http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMgW7r4JgoY

Photomatix Pro Trouble Shooting Chart

For standardization purpses:

• An Increase in the slider is any movement to the right.
• A Decrease in the slider is any movement to the left.

What are you waiting for, go check it out!

The Interface:  

 The Good:  

•  The addition of finishing touches is very welcomed in the new release.  HDR Soft has included three very helpful Finishing Touches that can be applied after the image has been tone mapped making Photomatix very close to being a stand-alone HDR tone mapper and post processor.  These touches include Contrast, which is controlled very similar to “Curves” in Photoshop, Color, which allows one to control the saturation of individual colors, and Sharpening.
• 20 new Presets are included in the new version.  In the past the presets always frustrated me as they were not very helpful for creating a desirable product.  HDR Soft has greatly refined their presets and has also included a category system for them.
• Another great preset feature is the ability to list your presets in not only a single column, but a double column.
• As always the quality of the image Photomatix produces is bar nun!

The Bad:

• HDR Soft keeps getting closer and closer to what I would love in their product.  They added the finishing touches, which I think are a great addition, but I would really like to see those finishing touches added to the tone mapping phase.  There would be a much higher level of control over the final image if these were included in the tone mapping and not as a finishing touch.

A couple of things you may notice as you navigate through Everyday HDR:

1. The title image now blends with the concrete background.
2. The text boxes and side bar now sit independent of one another allowing the background to show through.
3. The Gallery is much cleaner and now allows one the ability to enlarge the image twice.
4. The slideshow bar is oh so sweet!
5. The navigation bar is smoother, cleaner, and in a much better location.
6. You can click on the EverydayHDR logo to go back to the homepage.
7. Overall the theme is more user friendly and appealing to the eye.

No matter what you are into or what you are used to I should say, change is always good.  Open your mind up to change every once in a while, even if it is something you hold in high esteem.  You will be surprised how good it feels!

To all of my faithful viewers, your opinion is extremely important to me.  Please feel free to rifle off any comments, critiques, concerns, likes, dislikes, and constructive criticism.  Thank you everyone.  Have a great week!

If you are a long time EverydayHDR follower, you know that I did a dodging and burning tutorial in the past.  However, I did not have a sweet microphone at the time.  As a matter of fact, it sounded like I was talking into a tin can!  I really felt the need to redo that old tutorial to bring you a better look at Dodging and Burning and just how important it is to your workflow.

I typically save Dodging and Burning for last.  I try to pull out as much as I can with curves and levels adjustments before I dig into the dodging and burning.  Go ahead, follow along and this tutorial will have you dodging and burning in no time Maverick!  Okay okay, I know that wasn’t very punny…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE2b_LcX5E4

The static displays (aircraft that are not flying but are there for looks) were incredible.  I spent plenty of time trying to capture the glory of the A-10.  That is a serious piece of equipment and so intimidating!  I could not help but look down the barrel of the revolving 30mm cannon and get one amazing perspective of power!

Let’s not forget the F-22 Raptor either, the United States Air Forces newest fighter jet.  I watched this aircraft do some things that shouldn’t be possible.  At one point the pilot flew straight up into the sky, stopped the aircraft in mid flight, leveled it out and continued to fly at a 90 degree angle to it’s original position.  Later he flew vertically threw the air as if it seemed natural.  I don’t know how it gets any better than that, but technology does have a way to amaze you just when you thought the impossible couldn’t happen.

I just hope that the airshow tradition stays alive.  There was not nearly as many people as 2 years ago, about 75% less to be exact.  I don’t know what it is, maybe it is our generation and the movies taking away from the glory of the real thing.  There is nothing you can’t you-tube or find on TV these days that in some cases is more realistic than the real thing.

Tip For The Week:

Taking pictures at an Airshow with static displays can be nerve wracking with all of the people around.  You can really bring out your subject matter with a few helpful tips.

1. Set your shutter speed as low as you can to help blur out the background clutter.
2. Take a knee and photograph the aircraft from a low vantage point shooting up. This will make the aircraft look extremely intimidating and will also allow you to get rid of the distracting crowds.
3. If you are shooting flying aircraft, set your camera to shutter priority and try to aim for a shutter speed to 1/1000th or faster and pan with the aircraft as you take the picture.  Follow through with the shutter just as you would your golf or baseball swing.

For the longest time I couldn’t open it.  This wasn’t because I didn’t want to read it, but every time I sat down to read it I got hungry.  I was recently contacted by a local cafe, Suzie’s Cafe, to shoot their entire menu.  While I do have some experience shooting cupcakes for my wife’s blog, Sticky Marshmallows, I figured now would be a better time than ever to brush up on my Food photography!

Nicole’s photos in this book are incredible and really get the stomach growling.  I was thoroughly impressed by her descriptive delivery of not only food photography but photography in general.  The first few chapters give anyone who may or may not have experience with the basics of digital photography a very descriptive crash course.  Nicole seamlessly weaves f/Stops, shutter speeds, ISO’s and White Balance into food photography from cover to cover.

I was especially impressed by the organization, workflow, and diagrams in Nicole’s publication.  Nicole starts with the basics of photography, then takes you into the tips and tricks of setting up a scene for food photography.  Following the tips are some great ideas for props and then the workflow.  I found Nicole’s lighting setup diagrams incredibly helpful.  Her ability to describe the photo shoot is uncanny and can have you snapping amazing food photos in no time.  Nicole also offers up her workflow in Photoshop which I found just as helpful as the diagrams.

The Bottom Line:

Nicole saved me when I was in a pinch!  If you are into food, photography, or the combination of both, you cannot go wrong with this masterfully crafted publication.  It is very rare that I read something and just click with it, however, Nicole’s delivery of food photography is impeccable.  Check out Food Photography, you will not be disappointed.  My only regret is not reading it sooner.  Thank you Nicole, I read your book and now my food photos rock!

Some examples of my photo shoot after reading Food Photography:

I know nothing about cars, quite honestly I only know that the key goes in the ignition and when turned the car starts.  My grandfather on the other hand built one of these Ford Model T’s from the ground up, seriously, from the frame to the finished product.  The man has a serious knack for hand tools and impeccable craftsmanship with anything he does.  I must have gotten that gene from him, I only wish the car knowledge went along with it!

Tip For The Week:  Try getting down at a lower vantage point more often!

I didn’t bring my tripod along with me on this venture, and was quite perturbed by the mistake when I saw the Model T in such great light.  Instead of letting it bring me down I rested my camera on a nearby box that had a much lower vantage point than my tripod.  After processing this shot I am glad I forgot it.  I never would have gotten down to that vantage point had I used my tripod. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU3TFm45tCw