New Page Added: Kudos
Not trying to blow my own horn, or anything, but I compiled a number of quotes that some of my fellow bloggers and fans have had to say about my work here on the blog and about my photography as well.
You can check out what they have to say over on a new page called “Photo Quotes” in my “About” section. It is, by no means, a complete listing and I’m sure I’ll add to it as we go.
Thank you to everyone who has shared such amazing words of encouragement and support over the years! I truly appreciate it and it keeps me going – especially when I fall into a rut that I don’t think I can get out of.
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.
Another from the Archives
Editor’s Choice – December 1, 2006
National Association of Photoshop Professionals
From the Archives
To close out the week, I thought I would take a look back at some posts from the past and see what I’ve done, and where I’ve gone since the early days of this blog.
Cool Text Effect
I just learned how to do this really cool effect while reading one of the Down and Dirty Tricks tutorials in latest issue of Photoshop User Magazine. Click “more” to learn how to do it!
So You Think You Can Teach Photoshop?!
Yes I do!
I came across a tweet the other day from @NAPP_News about a new contest running through the end of October seeking video entries all about Photoshop tutorials. I don’t really enter a lot of contests but I just couldn’t pass this one up.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I am hoping to get back into the routine of producing video tutorials and this contest seems like a perfect opportunity to get started once again. I can enter up to 3 videos, to their specs, for a chance to win a healthy prize package. There’s some subscriptions and memberships in there but what really makes me want to enter is the opportunities that come along with winning. The winner will be sent to Photoshop World (ticket, flight, and hotel) where you will be given an instructors chair to teach at one of the sessions. The winner will also get a guest spot on Photoshop User TV, Layers TV, visibility in Photoshop User Magazine, PlanetPhotoshop.com and to the entire NAPP community. The exposure alone could be huge!
I’ve been through all of my Photoshop tutorial videos and I’ve decided to start from scratch for my entries. I now have some really nice audio equipment that I didn’t have before which will make a big difference.
At this point, I just have to figure out what to do the videos on. I’ve got a couple of ideas but I’m open to your suggestions. I don’t know how I’ll do in the contest – I know there are some great teachers out there – but I’m going to give it my all and hope for the best!
A Look Through the Archives
I was looking back through my NAPP Portfolio and thought I would pull this shot out of the archives to share it once again. I remember the time I spent creating the masks to get the effect and how good it felt to get a result that was pretty much exactly what I had envisioned. It doesn’t always happen, but it sure is nice when it does!
Phaim (fāme) — Larry Becker’s Blog
I was going to save this one for next week but as I was reading I decided to pass it along today.
NAPP Executive Director and all-around great guy, Larry Becker (interviewed here), has recently joined the blogosphere with his new blog Phaim (fāme). In his own words:
Phaim is my strange play on a combination of a few words like photography, Photoshop, smartphones and the word “aim,” as in ‘what you aim for.’ Actually it’s about photographic goals, and the business of photography, freelance, and smartphones, but “phoals” or “phisness” just doesn’t sound as clever.
As I was browsing around his site my attention was caught by a recent post about Nikon SB-600 Speedlights. In it, Larry gives a great rundown of the pros and cons of the SB-600 as it compares with the newer models that have become a staple for the pros. I, myself, am fairly new when it comes to off-camera flash and picked up an SB-600 with the rewards points from my credit card and have been extremely pleased with the results.
And I agree with Larry that for the cost you probably can’t find a better flash unit, especially if you’re just starting out and want to learn the art of light.
The blog isn’t all about Photoshop and photography, though. Larry will also be dedicating posts to various gadgets and tech topics as well as some great stuff on small business marketing.
So, even if you’re not looking to add yet another blog to your list, check this one out!
The Results Are In! May Photo Contest
Before we get to the results, I just want to say how each month I am amazed by the talent that is out there that comes from each of the entrants. You all make my job very difficult and I am very grateful for it! Keep submitting and sharing your vision with us!
Also, be sure to scroll all the way down to find out about the next two contests that are currently underway!
And now, the moment we’ve been waiting for, the prize of a 1-year subscription to Kelby Online Training – courtesy of my buddy Scott Kelby, himself – is:
“light at the end…” by Zarah Masales
Congratulations Zarah! I know you will both learn a lot and grately enjoy all that Kelby Training offers. I wish I could win, myself!
As always, there were more excellent shots than there were prizes available and, in no particular order, here are some other favorites from the collection:
The June Photo Contest is now open. Enter your shots today for your chance to win a free 8×10 print of one of my shots (a $50 value).
And if that isn’t enough photo contest for you, submit your photos by July 31st into my BIG Photo Contest celebrating my upcoming 1,000th post. Click here for full contest rules and a complete listing of prizes.
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!
Updated Ithaca Gallery
I felt the need to do something creative this weekend. You know how it is, you have a list of things you have to get done and you just feel so out of it and unmotivated. Well, that was how it was for me on Sunday afternoon.
I developed some writer’s block and just didn’t know how to move forward with what I was doing – still don’t, really. I needed to give my mind a break from that way of thinking and so I went to work processing most of the remainder of my shots from our recent Ithaca Photowalk just over a week ago.
I’ve updated the Ithaca Photowalk Gallery with an additional 14 images. You’ll see all of the shots from before in there but there are also some new ones that I’m pretty happy with.
It’s an interesting process to narrow down all of your shots from an afternoon of shooting. I started out with roughly 230 captures and widdled it down to about 50 keepers and have processed about 30 to a place where I feel good about them. (All processed entirely in Lightroom 2.)
It’s not that I took 200 bad photos that day. I always take anywhere from 2-4 shots of the same composition/angle to help make sure that I get one that’s sharp. I have pretty steady hands, but not always, so I like to increase my chances of getting a keeper by snapping a couple of extra – one of the joys of digital vs. film. In reality, I took about 60 distinctly different shots, chose the best versions of the 3-4 captures of those shots, ended up tossing 10-15 that just didn’t work the way I thought they would when I took them, and processed the rest. And what I’ve ended up with is a decent collection of about 30 images of the Ithaca Commons.
What do you think?
Workflow Friday: Scotty Graham
This week’s Workflow Friday comes from the other side of the world from my humble home here in the states. Scotty Graham lives in Indonesia and takes some tremendous shots from all over the world, both above and below the water. Today’s workflow contribution gets us beneath the surface of Scotty’s process and will surely offer some info and inspiration as you approach your own work.
Scotty, they’re all yours!
From Dive To Print
I am honored to be Jason’s guest blogger today on Workflow Friday. My name is Scotty Graham, and I am a professional photographer. Although a professional, I do not make my living taking photos, thankfully. I am a teacher, and my hope is that you can learn something new today.
