That’s right…March 31st is World Backup Day! The stories and memories we capture through images are priceless, but they may not last forever without a solid backup plan. On World Backup Day, make sure that you’re precious files are backed up safe and sound. What should I Check Make sure your backup drives are all booting up and spinning Check that there is enough space to continue backing up, or look into getting a larger hard drive If your system has an automated backup, check and make sure it's completing it's backup without … [Read more...] about March 31st is World Backup Day
News
There’s a New, Smaller iPad Pro. Should You Care?
In what certainly counts as the least surprising Apple keynote in recent years, the company teased two new products on Monday that shrink existing products: a new 4-inch iPhone and 9.7-inch iPad Pro. While the phone is aimed squarely at new customers, the iPad seems to answer many of the complaints existing Apple devotees had of their massive 12-inch iPad Pro which hit the streets six months ago. The new more svelte iPad Pro packs almost all of the processing punch of it's bigger sibling into the more hand-friendly 9.7-inch form factor 200 … [Read more...] about There’s a New, Smaller iPad Pro. Should You Care?
Adobe announces Lightoom 2015.5 and Camera Raw 9.5
Adobe has released a new update for Lightroom, bringing the current version to Lightroom CC 2015.5 and Lightroom 6.5. The new update fixes numerous bugs plus adds camera support and a host of new lens profiles. The update also fixes several sync errors and a couple of missing features. Camera Raw also received an update, bringing the current version to Camera Raw 9.5. This is great. But do you really need updates? An example why new updates are important While teaching a Lightroom essentials class on a cruise to Cozumel, an attendee voiced … [Read more...] about Adobe announces Lightoom 2015.5 and Camera Raw 9.5
Athentech announces Perfect Exposure and it’s FREE!
For the past several months I’ve been using Perfectly Clear in my workflow to edit my images. I love the product so much I became a Perfectly Clear Evangelist, touring across the US and London, teaching how to quickly process a single or multiple portraits (removing blemishes, smoothing skin, enhancing eyes and fixing exposure), enhancing landscapes and wildlife photos – all in a single click. I’ve become very proficient with the Photoshop and Lightroom plugin, I even created my own custom presets. In each of the presets I created, I noticed I … [Read more...] about Athentech announces Perfect Exposure and it’s FREE!
Camera Trends – 2015 And Beyond
NOTE: All data based on CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association reports.) Will the dedicated camera go the way of the eight-track tape? Some people think so. Camera phones are now sold on every continent except for the North and South Polls. Billions of people have access to a camera in their phones and the immediate impact has been on compact, non-interchangeable lens cameras - what we used to call point and shoot cameras. In 2010 there were 108 million of such cameras sold. In 2015 that number dropped to 22 million. Thats a … [Read more...] about Camera Trends – 2015 And Beyond
How To Optimize Your Facebook News Feed
Facebook, despite all its ups and downs, has become a part of our lives. It's become a source of education, advertising, entertainment, and social/family connection! So with that in mind, I thought it'd be great to share with you a way to help make your Facebook experience a little more manageable! The problem i'm sure we've all encountered, is the sheer volume of spammy, offensive, and incredibly bad fake-fact content posts that plague our news feed. That along with with the pay-to-see business model that Facebook uses to make actual … [Read more...] about How To Optimize Your Facebook News Feed
NCIS 300th Episode
Few television shows ever achieve the 300th episode milestone. On February 9, 2016 NCIS not only accomplished it, they did so while being the most viewed television show in the world 2 years in a row! I am humbly honored to have been the photographer for 301 of those episodes. 301 you ask? I was involved with the spin off from JAG also. I have been involved with many shows that have achieved the 100th episode, and a few that reached the 200th milestone. 300, that’s a first for me. Allow me to share some thoughts and statistics with you. The … [Read more...] about NCIS 300th Episode
Announcing “Americana Photography” A New E-Book By Scott Bourne
Join Scott Bourne on a trip down memory lane. Americana photography is one of the fastest-growing segments of the photo industry. Learn why this photography style is so popular, what gear you need to be successful while photographing Americana, how to get the right shots, what to shoot and where to shoot it... If you talk to photographers, they often discuss their use of cameras and their love of photography by describing WHAT they photograph. “I’m a wildlife photographer,” or “I’m a landscape photographer,” etc. More and more the phrase … [Read more...] about Announcing “Americana Photography” A New E-Book By Scott Bourne
A Visit to the B&H Warehouse
Editor's Note: The following is a repost from respected educator Katrin Eismann from her Facebook page. I have personally known her for many years and know that she is a top professional and a straight talker. Ms. Eismann posted today about her visit to B&H. You can find the story and subsequent comments here. There have been many comments and people making strong statements in both directions on the state of things at the store's warehouse. I have personally visited the store and it's offices and have not found the things that … [Read more...] about A Visit to the B&H Warehouse
Pension and Welfare: Why you need to take notice?
