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July 29, 2008

Video Podcast #26 Show notes - Lightroom 2.0

It's Lightroom 2.0 day! In this episode I look at some of the new features in the Library module: Keywording, Suggested Keywords, Dual Monitor Support and Smart Collections.

Remember that you can download Lightroom 2.0 (full version, Upgrade or demo) at http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/

Some people (sometimes for good reason) are a little scared to install new software or updates in the first few days of a release. If you are hesitant to install new versions the day they come out you can run both versions 1.x and 2.0 if you want. Version 2.0 creates it's own new library file (importing data from your 1.x file) and leaves your 1.x library file alone.

Podcast is available here

May 24, 2008

Podcast #58 Show Notes

June 1st, 2008 Photographers’ Rights Rally at Hollywood and Highland

The following text is from http://discarted.wordpress.com/

Photographers throughout Los Angeles, with cameras in hand, will gather at Hollywood and Highland and Union Station to peacefully rally against the unnecessary treatment they have received from security guards, LAPD, and LASD while photographing in public places, and on the Metro.

Start Time: 11:00am
Location: Hollywood and Highland, 6801 Hollywood Los Angeles, CA 90028

At about 1:30pm we will board the Metro and travel to Union Station for more picture taking.

Start Time: 2:00pm
Location: 800 N Alameda St Los Angeles, CA 90012

Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/laprotest/
Press Inquiries: [email protected]

April 20, 2008

Podcast #55 Show Notes

Here are a few of the products/websites mentioned on episode #55

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

Aperture 2.0

Lightroom 2.0 Beta

The Littlest Heroes Project

Scan Cafe

April 14, 2008

Podcast #54 Show Notes

Here are the items discussed on episode #54

Giottos GB-1148 Pro Lave Tripod
Giottos GB-2130 Pro Classic Tripod
Gitzo GT-2530 Mountaineer 6X Carbon Fiber Tripod

Giottos MH-1300 Ball Head
Wimberly Gimbal Type Tripod Head II
Wimberly P-50 Acra Type Quick Release Plate

December 13, 2007

Podcast #47 Show Notes

In this episode I pull an email out of the listener email bag. Then I discuss copyrights. After that I get into some tips for taking great stock photos.

Read on for all the notes from the copyright segment.

Continue reading "Podcast #47 Show Notes" »

November 24, 2007

Podcast #46 Show Notes

In this episode I want to catch everyone up with what’s been going on and do some photo news and talk about some upcoming episodes and a photo contest.

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Some on you may have noticed that I pretty much dropped off the radar for a little over a month. After a little over a year of doing these podcasts I just decided that I needed to walk away for a while and take a break and work on the house, get back into my hobbies, deal with other things that I’ve been putting off for a while... and get out and take some photos for fun. I shot the Aviation Nation air show in Las Vegas and had a blast doing that.

The break was great and I’m ready to get back to podcasting.

If you subscribe to the video podcast you know that I did sneak a few episodes in over the last month, including topics such as the ExpoDisk, Geotagging images and OnOne Software’s PhotoTune. If you are not a subscriber to the video podcast you can go to www.allensphotoblog.com and click on the link titled “Digital Photography Podcast Video Edition” and you’ll be taken to a page on podango.com where you can subscribe.

I want to take a second to talk about the Digital Photography Online discussion forum, the forum opened a few months ago and we’ve had a fairly good number of people join the forum and get involved in discussions. But when it comes to forums it’s always a case of “the more the merrier” ... so buzz over to www.allensphotoblog.com and click on the online forum button in the center of the page and register for the forum. Keep in mind that in order to keep the spammers out I have the registration setup so that I personally approve all new members.... so your registration may take a few minutes or possibly a few hours depending on whether I am sitting at my computer at the moment or not.

I know that everyone is busy and there are tons of forums out there and you might not think you have time for one more photography forum ... but give it a chance, stop in and and check for new posts once a week if you want ... there have been some great discussions on the board and lots of questions asked and advice given.

On an upcoming show I’d like to do a photo contest for all the podcast listeners. I have a prize sitting here on my desk already waiting for the contest winner, it’s a copy of Scott Kelby’s newest book titled “Scott Kelby’s 7 point system for for adobe photoshop CS3”. It’s a fantastic book that I will be reviewing on an upcoming episode of the podcast and it retails for $50 US ... but wait, there’s more ... this book is actually autographed by the author making it infinity more valuable.

So what I need from you guys is a contest theme idea. Themes can be as simple as "red" or they can convey a feeling or emotion like "emptiness" or "hope" or the theme could be something elemental like "sky" or "water" or the theme could be a technique like "macro" or "portrait" .... it's totally wide open.

Go to the forum and click on the “Show Discussion” forum (the first one on the list) and then click on the “Photo Contest Ideas” link to enter your ideas.

Now some quick news...