I enjoy all forms of photography. However, my passion for the past 25 years has been underwater photography. My workflow is different with my underwater photography than it is for my work above ground. In fact, my workflow for my “land” photography is not much different than the other professionals that have shared their workflow on this blog. Today, let’s change the pace just a bit, and let me describe my typical workflow for an underwater photograph. Let me warn you, this is a lengthy post, but in reality, it only takes me a few minutes to actually edit my photographs. Learning short cuts in Photoshop, and using pre-recorded actions helps save heaps of time.
Before I start, I must thank Scott Kelby and his incredible staff at NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals). Virtually everything I know about Photoshop and Lightroom was learned from these incredible educators. If you are not a member of NAPP, sign up NOW….it will be the best 99 bucks you ever spent.
Ok, onto my workflow…using Scott Kelby’s style, I will go step by step…
Step 1: The first actual step is the preparation before the dive. Underwater, you cannot change lenses, and some camera functions cannot be changed either (depending on your housing). So, before I jump on the boat, I must decide if I am going to shoot wide-angle or macro or super macro. Each requires a different set-up with my equipment…ie, which ports to use, which strobes to use, which strobe arms to use, and which lens to install. My decision is really based on the amount of ambient light available at the time of my dive, the visibility, the tide, current, and the time of day. If it is a bright sunny day, I prefer to take wide-angle shots as there will be lots of ambient light that my camera can capture beyond the scope of my strobes. For the shot I am going to describe, I decided to go wide angle. It was early morning, the sky was blue with a bright sun, visibility was good, and we were going to a nice reef with many schooling fish with strong current. Strong current usually means lots of fish, but more challenging for the photographer.
Step 2: Set up your equipment, and check to be sure all camera settings are set beforehand, and that your camera and strobes are working. Check all dive equipment to be sure all is in good working order, and that your tank is full of air. Again, once underwater, if something is not working, you are stuck. Your SCUBA equipment should be in good working order, and your dive skills (especially buoyancy skills) should be top rate. Don’t take photographs underwater until you are an experienced diver or an accident is ready to happen.
My equipment for this shot: Nikon D300, Nexus housing, two Nikonos SB-105 strobes, Nexus dome port and Nikon 10.5 mm DX lens.
Step 3: Plan your dive with your buddy. Make sure he/she knows your plan for what you are going to shoot, and to be prepared to hang around while you take many shots of the same subject from many different angles. Diving with another photographer is usually better as other photographers understand that sometimes an entire dive is spent around one small area of the reef.
Step 4: Dive your plan. When I entered the water, I looked down and saw a gorgeous reef and schooling Yellowstriped Snappers. I instantly knew what I wanted. I wanted a photo of the Snappers swimming across the reef with a blue water background.
Step 5: Get the shot. This is the tough part. Fish are not cooperative models. They rarely swim where you want them, they are always moving, and they are shy and don’t like to get close to your camera. There is also current, surge, and other environmental hurdles trying to prevent your from taking a photo. The key is to stay relaxed, to be patient, and to be a “quiet” diver.
I was able to find a nice sandy spot on the bottom behind a reef that blocked the current. I set my aperture to f-11 (I had decent ambient light for a mid-range f-stop), and my strobes to maximum power. For wide angle underwater, you need to be within inches of your subject to be sure your subject is well lit, and doesn’t appear too small. I waited for the fish to circle the reef, and then slowly approached the reef trying not to disturb the fish. I also wanted the sun in the photo. While viewing my composition in the small viewfinder of my housing, I drift as close to the fish as I can, and fire. Of course, as soon as my strobes fire, the fish scatter…I go back to my spot in the sand, check my photo in my small screen for correct exposure, composition and focus.
Usually, something is off, so I keep repeating the above with different settings and perhaps from a different angle until I get a shot I am happy with. This is the beauty of digital photography. In the old days, I would shoot an entire roll of film on one spot bracketing every shot in hopes of getting one keeper. Digital saves heaps of time as I can just delete underwater if I missed the shot, and I don’t have to wait a week after my dive trip to see if I got the shot or not. What a great time to be an underwater photographer.
Step 6: After the dive, I remove my CF card and download my photos to my EPSON P-5000 (one of the best things I have ever bought). I soak my camera in fresh water (with the housing, of course), go to the nearest hammock, turn on my ipod, and check out the photos I just took looking for keepers. I never delete photos in the EPSON P-5000 unless they are total crap…sometimes a photo that looks like crap turns out to be a good photograph, so I usually keep everything until I see them on my big screen at home (I have a 24-inch iMac).
Step 7: The dive trip is over, and I am home. I hook my EPSON P-5000 to my computer, and download all the photos to a folder on my hard drive named after the dive trip and date…example, RajaAmpat_March2009. I then burn a back-up copy of the photos onto a DVD.
Step 8: I import the photos from this folder into Lightroom, assign key words to all the photos, and keep them in the original folder.
Step 9: I have two monitors, so I have set up Lightroom so that I can view each of my photos in my Apple 23-inch cinema display, and the rest of Lightroom on my 24-inch monitor of my i-Mac. My 23-inch monitor is profiled and calibrated using Spyder3 software (and hardware) for my EPSON 9880 printer, so any adjustments to my photo should be viewed on my calibrated monitor so that accurate prints can be made later.
I then browse through my images and flag the shots I like and delete the totally awful shots (believe me, there are tons of the latter).
Step 10: I then go to the shots that I have flagged as possible keepers, and start the editing process. I chose this photo to edit. All my photos are taken in RAW, and this particular shot is the best I got of the Snappers swimming over the reef. My settings are f-11 at 1/60 sec at ISO 200…10.5mm lens.
Step 11: Move to the develop module in Lightroom. This is where my workflow differs somewhat from my land shots. Color underwater is a mess. You lose color very quickly underwater. The color is lost in order of the spectrum of light…remember ROY G BIV? First, you lose your reds, oranges and yellows, then greens, then Blues, Indigo and violets. Get to a depth of just 10 meters and everything looks grey until you artificially add light, and then the color comes bursting at you. This is why it is imperative you shoot with strobes underwater. Even with strobes, my photo above looks washed out and drab. My goal in Lightroom is to bring back the color and make my image “pop”.
Step 12: I first look at the histogram and check for proper exposure. In this case, the photo is a bit underexposed but with some “spikes” on the extreme right. So, the first thing I do is slide the exposure slider to the right slightly, and then slide the recovery slider to the right to bring down those spikes and to gain back any detail lost from over-exposed parts of my photo (mainly the fish bellies in the top left)
Here is my original histogram…
Here is my new histogram…
Now my photo looks like this…not too different…
Step 13: Crop. I don’t like the light from my strobes showing in the top left of the photo and the right side of the photo. I will crop those areas out of the photo.