One of the considerations of the future of the photo industry is Pension & Welfare for crew members. Historically, this hasn't been on the radar within the photo industry. States are now requiring and enforcing Pension & Welfare for photo productions. This tax liability used to just be reserved for productions like TV, Commercials, and feature films. Pension & Welfare is a private sector employee benefit plan. PWBA directly affects the livelihood of over 150 million people who participate in ERISA-covered plans, and protects the … [Read more...] about Pension and Welfare: Why you need to take notice?
Photo Walk: Photofocus on Vegas
Photofocus on Vegas sponsored by Perfectly Clear March 7, 2016 from 8pm to 9:30pm MGM Grand Entrance FREE Event Meet and Greet We will meet inside at the MGM GRAND ENTRANCE (next to the lion) at 8pm. We will hang around there and well all pick each other up before we head off as one big group on a short stroll towards Planet Hollywood. Our Course We will follow the path down towards Planet Hollywood capturing the beauty of Las Vegas neon lights. This will be a great time to work on long exposures, capturing light streaks of cars passing by. We … [Read more...] about Photo Walk: Photofocus on Vegas
Instagram Launches Multiple Account Management
Anyone who uses Instagram as a social media outlet for sharing personal images, as well as maintaining and building an audience for their business, knows that switching accounts can be a royal pain. The idea of swapping all the time was annoying enough for me to never create a second account and for a while, I used my personal account for everything. I don't mind my followers having a peek into my private life, but after a while I felt my personal life was overwhelming the select images I chose to share from my business. I was so close to … [Read more...] about Instagram Launches Multiple Account Management
Working with the New Boundary Warp Feature in Lightroom
Adobe just introduced an update to Lightroom CC (v2015.4) with a new feature called Boundary Warp. Found inside the Panorama merge screen, Boundary Warp intelligently stretches the edges of a merged panorama so you don't have to crop as much of the final image. How Do I Merge a Panorama? Merging images as a Panorama used to be complicated and involved going into Photoshop. Not anymore...You can do it right from inside Lightroom. First, select the photos you want to merge into a panorama. Next, choose the Photo menu, then click Photo Merge … [Read more...] about Working with the New Boundary Warp Feature in Lightroom
GoPro + Periscope = DroneCast
Well, this moves the needle. Lately, GoPro has been taking a bit of a beating as more players like Sony, Nikon and, if rumors are to be believed, Olympus have entered the fray. Yesterday, GoPro and Periscope announced a new integration that allows GoPro owners to connect their cameras to the Periscope app. On the surface, this might seem a bit frivolous; it is anything but. At NAB 2015, GoPro, in partnership with Vislink, announced the HEROCast. At $7,500, the HEROCast turns the GoPro into a compact, wireless remote head for integration … [Read more...] about GoPro + Periscope = DroneCast
Time Lapse Photography Just Got A Powerful Update
If you're a Time Lapse fan like myself than this is an exciting weekend. Gunther Wegner, creator of LRTimelapse, (arguably the best plugin/tool for your time lapse arsenal on the market), just sent out the press release detailing the specifics of the latest update to LRTimelapse 4.5 including use of some of the awesome newest features in Lightroom CC. New Features in LRTimelapse 4.5 Added Support for the new Local Dehaze in Lightroom 6.2 / CC.2 on Linear, Circular Gradients and the Paintbrush. The number of threads used to generate the visual … [Read more...] about Time Lapse Photography Just Got A Powerful Update
Nikon Introduces the new Flagship D5 and D500 Cameras at CES
Nikon had a big day earlier this week at CES 2016 in Las Vegas. In addition to launching a totally-new 360 camera, Nikon also launched a new flagship D5 FX camera, as well as a D500 DX camera. D5 The D5 has a long list of impressive specs: 20.83mp CMOS full-frame sensor Unprecedented native ISO range, from 100 to 102,400 [expandable from 50 (Lo-1) to a staggering ISO 3,280,000 (Hi-5)] 4K UHD video (3840x2160 at 30p) only 3 minutes record time at high quality uncompressed 4k HDMI output capability to record 4K UHD … [Read more...] about Nikon Introduces the new Flagship D5 and D500 Cameras at CES
Deal of the Week: Perfectly Clear & LUCiD