DXO Labs have announced DXO Optics Pro v.5 for Windows with loads of new features including compatibility between Optix Pro and Lightroom. www.dxolabs.com

leopard.jpgApple have released Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard and soon after released 10.5.1 . Early reports show that the new OS is stable and fast. There are some issues with Time Machine effecting performance but these will be worked out in time I’m sure. www.apple.com

Nikon is including Capture NX with the D3 and D300 www.nikon.com

Canon have released firmware version 1.0.5 for the new EOS 40D ... the update contains bug fixes and a couple of modifications to the camera's image playback. www.canonusa.com

Adobe have released many updates to their CS3 programs, some to accommodate new cameras like the 1DS Mark III, the Nikon D3 and D300 and Olympus E3, as well as general performance enhancements to Lightroom for Mac users that have upgraded to Leopard. www.adobe.com

In the next few episodes I’ll be reviewing several products for you guys and I have a special correspondent doing a review of the Lens Baby 3G for you guys as we speak ... his review will included in both the video and audio versions of the podcast ... so stay tuned for that.

As always I appreciate your feedback and ideas for topics and product reviews. You can always send your show ideas, questions and comments to me using the email link at www.allensphotoblog.com


Don’t forget to register at the forum and give us your photo contest ideas.

November 07, 2007

Video Podcast #14 Show notes - Geotagging

For more information or to download GPSphotolinker for the Mac to to
http://oregonstate.edu/~earlyj/gpsphotolinker/

Please note that the GPS Photo Linker software for the Mac is not compatible with OSX 10.5 Leopard yet, I'm sure it will be someday soon, but not yet.

The Garmin eTrex Legend HCx

Geotagging group on flickr

A few things you'll want to look for when shopping for a GPS unit to use for geotagging your images:

1. USB interface. Believe it or not many Garmin units still use DB9 (Com Port) connections.
2. Make sure the unit save track data ... not all of them do. I have a very nice nuvi 250 in my truck but it does not save tracks.

Here are some Windows programs that do what GPSPhotoLinker does (I have not tried these programs)


PixGPS

RoboGEO

Various GPS apps at ZDnet


October 13, 2007

Podcast #45 Show Notes

KoolAid.jpgIn this episode I talk about my blind religious devotion to Apple and how it almost caused me to ignore a great piece of software.
I’ll also review Ultra Image plugins for Photoshop by LumiQuest.

Ultra Image by Lumiquest:

...the way Ultra Image is a little different than other products ... you simply select the type of image or image subject such as Sports, product, wedding, landscape, portrait and they have optimized the actions for those kinds of images.

Ultra Image offers versions of their actions specifically tailored for Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Kodak and a catch-all version called Other Digital Cameras ... which is the one I got because I did not specify Canon.

Ultra Image is compatible with Photoshop 6, 7, CS, CS2 and CD3 for both windows and Mac. Check it out at www.lumiquest.com There are some very nice before and after photos there where you can see what the actions to do ordinary images. The fact that Ultra Image uses Actions means that every command that is run in the action is something you could do yourself if you wanted to take the time ... you could even record the actions yourself once you got them exactly the way you wanted them .... But Ultra Image saves you all that work, they’ve done it all already for you, you just press play and watch your images get better before your eyes.
I would say that this is a good product that does what it says it does and it’s worth checking out if you want to improve your images without doing a lot of the legwork yourself. Again, you can get more information on Ultra Image at www.lumiquest.com

Here is a sample of a photo before (left) and after (right) the Ultra Image action.
(click for larger version)
UltraImage.jpg


Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Download your free 30 day trial of Lightroom here

Adobe Lightroom003.jpg


October 08, 2007

Video Podcast #13 Show notes - Expo Disc

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Tonight's video podcast is a review of the ExpoDisk.

If you are not using custom white balance to get your images white balance perfect it's probably because your think it's a major pain in the backside ... well, not with ExpoDisc. Check it out.

Get the video podcast here http://digitalphotovideo.podango.com/

Here is the image that was used in the podcast. (click to enlarge)
IMG_1026.JPG

Yes I know it's not my sharpest image ever ... that was not the point of the demo :)

October 01, 2007

Podcast #44 Show Notes

Where to rent equipment:

Try your local camera shop first, then check these out:

• Adolph Gasser: 181 2nd St., San Francisco, CA 94105; 415-495-3852
• Adorama: 42 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011; 212-627-8487
• Alkit: 222 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003; 212-674-1515 ext.5
• Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo: 225 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940; 831-645-1082
• Calumet Photographic: Rental locations in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Ana, and Santa Barbara.
• Fotocare: 136 W. 21st St., New York, NY 10011; 212-741-2990;
• Global Imaging: Louisville, CO, 800-787-9801; Dallas, TX,
800-787-9802
• Lens and Repro: 33 W. 17th St., New York, NY 10011; 212-675-1900
• Lensrentals: 8940 Meaghan Dr., Cordova, TN 38018; 866-472-9853
• Pro Photo Supply: 1112 NW 19th Ave., Portland, OR 97209; 503-517-3637
List compiled by www.popphoto.com

Here is the complete article from Popular Photography and Imaging magazine.