Step 14: Now for the color. This is the most difficult part of the process. Above ground, I usually make my photos warmer. Underwater, if you move the temp slider to a warmer temp, you will lose the nice blues in the water. On the other hand, if you cool the photo down to bring out the blue water, you lose the nice yellows in the fish. Since reds are the first colors that are lost underwater, I almost always need to move the tint slider to the right for more magenta. The trick is finding the right balance between the two sliders…and I usually do this by eye. I know what the scene is supposed to look like, so I just mess with the sliders until I get close to what I want. I also will use the eye-dropper and click on a neutral gray, and see what Lightroom gives me, and then tweak from there…I settled on these settings…
Step 15: Now go to the color palette and the Tone Curve. I go through each color and move the sliders to bring out each individual color, and then move to the Tone Curve to darken or lighten the highlights, lights, darks and shadows. The most important color to play with is the blue. Here I darkened the blues and added more saturation.
Step 16: Now I go to the other fun sliders…fill light, blacks, contrast, clarity and vibrance. I rarely touch the saturation slider…I just play with these to add contrast and to give the photo some punch. Here are my settings…
Step 17: The last thing I do in Lightroom is to darken the edges with a Lightroom preset that I got from Matt Kloskowski’s website…called Edge Darkening. After darkening the edges, I sometimes have to increase the exposure or fill light to balance.
Step 18: Time to move into Photoshop. Press Cmd + E, and my photo opens in Photoshop with the changes I made in Lightroom.
Step 19: I have some actions that I created that does some magic with colors…in this particular action, I have done the following with one click of the mouse…
A curves adjustment layer to brighten the scene…
A levels adjustment layer to intensify the contrast…
And a Hue and Saturation adjustment layer to boost the colors…
Here is my layers palette…I group all of these adjustments, and then lower the opacity of the group so that it is not over done…
Step 20: Now for some dodging and burning. I want to lighten some of the coral in the foreground, and the school of fish, and darken some of the coral in the background. I do this by creating two new curves adjustment layers with a mask. Once again, I have actions that create these two layers and masks with a single click of the mouse. One brightens the exposure, and the other darkens the exposure. I then paint in both masks where I want the photo brighter and where I want the photo darker. Here is my layers palette. Notice the white parts of my two masks….where I have painted white is where light has been painted or where darkness is painted…
Notice in the photo how the foreground is now brighter, and there is more depth to the school of fish making it appear almost 3-D. The image really pops now as well…
Step 21: My final step in Photoshop is sharpening. I have many sharpening techniques. One of my favorites is a third party filter called Lucis Art. It is like sharpening on steroids. I use the sculpture filter, and sometimes the wyeth filter. The wyeth filter has a tendency to make your photos have an HDR look to them… sometimes good, and sometimes not good. For underwater, I don’t really care for the HDR look, so I usually just use the sculpture filter from Lucis Art. Of course, Photoshop’s unsharp mask works really well too if you don’t have Lucis Art. Anyway, I flatten my image, then duplicate the layer (cmd+J on a mac), and apply the filter, and then reduce the opacity if the effect is too strong.
Step 22: I am finished editing, and am now ready to print or save to the web for my website. I save my changes in Photoshop, which then saves the changes to the copy of the photo in Lightroom. I then print from Lightroom to my EPSON 9880. Printing is an entirely different tutorial…but Lightroom does make it easy, and the nice thing about printing from Lightroom is that it has built-in output sharpening developed by Jeff Schewe and Bruce Fraser who are legends in fine art printing.
Here is the before image…
Here is the final image…
If you are interested in seeing more of Scotty’s work, check out his photo blog at
http://www.scottygraham.blogspot.com or his website http://www.scottygraham.com
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Good News. Bad News.
I’m going to start with the bad news so I can get it off my chest and move on to much happier things.
Recently, I saw on the NAPP member site that a new 20% off discount was available for any single purchase through the Adobe.com store until March 2nd. With that, on top of Adobe’s introductory pricing on CS4 ending at the end of February (which has since been extended), I decided that I couldn’t wait to upgrade anymore.
I was talking with my friend and co-worker, Eric, about it and offered to use my discount to help him upgrade to CS4 Design Premium when I placed my order to upgrade to InDesign CS4 and Photoshop CS4. So I placed the order, saving around $200 between us, and waited eagerly for it to arrive.
Two things then happened. First, I got a sinking feeling one day that I had been in the mindset of ordering the PC versions for myself that I inadvertantly ordered Eric, a Mac user, the PC version of CS4 Design Premium. Big OOPS! And then I was expecting to receive the software on Monday but FedEx decided that the correct address I put on the order was not the right one.
All got worked out, though. I called Adobe customer service and spoke with a really nice rep who helped me get the Mac version on its way to replace the one I had mistakenly ordered. To be entirely honest, it was one of the best customer service calls I’ve ever had. He even honored the pricing from the previous order. After driving over to FedEx to pick up the undelievered package and talking to a manager to work out the address issue – since the driver wasn’t back yet – the software finally arrived the next morning.
Then the fun started… I found out, the hard way, that as it turns out it is against Adobe’s upgrade policy to allow customers who own a full version of a program that is part of a bundle to upgrade to a stand-alone version of the same software. Meaning, even though I own CS3 Design Premium, which includes InDesign CS3, I can not upgrade to InDesign CS4. I would either have to upgrade to CS4 Design Premium – which I don’t need – or purchase the full version of InDesign CS4 – which isn’t going to happen either. So I have to send it back.
The up-side is that I can keep the upgrade to Photoshop CS4 since I have copies of Photoshop going back as far as version 6. It’s the more important program for me to have anyway.
I’m not all worked up about it but it really frustrates me that even though I own a full version of InDesign CS3 – albeit as part of a bundle – I am ineligible to upgrade a single product. It was not very clear on the Adobe site and, in the end, they are crediting my card so they’re losing out on the sale. It won’t affect whether or not I will buy from them again, obviously, but I appeal to Adobe to revisit their upgrade policy so it would make more sense and do a better job of serving the customers.
Thus endeth the rant.
On to the good news! Kim and I have been wanting to escape apartment living for a while now and after some searching we are elated to share that we have found a house! Not just “a” house, but an amazing house!
We’re doing the mortgage paperwork today and we hope to close in the next month and a half or so – give or take. We’re going to be doing another walkthrough on Sunday afternoon so we’ll be able to take some shots of the inside too. It’s in Johnson City, NY, which is only about 15 minutes from where we live now in Endicott, NY. It’s about 25 minutes to Kim’s school and roughly 10 minutes to work for me.
It’s cute on the outside and down-right beautiful inside. We’re so excited about it and we’re still pinching ourselves because it’s all finally happening!
Mentioned on NAPP News!
A special welcome to anyone who has made their way here for the first time from NAPP News or Scott Kelby’s blog!
Friend-of-the-Blog Scott Kelby mentioned me this past Friday in his Friday News Stuff and NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker was kind enough to mention his interview with me in this week’s NAPP News segment. Thanks Scott and Larry!
If you are a NAPP member, head on over to the NAPP member website and check out what Larry had to say. If you’re not a NAPP member, go and sign-up! It’s a great organization to be a part of and is an excellent source for education, training, and inspiration for photographers and Photoshop users of all levels.
Thanks again, Guys! And Welcome!
P&P Weekly: #110
Welcome to week #110 of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll’s P&P Weekly!
