Just heard some interesting news this week! Number one, for those of you that have used the NIK Collection, which a few months back Google said they would stop development of. The good news is DXO software has brought them! Here's the statement: DxO Now Owns Nik Software The Second, Macphum software which makes a great set of tools for photo editing for Mac and PC is rebranding themselves. Their new name will be "Skylum" Statement: Macphun is becoming SKYLUM
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The great folks at MacPhun Software have released the new version of there awesome their Editing software Aurora HDR! This software was co-developed with award-winning HDR Photographer Trey Ratcliff. This software is available for both Mac and PC and can work as a stand-alone application as well as a plugin to Lightroom or Photoshop. We photographers love our gear. We dream of camera bags brimming with the latest, priciest gadgets. The gear can run upwards of a mortgage payment, but sometimes right tools in your junk drawer. Check around your house, I bet you can fill out the gear without a trip to the store!
-A small mirror is an excellent reflector for outdoor shots. It can open deeply shadowed areas to create bold fill. A cheap acrylic one like you can find at a dollar store on won't shatter in the field. -Garbage bags protect gear when the mother nature decides its time to get wet. (Cut 3 holes and you got a poncho). Use them in lighting setups-white bags as reflectors; black ones is like blocking flags. -A Flashlight is a no-brainer. You need one when you're fumbling with you tiny camera controls in Twilight. Their aesthetic tools as well; create a delicate light painting with the penlight, or dramatic background pattern with broad-beamed light. Don't want to hold the light get a LED headlamp. -Ziplock bags are perfect impromptu weather housings (poke a hole and rubber band around it round your lens), and they keep dust off lenses and backup bodies in your bag. -Mini bungee lash tripod legs and fix broken camera straps. Bring lots so you can daisychain them into longer straps. -Gaffers tape will save those sessions when everything from your hiking boot soles to your focusing ring falls apart at once. -Micro screwdriver sets can help you fix your tripod head, and other small screws on your equipment as well as your eyeglasses.. -White paper cups make fantastic impromptu snoops if you cut out their bottoms, or even lined them with black tape to mount them as a backup lens shape. -A white paper plate is the poor photographers ring light. Cut a hole in it and tape it to your lenses reflector for backlit close-ups and facial portraits or tapes of foil, shiny side down, to the plate to make it extra-bouncy reflector. -A small spray bottle can make morning dew of foliage and flowers and mother nature hasn't done her job, and put a sheen on models faces and skin. -An eyedropper and glycerin give you a droplet control place drops of glycerin precisely where you want them on a pedal or twig perhaps, and the sticky globs will wait for you compose and focus. Some very cool news today! Affinity Software, makers of Affinity Photo and Design for the Mac. Have announced an Ipad version! A headline on their site, "Engineered for iOS, reimagined for touch." I'm looking forward to downloading this today on my IPad Pro and putting it through its paces! Check out their Website for more info: AFFINITY PHOTO Professional photo editing for iPad
And note, special introduction price going on down has it priced at $19.99! Learning the Finder Points of Illumination Any photographer worth her of his lens cap knows a thing or two about light. To be considered in those ranks, all you need to do is master a few basics First, remember that the broader the light source, the softer the light it emits will be. The narrower the source, The harder it's like will be Broad light reduces shadow in contrast and suppresses distracting texture because it's raising the subject from many directions ( which is why it's beloved for flattering portraits). A corollary: closer that the light source is to the subject, the softer dislike will be, because a light source is brought in relation to the subject. The converse holds true as well as you shift the light away from the subject, speed narrows in the light that a cast is harsher and harder. Such light plays of texture (as well as flaws) of and is an excellent choice for greedy, moody photos. Playing with Illumination: Ask a portrait subject to suit your large window to make the most of it in direct sunlight. A window with a good light is a no-cost softbox. Move lamps closer and farther away from subjects into you found the most flattering illumination. Place a light sourced the side of fluffy pets to bring up the softness and texture are their fur. Aim of your flash head backward that bounces it off appeal wall behind yourself for a natural looking diffusion when you shoot in a small room. Till next time. Happy Clicking Lance AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Hope you are all getting out enjoying some of these better spring days! Some interesting items I saw this week included editing software I've been playing with quite a bit, Luminar by MacPhun software. You may want to check it out. This is their latest press release: Best Imaging Software of 2017
Luminar has won dozens of awards since it's launch only five months ago, but what's more important: it has won the hearts of people who love photography. Whether you shoot for fun or photography is your full-time business; whether you want basic tools or need more extensive editing power, Luminar has it all. Other big news would be the release of Sony's new Flagship A9 Full Frame Mirrorless camera. Here's a great review https://www.cnet.com/products/sony-a9/preview/ Till Next Time Happy Clicking Lance I know this weeks share might seem to have an odd heading. But I do have my reasons.