September 24, 2007

Video Podcast #12 Show Notes - Super Clamp and Pocket Wizard

The Bogen Manfrotto BO2910 at B&H;

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The Pocket Wizard

pocketwizard.jpg


Subscribe to the video podcast here

Podcast #42 Show Notes

Digital Asset Management Software

Apple Aperture

iPhoto

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

iView Media, now known as Microsoft Expression Media

Image Editing Software

Photoshop CS3

Photoshop Elements

GIMP, the free image editor.

Please feel free to add your favorite DAM software or image editor to the list and please explain how you use it in your workflow.

Podcast #41 Show Notes

Here are some links to the equipment I got for podcasting ... I know this has nothing to do with photography, but if you are interested in this kinda stuff here it is:


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Alesis Multimix12 Firewire Mixer

jkaud_BroadcastHost_Front.jpg
"Podcast Host" telephone Interface

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AudioTechnica AT 4040 Microphone

iMac.jpg
20" iMac

September 12, 2007

Video Podcast #10 Show Notes

Here is the HDR image that was featured in the Video Podcast Episode #10

Click to enlarge
IMG_3085And0moreEnhancer.jpg

Photomatix software is available at www.hdrsoft.com


Subscribe to the video podcast here

September 11, 2007

Podcast #40 Show Notes

Shooting Your Family

- Avoid busy backgrounds -- don’t pose everyone on the front porch or in front of the house. Think about what the subject is ... the house or the people?

- Shoot wide open (Low f stops)

- The “sun behind you” rule. Not good. Subjects will have the sun in their eyes. Shoot with the sun off to the side a bit, use a reflector if necessary to fill the other side of the person with fill light.

- Try shooting in the shade.

- Use a fill flash if necessary in the shade.

- Shoot at eye level for kids or even below eye level.

- Another option is to shoot from up high to eliminate the background completely.
With kids and pets, shot A LOT ... Keep shooting. The best shot may not be the shot you are trying to get.

- Postprocessing. I like to add a little bump to the saturation in family photos, it really brings out the greens in the trees and plants, the blues in the sky and tends to deepen skin tones a bit, especially in fair skinned subjects .... post processing family portraits is a matter of personal preference ... play around with the settings in your image editing software and see what happens. Remember that if you are using a destructive workflow tool like photoshop be sure to work on a copy of your image, never edit the original.

Examples: (click thumbnails to see larger versions)

action.jpg
This is an example of shooting alot to get the perfect moment. Again, the shallow depth of field allows the background to be visible without being overpowering.

portrait.jpg
A typical family portrait, the kid and grandparents. The shot was taken from a low angle to give it a dramatic look, again the shallow DOF allows the background to add to the photo without taking your attention away from the real subjects. Notice also that the shade of the trees makes for very nice diffused light seems to deepen the colors a bit. A wide aperture is needed for shade shots ... but as I explained, you should be shooting wide open, or very near it anyways to keep the background out of focus.

posed.jpg
This is a cute shot of the kids, the low angle works well, but I’m not happy with the concrete steps in the background. Having the kids move onto the grass would have made for a better shot ... but this was another one of those spontaneous moments where the magic just happened while I was shooting. ... so, it’s a keeper.
candid.jpg
Here we have another example of what happens when you shoot a few hundred shots ... Sure, you could plan a shot like this, but who thinks of such things. Spontaneous moments are sometimes the greatest.

badlight.jpg
In front of tree ... tree is in focus, not good. Kids are in harsh sunlight, boy has his eyes closed as a result.

August 28, 2007

Podcast #39 Show Notes - So ... What's New?

In this episode I talk about the recent announcements from Canon and Nikon of some great new cameras. Canon's new EOS 40D us a great new addition to their lineup and is a significant upgrade from the EOS 30D. The 40D is perfect for the amateur, prosumer or as a backup body for pros. Nikon steals the show this month with two new announcements, the prosumer D300 and the super high end professional D3 which might make Canon 1D Mark III users green with envy.

Continue reading "Podcast #39 Show Notes - So ... What's New?" »

August 10, 2007

Video Podcast #7 - Balck and White and Color

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In video podcast number 7 I demonstrate a technique for taking a full color image and selecting a small area of the image to remain in color while turning the rest of the image into a black and white image.

You can subscribe to the video version of the podcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/videodigitalphotopodcast

August 08, 2007

Podcast #38 Show Notes

In this episode I explore the controversial topic giving your work away in order to gain publicity and make a name for yourself. Does this practice work? Will it help you make a name for yourself?

I also discuss the new segment on "Starting A Photography Business"

To see what's been started with my new business please go to California Sports Photography

Full text from the podcast below....

Continue reading "Podcast #38 Show Notes" »

August 04, 2007

Podcast #36 Digital Workflow

This week I talk about my digital workflow. I am using Apple's Aperture on a MacPro, but most of what I discuss is applicable to other software packages on Macs or Windows.