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.
Monthly Photo Contests
The February Photo Contest is in full-swing with some great shots already in the running for a chance to win a $25 Gift Card to B&H Photo!
Full details can be found on our Monthly Photo Contest post and you can submit your shot(s) to our Monthly Photo Contest Flickr Group.
Every other Friday, we will welcome a new guest blogger that will share their personal workflow with all of us. They will take one of their own photos and walk us through the how’s and why’s of their post-processing techniques so that we might learn and expand our own workflows.
Next week we will be welcoming photographer Roger Madsen.
If you would like to participate in this new series, please email me or leave a comment!
In case you missed it, scroll down to read my interview with NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker!
Coming in March, I sit down with Adobe Engineer, host of Creative Sweet TV, and Aussie Mike McHugh.
On the 4th of each month throughout the year I invite you to take a photo and send it in. Join me and other photographers from around the world in documenting a day in the life, of sorts. For full details, take a look at our introductory post. If you shot something on February 4th, be sure to send me your images today for inclusion in this project!
Geographic Composition
Our upcoming themes – and their posting dates – are:
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Week #47 – Frbruary 13: “Round”
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Week #48 – February 27: “Contasts”
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Week #49 – March 13: “Wood”
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Week #50 - March 27: Contributor’s Favorites
More details about Geographic Composition.
I am offering special desktop wallpaper calendars. These desktop calendars will feature my personal photography as well as a listing of holidays and important dates. I offer these wallpaper calendars in a variety of sizes to accommodate a number of screen resolutions.
Get Your Monthly Desktop Calendar Today!
Finally, here are some of my favorites from what’s been happening in the top half (A-J) of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:
- Paul of A Clean Well-Lighted Place – “Tree Reflections“
- Stacey of A “focus” in the wild - “Inhospitable Lands“
- Igno of A Photographer’s Life has had a few really thoughtful posts lately. Definitely worth your time to slow down.
- Kathleen of A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania – “Man on a Cell Phone in Front of a Mural in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington D.C.“
- Amy of Archerfoto – “Marching to Sea“
- Margo of The Barefoot Contessa – “The Value of Photography“
- Richard of Black and White Photography – “Desillusion“
- Bruce of Bruce L. Snell Photography – “A Merging of Two Worlds“
- Kerry of Camera Dojo – “VideoCast #1: Paying Attention to Details“
- Jason of Canon Blogger – “CB Equals PLM“
- Patrick of Chuprina Studios – “Red Mercury Grill“
- Crash of Crash Taylor Photography – “Images of the Day“
- Mike of Creative Sweet TV – “Interactive InDesign PDF & SWF“
- Dave of Dave Cross Online – “After and Before“
- David of Digital ProTalk – “Forgotten Moments“
- Doug of doug stremel photography – “Back to School“
- Marshall of f/11 – “Are you lookin’ at my bum?“
- Syv of Foto-Biz.com – “Success Rates“
- Eric of Graphic Tips – “Some Great Photographic Work and Photoshop“
- Scotty of IndoGrahams – “Sunset in Indonesia“
- Marcus of Invisible Green – “Murphy“
- Jen of Jen Rinaldi Photography – “Hammock’s Beach State Park“
- Jenny of Jenny Arnez Photography – “This Afternoon“
- Joey of Joey L – “Joey L in Ethiopia – The Omo Valley 1/2“
- John of John Nack on Adobe – “Layer-related shortcuts you may want to know“
Please be sure to visit the great blogs of our other members found in the sidebar. And if you would like to be considered for The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll, email Jason.
Photoshop Interview: Larry Becker
This month I sit down with NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker to talk about Photoshop, NAPP, and the community of users from around the world that has built up because of this software.
Jason D. Moore Photography: First off, welcome! Thank you for taking the time to sit down with me. Let’s start off with some background. Tell me about yourself – where you come from, a little history about life before NAPP, education, personally, etc. If you would, include what brought you to NAPP and to your current position.
Larry Becker: I’ve been in advertising and marketing as the owner of my own small shop in central Florida, and I’ve been a public speaker since my first post-college job with United Way. It was at United Way that I started down the path to what I’m doing today, though I never would have guessed it back then. I was there for 5 years and my job required speaking in front of groups of 5 to 500 people. The other part of my job was layout and design of all of the printed materials for the local United Way. Ironically, because of my background and early adoption of desktop publishing, I wound up teaching PageMaker and Quark Express after hours to all of the local print shops in the county.
After my stint with United Way, I started my own small ad agency and when the web started to explode commercially, and became a part of business marketing, I was an early adopter and provider. About 2 years into the web marketing thing, I followed another one of my early adopter passions, and made the first ever, Palm Pilot training video. The Palm training thing was just a fun side business and I only intended to post the videos for sale on the web, which I did. But the response was so overwhelming that I sold my web marketing firm and went on the road as a Palm PDA trainer. Luckily for me, Palm thought their devices were so simple nobody needed video training or live seminar training on their devices, so I was cleaning up. I had clients like Pepsi, GE, the National Association of Realtors, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, Sony, and eventually even Palm, Inc. hired me to come to their headquarters and teach their own employees how to best use their device!
The entire time I had the Palm training business, I was doing my own marketing and stayed up on the latest developments with Photoshop. I attended a 1-day seminar put on by Scott Kelby and his partner, and sponsored by their magazine, Mac Today. I became fast friends with Scott and his partner Jim and, as it turned out, Scott and I grew up a block apart from one another and had lots of friends in common. I helped my buddies with their fledgling magazine by distributing copies to Mac User Groups, by taking time off from my Palm training business to work at their 1-day seminars, and eventually by becoming their web editor for the magazine as it went national and became Mac Design magazine.
During those years their business was growing and they asked me several times to consider leaving my Palm gig and working for them full time. I kept taking time off from my Palm job to help them with their growing Photoshop training business and eventually began to help them with hosting duties at Photoshop World conventions. Even though I wasn’t really working for what is now the Kelby Media Group, I was always at their events and writing for their magazines. Around the time the Palm popularity began to fade and smartphones were taking their place, I was starting the difficult task of exploring totally new markets, because Palm PDA users weren’t automatically smartphone users, so my customer base was changing dramatically. It was then (3 and a half years ago) that Scott and the partners offered me the job of Executive Director of NAPP. As a charter member and unofficial part-time employee, I made the jump to join the group full time and haven’t looked back. I love working with these crazy folks!
JDMP: Though you are known to a wider audience through your weekly NAPP News segments, you are more of a behind the scenes kind of guy making things run smoothly. Tell us about your current position and what your job entails, both the day-to-day and on a larger scale.
LB: Well, essentially I do whatever I can to make the member experience of NAPP better. I do a mix of customer service, arranging discounts, marketing messaging, program development, and in order to stay in touch with members on a user level, I even do occasional training tutorials.
