Quick Hit Monday: Denis Reggie; D-Town; iPads; Self Portraits; Inkjets; & More

Good Morning Everybody,

The car is nearly packed and we are ready to head out on our two week trek to visit friends, celebrate a BIG wedding, teach at Photoshop World, and catch the Flash Bus Tour on the return.  The upside of all this travel is that we get to make it in the new car - that should be cool, assuming we can get everything packed into it. 

First Stop Tonight - Denis Reggie Studios

The first stop today is in Atlanta to visit my good friend, Denis Reggie.  We should land late afternoon early evening.  I'm hoping to convince Denis to do an interview with me that I will post on Tuesday.  Denis is one of the premiere wedding photographers in the world so it should be quite a treat if we pull it off in our short time together.  Stay tuned!

Oh, BTW, I just saw where Denis is hosting his Wedding Conclave at his home again in mid – April and May.  Always a great experience - here's the link right here.

Check Out My Lighting Tip Over at D-Town TV

While in Tampa a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting with fellow blogging buddy, Scott Kelby.  He asked me to lay down a few tips for D-Town TV and I was glad to oblige.  Heck, it was the first time to use their new set. The first episode just aired.  You can check it out right here.

I have to tell you, I have no clue how the D-Town video team gets such unbelievable great streaming video.  The quality of their production and resolution just blow you away.  I think you'll come to the same conclusion once you catch an episode.

Hot Deals on iPad 1, iPad Upgrade & iOS 4.3

I've been getting a few emails from folks asking if Apple has FIXED the problem of importing images into the iPad and iPad 2.  When Apple upgraded the iOS to 4.2 and 4.2.1, they reduced the power output to the attached devices from 100 ma to 10 ma.  That, in effect, neutered the usability of devices like the Delkin flash card reader which used to work just fine especially when uploading images to the iPad when shooting a wedding.

I talked with Terry White about it a few weeks ago and he assured me that Apple DID NOT FIX the issue with it's latest release of the 4.3 iOS.  What's  really annoying about this, is the fact that the issue CAN SIMPLY BE FIXED in the software.  For some reason, Apple DOESN’T want people to use their devices in a manner which they don't deem acceptable.  Maybe if enough folks gripe about it, the Apple militia will change their thinking.  Hey, it the reason I'm mostly a PC guy ;~)

And speaking of iPads, did you see the deals on the surplus iPad 1's ?  How about a 64 gig iPad Wi-Fi and ATT 3G for only $529!!! What a steal of the a deal!  Here is the link right here.

Self Portraits: An Exercise In Creativity

I have to admit, I really enjoy getting my Digital Image Cafe eNewsletter each month. It's published by Todd McMillan and his wife Cathy, two really genuinely nice people who really strive to enhance their Digital Image Cafe experience. 

Their newsletter always contains a nice nugget or two of solid information.  This month they featured an article on self portraits as an exercise to juice your creativity.  It was a nice read.  You can catch it right here.

A Gazillion Tutorials Over At NIK

OMG!!!! I had no idea!!! Something came across my desk the other day talking about all these new tutorials being posted at NIK Software.  I LOVE NIK Software. I think those folks are always on the cutting edge of product development when it comes to Photoshop and Lightroom plug-INS.

Anyway, I headed on over to their site to check it out.  Like I said, OMG - they currently have about 60 full length tutorials right here covering portrait retouching to fine art image enhancement.  Even though they feature the NIK products in their tutorials, the content is still superb.  Oh, BTW. try this secret code "DZISER" - it may still save you 15% if you decide to try any of their new products.  Just thought you'd like to know.

Thinking Of Going Inkjet? Things You Need To Know

Another great company I get to hang out with occasionally are my good buddies at Lexjet down in Sarasota, FL.  In fact, with LaDawn's son' s wedding taking place in Sarasota next weekend and us being in the same town, I'm planning to make the trip over for a visit to see their new facilities.

Anyway, I just received their latest newsletter, and since I'm an inkjet printing junkie, I decided to give it a good read.  One thing led to the other, and before long I was all over their blog checking out the cool, informational articles they've been posting.  Once again, it was treasure-trove of info.

Let me quickly point you towards some of my favorites:

1. How To Import Custom Canon iPF Inkjet Printer Profiles right here.
2. How To Get A Free iPad right here.
3. How Much Paper Is Left On A Roll right here.
4. 35 Instructional Videos On YouTube Videos right here.

Some really solid information! We’ve been printing on inkjets for 8 years and Lexjet has always been my go-to resource for printers, ink, supplies, and advice. Check them out. _______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today.  Things are hoppin' around here and we need to be hitting the road very shortly – that is if we can fit everything in the car.  Anyway, how about I check in with you tomorrow with a Technique Tuesday or an interview with Denis Reggie.