Podcast can be downloaded at http://feeds.feedburner.com/digitalphotopodcast

Discussed in this episode:
Apple's Aperture
Adobe Lightroom

Continue reading "Podcast #36 Digital Workflow" »

Rating on Yahoo Podcasts

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I've recently added my podcast to the Yahoo Podcast directory.

Please take a second and enter a review for the podcast HERE

Thanks a lot

July 29, 2007

Podcast #35 Show Notes

Photographer etiquette

The email from Nils:

Allen, here's another thought for a podcast topic - photographer etiquette. Last week on vacation I ventured out around sunset to photograph a landscape from a particular spot. While somewhat remote, the view has been reproduced often on postcards, etc., so I wasn't surprised to see 2 photographers already there with tripods set up. As "the spot" was in ankle-deep water in a narrow stream, space was limited (but available). I nodded a hello to the other photographers but got no response, and got the impression (perhaps mistakenly, admittedly) that a third tripod was not welcome. What's your view on the etiquette here? Should I have asked to share the space, or in a situation like this do the photographers already there have a claim to the space?

I had another situation the next day where a pro photographer entered "my" space to position a young couple within my field of view. In this case I was able to move but was somewhat annoyed at not being asked. Regardless of that, is it expected that an amateur should make way for a pro in such a situation?

Etiquette discussion in our flickr group

Interesting photographer etiquette photo example on flickr

"Starting A Photo Business" Segment

If you like the idea about the new segment ... or if you don't, please email me and let me know. Everyone that responds with an opinion will be entered into the drawing for Rick Sammon's book "Travel and Nature Photography"

Don't forget to tell a friend about the podcast this week. Thanks.

Continue reading "Podcast #35 Show Notes" »

July 23, 2007

Podcast #34 Show Notes

Welcome to The Digital Photography Podcast #34 for Monday July 23rd ... Hell Week.

On episode 28 I told you all about the sale of my company and I warned you that my podcasting schedule would be a little random for a while till all this business is completed. Well, it's almost over, this is hell week ... the new owner of the company is coming this Wednesday to move all the machinery tools and materials to the New York shop. As this was not enough to deal with I decided to sell my airplane too and now I'm coordinating with the new owner to get it trucked up to Canada.

So, all this drama is coming to a close next week and I'm looking forward to getting back to a once a week podcasting schedule ... or perhaps even more frequent than that.

This episode will be a bit short but I have a few topics to get to.

ISO Safety Shift

First off, I've been hesitant to discuss my Canon EOS 1D Mark III on this show for two reasons .. one, I have another podcast devoted exclusively to that camera and secondly I did not want to devote too much time to discussing a camera that appeals exclusively to professional shutter-bugs, more specifically sports shooters. But recently I've gotten a few emails from listeners saying that they wanted to hear more about this camera.

So tonight I wanted to tell you about a feature on the camera that I've fell in love with. It's called ISO Safety Shift. What this feature does is make underexposed images nearly a thing of the past. How it works is this: Say you are shooting a sporting event or any other event with lots of action ... you set your camera to Shutter Priority mode (Tv or Time Value) and set your shutter speed to 1/1000th or 1/2000th of a second or whatever you want.

In the Shutter Priority mode the camera will adjust the Aperture as necessary to properly expose the image ... but what happens if you have a slow lens like a f/5.6 and the camera opens the aperture to 5.6 and still can't get enough light to properly expose the image .... normally in this case you would end up with an underexposed image or you would have to adjust the ISO up until you have a properly exposed image ... by this time you've probably missed the shot.

ISO Safety Shift AUTOMATICALLY adjusts the ISO up as necessary to get a properly exposed image after it's done all it can with the aperture.

With a camera like the 1D Mark III that is capable of ISO settings up to 6400 with minimal noise, letting the camera adjust the ISO up a bit when necessary is a no-brainer. I've turned this feature on and I'll leave it on forever I'm sure.


Photo Assignment - Firetruck

There are currently about a billion forest fires burning in the USA .. I think it's time we honor our local fire departments.

Your assignment is to get a shot of a fire truck. But wait, there's more. I'd like you to step out of your comfort zone and approach the firemen (and firewomen) in your local station and see if you can them to pose for you in front of their rig.

By the way, I'll also accept fireboats and fire helicopters.

So, get out there and get some shots. You may even want to offer the station copies of your photos ... I bet they'd like that.

Post your images to our flickr group

Call for show ideas

Nikon camera tips, tricks, reviews, etc... In text or audio format. Maybe the D40x

Send the ideas and reviews to me via email using the "email me" link at www.allensphotoblog.com

Continue reading "Podcast #34 Show Notes" »

July 10, 2007

Podcast #32 Show Notes

"Correction"

Last week in my segment called "The Real Creative Zone" I made a mistake in terminology ... I got the camera's creative zones and basic zones mixed up.

When I was talking about the camera modes with the little icons, like landscape, portrait, macro, etc I called them the creative zones ... those settings are actually called the basic zones or image modes.

When I was talking about shutter priority, aperture priority, Manual, etc I should have been calling them the creative zones.

