Points of View Photo Project #28
Happy Friday everyone! You know what that means, it’s time for the 28th installment of the Points of View Photo Project!
As I mentioned last week, this week’s source image comes all the way from Antarctica courtesy of my brother, Chris.
For those of you who might be new to this photo project of ours, each week I post a source image (either my own or user-submitted) that is straight out of the camera without any post-processing whatsoever. Anyone is free to download it, edit it however they like, and return it to me with an explanation of their processing so I can post it with the other submissions.
But why keeping trying to explain it when you can see how it all works for yourself with this week’s source image. Enjoy!
Points of View Photo Project #27
Welcome to the 27th week of the Points of View Photo Project!
This week we are fortunate to have a source image from Friend-of-the-Blog Marc Benton of the Columbus Skyline. Thank you Marc!
We have 6 versions for your enjoyment this week! I am excited for the continued growth of the project and I encourage you all to give it a shot for next week. We have a special image at the end of the post that comes from my brother, Chris, from his recent trip to Antarctica.
So have a look at what we all did to process this initial photo and, who knows, you might learn a little something too!
Points of View Photo Project #24
Welcome to the 24th edition of the Points of View Photo Project here at Jason D. Moore Photography!
UPDATE: New deadline for submitting your version of the image for week #25!
Each week readers from all over the world tackle a common source image and display it to show the many interpretations, perspectives, and approaches that can be taken from the same starting point. I always fins it interesting how a single image can be manipulated and processed to express such different feelings and emotions.
If you are new to the project, or if you’ve been following along regularly and would like to participate, be sure to scroll to click on “More…” and scroll down to the bottom to download the source image for next week and learn how to submit.
But now, on with this week’s images!
Points of View Photo Project #22
Welcome to the 22nd edition of the Points of View Photo Project! This week we have been lucky enough to have a chance to work with not one, but three source images from reader and blog contributor Steve Kalman who challenged us to produce an HDR image, if we were so bold to try it.
Read on to see what some of our regulars have done with these photos and to learn how you can grab next week’s source image and participate in this excellent project that gets your creative juices flowing, invites you to experiment and try new things, and opens you up to the different perspectives that can come from a common image.
Also, be sure to scroll down to the bottom to find out how you can share your photos and a source image for one of our upcoming editions of the project!
The Ethics of Digital Photography: Part 3
Today’s edition of our miniseries looking into questions of what is and what is not “ok” when it comes to our work as creative professionals steers us towards the more conceptual side of the discussion. What are the limits of using the creative ideas of others in your own work?
Points of View Project Extended
We all seem to be getting back on our feet and up to speed with the new year.
So, with that in mind, I’m extending the deadline for the Points of View Photo Project another week to give you all a chance to participate. Scroll down to the post from the 5th to grab the source image and send me your interpretations by next Thursday for inclusion.
In the meantime, come back Monday for our first edition of my new regular guest blogger series!
Have a great weekend!
Points of View Photo Project Source Image #21
As promised, we are starting the Points of View Photo Project back up with the new year!
I’m adding in a couple of elements though that will hopefully make this project more interactive, not only for our participants, but for the readers as well. Read more, after the jump.
Software Review: Topaz Adjust
I will be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of plug-ins. Maybe I’ve just never used the right ones, maybe I’ve never played around with them enough, maybe I just haven’t been too impressed with the results. So, I’m going into this one a little skeptical from the start.
With all of that said, I must say that when I sat down to try out Topaz Adjust, from Topaz Labs, I found myself actually enjoying the process. Now, I’m not a purist at all; I think if you have the tools at hand and the ability to utilize them to achieve your vision, by all means. But I feel, and I’ve said this before, that sometimes people can go overboard and turn a potentially good photo into something kind of “alien”, surreal, and even cartoonish which distracts from more than enhances the viewing experience. Not that it isn’t ok to do that sometimes, but it should be done sparingly, in my opinion.
When I opened up my source image from a photowalk I did in Boston over the summer, I was presented with a dark, flat, and uninteresting photo – isn’t that how most of them start out?
Sometimes, when presented with a shot like this I may even just pass right by it without giving it another thought thinking that it was a nice idea but the light wasn’t right or I didn’t take enough time to do this or that the way I wanted to. Then I thought, what better way to really put this Photoshop plug-in to the test than with an image I’m not excited about in the first place? And so the fun began.