With 7 hours on the road today, I should be able to get something posted tomorrow although no promises on posting times.  Check back tomorrow and let's see what pops.

Have a great rest of the day.  If you see us on the road, give us a wave - we're the couple in the fancy car that looks like it packed up Beverly Hillbilly’s style ;~)

See everybody tomorrow,  David

Quick Hit Monday: WPPI; Power Of Passion; I Have A Famous Daughter; and More!

Good Morning Everybody,

I can’t believe it – sunshine!! Yep, sunshine and moderately warm temperatures finally hit the Mid-West.. It was really good news to hear the weather man report that we have more on the way this week.  Hope the weather is nice in your part of the world.

Hey gang, we’ve got a busy week shaping up so let’s get right to Quick Hit Monday.  Here we go…

Heading To WPPI This Thursday

That’s right, LaDawn and I jump on a jet and head to Las Vegas this coming Thursday.  We’re getting in early for a couple of reasons. One reason is to see Jerry Ghionis and Sandy Puc’s kick off program at the Hampton Inn Tropicana on Saturday [link].  I’ve heard about their new seminar series and wanted to see it first hand – it should be a kick.  If you’re planning to attend, come on up and say HI.

We’ll hang for few days before the WPPI convention kicks off on Sunday.  Look for me at the Westcott booth and the Manfroto booth doing a few lighting demos.  This is always a great show and we’re looking forward to being with the other 15,000 photographers hanging in Vegas next week – see you there!

Animoto Makes My Daughter Elizabeth Famous!

Well, almost famous. I don’t know if you have taken the opportunity to try Animoto yet – I’ve been using it for years – but the new “rendering engine”, now 10x faster, is producing videos that look great!  You will love the higher resolution videos – sumptuous!  All the latest info right here.

Anyway, Animoto got a little press from the big guns at CNET [link] and my daughter Elizabeth is pictured in the feature. Elizabeth has been working with Animoto for several months, you may have met her at the Imaging USA show in San Antonio, TX this past January.  Anyway, very cool for a dad.

Captured By The Light Continues To Get RAVE Reviews

I just received a note about my book “Captured By The Light” from Rob Acocella at DigiMortalPhoto [link]. 

The opening paragraph quickly caught my eye,  “David Ziser's Captured By The Light,which is easily one of the best, most comprehensive books on wedding photography I've ever read”.

Rob is a first time wedding photographer and found the book extremely helpful for his upcoming shoot.  THANKS Rob for the great shout out!  -David

One Touch Color Correction - Tutorials

One of my long standing favorite color correcting plug in has been Pictocolor’s I-Correct Portrait.  One click of the mouse and the color looks great.  Another feature I’ve always loved about the app is the fact that it let’s me also click on a skin tone – once again, one click and my portrait images are really looking good.

I just got their Valentine’s email – always good deals, BTW – and I picked up something I’ve never previously tried – setting up my own custom colors for one click color correction for types of skin, etc.  Very fast, very cool.  Check it out right here.

Fab Westcott Shootout At WPPI

The first time I saw the Westcott shootout was at last years Photoshop World.  Boy, was it over the top with four beautiful models, fabulous sets, and tons of lights ready to go.  I was blown away by the setup.

Well, the good news is that I hear Westcott is planning the same thing for WPPI next week – I can’t wait. Here’s the link to all the details right here. I’ll be hanging around lending a helping hand so why don’t you come on by?  See ya’ there.

One Last Quick Note On Note cards

Lexjet has always been my “go to” vendors for all things inkjet  and we are into our inkjet printing quite heavy around my studio. 

Anyway, they put out a newsletter each month which is filled with terrific ideas on how to get the best out of your inkjet printing.  More and more folks are jumping on the inkjet printing wagon so you really need to check out what’s happening over at Lexjet.

Here is an interesting and informative article [link] on how my buddy, Clay Blackmore, produced some stunning All Occasion greeting in his studio with some of Lexjet’s newest paper products.

It’s a good read.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today. I’m putting the finishing touches on my Guest Blog post “ Wedding Photography – The State Of The Union –Part 2” for Scott Kelby and sending it over this afternoon.

Part 1 was published two weeks ago right here.  Part 2 is even more in-depth with lot’s of solutions to the current upheaval in the field of wedding photography.  Look for it on Wednesday.

Have a wonderful hugs and kisses day and I’ll see you tomorrow for another Technique Tuesday.

Adios Everybody,  David

Friday Wrap Up: Great New Book Ideas; Inkjet Issues Solved; Help Wanted; and Agave Update

Good Morning Everybody,

We put quite a few miles on the rental car yesterday traveling from Orlando over to Oldsmar near Tampa and then down to Sarasota and back - only about 275 miles. Here are the quick highlights of yesterday's trip.

