Lightroom and Photoshop Actions and Presets For Infrared Look

OK, I admit it, I'm kind of an Infrared fan! I was shooting infrared for wedding many years ago. No, not all the pics, only a few. Konica made a great high speed film that worked pretty well for wedding shooters. But, hey, that was back in the analogue days, the days of yesteryear, candlelight, covered wagons, and buggy whips. (Please, not too many e-mails on that one.) Anyway, back to the post. I ran across the two links that had some more really good info on infrared. Check out the well done article over at Khromagery.com right here. The post even includes Photoshop actions you can use to get a color infrared effect. You can find it about 4/5's down the page - sort of in the fine print section - anyway, it's worth a peek.

But wait, there's more!! Head over to Lightroom News.com right here to read Sean McCormack's interesting article on creating an infrared effect in Lightroom too. And, guess what, free presets that you can download. I gave them a try and I think they point you in the right direction, but the intermediate image may need a tweak or two. Anyway, have some fun with them. And there's still more!! Click here if you want to see all my other posts in infrared. It makes for some great, late night reading.

Well everybody, that's about it for me today. I've got to get back to my real job, again. See everybody tomorrow for Wow! What A Wednesday! See you then, David

Welcome to Fabulous Inspiration Friday

Good Morning Everybody,
This whole week has been fabulous and a true blessing for LaDawn and I. A little R&R, a little photography, some great adventures, great friends, and unfortunately it's all ending way to soon. We grab a flight home late Saturday afternoon and get back in town mid-morning Sunday. After we get through the images, I'll do a short post just to give you some flavor of this beautiful, beautiful location.

But, for today, I think you will enjoy the theme - Infrared photography. I have been a fan of this style of photography for many years. Back in the film days, for some of our wedding images we used to shoot a very high speed Konica infra-red film. At least the high film speed let us get away making images sans tripod in spite of the heavy level of filtration. Scroll down to about the last part of this very good article on infra-red photography right here for discussion on the Konica film.

Anyway, there is some really great information and resources in the post today, so on with the show...

More Information On Infra-Red Than One Brain Can Hold

You have got to check out Luminous Landscape for their in depth article on the subject right here - solid info and some great images.

But if you really want a good infra-red photography "brain fry," check out Digital Photography For What It's Worth site right here. They have over 43 articles on every single aspect of infra-red photography. It is infra-red "geekdom" galore. The site is extremely rich in it's content and worth a bookmark if the subject interests you.

So Who Else Is Interested In The Fine Art Of Infra-Red Photography?

Maybe more than you think. I came across this in an article that announced the formation of The League of Creative Infrared Photographers which was officially formed just two months ago in January 2008. It was established to promote the joy, excitement, and creativity of infrared photography from in-camera capture to enhancing images in the digital darkroom.

Check out their members right here and then check out some of the members' galleries. These include some beautiful images. You can find some more very cool digital infra-red images in their digital gallery right here. Happy cruising - very inspirational.

Pretty Cool So Far, How About A Few More

Beauty, Diversity, Creativity - that's what Andy Finney is showing over at Invisible Light right here. This is a wonderful site showing some gorgeous infra-red photography taken from countries around the world. Take an easy cruise through Mr. Finney's work - put it on your "must-visit" list.

Wait, there is more. Please check out the galleries and images over at PBase.com right here. These images will truly "blow you away!" Then maybe over the weekend, you can check out about 13,700 more infra-red images at Flickr right here.

Alright Already - How Do I Get Into The Game?

Glad you asked - here are two links to companies that offer the service, and no, it doesn't "break the bank." Life Pixel is probably the one most mentioned - here is their link right here. I know some photogs who have used their services and have been quite happy. The other service that has come up on occasion is MaxMax right here.

Now if you are a part time brain surgeon and want do do it yourself, Life Pixel shows you how to do it right here. And another source for the do it yourselfer is Kleptography right here.

Hey gang, enjoy the links today. LaDawn and I, we have one more day in Mexico, and we are going to soak up every last minute. See you back in good ol' KY on Monday. Have a great weekend, everybody. --David

Monday's Quick News Tips

A Great Good Morning to Everybody,

I am in Columbus, Ohio today presenting a program for the Professional Photographers of Central Ohio. I'll be seeing a lot of friends today as this is the part of the country where I spent my "formative" years as an aspiring photographer - so many years ago. As a little side bar, LaDawn and I spent Sunday with our good friends Kent and Sarah Smith. They are truly two of the best photographers in the country. Kent and I have "grown up" in this profession together, knowing each other for more than 25 years. Anyway, check out their studio websites. They have two - one for portraits and the other for seniors. Their web sites and photography are inspirational - give them a look right here.

How About Some Quick News

Layers Tennis - Say What?:
You heard it right here. Here is an excerpt from Coudal.com about what is going on...

"Coudal.com that is announcing the return of the very popular and inspiring Photoshop Tennis. We'll be playing matches using lots of different applications, from Adobe Photoshop to Adobe Flash, but the basic idea is the same no matter what tools are in use. Two artists (or two small teams of artists) will swap a file back and forth in real-time, adding to and embellishing the work. Each artist gets fifteen minutes to complete a "volley" and then we post that to the site. A third participant, a writer, provides play-by-play commentary on the action, as it happens. The matches last for ten volleys and when it's complete, everyone visiting the site votes for a winner." You can get the whole story right here.

Sounds kind of interesting - REALITY INTERNET. Sounds like something for Photoshop World to me.

What Flame Brushes - The Devil Made Me Do It:
This very "hot" news item has been on the "back burner" - OK, enough already - Sorry. I found this cool tutorial over at PhotoshopSupport.com. It's called "Flame Brushes". You can download the brushes at no charge and get the tutorial on how to use them right here. The results are very interesting - kind of fun to play with on a rainy day. I know some of you think Ziser is nuts offering these kind of links, but hey, "No Rest for the Wicked" - sorry, just had to get one more in. You better bookmark this one - 8 months from now when it hits you - where did I hear about "Flame Brushes" - you know you got it right here.