When I first opened the plug-in dialog I felt that the interface was very intuitive with a diverse set of presets and their respective previews running down the left, a decent-sized window for your full-sized image (complete with the option to zoom in and out of your photo), and a collection of sliders along the bottom for any fine-tuning you may want to do.
I started off by clicking through each of the presets to see how they would each affect my shot, thinking as I went that a number of them just didn’t give me what I was looking for. At the same time, though, I found myself thinking how I could see where those effects might come in handy with other types of images. I finally landed on the “Dramatic” preset which really caught my attention. I felt as though it really balanced out the tones in the image by lightening up the shadow areas without blowing out the highlights. It also brought out a great deal of details and made the sky, well, dramatic. All adding interest and depth to the photo.
In a way it created an HDR-like effect without the downsides I mentioned above. I then hit the sliders to refine the image even further and really get the results I was hoping for. I brought back a little detail in the highlights and shadows, supressed the noise a tad, and made sure that I wasn’t getting that awful halo effect that a lot of HDR photos employ. In the end, I was pretty pleased with the final image. And considering I was about to dismiss the photo altogether, I’d say that using Topaz Adjust saved it from the recycle bin. Here’s my final image (only process with Topaz Adjust):
Pros:
- Simple, straightforward, and intuitive interface.
- Variety of presets available, with previews
- Large preview window with zoom
- Ability to adjust each setting to fine-tune the image
- Hovering over a slider does more than show you the tool’s name, it pops up a description of what that tool is actually doing
- Works well Smart Objects so you can always go back – gotta love that it’s non-destructive!
- Priced at only $49.99 puts it within reach of everyone.
Cons:
- I could tell that the presets were on the left, but I think the section could’ve been set apart or labeled a little more clearly to make it more self-evident.
- I think some of the names for the sliders could be improved to help the user have a better idea of what’s going on (ie – “Highlights” should be called something more like “Highlight Protection”).
- I think the interface could be rearranged a little bit for a cleaner look – but I might just be nitpicking at this point.
In the end, I would say that I am very glad to have been introduced to this plug-in and it has helped change the way I feel about plugins as a whole. I would definitely recommend adding Topaz Adjust to your Photoshop toolkit!
Points of View Photo Project: #12
Welcome to the 12th edition of the “Points of View Project“!
Every other Friday I will post a new, out-of-the-camera image for you to download. You may process, manipulate, composite, experiment, or otherwise alter the photo in any way you wish. The hope is that we will get to see a number of different takes on the same image and/or see it used in unique ways as a part of a new image.
This is not a contest or competition. It’s simply a way of stretching our creative muscles and to get those juices flowing through experimentation and seeing how many different interpretations can be applied to the same starting photo.
Check out our Points of View Gallery showing this week’s source image and how it has been seen from our contributors’ different points of view. I am especially pleased with this week’s contributions.
Thank you to everyone who contributed this week!
Here’s the image for week #13:
Click here to open the full-size version to download as your starting point. Have fun with it! I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
You can do whatever you want to the photo as long as you use the given photo in some way as part of your final image. In fact, I know the potential is there for a number of people to end up processing the image in very similar ways and getting similar results. Because of that, I’d like to encourage you to experiment and/or take things a couple of steps further to really challenge yourself to make it truly unique.
Once you have worked with the image as much as you feel it needs, simply email it back to me at pov@jasondmoore.com by Wednesday September 23rd for inclusion in the project. Please be sure to include your name, location, and website/blog URL so I may properly credit you.
If you would like to send in a photo – unprocessed, straight out of the camera – for us to use as our starting image for a future week, please send me an email to the same address listed above.
I’d like to note that the image(s) that will be used in a given week are only offered for use within the confines of the “Points of View Project“. I am not releasing any rights for use beyond creating your submission. I would also express the same for any starting images that may be provided by other participants. Feel free to re-post your version of the image on your site to share your participation in the project. I just ask for a link back here when you do.
The Points of View Photo Project is sponsored by Towner Jones Photography, LLC. Please take a few moments and head over to see some of the great things Rob is doing! If you would like to sponsor this or any other project here at Jason D. Moore Photography, or would like to support the site as a whole, please visit our “Become a Sponsor” page today to learn how!
Points of View Photo Project #11
Welcome to the eleventh edition of the “Points of View Project“!