Visit To Kelby Media World Headquarters

That was our first stop yesterday. It was fun to catch up with many of the Kelby Media crew. Kathy gave us a tour of the new facilities and they are phenomenal, especially the video department. They now have six sets in which they shoot everything from D-Town [link] to Photoshop User TV [link] and everything in-between.

We had a nice lunch with Scott and Dave and discussed new book plans. Both of them had some great ideas. Not to let the "cat out of the bag" or anything but the thrust of the new book is going to be lighting. Lighting brides and groom, couples, just about anybody anytime, anyplace, with any camera or lens. What do you think? I'm stoked! I'll provide more details as things develop.

We also discussed a few ideas for an upcoming series of Kelby Training videos. I thinks the first video will be on photographing, posing, lighting for an engagement couple. We're kicking around a few other ideas too. Again, I'll keep you posted.

Heading To LexJet - Inkjet Issues Solved!

Our next stop was to Sarasota where I wanted to catch up with my buds at LexJet. I'll tell ya' they are the nicest people. Tom and Kelly, my rep who I finally got to meet for the first time in person, gave us a tour of all the new products and some great ideas in how we could use them in my fine art endeavors.

For those of you doing any printing on canvas, Kelly recommended their new Sunset Select Matte Canvas at only $.90 sq.ft. That's like half the cost of their other canvases and it's more durable and has a much brighter base than regular canvas media.

Another highlight of the visit was meeting Adam, LexJet's resident inkjet printing guru. I've mentioned here at DPT that we put in Canon's iPF 8100 printer about a year ago and we LOVE it. It's fast and puts out beautiful prints. Our problem was all the profiles we downloaded from Lexjet just didn't work with QImage, the software we use to drive the Canon printer. We always figured out a work-a-round and managed to still get great output on a variety of mediums.

I raised the question with Adam and he tells me that the profiles on-line only work when printing from Photoshop. Bummer, that's not good for us since we queue up several sheets to print at one time.

But, Adam had the easy solution. Just print out some test images from sample TIFFs he would email me and send them to him. Using LexJet's gazillion dollar profile making hardware and software he would gladly make custom profiles for me. In fact LexJet offers the service to any of their customers at NO charge. Don't you love great customer service? That's why I love those guys - if it's Inkjet, call LexJet!! [link].

Update On Blue Agave

Hey everybody, thanks for the nice remarks on the Blue Agave post yesterday. Just to clarify two points that were raised. I use Imagekind.com to host several of my fine art images. Here is the link. They do a good job, you name your own prices and the cost is only $99/yr.

The other question that came up was as to the sharpness of the 12-24mm lens. I think my 12-24mm lens is plenty sharp. I had read years ago before I purchased it that some folks, not many, had a problem with the sharpness of the early production models. They simply exchanged them.

My experience with Sigma lens has always been quite positive. I think they make the best super wide angle lenses you can get. In fact, they make the THE widest angle lenses you can get. You've seen that in the variety of images I've posted that were taken with the 12-24mm and their brand new 8-16mm for APS sized sensor cameras like the Canon 7D. What can I say, I’m a BIG fan.

Still Looking For Help For Imaging USA

Earlier this week, I posted that I was presenting to a large audience in about 10 days at Imaging USA and put out a call for help setting up for the program. LaDawn got a few responses but could still use another hand or two. If you plan to be at Imaging USA and can help, yes-goodies included, contact LaDawn at laDawn@Ziser.com and she can give you the times and details.

One For The Road – Good Training, Great Price

I just got a note from my good friends at Friday Photo School.  I did a program for them a few months ago that went great.  Well, they have bundled my program with two more from Rick Ferro and Bill Innes.

Here is the lowdown:

• Preparing Yourself for Excellent Wedding and Portrait Images with William Innes

• Top Ten Posing Tips with Rick Ferro

• Lighting, Lenses, and Locations: Exciting Bridal Portraits with David Ziser

$43 for 4.5 hours of “live training” – what a deal!

Here is the link right here.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today. The sun has finally come out after four days in Orlando and I think LaDawn and I are going to soak up a few rays.

How about I see you next week, same time, same station. Have a great weekend and I'll see you then.

Adios, David

Quick Hit Monday: Deals, Deals, and More Deals, and Lots Of Freebies

Good Morning, uh… Afternoon, Everybody,

My day started at 5:00 a.m. this morning working on a client order.  Then the “bear” reared it’s ugly head and thought he had me today. It’s been quite a day, you know, a day that starts to go “south” just when you are trying to leave for a two week vacation – whew!  I think I got the best of it now though – at least I hope so.  Anyway, on to a brighter things…

I hope everybody had a great weekend. With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner for us, LaDawn was anxious to get started on the holiday decorating. The weather was perfect and we even got a start on the outside of the house. You can begin to feel the seasonal excitement in the air.