JDMP: As a person who has worked with Photoshop regularly over the years you’ve had a chance to witness tremendous growth and advancement, what have been some of your favorite features/tools/etc. over the lifespan of the software? Obviously it’s an evolving program, but is there anything you thought was unnecessary or wasn’t done quite right, even if it was updated or will probably change in a future version?
LB: I have been using Photoshop long enough to remember how thrilled I was when they added layers. I remember being excited about the ability to add noise to images or parts of images to help them blend with other images. And it seems like there’s a lot I’m thrilled about in Photoshop every time the software revs. As far as being critical of Photoshop features that weren’t or aren’t exactly what I’d wish, I’ve got to defer to the high-end power users like Scott Kelby and Dave Cross. I love thinking of myself as a power user but because of how I use the software, I don’t really have time to contemplate how Photoshop might be better if only they would… Scott and Dave do that because it’s so directly tied to their job. I try to use my creative thinking for things like, ‘NAPP could be better if we would only…’
JDMP: What effect has Photoshop had on the creative community? How has it helped? And have you seen any ways in which it may even get in the way of our creative process?
LB: There’s no question that Photoshop is the tool of choice for graphics and for photo retouching, so as capabilities are added to the software and as tutorials are developed to show the masses how various ‘hot techniques’ are done, that there has been a solid progression and continuing improvement in the world of visual imagery. Overall it’s a good thing and with clever artists, photographers, and designers constantly creating new effects, as well as Adobe and 3rd parties always enhancing Photoshop’s capabilities, there are bound to be continued improvements. And certainly, when powerful tools of any type become available to a wider audience, there are bound to be big, ugly visual mistakes that assault the viewer. It’s a tradeoff, but the balance sheet is heavily weighted toward more quality from more people and better images for everyone.
JDMP: Speaking of the creative community, I know a large part of your job is to connect with and support the NAPP community. Are there any stories that stick out for you that illustrate the kind of community that has grown up around this piece of software?
LB: Wow! There are hundreds of them and I read about individual success stories every day in our NAPP member forums. It’s a place where people meet in our virtual community and sharing ideas and success. And since they’re NAPP’s forums, I read and contribute ideas and answers there almost daily.
There have been lots of different types of successes at all levels, but one that really stands out is the story of a member named Lisa Sage. She is a gifted, classically trained painter who had to give up her love of painting because of a reaction the chemicals. A friend told her about Photoshop and while she was investigating Photoshop, she discovered the Wacom tablet and was sure she wanted to get back into art in this new medium. I love Lisa’s story (we’ve even run it as a story in our magazine) because she’s a perfect example of a hard-working, gifted artist who has taken full advantage of everything NAPP offers our members.
Lisa learned from our tutorials and constantly contacted our Help Desk to get good at Photoshop. She lurked in the member forums for over a year before posting questions and answers but now she’s a regular there who contributes help, answers and even tutorials. She regularly uploaded her works to our member portfolios so I had seen and been impressed by her work, so when I met her at a Photoshop World convention in Boston a couple years back, I commented how great her imagers were. Up to that point, she hadn’t done anything commercially using Photoshop, but just seven months later she called me and let me know what was going on.
She had a 4’x5’ gallery print hanging in a Boca Raton, Florida gallery (she lives in Maine), she was painting matte paintings for a theater-released motion picture, and she was selected as the still artist for the release of a Spider Man video game’s ad campaign. And while she worked hard and applied for lots of freelance work, she let me know that most of the folks who hired her had originally found out about her because THEY were NAPP forum users too. Heck, Lisa is kind of our NAPP poster-child artist.
JDMP: NAPP has been at the forefront of Photoshop education and has resourced so many of us in unique and entertaining ways. It has also been an advocate for members providing benefits and challenges to help us do what we love to do. What’s next for NAPP? Are there areas that you are exploring for growth? Any new and exciting projects coming down the pike?
LB: Well, we certainly do have some new ideas and we’re working on reaching new markets, but I’ve got to take the Apple corporate approach to this answer and say that we can’t discuss any new programs until they’re officially announced. Still, there are programs that are already out there, which lots of folks don’t know about. For example, we’re always talking about the fact that members get free shipping with B&H photo, and that we have the whole Apple store, but with lower prices for our members… and every single time I go to a 1-day seminar, I meet NAPP members who have never heard about those discounts! It’s amazing to me. And if they don’t know about the discounts, I’m sure they miss things like the fact that we have a whole library of around 1,000 videos, each 30-60 seconds long, that simply explain a single menu item or terminology of Photoshop. It’s an amazing library we call the How to Education Library for Photoshop (H.E.L.P.) and that doesn’t even include our 450+ tutorial videos that are 5 minutes or so each, which teach beginning through advanced Photoshop techniques.
JDMP: Working with Scott, Dave, Matt, Corey, and RC everyday – as well as the tremendous team that we often don’t see – it must be just an awesome work environment. And you must have some great stories to tell! What’s it like working in a place that is filled with such creative individuals?
LB: It’s awesome. I worked for myself for more than a decade before joining this team, and I thought I’d never work for anybody but myself again. But this company/family is so amazing that I like it better than working for myself. Still, there’s a lot more to my answer than just that.
As you know, Scott Kelby has a guest blogger every Wednesday on his amazingly popular Photoshop Insider blog. When I had a chance to write up a story for him, I did a complete behind-the-scenes thing. If you’d like to see it, there’s a link here: http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1912
JDMP: I know you led a photowalk back in August as part of Scott’s Worldwide Photowalk, but I’m not sure many people have seen your photography. Do you get a chance to do any personal shooing in the midst of your schedule? Is there a place we can go to see your work?
LB: Well, the quick answer is that I have a few items in my NAPP portfolio here:
http://www.photoshopuser.com/members/portfolios/view/gallery/67554
JDMP: My last question is always the same. What would you like to say that I haven’t given you a chance to say?
LB: First of all, thanks. Obviously I love having a chance to talk about NAPP any time I can, and not because I’ve been here for nearly 4 years. I love NAPP because I’ve been a member for 11 years (since the beginning) and I used the resources NAPP made available to me as an artist, designer, and photographer. It’s one of the easiest $99 I ever spent because it paid me back so many times over with savings, education, and keeping me ahead of my competitors. — It’s like cheating off the smart kid’s paper in Photoshop class, without the guilt. — With the recent economic news, people are watching every penny they spend and I’m thrilled that so many members understand that they need to renew because NAPP helps them make more money or save production time, or both. That’s a strong testament to NAPP’s value.
But the one thing I haven’t mentioned yet that really keeps NAPP on track is our members. They help one another. And they help us by telling us what they want and what they need. It’s a great symbiotic relationship… we need members for NAPP to be successful, and our members tell us what they need from us in order to succeed. The formula has helped us become the largest image-related association in the world and even though we’re 11 years old, it feels like we’re just getting started.
JDMP: Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us!
For more information or to become a member yourself, please visit the NAPP site at photoshopuser.com today!