Everything I said was as I meant it in the podcast, except getting these two terms reversed.

So what I said still goes, try getting away from the little icon modes (aka basic zones") and try using the other modes like Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual Etc.

Continue reading "Podcast #32 Show Notes" »

July 03, 2007

Podcast #31 Show Notes (more)

I've decided to post the actual text (my notes) from each show .... I'm not sure why, since you've probably already listened to it ... but I have the notes so I might as well post them.

"The Real Creative Zone"

Most DSLR cameras have something called basic zones or image modes ... they are normally recognizable by the little icons on the mode dial on the camera ... for instance a person running represents the "sports mode", a mountain represents the "landscape mode", A flower represents the "Macro Mode", a person represents the "Portrait Mode".

I am a supporter of using these modes as they take care of a lot the background tasks for you while letting you concentrate on compositional matters, creative lighting and just getting the shot. When I shoot sports with my 30D I almost always select the "sports mode". I have enough on my mind following the action and trying to figure out where the next shot is going to be without worrying what my f/stop is or what ISO I have set ... and if both of these settings are going to yield me the shutter speed I need to stop the action and get the shot.

As I wrote this article I was on a train traveling to Fussen Germany and I was reflecting on my last few days of shooting with my new Canon EOS 1D Mark III. The Mark III is a professional grade camera without a doubt and therefore it seems that they people that designed it decided to go without what I very affectionately refer to as the "idiot modes".

The 1D Mark III has the all the standard modes, M "Manual", Tv or "Time Value" also known as "Shutter Priority", Av or "Aperture Value" also know as "Aperture Priority" and P "Program Mode" as well as a "bulb" mode.

At first I saw the lack of "basic zones" as a negative, but actually I've found that it's forced ME to be the "creative zone" and I think in only a few days I've grown a bit as a photographer and I've taken more control of the camera and therefore taken more control over the final result ... the photo.

When I was at the Paris Air Show on Monday, I tended to use the "P" Program mode as it offered me the most assistance in handling the camera settings while I was able to concentrate on the fast moving aircraft demonstration. In the program mode I was forced to make decisions only as far as ISO settings and occasionally exposure compensation. And frankly this was one of the first times that I ever gave much thought at all to ISO settings, the sports mode on most pro-sumer cameras handles ISO settings very well in order to allow fast shutter speeds at reasonable aperture settings. The result of this was that I got better photos than I've ever gotten before at an air show in the past when I've simply used the "sports" setting.

So, I think what I'm trying to say here is that the creative zones or "idiot modes" are great, they do a pretty good job of handling things for you ... but as I learned this week, taking full control of the camera and not depending on a pre-programmed mode just might get you far better results in the the end.

Give it a try, take a week off from the creative zones on your camera and make your own brain the real creative zone. Put a small piece of masking tape over he creative zone icons on your camera's mode wheel as a reminder and got out and shoot and see what happens.

Post your results to the Digital Photography Podcast's flickr's photo pool with the title or tag "The Real Creative Zone".


"Opposite Angle"

One day last week while in Prague I walked to one of the many tourist attractions in the city, the Astronomical Clock. it's sort of like the worlds largest Coo-coo clock ... naturally I stood in front of the clock. pointed my camera at it and snapped a few pictures. Some zoomed in on the clocks details as it was doing it's thing at the top of the hour, some zoomed out to get more of the whole scene ... but they were all just shots of the clock.

The next day I was passing the clock again and noticed that it was almost time for the clock to do it's thing again and a large crowd was gathering as usual to snap photos of the clock as it put on it's show. This time I decided to get right under the clock and shoot the crowd instead of the clock. The photos I got of the crowd were so much more interesting than the ones I got the day before ..... there were old people, young people, people amazed, people bored, people smiling, people pointing. The range of human emotion and expression is limitless.

The lesson here is that, of course when you travel to Paris you need to get a shot of the Eiffel Tower, when in London you need to get a shot of Big Ben, When in New York you need to get a shot of the World Trade Center site .... but after you get those shots, turn around and see if there is an even better shot in the opposite direction .... especially at a site that provokes emotion like the World Trade Center site, The USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, the many holocaust and war memorials around the world. Often the best shot is behind you. ... Quick, turn around!

July 01, 2007

Podcast #31 Show Notes

I'm back from vacation and I have lots of cool topic ideas for upcoming shows. In this episode of the podcast I discuss something that I call "The Real Creative Zone". Also I will talk about "The Opposite Angle".

A few times on this podcast I said it was Saturday July 1st 2007 ... I know it’s Sunday, I’m just an idiot.

Attention Safari 3 users. I just noticed something strange when I went to my website and tried to listen to this episode of the podcast on the webpage while using Safari 3.0.2. I got an error saying that I needed Quicktime 7.0.2 or higher to listen to the podcast ... but I have Quicktime 7.1.6

So, I'm sure this is a bug in Safari 3

Safari007.jpg

June 14, 2007

Podcast #30 Show Notes

A few links to things I talked about on the show

Our flickr group

The Sensor Scope

SensorScope4.jpg SensorScope2.jpg

Continue reading "Podcast #30 Show Notes" »

June 10, 2007

Podcast #29 Show Notes - Saturday Night Special

cohost125.jpgI'm thinking it's time for a co-host on my podcast. I think it would make the shows more interesting to everyone and a bit easier for me.