We also had a great KPPA Print Review webcast yesterday. So many great images and so little time. We had about 150 images submitted and I think each maker got a fair shake from our judges. Winners will be posted soon so stay tuned. Also, I recorded the Print Review so I’ll let you know when its ready to view too.

We've got a pretty busy week wrapping up a few more client orders for the holidays and then we are heading to Cabo, Mexico after Thanksgiving. Actually I’m DRIVING to Cabo, Mexico with my buddy, Kent Smith, leaving on Friday. Hey, it's only a 3,200 mile drive!!! It's a long story - I'll plan to fill you in as things progress ;~)

Hey guys and girls, we've got lots of things to announce today so let's get right to it. Here we go...

Printer Deal Of The Century!

Folks, if any of you are looking to purchase a new inkjet printer, call my friend Kelly right now at   800-453-9538. This is the time to do it. I couldn't believe this when I got the email from Lexjet last week [link]. First of all, Lexjet worked a deal with Canon to offer the Canon iPF 8300 with a complete set of the 330mm for only $2,299 till the end of the year - a steal of a deal!

But last week the deal was sweetened beyond compare. LexJet just added an iPad to the deal. That's right - the printer, inks, and now an Apple iPad for only $2,299!!! This deal expires on November 26, 2010. Give my friend Kelly a call if you're interested.

More Photos, Always The Best Just Got Better

You know, when your clients view their images on line, they want a great viewing experience. Too much "finger gymnastics" means a very frustrating time for your clients and only fills them with negative feelings as they look at your fabulous images you worked so hard to produce for them. You want them to feel good about the experience.

More Photos new web experience is exactly that - a great viewing experience. Now it's easy to log in to the client order and see the images. What makes the More Photos site so cool is the fact that it let's the client view the images as a slide show AND mark their favorites without stopping the show.

Like I said, too many "finger gymnastics" to view 100's or 1000's of images on line is a royal pain. With More Photos new site, we just direct the client to start the slide show, grab an "adult beverage", and enjoy the show in the comfort of their home - so nice.

More Photos were CBTL sponsors and had a fabulous intro offer for anyone wanting to give them a try. I called them earlier today to see if they would extend it to our DPT readers and they gladly obliged.

They are extending our CBTL special for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  The setup fee for only $50, normally $200 (75% off).  Just call (231) 932-0855 ext 4 and mention the CBTL special. They are happy to lock it in and you can set it up after the holidays – but you’ve got to call by Monday. 

Even More Good Deals and Some Freebies Over at Graphic Authority

I just received this email from Graphic Authority mentioning their Thanksgiving Day Specials. Not only are the prices hard to beat, but they are also throwing in FREE brushes every Friday. Here is the exact wording and links from their newsletter. Check it out. FREE is always a good deal!

The celebration starts now for Thanksgiving!

The celebration starts now! Click the link or paste and copy it into your browser and get a set of 15 free brushes by Cheryl Walsh http://graphicauthority.s3.amazonaws.com/downloads/Rockstar-Free-Brushes/Rockstar-Free-Brushes.zip 

The celebration will continue with freebies posted on our Facebook page every day Monday through Friday at noon CST. You will have 24 hours to take advantage of downloading the freebies. The freebie links will only be posted on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/GraphicAuthority, and will not be emailed.

We will then top it off by a super Black Friday sale. More details on the sale will come in my weekly email next Wednesday.

Have fun!!!

How about a Treasure Trove Of Tutorials and More Freebies

It seemed like the week for "Good Deal" newsletters. Hey, maybe it's that Black Friday thing going around. Anyway, I get this newsletter from Photoshop Roadmap. I don't remember getting it before or maybe I missed it. I didn't miss it this time and I'm glad I didn't.

The newsletter was jammed packed full of goodies on all things Photoshop! Here is the link to tons, of tutorials, freebie brushes and so much more. You won't believe your eyes - check it out right here.

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today. I’ve just flat ran out of time today and I’m taking the team out for a little pre-holiday celebration.  I’m still looking to have a Technique Tuesday land here sometime tomorrow.  So check back and I’ll see you tomorrow.

-David

Quick Hit Monday: Joe’s New Book; Webcast Still On the Air; What A Deal On Ink-Jet Printers; Retouching, Shortcuts, Postcards, and More

Good Morning Everybody,

It was a great Bat Mitzvah celebration over the weekend. We began at 7:30a.m. and worked till 11:30p.m. that evening. Thankfully we had a break in the middle of the day to catch our breath. I downloaded the cards when we returned, renamed them importing them into Lightroom and hit the sack late.