Every other Friday I will post a new, out-of-the-camera image for you to download. You may process, manipulate, composite, experiment, or otherwise alter the photo in any way you wish. The hope is that we will get to see a number of different takes on the same image and/or see it used in unique ways as a part of a new image.
This is not a contest or competition. It’s simply a way of stretching our creative muscles and to get those juices flowing through experimentation and seeing how many different interpretations can be applied to the same starting photo.
Check out our Points of View Gallery showing this week’s source image and how it has been seen from our contributors’ different points of view. I am especially pleased with this week’s contributions.
Thank you to everyone who contributed this week!
Here’s the image for week #12:
Click here to open the full-size version to download as your starting point. Have fun with it! I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
You can do whatever you want to the photo as long as you use the given photo in some way as part of your final image. In fact, I know the potential is there for a number of people to end up processing the image in very similar ways and getting similar results. Because of that, I’d like to encourage you to experiment and/or take things a couple of steps further to really challenge yourself to make it truly unique.
Once you have worked with the image as much as you feel it needs, simply email it back to me at pov@jasondmoore.com by Wednesday September 9th for inclusion in the project. Please be sure to include your name, location, and website/blog URL so I may properly credit you.
If you would like to send in a photo – unprocessed, straight out of the camera – for us to use as our starting image for a future week, please send me an email to the same address listed above.
I’d like to note that the image(s) that will be used in a given week are only offered for use within the confines of the “Points of View Project“. I am not releasing any rights for use beyond creating your submission. I would also express the same for any starting images that may be provided by other participants. Feel free to re-post your version of the image on your site to share your participation in the project. I just ask for a link back here when you do.
The Points of View Photo Project is sponsored by Towner Jones Photography, LLC. Please take a few moments and head over to see some of the great things Rob is doing! If you would like to sponsor this or any other project here at Jason D. Moore Photography, or would like to support the site as a whole, please visit our “Become a Sponsor” page today to learn how!
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!
Points of View Photo Project #10
Welcome to the tenth edition of the “Points of View Project“!
Every other Friday I will post a new, out-of-the-camera image for you to download. You may process, manipulate, composite, experiment, or otherwise alter the photo in any way you wish. The hope is that we will get to see a number of different takes on the same image and/or see it used in unique ways as a part of a new image.
This is not a contest or competition. It’s simply a way of stretching our creative muscles and to get those juices flowing through experimentation and seeing how many different interpretations can be applied to the same starting photo.
Check out our Points of View Gallery showing this week’s source image and how it has been seen from our contributors’ different points of view. I am especially pleased with this week’s contributions. They are all great images but I must say that I have a certain appreciation for Andy Smith’s because he took a totally different tack with the project, not just processing the original, but giving it a real twist and I think it really adds something to the project.
Thank you to everyone who contributed this week!
Here’s the image for week #11:
Click here to open the full-size version to download as your starting point. Have fun with it! I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
You can do whatever you want to the photo as long as you use the given photo in some way as part of your final image. In fact, I know the potential is there for a number of people to end up processing the image in very similar ways and getting similar results. Because of that, I’d like to encourage you to experiment and/or take things a couple of steps further to really challenge yourself to make it truly unique.
Once you have worked with the image as much as you feel it needs, simply email it back to me at pov@jasondmoore.com by Wednesday August 26th for inclusion in the project. Please be sure to include your name, location, and website/blog URL so I may properly credit you.
If you would like to send in a photo – unprocessed, straight out of the camera – for us to use as our starting image for a future week, please send me an email to the same address listed above.
I’d like to note that the image(s) that will be used in a given week are only offered for use within the confines of the “Points of View Project“. I am not releasing any rights for use beyond creating your submission. I would also express the same for any starting images that may be provided by other participants. Feel free to re-post your version of the image on your site to share your participation in the project. I just ask for a link back here when you do.
The Points of View Photo Project is sponsored by Towner Jones Photography, LLC. Please take a few moments and head over to see some of the great things Rob is doing! If you would like to sponsor this or any other project here at Jason D. Moore Photography, or would like to support the site as a whole, please visit our “Become a Sponsor” page today to learn how!
Points of View Photo Project Reminder
Just a quick reminder that there is still time to send in your image for the Points of View Photo Project. Simply follow that link to download this week’s source image and do whatever you want to it. Send it back to me by tonight – really if you make it by early afternoon tomorrow you’ll make it in – and I’ll include it in the gallery on Friday.