*****
Photoshop Interviews is brought to you in part by Towner Jones Photography, LLC. Check out all of the great things Rob is doing over there!
If you would like to sponsor Photoshop Interviews or any of our other regular series, or if you would like to advertise with us, visit our Become a Sponsor page today!
P&P Weekly: #109
Welcome to week #109 of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll’s P&P Weekly!
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 now!
It’s that time again! On the 4th of each month throughout the year I invite you to take a photo and send it in. Join me and other photographers from around the world in documenting a day in the life, of sorts. For full details, take a look at our introductory post. And since today is February 4th, get out there with your cameras and shoot something!
Thank you again to everyone who participated in the January Photo Contest! It was really tough with all of the amazing shots that were submitted. The February Photo Contest is running now! So enter your shots for your chance to win a $25 B&H Gift Card!
Full details can be found on our Monthly Photo Contest post and you can submit your shot(s) to our Monthly Photo Contest Flickr Group.
Every other Friday, we will welcome a new guest blogger that will share their personal workflow with all of us. They will take one of their own photos and walk us through the how’s and why’s of their post-processing techniques so that we might learn and expand our own workflows.
This Friday we will be having a very cool guest who will surely inspire all of us, photographer Joey L! He’s guest-blogging over on Scott’s blog today, but it’s only a prelude to his appearance here. Scott’s blog is just the opening act, if you will. (I don’t really mean that Scott, really.)
If you would like to participate in this new series, please email me or leave a comment!
Coming on Monday is my interview with NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker!
Geographic Composition
Our upcoming themes – and their posting dates – are:
-
Week #47 – Frbruary 13: “Round”
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Week #48 – February 27: “Contasts”
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Week #49 – March 13: “Wood”
-
Week #50 - March 27: Contributor’s Favorites
More details about Geographic Composition.
I am offering special desktop wallpaper calendars. These desktop calendars will feature my personal photography as well as a listing of holidays and important dates. I offer these wallpaper calendars in a variety of sizes to accommodate a number of screen resolutions.
February’s Calendar is now available! Get Your Monthly Desktop Calendar Today!
Finally, here are some of my favorites from what’s been happening in the bottom half (L-W) of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:
- Jennifer of Laughing Lion Design – “Design Video Podcasts That Are Worth a Look“
- Matt of Lightroom Killer Tips - “Press H to Hide The Adjustment Brush Pins“ - I learned this one by accident!
- Mike of Mike Palmer Photography – “2941 New Site“
- Heather of One Shot Beyond Photography - “Kim’s Indoor Maternity Portraits - Partial Nudity“
- Crash of Photographer Interviews – “Dino Lara“
- Clayton of Photographic Design – “Cass – Shay Engine Detail“
- Mike of Photography Reloaded – “Photo Project Starter for 10“
- Scott of Photoshop Insider links us to a tutorial on “How To Clean Your Camera’s Sensor” – something I need to do!
- Jeff of PhotoWalkPro shares a really cool video of stop-motion photography.
- Roger of Roger Madsen Photography – “Smile!“
- Sam of Samuel Barr Photography – “2009 World of Wheels“
- Shawn of SDuffy Photography – “Scouting a Potential Photowalk Site“
- David of Strobist shows us how to turn your iPhone into a mini soft box.
- Terry of Terry White’s Tech Blog talks about the importance of backing up your computer.
- Richard of The Airstream Chronicles Continued – “Personal HDR Setup in the Field“
- Derrick of The Digital Story – “Introduction to SiteGrinder for Beautiful, Easy Web Design“
- Dewdrop of The Flight of a South Georgia Storm Chaser – “A Little Virga“
- Andy of The Global Photographer – “Tanzania Safari Trip Report“
- Rob of Towner Jones Photography – “From Thirty-Thousand Feet“
- Michael of travel+photography – “Shanghai – The Last Day“ – reminds me of my time there.
- Marc of User 40.0 – “Tilt Shift Fun“
- Lori of VirtualPhotographyStudio.com – “What Would You Do If You Could Photograph Anything?“
- Andy of Visual Realia – “Dreams and Ideas“
- Stephen of watchThisspace – “I Spy With My Little Eye“
- Scott of Weekly Photo Tips - “Maine Strobist Meetup“
- Aaron of What the Duck - ”WTD #52″
- Christopher of Written By the Light – “The Great D700 Lens Hunt“
- Damian of Your Photo Tips is our newest member – Welcome! – “Weekend Perusing“
Please be sure to visit the great blogs of our other members found in the sidebar. And if you would like to be considered for The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll, email Jason.
P&P Weekly: #108
Welcome to week #108 of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll’s P&P Weekly!
Once again, I would like to welcome Marc Benton of User 40.0, our newest sponsor! 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” post.
Monthly Photo Contests
Time is almost up to enter the January Photo Contest for your change to win the prize package.
Full details can be found on our Monthly Photo Contest post and you can submit your shot(s) to our Monthly Photo Contest Flickr Group.
Every other Friday, we will welcome a new guest blogger that will share their personal workflow with all of us. They will take one of their own photos and walk us through the how’s and why’s of their post-processing techniques so that we might learn and expand our own workflows.
Next week we will be having a very cool guest who will surely inspire all of us.
If you would like to participate in this new series, please email me or leave a comment!
Coming on Monday, February 9 is my interview with NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker!
On the 4th of each month throughout the year I invite you to take a photo and send it in. Join me and other photographers from around the world in documenting a day in the life, of sorts. For full details, take a look at our introductory post. If you shot something on January 4th, be sure to send me your images today for inclusion in this project!
Geographic Composition
Our upcoming themes – and their posting dates – are:
-
Week #46 – January 30: “Shadows”
-
Week #47 – Frbruary 13: “Round”
-
Week #48 – February 27: “Contasts”
-
Week #49 – March 13: “Wood”
-
Week #50 - March 27: Contributor’s Favorites
More details about Geographic Composition.
I am offering special desktop wallpaper calendars. These desktop calendars will feature my personal photography as well as a listing of holidays and important dates. I offer these wallpaper calendars in a variety of sizes to accommodate a number of screen resolutions.
Get Your Monthly Desktop Calendar Today!
In the meantime…
Click here to become a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. A great resource for training, tips, and connecting with other creatives.
And as always, take a moment to grab one of the chicklet links to show your support for this blog and, for blogroll members, be sure to pick up your P&P Blogroll Member badge link.
Finally, here are some of my favorites from what’s been happening in the top half (A-J) of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:
- Stacey of A “focus” in the wild - “Black and White“
- Igno of A Photographer’s Life reminds us to watch out for when life has more great moments in store.