Four hours later the alarm went off - we had a 9:15 a.m. flight to L.A. and I still needed to pack. I wanted to bring the images with me on the trip so I could work on the order and share a few more with my DPT readers this week. They were still imputing into Lightroom at 6:15a.m.

Finally I got the job done, packed up the 650 gig Toshiba pocket drive and we headed to the airport. We were fortunate to get kicked up to the BIG seats for our four hour flight and I was able to catch a few zzzzzzzzzzz's on the trip out.

Like I said - busy weekend, and now a busy week as we wrap up our Captured By The Light 2010 tour. We are looking to visit with over 700 excited photographers this week so I hope you can make it to one of this week's programs - it will be a kick! That said, let's get right to this week's Quick Hit Monday. Here we go...

Rocket Speed Digital Design Being Extended

Last week I posted my Rocket Speed Digital Design webcast [link] and mentioned that I would keep it up till Sunday midnight and still honor the special $99 bundle pricing on LumaPix. Because we only have 3 CBTL tour cities left, I thought I would keep it up till the end of this week.

That should give everyone ample time to catch the webcast if you missed it and take advantage of these NOT-TO-BE-MISSED specials. If you have any questions about the specials, please give the studio a call at 859.341.5900.

Joe McNally's New Book, The Life Years, Just Released!

I caught this over at Joe's Blog [link] over the weekend. Joe told me he had a new book coming out near the end of the year but didn't give away any of the details. His new book looks like a knock out hit.

Yes, I'm old enough to be a Life Magazine fan and was pretty disappointed when it folded. This book reprises Joe's years at Life when he was the named the first staff photographer for the magazine. He coincidently was also the last staff photographer for Life. That would give him the distinction of being the only staff photographer for the magazine.

Not only do the images look exciting, but what captured my attention was the fact that this is a "nuts and bolts" read, complete with F-stops and shutter speeds - right up my alley. Here is the link to his post right here. I can't wait to pick up my copy! I am wondering how Joe retrieved the EXIF data from the film though ;~)

How About One Gigantic Deal On Canon Inkjet Printers!!!

Folks, I have to admit, I thought I would NEVER see the price of Canon's iPF 8300 wide carriage inkjet printers hit a rock bottom price of only $2299 after rebate at LexJet. I mean,  this is a steal of a deal if you want this printer. You ain’t going to find it at a better printer price anywhere in the world!!!

Yes, they are offering the iPF6300 at a great deal too at $1899 after rebate, but for the $400 difference, I'd pick up the iPF8300. Oh, and did I say, that includes a complete set of 330 ml ink cartridges too!

We have been using the iPF8100, the model prior to this model and we have been luvin' it. It's fast, is stingy with ink, and gives gorgeous results on all types of mediums. Deals like this are unheard of - check it out right here if you are even remotely interested. You'll have to call one of the LexJet friendly representatives to get all the details.

And Now For A Little Fun…

Rapid Fire Beauty Retouching

Friend of this blog, A.J.Wood has a nifty little tutorial posted at his blog right here. It's a 3 minute tutorial showing his rapid retouching techniques in Lightroom and Photoshop.

A.J. is a certified adobe Expert. His blog has a lot of good content which is fun to check out. Once again, here is the link.

Jeff Revel's Keyboarding Shortcuts For Lightroom

I've always enjoyed visiting Jeff's site, PhotoWalkPro.com [link]. It's enjoyable to read, informative, and an easy read. Recently, he did a post on workflow, you know the part of the profession we all enjoy the most.

Like all of us, Jeff is always looking for the most efficient way to get the job completed. His post gives some good ideas on how to do just that in his post right here. If you want to get your Lightroom and Photoshop chores done more quickly, it's worth the read.

Oh, while you are at Jeff's place check out his other tutorials too - always informative and easy to follow.

Now Every Picture On Your IPhone, iPad, etc. Is A Postcard

OK, I caught this post at the Imaging Insider [link] and think it is one clever app. Here is the deal: with this app from Simply Postcards [link] you can send any photo stored on your iPhone or iPad as a postcard to anyone you want - friends, family, potential clients, vendor buddies, current clients, whomever for only $1-$2. That's your photo printed as a postcard, stamped and mailed!

Many of you may be wondering, "Who cares, I'll just email the image." Sure, that seems like the easy way, but getting a hard copy is just so much more retro cool. All kidding aside, I see it as a perfect way to impress your clients or even your potential clients.

I've mentioned here what a fan I am of the iPad and the many ways we use it for marketing in my business. This app let's us take it to the next level. Here's how:  we routinely bring the iPad along to an event, upload about 50-60 images to the iPad and then present a viewing sampling of the images during dinner for the bride and groom, families, and guests. Everybody loves it.

OK, how about now we select our favorite image of the event and send it as a post card to the bride and groom. Sure, they are on their honeymoon, but don't you think it would be cool for them to find a postcard from their wedding day in their mail box when they return. I think it is one more way to sizzle that client experience. And, folks that's what it takes to keep them coming back.