You might have noticed that the team here is pretty excited about the Perfectly Clear plugins from Athentech. These tools are saving many of us hours a week and getting great results in far less clicks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbXe0H544do&index=5 The folks at Athentech have also created a new desktop application called LUCiD that brings much of the same power to non-Adobe users in a standalone application for Mac and Windows. It has a few less controls and doesn't let you save user presets, but its great for beginners and … [Read more...] about Deal of the Week: Perfectly Clear & LUCiD
A Closer Look: Mindshift Gear Backlight 26L Camera Bag
My friends at Mindshift Gear sent over one of their newest bag: the Backlight 26L for me to review. This bag is perfect for anyone looking to fit a bunch of gear for a basic day shoot or even a 2-3 day shoot. Lots of space and superb build quality. Check out the video review for more details! You can order your own Backlight 26L from Amazon using the links below: Backlight 26L (Greenfield) Backlight 26L (Charcoal) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr0PQHFWK98&feature=youtu.be Questions about this column? Just leave them in the Comments … [Read more...] about A Closer Look: Mindshift Gear Backlight 26L Camera Bag
Adobe releases Lightroom 6.2.1 Maintenance Patch + An Author’s Rant
If you're one of the more wide-eyed people who updated to Adobe Lightroom 6.2 right after it was launched a few days ago, you have likely come to rue that decision. Between the "Fisher Price"-ification of the Import flow to the ridiculous crashes caused due to bugs in the software, this update left much to be desired. Fortunately, Adobe has made good and released a critical maintenance update that supposedly fixes some of the issues. I still take umbrage with their decision to regress the Import workflow functionality by removing key features … [Read more...] about Adobe releases Lightroom 6.2.1 Maintenance Patch + An Author’s Rant
A First Look: The Apple iPhone 6s Plus
On Friday, September 25th, Apple released the next addition to their industry-shaking smartphone, the iPhone. Customers who were fast enough to preorder either the iPhone 6s and/or the iPhone 6s Plus either queued up in front of their local Apple Store or had a courier deliver their unit(s) to their doors. For the past year, I've used an unlocked 128Gb Silver iPhone 6 Plus and have been exceptionally pleased with it. So, when preorders for this next generation of smartphones went live, I stuck with what I knew and ordered an unlocked 128Gb … [Read more...] about A First Look: The Apple iPhone 6s Plus
Photowalk: Models & Lighting in Milwaukee
Were using Photowalk to mean a gathering of photographers. Rather than just walking the streets, well meet in the lobby of The Intercontental Hotel located at 139 East Kilbourn Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202. From there we will walk across the street to a park and practice making portraits with various lighting techniques. Joining us will be Kevin Stohlmeyer and Photofocus contributor David Crewe! Together we have created thousands of portraits lit with speedlights and studio strobes. Were really pleased to team up with the PAC for this … [Read more...] about Photowalk: Models & Lighting in Milwaukee
Join Photofocus On Our National Photo Walk Tour
Photofocus is approaching its 17 year anniversary. During most of that time, youve known us primarily as an online resource. But were upping our game. Were going to be making more inroads into the community through live events such as photo walks and workshops. In conjunction with Perfectly Clear, were going to be holding photo walks in the cities that appear below. The photo walks are free and there are great prizes like free Perfectly Clear plugins, free KelbyOne Road Show tickets and free Platypod Pros to give away. Were going to provide … [Read more...] about Join Photofocus On Our National Photo Walk Tour
Perfectly Clear Is Giving Away Free 3-day Show-floor Passes To Photo Plus Expo
Photofocus partner Perfectly Clear is giving away free 3-day show-floor passes to PPE in New York! Photoplus Expo is the biggest trade show of its kind this year. More than 20,000 photographers are expected to attend. The show is in New York City October 22-24, 2015 at Javits Convention Center and several of the team here at Photofocus will be there. You can pay a fee and register for tons of cool classes and we would recommend that if you have interest and the finances. If you just want to visit the show floor, we have great news for … [Read more...] about Perfectly Clear Is Giving Away Free 3-day Show-floor Passes To Photo Plus Expo
Apple’s New iPad Pro – Laptop Killer or Just a Bigger iPad?
