Category Archives: Articles
Nikon D800, Canon 5D Mark III & Lightroom 4
So I’m a bit late posting about all of this, but there’s a whole lot going on in the photography world right now. Lightroom 4 has been released and let me tell you – the innovations are pretty awesome! If you haven’t downloaded purchased your copy or downloaded your trail yet, it’s time. And for all you Aperture users out there, it’s okay that you’re curious… It’s a natural thing. This is a great time to see what the grass is like on the other side.
The really big news of course is the latest DSLR releases. With the new Nikon D800 pushing the limits of image resolution to the new heights of 36 megapixels and the Canon 5D Mark III’s excellent performance in low light, both of these companies have made some great (if somewhat subtle) innovations which continue to push the limits of photography as we know it. Between all of this and with the crazy quality of the iPhone 4s camera and the introduction of the mirror-less camera system there is a lot of question about what the future will hold. All of this without even talking about the video aspects and possibilities of these new age cameras.
Personally, I am pretty excited about the Nikon D800. I love the performance and durability of my D700 but have been wishing for sometime for an increase of megapixels. Little did I know that Nikon would triple the resolution in the updated D800. From the initial test shots, I must admit that I hoped for a bigger leap forward in high ISO performance, but one stop step forward is better than no stop at all. Am I the only one who wishes that we could combine the performance of the D800 with the 5D III?
The Big Questions
My twofold question for you is simple – 1: What are you most excited about when it comes to the latest photography gear out there? 2: What would you like to see in the future?
Three Fingers
Today’s image is from the Devil’s Playground in Escalante. This is a great area that you can spend a lot of time exploring and come away with a lot of different compositions. I took this shot just after the sun went over the horizon so there weren’t any hard shadows to deal with.
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Nikon 16-35
Processing: Photoshop CS5
Image Type: Single Exposure
Topaz Adjust 5 Review
Topaz Adjust 5
I just downloaded and installed the latest version of Topaz Adjust the other day and I thought I’d take a moment to share my thoughts with you. I use Topaz Adjust in my workflow about 40% – 50% of the time for everything from adding detail & texture in an image to creating unique effects.
The biggest inconvenience I had before update of Adjust 5 was that the overall effects of the filters were usually a bit too strong to be used by themselves. I therefore would copy the before image into Photoshop and use a layer mask to mask in the desired effect. I am so used to using layer masks in Photoshop that this doesn’t bother me, but it could create some issues if you do not use Photoshop in your workflow.
The folks over at Topaz Labs did a great job adding in plenty of new features to Adjust 5 which make adding subtle or local adjustments to your images a piece of cake!
Topaz Adjust works as a plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture & iPhoto. Simply select the desired image in your preferred program and launch the program. You’ll notice a categorized list of presets on the left – simply play around with the different ones until you find one that looks good for your image.
Once you’ve selected one of the presets from the left, you can go to the “Finishing Touches” bar on the right and adjust the overall transparency of the effect. You can also use the “Global Adjustment” tab to fine tune the effect to your liking.
One of the best additions to Adjust 5 is the ability to brush out the effect in places that you don’t want it. Use the “Local Adjustments” tab to do this as well as Dodge, Burn and Smooth the image locally.
Additional Topaz Adjust 5 Highlights include:
For a limited time, you can get the full version of Topaz Adjust 5 for 30% off by using the coupon code “ADJUSTME”. If you have previously purchased a copy of Topaz Adjust, you can upgrade to the new version for free! While you’re there, you should consider getting the Topaz Bundle which includes Adjust, DeNoise, Detail, B&W Effects and much more!
Before & After Examples
Before
After
Before
After
Additional Images Processed With Topaz Adjust
5 Reasons Why Photographers Will Love the New Facebook Timeline Profile
Have you seen the new Facebook Timeline Profile? I’m actually liking it quite a bit and this is coming from someone who has really been into Google+ lately. Now I’m not saying that one is better than the other, but Facebook has definitely taken a couple steps forward with a refresh that was greatly needed. The updated profiles should happen for everyone by the end of this month or you can click here to find out how to get it sooner. Here’s a few reasons why I think this update will benefit photographers.
Be sure to friend me on Facebook and like my Fan Page!
1. You can highlight your favorite photo as the cover for your personal profile.
I really like this feature because it allows you to make a great impression when someone views your profile. Add your favorite photo as the cover or choose one that represents you was as a photographer!
2. You can draw more attention to your business or fan page.
Ok, so I haven’t really done much with the whole fan page deal up until now. With the previous design, I never felt your basic information was presented in a way that people would notice it quickly (I usually had to hunt for it), but now, it is situated in a way that draws attention to it perfectly. Just add your photography business or fan page as your employer, and you can have it displayed like this.
3. Photos get more real estate.
When you add a photo to your wall, you have the option to hover over it and star it as a feature on your Timeline. This will make it stand out much more than it did in the previous profile design. Don’t forget to call up your folks and ask them for some nice baby pictures you can post under the heading “born”:).
4. The album display looks better.
If you upload photos into an album (or get tagged in an album) and feature the update on your Timeline, you get the following looks. This to me feels like it stands out better.
With just a few photos…
Or a lot of them…
5. Your photos page puts more emphasis on your photo albums.
The Timeline overall has a nice full page width, and that includes on your photos page. This helps keep people’s eyes on your photos and not on the side options or ads.
You can also rearrange your albums so that the your top four show up when people get to your photos page without them having to see more. Hopefully, with the full roll out, they’ll continue this nice theme onto the actual albums themselves.
Is it perfect? No! There’s going to be a lot of uproar, especially with the privacy issues that almost always affect everyone during these kinds of updates. But design wise, is it a big improvement? Yes! Be sure to get your profile updated as soon as possible and again, make sure to friend me on Facebook!
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