This last week, I noted that a co-worker/friend of mine posted on Instagram about being fed-up with some feedback about his choice of camera equipment from strangers while on a shoot at an unusual location. My friend has taken iPhone video capture to a high level! He has been working with local business, friends, etc. with everything from promotional bits to weddings. This last fall he was excited to share with me that he planned on purchasing a top end Sony full frame and Zeiss lens for it as well! He did this after much reseach and questioning of friends and co-workers who also shoot. What happened was while on this fun shoot he said at least five people came up to him highly dismissing his choice of his Sony full frame camera. I first have to say of any of these folks were professionals, shame on them to bad mouth anyone's options for camera equipment. But the key aspect is always the vision of the purpose of the person behind the camera! I've shot from film to digital using cameras that included Fuji, Nikon, Canon, and Sony. Also many moons ago I got some great shots with a Brownie camera! Yes, it is true certain cameras systems have feature set's that might could be geared towards a certail style of photopgraphy. But the big part is always the vision of the purpose of the person behind the camera So before you bash anyone on their camera choice. Maybe step back and think! Till next time. Happy Chicking (What ever camera you use!) Lance So far love it. I rarely buy any third party hardware for my Nikon cameras, but must say liked the idea of charging two batteries at the same time and having the ability to charge them in the car. This charger does both! and the charge indicator is a nice touch. So far I am very impressed and would not be hesitant to suggest this product to anyone! My reason for the purchase was my Nikon Charger dropped, and though it shows no damage, stopped working. At 50 plus they are not cheap, so getting one that charges two for less money was a win/win.
Happy Clicking Lance Welcome everyone, as promised last time we will be talking about: Live view mode, Burst mode, and Color-quality settings. First off I hope you're finding these mini recaps about your settings on your camera helpful? In that regard, I will have a very very short survey at the end. If you could take just a few minutes of your very busy day to respond it would help me allot with more information offerings to share with you. Live View: If you're coming from a compact digital camera, you use its LCD screen to compose and focus your image. There are disadvantages to this setup when compared to using the optical viewfinders of SLRs. But there are a ton of advantages too – the primary being ease of use. But more than that, an LCD delivers better feedback of user adjustments than an optical viewfinder. DSLR-live-view-2Essentially, SLRs that support the Live View function allow the photographer to use the LCD as a (bigger) viewfinder. Live View is a real boon for compact camera owners who are accustomed to using a viewing screen, but are thinking of graduating to an SLR. It’s also a great perk for SLR devotees because they can now take advantage of what has traditionally been a compact camera-only feature. Granted, composing and taking a photo using Live View isn’t quite as seamless as doing the same thing via a compact camera’s viewing screen. Indeed, the image transmission shuts down for a moment just before the shutter releases – a byproduct of SLR technology. Furthermore, the focusing isn’t quite as fast as it is through the viewfinder, and the image display isn’t quick to update. One more thing – using Live View drains the batteries much faster than using the viewfinder. Burst Mode: Also, know as continuous shooting mode, this function lets you choose the number of shots your camera will fire off with one press of the shutter button, its perfect for fast-moving photography like wildlife or sports. Color Quality Settings: Many in-camera menus offer settings from Black and White to pale pastels. To learn which one might suit a situation, go out and take a number of shots of the same subject just altering the setting. |
AuthorI'm a photographer who loves animal photography. Trying to capture that perfect moment is a passion of mine. Archives
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