Concert Photography Tips:
I just got a nice email from Scott Kelby complimenting me on the Photoshop World "After Party" shots - thanks Scott. The NAPP house band, Big Electric Cat performed at the party and I ran around, like any good (wedding) photographer would, capturing all the band action and dancing. You can actually find the post and the those images right here. I'm not ready to make the career change to concert photographer just yet, but for those of you looking to do a better job at this kind of photography, there is a great article on it over at the RRD PhotoBlog. Ryan Dlugosz, who runs this well done site has done a great job listing and documenting with several images on just how to photograph concert artists/bands with their unique and special lighting effects. Check out the article right here.

A Cup on Inspiration for Monday - Absolutely Beautiful Landscape Photography:
When we got back from our 2 weeks of travels, I needed to hit the computer to see what was happening for next week. As I was doing that I checked out a few of my "bookmarks" I had carried over from my old computer - I just set up a new computer right before we left 2 weeks ago (what a hassle-whew!) and wanted to see if I had missed anything. Anyway, the good news, I had bookmarked this site a while back, but went back to review it again. It all came back to me - Joseph Holmes Photography, Natural Light Photography - what absolutely astonishing work. Just take a few minutes to review his site and his images. Here is the link. You won't be disappointed.

That's it for today, I'm off to my program. Don't forget - tomorrow is "Technique Tuesday". See you then, have a good one. --David

Friday Highlights

A Great Friday Morning to Everyone,

LaDawn and I are packing our bags and heading for home. After a nearly a week at Photoshop World, and now another week in New York, I think we are both ready to head back home. We spent our last full day yesterday checking out the sights over at Brooklyn Heights - what a nice area to visit. Bert Monroy gave us the tip a few weeks ago when he came through Cincy on his Photoshop Creativity Tour - he is from New York originally. Brooklyn Heights turns out to be America's first suburb. It's quiet, full of shops and restaurants, and the view from the Promenade is best of NYC and the Brooklyn bridge. You can check out a short slide show of the images over at our sister Blog "Dave and LaDawn on the Road". In fact we have been blogging the whole week over there as well. (Two Blogs a day, not for the "faint of heart.") Take a look.

Before we headed out yesterday, we took a "time-share" tour. If any of our readers have had that experience you know what I'm talking about here. The sales person tries to sell you part of a piece of property that you get to use for a week, once a year. I don't want to spend a lot of time here describing the concept, but, just as a heads up, I'm going to spend some time on "Sales" next week and I will share some of my insights about yesterday's experience. Check back next week for the rest of the story.

Anyway, even though we had a terrific time here in the Big Apple, we are looking forward to heading back. I have the weekend off, but on Sunday we are heading for Columbus to prepare for an "all-day" program for the Professional Photographers of Central Ohio we will present on Monday - hope to see some of you there. Next week I will also be putting finishing touches on my week-long Digital Master Class that kicks off September 24. (Still 1 or 2 seats left - call Susan at 800.292.2994 if interested.) So I will see everyone back in Cincinnati.

How about a little news.

True Digital Infrared:
I have had this saved in my "Favorites" folder. I first saw the story month's ago, and now it's popped up again. Here is the scoop. Back in the film days I remember reading and seeing many articles and images on "Infrared Photography". Photographers were producing B&W infrared images by placing an infrared filter over the camera lens, and after a very long exposure and focus shift, produced very striking images where the sky was black and the greens were almost white. In fact Konica eventually developed a special high speed IR film that would help photographers get the same effect with much faster exposure times. It was kind of a niche product which some wedding guys used occasionally - with great results. So how can we do it digitally? There have been many tutorials on how to do it in Photoshop with "Channel Mixer" and the like, but the results has never been as good as the real thing. Enter Life Pixel, a service that will turn your digital camera into a REAL infrared digital camera for only about $300. I have seen the results of the conversion and they are amazing. I have been planning on making the conversion to one of my older Canon 20D's - I'll keep you posted. The Pop Photo blog just did a story about Life Pixel. You can check it out here. Life Pixel's web site and a short video can be viewed right here.

The Largest Photograph in the World - and it's not Digital:
I thought this was a great story - it's about six photographers who literally created the largest photograph in the world via the "camera obscura" technique. They call it the "Legacy Project" They coated a giant size piece of visquene specially ordered from Germany, with photographic emulsion, exposed it for 35 minutes, and then processed it in 1800 gallons of B&W chemistry. You can get the quick recap right here, but also check out the "Legacy Project" web site right here for all the details about the world's largest photograph - very cool.

Ansel Adams (or maybe his twin bother) Returns:
Wow! check out Clyde Butcher's work over at his web site. It is truly amazing. As I was cruising his site and there are quite a number of similarities between Mr. Butcher and Mr. Adams - large format camera, beards, beautiful B&W images, involved with environmental causes, and making an impact on the world. Mr. Butcher's work is simply outstanding. Please check it out right here. You can even sign up for his newsletter.

Nighttime Digital Photography
We all know 'Nighttime " photography is not the easiest to pull off particularly with the contrast range we are often faced with. The old film guys would over expose then undevelope to try to protect all the details in the shadows. Heck, Ansel Adams wrote a whole book on it. So how do we pull it off digitally? Here is an entire book on the subject. It is written by John Carucci. Read the entire review here. It looked good to me so I headed over to Amazom and just ordred it. I'll do a follow up down the road.

That's it for now, gang. I've got bags to pack and planes to catch. Have a great weekend. See you Monday. --David