- Kathleen of A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania – “Break Time“
- Amy of Archerfoto – “Pink Houses“ – a favorite from this week
- Margo of The Barefoot Contessa – “Lightroom Slideshow Module“
- Richard of Black and White Photography – “Tall Grass“
- Bruce of Bruce L. Snell Photography – “Great Locations – Part Two“
- Kerry of Camera Dojo – “List of Free Adobe Lightroom Presets“
- Jason of Canon Blogger – “Defining Your Image Composition“
- Patrick of Chuprina Studios – “Auburn Spare“
- Crash of Crash Taylor Photography – “Rachel and Alan“ – a great set
- Mike of Creative Sweet TV – “The good the bad and the retouched“
- Dave of Dave Cross Online – “Technique of the…every so often” – I’ve actually used this a couple of times at work and I think it’s great!
- David of Digital ProTalk – “Lost in the Moment“
- Doug of doug stremel photography – “Meet Pete“
- Marshall of f/11 – “Golden Glow“ & “Looking East” & “Luminosity“
- Syv of Foto-Biz.com – “Proofsheets“
- Eric of Graphic Tips – “Logo of the Day“
- Scotty of IndoGrahams – “Elephant Crossing“ – another favorite, because I’m a sucker for elephants
- Marcus of Invisible Green – “Dukes Creek“ – there’s a whole series of them that are really nice
- John of John Nack on Adobe – “Photos from 100 Meters to 1mm”
Please be sure to visit the great blogs of our other members found in the sidebar. And if you would like to be considered for The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll, email Jason.
Photoshop Interview: John Nack
To kick off our new series of Photoshop Interviews, where better to start than Adobe? Today we welcome Principal Project Manager for Adobe Photoshop & Bridge, and Photoshop Hall of Famer, John Nack.
Jason D. Moore Photography: First off, welcome John! It’s an honor to have you with us. Why don’t you start off by telling us a little bit about your background both Educationally and Professionally?
John Nack: I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in history–which has nothing whatsoever to do with Web design or product management, the two things I’ve done professionally.
I’ve loved drawing since I was little, and when I saw the first Macintosh at my friend’s birthday party in 1984, it completely blew my mind. I finally talked my parents into getting an Apple IIgs in the late 80’s, and in college I taught myself Web technologies while helping professors put their coursework online. My job at AGENCY.COM New York (‘98-2000) gave me intensive hands-on design and production experience, and it introduced me to folks from Adobe, Macromedia, and other tech companies. My desire to improve Flash production led me to Adobe in 2000 to work on LiveMotion.
JDMP: What is your current job? And could you describe for us a little bit of what that entails?
JN: You know, I’m never really clear on what it is I do, except that it seems to involve an awful lot of email. 
In a nutshell I try to figure out what people need (and hence will pay for), and then I work with the team to get that built. That means talking to customers via a variety of means (blogs, forums, face-to-face meetings, etc.) and working with the team to keep making feature decisions and refining priorities. There’s also an enormous amount of semi-random work (answering press inquiries, supporting tradeshows and user groups, and so forth).
JDMP: Photoshop has come a long way since version 1, with many milestones along the way (layers, adjustment layers, smart objects, HDR, etc). For you, what have been some of the most significant advances over the life of the software? Any missteps?
JN: I think the greatest hits are pretty obvious: Layers, the History palette, re-editable type, the Healing Brush, and Camera Raw jump to mind. Save for Web and ImageReady were pretty huge for me in my past life.
As for missteps, I’ve certainly championed things that it *seems* people should love, but which go largely unused (e.g. Layer Comps, the How To content under the Help menu). I sometimes say that there are problems people have & problems people will let you solve. The latter set is much smaller than the former.
A certain set of things like Smart Objects and customizability are underused, but I think that’s because we haven’t yet finished what we started. Sometimes you have to build a house brick by brick, and the whole thing looks a little silly until it’s complete.
JDMP: There have been a lot of new arenas in which Photoshop has delved, especially starting with CS3 Extended. What was the motivation for developing areas of Photoshop with the medical and scientific fields in mind?
JN: Well, from very early on Photoshop has been used by people outside the traditional core markets (photography, graphic design, etc.). I remember reading about an early version where Mark Hamburg bumped up the maximum document dimensions to 30,000×30,000 pixels at the request of government users (the CIA, if I remember right) who were processing satellite imagery.
He figured “That ought to hold them for a while”–and it did. Of course, years later we raised the limits again by 100x, and I’m sure that’ll happen again someday.
In any case, even though we were aware of these specialized uses of Photoshop, each market was too small to justify a lot of direct investment. That is, we couldn’t justify making their needs a priority at the expense of more broadly applicable features. Photoshop Extended gives us a chance to say, “Here’s a version that adds just the kind of things you’ve requested.”
We don’t market it as “Photoshop Pro” or “Photoshop Premium,” i.e. as the version that everyone would buy if money were no object. Instead we try to present it as a version that extends beyond Photoshop in some targeted ways.
JDMP: In a related question, what is the process for including new features? How do you determine what’s in and what has to wait for the next version?
JN: I’d love to tell you that the process is simple or straightforward, but it’s more complex than that. At the front of our minds, of course, is the feedback we’re getting from customers. The thing is, we get so many more good requests than we’d ever have time to address that we have to consider other factors.
Various engineers have specific skill sets, so it’s not always possible to mix and match. Some people are great at user interface code, others at math (HDR, warping, etc.), others at deep software architecture, and so on. We also need to make time to keep improving the Photoshop architecture and requests/requirements established by the Suite. And, of course, sometimes feature work goes faster than expected, sometimes slower, so we’re constantly adjusting plans.
At the end of the day we have to deliver a release that’s a good mix of power for a wide range of customers. Otherwise it just won’t entice customers to upgrade.
*****
Thanks again to John for being our first guest as part of the Photoshop Interviews Series here at Jason D. Moore Photography! We’ll have “Part II” of the conversation in the coming days.
For more information about John Nack and his work at Adobe you can visit his blog, John Nack on Adobe, at http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack.
And be sure to come back on Monday, February 9th when I sit down with NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker!
*****
Also, we welcome a new sponsor for the Photoshop Interviews series, Towner Jones Photography! If you would like to become a sponsor of this, or any other series here at Jason D. Moore Photography, please visit our “Become a Sponsor” page to find out how!
New for 2009: Photoshop Interviews
Lately, many sites have been coming out with series of photographer interviews to help share the work and inspiration of our creative fellows with the larger photographic community. From Crash Taylor to Canon Blogger to Dave Cross’ “Finish the Sentence.” And I think it’s great! In some small way, I like to think that my “P&P Blogger Profiles” had something to do with this new dialogue, but I doubt it.
As I look around at these sites and take in all of the tremendous insights and experience of the featured guest, I notice that Photoshop and post-processing as a whole is only a small part of the discussion. It’s true that these days it’s almost impossible to talk about photography without talking about what happens in post. But there hasn’t been much of a forum for talking about Photoshop’s place in culture or to hope and dream, or gripe, about one of our favorite pieces of software.
That’s about to change. On the second Monday of each month, starting next Monday, we will feature a new interview with a member of the Photoshop community.