Head over to their site right here. Simple Postcards has some great ideas listed. Oh, did I forget to mention that it's a FREE app too - yep, FREE. Jump on it! I’ve installed it and can’t wait to give it a try.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today. My throat has been a bit "froggy" these last couple of days with all the speaking presentations, Master Class, and Bat Mitzvahs. Now with only three more programs to go I hoping my voice holds out. Who knows, LaDawn may have to do the last one in Sacramento on Thursday ;~)

Oh, just a quick note to those making Facebook friends requests. I was all caught up a few weeks ago, but now I'm way behind by about 750 or so. I'll try to get caught up in the next few weeks. The bigger problem is that I'm approaching the Facebook limit of 5000 friends so I may be foxing to plan B and setting up a fan page. Hey, I'm still trying, ( in my spare time) to figure all this social media thing out too - I'll keep you posted.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for a brand new Technique Tuesday: Posing Mistakes – Easy Fixes, Making Your Clients Look Good. Hope to see you then.

Adios, David

Quick Hit Monday: Make Your Lighting Exciting, Jumping Kids Pics, Sticky Paper, LR3 Tours, and More

Good Morning Everybody,

We had a great visit in Boston. For our three days in town our pedometer told us we walked about 20 miles around the city. We stayed in Back Bay which meant it was about a 3 mile or about a 1 hour walk to Cambridge and Harvard, the North End, whale watching - just about anywhere we wanted to go. Seeing Boston on foot was a great way to experience and enjoy the city.

The most interesting story we heard while in Boston was the one about the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. The disaster occurred at the Purity Distilling Company facility on January 15, 1919, an unusually warm day. It seems one of their storage tanks burst and sent, get this, 2,700,000 gallon 5 foot high molasses tsunami rushing through the North End at 35mph! What a sticky mess - here is the link if you want to read the entire story.

The coolest thing we did while visiting the city was to take a whale watching trip. Me, I'm sometimes a skeptic and figured that they call it a whale watching excursion is because you do more watching for the whales than actually seeing the whales.

All I can say is that traveling 40+ mph for 90 minutes in a giant catamaran - way cool all by itself - and then seeing, not just one, but six whales was a great unexpected experience! Yep, we got some great shots!

We made the scenic drive up to Bar Harbor on Sunday and are planning a nice stay in this part of the world till the end of the week. I'll probably have an image or two for you this week.

Ok, enough of our travels, let's get on with a short and sweet Quick Hit Monday. Here we go.

Make Your Lighting Exciting - I’m At Peachpit’s Photo Club Next Tuesday!

Hey gang, first off, let me give you a quick “heads up” about my webcast at Peachpit's Photo Club next Tuesday [link]. Most of you will love the time 8-9 EDT. That means it's conveniently scheduled in the evening after work so you can tune in.

My topic: "Making Your Lighting Exciting".  I’ll discuss and illustrate some of the fastest and easiest ways to make your lighting exciting with both your on-camera and off-camera flash.  We'll only be hang out for 60 minutes but I talk really fast so I’ll get a lot covered – I promise.  It should be fun. You can get all the Info right here.

Peachpit has several past programs archived so peek around the the Photo Club site and see what else interests you too. I'll see you there next week.

Jumping Kids – Nice Idea

OK, first of all, this is not a normal Quick Hit I would throw at you on a Monday morning. But what struck me about it when I saw it was the shear creativity of the concept. I found it at The Pioneer women.com blog right here. It's about photographing kids jumping - yes, kids jumping. Maybe a different way to say it is "kids being kids.".

I loved the idea of it photographically. Although a lot of the images shown seemed to be just fun images of the kids, I really think there is something here that a portrait photographer could incorporate into their shooting routine. With the proper lighting and background, I think some great spontaneous images could be made of kids.

It's a completely different way to portray children than moms and dads would expect from a photographer. Maybe I'm wrong but I still love the idea and think the concept could add freshness and a sense of spontaneity to your result.

Looking For Some Lightroom 3 Training?

I just received a note that Kerry Garrison at CameraDoJo.com and Jason Anderson of Canon Blogger.com are about to show the world how to get the most out of Lightroom 3. That's right, Kerry and Jason’s 6 city Lightroom 3 tour kicks off in Anaheim, CA August 1, 2010 and may be coming to a city near you.

I’ll tell you, the price is right at only $79 (early bird registration) for an entire day AND you get a bunch of goodies when you walk through the door!

Kerry did a massive Lightroom 3 post the day Lightroom 3 was introduced - he knows his stuff. Kerry takes a very practical, easy to understand approach to Lightroom 3 so if you want to get up to speed in no time with Adobe's latest release of Lightroom 3, check out Kerry's LR3 tour right here.

