The lab you choose and the kind of file you send to your lab can make a big difference in the quality of print you get back. How do you pick a good online photo lab? How do you get the best results from your lab? What color space should you use for your digital files and how do you convert your files to the right color space? How big a print can you make from your digital files?
The best of the best cameras, accessories, photo books and more.
It’s the time of year that the number of photo questions I receive increases dramatically. Most of them have to do with the upcoming holiday season and gift giving questions: “What should I get for . . . .”
So once again I am revising my list of articles recommending the best photo gear, books, DVDs, software, calendars, online photo labs, and a whole lot more. As I rewrite each article I will update the links below. You can check the date at the top of each article. This is the most recent update to the list (Nov. 10, 2014).
The Milky Way, Moraine Park, RMNP
Although there is some sky glow from the cities along Colorado’s front range, you can still get some nice photos of the Milky Way from Rocky Mountain National Park.
Night Sky, Rocky Mountain National Park
This photo was taken just before the workshop photo in my last post with the same camera settings. The only difference is I left out the photographers in the foreground. I wanted to include more sky so I went with a low horizon of mountains and trees.
Photo Field Trip, RMNP. (Click to see a larger image.)
You don’t have to put your camera away just because the sun sets and the stars come out. Stay outside and have fun. Put your camera on a tripod (if it isn’t already), set your shutter on B (for bulb) and take long exposures of the night sky. Be sure to include some of the landscape.
Photo Field Trip, Rocky Mountain National Park
The last light of sunset has faded and we are waiting for the stars to come out. During the long 30 second exposure (based on a meter reading of the sky) I wandered around a fired a hand held flash at the photographers.
Photo Field Trip, Rocky Mountain National Park
Catching the last light of sunset. Workshop field trip in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Sarah
This photo is all about the back muscles. This is another photo from my shoot with Sarah who is a professional fitness trainer.
Mt Sneffels and the Sneffels Range from County Road 7 (Dallas Creek).
Mt. Sneffels is one of the most photographed peaks in Colorado. One of the best locations to create some images is along County Road 7 (Dallas Creek).
Team Red, White, and Blue relays Old Glory.
Team Red, White, and Blue is relaying Old Glory across the U.S.A. to call attention to the needs of veterans. I ran into them (almost literally) while taking pictures in Colorado.
Mt. Sneffels and the Sneffels Range by Moonlight.
This image was taken a little after midnight by the light of the moon. With a long enough exposure, you can use moonlight to make night look like day (except for the stars streaking across the sky). I didn’t want to go quite that light, but I did want the moonlight to light up the landscape.
Some of these are terrific apps. Get them now while they are still free. Be sure to check out Superburst Camera.
Sarah
Sarah is a professional fitness trainer and we have worked together before. We had another photo shoot Saturday morning and this is the first photo I optimized from the shoot.
Double Arch at Night, Arches National Park. Click for a larger version.
Bob, my brother-in-law, and I were in the Double Arch/”Windows” area at Arches National Park. As we made our way down the trail we saw two red lights in the distance. It was our guess it was the red lights on the back of two cameras, glowing in the darkness during long time exposures.
Like so many other graphics on Facebook, this one does not get high marks for factual accuracy. But what really intrigues me as a photographer are the happy “Danish” faces, especially the nurse that works in at least 7 countries. Tracking the photos down was my fun project for the day. Thanks to Google’s reverse image search it didn’t take long.
Moon Over Balanced Rock, Arches National Park
In low light conditions there are colors your eyes can’t see, but your camera can capture them if you know what you are doing. That is one of the reasons I take my photography workshops and classes out on field trips at night.
Photo Field Trip, Rocky Mountain National Park. RAW file corrected with ACR.
These are some of the photographers at my photography workshop this past weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park. I processed the original RAW camera file with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) to pull details out of the dark shadows.
Vermilion Lakes Sunset, new and old ACR “process versions”. Click on the photo to see a larger image.
Adobe has a new “process version” for Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). This means better image processing for your RAW camera files.
Photos on Lost Memory Card
Memory Card Found in Colorado: Who are these people?
This weekend I found a camera memory card in Rocky Mountain National Park that has hundreds of photos, including several precious family photos. I would like to get the card back to the original owner of the camera that took these photos. For privacy’s sake, I blurred the faces of the children in these two photos but the family/families will recognize them by the event and the truck.
Ansel Adams, “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico”
Contrast is a matter of personal taste. A classic illustration of this is the way Ansel Adams interpreted his negatives when he made prints, and how that changed over time. Adams often said “The negative is similar to a musician’s score, and the print to the performance of that score.”
Metaphid Jumping Spider
When a rare photo opportunity comes your way, jump on it (pun intended). You have no idea if or when it will happen again.
The best of the best cameras, accessories, photo books and more.
On a regular basis I put together a collection of articles recommending the best photo gear, books, DVDs, software, calendars, online photo labs, and a whole lot more. This is the most recent update (Sep. 22, 2014). The list follows.
Book Search at Amazon.com
I walked into Half Price Books and found Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs. The book itself is a real treasure. 400 hundred photos, one per page, with reproduction values as good as you are likely to find anywhere. The hardcover book, new, was selling for $19.95. That sounded like a great price to me.
Images of Colorado. Photo information below. Click to see a larger version.
I am very excited about my nature photography workshop this coming weekend in Estes Park Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Saturday Workshop and Evening Field Trip – Sep 27
The Saturday workshop is a fast paced, fun filled, action packed day, combining intensive classroom explorations with several “go out and shoot” moments to practice the techniques you are learning. The Saturday workshop includes an evening field trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Saturday workshop and field trip are limited to 12 participants to allow for plenty of interaction.
OSU Mansfield Nature Photography Workshop
CAPTURING NATURE’S WONDERS
Photography Workshop – OSU – Mansfield Ohio
October 18, 2014 – 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
I am excited. My next nature photography workshop in Ohio is in just four weeks!
Come spend a fun and exciting day learning how to take your nature photography to the next level. You’ll receive “real time” instruction in the field, as well as intensive classroom sessions. In the classroom you will learn the simple steps that make the difference between ordinary snapshots and extraordinary images. Minutes later you will be practicing those steps. You will go home knowing how to create jaw-dropping images!
Photo from Yosemite National Park’s FaceBook page. (Click to see a larger version.)
I was drawn to this photo and the thoughts by Shelton Johnson (below) that accompany it. It was posted today to Yosemite National Park’s FaceBook page.
Civil War Days, Lamoni, Iowa
Civil War reenactors go to great efforts to make sure their clothes and equipment are authentic to the era. So if you want your reenactment images to look authentic it is important that you pay attention to the background. Any large farm equipment, civilian clothes (including cargo shorts), small digital cameras, buildings, and paved streets need to be authentic to the 1860s. And of course if you want a really authentic look, convert your image to black & white.
Civil War Days, Lamoni, Iowa
A Civil War reenactment means catching some of the action. Catching a muzzle flash is ideal. How do you do this? You need the right kind of event, a good shooting location, and the proper technique.