I’ve already got a “Who’s Who” of interviewees lined up including Adobe’s Project Manager for Photoshop John Nack, NAPP Executive Director Larry Becker, Adobe Creative Systems Engineer Mike McHugh, African Safari leader Andy Biggs, and photowalker extrodinaire Jeff Revell. And I’m waiting for confirmation from a number of others.
As this will be an on-going series, I am always open to suggestions for new subjects to interview. If you have any ideas, please let me know so I can make contact and secure them as an upcoming guest.
Please be sure to stop back on Monday for my interview with Adobe’s own John Nack!
New for 2009: Monthly Photo Contests!
That’s right! Starting in January, Jason D. Moore Photography will be hosting a monthly photo contest for our readers. Beginning on the first day of the month and continuing thru the last day of the month there will be an open call for entries. There is no theme, no requirements for how much processing is allowed, and no restrictions on who can enter.
Here’s the rundown:
- Theme:
- Like I said above, there is no theme. You choose your subject. It can be anything you want.
- However, please use common sense when submitting your photos. I don’t think I have to spell out what types of images are unacceptable here, we all know what we’re talking about.
- Any images that I feel are inappropriate will be deleted from the group pool and I will ask that the entrant refrain from taking part in the future.
- Who?:
- Anyone can enter! This is an open contest and we welcome submissions from amateurs to professionals.
- Post-Processing:
- While this is a photography contest, feel free to process your photo as much as you like.
- Entries:
- Photos don’t need to be taken during the contest period but they must be uploaded to Our Contest Flickr Group between the first and last days of a given contest month in order to be considered.
- Photos submitted for one month’s contest will only be considered for that month’s contest. There’s no rollover.
- Each person may submit up to 3 entries per monthly contest.
- Judging:
- On or after the last day of the contest I will review the submissions and announce the winner here on the blog as well as any honorable mentions.
- I am the sole judge for the contest and will select the photo that I feel is the best all-around image of the month. I don’t have a set criteria for judging, but I look for composition, overall photographic skill, and whether or not the image is compelling (tells a story, moves me, has that extra “something”).
- Prizes:
- The prizes will vary from month to month from B&H Gift Cards to personal prints and more.
- I’m also going to be contacting some photo-related companies to see if I can get anyone to sponsor prizes too.
- If you have any ideas or suggestions for prizes, please leave a comment or email me!
- What to do if you win:
- If your photo is chosen as the winner of the contest, please contact me via email to claim your prize and we’ll make arrangements from there.
Prizes For January 2009:
- Adobe “Photoshop Icon” Long Sleeve Tee – L or XL
(Embroidered “Ps” logo on a dark blue shirt with navy collar and sleeves) - Adobe Logo Pen
(Blue, with black ink) - Adobe “Illustrator Icon” Stickers
(1″x1″)
Remember to upload your photos to Our Contest Flickr Group by January 31st to be considered!
Thursday Inspiration: Alan Young
Alan Young’s NAPP Portfolio and Website
I know I’ve linked here before, but as I was trolling through the NAPP portfolios looking for something to post, I came across another excellent series from photographer Alan Young.
Happy Thursday!
P&P Weekly: #96 – Part One
Welcome to week #96 of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll’s P&P Weekly!
This edition of the P&P Weekly will be split into a couple of groups (A-J and L-W) as I am still recovering from a full weekend of photowalking and a portrait session. Weekends are never long enough to fit everything in, are they?! I’ll have part two set for either tomorrow or Wednesday.
We had a great time over the weekend at Salt Spring State Park for our most recent photowalk! Everyone had a great time and from the chimping going on, everyone got some really nice shots! Personally, I felt more confident about my shots than I have in awhile and was pleased with the results of a few new techniques that I tried on the walk. I haven’t made it through all of my shots yet, but below is one of my favorites of the day, so far:
We will keep an eye on schedules and weather but we are definitely going to be planning more walks in the future. We might even brave the cold and try for a winter walk later in the year. Keep up-to-date on our photowalk page above and here on the main pages of the blog for all the details.
Click here to become a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. A great resource for training, tips, and connecting with other creatives.
And as always, take a moment to grab one of the chicklet links to show your support for this blog and, for blogroll members, be sure to pick up your P&P Blogroll Member badge link.
Finally, here are some of my favorites from what’s been happening in The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:
- Paul of A Clean-Well Lighted Place – “The Met“
- Stacey of A “Focus” in the Wild – “Siesta“
- Kathleen of A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania – “Pear“
- Amy of Archerfoto – “Saturday Afternoon“
- Richard of Black and White Photography – “I Feel You“
- Brad of bradmoore | blog is joining the team over at NAPP.
- Bruce of Bruce L. Snell Photography – “Kelly and James“
- Kerry of Camera Dojo – “Photoshop CS4 Indepth Guide to What’s New“
- Jason of Canon Blogger is into week 15 of his really interesting “What’s This?“
- Patrick of Chuprina Studios – “Studebaker Champion“
- Colin of The Official Blog of Colin Smith – “Create Chaos et. al“
- Crash of Crash Taylor Photography – “Image of the Day“
- Mike of Creative Sweet TV – “CS4 is Out the Door“
- Dave of Dave Cross Online gave a nod to the blog this week as he highlighted the work of fellow blogroll member Lori of VirtualPhotographyStudio.com - Thanks Dave!
- David of Digital ProTalk also mentioned me on his fantastic blog recently and had some very kind things to say to me both there and personally. David, you’re an inspiration and a friend! Thank you for all your support!
- Doug of doug stremel photography – “Lauren“
- Marshall of f/11 – “Getty Curves“
- Syv of Foto-Biz.com – “Good Debt - Bad Debt“
- Eric of Graphic Tips – “35 Beautiful Vintage and Retro Photoshop Tutorials“
- Scotty of IndoGrahams just hit his 700th post! Congratulations, Scotty! And nice work!
- Marcus of Invisible Green – “Closed for the Night“
- Jen of Jen Rinaldi Photography - “In the Mood for Fall“
- Jenny of Jenny Arnez Photography – “Hitchhiker & An Old Train“
- Joey of Joey L. – “Tahnia“
- John of John Nack on Adobe has a number of posts about what’s new in CS4.
Come back in the next day or so for Part Two!
Please be sure to visit the great blogs of our other members found in the sidebar. And if you would like to be considered for The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll, email Jason.
Need Some Inspiration?
“Vatican Museum Exit Staircase”
by Cynthia Merzer
I know I need some inspiration sometimes. When I’m in the middle of a long week and I just can’t seem to get those creative juices flowing I need a little jolt of inspiration to get me going. There are a lot of places to look, Flickr is one, a Google image search on a particular topic is another. But one of my favorite places to look is the NAPP member portfolios. There’s always a wide variety of shots of all subjects and styles and you’re never quite sure what you’re going to find.
So if you’re feeling a bit like I am and need a quick boost, spend a few minutes browsing through the portfolios and see what NAPP members have been working on. And, if you’re not a NAPP member, become one, and you can post your own work there for all to see.