That's where you people come in ... there must be one of you out there that would like to be a podcast co-host.

I would prefer someone in the southern California area so that we could do the show together from a common location ... however, the show can be done over the phone so being local is not a requirement.

You do not need to be a pro photographer, as a matter of fact you could be a total novice ... You just need to be talkative, have a bit of a personality and be willing to work for free like me.

If you have something to plug or promote, the podcast could be a good vehicle for you to do that ... you might get some free software or hardware goodies to review from time to time, but that's about the extent of the compensation package for a podcast co-host.

If you are interested in being my co-host please send me an email with some information about yourself like name, location, level of photography experience, what sort of photography equipment you have ... are you a mac or a PC and anything else I should know about you ... please dont bother with anything as formal as a resume ... just a simple email. If you have the ability to record your voice please send me a little audio clip of yourself talking about something photography related so I can see how you sound.

Send all this to [email protected]

To listen to podcast number 29 Click Here

Continue reading "Podcast #29 Show Notes - Saturday Night Special" »

June 06, 2007

Podcast #28 Show Notes

Here are a few URLs mentioned on the podcast

A&M; Model Makers

Canonites

Flickr Group

Continue reading "Podcast #28 Show Notes" »

May 23, 2007

Podcast #27 Show Notes

Links to sites mentioned on this week's podcast

Rockwell Multimedia

Giottos Tripods

Canonites Website

OnOne Software

Canon EOS 1D Mark III

My Canon EOS 1D Mark III Podcast

Here's the photo that I edited in Photoshop and used OnOne Software's PhotoFrame plugin.

Click image for larger versions.

Continue reading "Podcast #27 Show Notes" »

May 17, 2007

Video Podcasts not syncing to iPod

If you are subscribed via iTunes to the Allen Rockwell Digital Photography Podcast - Video Edition and you have an iPod you may have noticed that episode #3 and #4 would not sync to your iPod.

Thanks to my brother Thom, the video production geek from www.rockwellmultimedia.com for bringing this to my attention.

I had made a mistake in the formatting of the videos for episode 3 and 4 and I guess iTunes is smart enough to notice and refuse to send crap files to your iPod. I have since fixed this problem and uploaded the videos again.

The easiest way to fix this on your end is:

1. launch iTunes

2. Right click (or control click) on the "Allen Rockwell Digital Photography Podcast - Video Edition" title (not individual episodes) and select "Delete". Click on "Move Files To Trash"

3. Go here The new video podcast feed is at http://feeds.feedburner.com/videodigitalphotopodcast and click on the subscribe in iTunes button.

4. That's it, iTunes will get the updated episodes (all of them actaully) and you'll be all set to sync to your iPod.

May 14, 2007

Video Podcast #4

In video podcast #4 I show you how to take an image that might be destined for the bit bin and save it using the Levels command and some sharpening. The entire procedure takes a few seconds and can save a crummy image and bring it back to life.

Click here to see the image that edited on the podcast.
D_DayBeach_Thumb.jpg

Continue reading "Video Podcast #4" »

May 10, 2007

Podcast #26 (Video) Show Notes

QuickTime Player001.jpgToday for the first time ever I get in front of the camera ... kinda scary I know, but try not to look dirextly into the balding head :)

On today's video podcast I introduce you to my new Lowepro Vertex 200AW backpack.

For more info on this backpack Click Here

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May 07, 2007

Podcast #25 Show Notes

Rich's notes on my Sports Photography Show

Canon S5IS info here

Sandisk deal at J&R; Photo World
Sandisk rebate form

May 04, 2007

Podcast #24 Show Notes

Here are a few links from this weeks show

Hoodman

Wallgreens Photo Service

Some of my sports photos on flickr

Continue reading "Podcast #24 Show Notes" »

April 24, 2007

Podcast #23 Show Notes - Zoomify

Podcast number 23 is the very first video podcast I've done.

I realize that a lot of people, myself included, listen to podcasts in the car or at work and can't really stop to watch a podcast. So the audio podcast will continue to be the regular format the podcast will be delivered in but with the ocassional video podcast thrown in as an extra when I come across a topic that is better suited for video than audio (like software demos).

So please let me know what you think about the video podcast and if you have an apple TV box please let me know how it looks full screen on your living room TV.

The webpage where I uplaoded the Zoomify sample is http://www.allenrockwellphoto.com/Site/zoomify/

Continue reading "Podcast #23 Show Notes - Zoomify" »

April 23, 2007

Podcast #22 Show Notes

Click images to enlarge:


My panorama image on flickr

Download the Portrait Photography Tips and Tricks PDF file

Continue reading "Podcast #22 Show Notes" »

April 11, 2007

Podcast #21 ... The UnPodcast

There is no podcast this week due to my crazy workload. I'll try to get one out this weekend.

