Live and breathe photography.

Links

Links!

Here’s a long overdue link round up!! (All open in new tab/window)

First of all, end the first week of 2009 looking back on 2009 and setting some goals for 2010:

And here’s the rest of the links piling up in my “to post on blog” folder!


Links!!

While I wait for my 2nd wedding to batch re-size, I thought I’d clean out the ton of links I’ve accumilated in the last month or so! I really need to start doing these posts more often.


Links & a New Layout!

Time to unload the links again! But first, you may notice the site looks a little different. I needed a change. I’m planning to do some more things to it so if you surf over here to find a steaming pile of broken code, chances are I broke something and am busy nagging Adam to help me fix it.

Now for the links!

  • The Pioneer Woman shows you how to slim someone down digitally…I dislike this idea being a big advocate of loving your body, but if it’ll make your clients happy…go for it!
  • Speaking of loving your body, Operation Beautiful is taking off from this blog and inspired me so much I’ve started a flickr group to corral all the photos popping up on Flickr.
  • Tips for photographic products for effective sales here. Great for you etsy shopkeepers out there!
  • For The Hideout members especially (who are doing reflection photos this month!) here’s a list of effective photographs featuring reflections!
  • Vandelay Design has 60 Photoshop tutes on touching up photos.
  • Math end of Hyperfocal Distance mystify you? Me too. DPS explains.
  • This Pioneer Woman post should be plastered on my bathroom mirror. It’s all about noticing arms, legs, feet and hands in composition.
  • In case you’re either a wipper-snapper or living on the moon, you may have heard that Kodak is discontinuing Kodachrome…the color film loved by film photogs worldwide. Here is Photojojo’s tribute and guide to this legendary film which I am sad to say, I have never used.
  • You MAC people will get a kick out of this frame.
  • Tired of watching the ceiling while waiting for Lightroom to export? Speed it up!
  • Beyond Photo Tips shows why symmetry is a beautiful thing.
  • Forced Perspective, the subject of many a “Check out these amazing photos” email forward, is pretty damn cool.
  • DPS has 8 family portrait tips here.
  • Strobist has assigned food photography for the next boot camp assignment, get some tips there or here.
  • Childhood fears recreated in photographs: one of those things you wish you thought of.
  • Don’t have Photoshop? It’s insanely expensive so many people don’t! GIMP is a free program with lots of photoshop features. DPS gives you an intro to GIMP to get you started!
  • Ever had your flash and lightstand kiss the pavement after a gust of wind? I have. DIY Photography has a brilliant idea…using a frisbee!
  • Scott Kelby reveals what’s in his 3rd installment of the ever-awesome Digital Photography Book series.
  • It’s getting hot and steamy for lots of the world (well, not here in Seattle Boston) so here’s how to protect your camera in the muggy weather.
  • Taking off on David Hobby’s trick to slinging a strobe stand over his should, DIY Photography shows how to sling a whole set up over your shoulder.
  • I tell lens shoppers all the time how amazing the 90 dollar 50mm 1.8 lens is and no one seems to believe me. Here’s an article on the wonders of the nifty fifty!
  • The Cute Kid contest somehow got my email and has been bombing my inbox ever since, however today they sent me something useful. A “top” child photographer talks about her tricks for getting the shot.
  • IN THE OHIO AREA?? In or know a band or models that would like free shots? Michelle Black and some of The Hideout gang are hosting a group shoot on July 26th! It’s free and I can attest to all those photographers being totally awesome people.

Shout Out! Weekly Photo Tips

Noticed an incoming link from Weekly Photo Tips , Scott runs a pretty sweet blog over there and linked my DIY Gridspot tutorial in his post on DIY grids! Go check out his blog, I did…when I should have been working…Thanks Scott!


The missing links!

I’ve collected quite a pile of links and haven’t gotten a chance to post them yet! I’ve been finishing up Ben & Molly’s wedding and catching up on paperwork…well…and reading trashy vampire novels but that is beside the point.

Photos from Ben & Molly’s wedding coming, once they see them! I’ve also got a shoot at a Belly Dancing rehearsal coming up and I’m working on scheduling a day to shoot a friend of mine doing Silks. Silks performance is those incredibly badass women roll themselves up in and climb the long panels of silk suspended from the ceiling. Very cool. I’m hoping to get a wide angle lens by then.

I have two more weddings this month, one this weekend and one next weekend and a possible product shoot coming up. I’ve been busy, busy! It’s great!

Anyway, bring on the links!


Happy Earth Day!

It’s Earth Day, go take some photos!! This website is putting together a mosaic from photos from all over over the world. Your photo could be on there, upload a photo of your little piece of Earth here! http://earthmosaic.org/


Revisiting older images and LINKS!!

EHere’s a few before/afters of images I revisited last week while I was deleting crappy photos.

Madison, the beautiful daughter of old friends. The first image was all about her eyes and cropped in tight, but I wanted to try something that pulled the whole photo together…

BEFORE

Madison

AFTER

Madison Redux

This is an image of my friend Erin. I love the photo but I realize not everyone goes for the “ghostly pale” look. That and I’ve learned to sharpen properly since the first process.