Oh, while you’re over there, check out his other goodies too.  I like the post, “CS5 Content Aware – Just How Good Is It?”  Uhmmm, a good read.

http://museofuse.com/ self adhesive paper

Make My Pictures Sticky

If you don't do you own inkjet printing, this may not interest you, but if you do, I think you'll find it pretty cool. Museo Papers has just introduced self adhesive inkjet paper called Museo Foto Fuse [link]. That's right, print on one side. Then, peel the back off and stick on an surface of your choice.

I think this has great possibilities for table top quick displays, product mock ups, quick wedding/portrait albums, and more. Now you can throw the spray can away!

http://www.utah3d.net/panoramas_4/junction-butte.html Wilf

Be Inspired With These Panoramas

I happen to be a fan of the panorama images and I love to find websites dedicated to panoramas. You've got to check out this site right here – Utah#d.net has some of the best panorama presentations I've ever seen. Go ahead, head on over and just play in any of their interactive panorama images. Pretty much visual fun.

Fast and Easy Digital Design – Part 2 and Webcast Specials Expire Tomorrow At Midnight

You can still catch my 2 1/2 hour long FAEDD – Pt 2 and still get a deal on all our Webcast specials till Tuesday midnight.  Here is the link to view the webcast and grab a good deal right here.

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Hey gang, that’s it from me from around the water cooler this morning.  We had a magnificent sunrise this morning in Bar Harbor, ME, albeit around 4:30 a.m. but through my it’s-too-early-to-focus-eyes it still was really beautiful.

This week DPT will be coming at you from beautiful Bar Harbor, ME.  We are taking it pretty easy this week so who knows when the posts will hit, but I promise, I’ll get them up there for you. I even have a Technique Tuesday scheduled for tomorrow so plan to stop back.

Oh, no, got to go – I hear LaDawn calling.  Adventures awaits ;~)

See everybody tomorrow,  David

Quick Hit Monday: Canon 7D Noise - What Noise? Test Driving Lightroom 3 BETA; Ink-Jet Will Last Forever - Well Almost

Good Morning Everybody,

Hey, I've got some good items to report on today.  First, I pulled the trigger on a new Sony Vaio Windows 7 laptop so I'll keep you posted on the trials and tribulations of getting everything set up on the new machine and breaking in Microsoft's new operating system - everybody keeps telling me Windows 7 is the OS to beat … we'll see. 

I also have my Master Class kicking off today so let me get right to the good stuff.

Canon 7D Noise - What Noise?

Boy, that was my first impression when I took a peek at some of the early images out of my 7D which I've been traveling with these last two weeks.  Granted, I haven't done any definitive testing with the camera yet - that will happen this week during class. But, some of the early tests looked very, very good when I brought them up in Lightroom 3 BETA.

AHHH, you say, Lightroom 3 Beta loads up Canon 7D images.  Yes, Virginia, it does - more on that later. Anyway, even when zoomed in nice and close, I was pretty surprised by what little noise I saw in the images.  That's my first quick take - like I said, more to come later this week.

Lot's of people would like me to do a comparison on the noise of the Canon 5D Mark II vs. The Canon 7D. Since I haven't gotten around to that yet - tours, classes, and things you know - let me point you towards a site who has a done a side by side comparison of the two cameras. 

Here is the link to Cameratown.com right here who has comparison images all the way up to ISO 12,800 posted. Sure, the 5D MkII bests the 7D and the higher ISOs, but the 7D still looks good to 3200. Anyway, check out the images. Just click on them to see the hi-res version.

Test Driving Lightroom 3 BETA

Yep, I downloaded LR3 Beta and fired it up yesterday.  You know, I've been all over the web looking to see if LR2.5 supported my brand new Canon 7D RAW files. Some people said yes, and some, including Adobe said no.

I can get LR2.5 to import the 7D RAW images one at a time but always with a error message. Heck, I've got my class starting and want to use Lightroom for the image processing.  That prompted the LR3 download and install.

After taking a few minutes getting used to the slightly different import dialogue, I hit the import button and in came every 7D RAW file I had shot over the last two weeks. Whew!  I'm saved for the Master Class! 

There's quite a lot to like in the new version - excellent noise reduction, better vignetting, cool web sharing features - just to name a few.

Something else I noticed too, is that the LR3 preview images seem to look a lot better too.  I know that sounds weird to say.  But, I was never happy with LR1's preview images, and some people didn't like LR2's preview images. I'm going out on a limb here, but to my eyes, and the limited amount of images shot, LR3's preview images look like they did on my camera's LCD screen.  Folks, that's like super good news. Let's see if that still holds true with this week's shooting.

