Weekly Photography Tips

Gimping right along...

2009-07-10T06:30:00.004-04:00

Here are three video tutorials that will give you a "hands on" look at the GIMP interface and some of the (basic) features. The more I learn about GIMP the more impressed I am, this is one powerful program. Have a great weekend!

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More about GIMP (a Photoshop alternative)...

2009-07-08T09:29:00.004-04:00

Back in May I wrote about some free Photoshop alternatives, today I want to give you more information about the most popular of those, GIMP. I have never used GIMP, but many of you who have took the time to email me to tell me just how powerful it is and how much you love it. So here are two reviews done by those in the know, they are in depth and will certainly help you in your decision making process. Here is what KillerSites.com had to say: "GIMP is incredibly customizable... In fact,...

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Jo Alldredge Photography...

2009-07-06T07:52:00.010-04:00

I want to start year three of this blog by immediately attacking the "to do" list from our birthday posting, this is number three from the list "feature the work of fellow photographers". This other photographer is Jo Alldredge. Jo is one of the many people I have had the pleasure of meeting while writing Weekly Photo Tips, and while I was perusing her website recently I came across these images and was blown away with how good they are. I really like everything about them - the setup, the...

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How to photograph fireworks...

2009-07-04T06:46:00.003-04:00

Funny, but the older I get the more importance this holiday takes on. Here's 6 minute (in depth) video showing how to setup your camera to capture the best possible images of a fireworks display. Have a safe and happy 4th.

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It's Weekly Photo Tips second birthday!...

2009-07-03T08:03:00.009-04:00

"Happy birthday Weekly Photo Tips... happy birthday to you" When I wrote the first entry two 2 years ago today I had no idea where it would lead and in my wildest dreams I never thought it would be this much fun... I have you good people to thank. So, thank You, seriously. The comments you leave and the emails you send are the best part, so please, keep 'em coming. Here are some of the numbers from our second year: The past 12 months have seen 61,107 visitors with 81,921 Page Views. 1,203...

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A great resource for photographers, Rangefinder...

2009-07-02T07:20:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite photography magazines is Rangefinder. When it arrives in the mail it never leaves my hand, I pull it from the mailbox and immediately head off to find a nice quiet spot and start reading. If you don't subscribe (and you should) you can still take advantage of their wealth of information by visiting their website, it has many of the magazine articles available plus videos and podcasts. If you are looking for marketing tips, then you need to check out their regular feature...

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Details of the Mike Palmer shoot...

2009-06-30T08:45:00.003-04:00

I received a few comments (and even more emails) asking for more details regarding how I shot the images in yesterdays post, so here goes. There were 4 flashes used, all set on manual, and all fired by Pocket Wizards. #1 - This flash was setup at (about) the 8 o'clock position, was mounted on the table top stand that came with it so it sat directly on the street about 3-4 feet away, was "bare bulb" and was set at 1/32 power. It was tilted high to provided fill light on Mike & Julia's...

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Photographer Mike Palmer was in town...

2009-06-29T08:10:00.004-04:00

My friend (fellow photographer and blogger) Mike Palmer was in Maine on vacation with his family all of last week. While he was here Mike asked if I would do a family portrait for him. I really hate taking pictures for friends, what if they hate it? And to make it worse, a friend who is a photographer, they'll surely find out I really suck! Mike gave me just two bits of instruction, he wanted the portrait to be done in front of a brick wall, and he wanted it "edgy". I would consider myself a...

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Lightroom & Camera RAW updates released...

2009-06-26T08:06:00.004-04:00

Adobe has release updates for both Lightroom and Camera RAW. You can download the Lightroom 2.4 update for Windows here, and the MAC update is here. The Adobe Camera RAW 5.4 download for Windows is available here, and the MAC can be found here. Have a great weekend folks!

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Weekly Photo Tips Update...

2009-06-25T10:54:00.003-04:00

During the last two years we have done a bunch of product reviews, over 35 so far, and we have a bunch more in the pipeline. To make the blog a bit more user friendly, and so folks did not have to search through 2 years of blog posts looking for a review, we have listed them all on the menu bar to the right. As we do (and post) new reviews they will be added to the "Our Product Reviews" menu. Subscribers will need to actually visit the blog to view the list as the reviews (and other menu...

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What format do you shoot?...

2009-06-24T06:17:00.002-04:00

Here are the results of the reader poll we have been running, "what format do you shoot?". I was a little surprised at how few people shoot JPG. It would interesting to hear from the folks who took the time to participate in the poll why they shoot the format they do.

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Engagement Shoot...

2009-06-23T07:50:00.003-04:00

Here are some images from an engagement shoot done on the lone sunny day last week. This is Carolyn and Zack, a wonderful couple who are getting married next month. They wanted their engagement portraits shot at the beach and whenever I shoot there I try to do so during the "golden hour", because the light is phenomenal, eliminating the need to drag supplemental lighting (and other equipment) to the beach. Which is a good thing, because as much as I like shooting at the beach, I do not like...

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From lemons to lemonade...

2009-06-22T07:27:00.003-04:00

Or, how rainy weather turned into a lens review. Here in Maine the last 2 weeks have seen some very wet weather, during one 24 hour period last week we had 4 inches of rain, and in total we've received over 8 inches. And it's supposed to keep raining for at least 4 more days! Once I finish this post I'm going to put the finishing touches on the materials list for my ark. ;) But enough about the weather. During a lull in the (rain) action I grabbed a new lens I bought a few months back but...

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I love Fathers Day...