For those of you who may be new to this project, there are no restrictions on how you process the image as long as you use the source photo in some way as you produce your final image. This isn’t a contest, there are no prizes or anything like that. It’s simply meant to be an exercise for your creative brain. So have fun with it! Experiment. Try something you’ve never done before. And send it in!
I’ve been meaning to put together some sort of banner for this project but haven’t gotten around to it. So, if any of you would like to play around with some ideas, send in a banner that is about 600px wide by no more than 200px tall to my dedicated email address and I’ll pick the best entry as the official banner for the project. Good Luck! And I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone processes the image!
Points of View Photo Project: #6
Welcome to the sixth edition of the “Points of View Project“!
Every other Friday I will post a new, out-of-the-camera image for you to download. You may process, manipulate, composite, experiment, or otherwise alter the photo in any way you wish. The hope is that we will get to see a number of different takes on the same image and/or see it used in unique ways as a part of a new image.
This is not a contest or competition. It’s simply a way of stretching our creative muscles and to get those juices flowing through experimentation and seeing how many different interpretations can be applied to the same starting photo.
Check out our Points of View Gallery showing this week’s source image and how it has been seen from our contributors’ different points of view.
Thank you to everyone who contributed this week!
Here’s the image for week #7:
Click here to open the full-size version to download as your starting point. Have fun with it! I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
You can do whatever you want to the photo as long as you use the given photo in some way as part of your final image. In fact, I know the potential is there for a number of people to end up processing the image in very similar ways and getting similar results. Because of that, I’d like to encourage you to experiment and/or take things a couple of steps further to really challenge yourself to make it truly unique.
Once you have worked with the image as much as you feel it needs, simply email it back to me at pov@jasondmoore.com by Wednesday July 1st for inclusion in the project. Please be sure to include your name, location, and website/blog URL so I may properly credit you.
If you would like to send in a photo – unprocessed, straight out of the camera – for us to use as our starting image for a future week, please send me an email to the same address listed above.
I’d like to note that the image(s) that will be used in a given week are only offered for use within the confines of the “Points of View Project“. I am not releasing any rights for use beyond creating your submission. I would also express the same for any starting images that may be provided by other participants. Feel free to re-post your version of the image on your site to share your participation in the project. I just ask for a link back here when you do.
The Points of View Photo Project is sponsored by Towner Jones Photography, LLC. Please take a few moments and head over to see some of the great things Rob is doing! If you would like to sponsor this or any other project here at Jason D. Moore Photography, or would like to support the site as a whole, please visit our “Become a Sponsor” page today to learn how!
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.
Points of View Photo Project: #5
Welcome to the fifth edition of the “Points of View Project”!
Every other Friday I will post a new, out-of-the-camera image for you to download. You may process, manipulate, composite, experiment, or otherwise alter the photo in any way you wish. The hope is that we will get to see a number of different takes on the same image and/or see it used in unique ways as a part of a new image.
This is not a contest or competition. It’s simply a way of stretching our creative muscles and to get those juices flowing through experimentation and seeing how many different interpretations can be applied to the same starting photo.
Check out our Points of View Gallery showing this week’s source image and how it has been seen from 7 different points of view.
Thank you to everyone who contributed this week!
Here’s the image for week #6:
Click here to open the full-size version to download as your starting point. Have fun with it! I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
You can do whatever you want to the photo as long as you use the given photo in some way as part of your final image. In fact, I know the potential is there for a number of people to end up processing the image in very similar ways and getting similar results. Because of that, I’d like to encourage you to experiment and/or take things a couple of steps further to really challenge yourself to make it truly unique.
Once you have worked with the image as much as you feel it needs, simply email it back to me at pov@jasondmoore.com by Wednesday June 17th for inclusion in the project. Please be sure to include your name, location, and website/blog URL so I may properly credit you.
If you would like to send in a photo – unprocessed, straight out of the camera – for us to use as our starting image for a future week, please send me an email to the same address listed above.
I’d like to note that the image(s) that will be used in a given week are only offered for use within the confines of the “Points of View Project“. I am not releasing any rights for use beyond creating your submission. I would also express the same for any starting images that may be provided by other participants. Feel free to re-post your version of the image on your site to share your participation in the project. I just ask for a link back here when you do.
Also, if you would like to sponsor this or any other project here at Jason D. Moore Photography, or would like to support the site as a whole, please visit our “Become a Sponsor” page today to learn how!
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!
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.