Wait, there's more LR3 stuff. I'm going to point you towards Adobe's own, John Nack, who posted the announcement of the BETA release over at his site. Here is the link to John's site right here.

Be sure to read the entire article.  At the end he points you towards Julieanne Kost's 3 tutorials - about an hour's worth - introducing all the brand new cool LR3 features. 

Finished with Julieanne's tutorials, now head over to Scott Kelby's blog - link also at the end of John's post - to see his TOP 10 fav features.  Hey gang, it's all good reading if you are riding the Lightroom train.

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot.  There is also one more great post over at Luminous-Landscape right here.  Michael Reichmann always has a nice take on all things Lightroom.  His article is about the best to read for the most practical look at LR3.

Ink-Jet Will Last Forever - Well Almost

While roaming the highways and byways of the web this past weekend, I found this interesting post on ink-jet longevity.  Many of you know that we have been doing our own ink-jet printing at my studio for several  years.  I was always amazed by the longevity rating of ink-jet prints as published by Wilhelm-Research who analyze such things. Here is the link to their Epson 3800 tests right here - check them out and you will see what I mean.

Anyway, at my DWUC tour I am showing 8 of the most gorgeous ink-jet prints I have ever seen.  They are just stunning and everyone who sees them agrees.  They were printed on a Canon image ProGraf iPF6100 printer.  So how long will they last, you ask - a really long time. Here is the Canon Press Release right here over at Imaging-resource and the entire Wilhelm-Research report right here.

That's very good news for me. For 2010, we are beginning work on my fine art series of images.  The Canon  ProGraf iPF series of printers will be my printers of choice.

Hey gang, I've got to hitting the road.  My class starts shortly.  Stay tuned this week and I'll keep you up to date with more 7D news and hopefully some pretty cool images. See ya' later.  -David

Donnie Hoyle, Lightroom Tutorials, Ink-jet Printing Tours, and 110 Photo Resources - Oh My!

Since we returned from our week of travels and I found a few minutes to hit the keyboard and the net again. It seems all kinds of solutions and information starting popping up that were vital to solving the US economic situation, world peace, understanding the presidential candidates positions and the hurricane Ike worries - OK, maybe that's a little too strong. Anyway, what I did happen upon were some great info gems that I know you will enjoy.

Donnie Hoyle on DigitalProTalk tomorrow!!! That's right folks, tomorrow on Podcast Wednesday, I'm interviewing Donnie Hoyle of "You Suck At Photoshop" fame. The series went ballistic on YouTube garnering over 12,000,000 views! The geniuses behind the series are Troy Hatch and Matt Bledsoe. My conversation is with Troy who is the voice of Donnie. Anyway, tune in tomorrow for a fascinating conversation with Troy Hatch - aka, Donnie Hoyle.

110 Photo-resources; First, thanks to Antonio Marques for including DigitalProTalk in his list of 110 Great Resources For Photographers - right here. What a list - this one will keep you busy for several rainy days. Tons of really fantastic stuff here. Thanks Antonio for compiling this great list of one stop shopping of photo info. Wait, there's more - while doing a quick cruise of Antonio's site I ran across his previous post of 35 Amazing Photo-Blogs and 35 Amazing Photographers right here - another good photo-cruise list.

Lightroom tutorials; Next, since this is Technique Tuesday and technique is what we are all about today, check out DigitalProTalk reader, John Esberg's Lightroom/Photoshop tutorial blog right here. What I like about John's site is that the tutorials are short and sweet and right to the point. He even gives you the option of watching them in H-Res, although they do take a little longer to load, it's worth it. This is especially true where you need the extra detail to get the most out of the tutorial. His recent tutorials are covering all thing LR2 and he's posting every few days - definitely worth the visit.

Ink-jet printing; Never thought you wanted to print your own images - too time consuming, too complicated, too much hassle. Then it's time you check out LexJet's Great Output Seminar coming to a city near you. My buddy, Tom Hauenstein of LexJet is taking the Great Output show on the road again. They had a great run last year and received wonderful seminar reviews. I'm glad to see LexJet presenting their program again for 2008-2009. Knowing that I'm a HUGE fan of printing my own work, Lexjet is definitely the leader in providing the latest, greatest information.

These guys are the experts. Tom presents the program in a no-nonsense, easy to understand manner. Lexjet is the best source available for anything ink-jet and they really know their way around everything having to do with getting the best output from your printers.

The Great Output Seminar registration fee of $49 includes seminar handout materials, lunch, refreshments, giveaways, and special discounts on photography-related products. For more information, and to register, contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538 , or go to Greatoutput.com. Sounds like a deal to me - I'll be there for sure when they hit Cincy.

Hey gang, that's it for me today. I've got a client coming by in about 90 minutes so I'm scootin' out of here. See ya' tomorrow. -David