2009-06-21T06:02:00.003-04:00

Not because of the gifts, doo dads, and trinkets, but because it's one of a handful of days each year that I spend reflecting on just how fortunate I am (well, reflecting, eating, napping, and then eating again). Though it doesn't suck that they got me an iPod Touch this year. ;) If I had to share just one thing I have learned about being a dad it would be: "The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." Not only does it teach my daughters how to treat...

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More on the movie UP...

2009-06-20T09:26:00.003-04:00

I'll warn you, you may want to go get the tissues before you read any further. Okay, all set? Three weeks ago I posted about the new Pixar movie Up, well yesterday the movie was in the news again and for all the right reasons. Colby, a terminally ill 10 year old girl really wanted to see the movie but was just too sick to go to the theater, well Pixar got wind of this and showed up the very next day with a DVD of Up for her to watch. Sadly, Colby died just a few hours after seeing the...

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Shooting with 2 lights...

2009-06-19T08:41:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago I posted part 1 of the "shooting with 2 lights" series, here is my variation. I shot with 2 Nikon SB-800's, the primary (light) SB-800 had a snoot on it and was setup at about the 5 o'clock position, the secondary (light) SB-800 was at about 9 o'clock and had a homemade grid on it. It didn't hurt that the model was the type that you could drop the camera and still get a good shot. ;) Keep in mind that "2 lights" doesn't have to be fancy shmancy flashes, it can be almost...

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Q & A with Matt Kloskowski...

2009-06-16T08:07:00.005-04:00

Here is the beginning of yet another new new feature here on Weekly Photo Tips, more interviews, and I am starting out with Matt Kloskowski. Enjoy. Q. When/how did you get into photography? A. I don't have a real defining moment for when and how. I know I dabbled with photography in high school but the darkroom really made things difficult for me at the time. When digital came out I got back into it and got my first DSLR back 2001. Q. Who (or what) had the most influence on your development as...

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A couple of questions for you (yes, you!)...

2009-06-15T07:09:00.003-04:00

I am thinking of adding a couple new features to the blog, but only if they are of interest to you, the readers. 1. "Sunday Sales". The first thing I do on Sunday morning (after making my mega gulp cup of coffee) is to jump online and peruse the sales (Staples, Best Buy, etc.) looking for photography related items. Things like blank media (DVD's and CD's), external hard drives (for image backups), memory cards, and photo paper. I usually don't post on Sundays and it would not take that much...

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Lowepro Mini Trekker Photo Backpack...

2009-06-12T06:12:00.004-04:00

The Lowepro Mini Trekker All Weather Photo Backpack is a great bag, I know because it's one of the bags I use. It's extremely well built, it's strong, it's durable, and the zippers can take a serious yanking and not come off track. I love my bag. You can get this Lowepro Mini Trekker from more than half off, it's on sale right now for just $79.99 (regularly $179.99) at Adorama, and the shipping is free too. Adorama also has memory cards on sale as well, the Kingston Technology 4 GB Compact...

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Shooting maternity portraits...

2009-06-11T07:24:00.003-04:00

Here are a few maternity portraits I shot this weekend. I really enjoy photographing pregnant women, it's such a wonderful, happy time in their life and I get to sit in on it. Just a simple thing like asking them to put their hands on their belly will bring a smile to their face and they truly glow. Just a few things I like to do for maternity portraits: Surely mom has been online looking at maternity portraits for months, so the first thing you need to do is ask "what have you seen that...

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A post I may regret...

2009-06-09T06:26:00.007-04:00

When I started this blog, almost 2 years and 350 posts ago, there were many things I wasn't sure of and did not know (like how long it would last, the way cool people I would meet, and the photography doo-dads I would get to play with). The one thing I did know, was sure of, was this blog was going to stay positive, "do no harm", then as we started receiving products to review that thought process led directly to our "review policy". I have received products for review that I did not work for...

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Variations on a Two-Light Theme, Pt. 3...

2009-06-08T06:14:00.004-04:00

The final post in the series "Variations on a Two-Light Theme" has been posted. This series is really well done (as usual) and in line with the theme of "keeping the light simple". So head on over to Strobist and check it out. Just in case you missed them, you can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. I know I gush about David hobby/Strobist but in my humble opinion he has done more to educate photographers than any other source out there and I share some of his postings here because I found...

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Keeping the light simple...

2009-06-05T06:47:00.005-04:00

How cool is that shot, it's a gull wing Mercedes 300SL shot by Ken Brown (my new man crush). ;) This is Ken's third appearance on Weekly Photo Tips, the first was in a review of "Trade Secret Cards" (quite by accident, the card I showed was a shot of a car setup/shot by Ken), the second post was more intentional, it was a video of Ken shooting a car with a single Nikon SB-24 speedlight. When you look at his images you can't help but think, "holy cow, look at how beautifuly that's lit, I...

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Shoot your Nikon or Canon wirelessly...

2009-06-04T06:27:00.004-04:00

Pete Tsai has put together an ingenious device for under $50 ($49 to be exact) that allows him to shoot his Nikon wirelessly! Now keep in mind that this is not the easiest of projects, it does take some time, some effort, and a bit of technical savvy to put this wireless tether together, but Pete lays out step by step instructions (with a bunch of pictures) that even an idiot (like me) can follow successfuly. Pete has written that followers of his blog who shoot Canon and Sony have followed...

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Flare photography with Kristin Zecchinelli...

2009-06-02T07:48:00.004-04:00

Last year, during Scott Kelby's world wide photo walk I had the pleasure of meeting Kristin Zecchinelli (aka "Maine Momma"). Kristin ended up as the winning photographer of the walk, not only was her winning shot great, she had a great collection of images from that day and you can view some of those images here. Though I enjoy looking at her images, it was when I started following her blog that it became obvious that she truly loves photography and is a genuinely good and caring person,...

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