones of Okie(s) from Muskogee – Muskogee, OK USA
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Jeff of Photowalk Pro – Washington DC
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Dave of Dave Cross Online – Ybor City Afternoon, FL USA
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Scott of Photoshop Insider – Ybor City, FL USA
If you live near one of these areas and are able to attend, I highly recommend going! This will be my 4th photowalk in the past year and they are such fun events and you get to meet some amazing people while living out your passion of photography.
If I’ve forgotten anyone, or if you’re a regular reader who will be leading a walk as part of this event, please leave a comment with a link to your photowalk page so others can sign up!
Which photowalk are you attending? Let us know in the comments!
P&P Weekly: #114
Welcome to week #114 of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll’s P&P Weekly!
This week is about reminders and news of upcoming happenings here on the blog:
- First off, thank you to my friend David Ziser of Digital ProTalk for sitting down with me last Saturday to do a phone interview for my ”Photoshop Interviews“ series - sponsored by Towner Jones Photography. I wasn’t able to get through the whole thing to make it ready to post this week but it will be coming early next week, I promise! Thank you, David, for sending your readers this way, and Welcome to all of you who are becoming regular readers here from Digital ProTalk!
- Speaking of following, become my friend on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter!
- The Ithaca Photowalk is coming up on Saturday! Let me know if you’re planning to come join us! I’ll be setting up a Flickr Group for the walk so that everyone can see what our walkers saw along the way.
- The April Photo Contest is under way! Be sure to enter for your chance to win!
NOTE: If you have submitted shots for the April Contest but added them to the old Flickr Group, please be sure to add them to the April Contest Flickr Group to be eligible for this month’s prizes.
(Sponsored by Competico.com) - Our new series Points of View is growing really well in it’s second installment with many great submissions already in, but we’re always looking for more! Read about this new project and grab our starting image here. Please send in your interpretations by Wednesday April 22nd to pov@jasondmoore.com so you can be included in the project!
- I am still accepting user photos for my series of Photo Reviews. If you would like to get some feedback and advice about one of your shots, send an email to reviews@jasondmoore.com with your photo today!
- There are many opportunities available for sponsoring of one of our weekly or monthly series, or if you would like to be a sponsor of the blog as a whole, please take a minute to review our “Become a Sponsor” page to learn more!