If you have any topic ideas, questions or suggestions for the next show please email them to me at [email protected]

Thanks.

... Keep on shooting!

April 04, 2007

Podcast #20 Show Notes

Here is the setup for the product photography shoot:
(Click image to see larger version)

This is a good example that demonstrates the depth of field as it relates to f/stop settings
(Click image to see larger version)

Here are a few samples of the results of the product photo shoot
(Click images to see larger versions)


For more info on photographer's rights check out my podcast titled "RAW, Photographer’s Rights, News" that I posted on Wed, 25 Oct 2006 at http://feeds.feedburner.com/digitalphotopodcast

Continue reading "Podcast #20 Show Notes" »

March 29, 2007

Forgot Something

On podcast #19 during the Ballroom Dancing segment I forgot to mention something...

I often forget that lots of people are shooting with point-and-shoot cameras and I forget to address those issues when talking about techniques.

If you are shooting with a point-and-shoot and are indoors with low light, bringing a fast lens is not an option. So what you can do on many point-and-shoot cameras is set the ISO rating up a bit (like
400 maybe as a starting point) and many point-and-shoots will also allow you to set your camera in Aperture Priority mode ... if that's the case with your camera set it to the most wide open apertuer that you can (smallest aperture number).

Another technique I failed to mention that applies to all types of cameras is panning while shooting. Try to pan with your subject and you might just get a very cool shot with lots of blured background and a real feeling of action.

Podcast #19 Show Notes

Screenshots from Search And Recover 4 Software


The Digital Photography Show Podcats #41 regarding Photographers Rights, Model Releases, Copyright, etc

Adobe CS3 on Amazon.com

Continue reading "Podcast #19 Show Notes" »

March 20, 2007

Podcast #18 Show Notes

Listener Participation ... Yipee !!!!

This week I had two people send me photos to talk about on the podcast and one person sent me some results from his Kitchen Assignment.

Holly Sisson's photo of her son Noah. The composition is great, the focus on the eyes is amazing.

Here's Holly's picture showing that she cropped it very well using the rule of thirds. I added a little color to the face as I thought it made the photo a little more interesting. However Holly tells me that her photo fairly accuratly refelcts the tone of Noah's face.

Michael McLaughlin sent in this great photo of a young lady at a Quinceañera last summer in Parker Arizona. I love the photo and the use of the shallow depth of field to focus your attention on the young lady.

If I was to change anything in this photo I would crop the image a little closer to eliminate some of the forground clutter and take advantage of the rule of thirds.

Continue reading "Podcast #18 Show Notes" »

March 11, 2007

Podcast #17 Show Notes

Websites and products discussed on the podcast:

The Digital Photography Show

Photo GPS by Jobo

Canon EOS 1D Mark III ... Again :)

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Lens

February 11, 2007

Podcast #15 Show Notes

Links mentioned in tonight's podcast.

The Inside Aperture blog

My "Is it the camera or the photographer .. or both?" post on Inside Aperture

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Adobe Creative Suite

Apple's Aperture

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

Pocket Wizard

Technorati tages: Digital Photography, Allen Rockwell, Podcast,

Podcast #15 ... Where is it?

My podcast schedule has been pretty wacky lately, primarily due to my workload at my "real" job.

I will be recording and posting a new podcast tonight and it will be a nice long one ... I promise.

January 21, 2007

Podcast #14 Show Notes

Links to sites and products mentioned in this podcast

O'Reilly's Inside Aperture Blog

Epson Stylus Photo R1800

The digital Photography Podcast with Scott and Michael

Canon S3IS Digital Point-And-Shoot

Scott Kelby's Website

Rick Sammon's Website

Bogen Tripods ... Great tripods at a reasonable price

The Pocket Wizards that I ordered today

January 01, 2007

Podcast #12 Show Notes

Using the rule of thirds and techniques for getting yourself to compose using the rule. Also new on upcoming events relating to photography.

Links to sites mentioned in this week's podcast:

Mac World Expo

The Digital Lifestyle Experience at MacWorld

PMA Show, Las Vegas

The Rule Of thirds on Wikipedia

The Rule Of thirds on BetterPhoto.com

The Rule Of Thirds
WolfRuleThirds.jpg

The "tape on the camera" trick
RuleOfThirds.jpg

December 18, 2006

Podcast #11 Show Notes - Join the club...

Here are the links to the various sites I mentioned tonight:

The National Association of Photoshop Professionals
www.photoshopuser.com

The Photographer's Rights PDF File
www.krages.com/phoright.htm

And please don't forget to write me and let me know you listen to the podcast
[email protected]

By the way, if you like the podcast how about going to the iTunes store and writing a review?

December 15, 2006

Podcast #10 - Photoshop CS3 Beta is out

I'll start getting into the program tonight and explore new features. But so far I can say it's a lot faster on my Intel based Mac Pro and MacBook Pro.