BEFORE

Erin 09/20/08

AFTER

Erin re-dux

I like both of those for different reasons.

I also had fun trying my hand at “saving” a junk shot. I saw a few articles online this week (which naturally I forgot to bookmark for my links post) on salvaging crap exposures with over-the-top processing and fun with drastic edits. I put this one together going for “silly photoshopping”.

I quite like it.

Erin PS fun

And here’s one last one, a re-edit of the photo of my son I processed after learning what the history brush did. It doesn’t take long to “get over” selective coloring so I re-processed this one with a more chocolaty tone.

BEFORE:

his blue eyes

AFTER:

Aiden @ 4 months redux

And now…THE LINKS!!

ETA! I forgot to add this! Michelle Black and Jessica Price (two of my favorite photog e-buddies who also happen to be amazingly talented.) are hosting FLARE: A National Photography Contest. All entrants get some freebies so go check it out!


Cool Places to Park: This week’s links

TONS of cool links!! Ready your eyeballs for some serious reading!

  • I love Annie Leibovitz. She’s got a new book out called Annie Leibovitz At Work. Check out reviews from Strobist here and Digital Photography School here. I’ll post one up too, probably, I pre-ordered mine!
  • Speaking of Strobist, go add a vote for them for the 2008 Weblog Awards. Strobist is easily the most informative lighting blog on the net and they more than deserve to win!
  • Beyond Megapixels gives you the rundown on printing your digital photos for longevity and quality.
  • Pioneer Woman shows you how important contrast really is. (As a contrast fan…probably to the point of overdoing it, I approve!)
  • Photojojo teaches you how to lure young, impressionable youth into photography.
  • This is really cool. Life (magazine) and Google have partnered up to host a photographic archive from the 1860’s to now. From the site “Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google.” These photos are amazing. Check em out here.
  • SLR Newb? Feeling lost? Check out the WikiHow Guide to understanding your SLR.
  • Got Ovation TV? You might and not even know it. If you do, check out Ovation’s Genius of Photography series airing now. I’m about to dive into the episodes on my DVR.
  • Interesting article about San Diego computer scientists that have built a software program that can perform key duplication with just a photograph of the key! Photography for evil? You decide.
  • Spoonflower prints fabric from your photographs. As an interior design freak and photographer, this really sent me into nerd overdrive.
  • Sometimes photography isn’t pretty, but powerful and disturbing. Boston.com “The Big Picture” (a favorite of mine, check it out if you’re into photojournalism) posted a story in photographs about the crisis in Congo currently worsening as I type this. All photos of the deceased are blacked out unless you click on them, so if you can’t handle that stuff, this link is still safe.

Weekly Links

Alright, maybe not weekly.

Just a few tonight, I’m exhausted and shouldn’t even be on this idiot box right now. I spent the last few hours reading my blog feeds and otherwise screwing around…here’s the coolest things I came across:

That’s it for now. My eyes need closing. Well…after I put up my 365 photo.


This week’s cool links!

Ok, so it’s been a little over a week but I totally told you that would happen.

  • Get 10 free splatter brushes from PSDTUTS here.
  • Pixadus is a cool site for inspiration, it posts popular photos from around the internet all day everyday. Check it out if you need a little inspiration in your day.
  • Beyond Megapixels posted about keeping a photography journal here to help you improve your photography, prevent forgetfulness, and record information. The author prints small versions of certain pictures with notes, records locations he saw when he didn’t have a camera, and sketches out lighting schematics from photos he likes. GENIUS. I’ll be getting one tomorrow.
  • Here’s a Lightroom video tutorial on removing things from your images.
  • Digital Photography School’s Halloween Photography tips are here, just in time for your ghoulish festivites.
  • Follow that with Photojojo’s guide to carved pumpkin photography here.
  • Natalie Norton talks to DPS about how she achieves natural, cadid-quality portraits here.
  • Great info on newborn and maternity shoots.

This week’s cool links!

I plan to do this every week (let’s see how long before I forget a week!).

All links open in a new window

Love cool Photoshop actions? Want a gaggle of free ones at your fingertips? Browse DeviantArt’s huge selection of user-made free PS actions. I literally spent an hour going through and downloading! I love actions not just for their effect but the way they inadvertently show you how to get certain effects in Photoshop. Check em out!

Ever wish your photographic pet peevs came in comic form? They do. My favorite is the first one. I hear “wow, your camera takes great pictures” all the time. It’s not the camera, jerk.

Tis the season, Beyond Megapixels has a quick article on getting great shots of autumn leaves.

Thinking of selling stock photography? Going pro? Advertising? You’ll need a model release form! There are great, downloadable & customizable examples here.

Word: Irrational put up 110 Great Resources for Photographers including lots of video tutorials!

Random Internetz: Depth of Field calculator.

Digital Photography School shows you black and white conversion, Lightroom style.

Night photography can be quite a challenge, check out this video tutorial.

And, you could be totally awesome and

Vote for my photo!vote