Apple took the lid off their long-anticipated large-format iPad this week and as people line up for and against the new tablet I sat down with Jeff Carlson to discuss what the new technology means to photographers. Carlson is the author of the book, The iPad for Photographers, which is currently in its third edition with Peachpit Press. Key Features of the iPad Pro The iPad Pro is due to arrive in November, but at Wednesdays event, Apple gave us a long look at the new member of the incredibly popular iPad line. With its 12.9-inch screen … [Read more...] about Apple’s New iPad Pro – Laptop Killer or Just a Bigger iPad?
What’s New with the iPhone 6s and Why Does it Matter to a Photographer?
Apple just announced the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with a redesigned 12 megapixel camera. For those of us who rely on their phones as a behind the scenes camera or use this as our backup camera, this is a good thing. Processor and Physical Improvements Sure, many will pay attention to the megapixels, but it's what you do with them that matters. Apple promises that the new phone has a new image signal processor that works with iOS 9 to provide better temporal and spatial noise reduction. They also utilize an improved local tone mapping option … [Read more...] about What’s New with the iPhone 6s and Why Does it Matter to a Photographer?
ON1 Announces Version 10 — Coming October 2015
ON1 just announced their brand-new "ON1 Photo 10", scheduled to be released late October. I've had a chance to see this version up-close, and they have made some really great updates. The most noticeable is a brand-new graphics interface, along with some rearrangement of the panels and some behavior changes. It's a really great update and I am very excited to start working with it! They are taking pre-orders today, and have some pretty good offers to go along with it. Click here to take a look at some of their promotions. Here are some of the … [Read more...] about ON1 Announces Version 10 — Coming October 2015
Pictage is Closing their Doors. What are Your Options?
If you're a photo studio or photographer who uses Pictage to host and sell your photos, you likely have quite a shock this week. On August 24th, Pictage posted the following message to their users: The Closing of Pictagehttps://discover.pictage.com/pictage-update-20150824 Please accept my sincere apologies for the Pictage web site being down since Thursday. The Pictage web site is currently recovering, but it is an extremely slow process due to the high number of images we store. We are doing everything we can to bring the web site online as … [Read more...] about Pictage is Closing their Doors. What are Your Options?
Elinchrom, Photix & Seckonic Band Together
Swiss pro electronic flash manufacturer Elinchrom, Phottix whose control systems currently work with Canon, Nikon & Sony DSLR cameras TTL for flash and Sekonic, world class creators of hand held light meters have teamed toghether to focus these areas of expertise on light measurement and control. What does this mean for photographers? A big change for how electronic flash systems are controlled is one important consideration. Remote controlled flashes are not new by any means. Putting together these three companies can mean some … [Read more...] about Elinchrom, Photix & Seckonic Band Together
Today is World Photo Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdWwqAI6x9A Today, August 19 is World Photo Day. The date behind World Photo Day originates from the invention of the Daguerreotype, a photographic processes developed by Joseph Nicphore Nipce and Louis Daguerre in 1837. On January 9, 1839, The French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype process. A few months later, on August 19, 1839, the French government purchased the patent and announced the invention as a gift "Free to the World". The goal of World Photo Day is to unite local and global … [Read more...] about Today is World Photo Day
Flickr Brings Back “Pro” Badge/Service
I received an interesting email yesterday. Flickr gave me a heads up that they would be offering a new upgraded "pro" service. The email reads: "Tomorrow, 7/23, Flickr will be announcing news specifically for pro photographers." I seem to remember Yahoo's CEO (Yahoo owns Flickr) saying there was no need for "professional" photographers anymore. Well maybe Ms. Mayer has seen the light. For all of you who used to have a Flickr "Pro" account - they are back. Albeit in a more expensive version. Flickr says the new Flickr Pro includes: New and … [Read more...] about Flickr Brings Back “Pro” Badge/Service