You can download the beta at http://labs.adobe.com/

December 11, 2006

Podcast #9 Show Notes

index_sideopen20060807.pngThe Apple MacPro

Photomatix Pro HDR Software

Trey Ratcliff's "Stuck In Customs" (Many HDR Examples)

My Flickr Site

My HDR Images on Flickr

The O'Reilly Aperture Blog

Email me: [email protected]

November 27, 2006

Podcast #8 Show Notes

podcaster_50.jpgTonight I talk about a mistake I recently made and how I’m making sure it never happens again. Also we go through my camera bag and see what’s in there and if it’s really a bag or not.

In the opening I said I was going to play a promo for another podcast that I listen to, but my podcast started getting a little long. So here's a link to the promo

Advent Calendar Promo

Other links related to tonight's podcast:

Canon DSLS Cameras and lenses
Pelican Cases
My Case
Sensor Swabs, Eclipse Solution, Pec Pads, Etc.
White Balance Card
Bogen Manfrotto Tripods and Heads
Bogen 3001 Tripod
Bogen 3030 Tripod Head
Giottos Rocket Blower

As always, please email me at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or show ideas.

A Week Off

I took a week off from the Podcast. I'll be posting a new one tonight or tomorrow night.

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday.

Allen

November 14, 2006

Podcast #7 Show Notes

podcaster_50.jpgHere are the links mentioned in tonight's podcast.
If you don't subscribe to the podcast via iTunes you can get it here

My email: [email protected]

Tobi's cat photo

Tobi's crying kid

Tobi's flickr feed

My blog about the airplane photos

My A to Z Assignment on flickr

My flickr feed

Inside Aperture Blog

November 08, 2006

Podcast #6 Show Notes

podcaster_50.jpgAperture update. Adds Camera Raw support for a few new cameras.
Also fixes a problem with vertical lines on images at export.
Get the fix at
Click here to get the update

Inside Aperture Site on Apple Hot News
On Nov 7th
www.apple.com/hotnews
digitalmedia.oreilly.com/aperture

MacWorld Expo -
Jan 8-12 The Moscone Center, San Fransisco - Digital Photography Experience

The Digital Photography Experience will be centrally located in the North Hall. The area itself will be very spacious -- about the size of the Apple booth in the South Hall. The Experience will feature top photographers from all over the world who will have "Experience Booths" to demonstrate shooting technique, display work, and promote projects.

I'll be speaking on the topic of photographing amateur and pro sports and possibly other topics.

www.macworldexpo.com

November 02, 2006

Podcast #5 Show Notes - Inside Aperture & v1.5.1 & Free Trial

ia_tile_2_115x80.gifToday O'Reilly Media launched Inside Aperture, a webiste, blog and podcast. I am very proud to be a part of this website, I will be contibuting to the blog at least once a week. Check it out at http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/aperture/


Also today Apple released Aperture version 1.5.1 through software update. The update is a 128 MB download, so go get a coffee while it's downloading.

Apple also announced today that they are offering a free 30 day trail of Aperture. You can download the Aperture trial at http://www.apple.com/aperture/trial/

ApertureScreenSnap.jpgIf you download the v1.5.1 update be warned that of course it will take a few minutes download the 128MB file, but also after installing the update Aperture will update your aperture library the next time you load Aperture. On my Intel MacBookPro this took about 1 hour.




October 31, 2006

Podcast #4 Show Notes

podcaster_50.jpgHere are the websites mentioned in tonight's podcast:

The Digital Photography Show: www.thedigitalphotographyshow.com
Tips From the Top Floor: www.tipsfromthetopfloor.com
O'Reilly Digital Media Blog: www.oreillynet.com/digitalmedia/blog/
The Digital Stroy: www.thedigitalstory.com/blog/
Scott Bourne's Bourne Media Group: www.bournemediagroup.com/

Podcasts: (search on iTunes)
Tips from the Top Floor (Chris Marquardt)
iLifeZone (Scott Bourne and Derrick Story)
Inside Mac (Scott Sheppard, Brad Wright and Deana Orlando)
KFI Tech Guy (Leo La Porte)
Lightsource Studio Photography
MacBreakWeekly (Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Alex Lindsay, and Scott Bourne)
Photofocus
The Digital Story (Derrick Story)
This Week In Tech (TWIT)
The Digital Photography Show (Scott Sherman and Michael Stien)

October 25, 2006

Podcast #3 Show Notes

In show number three I mentioned several websites so I thought I’d post the links to those websites here.

Popular Photography article “The War On Photographers

Bert P. Krages “Photographer’s Right

The Legal Handbook for Photographers on Amazon

O’Reilly’s Digital Media Blog

October 08, 2006

Podcast #2 Show Notes

In show number three I mentioned a few websites so I thought I’d post the links to those websites here.

Apple Aperture

Export Plugins for Aperture

Aperture to flickr export plugin

Flickr.com

Google Earth

September 11, 2006

Podcast #1 Show Notes

Here is a link to the book I talked about on show number 1.